Live action writer Peter Craig gave an interview to Anime Vice, which revealed a few reassuring details about the Bebop adaptation; at least partially putting fans at ease – some are still outraged at Keanu Reeve’s casting as Spike.

On the movie’s progress

AV: It’s been reported that the staff who made the anime– the studio Sunrise –is going to remain involved in the film. Do you know at this point if this will include significant involvement in the script?

PC: Yes, they’re very much involved. I met with all of them in Tokyo in December – at a long meeting with Keanu in the room. I thought there was an immediate rapport between all of us, particularly Shinchiro Watanabe and Keanu. I asked questions, presented scenarios, and they were very specific about their vision for the series, and how it might convert to a live-action film. They’ve continued to be in touch since then; and last month I received a very detailed letter, which I’ve consulted regularly. I’m close to finishing an early draft, and I believe they’ll be very happy with it. Not only does the script stay extremely true to the show — I also know that Erwin and Fox are already discussing production designers that can reproduce the “look” of Cowboy Bebop as closely as possible. They’ll be reading the script soon… so my fingers are crossed.

On getting the gig

I’m obviously not the most likely writer to land a great project like this. I began as a novelist, and was steered into writing screenplays when I adapted two of my own crime novels after they were optioned. Eventually, I earned a decent reputation for writing certain kinds of characters: disaffected men, dysfunctional families, poker-playing con-women, weathered ex-cops. A couple of things I’ve written are going into production this summer – but they’ve been circulating much longer. So studios and producers were familiar with my work here.

Even though I’d never written Sci-Fi, Emma Watts and Erwin Stoff really believed that I might relate well to Spike, Faye, and Jet — as well as many of the minor characters from the episodes. When I heard I might have a chance for the job, I was thrilled. Fox sent me every episode of “Cowboy Bebop,” including a few that had never aired in the U.S. I think I watched all of them consecutively one night until the sun came up – and by the end, I was obsessed with the show. I loved how it mixed genres, how it blended noir, Jazz, Yakuza movies, Westerns, and so much else into a vision of the future that worked. And so I entered that process of going after the job, giving my “take” on the movie, competing with other writers. Ultimately, I got the job because Erwin Stoff and Emma Watts had liked my work in the past — and they saw that I was passionate about it.

Some rumors started circulating the net that Darren Aronofsky was off the RoboCop reboot project, AICN quickly contacted Darren for some confirmation:

So I put the question to Darren, and promptly got a response from him saying simply, “No, Still on it.” – he also stated that he’d let me know as things progressed, but there were no new details at this time.

The team at Time Out have written an open letter to Bond 23 writer Peter Morgan, with a couple of Dos and Don’ts. Included are – find interesting and exciting locations, do not copy the Bourne series, make the Bond girl a pivotal role, give characters room to breathe.

The letter openly praises Casino Royale’s approach, but is quick to point out the flaws in Quantum of Solace.

Dear Peter,

While we at Time Out are thrilled that you, one of our country’s most talented and inquiring screenwriters, have accepted the challenge of penning the next James Bond movie, there are a few salient points we feel you might like to keep in mind while writing what will inevitably become one of 2011’s most important and, we hope, enjoyable movies. We trust you accept our advice in the friendly spirit with which it’s intended…

Please give the characters room to breathe
Perhaps the greatest stride writers Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and erstwhile colleague Paul Haggis made with ‘Casino Royale’ was giving Bond and his companions a real sense of life, depth and emotional conflict. We’re used to Bond the wisecracking automaton, but with an actor like Daniel Craig in the role this approach is a terrible waste. ‘Quantum of Solace’ reduced Bond to little more than grunts and sneers – a smart thug who faces off against a loquacious but rather pathetic villain. You’ve already proved your worth as a master of verbal sparring in your previous scripts, so we’re sure you’ll have the murderous banter down pat. The challenge will be to make us care about Bond again.

Please respect your audience
There’s no doubt that the best of Bond is revealed when there’s a strong storyline packed with twists, switchbacks and double crosses: just think of Sean Bean’s deception in ‘Goldeneye’, or Vesper’s betrayal in ‘Casino’. As long as your action sequences are gripping and your characters convincingly motivated, there’s no crime in keeping the viewer guessing.

Please don’t waste your Bond girls
Another of the great pleasures offered by ‘Casino Royale’ was the chance to see Bond confronted by female characters who could hold their own: not just Eva Green’s scheming Vesper, but Judi Dench’s fractious, commanding M. Dench was the best thing in ‘Quantum’, but she was let down by Olga Kurylenko’s fiery but underused Camille. It’s a lesson the makers of Bond have been long in learning: these women can be more than just eye-candy. A strong female lead doesn’t just centre the film, she allows writers and audiences a chance to get to the core of Bond himself.

Please don’t remake the Bourne series
Both ‘Casino’ and ‘Quantum’ were clearly inspired by the downbeat realism of the Bourne trilogy, but while the former balanced gritty action sequences with a wry streak of self-deprecating humour, the writers and director of ‘Quantum’ seemed content with an endless parade of repetitive shakycam punch-ups in grimy locales. So, while action is clearly the lifeblood of the series, remember that Bond always benefits from a moment of levity amid the mayhem.

Please show us something we haven’t seen before
It’s hard to think of anywhere Bond hasn’t been (Antarctica? Everest? Leamington Spa?), but one of ‘Quantum’ director Marc Forster’s better accomplishments was picking some stunning international locations, from the seedy streets of Panama and the barren Atacama Desert in Chile to the grandiose opera house at Lake Constance in Austria. While the old Bonds were increasingly confined to traipsing between MI6 and Moscow battling the same faceless, jabbering Russkies, the global nature of the new films’ mysterious conspiracy means that Bond can now head just about anywhere, and beat up just about anyone.

Finally, we await the Bond producers’ choice of director with bated breath. Some interesting names have been rumoured, though we understand Danny Boyle has officially denied all knowledge and Christopher Nolan is busy with all that Batman business. But the Bond films have never been about the big-name directors; in fact, with names like Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl and Paul Haggis, you could say it’s one of the few major film series where the choice of writer actually matters more than the choice of director. Which is where you come in, Mr Morgan.

Good luck!

Yours in anticipation,

Tom

Risky Business Blog are reporting that Conan director Marcus Nispel, Lionsgate and Nu Image/Millennium have found their new Conan star, and he’s a dead ringer for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The 41 year old body builder from Austria (yeah, you read that right), has recently become an actor; he played a T-800 in Terminator Salvation. He’s also played a Conan era Arnie in a biopic entitled “See Arnold Run”. Are these parallels beginning to scare you?

Shooting is set to begin this fall, somewhere in Bulgaria.

At Wizard World Philadelphia, during a question and answer session that included Ted Raimi, Michael Papajohn (aka the carjacker and Ben’s Killer) revealed that he shall be reprising his role for Spider-man 4. No details as to what that entails, if he told us he’d have to kill us.

Astute fans will know, in the first Spider-man movie, the carjacker is chased into a warehouse where he trips and falls to his death. How then, does this character reappear in Spider-man 4?

Maybe he survived and is now a villain? Maybe there’s a flashback?

There’s really nothing much to this new Iron Man poster, but here goes:

Attack of the show co-host Olivia Munn made it known, via Twitter, that she would have a role in Iron Man 2 – though couldn’t legally discuss it yet. On Twitter she suggested her role was bigger than a one minute appearance, watch “Big Stan” for details.

@awalker2334 thx! im excited. @jonfavreau is awesome! http://www.variety.com/arti…

@tr1gun it is definitely a bigger role than “big stan”..

Before joking,

@JammedHands haha.. yes, spoiler. I am playing the role of War Machine in Iron Man 2. Terrance Howard, Don Cheadle and now Olivia Munn! ha!

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With the general release of Transformers 2, it’s time to open up the floor to comments and find out what you guys thought of it. We’ve already shared our thoughts in our extensive review: Movie Chronicles Transformers 2 review.

Some questions to prompt debate

Did the new robots add to the film?
Which was the best new character?
Which was the worst?
What would you have done different?
Did the movie fly by too quickly or did you think it was too long?
Were Skids and Mudflap annoying or genuinely funny?
What was your biggest disappointment or favorite part?