The Three Musketeers.

Message

John Johnson · #1 Post by **John Johnson** » Tue May 11, 2010 8:50 am

Last month, it was reported that director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) would be directing Warner Bros.' THE THREE MUSKETEERS, Heat Vision is reporting that director/producer Paul W.S. Anderson is stepping up his own planned contemporary 3D version of Alexandre Dumas' French swashbucklers with the casting of eight actors.
According to the story, Logan Lerman, most recently seen in Chris Columbus' PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF will headline the movie playing D'Artagnan, leader of the other Musketeers, played by Ray (Punisher: War Zone) Stevenson (Porthos), Luke (Clash of the Titans) Evans (Athos) and Matthew (Pride & Prejudice) Macfadyen (Aramis). Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz and CASINO ROYALE and CLASH star Mads Mikkelsen will join the cast as the primary villains Cardinal Richelieu and Rochefort, respectively. It's probably a surprise to absolutely no one that Anderson's own wife Milla Jovovich has been cast as Milady de Winter, Athos' ex-girlfriend.
Orlando Bloom, co-star of the first three PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies, is in negotiations to play the Duke of Buckingham but hasn't been confirmed yet.

http://www.isnnews.net/

AndyDursin · #2 Post by **AndyDursin** » Tue May 11, 2010 10:34 am

Going to be a rush to see which one hits theaters first. Given Anderson's history I'm sure he'll get there before Liman.

John Johnson · #3 Post by **John Johnson** » Tue May 11, 2010 11:42 am

At least they haven't mentioned 3D yet.

AndyDursin · #4 Post by **AndyDursin** » Tue May 11, 2010 1:22 pm

John Johnson wrote:At least they haven't mentioned 3D yet.

LOL, not yet!! But perhaps soon!!

Monterey Jack · #5 Post by **Monterey Jack** » Tue May 11, 2010 4:30 pm

AndyDursin wrote:
John Johnson wrote:At least they haven't mentioned 3D yet.
LOL, not yet!! But perhaps soon!!

We'll see all those rapiers poking right out of the screen...!

Paul MacLean · #6 Post by **Paul MacLean** » Tue May 11, 2010 5:54 pm

I'll stick with the 1973 version. Everything about that film (and its immediate sequel, The 4 Musketeers) -- the alternately dark/comedic tone, the superb choreography and in particular the casting, is unlikely to be surpassed.

It was an adaptation that just "worked", in a way that none of the other film versions did (does anyone even remember the early 90s version?). Even when the people who made the 70s version tried to recreate the formula (in Crossed Swords, and the much later sequel Return of the Musketeers) their attempts fell flat.

John Johnson · #7 Post by **John Johnson** » Tue May 11, 2010 6:16 pm

Paul MacLean wrote:I'll stick with the 1973 version. Everything about that film (and its immediate sequel, The 4 Musketeers) -- the alternately dark/comedic tone, the superb choreography and in particular the casting, is unlikely to be surpassed.

It was an adaptation that just "worked", in a way that none of the other film versions did (does anyone even remember the early 90s version?). Even when the people who made the 70s version tried to recreate the formula (in Crossed Swords, and the much later sequel Return of the Musketeers) their attempts fell flat.

Ah yes, The Return of the Musketeers. Sadly it was overshadowed by the untimely death of Roy Kinnear. One of the best things about that film was lovely score by Jean-Claude Petit

AndyDursin · #8 Post by **AndyDursin** » Fri May 14, 2010 1:58 am

It was an adaptation that just "worked", in a way that none of the other film versions did (does anyone even remember the early 90s version?).

Funny this is all coming up, because HDNet has been running the 1993 Disney version this month. And I have to confess -- I like it!

It's not nearly in a league with the '70s Salkind-Lester movies, but at the same time, there's plenty to enjoy in it: an unpretentious and humorous script, terrific cinematography and production design (back before everything became drab and "gritty"), a bunch of lovely young ladies (Gabrielle Anwar at her most fetching plus a young Julie Delpy), Tim Curry and Michael Wincott serving up agreeable PG-rated Disney villainy, and even the "Post Brat Pack" casting of Kiefer and Charlie Sheen worked out just fine...plus Oliver Pratt was enjoyable and Chris O'Donnell did a nice job in the usually bland D'Artagnan role.

Even Michael Kamen's score is one of his liveliest -- when he "showed up" he was capable of writing some truly joyous music, and I think THREE MUSKETEERS is one of his more inspired works.

I don't think people remember it much, obviously. It performed well at the box-office and was a success, but not a blockbuster. Still I think it's quite agreeable and has survived the years better than anticipated...even if the DVD in this country is old and not even 16:9 enhanced (which makes the HDNet airing all the more exciting to watch, because it amplifies the film's entertainment value).

Certainly I'd take it over THE MUSKETEER (despite its superb David Arnold score; apparently his "Cutthroat Island" rejected work??) and either of these upcoming projects.