Filmonic » David Goyer

Ghost Rider 2 takes place 8 years on. Isn’t a reboot.

Liam — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:06:08 +0000

In September David Goyer was brought on-board to tone down his 9 year old R-rated Ghost Rider script and set it up as a sequel to 2007’s Ghost Rider cheesefest. He recently spoke to MTV and revealed some more details on Ghost Rider 2, saying it will be “what Casino Royale was to the Bond movies”.

“It’s not exactly a reboot,” said Goyer, who’s currently hard at work on his “FlashForward” television series. “I hate to say it’s more realistic, because he’s got a flaming skull for a head, but it’s a bit more stripped down and darker. It’s definitely changing tone. What ‘Casino Royale’ was to the Bond movies, hopefully this will be to ‘Ghost Rider.’ This story picks up eight years after the first film,” said Goyer. “You don’t have to have seen the first film. It doesn’t contradict anything that happened in the first film, but we’re pretending that our audience hasn’t seen the first film. It’s as if you took that same character where things ended in the first film and then picked it up eight years later—he’s just in a much darker, existential place.”

Nicolas Cage will be back as the man with the flaming skull, and filming will take place next year.

David Goyer and James McTeigue talk Magneto

Liam — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:04:03 +0000

X-Men Origins: Magneto has been in development hell ever since the writers strike in 2007/2008 and it’s been a frustrating two years. They were scouting for locations and budgeting before the WGA put down their pens, but then David Goyer started working on The Unborn (12% on Rotten Tomatoes) and then he moved onto the his TV show FlashForward.

Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox were waiting to see how X-Men Origins: Wolverine fared ($371 million worldwide), and have since been developing a Wolverine 2, Deadpool and X-Men: First Class. Magneto, however, looks like it will be in development hell for a while.

Collider recently asked Goyer for an update on the project, and he basically said what he’s been saying for the past few months: “I’m busy, Fox are thinking”.

I’ll pretend I didn’t see the part where he didn’t know how to pronounce Magneto (the same Magneto he’s apparently co-wrote a script for, and the same Magneto that’s been in 3 X-Men movies).

I don’t think I want David Goyer to direct Magneto. In the past I was up for it because I wanted to see the movie made and he worked on The Dark Knight, but that has really been the only great thing he’s done and it’s mainly down to Christopher Nolan. Goyer is busy with FlashForward and Ghost Rider 2 anyway. If only there were another director interested in it…

…oh wait, there is! V for Vendetta and Ninja Assassin director James McTeigue. From FirstShowing:

To wrap things up, I asked James about the rumor that IMDb lists his name as a co-director (with David Goyer) on the still-in-development X-Men Origins: Magneto movie. As you might’ve expected, that is pretty much a completely BS rumor. “I think David Goyer would probably be surprised about that, actually. I think that’s just one of those rumors that kind of starts… Until he drops out!” McTeigue said he would love to do it, but it’s Goyer’s project, he wrote it, he’ll probably direct, and he won’t touch it since it’s entirely Goyer’s baby.

Imagine having a baby you can’t pronounce the name of! Fox I suggest you give McTeigue a call before Warner Bros. sign him up for the next Superman movie. You don’t want to make the same mistake twice do you!?

(If you do may I suggest Bryan Singer, you may have heard of him, or Alfonso Cuarón. He made Children of Men)

[Magneto and Sentinel image by Livio]

David Goyer talks Ghost Rider 2

Liam — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:08:01 +0000

Last month it was reported that David Goyer had been brought on-board to create the story and supervise writers for Ghost Rider 2. Collider recently caught up with Goyer and he spoke a little about what his involvement was.

“I wrote a script for that about 9 years ago. Sony decided and the producers that they wanted to make that as the sequel script. In this case I’m coming on as a producer, and we’re basically just doing a polish. There’s not as much work involved.”

His script was apparently written for an R rating so he will now be working to cut out the violent and sexy stuff to make it PG-13 material. David Goyer co-wrote The Dark Knight which was pretty violent for a PG-13, so it shouldn’t be watered down too much.

David Goyer to oversee Ghost Rider 2 script

Liam — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:33:32 +0000

We haven’t heard anything solid on Ghost Rider 2 for a while, even though we knew Columbia were interested in making it. Now THR are reporting that David Goyer (The Dark Knight, Blade trilogy) is in early talks to create the story and supervise writers for a film.

Through a spokesperson, Goyer said he hadn’t signed on yet. But plans are already under way to base the sequel on a “Ghost Rider” script written years ago by Goyer, whose superhero work includes hit screen transfers of DC’s “Batman Begins” and Marvel’s “Blade” franchise. The original “Ghost Rider” was scripted by director Mark Steven Johnson.

When the first film was released in 2007 it got mostly negative reviews, but in the end it made around $230 million worldwide (not including DVD sales) so a sequel will probably give everyone involved a nice paycheck. People such as Nicolas Cage, who will be back as the fire skull man.

David Goyer expects Magneto to move forward ‘in the next year’

Liam — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:09:05 +0000

It’s been a few years since David Goyer was hired to direct X-Men Origins: Magneto and at one point they were scouting for filming locations and working on the budget, however things didn’t work out (possibly due to the writers strike). Then we were told that Magneto would only go ahead if X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a success. Well it was (financially anyway), and I was hoping 20th Century Fox would give it the green-light as they have done with Deadpool. However, we haven’t heard anything yet and the latest comes from David Goyer who gave some slightly encouraging news.

Goyer spoke with MTV News about the long rumored “X-Men Origins: Magneto” project, and while the filmmaker acknowledged its prospects, he also mentioned that “Magneto” is just one in a long line of potential X-films.
“They’re still thinking about doing it,” Goyer revealed to MTV News. “They’re definitely looking into doing other X-Men spinoffs.”
“I’ve been in touch with them,” he said. “I’m sure that project will move forward in the next year or so.”

The problem with Magneto is that it is probably the least ‘commercial’ X-Men movie 20th Century Fox could be working on. X-Men: First Class will have a similar audience to the previous X-Men films but not everyone will want to see Magneto running around with Xavier getting revenge on Navi’s. And while Inglorious Bastards has recently given the whole ‘killing Nazi’ genre a boost, Magneto won’t be doing it with funky music in the background and he won’t have Quentin Tarantino or Brad Pitt.

X-Men: First Class vs. X-Men Origins: Magneto

Liam — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:53:20 +0000

X-Men Origins: Wolverine proved that people haven’t tired of X-Men franchise just yet as it has made $350 million worldwide, and we already know that a Wolverine 2 is in the early stages of development, as is a Deadpool spin-off. But what about X-Men: First Class and X-Men Origins: Magneto? At one point back in 2007 director David Goyer was scouting for locations to film Magneto, but then the writers went on strike and work on the film stopped. 20th Century Fox focused all of their attention on Wolverine while David Goyer worked on other stuff such as The Dark Knight and The Unborn. Then we got word in October last year that Josh Schwartz had been hired to write the script for X-Men: First Class, which would revolve around Xavier’s first students at his School for Gifted Youngsters.

As it currently stands 20th Century Fox have three X-Men films in development and a spin-off, so which will come first? And in what order? SHH got the chance to speak to David Goyer and he explained what the current thinking at Fox was:

“There have been some preliminary discussions,” he told us about Magneto, adding, “I think, at Fox, they’re trying to decide if making a young X-Men film makes the most sense next, does making a ‘Magneto’ make the most sense next. They’re just trying to decide internally who’s next up.”

Wolverine 2 and Deadpool will come whenever they are ready, but Fox are deciding whether X-Men: First Class or X-Men Origins: Magneto should come first. Early drafts of the Magneto script include a young Charles Xavier who meets up with Magneto on his travels, so would it make sense to show Xavier and Magneto’s origins, then show Xavier setting up his school in First Class? Or do they set up First Class and then show how it all began? If they want do to things in order Magneto would come first. But X-Men Origins: Wolverine has shown that you can go back in time and still have a hit without confusing the audience.

Whatever they decide I just hope they get them right. I think it’s fair to say that the X-Men franchise peaked back in 2003 with X2, but with the money still rolling in will Fox continue to pump out so-so X-Men films or will they hire an X-Men version of Christopher Nolan to give the franchise a kick?

Christopher Nolan and David Goyer are ‘talking and thinking’ about Batman 3

Liam — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:06:21 +0000

When previously asked about a follow up to The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan has said that he would only do it if there was a story to tell. And the only real way of finding that out is to think about it, and then talk about that with other people. Luckily for Batman fans Nolan and writer David Goyer have been doing just that…talking and thinking!

The Dark Knight producer Chuck Roven told MTV:

“I know that Chris [Nolan] and [writer] David Goyer are talking and thinking,” Roven said. “We’re hoping, of course, that they find and rest on something that they’ll find is worthy to do, but we don’t know anything more than you do right now.”
“All I can say — because I really don’t know more than you do — is that I see no reason why, tonally, Chris would do anything different than he’s done in the first two films,” the producer said.

If Nolan is thinking about ideas for the sequel then that means there is a good chance he will return as director. We don’t want him doing a ‘Bryan Singer’ on us and leaving the franchise after two good movies, only for the third film to be directed by the man behind Rush Hour 2 and Jessica Simpson music videos. *shivers*

Magneto not happening anytime soon

Liam — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:28:51 +0000

Despite producer Lauren Shuler Donner saying that getting X-Men Origins: Magneto made would be her next priority, it appears director David Goyer has other plans. In an interview with Collider, which you can watch below, he says that 20th Century Fox are waiting to see if X-Men Origins: Wolverine does well next summer before they greenlight Magneto. In the meantime he will be working on a remake of the H.G Wells classic The Invisible Man.

I can see why he has decided to make another movie while Fox grow some balls, I mean he can’t be sitting around for half of the year. However, I just wish they would have some faith in it rather than keep putting it off. If David Goyer ends up making Magneto after The Invisible Man, that would mean he has made 3 movies since he was actually hired as director a few years ago. That’s bad!

Magneto next on Lauren Shuler Donner’s to-do list

Liam — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:00:52 +0000

Lauren Shuler Donner, mother of all the past and upcoming X-Men movies, recently spoke to IndieLondon while promoting The Secret Life of Bees and revealed that her next focus will be X-Men Origins: Magneto.

Q. How is Wolverine coming along?
Lauren Shuler Donner: It’s good… it’s very good. I’m very pleased with it. It’s very much an origins story. It’s very much in the tone of the first X-Men.
Q. And how about Magneto?
Lauren Shuler Donner: We have a great script on Magneto. I’ll tell you the honest truth… I’ve made four movie this year and I was so busy that I didn’t at all talk to the studio while making Magneto because I couldn’t have done it. And David Goyer, who wrote and is going to direct it, also did another movie. So now, he’s done with his and I’m done with two of mine, so when I get back that’s my first order of business to say: “Come on, let’s go and make Magneto.”

If X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a success next May then that will prove solo character films can work, and Magneto will probably move forward (if David Goyer doesn’t start on another movie)

X-Men Origins: Magneto Synopsis Revealed

Liam — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:48:09 +0000

X-Men Origins: Magneto is slowly taking steps to getting made. The film has had David Goyer attached to direct since April 2007, and now it finally has a synopsis! Progress!

From trade magazine Production Weekly:

“The original X-Men film began with a prologue that showed the character as a child being led to a concentration camp by Nazis and that is the period in which the Magneto film will take place. This setup will allow a future villain to at least flirt with the designation of protagonist since the character will be seen almost exclusively in his formative years.”
“The storyline will heavily involve Professor X, the wheelchair-using X-Men leader. That character was a soldier in the allied force that liberated the concentration camps. The professor meets Magneto after the war and while they bond over the realisation that they are alike in their special powers, their differences soon turn them into enemies.”

Ian Mckellen is attached to the film but will most likely serve as narrator or in flash forward sequences. From the synopsis it seems that Patrick Stewart may also be required, however as the film is set in the past Fox will probably decide to hire younger actors instead of doing the de-ageing effects seen in X-Men 3.

X-Men Origins: Magneto will begin filming whenever David Goyer finds the time and the script is complete.