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Remember That Shazam! Movie? Looks Like It's Dead.
Latino Review —
... the Harry Potter movies a dark force to battle at the end, not a constant presence throughout. I wrote the draft I had pitched, and was very happy with how it turned out. I got notes from New Line and the producers mostly about set pieces, and keeping Black Adam from becoming too sympathetic but before I could get started, the WGA went on strike. I couldn t write, nor did I talk to anyone involved for 100 days. When the strike was over, Shazam! was suddenly a Warner Bros. movie. 1 The new executive at Warners said he agreed with the New Line notes, and ...
Newsbites: The sci-fi and comic-book edition!
FilmChat —
... , both of which were produced by Warner Brothers, as the kid-oriented Shazam! would have been. -- John August ...
Shazam! dead
Filmstalker —
... at all. It may come back in another incarnation, with another writer, but I can say with considerable certainty that it won't be the version I developed." He also, very sensibly, closes his explanation of what happened with a disclaimer, that this is his interpretation of what happened, that many meetings occurred without him (as they do) and that it is possible his scripts were rubbish and that's what put them off. This is a very well written and interesting post to read over at John August's site , which is a fascinating read for any scriptwriter anyway, and it ends happily ...
Writer John August Says 'Shazam!' is Dead
Get The Big Picture —
... But now on his blog, August reports that Shazam! is no more, this after a series of rewrites that saw the direction of the project change without his influence. ...
John August's Shazam! Not Happening
Superherohype.com —
Screenwriter John August ( Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ) is speaking out on his blog about his long-in-development Captain Marvel project, originally for New Line and then taken over by Warner Bros. during the merger last year. Based on the Fawcett Comics character created by C.C. Beck and Bill Parker in 1939, Shazam! was going to be directed by Get Smart director Peter Segal. In fact, there was a Warner Bros. press release roughly six weeks ago, which you can read ...
John August's Shazam! Not Happening
ComingSoon.net - 30 most recent stories —
Screenwriter John August ( Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ) is speaking out on his blog about his long-in-development Captain Marvel project, originally for New Line and then taken over by Warner Bros. during the merger last year. Based on the Fawcett Comics character created by C.C. Beck and Bill Parker in 1939, Shazam! was going to be directed by Get Smart director Peter Segal. In fact, there was a Warner Bros. press release roughly six weeks ago, which you can read ...
'Shazam!' is Dead, Says Writer John August
Cinematical —
... However, over on his blog, August says the project is now dead in the water after several re-writes, most of which came about after the studio wanted him to take the film from a lighter action-comedy to something much darker (a la The Dark Knight). And regarding the recent news that Segal would be directing, August notes that "press releases often have little relationship to reality." He does admit, though, that the movie may still happen ... just not with him onboard and not anytime soon. Which is a shame, because this pitch -- "Like Big, but with superpowers ...
Here’s why I miss working in the movie industry…and here’s why I don’t.
Burbanked —
... chatting up writers and directors while they’re waiting for meetings with importanter people. As a young man struggling to make it in showbiz, I had more than a few of those The Player moments where my friends and I would all question whether or not we had other things to talk about outside of the movie industry - and not a single one of us could come up with anything. wizard-gifted powers = no match for a studio d-boy with an attitude So when I see an excellent article such as this one by John August about the sudden death of his Shazam superhero screenplay, I get all ...
Captain Marvel Movie Not Happening
Cinema Blend News —
... , that Shazam was aimed at kids, and since Speed Racer was aimed at kids and it flopped, Shazam was done for. It might be a little more complicated than that, but August seems really clear-- and really angry-- in his blog post . "[ Speed Racer ] flopped; [ The Dark Knight ] triumphed. Given only those two examples, one can understand why a studio might wish for their movies to be more like the latter. But to do so ignores the success of Iron Man , which spent most of its running time as a comedic origin story, and the even more pertinent example of WBs own Harry ...
Shazam! It’s Dead
Screen Rant —
... to mention, this whole “Let’s make everything dark” argument certainly gels with what Warner Brothers #2 big-cheese Jeff Robinov said back in August.
Of course, just because something works perfectly for Batman doesn’t mean it’ll automatically work for everything else.
Nonetheless, Shazam! is now just one more comic-book property we won’t be getting from Warner Brothers.
Source: JohnAugust.com ...
The Shazam Movie is Dead - John August Explains Why
FirstShowing.net —
... Oh no, the Shazam movie is dead! John August, one of Hollywood's most accessible screenwriters, published a lengthy blog article yesterday explaining how the writer's strike, miscommunication with various studio execs, and other unfortunate occurrences over the last few years eventually killed the movie. We have been following this Shazam project for a very long time, including publishing some ...
Shazam is Dead
/Film —
... You won’t be seeing a big screen adaptation of Shazam hitting theaters anytime soon, as the project is now officially dead. Screenwriter John August has posted an in depth article on his blog explaining how the writer’s strike, New Line being merged into Warner Bros, and the back and fourth between various studio execs eventually killed the project. If you have a few minutes it’s well worth the read, and it’s very typical of the hilarity and frustration of the Hollywood studio system. ...
What Happened To The Shazam Movie?
TheBadandUgly.com —
... Now, that screenwriter, John August (Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) has taken to his blog to explain why. ...
Dead Projects: Shazam!, Fright Night, Ender’s Game
TheMovingPicture.net —
... First, Screenwriter John August has revealed over on his official blog that Shazam!, the big-screen adaptation of the DC comic, is no longer happening. August had been working on the film since 2007 and cites the trouble with New Line Cinema and the WGA strike for its demise. ...
Dead: Shazam!, Fright Night, Ender’s Game
TheMovingPicture.net —
... First, Screenwriter John August has revealed over on his official blog that Shazam!, the big-screen adaptation of the DC comic, is no longer happening. August had been working on the film since 2007 and cites the trouble with New Line Cinema and the WGA strike for its demise. ...
John August Explains The Death of ‘Shazam!’
Film School Rejects —
... Believe it or not, but I’ve been following the development of John August’s Shazam! since Comic-Con 2007, when attached director Peter Segal and I chatted briefly about it during an interview for Get Smart, a film that was not even done shooting yet. And here we are more than a year later and the film is dead. It’s amazing what can happen in a year’s time. As August explained on his personal blog yesterday, Shazam! has died in the script stage due to some cold feet and misguided direction of the ...
GeekBeat: Simon Pegg & Nick Frost Cast in 'Tintin,' And More
:: The Playlist :: —
... John August ("Go") has revealed on his blog that Warner Bros. has passed on his "Shazam!" script, citing a desire for more of that "The Dark Knight"-style edge that all of the kids are craving these days. If the possible studio interference hadn't killed it, it would've been something ugly not unlike "The Spirit". 'Shazam' might be interesting as an animated property, but it's better that it's not compromised. ...
SHAZAM! Kersplat!!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. —
... to have collapsed (for a while, at least) due to collision with inconsisent executives, the writer's strike, Warner Bros' assimilation of New Line, and more. This per screenwriter John August. By “dead,” I mean that it won’t be happening. I don’t think it’s on the studio’s radar at all. It may come back in another incarnation, with another writer, but I can say with considerable certainty that it won’t be the version I developed. ...says August in a blog entry that can be found HERE . There's some interesting material in his blog post - this is a perfect example of how film ...
“Shazam!” Is Dead, John August Explains Why
Hollywoodtuna —
... An interesting read for anyone who’s ever wondered what happens to their favorite comic characters once they enter Development Hell, writer/director John August has posted a candid eulogy to his now-defunct Shazam! script on his official website. (He’s also got an article titled “The Purpose of Drama, and Its Relationship to Cameron Diaz’s Ass”, but I’m pretty sure we’re all experts on that by now.) ...
Captain Marvel’s ‘Shazam!’ Movie Dead
At The Movies - Film News and Reviews —
... And so it is with Shazam!, the Captain Marvel movie that has been in development for the last couple of years. Unfortunately, all the preparation work for the project seems to have been for nothing, as the screenwriter John August claims in a blog post that the movie is as good as dead. ...
Screenwriting News & Links! 1/15/09
Mystery Man on Film —
... story is bullsh--" and complaining that the actress who played her in the film never even reached out to her. In a recent cover story with Hip-Hop Weekly, Kim — who said she has not seen the film — said she believed Big's wife, Faith Evans, and his mother, Voletta Wallace, were behind the snub… Speaking of Notorious, there’s a great round-up of new articles here. According to John August, Shazam is dead. (Whew!) Below is ...
Big Fish Will Write Preacher
Cinema Blend News —
... . Check out his side of the story in his blog: here . Turns out he had finished two drafts of the script for two different studios when the project went defunct. No doubt The Rock is devastated. So, although we didnt see it hit the screen, maybe he does have a bit of that Superhero experience were looking for. Now, if he can just get the outrageous violence down, the hip swagger of the Preacher captured and the theological motifs figured out, we might just have a magical movie on our hands! Now that the gears are in motion, get ready to start hearing about casting from us! ...
Writers Geoff Johns and Billy Birch Shout SHAZAM!
Collider —
... that have been attached to this project which have included William Goldman (”The Princess Bride”), Bryan Goluboff (HBO’s “In Treatment”), and writing team Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow (”Cheaper by the Dozen”). John August (”Big Fish”) was the latest writer to be attached to the project. August also publicly talked about the problems of bringing “Shazam!” to the big screen on his blog. That must-read post can be found here. ...
Shazam! Gets New Writers: Bill Birch and Geoff Johns
/Film —
... John August had what might have been a great take, which he described as “Big with superpowers.” He envisioned Batson still being a child even while in the adult body of his alter-ego, and wrote “a comedy with a lot of action.” After rewriting that and working with the project’s changeover from New Line to WB (recounted in detail on August’s blog) the writer became one of many casualties on the project. ...
Five Projects for DCE to Jump On, Day 3: ‘Shazam’
We Are Movie Geeks —
... During this time in pre-production, New Line was swallowed entirely by sister company, Warner Brothers. After the monster success of ‘The Dark Knight’ and the disappointing failure of ‘Speed Racer’ at the 2008 box office, Warner decided they wanted ‘Shazam!’ to take on a much darker tone. August would even go so far in early 2009 to say the film was “dead.” There is a monster article August posted on his blog around this time. You can still check it out, but here is the gist: ...
