I have been looking forward to the Solomon Kane film for a long time. Word has it the Michael J. Bassett directed film is badass with James Purefoy doing a great job in the title role.
There have been lots of rumours floating around regarding Robert Rodriguez's Predators reboot / sequel. First Arnie was going to cameo in it, then he wasn't. Derek Mears (Jason in the Friday the 13th reboot) was also rumoured to be in it, but he hadn't heard anything.
Last week I mentioned the fact that Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, Descent) was one of several directors in the running to direct the Robert Rodriguez produced Predators.I had a specific reason for going so it was all pretty focused on that one thing. There are several directors being met and considered so I can’t/won’t be specific about what this is. I’m also pretty sure I’m not at the top of anyone’s list for this gig, though god knows I pitched my little heart out for it. I met with the producer (even though arranging the meeting was like trying to juggle mercury) at the very swanky Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills and spent a pleasurable few hours chatting about his work and achievements as well as this project. He’s a director as well and it was really interesting listening to some of his war-stories. He’s not much older than I am but has been far more productive in his time and I was pretty blown away by that sheer heads-down determination and work ethic he’s got. Makes me feel like a lazy underachiever in comparison. Though he’d seen Solomon Kane and really liked it, the film of mine that he dug most was WILDERNESS. He responded to the strong performances of the young cast and sheer ferocity of the kills which I think plays to elements of this project.Maybe he is talking about Neil Marshall in that last paragraph or mayber somebody else.
Then I met with the executives at the studio that’s financing. Once again, a great meeting with a huge amount of positive energy and enthusiasm from me and them. I came away thinking that – whoever gets the gig – they’re going to have a really passionate team behind them.
Anyway, back home now and awaiting feedback from this trip. It’s a long shot but the game’s not over just yet. I think I know who’s most likely to get the job out of the other names I’ve heard and if I’m right, then we’ll all get a great movie and if it’s me, we’ll then, we’ll get an even better one
Alien is the reason I became a film maker. I don’t care about Ripley (edit – just to qualify this comment; Fincher finished her story in Alien3 and bringing her back felt like a diservice to her character in Alien4.) I want to know about the Aliens; their world, the ecosystem or intelligence that created them. Imagine if the Alien in its home world was nothing more than a wasp or ant? What kind of planet would that be? I’d rather Ridley Scott or James Cameron did it but if they won’t I’ll happily take a swing. Anything has to be better than the Alien movies we’ve been served up so far. (And this is coming from a guy who went to New York to see the opening of Alien3 in Times Square. I’ve long since forgiven Fincher who is clearly a genius but boy, it stung at the time. In fact you can kinda see what he was trying to do if you look at the extended cut. Still bad but now at least a really noble failure.) I hear now that the Ridley is producing a prequel with his favourite new Wunderkind director protege. Maybe we’ll finally find out what the hell the ’space jockey’ was all about. Wish it was me doing it though…He definitley has the right mindset and geek credentials to make a new Predator film that we all want to see. Right, I'm off to see if I can get an interview with him.
Way back in September 2008 I posted some lovely pieces of concept art for a Solomon Kane movie. Being a fan of Robert E Howard's work I was very excited to see a film being developed for the 17th Century Puritan.SOLOMON KANE begins with an awesome shot of two great buccaneer style ships shelling the hell out of a strange Moorish city. We see English buccaneers and adventurers killing Moors as they make their way to find a great treasure of some kind.This ties in with the synopsis I posted a while back.
The man in front is a man possessed. Cutting men down like they're nothing. He's enjoying what he's doing and it is bloody, it is brutal, it is tough. As they make their way into the heart of this great kingdom, there's a hall of black mirrors at weird angles - and as he and his men make their way through - demons begin grabbing the men into the mirrors... And as Solomon makes his way, alone, to the main chamber - something belched from Hell is waiting. Satan's Reaper (see the concept art below). And this reaper has come for an evil man's soul. An evil man named SOLOMON KANE.
We next find Solomon Kane living the life of a monk essentially. Completely and painfully dedicated in utter repentance to GOD. So intensely so that he scares nearly everyone there. The Abbott had a vision that God wanted Solomon Kane to go forth in the world and return home.
His body is covered with sacred symbols and his back branded with a crucifix that covers his entire back. It's brutal. this isn't modern scarification. This is curdled skin. You only see it in this brief sequence, but it is the image of a man that has tormented his body as he can only imagine his soul would be tormented for eternity. He does not wish to go to hell.
NOW - something you should know - throughout everything this film is BEAUTIFULLY SHOT. Not with filters and bullshit color tones - No. This film feels dirty, feels frigidly cold, life does not look easy. The actors don't look like actors with shiny white teeth and perfect hair. They look like people that have lived lives without air-conditioning, dentistry, exact surgeons and doctors. No - this is a hard time in life. If you've ever read Robert E Howard's stories about SOLOMON KANE you get a picture of the world he inhabited.There is lots more in Harry's article, but it does sound like it could well be an incredible piece of film, dark, moody, nasty and full of adventure. I really cannot wait to see some footage from it.
This film is an origin and an introduction to SOLOMON KANE. When Solomon's violence is unleashed, it is brutal and doesn't feel choreographed so much as it is what is required in the given situation. He uses the weapons of the period, musket style hand guns and swords. He throws himself into battle without regard for his safety or those he fights. And make no doubts about it, the evil in this world is true evil.
My favorite demonstration of this is a little village they come across. There's a stake in the middle of the village - and surrounding it are all these dead bodies. They all had their eyes burnt out from the inside out. Holy hell, this is evil looking. They surmise that they were attempting to burn a witch at the stake and she killed all that were attempting to watch her die. This ain't the fucking CRUCIBLE - this is the world of SOLOMON KANE!
Evil is real and thank god we have Solomon Kane out there in it.
Now - about the performances - they're all dead on. James Purefoy is a movie star. His Solomon Kane is the animal we wish Wolverine was in fights. He's fantastic as Kane. He sells everything about the character - this isn't a film about one liners and unbelievable action. This is the purest film introduction to a new screen star since I saw George Clooney in FROM DUSK TIL DAWN. I had the exact same feeling watching Purefoy here.
And so is everyone else... Pete Postlethwaite, Alice Krige, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Max von Sydow (wow), Jason Flemyng, Mackenzie Crook... everyone. They all sell this story so well.
Remember the lovely concept art for the Solomon Kane film from ages ago? Well now there is an update on the production of the film itself."…picture is locked. No more cutting, no more changes for the theatrical version of the film. Every visual effect is finalized and cut in. Editorial department has been reduced to a one man operation to oversee the negative, print and delivery.
Digital Grade is done - so the look is established and, it is
gorgeous.
Titles and credits are being designed over the next couple of weeks.
Sound - I’m back in the sound mix next week to put the polish on the dynamics of the sound. Atmospheres, dialogue, score… just tweaking it all for the best, big, theatrical sound. It’s my last chance to do this before signing off so I’m grabbing this chance.
Trailer - this is being worked on by a specialist company.
Website and other promo material - I’ve seen a mock-up of a website and
some online materials which is pretty decent. I don’t want stupid games and
gimmicks online for this movie; it’s too classy and intense for that.
What else? Release dates? No idea about those, sorry."
Quiet Earth have been sent some footage from the filming of Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane film over in Prague. Unfortunately I can't get it to play or get the embed code to show you as it says you need a to be invited to watch it! Grr!, Anyway, there is this little teaser poster and synopsis to keep you going (you can also have a look at the concept art I posted a while ago).CAPTAIN SOLOMON KANE is a brutally efficient 16th Century killing machine. Armed with his signature pistols, cutlass and rapier, he and his men unleash their bloodlust as they fight for England in war after war on all continents.
As the story opens, Kane and his men are carving a bloody path through hordes of defenders of a city in northern Africa. But when Kane decides to attack a mysterious nearby castle to plunder its rumored riches, things start to get strange.
It turns out that the castle is inhabited by evil demons but Kane and his men push on deeper into the keep, hell-bent for of treasure. His men are picked off one by one and eventually Kane is left alone facing down a ten-foot beast ... THE REAPER. The demon tells Kane that he’s come from Hell specifically to get him. Though Kane manages to escape the demon, he knows that he must redeem himself by renouncing violence and living a life of peace and purity.
It isn't long before his newfound spirituality is tested when he journeys across an England ravaged by diabolical human raiders who fight under the command of a terrifying, masked Overlord. When he fails to stop the slaughter of a family that has befriended him, Kane vows to free their daughter, who has been enslaved—even if it means putting his own soul in peril by renouncing his vow of peace. His search brings him face to face with the brother he thought dead and the evil sorcerer who has manipulated him for his own ends. In the process of saving the girl and defeating the magician, Kane learns that he has been saved from the Reaper in order to fulfill a new destiny—to defend the innocent and fight evil wherever it may occur
Solomon Kane is a fictional character created by the pulp-era writer Robert E. Howard. A 17th century Puritan, Solomon Kane is a somber-looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms. His adventures, published mostly in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, often take him from Europe to the jungles of Africa and back.
Howard describes him as a somber and gloomy man of pale face and cold eyes, all of it shadowed by a slouch hat. He is dressed entirely in black and his weaponry consists of a rapier, a dagger, and a couple of flintlock pistols. During one of his latter adventures his friend N'Longa, a black African shaman, gave him a juju staff that served as a protection against evil, but could easily be wielded as an effective weapon. It is revealed in another story, "The Footfalls Within," that this is the mythical Staff of Solomon, a talisman older than the Earth and unimaginably powerful, much more so than even N'Longa knew. In the same adventure with N'Longa, Kane is seen using a musket as well.
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