Atlas, Perlman Split

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CHUD's Russ Fischer and Cinematical's Kim Voynar are both reporting that Vadim Perlman won't be directing an Atlas Shrugged feature (a deal initially reported by Variety's Michael Fleming in September '07) with Angelina Jolie in the lead role -- a dicey-sounding prospect to start with, given the likely length and breadth of it.

Voynar has written that she "can say with as much certainty as one can possibly have about a situation like this that the decision to step down was on Perelman's side."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 19, 2008 at 9:15 AM

comment #1

Unison says ...

Perelman doesn't strike me as the man for this particular job, but I do hope this project gets off the ground at some point. I don't adore the book, but it could make for an interesting film, for sure.

Posted by Unison at June 19, 2008 10:01 AM

comment #2

Christian Licorice says ...

hey jeff

its been a few days and you havent said a word about the passing of Stan Winston - what gives?

is it because the Olsen twins were not somehow connected to his passing?

Posted by Christian Licorice at June 19, 2008 10:06 AM

comment #3

Fien Print says ...

It raises a key question:

Last week we were discussing who this generation's Mervyn LeRoy might be.

But if it comes to adapting Ayn Rand's drivel to the big screen, who is this generation's King Vidor?

Not Vadim Perlman, apparently...

Posted by Fien Print at June 19, 2008 10:09 AM

comment #4

Bocephus says ...

On the internet, there is a mysterious feature called the "scroll bar." By pulling it down, you can actually see messages from the past!

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2008/06/stan_winston_19.php

Posted by Bocephus at June 19, 2008 10:15 AM

comment #5

CinemaPhreek says ...

Christian Licorice - what Bocephus said and I will add let us know how that shoe tastes...

Posted by CinemaPhreek at June 19, 2008 10:20 AM

comment #6

thevisceral says ...

They told Perelman he had to read the book. I would've bailed too.

Posted by thevisceral at June 19, 2008 10:53 AM

comment #7

Redmond says ...

Wow, did Christian Licorice's comment really just happen?

Posted by Redmond at June 19, 2008 10:59 AM

comment #8

Terry McCarty says ...

Fien Print wrote:
But if it comes to adapting Ayn Rand's drivel to the big screen, who is this generation's King Vidor?

Memories coming back to me now about how Michael Cimino once wanted to remake THE FOUNTAINHEAD.

Posted by Terry McCarty at June 19, 2008 11:00 AM

comment #9

nemo says ...

High school libertarians and self-described geniuses and masters of the universe of all ages shed a tear at this tragic news.

Posted by nemo at June 19, 2008 11:12 AM

comment #10

DavidF says ...

Wasn't Perelman also all set to do Eyes of the Dragon?

How come all his ambitious literary projects keep folding?

Posted by DavidF at June 19, 2008 11:13 AM

comment #11

DavidF says ...

Sorry - The Talisman, not Eyes of the Dragon. Same question, however....

Posted by DavidF at June 19, 2008 11:14 AM

comment #12

Mr. Buckles says ...

And ladies and gentlemen, here's my imitation of Ayn Rand:

"ME, ME, ME, ME, ME, ME!!!!"

That said, I always thought that The Fountainhead was a perfect project for Cruise, Jolie and Pitt. I'll let you do the casting.

ME!

Posted by Mr. Buckles at June 19, 2008 11:41 AM

comment #13

Unison says ...

Whatever you can say about the book's ideas, you can't deny that trying to turn it into a film would be an extremely interesting endeavor.

How, for example, do you film that speech? I would love to see a director like Richard Linklater, Hal Hartley or David Cronenberg try it, even if they each would likely find Rand's ideas somewhat repellent.

Posted by Unison at June 19, 2008 11:50 AM

comment #14

Christian Licorice says ...

pardon mon dieu...hey i just had a kid and i am sleep deprived...

Posted by Christian Licorice at June 19, 2008 12:04 PM

comment #15

MilkMan says ...

Congratulations, Christian Licorice. My wife gave birth to a baby girl a little over a year ago. I had no idea how much I was going to love her.

The only thing worse than a Scientologist is an self-avowed Objectionivist, or whatever they call themselves. All I know is that everyone I have ever met who is an Ayn Rand fan usually fits a certain character-type: went to private school, where they were mildly popular, then went to college and found that they weren't as cool or smart of they had been led to believe by their high school peers, at which point they become disillusioned with the entire universe, thus primed and ready for The Fountainhead, allowing themselves to be comforted in a blanket of self-righteous alienation.

Posted by MilkMan at June 19, 2008 12:50 PM

comment #16

Mr. Buckles says ...

If the Jolie-Pitts produced The Fountainhead, they could call it Meet Howard Roark.

You can just see how awful yet completely watchable it would be (just like Meet Joe Black).

Posted by Mr. Buckles at June 19, 2008 1:30 PM

comment #17

Legowombat says ...

Good call Nemo. The only book more often cited than 'Atlas Shrugged' by socially-inept, self-described geniuses, (always with no visible evidence of the enormous talent of their intellect, including any form of success in any field), would be Colin Wilson's 1956 work 'The Outsider', which offers them justification for their perceived superiority above others.

Posted by Legowombat at June 19, 2008 2:49 PM

comment #18

Redmond says ...

Congrats, Chrisitan. Have a one-year-old. Know the drill.

Posted by Redmond at June 19, 2008 3:31 PM

comment #19

EOTW says ...

Probably not possible to do it justice. I'm not a rabid fan of the book, but it has its merits. Jolie is perfect, though, I am not sure about the rest of the cast. I really thank that Jhon Hamm of MAD MEN would be great as Hank Rearen, but he's kinda playing a Rand character in the show (and AS and AR has alreayd been named dropped). I'd hate to see Pitt cast in this thing, especially in the John Galt role. Someone unknown should play him, I think.

Not sure who could direct it and make it work. Malick? Nolan? Ang Lee? Schnabel? David Lynch would make a crazed version of the thing. No one's going to go see it anyway. Get that guy who did THE LIVES OF OTHERS. Why not?

Posted by EOTW at June 19, 2008 5:17 PM

comment #20

Kim Voynar says ...

Ah, Milkman, you've missed out on an entire subsect of Objectivists -- the socially awkward, very intelligent white male who stumbles upon Rand in his late teens, usually through "Atlas," and has a "Eureka!" moment wherein he suddenly realizes that the reason for his miserable social existence is, quite simply, that he's vastly superior to the morons surrounding him. He then latches onto Objectivism with a gusto.

These guys immediately read everything Rand's ever written -- including the non-fiction -- and then wander onto Objectivist boards where they start making lengthy posts they think sound intelligent, being sure to use lots of Rand's pet phrases like "rational egoism," "A is A" and "that's a straw man" to fit in. They quote Rand verbatim in online discussions -- kinda scary, actually.

I should know, I used to be an Objectivist, and any single female Objectivist is immediately targeted by every male Objectivist within a 2,000 mile radius. I've dated more than one of this type of Objectivist, and then I got fed up with their ginormous egos and the way they rationalize every abhorrent, antisocial personal characteristic they possess as evidence of their amazing superiority.

And -- side note -- have you ever tried to read poetry written by an Objectivist? "I think that I shall never see; a thing as lovely as philosophy ..." Urp.

On the bright side, I married one of them, and then shortly thereafter we both got over our mutual Objectivism and became raving liberals, which pretty much got us banished from Objectivist circles. Ah, the tragedy.

Posted by Kim Voynar at June 20, 2008 6:34 PM

comment #21

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comment #22