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The biggest surprise hit of the year? Or at least the one with no existing franchise film before it? Paramount/ Dreamworks Animations' "How to Train Your Dragon" without question. The film is currently #8 on the worldwide box-office grosses of 2010 having grossed $492.6 million worldwide and $217.6 million domestically. Not bad numbers at all for a film that isn't part two or three of anything (the only bigger, "brand new" not based on a franchise was "Alice In Wonderland," but arguably the story is world renowned and had a built in audience regardless of Johnny Depp or Tim Burton). Did inflated 3D prices help its numbers? Hell, yes, but the studio is not looking a gift horse in the mouth.
So it's absolutely no surprise that a "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is now in the works according to Variety. The entire principal cast will be returning to reprise their voice roles including Jay Baruchel, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller and Kristen Wiig.
Co-writer/director Dean DeBlois, who performed double duty with Chris Sanders on the first film will take over to assume full duties on part two (Sanders is off and running with "The Croods" to be voiced by Nicolas Cage and Ryan Reynolds).
The film will be aiming for a 2013 release and apparently the first one was conceived as a prequel to the series based on Cressida Cowell's books. "There are nine books, and I feel like there are all sorts of elements that we could pull from," DeBlois said.
The thinly-populated genre of ice hockey comedies has produced exactly one classic: George Roy Hill's gloriously profane "Slap Shot." The likes of "The Mighty Ducks" trilogy and the underrated Russell Crowe vehicle "Mystery, Alaska" have tried valiantly, but nothing's ever quite come close to the joy of seeing Paul Newman and the Hanson Brothers kick the living shit out of people on an ice rink.
For whatever reason, the sport seems to be back in vogue, with hockey obsessive Kevin Smith still planning to shoot "Hit Somebody" next year, after he finishes horror comedy "Red State." But more imminent is "Goon," the Canadian comedy written by Apatow staples Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg (the latter co-wrote "Superbad" and "Pineapple Express"). Seann William Scott joined the project in the summer, with Baruchel also appearing, while Alison Pill and Marc-Andre Grondin joined the project last week, and now another terrific actor has joined the increasingly promising ensemble.
The Wrap reports that Liev Schreiber has come on board the project in an unknown role (hopefully not a villain — *spoiler* as soon as he popped up in "Salt," it was thunderingly obvious who the bad guy would turn out to be). Production Weekly tweeted last week that Schreiber was circling both this and a thriller called "Jack" with Samuel L. Jackson, and, while there's no word on the latter, The Wrap confirmed Mr. Naomi Watts' presence in "Goon."
The site also have the first log-line we've seen for the project: supposedly, Scott will star 'as a bouncer who joins a rag-tag hockey team and inspires them to greatness.' Baruchel plays his best friend, Grondin will be a French-Canadian hockey star, and Pill will be the female lead. Even though the shadow of "Slap Shot" looms over this, the level of talent involved (particularly with the new presence of Schreiber, who doesn't get to do comedy as much as we'd like) has us extremely excited about this one. Shooting starts in Winnipeg next month, under the eye of "FUBAR" director Michael Dowse.
With the Evan Goldberg and Jay Baruchel written, Michael Dowse ("Fubar," "It's All Gone Pete Tong") directed hockey comedy "Goon" set to begin filming in a few weeks, the cast is beginning to solidify.
Alison Pill ("Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World") and Marc-André Grondin ("C.R.A.Z.Y.") have joined the previously announced Seann William Scott and Jay Baruchel in the film, with
roles yet to be specified. Talking about the project earlier this year, Baruchel said,"We like to think of ["Goon"] as a funnier 'Raging Bull.' It's real mean, and it's truthful, and it's everything hockey is without any of the bullshit sports movie clichés, and it is dead funny. Lot of swears, that's a hard R. It's a very crass movie, there are something like 20 fights in it, but it's the badass movie that hockey fans have been waiting to see their whole lives. It will be by far the best hockey movie since 'Slapshot.' Hockey fans have needed one for a long time, it's a sport that movies never do well. Ours will be a fucking movement."
Sounds pretty awesome.
If you're wondering about Seann William Scott and that other hockey movie he was linked to, Kevin Smith's "Hit Somebody," it looks like that movie is a bit of a way off with the director revealing he won't get to it until mid-2011 at the earliest, once he's done with "Red State."
Filming gets underway on Ocotber 18th in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The biggest surprise hit of the year? Or at least the one with no existing franchise film before it? Paramount/ Dreamworks Animations' "How to Train Your Dragon" without question. The film is currently #8 on the worldwide box-office grosses of 2010 having grossed $492.6 million worldwide and $217.6 million domestically. Not bad numbers at all for a film that isn't part two or three of anything (the only bigger, "brand new" not based on a franchise was "Alice In Wonderland," but arguably the story is world renowned and had a built in audience regardless of Johnny Depp or Tim Burton). Did inflated 3D prices help its numbers? Hell, yes, but the studio is not looking a gift horse in the mouth.
