News on various Alexander movies

[amyntoros]

Well, so far, there still seem to be four Alexander movies in various stages of production. Lurhmann's movie which had been previously reported as canceled has had a script submitted recently. If it goes ahead, it will film in 1995, so expect a 1996 release date. This is the one supposedly based on the Manfredi novelsThere's also the film approved by the Greek government - the official website has been posted here previously. I have no news on this, but someone has been selling posters and T-shirts on Ebay, already!Then there's Ilya Salkind's movie. This is the one that went into production in February with a budget of only $1.5 million and has an expected October release date. It is now in post production and doesn't yet have a distribution deal - for that, I'm rather thankful. I expect this to go to cable at best, and failing that, direct to video. Salkind wants this to be a trilogy, so this first film covers Alexander's youth up to the murder of Philip. Do not have ANY expectations on this one, please! The actor playing Alexander, Sam Heughana, is a muscular 6' 2" tall Scot, and an equally muscular Paul Telfer has been cast as Hephaistion. The director, Jalal Merhi, is a Lebanese martial arts actor-turned-director whose previous films were "slam-bang action films" that went direct to video. Then we have a 16-year-old Sharon Stone look-alike playing Alexander's girlfriend (!), Leto - by his side while he tames Bucephalus, no less - and a fashion model playing another female friend, a Nubian called Niobe. Add to this a character called Lykomedes who is Alexander's *closest* friend and.....well, you get the idea.Try these sites if you want more info, I dare you! The first is the official movie site, complete with trailer. Click on the picture to go to a page with news information. The second site is an article from Egypt Today on the film. http://www.ilyasalkindcompany.com/http: ... MagID=ETIf I could stop laughing, I'd be speechless.Regards,Linda Ann

[amyntoros]

The trailer for Stone's Alexander has already been generating some snide comments on movie sites regarding Colin's "mullet" haircut. Then I found a UK site that had a photo link entitled "Alexander, King or Queen" which made me groan - NOT the kind of remark I want to see in reference to the movie as it still looks like our best hope, despite some of the sets and costuming. I did follow the link to see what they were talking about and found a previously unpublished photo from when they were filming the scene after Alexander's wedding to Roxane. It has a different caption, and instead of being puerile is actually quite funny.....http://www.moviecitynews.com/arrays/200 ... 4.htmlSome real news here about the choreography-áand music from Stone's movie. -á The person playing Bagoas isn't an actor, but a dancer with the English National Ballet theater. After reading this, I think we can certainly expect this to be a thoroughly "Hollywood" production!-á http://www.constellation-change.co.uk/p ... htm"London - Choreographer Piers Gielgud gives an interview to Carol StrakerCarol: You have Choreographed two feature films which are due out in 2004 - Alexander for Oliver Stone, and Being Julia for Istvan Szabo. What do you think you bring to those projects from a choreography point of view? Piers: Alexander, by complete contrast, has a lot of dancing in it. Oliver (Stone) decided to emphasise two of the film's pivotal scenes with big dance numbers, so the choreography was substantially more significant than it had been for (Being) Julia. In addition there was a lot of background dancing to deal with. I only worked on Julia for 1 week, but I worked on Alexander from the beginning of July to the end of December 2003. I had to do a lot of research for authenticity (dancing from Macedonia, and around the vast Persian Empire back in 350BC - I'm basically a ballet man but for film you must be able to do anything you are asked). I also had to collaborate closely with the 'Oscar winning' composer Vangelis who is fabulous to work with. All his music for Alexander is incredible. I think it will eclipse anything he has done before. Working with him on the music for the dances was a unique and altogether mind blowing experience. Oliver is also a dream to work with. He knows exactly what he wants and how to go about getting it. It's a true collaboration. He works very closely with you and he values y

[amyntoros]

He knows exactly what he wants and how to go about getting it. It's a true collaboration. He works very closely with you and he values your opinion and input. He also has an uncanny method of making you want to do your very best for him. The script is extraordinary (remember that Oliver's first Oscar was for screenwriting) and the fact that he has placed so much emphasis on dance, leads me to believe that the choreography could make a significant contribution to the finished film. I certainly think that Oliver got some of my very best work from me.-áCarol: Alexander has a huge dance cast. How long did it take to get everyone together before shooting? Piers: It felt like forever! My first job on joining the production was to help the Casting Director, Lucinda Syson, find the two main characters that dance. Most difficult to find was the eunuch Bagoas who had to be an androgynous 17-year-old boy of extraordinary beauty, as well as being an amazing dancer, who could act. Lucinda had been searching for months, looking at both male and female actors, dancers, models, transsexuals, real eunuchs etc. but to no avail. My wife Suzanne suggested the Spanish ENB dancer Francisco Bosch, who she'd recently signed. We both coached him on his dialogue and I choreographed a solo for him, which he performed for Oliver in his office. Oliver was blown away and Francisco was virtually offered the part on the spot. The part of the Princess Roxane was too difficult an acting role for the dancers we submitted, and it eventually went to the actress Rosario Dawson who is fortunately a gifted amateur dancer. Suzanne went on to cast all the remaining dancers in Alexander but because of the other films with dancers going on at the same time, very few people were available. I only had a full cast together literally by the first day of rehearsal on each occasion. I was very lucky in that all the dancers I got to work with were truly amazing. I like to work with the same people when I can, and now I'm seriously spoilt for choice. There was a very magical atmosphere on Alexander - it's going to be a tough act to follow."Regards,Linda Ann

[beausefaless]

Greetings Linda,I always get a good laugh when someone says, "the life and times of Alexander the Great, is set in the third century BC", It's the 4th century BCE, but I do like Leto! Personally I hope to see the trilogy, If it was up to me, the more the merrier, but I do like Leto! If I recall correctly, almost everyone is throwing their own spin into their books on ATG, Mary Renault did, and I'll bet Ruth is also doing so, but I do like Leto! I think it's a great idea to do at least a trilogy on Alexander, I mean, when you really think of it, it's almost impossible to do a movie on a guy that did so much in such a short period in time, but I do like Leto! If it was up to me I'd go the whole nine yards and I guaranty you would like it but it would have to be shown for at least a six month series at one or two hours a showing. Thanks for the news, but, with all due respect, I do like Leto!All the best,Andrew

[marcus]

Andrew,Can you just clear something up for me - do you like Leto a little bit?I have to say, she's certainly an intriguing character, real or not.(And I can think of exactly the actresses that I'd want to see play her...)All thebestMarcus

[Linda]

Oh - I thought he meant Jared Leto...Who is looking a bit mean, moody and magnificent in the photos from "Alexander"..And Leto was *not* real, chaps. Sorry.

[beausefaless]

MarcusI have a feeling Amyntoros had a turn of nausea reading my post, oops I did it again.The thought of Hephaistion as Alexander's nemesis as a youth is slightly deferent but they both were competitors. I don't think Alexander will be calling Hephaistion - Philalexandros in Ilya Salkind's first movie, I'm wondering if this change of pace will fall into place, naught.(And I can think of exactly the actresses that I'd want to see play her...) Now that is an interesting thought, like the endless universe, I don't have a clue.
All the bestAndrew

[marcus]

Blimey. I've just looked at the Ilya Salkind site. What a load of tripe! It looks as if it's a Macedonian version of "Smallville". And what's with Leto and the bow and the "1 Million Years BC" costume?God forbid that it should ever finally see the light of day (except it will, damn its eyes!). And what a shame that Alexander couldn't copyright his name and life story to prevent such s**t from ever being produced.Right, rant over...All the bestMarcus

[amyntoros]

Actually, Andrew, I was laughing out loud by the time I reached the end of your post - though I couldn't quite decide if it was the character or the actress that you liked so much. :-)Marcus hit it right on the head when he mentioned Smallville - I had exactly the same feeling about Salkind's film - except even Smallville kept most of the plots revolving around the "known" characters found in Superman. This movie has a storyline featuring completely fictional people in a supposedly historical context. And then there's that oh so popular (in bad fiction) implication that Alexander couldn't have achieved anything without the "love of a good woman." Arghh!Best regards,Linda Ann

[marcus]

Well, behind every great man stands... and all that.Alexander did have the love of Olympias to spur him on, of course... although whether she should be classed as a "good woman" is a moot point.:-)Marcus

[amyntoros]

Poor Olympias. Don't you think that much of today's opinions on her go back to Renault? I know she influenced mine for the longest time.Speaking of Renault does bring me back to the topic at hand. Did anyone reading the info on choreography in Stone's movie realize that Bagoas will be shown performing with other dancers, as portrayed in The Persian Boy, but not mentioned in the histories? Then there's the dialogue in the audition scripts that was lifted directly from her books. Val Kilmer in a brief interview recently told of a scene where Philip goes into Olympias' bedroom to find the young Alexander under her bed-covers, so he kicks over a basket which turns out to be full of snakes! I know that Robin Lane Fox was the script adviser, but this is beginning to look like a movie that should have the tag line, "inspired by Mary Renault."Here's another little piece of movie trivia: it doesn't look like the relationship between Alexander and Roxane is being portrayed as a lasting love match. This from: http://people.aol.com/people/articles/0 ... 00.html"On Rosario Dawson's wish list for her role as Roxanne, wife of Alexander the Great, in the upcoming Oliver Stone epic Alexander? A quiet moment with the title character, played by Colin Farrell. "It would be nice to have a scene where we actually get along and aren't trying to kill each other," she told us recently at the Sag Harbor, N.Y., club 21 Water, where she was hanging out with Lukas Haas."

Regards,Linda Ann (who spends way too much time reading Pop-culture and would like to blame it on her fourteen-year-old son's influence)

[xxx]

I have a feeling Lane Fox and Renault may have known each other, so I'm not too surprised. I know one thing, she didn't care for Green as she refers to him unkindly without using his name in the afterward.

[xxx]

I don't think Olympias could possibly be categorized as a woman who imbued her children with her love One does take notice Alexander was in no hurry to either go home or bring Momma to the palace so to speak...although whether she was worse as parent material than Philip, is debatable. It was in her interests at least, for Alexander to be King. Between the two of them, they messed Alexander up in some areas.

[marcus]

Yep, fair enough, Tre :-)Perhaps Olympias' "love" spurred Alexander to get as far away from her as possible... even to the ends of the earth? :-)All the best Marcus