Vin Diesel Talks Hannibal and Riddick 2
03-12-05, 08:22 AM
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Vin Diesel Talks Hannibal and Riddick 2
A nice read and Vin mentions his upcoming projects.
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/artic...05/story.jhtml
Actor plans to star in and direct 'Hannibal,' consulting with Mel Gibson.
With a first-place weekend that had "The Pacifier" sucking in an estimated $30 million, it seems that rumors of Vin Diesel's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Just a year ago, the muscle-bound master of self-promotion had fallen into a
high-profile slide that had "A Man Apart" separated from the top of the box office and "The Chronicles of Riddick" getting ridiculed after a mediocre run. Now, with hair on his head, an elephant underneath him and an old friend in the wings, Diesel has the power to move forward with phase two of his master plan.
"You know what the goal is and how hard I've been working at this," Diesel said of his career, which he launched by writing, directing and starring in the 1995 Cannes Film Festival-screened short "Multi-Facial." Now that the action and comedy worlds have been conquered, Diesel has focused his steely gaze on becoming an award-worthy thespian once again. Don't laugh: A high-profile preview on the recent Academy Awards broadcast has Hollywood wigging out, for more reasons than one.
"Did you see the Oscars? Did you know it was me?" Diesel asked excitedly. "You didn't know it was me? You're kidding me. You're kidding me! Isn't it wild?"
The clip, aired during a tribute to renowned director Sidney Lumet, had Diesel delivering dramatic lines in a scene from their upcoming collaboration "Find Me Guilty." The star was virtually unrecognizable because of what was missing (guns, explosions) and what had been added (body fat, a courtroom, a head of hair). "That is such a trip. It's what an actor wants. Could there be a better way to introduce a character than to have people not really know who it is?"
"Guilty," currently aiming for an autumn release, casts Diesel in the biographical story of a key participant in a landmark mob trial. "The character I play is named 'Fat Jack' DiNorscio, who was imprisoned for a 30-year-sentence while defending himself and 20 other mobsters in the longest mob trial in history. It was an incredible experience, because I was being directed finally by the quintessential actor's director."
Diesel dove into the mind of the caged convict, sensing an opportunity to remind the world that he can do more than just blow stuff up. "I would lock myself in my apartment when I wasn't on set. So if I got off work on Friday, I'd stay in my apartment and then go back to work Monday. The added advantage for doing this was I was trying to gain weight," Diesel laughed. "That helped. Lots of pizzas — and ice cream every night before I went to sleep."
As for the briefly glimpsed head of hair, the man with the famously polished dome avoids confirming where his hair ends and where the special effects by Sy Sperling begin. "You know, I do what I can with what little I have."
After the one-two punch of "The Pacifier" and "Find Me Guilty," Diesel plans to use the combination of box-office assuredness and dramatic prowess to get his long-awaited pet project "Hannibal" off the ground. The biopic, about the third century B.C. Carthaginian general who attacked Rome from the top of an elephant, had stalled when Diesel calculated a budget in the $200 million range, and it didn't help that historical sword epics such as "King Arthur" and "Alexander" had trouble finding audiences. Now with a smaller budget, Diesel is intent on starring in and directing what he proudly calls his "Braveheart."
"We're going to have all systems go on 'Hannibal,' " Diesel said. "I've been working on my shots. In fact, my storyboard artist is a guy named Sylvain Despretz, who was Ridley Scott's storyboard artist on artist on 'Gladiator.' It's going to be exciting. Just wait for that one; it's going to all come together. I will not let you down."
For pointers on "Hannibal," Diesel has sought out the advice of close friend and advisor Mel Gibson. "I'll tell you what," Diesel said, " 'The Passion of the Christ,' I think, liberated a lot of filmmakers. Anyone is lucky to talk to Mel Gibson, period. Anybody is lucky to talk to Mel Gibson that's an artist, that's ... any kind of filmmaker. The fact that 'Hannibal' is somewhere in the 'Braveheart'/'Passion' genre makes it all the more a right decision to talk to Mel Gibson about what you're doing and run things by him, because you never get better advice than from someone who's already gone through that. How many people are going to have that 'Braveheart' experience, understand what it's like to play a character like that while simultaneously directing it? I'm lucky to be in that conversation."
"I like the idea of making a movie and not being governed by all the things that govern a $200 million movie," Diesel said of the film's smaller budget. "I want to do things like make it multilingual, non-English."
After "Hannibal" gets Diesel to the point where people look to him for action, comedy, drama or directing any of the three, he plans on returning to the science-fiction trilogy that he visited this past summer with "The Chronicles of Riddick."
"Riddick? Well, you know that I've always had 'C2' planned," he conceded. "I'm silently — and I shouldn't even say this — I'm silently working on 'C2' with some of the outlines that were created when I first thought of doing the three films."
Where Vin Diesel goes from there is anybody's guess, but one thing is certain as of this moment: With a $30 million opening weekend at the top of his résumé, he could announce a remake of "Citizen Kane" and someone would bankroll it. Stay tuned — that just might be the centerpiece of phase three.
Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, interviews, trailers and more.
— Larry Carroll
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/artic...05/story.jhtml
Actor plans to star in and direct 'Hannibal,' consulting with Mel Gibson.
With a first-place weekend that had "The Pacifier" sucking in an estimated $30 million, it seems that rumors of Vin Diesel's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Just a year ago, the muscle-bound master of self-promotion had fallen into a
high-profile slide that had "A Man Apart" separated from the top of the box office and "The Chronicles of Riddick" getting ridiculed after a mediocre run. Now, with hair on his head, an elephant underneath him and an old friend in the wings, Diesel has the power to move forward with phase two of his master plan.
"You know what the goal is and how hard I've been working at this," Diesel said of his career, which he launched by writing, directing and starring in the 1995 Cannes Film Festival-screened short "Multi-Facial." Now that the action and comedy worlds have been conquered, Diesel has focused his steely gaze on becoming an award-worthy thespian once again. Don't laugh: A high-profile preview on the recent Academy Awards broadcast has Hollywood wigging out, for more reasons than one.
"Did you see the Oscars? Did you know it was me?" Diesel asked excitedly. "You didn't know it was me? You're kidding me. You're kidding me! Isn't it wild?"
The clip, aired during a tribute to renowned director Sidney Lumet, had Diesel delivering dramatic lines in a scene from their upcoming collaboration "Find Me Guilty." The star was virtually unrecognizable because of what was missing (guns, explosions) and what had been added (body fat, a courtroom, a head of hair). "That is such a trip. It's what an actor wants. Could there be a better way to introduce a character than to have people not really know who it is?"
"Guilty," currently aiming for an autumn release, casts Diesel in the biographical story of a key participant in a landmark mob trial. "The character I play is named 'Fat Jack' DiNorscio, who was imprisoned for a 30-year-sentence while defending himself and 20 other mobsters in the longest mob trial in history. It was an incredible experience, because I was being directed finally by the quintessential actor's director."
Diesel dove into the mind of the caged convict, sensing an opportunity to remind the world that he can do more than just blow stuff up. "I would lock myself in my apartment when I wasn't on set. So if I got off work on Friday, I'd stay in my apartment and then go back to work Monday. The added advantage for doing this was I was trying to gain weight," Diesel laughed. "That helped. Lots of pizzas — and ice cream every night before I went to sleep."
As for the briefly glimpsed head of hair, the man with the famously polished dome avoids confirming where his hair ends and where the special effects by Sy Sperling begin. "You know, I do what I can with what little I have."
After the one-two punch of "The Pacifier" and "Find Me Guilty," Diesel plans to use the combination of box-office assuredness and dramatic prowess to get his long-awaited pet project "Hannibal" off the ground. The biopic, about the third century B.C. Carthaginian general who attacked Rome from the top of an elephant, had stalled when Diesel calculated a budget in the $200 million range, and it didn't help that historical sword epics such as "King Arthur" and "Alexander" had trouble finding audiences. Now with a smaller budget, Diesel is intent on starring in and directing what he proudly calls his "Braveheart."
"We're going to have all systems go on 'Hannibal,' " Diesel said. "I've been working on my shots. In fact, my storyboard artist is a guy named Sylvain Despretz, who was Ridley Scott's storyboard artist on artist on 'Gladiator.' It's going to be exciting. Just wait for that one; it's going to all come together. I will not let you down."
For pointers on "Hannibal," Diesel has sought out the advice of close friend and advisor Mel Gibson. "I'll tell you what," Diesel said, " 'The Passion of the Christ,' I think, liberated a lot of filmmakers. Anyone is lucky to talk to Mel Gibson, period. Anybody is lucky to talk to Mel Gibson that's an artist, that's ... any kind of filmmaker. The fact that 'Hannibal' is somewhere in the 'Braveheart'/'Passion' genre makes it all the more a right decision to talk to Mel Gibson about what you're doing and run things by him, because you never get better advice than from someone who's already gone through that. How many people are going to have that 'Braveheart' experience, understand what it's like to play a character like that while simultaneously directing it? I'm lucky to be in that conversation."
"I like the idea of making a movie and not being governed by all the things that govern a $200 million movie," Diesel said of the film's smaller budget. "I want to do things like make it multilingual, non-English."
After "Hannibal" gets Diesel to the point where people look to him for action, comedy, drama or directing any of the three, he plans on returning to the science-fiction trilogy that he visited this past summer with "The Chronicles of Riddick."
"Riddick? Well, you know that I've always had 'C2' planned," he conceded. "I'm silently — and I shouldn't even say this — I'm silently working on 'C2' with some of the outlines that were created when I first thought of doing the three films."
Where Vin Diesel goes from there is anybody's guess, but one thing is certain as of this moment: With a $30 million opening weekend at the top of his résumé, he could announce a remake of "Citizen Kane" and someone would bankroll it. Stay tuned — that just might be the centerpiece of phase three.
Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, interviews, trailers and more.
— Larry Carroll
03-12-05, 09:39 AM
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Riddick the Unrated version was okay once you watched it in context with the others.
That said, I cannot believe they are going to entrust the amount of money needed to bring an epic about Hannibal to Vin Diesel.
That said, I cannot believe they are going to entrust the amount of money needed to bring an epic about Hannibal to Vin Diesel.
03-12-05, 10:09 AM
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Vin is very talented and underrated. Also, he's a cool, down to earth, good guy. I'm a fan of Pitch Black, and I liked Riddick, and am glad he's going through with another (and I'm really looking forward to Hannibal though.). He has picked some bad films to star in [F&F, XXX], but atleast he knew when to stop.
03-12-05, 12:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Third Baseman
Vin is very talented and underrated. Also, he's a cool, down to earth, good guy. I'm a fan of Pitch Black, and I liked Riddick, and am glad he's going through with another (and I'm really looking forward to Hannibal though.). He has picked some bad films to star in [F&F, XXX], but atleast he knew when to stop.
As for his acting - I don't think I'll be able to judge how good he is until "find me guilty" is released, sorry but I don't think all of his previous efforts show too much acting talent.
I do wish the dude the best though.
03-12-05, 12:51 PM
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I like Vin. I've been playing Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and it got me to buy Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick on DVD, both of which i saw in theaters. As a collective story, i'm enjoying it quite a bit more. I also enjoyed his other action films as well. More power to him 
03-12-05, 01:53 PM
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I can see why Diesel would talk to Gibson. Hannibal and Braveheart are fairly similar stories. A small group harrasing a large empire and then being destroyed in the end.
03-12-05, 11:16 PM
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Query: I thought that the Riddick chronicles were supposed to be a trilogy outside Pitch Black (if you will, like the Hobbit and LOTR)?
I have a hunch that he could be a pretty good actor outside of the muscle and missile films he's been doing.
I have a hunch that he could be a pretty good actor outside of the muscle and missile films he's been doing.
03-13-05, 03:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Abob Teff
Query: I thought that the Riddick chronicles were supposed to be a trilogy outside Pitch Black (if you will, like the Hobbit and LOTR)?
I for one am glad Diesel is showing devotion to his franchise. I enjoyed Riddick, despite some big flaws in the film, but think the character is great and would love to see more films starring the character.
03-13-05, 08:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Abob Teff
Query: I thought that the Riddick chronicles were supposed to be a trilogy outside Pitch Black (if you will, like the Hobbit and LOTR)?
Spoiler:
You can read more in this November 16, 2004 interview:
The Further Chronicles of Riddick
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=7235
03-13-05, 07:22 PM
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He plays a mean game of D&D though.
03-14-05, 12:44 AM
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Originally Posted by duff beer
I hope they don't CGI-whore Hannibal like Troy, Alexander, LOTR, and Star Wars NT
I myself have never had a problem with the computer graphics though. Sure they haven't mastered CG to a point where it looks 100% photoreal, but when have they ever. Without CG, Lord of the Rings just can't be made. At least not well or without a billion dollar budget. Same goes for something like Troy or Alexander (though really, the effects work in those films were outstanding and hardly anything I'd complain about...the problem with Troy and Alexander was hardly the SFX).
Regarding Hanninbal, I've read some reports he wants to do the film Passion of the Christ style, maintaining the original languages that these people would've spoken (ie subtitled also). Should be interesting to see if he actually gets away with doing that.
Last edited by jaeufraser; 03-14-05 at 01:26 AM.
03-14-05, 03:34 AM
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Originally Posted by jaeufraser
It is. That's why he's talking about Chronicles 2, not 3. This would, according to their plans be the middle part in their trilogy.
I for one am glad Diesel is showing devotion to his franchise. I enjoyed Riddick, despite some big flaws in the film, but think the character is great and would love to see more films starring the character.
I for one am glad Diesel is showing devotion to his franchise. I enjoyed Riddick, despite some big flaws in the film, but think the character is great and would love to see more films starring the character.
03-14-05, 02:19 PM
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All i can say is that Gladiator and Braveheart utterly destroyed Troy, Alexander, LOTR in the battle department. You see the limbs, the blood, the dirt and grit of battle with actual devoted camera work going around soldiers unlike the other 3 that have a camera panning over the CGI-fest and an occasional camera about 10 feet away.
03-14-05, 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by fumanstan
I like Vin. I've been playing Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
I also think Diesel gets a bum rap & I honestly think most people hate him only b/c of his corny name. The only movies he is in that I like are Pitch Black & Riddick, but I also think he seems to be a great guy. He openly says he loves comic books & is a video game junky so that makes him way cool in my eyes.
One of my best friends growing up is a chief designer for Stormfront Studios (a division of EA sports which are most famous for doing the LOTR games) & they are based out of San Francisco & my buddy always tells me that Vin drops by all the time just to test games & play the newest stuff & he has pictures of his staff in Vin hanging out with them & going to bars with them after a day of doing nothing but playing video games.
Last edited by Sessa17; 03-14-05 at 04:49 PM.
03-14-05, 04:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Sessa17
I also think Diesel gets a bum rap & I honestly think most people hate him only b/c of his corny name. The only movies he is in that I like are Pitch Black & Riddick, but I also think he seems to be a great guy. He openly says he loves comic books & is a video game junky so that makes him way cool in my eyes.
I like the guy though, and think given time he could lay out a good career of movies. He already made a couple smart moves and skipped sequels to movies that were big hits, but weren't that good.
03-14-05, 11:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Sessa17
I also think Diesel gets a bum rap & I honestly think most people hate him only b/c of his corny name.
He has a GREAT stage name, he just so happens to be the second worst actor in the business today. Seriously, he's awful. Horatio Sanz had a perfect impression of his line delievery this weekend on SNL.
03-15-05, 12:34 AM
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He has a GREAT stage name, he just so happens to be the second worst actor in the business today. Seriously, he's awful. Horatio Sanz had a perfect impression of his line delievery this weekend on SNL.
No? Well then goddamnit, I have failed again.
