June
8
Swedish Trilogy on Tarantino/Pitt Wish-List?
So far, with the exception of Jackie Brown (based on an Elmore Leonard novel) Quentin Tarantino has preferred to direct and write originals. While he has exec-produced a few things and been tempted by the odd Speed Racer or James Bond, he has never rarely succumbed to adaptation temptation.
According to this report by the Times of London, the estranged father and brother of bestselling Swedish writer Stieg Larsson (who died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2004 at age 50 after climbing seven flights of stairs) claim that Tarantino and his Inglourious Basterds star Brad Pitt want to buy the movie rights to Larsson's Millenium Trilogy. The first crime thriller, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, has already spawned a hit Scandinavian movie that screened in the Cannes market.
UPDATE: According to Tarantino's rep, he's never heard of the project in connection with Tarantino, who has never mentioned it.
Because Larsson died without a will, his family is tussling with his common-law wife of 30 years, who is hanging on to his laptop which holds his unfinished sequel to the Millenium trilogy. They accuse her of blocking the sale of remake rights.
Here's Fangoria's Cannes review:
Among the main attractions in the market was the current Scandinavian smash hit MILLENNIUM: MEN WHO HATE WOMEN. Based on the first of three best sellers by Stieg Larsson, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Niels Arden Oplev’s gorgeously visual adaptation is without doubt the most nail-biting thriller of the year. Michael Nyqvist stars as a disgraced journalist, sentenced to jail for libel, asked to investigate the cold-case disappearance of a teen heiress. Aided by punk hacker Noomi Rapace, he uncovers an undetected chain of serial killings in this startlingly near-the-knuckle giallo, Swedish style. Think a sexier, more absorbing ANTIBODIES. MILLENNIUM is the European success story of the moment, and the remaining two parts of the trilogy, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE and THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST, will be released later this year. I cannot wait, based on this first expert translation of Larsson’s much-admired work.
And here's the trailer:
Subscribe to this blog's feed
Antibodies would be PERFECT to remake. Alvart's Case 39 with R. Zellweger is still sitting on a shelf somewhere. Pandorum looks good. Dude is talented.
Posted by: The InSneider | June 08, 2009 at 05:05 AM
"Dragon Tattoo" is an amazing piece of thriller craftsmanship, though with so many layers of plot it would probably be better suited to the cable mini-series format.
And QT is a notoorious c***tease when it comes to expressing interest in film projects. My guess is he's mentioned it and sounded enthuiastic (the title character would be right up his alley) and that the Larssons made the fatal mistake of taking him seriously.
Posted by: David C | June 08, 2009 at 04:35 PM
http://www.supporteva.com
Posted by: Meg | June 09, 2009 at 12:44 AM
It is nothing to this, Yellow Bird who sits on the rights, has not recieved anything from Tarantino or Pitt, or whoevers people. The thing is twisted from the brothers saying that they would've liked it if Tarantino made a production from their works, not that he will do it. You need to keep your ear to the ground in order to get things right and not twisted into something weird Mrs. Anne.
Best regard, Norway
Posted by: KRISTIAN | June 09, 2009 at 07:29 AM
I wrote this skeptically from the start--and updated it with an answer from Tarantino's rep that the director never mentioned the project.
Posted by: anne Thompson | June 09, 2009 at 10:04 AM
The rumor has been reported in many places, including the Times of London.
Posted by: David C | June 09, 2009 at 10:43 AM