Summit Picks Up Frankenstein Origin Story, ‘This Dark Endeavor’

Who out there has always wanted to learn more about what exactly drove Victor Frankenstein to become the brilliant but maniacal scientist who sought to defy death in Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel? Kenneth Opel did at least, and he organized his thoughts on the matter into a book he dubbed This Dark Endeavor, which will be published this summer.

Summit Entertainment has won the movie rights to Opel’s work, which is fully titled This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein. The studio has brought onboard a specialist (or something like that) in the field of teens, romance, and the supernatural to produce the pic, in the form of Karen Rosenfelt (Twilight).

Deadline broke the news about Summit’s acquisition of This Dark Endeavor, an action-adventure tale that follows a young (presumably, adolescent) Victor Frankenstein as he and his best friend Elizabeth set out to produce the Elixir of Life, in the hopes of saving his sick twin brother, Konrad. Matters become difficult when a love triangle forms between the trio, in a tale that frequently makes reference to and sets up the main narrative of Shelley’s Frankenstein (a.k.a. The Modern Prometheus).

This Dark Endeavor marks the third in-development feature based off Shelley’s original text in some form, alongside Sony’s contemporary Frankenstein re-imagining and Guillermo del Toro’s long-gestating adaptation. While the novel Frankenstein itself is no stranger to the Hollywood scene, this is the first time a legitimate prequel to the iconic cautionary tale about science and mortality has been conceived. We’ve seen what effects V. Frankenstein’s legacy had on his descendants (sort of – see below for the punchline) – and now it shall be revealed what made him the twisted genius he was.

The eventual repercussions of Victor Frankenstein's actions.

Opel’s novel looks to be the latest addition to the ever-growing young adult supernatural romance genre of literature. Unlike Stephenie Meyer’s re-envisioning of the vampire and werewolf mythos, Dark Endeavor aims to expand upon and flesh out the history behind the classic Frankenstein tale. In that sense it’s kind of similar to next month’s Red Riding Hood (from Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke – take that as you will), which adds teens, romance, and a Gothic touch to the famous fairy tale, so as to reveal “the truth” behind the legend.

While Dark Endeavor will lack the straightforward horror elements of Shelley’s original work, it sounds like more of a period action-adventure tale and less like just another story about broody teen romance and drama. That doesn’t guarantee that the book or its film adaptation will turn out to be interesting or even good, but it’s an encouraging thought for those who cringe at the prospect of Frankenstein being refashioned in some way for the Twihard crowd.

Does This Dark Endeavor sound like it has potential?

Source: Deadline

View the original article here

CBS Picks Up Two New Pilots: ‘The Doctor’ & ‘Hail Mary’

CBS, which is having a strong year thanks to the return of Tom Selleck’s mighty mustache in Blue Bloods, recently picked up two new drama pilots. Will either of them break new ground in TV storytelling? Probably not.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new pilots fall into two of the most conventional TV dramas out there: the medical drama and the crime drama. Boring, right? Before you get to snoozing though, you should know that there are a few wrinkles to the otherwise conventional-sounding shows.

The first show, The Doctor, isn’t just a medical drama, it’s also a family drama. Produced and written by Rina Mimoun (who developed the CW teen drama Privileged), The Doctor “centers on a mother who reconnects with her adult children when she joins the family medical practice.” Admittedly, it’s not the most thrilling logline, but the premise is sound. As with all things TV, the show’s success will lie in its execution.

The second pilot CBS scooped up, comes from writer and executive producer Jeff Wadlow. Titled Hail Mary, the show is “a buddy private investigator drama centered on a suburban single mom living in Atlanta who teams up with a hustler to solve crimes.” Producer Joel Silver will also serve as an executive producer on the project.

Something about Hail Mary‘s logline intrigues me. Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching a lot of Weeds lately, but there are a lot of interesting places you can go when you mix the tranquility of the suburbs with the gritty reality of the streets. Plus, the logline forces to ask, “Why does the suburban mom team up with a hustler to solve crimes? Is she bored? Is she seeking revenge? How much of a hustler is this hustler? Is he dangerous?” The show may ultimately turn out to be terrible, but there’s something to be said for a pitch that has you asking questions.

We’ll share the air dates for these pilots when they are announced. Check back then.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

View the original article here

Starz Picks Up ’60s-Era Miami Mobster Series ‘Magic City’

Looking back to a bygone era when mobsters ruled the Miami landscape, Starz has ordered ten episodes of Magic City, a new 1960s-era drama from a cable network still angling to successfully rival premium peer HBO in the original content department.

With Party  Down, Spartacus, and Head Case already carrying the Starz original programming banner, Magic City will take the period-piece lead of Boardwalk Empire and borrow a page from Showtime’s Dexter, which similarly focuses on the mean streets of Miami.

According to executive producer Mitch Glazer, Magic City revolves around Miramar Hotel boss Ike Evans, whose entanglements with mobsters and even some within his own family complicate a life already dramatized by Miami “dopers, dealers, strippers, gangsters and those who arrest them.” Some TV critics, naturally, already doubt whether a period piece invested so heavily in the Miami nightclub scene can result in a winner for Starz. But if Boardwalk Empire, HBO’s hit series set in Prohibition era Atlantic City, can enthrall audiences, the prevailing logic at Starz is that a show like Magic City can too.

A Miami Beach native familiar with and enamored by the “magic” of his childhood stomping grounds, Glazer says Magic City has the potential to deliver riveting dramatic content.

Said Glazer:

“I was born and raised in Miami Beach, grew up in those swank hotel lobbies. I love that world and those stories…Miami in the early ’60s was a tropical crossroads, America’s Casablanca – the Rat Pack, CIA, the mob, JFK and anti-Castro warriors – all hanging out in the same Collins Avenue nightclub.”

An anomaly of sorts among contemporary Miami-based film and television projects, Magic City will actually be shot on location in Miami beginning next year, in hopes of an early 2012 series premiere.

A man who knows all about the Miami crime and club scenes.

According to Starz President Chris Albrecht:

“Mitch has created a world populated with unforgettable characters and with a big, dynamic story…The talented creative team that has come together for Magic City will ensure a show that we think audiences won’t want to miss.”

Glazer is famous for his producing and writing work on films including Scrooged, Great Expectations, The Recruit, and Lost in Translation.

Magic City hopes to hit the airwaves sometime in early 2012.

Source: Variety

View the original article here