Producers are never more desperate than before a strike, which is why I think the unions should threaten to strike more often. Not because I’m hot to see more Voltrons and He-Mans; these projects are a blight on cinema and, if made, could very well bring back slavery (granted, there’s an undeniable plus-side here for us non-blacks). No, the reason why work stoppages are a wonderful thing breaks down like this (via Dark Horizons): "Bad Lieutenant Sequel Planned".
Now, the bad news: Abel Ferrara and Harvey Keitel are not attached. Basically, this is the desperate Edward R. Pressman’s attempt to get a movie up and shooting before the guilds cause a potentially cataclysmic work stoppage. I think. According to the L.A. Times, the script for Bad Lieutenant ’08, written by Steven Bochco protege Billy Finkelstein (he has a Cop Rock credit!), "is less a sequel or a prequel than an attempt to take the raw material of the original film and weave it into 21st century, post- 9/11 New York. In the draft I have, dated July 24, 2007, Finkelstein provides the Lieutenant with a small amount of addiction back story, the event that prompts his promotion from sergeant and the drug-related murder of five Senegalese illegal immigrants to pursue." Huh?
Pressman’s a shameless producer; this is the guy who built a franchise out of The Crow in spite of the negligent killing of Brandon Lee. He’ll make this movie if he can scrape up enough financing. I’m just amazed that Bad Lieutenant is somehow worthy of a sequel; Keitel’s unnamed protagonist was more notable for his dangling schlong than his tough guy act – which, oddly enough, is why he reminds me of Gene Rayburn. There are no Gene Rayburns today… only Peter Tomarkens.
Finkelstein is apparently hard at work on a second draft. I hope he’s getting paid for it. If you need me, I’ll be crying myself to sleep nude in a Catholic church.