While we’re talking about squandered goodwill, now’s as good a time as any to bring up the Hughes Brothers. The directors of Menace II Society, the best hood film of the early 1990s (yes, even better than South Central), have had a rough go of it since succumbing to the sophomore slump in 1995 with Dead Presidents (great soundtrack, but a mess of a movie). But bad as From Hell was (and it’s the worst Jack the Ripper movie I’ve ever seen, including this piece of shit I watched drunk off my ass on late-night television during high school), their cinematic flair hadn’t left them entirely. The brothers put together a few fairly striking widescreen compositions, and… um, yeah, here endeth the list of From Hell‘s redeeming qualities.
I’ve heard all kinds of stories regarding the production of From Hell, so, despite their lousy batting average, I’m prepared to give the Hughes Brothers another shot. According to Variety‘s Scoopmaster General, Michael Fleming, it sounds like that next shot is getting fast tracked. The project is called Book of Eli, and it’s a post-apocalyptic saga of a "lone hero" who a) beats ass all over the decimated continental United States, while, b) possessing a tome that might back humankind’s ass out of the radioactive ruin. I don’t know how I feel about the whole sacred book shit, but I definitely can get with the beating of ass as it is commonly carried done in fictional post-apocalyptic environs. Makes me nostalgic.
Let’s just hope the Hughes Brothers have a Mad Max quality film a-brewin’ rather than, say, Stryker. Aw, who am I kidding? I’d love a big-budget take on Stryker, too. What I don’t want, what none of us wants, is Cherry 2000. Lord Joel Silver is producing with Susan Downey and Erik Olsen, while the screenplay is by newcomer Gary Whitta. Don’t be surprised if there’s a lead attached over the next few weeks, as it sounds like Silver wants to rush this into production.