The A-Team is evidently a tough nut to crack. Fox wants a movie with the characters of the original series, more action than the original series, and a lot less goofy humor. The A-Team, as seen on the silver screen probably won’t be much like Starsky and Hutch or Charlie’s Angels, but a lot more like The Dirty Dozen.
John Singleton and his team couldn’t make that happen, so Fox has brought in new talent: Joe Carnahan. He’ll be backed up by Ridley Scott and executive producer Tony Scott. Carnahan and Brian Bloom will polish and/or revamp the Skip Woods script, and this sucker is moving like a black van in an alleyway free of trash cans. Start date is tentatively June of this year, so Carnahan can give Fox a finished product in time for summer 2010.
Ridley Scott says the premise will be essentially the same as in the television series, but the four veterans who escape prison to become mercenaries will have served in the Middle East, not Vietnam. Timely!
No cast is in place at the moment, but I’d imagine we’ll hear a few names very soon…with such a short time frame to work with, Carnahan should perhaps just rope in the cast of Inglorious Basterds wholesale. They know the drill by now. Do a little Kirk Lazarus on Til Schweiger and he’d be good to go as B.A.
But…but…but…what about Killing Pablo? “I am determined to make that movie [at the bankrupt Yari Film Group] or elsewhere,” said Carnahan, “but it’s an
interesting time in Hollywood, and you have to be aware when you get
the opportunity to step into a business model that is working.” By which I assume me means making films based on established brands and franchises, not necessarily doing so for Fox. After the demise of a couple other films, I’d imagine Carnahan is psyched at the thought of sitting in the director’s chair for certain come June. If so, maybe that excitement will show up on screen.