Oh, Hugh.
(Yes, that is a stupid post title. I have no idea if Hugh Jackman has even fake steel. But I didn’t have anything else.)
Variety reports that Hugh Jackman will star in “Real Steel,” a sci-fi action movie to be directed by Shawn Levy. This will be the first project for Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider’s Dreamworks ” after leaving Paramount. Disney will distribute this film.
“Real Steel” was acquired by Dreamworks in 2005. Dan Gilroy wrote the first script. John Gatins did the most recent rewrite. The source is a short story by prolific sci fi writer Richard Matheson (“I Am Legend,” amongst a zillion other titles).
In the movie, Jackman will play “a fighter who has to reinvent himself when human boxers are replaced by robots. Jackman will play a struggling Robot Boxing promoter who finds a discarded robot that always seems to win. He also discovers he has a 11-year-old son, and they bond as the robot brawls its way toward the top.”
Hmm…sounds good until we get to the discovers he has a son thing. I worry this could get sickly sentimental.
Jackman seems to be involved in a number of projects all at once. He’s on Broadway right now (I think “A Steady Rain” ends either this month or early January). He’s definitely signed up for the “Wolverine” sequel, as well as the movie “Driver” (which I remember vaguely reading about) and “Unbound Captives” (this is the Western with Rachel Weisz and Robert Pattinson). He also has a number of other films in development, including a new version of the musical “Carousel” and a new musical about PT Barnum (“The Greatest Showman on Earth”). And we’ll all cry if he doesn’t hurry back to Broadway as soon as possible.
So where does “Real Steel” fit in? Well, Variety says it’s supposed to shoot in June. I’m not sure which of the others he’ll be squeezing in before then. But just knock them out quickly, Hugh, and get back to the theater. We love having you here.
*Here*, you mean NY, right? As suprising as it may sound, not everybody is from NY and depends only on movies. I would love to see Hugh on the stage but next time in London, please. I hope he can do Unbound Captives first (A Steady Rain ends in two weeks) because it is a really great role.