The Lovely Bones (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article or section contains information about one or more scheduled or expected films.
The content will change as the film's release approaches and more information becomes available.
The Lovely Bones
Directed by Peter Jackson
Produced by Peter Jackson
Fran Walsh
Carolynne Cunningham
Aimée Peyronnet
Written by Novel:
Alice Sebold
Screenplay:
Peter Jackson
Fran Walsh
Philippa Boyens
Starring Saoirse Ronan
Rachel Weisz
Mark Wahlberg
Stanley Tucci
Susan Sarandon
Amanda Michalka
Distributed by DreamWorks Pictures
Release date(s) Late-2009
Country New Zealand
United States
Language English
Budget $70 million
IMDb profile

The Lovely Bones is a film adaptation of the 2002 American novel The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, currently scheduled to be released in late 2009. The film will be co-written, co-produced and directed by Peter Jackson and stars Irish actress Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon, with Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg as her parents, Susan Sarandon as her grandmother and Stanley Tucci as George Harvey, her murderer.

Feature rights to Sebold's novel had been bought by Film4 Productions when it was only a manuscript with Lynne Ramsay attached to write and direct, but the company was eventually shut down. Jackson and his producer partners eventually acquired the rights independently and developed a script on their own, later selling it to DreamWorks. Production began in October 2007 in New Zealand and Pennsylvania.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

In 1973, Susie Salmon (Ronan) is raped and murdered by a neighbor, George Harvey (Tucci), a serial killer of young girls. She finds herself in Heaven, observing her family on Earth. She watches her family grieve for her and watches her killer, having covered his tracks successfully, prepare to murder again. Susie struggles to balance her desire to find revenge on Harvey and to have her family recover from their loss.[1]

[edit] Cast

The role of Jack Salmon had to be recast right before principal photography began. Ryan Gosling, who had gained 20 pounds and grown a beard for the role, had been cast.[10] Gosling said "the age of the character versus my real age was always a concern of mine. Peter [Jackson] and I tried to make it work and ultimately it just didn't. I think the film is much better off with Mark Walhberg in that role."[11]

[edit] Production

In May 2000, Film4 Productions acquired feature film rights to Alice Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones,[12] when it was a half-written manuscript. Producer Aimee Peyronnet had sought to attract studio interest to the manuscript, and an insider informed Film4's deputy head of production, Jim Wilson, of the project.[13] The company attached Luc Besson and Peyronnet's production company Seaside to the project, two years before the novel's release.[12] By February 2001, Lynne Ramsay was hired to direct and write the film adaptation of the novel.[14] In July 2002, Channel 4 shut down Film4, causing Hollywood studios and producers to pursue acquisition of feature film rights to The Lovely Bones, which had spent multiple weeks at the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. The film adaptation, which had been estimated at a budget of $15 million, remained with Channel 4 under its newly developed inhouse film unit, with Ramsay still contracted to write and direct. By October 2002, Ramsay was writing the script with fellow screenwriter Liana Dognini, with filming planned for summer 2003.[13] Author Alice Sebold was invited by the producers to provide input on the project.[15]

In July 2003, the studio DreamWorks negotiated a first look deal with producer Peyronnet,[16] after DreamWorks founder Steven Spielberg had expressed interest in the project.[17] DreamWorks did not acquire the rights to the novel, and Ramsay was eventually detached from the project. In April 2004, producers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens entered negotiations to develop the project.[18] Jackson described the book as "a wonderfully emotional and powerful story. Like all the best fantasy, it has a solid grounding in the real world."[19] By January 2005, Jackson and Walsh planned to independently purchase film rights and to seek studio financing after a script had been developed. The producers sought to begin adapting a spec script for The Lovely Bones in January 2006, with the goal of script completion and budget estimation by the following May.[20] Jackson foresaw the most challenging element in the novel to adapt was the portrayal of Susie, the protagonist, in heaven, and making it "ethereal and emotional but not hokey".[19] Saoirse Ronan said that Jackson chose to depict the afterlife as depending on Susie's emotions. "Whenever Susie feels happy, Heaven is sunny and there's birds and everything. Whenever it’s not so great, it's raining or she’s in the middle of an ocean."[21]

A 120-page draft of the script was written by September 2006.[22] In April 2007, with the script completed by Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens, and Jackson intending to direct, the group of producers began seeking a studio partner to finance the film adaptation. Besides the major studios, smaller companies including United Artists were also contacted. New Line was excluded from negotiations due to Jackson's legal dispute with the studio over royalties from his Lord of the Rings trilogy.[23] Jackson sought a beginning $65 million budget for The Lovely Bones, also requesting from studios what kind of promotional commitments and suggestions they would make for the film adaptation.[24] By May, four studios remained interested in the project: DreamWorks, Warner Bros., Sony, and Universal Pictures.[25] The Lovely Bones was sold to DreamWorks for $70 million.[26] Paramount Pictures received the rights to distribute the film worldwide. Production began in October 2007 in Pennsylvania and New Zealand.[3][27] Shooting in parts of Chester County, including Phoenixville,Royersford Malvern and East Fallowfield[28] will last a few weeks, and most of the studio shooting will be in New Zealand.[22]

[edit] Release

It was originally scheduled for release on March 13, 2009,[29] but the studio denied this, later confirming the release is actually planned for later in the year.[30]

[edit] References

  1. ^ DreamWorks Studios. "DreamWorks Acquires Peter Jackson's Lovely Bones", ComingSoon.net, 2007-05-04. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  2. ^ Borys Kit. "DreamWorks setting "Bones" role for Ronan", The Hollywood Reporter, 2007-07-11. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  3. ^ a b Michael Fleming; Pamela McClintock. "Weisz to star in 'Lovely Bones'", Variety, 2007-06-12. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  4. ^ Gregg Goldstein. "Tucci cracks DW's 'Bones'", The Hollywood Reporter, 2007-07-23. Retrieved on 2007-07-23. 
  5. ^ Pamela McClintock. "Sarandon joins 'Lovely Bones'", Variety, 2007-07-26. Retrieved on 2007-07-26. 
  6. ^ Borys Kit. "Imperioli connected to "Lovely Bones"", The Hollywood Reporter, 2007-08-02. Retrieved on 2007-08-02. 
  7. ^ a b "Lindsey and Ruth roles cast for The Lovely Bones"", Black Magic - NZ Film News, 2007-08-28. 
  8. ^ "Lowestoft's Lovely Bones", BBC, 2007-11-02. Retrieved on 2007-11-02. 
  9. ^ Shawn Adler. "Pop Sensation AJ Michalka Cast In Jackson’s ‘Lovely Bones’", MTV, 2007-09-24. Retrieved on 2007-09-24. 
  10. ^ Michael Fleming, Tatiana Siegel. "Wahlberg steps into 'Bones'", Variety, 2007-10-21. Retrieved on 2007-10-22. 
  11. ^ "Gosling Sets Bones Straight", IGN, 2007-10-29. Retrieved on 2007-10-29. 
  12. ^ a b "FilmFour makes 'Lovely' buy for Seaside", Variety, 2000-05-31. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  13. ^ a b Adam Dawtrey. "'Bones' remains at C4", Variety, 2002-10-13. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  14. ^ Jonathan Bing. "U.K.'s FilmFour pages quirky fare for pix", Variety, 2001-02-07. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  15. ^ Nicole Panter. "Bestselling author goes incognito in La La Land", Variety, 2002-11-17. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  16. ^ Marc Graser; Jonathan Bing. "D'Works inks 'Bones' key", Variety, 2003-07-06. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  17. ^ Nicole Laporte. "Inside Move: Peyronnet digs up lit paydirt", Variety, 2003-11-02. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  18. ^ Michael Fleming. "Jackson team bones up on 'Lovely'", Variety, 2004-04-22. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  19. ^ a b Brian Sibley (2006). Peter Jackson: A Film-maker's Journey. London: Harper Collins, 555-57. ISBN 0-00-717558-2. 
  20. ^ Michael Fleming. "Putting his own bucks into 'Bones'", Variety, 2005-01-17. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  21. ^ Silas Lesnick. "Saoirse Ronan on The Lovely Bones", IESB, 2008-01-08. Retrieved on 2008-01-10. 
  22. ^ a b Eric Vespe. "Quint and Peter Jackson, Part II: THE LOVELY BONES!!!", Ain't It Cool News, 2006-09-13. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  23. ^ Pamela McClintock. "'Bones' up for bidding", Variety, 2007-04-30. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  24. ^ Michael Fleming; Pamela McClintock. "High-priced directors pitch projects", Variety, 2007-05-02. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  25. ^ Borys Kit. "Project auctions: One hot, one not", The Hollywood Reporter, 2007-05-03. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  26. ^ "Jackson Sells, Mann/DiCaprio Doesn't", Variety, 2007-05-29. Retrieved on 2007-06-13. 
  27. ^ Fleming, Michael. "Ryan Gosling set for 'Lovely Bones'", Variety, Jun. 27, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-27. 
  28. ^ East Fallowfield Township Police Department (November 2, 2007). "Intermittent Road Closures-Movie Production" (pdf) (in English). Press release. Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
  29. ^ "G.I. Joe, The Lovely Bones Release Dates", ComingSoon.net, 2007-11-19. Retrieved on 2007-11-20. 
  30. ^ "The Lovely Bones Set for Fall of 2009", ComingSoon.net, 2008-05-03. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by Peter Jackson