I'm Watching YOU.......
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Looks like smoke free movies have their say about the Cowboys and Aliens movie.
IMO
http://www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/ourads/sfm_ad80
http://www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/ourads/index.html
The Directors Cut: Cowboys & Aliens in LEGO
*** Nice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwZLJtNhLF4
There was a store open a long time ago, on the Platinum site, and merchandise was available, but was not movie related. Other sites still sell Platinum merchandise and are open. I know you are refering to C&A merchandise from the movie and I agree. It should have been out sooner, but I dont think they are sitting around twidling their thumbs. Unfortunately, Platinum is not like Marvel who already has all these deals in place with toymakers and merchandise people. Deals take time and merchandise has to be made. Now we need to see it in stores too not just on the site. Thats where the real money is made.
IMO
Nice. I would guess that this is just the beginning of the merchandise as we have seen a buch of contest items not listed here. Hopefully we will see those too, as well as other items such as Atlantis Rising "Unique" and even "Nightfall" merchandise.
Now Scott should put out a PR stating the store is open and merchandise is available.
IMO
Golden Pitch Festival @ Screenwriting Expo 2011
On September 15-18, 2011, the Screenwriting Expo returns for its 10th year bringing with it the Golden Pitch Festival (http://www.screenwritingexpo.com/Golden-Pitch.html), a unique opportunity for screenwriters to pitch their scripts to top Hollywood executives, for three of those days.On September 15-18, 2011, the Screenwriting Expo returns for its 10th year bringing with it the Golden Pitch Festival (http://www.screenwritingexpo.com/Golden-Pitch.html), a unique opportunity for screenwriters to pitch their scripts to top Hollywood executives, for three of those days.
Golden Pitch Festival producer and Creative Screenwriting Magazine publisher Bill Donovan notes, “In one room we will have up to 60 of Hollywood’s A-list producers, development executives, agents, and managers all looking for new material. No other event offer writers better access to the people and companies capable of setting their writing career in motion.”
Many Golden Pitch Festival participants are top names in the industry, including studio, network and cable development executives as well as agents and managers. These confirmed executives have studio deals and/or have produced several major motion pictures, television shows or Movies-of-the-Week. Executives seeking features of all budgets, MOWS, as well as hour and half-hour television formats will be hearing pitches. Literary agents and managers are from the top companies representing elite screenwriting talent and making deals that grace the pages of The Hollywood Reporter and Variety every day are involved. Each year, the Golden Pitch event also includes several execs from script-hungry smaller companies that writers might otherwise overlook; all of these companies are actively seeking great scripts. That's why they attend.
Some of the companies committed to this year’s Golden Pitch Festival include Phoenix Pictures (Black Swan, Shutter Island), Kopelson, Platinum Studios (Cowboys & Aliens), Suntaur Entertainment, The Radmin Company, Starz Network (“Torchwood,” “Spartacus”), Zero Gravity Management, Elevate Entertainment, Destiny Pictures, Madhouse Entertainment (Country Strong, “Burn Notice”), Magnet Management, Pantheon Entertainment, Towerhill Entertainment, PB Management, Varsity, 617 Films, Intrigue, Overbrook Entertainment (The Karate Kid, “Hawthorne”), Laurence Mark Productions, Whitewaterfilm, Convergence, Farah Films, Occupant Films, Gallagher, Sunrise, Media Talent Group, Archetype Management, Kaplan Perrone (Knowing), Bohemia Group, Mutual Films and many more.
The overall Screenwriting Expo offers unique opportunities for screenwriters to meet fellow writers and filmmakers, pitch top executives and learn more about the writers craft.Featuring over 100 classes, workshops, Q&As, and panels, the Screenwriting Expo is a must-attend event for anyone serious about a career in writing for film and television.
This year’s speakers include top writers, including Mark Fergus (Children of Men, Iron Man, Cowboys And Aliens), Ashley Miller & Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class, Fringe), Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (Spider-Man 2, Smallville), Shane Salerno (Armageddon, Hawaii 5-0), Gary Whitta fromThe Book of Eli and many more!
Creative Screenwriting publisher Bill Donovan adds, “we are excited to have writers from 2011 blockbusters like X-Men: First Class and Thor, along with cutting edge content such as how to write convincingly about zombies and vampires, how to create compelling heroines, writing for micro-budgets, effectively crowdsourcing funding, and a topic that is probably on everyone’s minds but never taught before at the Expo – How to Write a Mind- Blowing Sex Scene without going overboard.”
The 2011 Expo will again feature the Expo Screenplay Competition, one of the industry's most prestigious screenplay contests. Since its inception, it has offered some of the biggest cash prizes of any screenplay competition in the world. The Grand Prize includes $20,000 plus a publicity campaign and multiple forms of access to the industry including the having the winning scripts delivered to over 300 production companies, agencies, and management companies who have committed to reading them. Prizes are awarded the opening night of the Expo. For more information on how to enter please see
This year’s expo takes place at the union friendly Westin LAX Hotel from September 15-18. Registration is at http://screenwritingexpo.com/register.html. With sessions dedicated to every aspect of the craft and business of screenwriting and filmmaking, the Screenwriting Expo is a great way to further the screenwriter’s career.
http://www.examiner.com/la-nightlife-events-in-los-angeles/golden-pitch-festival-screenwriting-expo-2011
Platinums number is in the IBOX.
Good luck. He's a busy man.
IMO
Cowboys and Aliens Q&A with director Jon Favreau & Scott Rosenberg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG2PtVp9lUA
Cowboys and Aliens: The Kids 1.0 for iOS – Educational App Book for Kids
http://kingpintech.com/?p=1518
http://appmodo.com/54941/cowboys-and-aliens-the-kids-1-0-for-ios-educational-app-book-for-kids/
Here you go guys: did Platinum make a mistake?
nope. IMO
Dara Naraghi comic book challenge
and we can attest to the fact that some of those that have won, GunPlay and Hero by Night HAVE had their comic book made and distributed by Platinum Studios, with Gunplay even optioned for a TV series.
http://www.platinumstudios.com/comics/comic-book-challenge/
"you wrote a letter"? Did you lick the stamp? Alot of chemicals in there that can cause hallucinations you know.
You should send one to the "Pres" while your at it, asking him the same thing. He will listen to you. NOT.
Jon Favreau on Cowboys & Aliens, 80s sci-fi and 12A violence
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/1018138/jon_favreau_on_cowboys_aliens_80s_scifi_and_12a_violence.html
Cowboys and Aliens: The Animated Prequel
http://www.platinumstudios.com/film-and-digital/filmed-entertainment-cowboys-and-aliens/
I just want to point out that I am in no way bashing Scott or Platinum. I thought the interview was okey, but could have been better. When you are on a big TV news station, things have to be perfect. Every little word and hand movement get scrutinized over and over.
I also understand that this is not his job, to give public interviews, which is why they are so rare and far between, but to run the company and makes sales for Platinum. He may see that public speaking is not for him and assign it to someone else whose job it is. All I did was point out the facts. If we all said the interview was great, how will he know he needs improvement in public speaking if he wishes to continue doing it. I know this is not an easy thing and the stress must be enormous, especially when you have to wing it with an interviewer who questions were almost like jokes and not serious questions. Now CNN interview would be different. They dont fool around. He should call them and set it up. I'm sure they would love to have him or a representative speak. Just ask for the question sheet first then prep for it. This is just my opinion of course.
Yes, it is great he plays with the big boys. We just need to get these big boys to open their wallets more. Platinum has so much to offer. They are just getting started.
IMO
Investmn and others,
I will have agree with you here. Even though he was on a tv interview, which in itself is a good thing, it sounded like he was unprepared or caught off guard for the interviewer. He should have had prepared notes, memorized and had those ready to modify for any situation. I know he is not allowed to talk about certain things, but it would have been better had he been more excited for Platinum with what he did talk about, showing examples of the product, talking about Atlantis Rising and Metadocs a little bit more, more details about Cowboys and Aliens locally and internationally and about the upcoming Red Carpets that may take place in other countrys or those that just happened, etc. He should have got people excited for the stock and company, maybe even mentioning the stock name if it is allowed. It should have made people go "WOW, now that's a company I want to invest in". "I even want to buy their product."
I do not think their is anyone right who could do interviews other than Scott, except maybe Randy Greenberg. (and before everyones asks who that is http://greenberggroup.com/bio.html). They probably do need to hire someone. IMO, a good spokesman does make a big difference and now is the time to project the proper image for Platinum. They need to keep working off the momentum that Cowboys and Aliens movie has. We know he been working at it as we see the new listings of events happening, sure not sales yet or merchandise news that we all want, but I bet things are going on behind the scenes we dont know about. Lets also not forget other projects need to get started and focused on as they get closer to production. I myself would love to see merchandise hit the market, toys and such.
At the very least, if their is no one to fill the job, there is classes on public speaking. I would also recommend written interviews, but in more details than things we already know or find out here ourselves.
Project your voice and be heard Scott.
IMO
Cowboys and Aliens: The Kids iPad App Demo - DailyAppShow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4dIE1bSxJY
Scott Mitchell Rosenberg (Platinum Studios CEO) on Geraldo (Fox News):
http://video.foxnews.com/v/1113088246001/the-idea-behind-cowboys--aliens/?playlist_id=162223
pdos
World First: Paramount’s “Cowboys and Aliens” Ad Campaign on Xbox Runs Q and A via Avatar Kinect;
Ever wonder what it would be like to talk to the people behind the scenes on your favourite feature film?
Last week, six journalists and bloggers across Europe found out what that was like. They were the handful of people who participated in the world’s first Q&A session using Avatar Kinect, the social entertainment experience launched by Microsoft just last month that allows Xbox users to meet and converse in virtual worlds via their avatar characters.
Paramount Pictures’ campaign to promote its summer blockbuster Cowboys and Aliens features exclusive content on the Xbox LIVE dashboard banners, showcasing key scenes from the filming and navigating users through a branded destination experience with a hub of information about the film including videos, galleries and free downloads. But what sets this campaign apart is the extensive video content available to users in this first-ever Q&A on Avatar Kinect.
cowboys-aliens-avatar-kinect
Paramount Pictures used the technology for the official movie junket at Claridges in London to enable the director of Cowboys and Aliens, Jon Favreau, and six journalists and bloggers across Europe to interact and talk about the film in a virtual environment. Avatar Kinect captures Favreau and the journalists’ facial expressions and voices in a lifelike way during the Q&A session.
The Xbox LIVE campaign for Cowboys and Aliens is a fascinating example of the innovative ways global entertainment brands are leveraging the power of Kinect to promote upcoming releases. Xbox has a large and growing audience of highly-engaged 18-34 year olds who like to keep up-to-date with the latest in games and entertainment. The Cowboys and Aliens campaign on Xbox enabled Paramount to promote its new film using interactive and highly engaging content. The environment offers advertisers the high definition impact of TV advertising with the interactivity and accountability of the Web. It’s really the best of both worlds.
We asked, Heath Tyldesley, Vice President, Interactive Marketing at Paramount Pictures Interactive Marketing for his perspective on the campaign. He had this to say:
“Microsoft is a key Pan Regional partner for PPI and the Xbox media integration a perfect extension on Cowboys and Aliens. It was also fantastic to work with Xbox to extend the editorial opportunity by pioneering a ground-breaking virtual Q&A with Director Jon Favreau using newly launched Avatar Kinect”.
The Cowboys and Aliens campaign is already live for Xbox users to enjoy in the UK and Australia, and will launch in selected European markets throughout this month.
Keep an eye out Xbox users, and make sure you check out the virtual Q&A to see Avatar Kinect in action!
http://community.microsoftadvertising.com/blogs/advertising/archive/2011/08/15/paramount-cowboys-aliens-ad-campaign-xbox-avatar-kinect.aspx
http://www.nma.co.uk/paramount-pictures-uses-xbox-360s-avatar-kinect-to-promote-new-movie/3029280.article
here is another company that looks like they take movies and turn them into animated series. Pretty cool when you watch the video. Oh, and C&A is pictured on this page.
IMO
http://persistenceofvision.com/our-work
Alright, who reads Japanese here? C&A the animated Graphic Novel is coming soon. Who knows, we may get tho see 'an animated TV show.
IMO
http://www.platinumstudios.com/canda/cna-japan/
Starlight Children Foundation Homepage:
Orbit Media Group has licensed the original story from Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, CEO of entertainment company Platinum Studios (OTCBB: PDOS), who created the New York Times best-selling graphic novel and recently released blockbuster movie, Cowboys & Aliens.Orbit is also proud to partner with Julia Delany and Kimon Taliadoros from Australian company Hub4Content to bring this App Book to life.
http://www.starlight.org/cowboysandaliensthekids/#.TkSAPN55fpA.facebook
Nice.
Thanks for the update.
M.Dogg
Looks like one of Platinums movies may have a new director. This was just updated. Let me state that nothing is official until we see a release from Platinum on it. I cant verify that this data is accurate or true. If it is, then you heard it here first.
IMO
Movie: Blood Nation
Production Credits
Director - Jonathan Liebesman
credits include
Clash of the Titans 2
Battle: Los Angeles
The Killing Room
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Darkness Falls
http://movies.nytimes.com/person/347697/Jonathan-Liebesman
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/444748/Blood-Nation/credits
For those that dont know about Blood Nation, here is Platiums promotional video on it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnicho2mSIM
HAD A GREAT NUFFNANG & PIZZA HUT EVENT LAST NIGHT- C&A Event in Philippines.
http://www.urbanlife-manila.kihtmaine.com/2011/08/cowboys-and-aliens-pizza-from-pizza-hut.html
http://www.blessedmhay.com/2011/08/had-great-nuffnang-pizza-hut-event-last.html
Guess we wont see you anymore.
Good luck in your trading.
IMO
I like the glances they give of all the reporters snapping pictures. Should see alot of news from UK on C&A shortly.
IMO
Livestream is now on:
It goes on and off but it is on.
This is a repeat of them arriving about an hour ago
http://www.livestream.com/cowboysandaliens
http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/articles/film/watch-live-stream-of-cowboys-and-aliens-uk-premiere
They already sing with them. Just not sure if the song is still in place. If it isnt, Scott should look into it again. IMO
The company has recently signed a First Look deal with Disney. May 2004
http://www.digitalwebbing.com/features/051204_platinum.html
I totally agree. Disneys Marvel characters are mostly superhero related but are well known. Platinums characters are not superhero related but cover a wider spectrum than DC or Marvel. It would be a nice scoop for Disney to pick it up Platinum, but it has to be for the right price. I would also consider if Platinum can make more money themselves IPing out the characters and merchandising it. In the long run, this seems more profitable to me.
IMO
Cowboys & Aliens Go Launcher (1.50$)
Our first contact. Support the last stand on your Android phone with this Cowboys & Aliens Go Launcher EX theme.
http://android.podnova.com/software/536163.htm
The Cowboys & Aliens UK Press Conference Live Blog
http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/08/11/the-cowboys-aliens-uk-press-conference-live-blog/
I dont think they are sitting on their hands, but I think they are helping the big boys with suggestions on merchandise and where to distribute. These contests that we are seeing now overseas will draw alot of attention to the film. They also gives us a clue of the merchandise that is out there.
I also really doubt factorys are making just 1 or 2 of these items for promotions, but who knows. Some of these items are super cool. I like the laser keyboard.
I would like to see a PR stating the projection numbers/and what merchandise is out there. Hopefully we see that soon. Maybe in the 10Q?
IMO
WIN LOADS OF GOODIES FROM COWBOYS & ALIENS
To help you through the COWBOYS & ALIENS invasion we’re giving away loads of cool movie goodies including a projector clock, a credit card bottle opener and a travel adapter, absolute necessities for when fighting off those aliens!
http://www.syfyuniversal.asia/videos/win-loads-goodies-cowboys-aliens
watch the video:
http://www.syfyuniversal.asia/videos/win-loads-goodies-cowboys-aliens
Cowboys and Aliens: RevolutionSF Interviews Writer Paul Benjamin
Paul Benjamin is a writer and editor of video games and comics, including Metal Hurlant, Amazing Spider-Man, and several Marvel Adventures series. He was involved in the creation of the movie Cowboys and Aliens. Here's a look at the path a movie takes from concept to the movie screen from a guy who was there.
In addition to your supermodel work, you write things. From 1996 to 2000, you worked at Platinum Studios on movie pitches. One of those things: Cowboys & Aliens. Tell me how that story hit your desk. Were you assigned the pitch, or did you get to choose? Or did someone just say "Cowboys. Aliens. Go."
My work at Platinum actually started a little over a year earlier at Malibu Comics where I was the assistant to Scott Rosenberg, who was president of Malibu Comics after they’d been purchased by Marvel. That was my first job in comics and it came to an abrupt end four months after it began when Marvel laid off nearly the entire company, including Scott.
I went to work at Warner Bros. and was loving it when Scott’s one-year non-competition clause expired with Marvel. He called me up and asked me to help him to start Platinum Studios. At the time we had the rights to the extremely popular Italian comic, Tex through Scott’s partner, Ervin Rustemagic.
You may recognize Ervin’s name since he’s the main character in Joe Kubert’s powerful graphic novel, Fax From Sarajevo. However, Hollywood wasn’t interested in Tex because to them it was just another Western. One day, Scott proposed doing a Western with aliens and Cowboys & Aliens was born.
What was it like at Platinum back then?
Platinum consisted of just four people. I was the executive assistant. Scott and Ervin were the bosses, with Scott handling the Hollywood side of things in the U.S. while Ervin managed the rights to our international comics properties from Slovenia. Ervin held the rights to a wide variety of European comics properties and was a key member of the team since he brought us so many established series from overseas. Gregory Noveck was our Vice President. You probably know his name from his many years as head of film development at DC Comics. He’s running movie development at SyFy.
Basically, Scott, Gregory, and I worked together every day to develop pitches based on existing comics properties and to create new properties like Cowboys & Aliens.
Was it a back-and-forth process with your fellow creators, or just you in a room shackled to your desk?
Scott, Gregory and I would talk story, character, and plot and then I’d compile all our notes into a cohesive whole. I learned a lot in those days about how to hone a concept to its purest, most concise form. Gregory had the most Hollywood experience and was particularly adept at finding character and story.
Once we had the basics down, it was my job to work with Ervin’s team of European artists to create concept art for the pitches. I learned from experience how to hone a big idea into a single image; a talent that’s served me well as a comic book writer.
For example, I’d ask for a shot of a cowboy riding hell bent for leather, shooting his gun up at a spaceship covering half the sky. That particular image really sold the C&A concept and inspired the cover of the comic that came years later.
About how long from when you started until the pitch hit the streets? Once the pitch was gone, did that end your involvement?
As I recall, we pretty much took the pitch out as soon as it was ready. Scott had set up Men In Black, based on the Malibu comic book and the movie was getting great buzz just before it came out in theaters. We capitalized on that buzz to get meetings and had a ton on interest in C&A.
Multiple studios bid on the project, leading to a high-priced sale to DreamWorks and Universal who teamed up to buy it. I was involved in the project – giving notes and screenplays and such -- for the rest of my four years at Platinum, working my way up from assistant to VP. In that time, Universal and DreamWorks went through several different screenwriters before they gave up on the property.
Then Sony bought the rights and hired more screenwriters before they eventually gave up as well.
By then Platinum was actually developing comics based on our original concepts. Though I was involved in the comics development, the main editor driving that side of things was Lee Nordling, the guy who literally wrote the book on comics (“Your Career In The Comics”). Lee was an excellent mentor and his lessons continue to serve me well as both a writer and editor.
How much of the movie resembles your pitch' Did anything survive from your pitch to the movie?
It’s been a long time, so I’ve forgotten a lot of details from that original pitch. However, I very clearly remember the artwork I commissioned from Ervin’s team. There was the shot I mentioned earlier plus another with Native Americans using alien technology for a wide variety of purposes, much like they used every part of the buffalo.
There was an image of a wagon train coming across an alien ship crash site in the middle of the desert. The image that most influenced the final film version is a shot of a cowboy decked out with alien gear. He had a six-gun and a rifle, but also wore hi-tech sunglasses and had an energy blaster. That image is is a clear inspiration for the promo image of Daniel Craig with his wrist blaster.
I got goose bumps the first time I saw the standee in a movie theater.
What other pitches were you involved in at Platinum?
Over the course of my four years with the company, we developed dozens of properties and set up quite of a few of them. There was Jeremiah, on which we partnered with J Michael Straczynski for the series on Showtime. We also developed the Italian comic book Dylan Dog which recently, if briefly, hit screens starring Brandon Routh.
Other projects never got made, such as the futuristic Nathan Never based on the Bonelli comics from Italy.
One of my favorites was Million Dollar Heroes, a comedy about two highly competitive, millionaire comic creators (back in the early days of Image when such a phenomenon seemed commonplace) who make a bet in which they fight crime dressed as their own characters. I had a strong hand in developing that one and would have loved to see it get made.
Another project called Unique got set up based on my concept involving multiple realities, as did my character “The Weapon,” but like so many properties in Hollywood, they have not yet become a reality.
Then again, it took C&A around fifteen years, so I suppose I shouldn’t give up hope.
From an interview with RevolutionSF in 2007, you said you were working on a DC superhero movie script. Can you talk about it now?
You know, I have no idea if I can talk about that. I’ll play it safe and just say that I was developing a project based on a popular DC superhero along with my friend Aron Eli Coleite back before he went to work on Heroes. It was a lot of fun and I’m still proud of the story we created, even if it never did see the light of day.
Pimp your upcoming works.
Right now I’m in a weird place where I can’t pimp my upcoming works because everything I’m working on is top secret. Hopefully I’ll have an announcement soon about a very cool video game project.
Also, I’m about to move to Uzbekistan for my diplomat wife’s first post in the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service. I’m hoping to take advantage of the low cost of living and a house paid for by your tax dollars by doing some self-publishing.
That said, your readers would most certainly dig some of my previous work that has just become availablefrom Humanoids. The Metal Hurlant Collections contain a ton of short stories I edited during my time as Senior Editor where I worked with Kurt Busiek, Geoff Johns, Guy Davis, Ryan Sook, Cully Hamner, David Lloyd, and many more.
They’ve also released hardcovers of books such as I Am Legion by John Cassaday, Weapons of the Metabarons by Travis Charest and Jodorowsky, Metal by Butch Guice, Dominion by Jamal Igle and others.
I can’t say enough good things about the Humanoids books. The company has always put quality above all else. You can see their books here Humanoids.com and buy them on Amazon.com.
You can also see more about my world travels as well as my work in comics and video games on my on my blog.
Who would win: Cowboys or the Harlem Globetrotters?p> Curly.
If you wrote the sequel, who should the cowboys fight?
Actually, I’ve always wanted to do a prequel called Knights & Aliens. It would be like Game of Thrones but with alien creatures serving as the inspiration for the mythical creatures we’ve come to associate with medieval fantasy.
But if I were doing a sequel, it would be a Star Wars crossover with young Han Solo Harrison Ford versus older, cowboy Harrison Ford.
Which I guess means Chewbacca would have to go up against Daniel Craig? My money’s on Chewie every time.
http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.php?id=5254
COMPETITION: Cowboys and Aliens Giveaway- Australia
One lucky reader will pick up the top prize of a COWBOYS AND ALIENS reversible hoodie, an alarm clock and a laser keyboard
** looks like there is also a C&A canteen pictured here.
http://www.thereelbits.com/2011/08/11/competition-cowboys-and-aliens-giveaway/
It is listed twice. The blueray version placed at number 15. Double wammy.
IMO
Saw that. Nice find.
I would not count Dylan Dog out just yet. IMO
The Long Road To Absolution
Cowboys & Aliens Co-Producer Daniel Forcey
Talks About Bringing The Graphic Novel To The Screen
Jon Favreau's film opens Friday!
Nine years ago I sat in the offices of Platinum Studios in disbelief. Across from me, young Platinum Communications Manager Daniel Forcey smiled. "Yep. That's it."
IT was a copy of the graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens, years before its publication, handed to me by Platinum founder Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. I held it in my hands, flipping through beautifully drawn pages. "We're just waiting for the right time."
Platinum played it cagey, but this week, we'll see if they played it right, developing a great high concept as a graphic novel in order to see it come to life on film.
In the time between then and now, Dan became Vice President of Content Development at Platinum, putting him in charge of developing Cowboys & Aliens as well as Dylan Dog, which hit DVD this week. (He even did stunt work on THAT film.)
In turn, that earned him the position of co-producer on Cowboys & Aliens the film. A few months ago, he turned independent, working to discover and develop new projects.
The original graphic novel, now rare.
During his busy schedule getting ready for the world premiere of Cowboys & Aliens at Comic-Con, Dan still found the time to answer a few questions I lobbed at him. I figured it would be weeks before he could come up for air and answer; instead, the gracious Mr. Forcey responded within a day. Thus the delay is all on me!
Derek McCaw: You've been on this project for a long, long time. I think you guys showed me the graphic novel in 2002. At what point did you really accept it was happening as a film?
Daniel Forcey: I don't think it really sunk in until I was actually standing on set, watching Harrison Ford ride up at the front of a pack of stunt guys. I kind of had a "Wow, this is really happening!" moment and got a little emotional about it. There were lots of little moments before then that made it more and more real, but that is the instance were I really believed it.
Derek McCaw: What kind of conversations did Jon Favreau have with you and the rest of the producers team?
Daniel Forcey: When Mr. Favreau came on board, it really became his show, as it should.
Honestly, having worked on sets with too many cooks in the kitchen, I prefer that. Over the course of my career, I have had the honor of working with guys like Peter Weir, Clint Eastwood and Sam Raimi and one of the things they all have in common is that it's their show. Filmmaking is a collaborative process, of course, but it's really the director's vision that needs to be clear and precise and everyone else should be there to help them realize that vision.
At the beginning, we were very lucky in that the folks at Dreamworks and Kurtzman/Orci kept us involved every step of the way. They would share every draft of the script, I would read it and my notes would be submitted on behalf of Platinum and they really listened, even though they didn't have to.
The invasion begins!
When Jon came on board, it really became about him shaping the film with the writers and actors into his vision of it all, as it should be. He certainly has a lot more experience making blockbuster summer movies than I or anyone else at Platinum does.
Derek McCaw: What were some of the challenges in shepherding this to the big screen?
Daniel Forcey: How many pages do I have to answer this one? I'd be surprised if any movie ever made doesn't have a thousand answers to this questions, as it's a miracle any of them get made.
If I had to pick the biggest challenge, it was in finding a group of people who really understood what this had the possibility of becoming. In one of his recent interviews, Jon said that there are a lot of bad versions of a movie called Cowboys & Aliens and I think we had the opportunity to hear versions from all of them over the years.
Many of them had a lot more to do with Wild, Wild West than The Searchers. Some were truly horrid and just tried to be the next Pirates or ID4 or whatever else was hot at the box office that week.
It wasn't until this configuration of people came together that I personally felt like they saw the potential in the concept and, better yet, created something I don't think anyone has ever experienced before.
Ford's still got it...
What they have come up with is better than I could have ever imagined and something utterly unique in the world of cinema. I'm very proud to have had a very tiny little part in it.
Derek McCaw: If you can pick one non-spoilerish moment from the film that just filled you with fanboy glee, what is it?
Daniel Forcey: When I first saw the designs of the aliens, they looked like nothing I had ever seen before and that gave me chills. It's pretty tough to come up with something new these days, and the creature designers certainly did that.
Oh, and one other moment that can be summed up in three short words: Ford. Shoots. First.
Derek McCaw: And now you've gone independent -- what projects (or types of projects) are in your docket?
Daniel Forcey: I think it's an incredibly exciting time in media. I use that word specifically because I think print, film, television, web content and everything else under the sun is all coming together and becoming simply media.
Daniel Forcey, at the premiere.
Let's let him rest for a few days before starting the next world...
I am a huge Tolkien fan and I always say that if Tolkien lived today, The LOTR would look very different. I think he would have seen the potential that media offers up to "world creators" and would have taken complete advantage of that. Frodo would have a blog, there would be a social networking game where you can choose to be a dwarf, elf or whatever, and The Silmarillion would be a wiki instead of a slightly dense book.
And it's not about finding every way to squeeze a dollar out of IP, it's about giving people a variety of ways to find that world and experience it as they choose to. THAT is what is exciting me today and what I'm focusing on these days. I want to build living, breathing worlds that people are invested in, care about and can participate in. If a movie or TV show comes from it, great. That's just one more way for people experience the world. It's a result, not a goal.
Thanks to Daniel for taking time out of his cramped Comic-Con schedule to answer the Fanboy Planet questions!.
http://fanboyplanet.com/interviews/mc-danforcey.php