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Cowboys & Aliens (film)
Cowboys & Aliens is an American science fiction Western film starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film, directed by Jon Favreau, is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Cowboys & Aliens is scheduled to be released in the United States and Canada on July 29, 2011 and in other countries on ensuing weekends.
Synopsis
In 1873 Arizona, a loner named Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) awakens with no memory of his past and a mysterious shackle around his wrist. He enters the town of Absolution where he learns that he is a notorious criminal wanted by many people, including Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), who rules the town with an iron fist. Absolution soon faces an even greater threat when alien spaceships attack the town. While his shackle holds the key to defeating the aliens, Lonergan must ally with Dolarhyde and other former enemies to make a stand against them.
Cast
# Daniel Craig as Jake Lonergan
# Harrison Ford as Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde
# Olivia Wilde as Ella Swenson, an elusive traveler
# Sam Rockwell as Doc, a Saloon owner in Absolution
# Noah Ringer as Emmett Taggart, grandson of John Taggart
# Paul Dano as Percy Dolarhyde, Woodrow's cowardly son
# Clancy Brown as Meacham, a plain-spoken preacher
# Keith Carradine as Sheriff John Taggart
# Adam Beach as Nat Colorado, Colonel Dolayhyde's right-hand man
# Abigail Spencer as Alice, Jake's lost love
# Ana de la Reguera as María, Doc's wife
# Walton Goggins as Hunt, a bandit
# Julio Cesar Cedillo as Bronc, a bandit
# David O'Hara as Pat Dolan, Lonergan's former gang-member
# Raoul Trujillo as Chiricahua Apache chief, Black Knife
# Brendan Wayne as Deputy Lyle
Development and casting
Cowboys & Aliens is based on the comics of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. The project began development in 1997 when Universal Pictures and DreamWorks bought film rights to a concept pitched by Rosenberg, who had been a president at Malibu Comics. They hired Steve Oedekerk to write and direct the film, which Oedekerk planned to do after completing Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Rosenberg, who formed Platinum Studios to pursue adapting Cowboys & Aliens and other Malibu Comics properties into film and television, joined as a producer. By 1998, Oedekerk left the project to pursue a remake of the 1964 film The Incredible Mr. Limpet with Jim Carrey. By 2004, the film rights were acquired by Columbia Pictures, who did not move the project beyond development.
In 2006, Rosenberg published Cowboys & Aliens as a graphic novel. In the following year, Universal and DreamWorks partnered again to adapt Cowboys & Aliens into a film. In June of 2008, Robert Downey, Jr. entered negotiations to star in the film as Zeke Jackson, a former Union Army gunslinger. While Downey Jr. was making Iron Man 2, he told director Jon Favreau about Cowboys & Aliens. Favreau investigated the project, and in September of 2009, he joined as director. Downey Jr. left the project in January of 2010 to star in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and later in the month, Daniel Craig was hired to replace him. Favreau said that Craig's portrayal as James Bond "brings a certain virtuosity". He also described Craig, "On the one hand, he's like this Jason Bourne type, a leading man who's also a lethal character, but on the other hand, he's also got a lot of humanity and vulnerability to him."
In April of 2010, Harrison Ford was cast alongside Craig. Favreau had cast Craig and Ford in the film because they were actors that suited the action-adventure roles so the characters would be less seen as comedic. The director compared Ford in particular to John Wayne in having "a sense of history" with the actor and the role. Before Cowboys & Aliens, Ford's only Western film was The Frisco Kid in 1979. While Ford is well-known for playing Indiana Jones, the filmmakers wanted to avoid giving him a cowboy hat that would remind audiences too much of Jones. Writer Alex Kurtzman said, "We needed to make sure that—no pun intended—we tipped a hat to iconography of Harrison Ford and also presented the audience with a very different version."
Olivia Wilde was cast in one of the lead roles, and Favreau called Wilde's character the key to the film. Sam Rockwell was also cast in a supporting role as Doc. The character was described as a large Mexican in the original script,but when Favreau and the writers learned of Rockwell's interest in the film, they reconceived and expanded the role.Favreau himself is known for appearing in his films, but for Cowboys & Aliens, he chose not to have a cameo because he thought it would affect the tone of the film.
When asked about how the film was developing, Rosenberg stated, "It's incredible. Sometimes it's like seeing exactly what was going through my head when I first had that spark in my head as a kid. Jon Favreau's bringing his own talent and vision with the adaptation, but at the same time it remains true to what I was really trying to get at in the original story."
Steven Spielberg, one of the film's executive producers, visited the director and the writers during pre-production to look over the script and the artwork. He provided Favreau with a collection of classic Western films. Spielberg also invited the director and the writers to a private screening of several Western films and provided live commentary on how to make one properly. The films included Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, and Destry Rides Again. [FOOTNOTE]wikipedia.org[/FOOTNOTE]
Cowboys & Aliens (comics)
Cowboys & Aliens is a 100-page Platinum Studios 2006 graphic novel created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, with penciler Luciano Lima.
Plot synopsis
In 1873, gunslingers Zeke Jackson and Verity Jones are hired to protect a caravan that is heading to Silver City, Arizona, to work at a silver mine. They are ambushed by Apache Indians in the desert and the two groups witness the crash-landing of an alien spaceship. Its inhabitants, led by Commander Rado Dar, exterminate some of the Indians, allowing Zeke and Verity to escape, and set out to conquer the planet Earth. While the aliens regroup and destroy a nearby fort, Zeke and Verity arrive at Silver City with the settlers, only to discover that, aside from a handyman named Alan Cross (the original founder and mayor of the city), most of the town's inhabitants left after it was discovered that the silver mines were empty.
The cowboys are attacked by aliens riding in flying motorcycle-like vehicles and are chased to a cliff, where they are rescued by Apache Indians led by Chief Medicine Crow and the warrior Warhawk, who ambush the aliens. The two groups decide to join forces in order to defeat the aliens, and scavenge the fallen ones for weapons. Zeke steals a microwave-emitting pistol, Verity steals an energy whip, Warhawk steals X-Ray goggles and the other Indians steal explosives that they attach to their arrows. A blacksmith uses the scraps of the motorcycles to forge anti-gravity horseshoes that allow the Indians to ride on flying horses.
The humans also receive the assistance of Commander Dar's assistant, Ra Chak Kai, who has switched sides and falls in love with Zeke. She reveals that the aliens (who call themselves The Caste) have taken over Silver City and are building a communication device that will allow them to call in troops from their homeworld to enslave the entire Earth. Verity and Warhawk also fall in love. Cross offers to lead a decoy group on a frontal attack against the aliens, allowing a second group led by Zeke to infiltrate the city through the empty silver mines and attack. Cross betrays them, in hopes of being spared by the aliens. The humans are captured, including Cross, who, despite his treachery, is thrown in with the other human prisoners and is killed by Verity. The captured humans are set for execution at dawn, just as the beacon is about to send its transmission, but the rest of the Indians arrive on their flying horses and defeat most of the aliens. Zeke and Kai kill Commander Dar while Verity and Warhawk deal with his second-in-command and destroying the aliens' communications tower. As the humans celebrate their victory, Kai is secretly revealed to be part of a race of shapeshifting aliens that have organized a resistance against the Caste warlords. For their bravery, the humans are added to the list of races with the strength needed to stand against the Caste.
Film adaptation
Jon Favreau is directing the screen adaptation from Universal and DreamWorks of the comic, starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Noah Ringer, Paul Dano, Ana de la Reguera, and Clancy Brown. The film is being produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, and Platinum Studios's CEO and creator of the graphic novel, Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.
The film is scheduled for a July 29, 2011 release.
Webcomic sequel
Cowboys and Aliens: Worlds at War (or Cowboys & Aliens II) is a 2007 online-only extension of the graphic novel. It is written by Alana Joli Abbott. [FOOTNOTE]wikipedia.org[/FOOTNOTE][/lang]
[h=1]Reference & Resources[/h]
[REFLIST]1[/REFLIST]
Cowboys & Aliens (film)
Cowboys & Aliens is an American science fiction Western film starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film, directed by Jon Favreau, is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Cowboys & Aliens is scheduled to be released in the United States and Canada on July 29, 2011 and in other countries on ensuing weekends.
Synopsis
In 1873 Arizona, a loner named Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) awakens with no memory of his past and a mysterious shackle around his wrist. He enters the town of Absolution where he learns that he is a notorious criminal wanted by many people, including Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), who rules the town with an iron fist. Absolution soon faces an even greater threat when alien spaceships attack the town. While his shackle holds the key to defeating the aliens, Lonergan must ally with Dolarhyde and other former enemies to make a stand against them.
Cast
# Daniel Craig as Jake Lonergan
# Harrison Ford as Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde
# Olivia Wilde as Ella Swenson, an elusive traveler
# Sam Rockwell as Doc, a Saloon owner in Absolution
# Noah Ringer as Emmett Taggart, grandson of John Taggart
# Paul Dano as Percy Dolarhyde, Woodrow's cowardly son
# Clancy Brown as Meacham, a plain-spoken preacher
# Keith Carradine as Sheriff John Taggart
# Adam Beach as Nat Colorado, Colonel Dolayhyde's right-hand man
# Abigail Spencer as Alice, Jake's lost love
# Ana de la Reguera as María, Doc's wife
# Walton Goggins as Hunt, a bandit
# Julio Cesar Cedillo as Bronc, a bandit
# David O'Hara as Pat Dolan, Lonergan's former gang-member
# Raoul Trujillo as Chiricahua Apache chief, Black Knife
# Brendan Wayne as Deputy Lyle
Development and casting
Cowboys & Aliens is based on the comics of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. The project began development in 1997 when Universal Pictures and DreamWorks bought film rights to a concept pitched by Rosenberg, who had been a president at Malibu Comics. They hired Steve Oedekerk to write and direct the film, which Oedekerk planned to do after completing Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Rosenberg, who formed Platinum Studios to pursue adapting Cowboys & Aliens and other Malibu Comics properties into film and television, joined as a producer. By 1998, Oedekerk left the project to pursue a remake of the 1964 film The Incredible Mr. Limpet with Jim Carrey. By 2004, the film rights were acquired by Columbia Pictures, who did not move the project beyond development.
In 2006, Rosenberg published Cowboys & Aliens as a graphic novel. In the following year, Universal and DreamWorks partnered again to adapt Cowboys & Aliens into a film. In June of 2008, Robert Downey, Jr. entered negotiations to star in the film as Zeke Jackson, a former Union Army gunslinger. While Downey Jr. was making Iron Man 2, he told director Jon Favreau about Cowboys & Aliens. Favreau investigated the project, and in September of 2009, he joined as director. Downey Jr. left the project in January of 2010 to star in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and later in the month, Daniel Craig was hired to replace him. Favreau said that Craig's portrayal as James Bond "brings a certain virtuosity". He also described Craig, "On the one hand, he's like this Jason Bourne type, a leading man who's also a lethal character, but on the other hand, he's also got a lot of humanity and vulnerability to him."
In April of 2010, Harrison Ford was cast alongside Craig. Favreau had cast Craig and Ford in the film because they were actors that suited the action-adventure roles so the characters would be less seen as comedic. The director compared Ford in particular to John Wayne in having "a sense of history" with the actor and the role. Before Cowboys & Aliens, Ford's only Western film was The Frisco Kid in 1979. While Ford is well-known for playing Indiana Jones, the filmmakers wanted to avoid giving him a cowboy hat that would remind audiences too much of Jones. Writer Alex Kurtzman said, "We needed to make sure that—no pun intended—we tipped a hat to iconography of Harrison Ford and also presented the audience with a very different version."
Olivia Wilde was cast in one of the lead roles, and Favreau called Wilde's character the key to the film. Sam Rockwell was also cast in a supporting role as Doc. The character was described as a large Mexican in the original script,but when Favreau and the writers learned of Rockwell's interest in the film, they reconceived and expanded the role.Favreau himself is known for appearing in his films, but for Cowboys & Aliens, he chose not to have a cameo because he thought it would affect the tone of the film.
When asked about how the film was developing, Rosenberg stated, "It's incredible. Sometimes it's like seeing exactly what was going through my head when I first had that spark in my head as a kid. Jon Favreau's bringing his own talent and vision with the adaptation, but at the same time it remains true to what I was really trying to get at in the original story."
Steven Spielberg, one of the film's executive producers, visited the director and the writers during pre-production to look over the script and the artwork. He provided Favreau with a collection of classic Western films. Spielberg also invited the director and the writers to a private screening of several Western films and provided live commentary on how to make one properly. The films included Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, and Destry Rides Again. [FOOTNOTE]wikipedia.org[/FOOTNOTE]
Cowboys & Aliens (comics)
Cowboys & Aliens is a 100-page Platinum Studios 2006 graphic novel created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, with penciler Luciano Lima.
Plot synopsis
In 1873, gunslingers Zeke Jackson and Verity Jones are hired to protect a caravan that is heading to Silver City, Arizona, to work at a silver mine. They are ambushed by Apache Indians in the desert and the two groups witness the crash-landing of an alien spaceship. Its inhabitants, led by Commander Rado Dar, exterminate some of the Indians, allowing Zeke and Verity to escape, and set out to conquer the planet Earth. While the aliens regroup and destroy a nearby fort, Zeke and Verity arrive at Silver City with the settlers, only to discover that, aside from a handyman named Alan Cross (the original founder and mayor of the city), most of the town's inhabitants left after it was discovered that the silver mines were empty.
The cowboys are attacked by aliens riding in flying motorcycle-like vehicles and are chased to a cliff, where they are rescued by Apache Indians led by Chief Medicine Crow and the warrior Warhawk, who ambush the aliens. The two groups decide to join forces in order to defeat the aliens, and scavenge the fallen ones for weapons. Zeke steals a microwave-emitting pistol, Verity steals an energy whip, Warhawk steals X-Ray goggles and the other Indians steal explosives that they attach to their arrows. A blacksmith uses the scraps of the motorcycles to forge anti-gravity horseshoes that allow the Indians to ride on flying horses.
The humans also receive the assistance of Commander Dar's assistant, Ra Chak Kai, who has switched sides and falls in love with Zeke. She reveals that the aliens (who call themselves The Caste) have taken over Silver City and are building a communication device that will allow them to call in troops from their homeworld to enslave the entire Earth. Verity and Warhawk also fall in love. Cross offers to lead a decoy group on a frontal attack against the aliens, allowing a second group led by Zeke to infiltrate the city through the empty silver mines and attack. Cross betrays them, in hopes of being spared by the aliens. The humans are captured, including Cross, who, despite his treachery, is thrown in with the other human prisoners and is killed by Verity. The captured humans are set for execution at dawn, just as the beacon is about to send its transmission, but the rest of the Indians arrive on their flying horses and defeat most of the aliens. Zeke and Kai kill Commander Dar while Verity and Warhawk deal with his second-in-command and destroying the aliens' communications tower. As the humans celebrate their victory, Kai is secretly revealed to be part of a race of shapeshifting aliens that have organized a resistance against the Caste warlords. For their bravery, the humans are added to the list of races with the strength needed to stand against the Caste.
Film adaptation
Jon Favreau is directing the screen adaptation from Universal and DreamWorks of the comic, starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Noah Ringer, Paul Dano, Ana de la Reguera, and Clancy Brown. The film is being produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, and Platinum Studios's CEO and creator of the graphic novel, Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.
The film is scheduled for a July 29, 2011 release.
Webcomic sequel
Cowboys and Aliens: Worlds at War (or Cowboys & Aliens II) is a 2007 online-only extension of the graphic novel. It is written by Alana Joli Abbott. [FOOTNOTE]wikipedia.org[/FOOTNOTE][/lang]
[h=1]Reference & Resources[/h]
[REFLIST]1[/REFLIST]