"SOLOMON KANE" movie

I really don't know if there already is a thread about this... If that's the case, sorry.





One of the actors of HBO's "ROME", James Purefoy (Marco Antonio) is going to play Solomon. (Shit, someone who can act, at last!) :)





The director speaks about the project:

Previously to this project, a fanfilm about SOLOMON KANE existed:



Not bad.

Also an unnoficial videogame of the character also existed during the sega genesis era. Based on a japanese manga character called CHAKAN, who was indeed inspired by REH's creation:

There have been two previous movies inspired by Solomon Kane: VAN HELSING (2004) and Hammer's CAPTAIN KRONOS (1973) -both changing the name of the main character, for copyright reasons we might guess-.

I read the script, not too impressive. It has CTB elements and stuff from CONAN in general...

Hm, that was my fear... a poor script... Yeah, and I imagine a "lord of the rings" visual clone, mixed with videoclip fighting style...

Really, I wonder, why the good character developement and deep charge belongs only to movies of modern social drama, or alternative boring to the bone films from the ass of artists wannabe?? What's wrong with fantasy? Really, I wonder.

Just asking for a serious treatment of characters, why fantasy=onedimensional everything???

No, really.

Really, I mean it.

Don't want to completely spoil but I dont think there is a script review online either....anyway a short description from memory there is an evil sorceror and monster men(more like generic demonic possessed zombie bodies of regular humans with evil armor--sorta like Hercules TV series or something) which he fights and are controlled by the main warlord leader--this is rather like from "In the Name of the King" movie with Jason Statham, and his quest is kinda similar too. The evil sorceror is rather like Thulsa Doom, namely Oliver Stone's version from the 1st script/draft. There is a crucifixion scene(A Witch Shall Be Born) and also a breaking of mirrors(Mirrors Of Thuzan Thune) scene.

That means absolutely zero Howard just like the NewMillenium CONAN...

This movie should have had the feeling of 18th or 19th century ghost stories, then maybe mixed with bram stoker or something, shouldn't be the classic "action movie" with orcs (or possessed brutes, it's the same). That, or placed in África with voodoo and zombies or whatever. There was a lot of excellent ideas in the tales, though I believe Howard is practically impossible to adapt -the ryhtm of the writtings depends a lot in the descriptions and the POV of the main character, the feelings and thoughts- and the action is not enough -is too simple, fight, hunt, fight, scape, there aren't any other kind of scenes developed- but what the man had was very good ideas. They buy the rights but don't use the ideas?? Really, I don't get it.

I kinda liked the short fan film, least the concept, had that "feeling" of ghostly forest which the character need.

Something I didn't like about the short fan film was the ghost himself, it's too "classic". Something like Cobb said about being too "faithful" to Howard, like you just can't be open to improvise, just follow what was dictated... I can imagine that symbols, visions and images that worked in 1930 have changed, am I wrong? I should have made a different kind of ghost, and clearly have recited the poem in a very different way -that "spooky" tone is very weak- trying to do something more fresh and unespected. Still, Kane himself looks great.

Cromulus, if you wanna check out some of the characters originals, take this one, I think is the best imo, really it has it all, the rest with all my respects I find are an explotation of the same structure


http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Red_Shadows


I've been reading a little bit, and, really, today I can see things clearer. I think Howard wrotte like a highly-gifted teenager. Thing is he was in his 30. If you know what I mean.

Ok Turd, I'll check it out, thanks!

The teaser for CAPTAIN KRONOS, VAMPIRE HUNTER, a 1974 british movie (Hammer productions) inspired by SOLOMON KANE -(uncredited).




And another trailer for another movie inspired by SOLOMON KANE, again uncredited and with the name changed to avoid paying any rights

The SOLOMON KANE movie is almost finished, in sound mixing stage.

http://michaeljbassett.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/its-all-in-the-mix/#comments

Van Helsing was a great disappointment. I absolutely hate the actor that stood in as the comic sidekick. His voice makes me want to rip his head off. The comedy, james bond references, and over the top "Oooo look what we're showing you" scenes that just tried to capitalize on everything Gothic and trendy were a true insult to the educated movie go'er.

Never watched it, because I heard it was that bad

The movie is finished and ready for it's release (probably in OCTOBER).

Teaser is being made, already.

Bassett, the director of SOLOMON KANE, say he would like to adapt MICHAEL MOORCOCK's sword and sorcery characters like ELRIC OF MELNIBONE.



SOURCE: http://michaeljbassett.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/me-and-conan/

Quote :

THE ETERNAL CHAMPION SERIES from Michael Moorcock.

Sure I love Elric but I think that whole cycle and complex world is terrific. Hawkmoon (which I’m reading to my daughter at the moment), Corum, Erikose and the rest. I’d love to bring it all together somehow.

Same as happened with SOLOMON KANE, the character of ELRIC has been taken to cinema in un-official ways, like in THE TIME MACHINE (Jeremy Irons):



Or in HELLBOY 2:

Images of the SOLOMON KANE movie:













Concept art:







Yep, including the eternal LOTR "reference":

Flaming Turd wrote:

Bassett, the director of SOLOMON KANE, say he would like to adapt MICHAEL MOORCOCK's sword and sorcery characters like ELRIC OF MELNIBONE.

Same as happened with SOLOMON KANE, the character of ELRIC has been taken to cinema in un-official ways, like in THE TIME MACHINE (Jeremy Irons):



Or in HELLBOY 2:

I knew I was missing one "unnoficial" movie version of ELRIC, now I remembered:

NEKRON, the prince son of the Queen Juliana. He's bone pale skin, white hair, thin and also a swordfighter. Brute force is not his best thought, so he uses black magic combinated with his fencing squills. (Exactly as ELRIC )







He was in the 1983 movie "FIRE AND ICE" and was designed no less than by Frank Frazetta.


It's VERY INTERESTING how these 3 "unnoficial" ELRICS were, in each movie, the main VILLAIN of the film.... ELRIC is allways the HERO in the literary yarns though he is a very doubtful one, indeed...



ELRIC also appeared in a early "Conan the barbarian" issue by Thomas and Barry Smith:

TRAILER is made and has been exhibited for the first time in COMIC CON 09:

Quote :

Also, and this is super cool, Solomon Kane is going to Comic-Con. It’s not finally, finalised but I think the hunky Mr Purefoy and myself will show a few little clips and maybe the trailer (if the damn thing is finished) around midday on Saturday 25th. Details still a little up in the air but I can’t wait to go. Stay tuned.

FUENTE: http://www.solomon-kane.com/2009/07/26/solomon-kane-presented-at-comiccon/

Also a definitive poster and a still were shown there:



click for bigger pics




Release date is still OCTOBER.

It's almost here.

Thanks Turd!

I dont know though, it looks generic and rather typical low budget Hollywood fantasy they crap out as of late since LOTR and UNDERWORLD. Some CONAN style trailer parts and over stylized fighting which in my view isnt needed and takes away from the movie. The villains look cheap. All in all I'll probably see on DVD.

Agree, the movie doesn't look good, very generic and unoriginal. LOTR meets HELLBOY 2 and some little CONAN touches. Also the trailer shows there's no plot but "tortured hero who kicks some monsters asses to rescue the girl". Not a complicated sentence in the whole trailer, and lots of monosilabes which show there's not much there, really

Still, I DO LIKE the main character! I think Purefoy can really be worth watching, helping to ignore the unoriginality of the whole production. Also some concrete shots looks truly good (the sets were true natural localizations) and I liked that "Bosch" shot with the "birds" masks. That's totally out of Howard but still is a very good idea IMO. Truly they should have used that Boschian imagery which fits with the age much better than those generic demons taken out from Hellraiser and Lotr.

I insist, Purefoy looks good. I must say I'm feeling i'm gonna like it (probably only) because of him.

Wow, it looks amazing!!! I'm pretty sure that I'm going to like this movie a lot!

A gallery of promo pics:

https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=146446&id=146405553899