Brad Bird To Helm Damon Lindelof’s Secrecy-Shrouded Script ’1952′ For Disney
EXCLUSIVE: Brad Bird has been set to direct 1952, a script that Disney paid former Lost producer Damon Lindelof last year to write. The film, which Lindelof is writing with Jeff Jensen, is a closely guarded secret at Disney, but it’s a big-scale tentpole film. I’m not sure if it’s a reference to the year, or a Lost reference. But it has multi-platform aspirations, and the studio hopes it will be the next film directed by Bird, who made the leap from animation to live action feature directing with the blockbuster Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. The intention is to get the film into production next year, after a long prep, with Lindelof producing. Bird has been developing his own projects, including 1906.
The Lindelof deal was made last June and came out of a series of meetings that Lindelof had with Disney’s production president Sean Bailey and senior exec Brigham Taylor, and it’s the first film he is producing from the ground up. He has had an enviable run as a screenwriter since Lost wrapped. Hired to rewrite Jon Spaihts’ Alien prequel, Lindelof came up with an idea that Ridley Scott embraced and it turned the film into Prometheus, a free-standing film. He also co-wrote the Star Trek sequel for JJ Abrams. Bird is repped by UTA, Lindelof by CAA.
Very exciting news. Loved MI4.
THRILLED, whatever it is about, it’s bound to be GREAT.
Will someone please finance 1906 for Bird? Seriously, I think he’s proven himself a safe director to bet on.
Amen to that! The writer of the novel & screenplay is a fantastic writer and a mentor to me. Come on and give them a break!!!
Everything that Lindelof writes should be made. Period. And speaking of great writers associated with Lost, what about Brian K. Vaughan’s “Roundtable” project. That sounded awesome… any news?
Will this get in the way of Bird taking over the Batman franchise from Nolan? Because that needs to happen.
Seriously, it would be nice to see, for the first time EVER, a Batman movie made by somebody who actually likes comics.
After all, that seems to have worked out well for THE AVENGERS.
Couple random observations:
1) Love the photo of Bird that goes along with this article.
2) While this might sound naive on my part, I find it pretty offensive that Bird is described as having “successfully made the leap” from animation — as if it were some B-movie hell that any filmmaker with half a brain and an ounce of talent would want to leave behind. I know that’s how trade papers see it, and maybe it’s even how Brad Bird sees it, but not me.
That’s very much not the way that Bird sees it. He hates derogatory references towards the medium, nearly pulls his hair out anytime a critic or journalist refers to animation as a ‘genre’.
I think you’re over reading offense into that where zero is intended.
There can be difficulty involved when one director who has only been involved in one medium tries to transfer into live-action. I don’t think there’s any argument that Brad Bird’s first live action project went a lot better than one of contemporarie’s attempts did and I think that’s what they are referencing.
It’s not a slight on animation or the people involved in it.
Anyways, I’m much more interested in ’1906′ myself and I think that Bird can be trusted with it.
It’s not the financing, it’s issues with the script
I’m getting tired of hearing that Prometheus is a stand-alone film. It’s set in the Alien world… and thus is a prequel, sequel, whatever… but it’s not a stand alone film. I think at this point the back and forth on the topic has actually confused the filmmakers themselves.
Really lookin’ forward to seeing it but really hate all the smoke and mirrors surrounding it. Just own what you did guys.
Ooof…what has lindelof done? Kind of messed up LOST after j.j. abrams left. LOST was never as good as when j.j. was directly involved. Cowboys & Aliens? Wasn’t that the worst movie of the year? I hope prometheus is good. Isn’t there a rule that every other star trek movie sucks. Pressure is on for Lindelof to have a hit. Haven’t seen one yet.
In 1952, Disneyland was incorporated. I think the script is about the park coming to life. Boom.
Good guess.
Favreau has been developing this same concept for some time. It’s called Magic Kingdom.