Just realised that The Beaver is starting to get some release dates, Looks like they are trialing it overseas before deciding what to do in the U.S. Maybe Mel Gibson has not completely ruined its chances after all.

For those who don't know, this is a Jodie Foster directed film of a spec script by Kyle Killen that topped the black list a couple of years ago. It was his first script sale and the film was very highly anticipated until Gibson hit the news again, causing it to be shelved indefinitely.

It is about a depressed CEO who finds a beaver glove puppet that takes over his life, If you haven't read it I would seek out the screenplay, it is well worth a read.

According to IMDB it already has been released in Argentina and will be released in the UK and Netherlands in February.

I am looking forward to seeing this a lot, mainly because the script was so good, it is great seeing a spec script hit the big time, highly motivating.

The only reason i will see this movie is because of Mel Gibson, the plot itself does not really interest me, but if mad max/martin Riggs/William Wallace signed on it has a chance of being cool!  I don't see why Mel's "controversy" would hurt this film, saying a few dirty words and being manipulated and entrapped and set up by a gold digger should not be that controversial, i mean roman polanski raped a little girl and he still makes films, and to me that is waaaay worse, oh well, I will see this, but only because of Mel!

Mel Gibson did and said more than just a few dirty words and fight with a gold digger.  He's an anti-semetic anal leak & a racist.  There are many reasons why this film will tank... Then again, Jews, like me, and blacks, like... well, blacks, don't go see his films and support him anyways.  So maybe it will succeed afterall.

Though, I do fully understand his mindset when it comes to his daughter.  I'd be the exact same way and probably am in someways.  I'd be just as bat shit crazy if my wife was trying to keep me from being my little girl's father and being in her life.  So, I do empathize with him on that front.  And since I'm the kind of person who cares little about individual self retort and representation,  I kind of really don't even care about Mel's jew and racial rants.  I even kind of still back him on having the balls to be himself because I know I'd do the same thing probably.  That being human and express myself how I choose publicly.

If the movie is good, people will like him again.  His problems with Oksana are old news now and, IMHO, public opinion in this matter will change when the truth comes out.

Quoted from Murphy For those who don't know, this is a Jodie Foster directed film of a spec script by Kyle Killen that topped the black list a couple of years ago. It was his first script sale and the film was very highly anticipated until Gibson hit the news again, causing it to be shelved indefinitely.

I feel really bad for Killen.  His first sale.  Big names attached.  We can only dream of deals like this.  And it may never reach the theaters.  If so, it'll never pull in as much as it could've.

Killen is probably on some rooftop right now, screaming, "MOTHERFUKKKKEEEERRRRRR!!


Phil

Sorry to be so ignorant but can anybody post an explanation of what the "black list" is?

Quoted from conwall Sorry to be so ignorant but can anybody post an explanation of what the "black list" is?

Sorry, not ignorant at all, I should explain things better.

It is the list that gets produced every year that is the favourite unproduced scripts doing the rounds in Hollywood. Someone polls about 500 readers and ask what their fave reads were of the year and every script that gets more than 5 mentions gets on the blacklist. This script got more mentions than any in 2008.

See the link below for the lists, if you want to read any of them just shout out, I know I am not the only one who has them.

http://blcklst.com/

The trailer has been leaked....

Okay, that's weird. No sooner do I make that last post then the real trailer pops up, and it actually looks really good...

Quoted from Murphy Okay, that's weird. No sooner do I make that last post then the real trailer pops up, and it actually looks really good...

I'm sorry, but that looks terrible...

Yeah, I read the script back when it headed up the black list, twas a bit of a laugh.

That trailer however confirmed my worst fears of what they would to do with it. Of course, it’s only a trailer they've known to be slightly misleading in the past particularly when the studio has its own marketing agenda but on the basis of those 2 minutes 26 seconds I'll be steering well clear.

Quoted from Colkurtz8 Yeah, I read the script back when it headed up the black list, twas a bit of a laugh. That trailer however confirmed my worst fears of what they would to do with it. Of course, it’s only a trailer they've known to be slightly misleading in the past particularly when the studio has its own marketing agenda but on the basis of those 2 minutes 26 seconds I'll be steering well clear.

That's strange, I had exactly the opposite reaction to the trailer. The script was a standout to me because of Killen's different approach. It seemed a very British type of comedy to me, one where we could laugh at the dire situation he was in without any over the top craziness or silly jokes thrown in just to make it funnier.

I was actually worried that they were gonna turn this into a more mainstream, zany comedy, especially when Jim Carey was originally signed on to star. The trailer has calmed my fears totally that they have not messed with it and, based on this anyway, looks exactly as I hoped it would turn out. I love dry, dark humour like this (and assuming that foster has kept the original ending it is very dark), give me ironic and satirical over zany and laugh out loud any day of the week.

While I'm interested in seeing this, I couldn't feel Mel's suffering in this trailer.  There was no drama for me.

Soccubus thought it was great, though.


Phil

Looks Ok to me. The type of film to curl up with the girlfriend with.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films Looks Ok to me. The type of film to curl up with the girlfriend with.

And then leave a bunch of angry voicemails on her phone.


Phil

Quoted from Murphy That's strange, I had exactly the opposite reaction to the trailer. The script was a standout to me because of Killen's different approach. It seemed a very British type of comedy to me, one where we could laugh at the dire situation he was in without any over the top craziness or silly jokes thrown in just to make it funnier. I was actually worried that they were gonna turn this into a more mainstream, zany comedy, especially when Jim Carey was originally signed on to star. The trailer has calmed my fears totally that they have not messed with it and, based on this anyway, looks exactly as I hoped it would turn out. I love dry, dark humour like this (and assuming that foster has kept the original ending it is very dark), give me ironic and satirical over zany and laugh out loud any day of the week.

I agree in that the script took a slightly different approach and possessed an edgy, darkly comic tone, it had an almost cruel humour to it. Unfortunately, the trailer looked very watered down, manipulative tugging at the heartstrings type fair (see Scartissue's post for further categorization) Mel Gibson is certainly an interesting and bold casting choice though.