Jump to content

ScottS

Legacy Members
  • Posts

    780
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by ScottS

  1. ‘John Wick’ Directors Reveal First Film Only Exists Thanks To Last-Minute Funding From ‘Desperate Housewives’ Star Eva Longoria

    Quote

    Eva Longoria isn’t the name most John Wick fans associate with the famous action franchise, but according to a new report, it appears that while Keanu Reeves is the face of the fan-favorite film series, the Desperate Housewives star is its Guardian Angel.

    Famous for reviving Keanu Reeves’ career and interest in the genre as a whole, John Wick is a true masterpiece of action cinema, per the film’s debut directorial team of David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, it would not have ever come to fruition had Longoria not made what would go on to become one of the most significant film investments of the 21st century.

    Speaking to Business Insider in honor of the film’ 10th anniversary ,Leitch and Stahelski (who both made their directorial debut with the 2014 blockbuster, though only Stahelski got the credit due to Director’s Guild of America’s regulations), revealed that although the film’s didn’t require a particularly excessive budget, its purse eventually did run dry just short of the finish line.

    “We were less than a week out and we lost almost $6 million on a gap financing,” detailed Stahelski. “We were financing independently to get the bond, but one of the investors couldn’t raise the money in time. Me, Keanu, and Dave had deferred, Basil had maxed his three credit cards, we all had put in everything, including Keanu. And we were still short. So we were shut down.”

    Leitch then noted, “[Creative Artist’s Agency], which was putting the financing together, they offered the opportunity to some actors who had some bankroll [telling them] ‘You’ll be first out of this waterfall, you’ll get your money back then X amount.’ Eva was like, “Cool!””

    “She came to the rescue and she provided the gap financing,” continued Stahelski. “We didn’t know any of this. [John Wick producer] Basil [Iwanyk” never told Keanu or us. Literally less than 24 hours before we had to lock the doors on the movie and walk away, Basil said, ‘We’ve got the investor, we’ve locked the gap.'”

    To this end, the director noted that while news of Longoria’s involvement was withheld during production, he and Leitch “found out by the end of the movie”.

    “Basil took us out to dinner, and we were laughing about all the bullshit that happened, and he said, ‘By the way, funny story, you know who gap financed you? Eva Longoria,'” said Stahelski. “We were were like, ‘What!’ Once the movie got big, Dave and I met Eva. We had never met her before. We took her out to lunch at Chateau Marmont and she was laughing going, ‘I didn’t think it was going to work.’

    Drawing this particular anecdote to a close, Leitch ultimately recalled, “During the award season last year, I ran into her on two different occasions at Academy events, and we were reminiscing. She was like, ‘Wow, that was the best money I’ve ever spent.’ It paid back significantly for her.”

    At the end of the day, Longoria’s investment represented a massive leap of faith on behalf of the actress, as at the time, the industry wasn’t very receptive to films by first-time directors. So much so that, as described earlier in the interview, thanks to poor test screenings, Iwanyk even struggled to secure a theatrical distributor for John Wick, with the film’s massively positive reception during Fantastic Fest 2014 being the only thing that saved it from a direct-to-video release.

    But thanks to Longoria’s help, John Wick eventually went on to gross $86 million against a reported $20-$30 million budget – a modest return on a modest investment. It also helped transform the action genre with its eccentric ‘Gun-Fu’ cinematic style and established the groundwork for a franchise that is now estimated to be worth over $1 billion (“The best money I’ve ever spent” indeed).

    The details of the terms under which Longoria invested in John Wick are still unclear, but the franchise clearly owes her a big debt – and one that Letch is more than happy to repay should the actress come calling.

    Asked by Buisness Insider if her involvement in John Wick had “opened the door” for Longoria to star in an action movie, Leitch declared, “She wants to for sure, she wants to do action. I would love to work with her, we’re trying to find something.”

    In light of his comments, perhaps there’s a possibility that Longoria could be checking into The Continental sometime in the future.

     

    Since a picture is needed, here is Eva at this year's Paris Fashion Week:

    Eva Longoria Goes Bold In Plunging Gown at PFW 2024 - theFashionSpot

    • Hook 'Em 3
    • Like 1
    • Drool 5
  2. 17 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

    I'm in there for duct tape, rope, and a tarp.

    It is good to have the proper items ready to go when disposing of the dead hooker's body.  Although I would suggest purchasing the needed materials from different locations as to not arouse suspicion.

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Like 1
  3. 22 hours ago, abuelo gringo said:

    We also use these two routes.  The Hwy 80-181 has less cities and stop lights.  Also, Pioneer Barbecue in Nixon is a good stop.

    I'll have to check out Pioneer BBQ the next time I go through Nixon.

    The 181 route also gives one the ability to detour through Sinton proper and stop at Butter's Barbecue.

  4. German police say pizza order No. 40 came with a side of cocaine

    Quote

    BERLIN (AP) — German police busted a pizzeria in the western city of Düsseldorf that also delivered a side order of cocaine when customers asked for item number 40 on the menu.

    “That was one of the best-selling pizzas,” criminal director Michael Graf von Moltke told reporters in Düsseldorf.

    He said police was first tipped off by suspicious food inspectors in March. When drug squad officers began observing the restaurant they soon discovered why pizza number 40 was so popular, Moltke told reporters on Monday, German news agency dpa reported.

    When police buzzed the apartment of the pizzeria manager, the 36-year-old allegedly threw a bag of drugs out of the window, which “fell right into the arms of the police officers,” Düsseldorf police said. The bounty included 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) of cocaine, 400 grams (14.1 ounces) of cannabis and 268,000 euros ($290,378) in cash.

    Police said the restaurant manager, who was released from detention after a few days, soon reopened his business and started selling pizza number 40 with the the cocaine side order again. That gave investigators an opportunity to look into the supply chain and after several weeks, some 150 officers busted an entire drug ring in western Germany, arrested three suspects including the 22-year-old head of the drug operation, and raided homes and businesses of another 12 suspects.

    During the raids, they came across two cannabis plantations in nearby Mönchengladbach and Solingen with 300 and 60 plants respectively. They also found cutting and stabbing weapons, as well as cash and expensive watches, dpa reported.

    The pizzeria manager was arrested when he tried to flee abroad, and remains in custody. None of the suspects’ names were released in line with German privacy rules.

    Police did not say how much the pizzeria charged for the special order.

     

    • Haha 1
  5. On 10/21/2024 at 1:51 PM, Dbeasy said:

    Jaws when I was 11. Led to pretty much a lifelong fear of the ocean. 

    It was a long time before I would even go in the deep end of my grandparents' swimming pool after watching Jaws as a young child.

    9 hours ago, LonghornSean said:

    American Werewolf in London, first grade (6 years old).

     

    My dad was born London and loved this movie but clearly didn’t quite remember everything from when he saw it in his twenties, so rented it for us one weekend. Pretty sure I remember him being surprised at the video store that it was rated R.

    But we put in on—mom, dad, and me (don’t think four year old brother was there). Had to fast forward through the extended love scene (to Van Morrison’s “moon dance”). Then when the first transformation scene hit, that’s when I couldn’t it handle it anymore. Guess I made it through the initial attack and some of the crazy dream sequences OK.

    I saw this movie about the same age you did, maybe a couple of years older, don't remember exactly.  All I do remember is going to bed that night and being too afraid to make even the slightest movement in bed because I was convinced my bed was surrounded by werewolves that would eat me if I made even the smallest of moves.  Probably a big reason why I have never developed much of an affinity for horror and similar type of movies. 

    • Haha 1
  6. 13 minutes ago, Doc Sam Beckett said:

    No matter how you feel about Nebraska the program, the second best fans in college football, behind aggy, don't deserve to have half a hundred points dropped on them by Indiana. 

    You are correct.  Nebraska fans deserve more than half a hundred being hung on them whenever possible.  Indiana should have found a way to get another touchdown on the board to get it to 60-plus.

×
×
  • Create New...