Wizard First Rule casting news...

[Emperor]

 

 

 

Aussie hunk Craig Horner ("Blue Water High") and Bridget Regan will star in Sam Raimi's syndicated series "Wizard's First Rule" for Disney-ABC says The Hollywood Reporter.

 

Based on Terry Goodkind's book, part of the epic fantasy series "The Sword of Truth," production begins on 22 episodes this month in New Zealand.

 

Horner will star as woodsman Richard Cypher, who transforms into a magical leader and joins with a mysterious woman named Kahlan (Regan) to stop a bloodthirsty, sinister tyrant.

 

Raimi and Robert Tapert will executive produce. The series premieres this Fall.

[el Nynaeve]

Somehow I did not imagine Richard looking like that. :-\

 

Not that it matters, I'm one of those who does not like Goodkind and I won't be watching it.

[Cadsuane]

I tried reading this book not long ago. I got about 100 pages in and gave up due to boredom. Hopefully the show will be more interesting.

[Majsju]

Question is, is it possible for the telly-version to suck more than the books? After all, we are talking about perhaps the crappiest piece of fantasy ever "written".

[el Nynaeve]

Who knows. I'd rather not find out.

 

I'll just sit here patiently waiting for someone to start working on A Song of Ice and Fire instead.

[Emperor]

Yeah I enjoyed the books.  So NAA!  But I agree... ASOIAF is something I am very much looking forward to.  This I had completely forgot was coming to the TV until I read the article.

[Corki]

aSoIaF - I can't stand the series! Just can't get into it.

 

I like Goodkind. Lynch me for this, but he is a better storywriter than RJ. At least something actually happens in Goodkind, unlike RJ. And putting aside the  philosophy, it is a still a good read. A re-read of WoT is too daunting for me, yet a re-read of SoT is a pleasant experience. I'm on my second re-read in a couple of months.

 

As for the casting, I am glad they are relative unknowns. I'm a member of Goodkind's official site, and there I said I was worried Regan may be a bit too old. However, as long as the chemistry is right, it shouldn't be a problem. A few comments have said Horner isn't butch enough, but that isn't needed until later on in ther series.

 

Anyway, I am pretty excited about this. The fact they have Raimi on board should make it good. He did the X-Files, so he has some predigree. Sadly, I will have to wait until a DVD or whenever they show here in the UK.

[Werthead]

Who knows. I'd rather not find out.

 

I'll just sit here patiently waiting for someone to start working on A Song of Ice and Fire instead.

 

Sword of Truth will be great. Those who think it's going to be a faithful adaption of the books are smoking some strong stuff. ABC aren't going to show a grown man ('the hero') kicking the crap out of a eight-year-old girl or massacring unarmed peace protesters or being menaced by an evil chicken on primetime. It's Raimi and Tapert, so it's going to be cheesy fun in the style of their previous series Xena or Hercules (not The X-Files, that was Chris Carter), probably starring Bruce Campbell as Zedd. You'll see.

 

As for ASoIaF, HBO have the rights and multiple award-winning author and scriptwriter David Benioff is producing and adapting it. He was recently asked to sum it up for a casual audience and he said, "The Sopranos in Middle-earth," which is a great tag-line. GRRM is writing one ep per season (he's an experienced scriptwriter, and was a writer-producer on both The New Twilight Zone and Beauty & the Beast). It's a hugely ambitious project though and will be monumentally expensive. HBO are trying to work out budgets for it now. Unfortunately, the sheer expense may mean that production won't start for another year (as HBO are committed to making Band of Brothers II: The Pacific this year, which is going to be insanely expensive), but they're getting there.

[Corki]

From what I have read, sword fighting and horse riding are top of the list for training.

[Justen Diablos]

I love the Sword of Truth.  Love it! I believe it's listed on my myspace as something or other that I love. Mayhaps that's why I have only hookers for friends. hmmmmmm...

 

Finally though, a tv show I can actually watch.  Maybe I'll fit in more around here when I actually watch tv.  Empy say's if I stopped wearing those frilly pink dresses everywhere that would also help but I just don't think that's it.

 

And to all those Goodkind haters out there yes, he does do a lot of philisophical rambling.  But he tells a story, plus he put a book out every single year and finished his series.  Whatever you say he stayed true to his fans and though the middle of the series got off track he did deliver a pretty decent trilogy ending. So There!

 

JD,

Goodkind Fanboy since around the time he became a Jordan Fanboy.

[el Nynaeve]

Decent ending?? *swallows a whole heap of things she'd like to say about the ending*

 

I was very disappointed by the ending, that's all I'll say. And there's a whole bunch of good fantasy writers out there who also finished their series without getting sidetracked by a bunch of philosophical ramblings.

[Corki]

JD has a good point - Goodkind does tell a story. And things actually happen, something I find hard in RJ's writing at times. And you don't need to get deep into the philosophy of Goodkind to realise that he is still telling a story. And while most people don't like Pillars of Creation and Naked Empire, I still think they are good books. Goodkind shows he can write from a different persepctive in PoC, and what I understand, NE plays a key role in Confessor - don't spoil it, as I am waiting to get my mitts on Confessor.

 

And if people want to say Goodkind copied Jordan, I'll give you a massive box around the ears. The genre of fantasy started with the ancients, and even Homer, the greatest ancient poet, copied aspects of other works when he composed the Iliad and the Odyssey. Go and read Gilgamesh, which was written c.2000 BC. Homer was around 800 BC, and you will see similarities.

[Barmacral]

I used to quite enjoy goodkind, however, the end of the series did ruin it for me. Now I'm sketchy at best about it. Despite his ramblings, I never minded the story. It would be better though if the ending had been well done, rather than the copout that it was.

[Guest Far Dareis Mai]

Confessor is hugely disappointing.

 

Personally I find Goodkind's writing unchallenging. If you are looking for something rather transparent that you don't have to do too much thinking over, then it's great. Yes, he writes a story...but that doesn't mean it's a great story. It reminds me of an Arnold Schwartzengger movie in the 80's. Lots of stuff happening, lots of people dying, unnecessarily cruel or grim scenes to convey a general point that has already been conveyed a few times in the series. Yes, we know Ja'gang is cruel and insane. Is it really necessary to read about yet another female raped and tortured?  ::)

 

That said, I actually finished the entire series, and wasn't bored the entire time. I admittedly have extremely high standards for fantasy novels, but it makes me laugh when people actually set Goodkind up against Jordan period.

 

As for this, I expect another Xena or Hercules, which is just about what this series deserves. I'll watch the first episode, just to see how they plan to structure it, but I'll just say I was more excited about Xena. ;)

 

ABC aren't going to show a grown man ('the hero') kicking the crap out of a eight-year-old girl or massacring unarmed peace protesters or being menaced by an evil chicken on primetime.

I absolutely agree with this. Sure they will have battles, but the ravaging of women, the detailed depiction of the torture tents, and all of that other doom and gloom associated with all the time spent in the enemy camps is going to be heavily glossed over (or more likely, simply insinuated). American TV just won't allow for it.

[SinisterDeath]

Their is a difference between copying the greats styles of writing, basic plot aspects, and downright plagerism. ;)

[Jelly]

I did like Sword Of Truth..but eventually got bored of it, lost the book I was on a couple of weeks ago, and so have started reading Northern Lights instead. Don't mind philosophy..but his eventually turns into a load of twaddle.

I just hate what Goodkind put his characters through...

[Werthead]

I'm wondering how the rest of the casting sessions will go (not my own work, btw :) ):

 

"Ah, Mr. Dafoe, we're ecstatic to have you here with us."

 

"Well, Sam told me he was doing this new series, based off a major fantasy series. He said there might be a part for me, so I thought I drop in."

 

"Oh, that's fantastic. We had a part all set out for you."

 

"Oh, really, what's my character?"

 

"Well, you get to play one of the major villains."

 

"That's great, I love playing villains, so much more fun."

 

"Oh yes, it's a great part. And a great ending for you too."

 

"Sounds fun. Ok, what's this guy like?"

 

"Ok, well your the main villains chief lieutenant. You go around doing all the actual work."

 

"Hmm, interesting. It's not a main part?"

 

"Oh, no no no, your on screen WAY more then he is. Your like the actual face of horrible evil we see all the time."

 

"Ok, that's sounds cool. So, what else is my character like? Is he reluctant? Does he ever regret his actions?"

 

"Oh, no no no, he's really evil. So evil in fact, he's a paedophile."

 

"......................... what?"

 

"Oh yeah. You know, he does really evil things, like going around raping small boys. The audience likes to know who's the villain after all."

 

"Are .... are .... are you serious? Isn't this on ABC?"

 

"What? Oh, it's a very serious piece. Full of life affirming themes."

 

"Um .... o .... ok ..."

 

"OH! And your death scene. It's SO fantastic. It's this huge set piece. You and the main female protagonist square off. First you try and rape her, and then, after she gets the upper hand thanks to a daring plan that saves her at the last minute (it's all very heroic, noble sacrifice of a friend and everything). Then, it's just you against her, and she makes you EAT YOUR OWN TESTICLES! How cool is that? "

 

" .......Has Sam read this whole script yet?"

 

"What? Oh no, he's very busy with other stuff. We gave him the gist. You know, gallant hero, magic sword, beautiful damsel in distress, villains getting their just desserts, tortu.."

 

"And paedophilia and testicle eating and ... and wait, torture?"

 

"Oh yeah, torture. The hero has to suffer after all. But don't worry, he succeeds in the end. And the bad guys get punished. You eat your own testicles, the main bad guy dies from his own hubris, the evil little girl gets her tongue kicked off, the .."

 

"WHAT? Who the **** would approve this sick ****? This is just ins.... Wait, how do you kick a tongue off?"

 

"With your foot silly. And I told you, Sam approved it. That guy Terry sent in to help with wardrobe was telling him all about it. He really liked the idea. The powerful life affirming themes. It's all about the nobility of the human spirits."

 

"Nobility of the human spirit. .... And testicle eating."

 

"Well yeah. You let the viewers know justice has been done. They like to see the bad guys lose, you know. So, you wanna take a look at the script."

 

"Yeah ... sure. Just .... just let me get my reading glasses from my car."

 

/William Dafoe backs slowly out of the room.

 

 

THE CASTING DIRECTOR EXPLAINS.

 

CASTING DIRECTOR: "Hello, Mr. Goodkind. Thank you so much for coming in. Well, this is very exciting. We've managed to cast most of the roles we need for this season and, as per our contract, we've asked you in to get your opinion on the final list."

 

GOODKIND: "Excellent. You know this project is very important to me. I wouldn't have sold the rights to my masterworks at all if I hadn't been assured a final say on all creative decisions."

 

CD: "Ah, yes, good." (clutches his copy of the contract--heavily annotated by a team of lawyers--tightly) "Well, to business then. As you know, we had a bit of trouble with the A list."

 

G: "Ungrateful trollops and chicken ****ers every one."

 

CD: "You may be right, you may be. A lot of them did owe favours to Sam and a number of them turned out to be in the heart of Africa helping starving children 5,000 miles from any telephone."

 

G: "Oh yes. Angelina Jolie was it? Her and her evil commie charity. Did she catch malaria and die?"

 

CD: "Ah, no. Miss. Jolie was unreachable but so were a number of people who have never shown any interest in anything much off Rodeo Drive. Inexplicably, everyone in Hollywood seems to have joined some charity or another and is in the furthest corners of God only knows where. Mel Gibson has traveled deep into the Amazon with a team of orthodox Jews in order to promote religious and racial tolerance."

 

G: "He has?"

 

CD: "Yes. According to his agent, in the decision between that and kicking a small child in the face, Mr. Gibson chose the Amazon."

 

G: "I see."

 

CD: "The B list was a little more direct. They sent their regards but wanted us to know that it is hard enough fighting your way up to the A list without the whole world having seen you preaching the virtues of slaughtering unarmed civilians. The C list's mother is sick and the D list has a really important exam on Tuesday which is finally going to let them escape this hell hole and get a real job."

 

G: "On Tuesday? But we don't start shooting for weeks."

 

CD: "Yes, they also pointed out that they could fail the exam if they had to and thus be retaking it every Tuesday for the next three years."

 

G: "I didn't even know there was a D list."

 

CD: "Well, we sort of invented it. It largely consists of various bums who we've sobered up and thrown into scenes at the last minute because the actual star has been imprisoned for possession again and this being the eighth time we're probably not going to get them back for a couple of days."

 

G: "I see. But you said you'd cast the movie."

 

CD: "Oh yes, we have. And I'm very proud of the effort even if I do say so myself. Here's the list. Take a look."

 

G: "Hmm. I don't recognise a lot of these names. Jenna Jameson... Why does that sound familiar? Where did you find these people?"

 

CD: "Well, there is another list. A secret list of really top quality talent. Experienced. They've worked in a lot of films. Most people aren't aware of this list, but we occasionally go to it when we want someone to do something really... ground breaking. I think I can say with assurance that these are the only people for you."

 

G: "But do you really think they have what it takes for these roles? We're dealing with the affirmation of the human spirit here. The audience need to feel uplifted."

 

CD: "Uplifted? ... Err, yes, I think a great deal of their previous work has been uplifting"

 

G: "Well good. And can they work with animals? There are a lot of animal roles and it takes the right sort of person to work with an animal and pull it off. Goats, chickens, a wolf..."

 

CD: "Some of them may have worked with animals before. Goats maybe... probably not chickens."

 

G: "Well, it's probably good if there's a little tension in that scene anyway. It is a chicken that is not a chicken but is evil incarnate."

 

CD: "True. The other good news is that these stars are contracted with distributers and television stations who won't be quite as... cautious, as ABC has been. I think we'll be able to get a lot more of your original content into the series this way."

 

G: "You mean the torture scene with the leather clad girl and Richard and she shoves the Agiel up--"

 

CD: "Yes, yes. I'm pretty certain that will become the main focus of the first season."

 

G: "Wonderful. It really is a very important scene you know. Well, it looks like you've done a wonderful job. I'm really quite pleased with how this is coming a long. That you so much for talking with me."

[Silver]

ROFL

[Justen Diablos]

*lol*  Tis true, a lot of that stuff is a bit on the esoteric side.  Still, Both Jordan and Tolkien himself have some oddities in their stories as well.  I still say the core story is pretty good.

 

JD,

Putting the 'on' in online community since the turn of the century.

[Moghedian]

*Laughs*

I particularly liked the part about the D-list and the 'secret list.'  :)

*Considers joining the Seanchan*  ::)

[Justen Diablos]

Join. Seriously. You don't even realize how awesome we are until you wander around our private areas...erm, boards. I meant boards.

 

JD,

Doing things even porn actors label 'too disgusting' since 2004

[Luckers]

The only thing that happens in Goodkind books is that Richard and Kahlan get seperated--again and a again and again. Beyond that Richard has tedious self-evident arguments against people whos arguments are such silly filth that a four year old could poke holes in it. Add to that the obvious self-agrandisement goodkind plays with in the character of Richard, and its nothing but a teenage boys fantasy--magic swords and enemies that turn out to be your father included.

[Werthead]

Which is why the TV series and the books will part company quite early on. They aren't going to have the main character kicking young children in the face and massacring unarmed peace protestors. The Internet exploding with rage as Goodkind fans try to defend those things and how the TV series is deviating from Goodkind's vision is going to be spectacularly funny to watch.

[Luckers]

Even more funny will be goodkinds reaction--if you've ever read an interview with the man you can tell how seriously he takes it, describing it as 'world changing' and getting offended to hear it described as fantasy, saying that those who don't like it 'hate the truth, and fear the books because they speak it'.

 

Watching his explosion when he sees the childish romp Raimi will undoubtedly make it into... lol.

[Emperor]

Writer-producer Kenneth Biller – whose resume includes stints on “The X-Files,” “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Smallville” – has been named showrunner on Sam Raimi’s coming syndicated series “Wizard’s First Rule,” based on the Terry Goodkind book.

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3idd8e051a07ea9f64fc64236dfb6df738