All for one and one for all The Three Musketeers are heading back to the big screen, and Paul W.S. Anderson is the man whos going to take them there. And this time, theyll be in retina-shredding 3D.
Its been sixteen years since Alexandre Dumas enduring creations the swashbuckling Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, and their headstrong young friend, Dogtanian, sorry, DArtagnan headlined their own film. Well, we say graced, but very few have fond memories of the risible Charlie Sheen/Kiefer Sutherland/Chris ODonnell version.
Before that, weve had classic versions from the likes of Richard Lester, while Gene Kelly starred in a 1948 version. Most recently, the Musketeers showed up, played by Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu (with Gabriel Byrne as DArtagnan), in Randall Wallaces 1998 film, The Man In The Iron Mask.
Theirs is a tale ripe for the cinema, full of intrigue, romance, derring-do, tragedy and noble heroism. Of course, there will be some mainly internet fanboys who regard everything he does with suspicion who feel that Anderson may not be the man for the job, given his penchant for style over substance.
Yet thats something that the English director seems to recognise himself, and so hes brought in an old chum of his to adapt Dumas novel into a script, a name that should silence the doubters: Andrew Davies.
Yes, that Andrew Davies. The big-brained, critically-acclaimed writer who specialises in adaptations of classic literature, from Pride & Prejudice and Bleak House for ttelly, to, erm, Bridget Joness Diary for the big screen. Turns out that Davies taught Anderson at the University of Warwick, and theyve stayed in touch ever since. So we can pretty much guarantee that Andersons Three Musketeers will have ace dialogue to go with the usual pretty visuals.
"We are definitely modernising The Three Musketeers without compromising the fun of shooting a period piece, Anderson told The Hollywood Reporter. But in our film, corsets and feathered hats dont take center stage. Our version is rich in eye-popping action, romance and adventure.
Well, thats nice to know. We have a lot of time for Anderson here at Empire Towers he made Event Horizon, and thats good enough for us so wish him well with this. He hopes to shoot the film in France and Germany, starting next year, with a 2011 release in mind. Presumably, hell move onto The Three Musketeers full-time after wrapping production on Resident Evil: Afterlife, which sees him return to the directors chair on that zombie franchise. Filming on that starts at the end of the month.
