Maybe “end of civilization” is overstating the case a tad, but surely no good can come of the news that MTV is producing a remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’ve ever been part of the Rocky Horror cult. I went to one midnight show in Harvard Square more than 20 years ago, and that was enough for me. It was fun once, but I never felt the urge to return every week to chant “Lips!” and throw toilet paper. Still, I admire the fact that Rocky Horror developed its cult following the old fashioned way, as one of the last genuine “midnight movies.” It was comforting to know it was out there, even if I never intended to return. Now it’s just another item for the pop culture recycle bin, as Variety reports that Britain’s satellite channel Sky Movies will co-finance the remake. “Under the deal, the remake of the 1975 cult classic will premiere exclusively in the U.K. on Sky Movies before becoming available on VOD services Sky Player and Sky Anytime.” No cast has been named, although rumors have Marilyn Manson in the running for Dr. Frank N. Furter. Tim Curry wept.
Elsewhere in the recycle bin, we find sequels to both Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda in the works. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is imminent, but Dreamworks honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg doesn’t expect the franchise to end there. Katzenberg told the Hollywood Reporter that “there is at least one more chapter. We ultimately want to see the characters make it back to New York.” Don’t we all? As for Panda, nothing is official yet. “We've started conversations about it, and I think in the next 30 or 60 days, we'll be able to talk completely about that,” says Katzenberg. We’ll be waiting.
In gangster movie news, “Lucky” Luciano is getting a big screen biopic. Crash co-screenwriter Bobby Moresco has been tapped to pen the script, which will detail “Luciano's rise from Lower East Side street hood to architect of the organized crime syndicate,” according to Variety. Producer Joseph Isgro, once rumored to have ties to the Gambino family, claims “his project benefits by having rights and input from a true ‘guy behind the guy’ figure, a longtime Luciano confidante Isgro wouldn't name.” So much for omerta.
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