So, I am sitting back and finally reviewing the late arriving Planet Terror DVD and as I am getting tired of listening to director Robert Rodriguez talk about Rose McGowan (a.k.a. the woman he made a movie with and then left his wife for) that I bounced over to the computer to see if there was anything cool online. Ironically enough, a check of the Hollywood Elsewhere RSS feed had an article titled “‘Barbarella’ Loses Universal”. Nice, a Rodriguez related story. I can’t lose the guy can I? Well, the story is even more ironic than that.
HE was quoting an article out of the “New York Observer” in which Spencer Morgan reveals, “Universal Studios has backed out of backing [Barbarella], whose budget the source pegged at nearly $100 million, because Mr. Rodriguez has insisted on casting his new fiancé, Rose McGowan, in the lead role, famously played by Jane Fonda in the 1968 original directed by Ms. Fonda’s then-husband, Roger Vadim.”
Damn, can this guy be that silly? The “Observer” source is quoted saying, “It’s sort of embarrassing for everyone involved… No one thinks Rose can carry the movie, but Robert won’t listen.”
How about the names they say have also been linked/recommended for the role: Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry and Jessica Alba. Of course if you cast Alba the chance of the film being good is even worse than if McGowan was in the lead and I don’t see Kidman or Berry in the role considering Kidman is hardly a draw and Berry proved her action prowess is limited in Catwoman.
Universal’s decision comes down to money and this one makes sense, “the studio is afraid the box office simply wouldn’t stand up to the investment.”
Rodriguez is quoted saying it is only about budget and since Universal just gave the green light to Will Ferrell’s Land of the Lost for $100 million they weren’t ready for another fast tracked larger budget film saying that they originally eyed it as a $60 million film but when they “were done with the script it wound up at closer to $82 million.” Word is that Rodriguez was told he could make it at Uni for $60 mil, but he is instead shopping it around to other studios. However, if Universal was actually “blown over” by McGowan’s screen test why aren’t they taking a risk. To be “blown over” is quite impressive considering this is only Rose McGowan.
Finally Rodriguez recalls asking Rose if she would want to take on the roll to which she replied, “Oh, we’d rock that shit so hard.” Sorry, I just laughed at that Rose, but I just don’t see it.
Read the full article here.
