When I first saw this news from Heat Vision I assumed it would be talking about Doug Liman’s adaptation at Warner Bros., but instead we’re talking about Resident Evil helmer, Paul W.S. Anderson’s The Three Musketeers, which he’s set up at Summit and obviously a move has been made to get the jump on Liman’s version as eight actors have been named as being in negotiations for the film.
The names include Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & the Olympians) is in negotiations to play D’Artagnan; Ray Stevenson (The Book of Eli) as Porthos; Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans) as Athos; Matthew MacFadyen (Pride and Prejudice) as Aramis; Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) as Cardinal Richelieu; Mads Mikkelsen (Clash of the Titans) as Rochefort; Milla Jovovich (Anderson’s wife and star of the Resident Evil films) as Milady de Winter who is described as ’17th century Bond girl’ and Orlando Bloom as the film’s nemesis, the Duke of Buckingham.
Anderson is going for a contemporary feel for the adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s 19th century novel set in the 17th century and telling the adventures of a young man named d’Artagnan after he leaves home to become a guard of the musketeers. D’Artagnan is not one of the musketeers of the title; those are his friends Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, inseparable friends who live by the motto “all for one, one for all.” It will also be released in 3D.
Production is slated to begin in September, while Liman’s version is also looking to begin casting for a fall start date. There’s no telling if both will release in 2011, but it seems silly for both to move forward. Sort of how Baz Luhrmann’s Alexander the Great film fell apart once Oliver Stone got Alexander underway before him a couple of years ago.
