Spy Hunter

By Coming Attractions     August 02, 2004

Genre:
Action/Adventure/Video Game Adaptation.

Studio:
Universal Studios.

Production Company:
Daybreak Productions/Prime Universe Productions.

Project Phase:
In Development.

Who's In It:
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Alec Sects).

Who's Making It:
John Woo (Director); Michael Brandt, Derek Haas (Screenwriters); Charles Gordon, Adrian Askarieh (Producers); based on the Midway video game franchise Spy Hunter.

Premise:
Unknown.

Scoop Feedback:

September 26, 2003... With his latest movie opening in theaters today, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Universal Pictures are thinking past THE RUNDOWN and on a longterm relationship. The WWE wrestler-turned-action star had already been attached to the proposed SPY HUNTER movie stationed at Universal but there didn't seem to be an idea as to when the studio wanted the movie out. Today's front-page news story in Variety corrects that and states that everyone wants SPY HUNTER in theaters sometime in the summer of 2005. That means SPY HUNTER will now be the next movie for The Rock, with the notion to get camera rolling next spring.

Michael Brandt and Derek Haas (2 FAST 2 FURIOUS) have written the script for SPY HUNTER, based on the Midway arcade and console game, and Adrian Askarieh and Chuck Gordon are the film's producers. The Rock will play Alec Sects, an ex-fighter pilot who gets behind the wheel of an ultra-high tech car to fight an international terrorist cabal. Midway plans on releasing a sequel to their console game later this fall.

"Iââ'¬â"¢ve been driving my agent crazy with this," Rocky told Nick Nunziata over at CHUD. Calling the script "smartly written, global," The Rock thinks they'll be filming come summer '04. [Variety, CHUD.]

November 15, 2003... Ain't It Cool News published four pieces of conceptual artwork for Universal's SPY HUNTER film showing off possible looks at the weapons van in its road, water and air incarnations. The designs seem to take the classic look of the weapons vehicle from the game and give it a high-tech 21st century updating, complete with a gunmetal gloss. All that's missing is a section labeled "smoke screen recharge nozzle".

See the rest of what Universal has in store for audiences. [AICN.]

January 7, 2004... FREDDY VS. JASON screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift have found their next job working on the scirpt for Universal's SPY HUNTER movie. It's unknown if any of the material from the project's first draft by 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS scribes Michael Brandt and Derek Haas will remain in the new version.

Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock, remains attached to this big-screen adaptation of Midway's arcade and console video game. Chuck Gordon and Adrian Askarieh are the film's producers. Universal is still eyeing a plum summer 2005 release date for the film about a man, his car, and a weapons van full of neat spy stuff. [Variety.]

April 19, 2004... A scoop appearing at Latino Rveiew suggests that one of the possible candidates to direct Universal's SPY HUNTER action movie is John Woo. The website's reporter was on the set of The Rock's new movie, BE COOL, where the big guy mentioned that he has just found out Woo was up for the job.

While his last film wasn't a box office smash (PAYCHECK), John Woo has earned the reputation of a proven action film director. Rising from the Hong Kong film industry with a series of gritty police and crime action/dramas featuring intense gunplay (HARD BOILED, THE KILLER), Woo made his move in the mid-90s and switched gears to start directing American films. He brought us BROKEN ARROW, FACE/OFF and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 which cemented his standing as one of the best filmmakers in the action genre. In recent years his films have stumbled at the box office (such as WINDTALKERS or the aforementioned PAYCHECK) but he still remains a force that demands to be taken notice of. Just last week Woo attached his name to a proposed live-action film adaptation of Nintendo's METROID video game.

The SPY HUNTER is currently scheduled for a summer 2005 release date. [Latino Review.]

May 20, 2004... Confirming earlier reports that he was interested in the project, today's Hollywood Reporter states that PAYCHECK helmer John Woo is in talks to direct Universal's SPY HUNTER movie. If a deal can be struck Woo and his longtime partner Terence Chang would join producers Chuck Gordon and Adrian Askarieh in making the live-action adaptation of the popular Midway video game. The Rock remains attached to play Alec Sects, a fighter pilot reruited to get behind the wheel of the slick, fast and ultra high-tech Interceptor vehicle. Filming is anticipated to begin this summer for a 2005 release.

But will there be a dove somewhere in the film? [The Hollywood Reporter.]

May 26, 2004... Universal's SPY HUNTER is getting a new tune-up, this time from screenwriter Zak Penn. Variety reports that the X2 and BEHIND ENEMY LINES scribe is in contract negotiations to do a new draft of the action-adventure project for director John Woo. Before this point the SPY HUNTER script has already had four writers come and go -- OK, it's only been two major rewrites since the four writers were two writing duos but the point is made. What changes Penn may make to the project's shape and direction remain unclear.

Universal better hope that Penn can deliver fast; the studio wants to have SPY HUNTER out in theaters by next summer. [Variety.]

July 22, 2004... Rope of Silicon published promotional artwork for two of Universal Pictures' upcoming genre releases, namely SERENITY and SPY HUNTER. The artwork is being used by the movie studio to develop a promo campaign for the movies, and may be used in some fashion on the films' upcoming theatrical one-sheets. [Rope of Silicon.]