New Skyfall TV Spot

James Bond was a huge part of last night's Olympics coverage on NBC. In addition to stealing the show in Danny Boyle's impressive opening ceremony by parachuting into the stadium withe the Queen(!), Daniel Craig's 007 also made an appearance in an ad break with a brand new Skyfall TV spot. While a lot of the images are recycled from the teaser trailer, there is new material, too, including our first good look at the face of Javier Bardem's villain (albeit brief) and a very impressive train stunt. It's a tad reminiscent of Transporter 3, but with what's obviously a much bigger budget behind it and that panache only the Bond brand brings! Speaking of panache, it's clear from this spot that Craig's Bond has now matured into the ultra-confident agent we know from the other films. The moment when he adjusts his cufflinks after leaping onto a partially destroyed train car recalls Pierce Brosnan straightening his tie while driving the tank in GoldenEye. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is likely to stir up a lot of debate among Bond fans. Overall, though, this TV spot serves to further strengthen my impression that we're in for a great movie this fall! Judge for yourself:

Tradecraft: Transporter Touble

Tradecraft: Transporter Trouble

Luc Besson's action-packed neo-Eurospy Transporter movies aren't particularly noted for their drama, but so far the new cable TV series based on the films is proving far more dramatic—behind the scenes, anyway. According to Deadline, "the action drama’s executive producers/showrunners Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie have left over creative differences. Veteran TV director-producer Steven Shill, who was recently brought in to work alongside Mallozzi and Mullie, is now expected to take over showrunner duties, at least for the time being." Hm, that doesn't sound so good. How many creative differences can you have over a show whose premise is that a man uses his car to transport things? The trade blog reveals that the series is currently in production on episodes four and five in Toronto (that's disappointing; I'd thought they were shooting in Europe, as originally planned.) and that "shooting is scheduled to continue through November for a 2012 premiere." (That's a surprise too; I was expecting this show on the air later this year.) As previously reported, the Cinemax series stars Chris Vance (Burn Notice) as Frank Martin, the role played by Jason Statham in the movies, as well as Andrea Osvárt, Delphine Chanéac, Rachel Skarsten and François Berléand reprising his role from the films as Martin's police inspector friend and fishing partner. Besson is executive producing alongside Fred Fuchs and Robert Cooper. The Transporter will be Cinemax’s second major action series following Strike Back, which debuted a few weeks ago. (Review here.)

Cinemax's Transporter Series Adds Stars and Cars

Cinemax's new TV version of the Luc Besson-created Transporter franchise (featuring Frank Martin, the character originated on the big screen by Jason Statham) has added a few more stars to its cast, including the all-important car. InAutoNews reports that previously cast TV Transporter Chris Vance will drive an Audi A8, continuing the franchise's relationship with the carmaker that began with the second theatrical installment. And the car brand isn't all that will feel familiar from the films. Additionally, Screenrant reports that French actor François Berléand will reprise his role from the films as Inspector Tarconi, Martin's friend and occasional fishing partner. Berléand, Vance and the previously annonced Andrea Osvart will also be joined by actresses Delphine Chanéac (the 2006 Pink Panther) and Rachel Skarsten (Birds of Prey) as, respectively, Olivia, a reporter tracking Martin’s work, and Delia, the mysterious daughter of a man from Martin’s past. Lost and Undercovers director Stephen Williams will helm the pilot.

The New Transporter Babe: Andrea Osvárt

In Deadline's original story a few weeks ago about Chris Vance being cast as the new Transporter for Cinemax's TV version of the Luc Besson-produced, Jason Statham-starring neo-Eurospy franchise, the trade blog also reported that Andrea Osvárt would be the new Transporter Babe. This seemed to merit its own headline here, since my 2008 post identifying Natalya Rudakova as "the new Transporter Babe" in Transporter 3 remains to this day one of the most popular articles in the history of this blog. (Who would have thought?) Anyway, in the true Eurospy tradition, the women in the Transporter movies were pretty disposable. Like Bond Girls, each one was unique to the film she appeared in, and audiences didn't expect them to come back.  (Rudakova, in fact, was the only one Statham's Frank Martin was even romantically involved with.) Apparently the TV series will be different.  Now Frank has a "handler." (See? I keep telling you transporters are a lot like spies!)

According to Deadline, "The series centers on professional transporter Frank Martin (Vance), a role played in the movies by Jason Statham. Operating in a seedy underworld of dangerous criminals and desperate players, Frank can always be counted on to get the job done -- discreetly. Osvárt, repped by Innovative and Mosaic, will play Frank's handler Carla, an extremely crafty former CIA operative who organizes his missions, acts as his eyes and ears on the outside, and continually stokes the flames of their unrequited attraction." That seems about right for a TV version. TV's Frank (no relation to Dr. Forrester's sidekick, I presume) needs a beautiful sparring partner for unrequited attraction. (See: Burn Notice.) And there's certainly no denying Osvárt's beauty--or her credentials. Like Rudakova and Olga Kurylenko (who also started out as a neo-Eurospy babe before graduating to Bond Girl), the 32-year-old Osvárt hails from Europe. She was born in Hungary where she began a modeling career that took her to Italy and France, and led to acting. She's also got some spy experience, having played small roles in Duplicity and Spy Game. I look forward to seeing what she brings to the latest incarnation of The Transporter.

Speaking of the Transporter himself, perhaps I was a little hard on Chris Vance in my original post about his casting.  EW has an interview with him accompanied by a photograph (or is it Photoshopped?) that looks suitably Transporterish and goes a long way on selling him in the part. Plus, he seems to come off as a nice guy. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and wait to see how his Transporter shapes up.

So we know the male and female leads in the series, but I have yet to see confirmation of its real star: what kind of car will Frank Martin be driving on cable? (In other words, what company will pony up for the potentially lucrative product placement deal?) In the first movie, it was a BMW. In the second two, it was an Audi, which has become more associated with the character. But on television, it could conceivably be something completely different.

Tradecraft: Meet the New Transporter

Deadline reports that Chris Vance, who played the smarmy "psycho" arms dealer Mason Gilroy on Season 3 of Burn Notice, has been tapped to fill Jason Statham's sizable shoes on EuropaCorp's Transporter TV series.  Hm.  I'm not convinced.  Vance didn't really impress me on Burn Notice, and physically he's certainly no Statham... but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.  (At least he's English.)  I think he was also considered for the new Saint telefilm, so presumably he's got reserves of charm that weren't on display in Burn Notice.  As previously reported, the 12-episode, $48 million Transporter TV series (based on the awesome Luc Besson-produced series of neo-Eurospy movies) will air here on Cinemax. It will shoot in Europe.

Transporter TV Series Comes to Cinemax

We've been following EuropaCorp's development of a TV series based on their successful Transporter series of neo-Eurospy films for a while now, and last we heard (in December), the company had scored an American network but not yet announced which one.  Today, The New York Post reports that it's cable channel Cinemax.  A few weeks ago we heard that Cinemax was venturing into the world of scripted series that has proved so lucrative for other cable outlets, including their sibling company HBO, with an American version of the UK spy/action series Strike Back.  Apparently that's part of an aggressive strategy on the part of HBO to reshape Cinemax from the soft-core skin flick venue unofficially known (as far back as my childhood) as "Skinemax" into what the newspaper calls "a channel for tire-squealing shoot-'em-ups -- with a good measure of sex thrown in, of course."  The network still hasn't made any official announcements about the series or its creative talent, but the Stargate fan website GateWorld speculates that longtime Stargate writer-producers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie are in talks to be involved in some capacity on the Trasnporter show.  It seems highly unlikely that Jason Statham will be involved at all with the series, and as of now it's unknown whether another actor will play his signature role of Frank Martin or if the TV version will focus on a different transporter altogether.  (The third film revealed that the profession is not quite as unique as one would think.)  I love the Transporter films, and while I think that Statham is the best part of them, I do think that the franchise has potential without him as a TV show--especially with European filming locations, which have been part of the package all along thanks to Luc Besson's Paris-base EuropaCorp. I've had Cinemax as part of my cable package for a long time because it was bundled with channels I actually watch, but I don't think I've ever tuned in.  Looks like that's about to change!

Tradecraft: Transporter TV Series A Go
Also: More details on Taken sequel

We first heard about the prospect of a TV series based on EuropaCorp's neo-Eurospy Transporter films last year, then quiet.  I had kind of assumed that meant the project was dead, but it turns out that's not the case. Deadline reports that not only is the series very much alive, but it's already got a commitment from an American network and is due to start filming early next year.  According to the trade blog, EuropaCorp won’t reveal who the US partner is, but chairman Pierre-Ange Le Pogam promises "it's a big one.”  (My guess would be Spike or FX, which both play the Transporter movies and both seem like good fits for the franchise.  But we'll have to wait and see.)  The first 12-episode season is budgeted at $48 million. Filming is slated to commence "early next year," with the first episodes expected in November.  One EuropaCorp franchise is already a successful TV series in America: Nikita, which airs on The CW (and has improved significantly since its pilot), and already has a full-season order.  The company is aggressively trying to expand further into television, with not only the Transporter series on the horizon, but also tentative plans for a show based on its Liam Neeson neo-Eurospy hit Taken.  That won't move forward until after Taken 2 films in the spring, however, according to Le Pogam.  (Neeson is committed, but they're still trying to lock down a director.) 

I love the Transporter films, and while I would much rather see a fourth cinematic entry starring the great Jason Statham, a TV series appeals to me as well–especially since it will be shot in Europe.  I loved Taken, too, but I'm more hesitant about its potential as a TV series.  The premise of an ex-spy's daughter being kidnapped, prompting him to go on a merciless tear of righteous ass-kicking until he finds her, would not really lend itself to a series.  (Or even really a sequel, so I'll be curious to see how they pull that one off.)  The character of Bryan Mills (Neeson) probably has more to do with the film's success than its premise (and certainly has the potential to fuel a film sequel with a different set-up), but that's so tied in with Neeson's performance that it's difficult to imagine Mills making much impact on television, where he would probably come off as a Jack Bauer clone.  Still, I'll give any potential spy series a chance, so we'll see where this leads.  In the mean time, I'm sure looking forward to Taken 2.

Just to clarify, it is not expected that either TV show will star the actor from its respective film series.  So who could possibly fill the shoes of Statham and Neeson?  I don't really have any ideas about Neeson.  Presumably on TV, the character would be sort of Equalizer-like: a skilled former operative–not young–who uses his spy skills to help people.  I can't think of anyone off the top of my head in that age range with Neeson's requisite gravitas.  I do have an idea for The Transporter, though: I think Rome's Kevin McKidd (currently seen on Grey's Anatomy) could be good.  Come to think of it, his co-star Ray Stevenson wouldn't be a bad choice either...

Tradecraft: EuropaCorp Expands Transporter, Taken Franchises

Variety reports that Luc Besson's "French Hollywood" EuropaCorp (which recently announced plans to build a mega-studio outside Paris) will expand two of its popular neo-Eurospy franchises. The company has "initiated development" on Taken 2 after the Liam Neeson film grossed $145 million at the American box office, becoming the surprise sleeper hit of the winter. The company is also venturing into television. "EuropaCorp's TV production plans center on making series spin-offs from its hit movies, such as its Transporter franchise," according to the trade. Variety notes that (prior to EuropaCorp) this model yielded the successful USA TV series La Femme Nikita, based on Besson's seminal 1990 spy film of the same name. I love the Transporter films and thoroughly enjoyed Taken (and as I've often said here I'm thrilled that EuropaCorp is single-handedly keeping the Eurospy genre alive in the 21st century!), so I'm excited on both of these fronts. However, I hope that the move to develop a Transporter TV series isn't an indication that the film series is defunct. Jason Statham is integral to the success of those movies, and he will be tough to replace on the small screen. As cool as a series could be, I would hate to think that it meant we'd never get to see Statham transport anything else!

Upcoming Spy DVDs

DVDActive reports that Lionsgate will release last fall's incredibly entertaining neo-Eurospy escapade Transporter 3 on DVD March 10. No details yet on extras or artwork.

TVShowsOnDVD has the rear cover art and slightly revised front cover art for Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair. The revised artwork restores that subtitle, which had been dropped from the last version we saw.

Amazon lists an April 14 release date for Canadian spy drama Intelligence: Season 2 from Acorn Media. Acorn hasn't sent out an official press release yet, so this is all the info we've got at the moment, along with a $59.99 MSRP. I'm glad to learn that more U.S. releases of this series are forthcoming, though!

Finally, U.K. viewers will at last be able to buy OSS 117: Cairo Nest of Spies on Region 2 PAL DVD on February 23. The Amazon listing doesn't offer any clues as to special features that might be included, but one hopes it will at least contain the same ones offered on the American DVD. Thanks to Kees Stam for the heads-up on that one!

Movie Review: TRANSPORTER 3 (2008)

Movie Review: Transporter 3 (2008)

The Eurospy genre is alive and well thanks to the efforts of Luc Besson and his Europa Corp. Yes, I know that a "transporter" is not a spy, but for all practical purposes these are spy movies: fast cars, hot babes, impossible stunts and daffy action in exotic European locales (from Marseilles to Munich to Budapest to Odessa). Specifically, they’re Roger Moore Bond movies with a different sort of leading man. (The wink and the self-deprecating humor are traded for abs and abs and a face that doesn’t look all wrinkly when sucking the air out of tires underwater.)

In the spectrum of extant Transporter movies, Transporter 3 isn’t quite as good as the sublimely over-the-top Transporter 2, but it’s definitely more enjoyable than the first film. Director Olivier Megaton, new to the series with this installment, lacks some of Louis Leterrier’s patience. Leterrier was content to stand back and give full coverage to action choreographer Corey Yuen’s impressive fight spectacles, allowing star Jason Statham to show off his moves. Megaton subscribes to the more contemporary school of action direction, and cuts too quickly. If Statham’s still got the same impressive moves he demonstrated last time out, he never gets to really show them off here, which is too bad. But even at their choppiest, the fight scenes are always at least coherent, which is sadly more than can be said for Quantum of Solace. Furthermore, Megaton has the good sense to let the car chases (and a very impressive bike chase) play out entirely unimpeded by unnecessarily choppy editing, and those are the bread and butter of any Transporter movie.

The plot to Transporter 3 makes no sense at all. In fact, the very involvement of the hero, the transporter, is never remotely justified. There’s nothing that needs transporting. He’s completely extraneous to the bad guys’ rote kidnapping plot. But that doesn’t seem to bother the writers, and damned if it didn’t bother me, either. The filmmakers are so committed to their utterly (as I said before) daffy action that plot matters little. True to Eurospy form.

As a dedicated follower of Fleming, and as a staunch admirer of Martin Campbell’s Casino Royale, I realize that it’s wrong for me to lionize the Roger Moore era of Bond. I shouldn’t want that. But for some reason, I do. When watching Quantum of Solace a second time recently, as Bond haphazardly chased someone across the rooftops of Sienna I found myself wishing I were watching Roger Moore. It took me another moment to realize that of course, that’s not really what I wanted at all. I love Craig’s 007. What I really wanted was John Glen. If I was watching an Eighties Moore film, I’d be able to follow the action completely and take in the amazing scenery at the same time, because John Glen would direct it in an unflashy, even workmanlike manner that would allow me to do so. It didn’t matter that it clearly wasn’t Roger performing most of those stunts (likewise it clearly isn't Jason Statham riding the bicycle!); the Bond team in the Eighties committed to exactly the same sense of daffy action that the Transporter team does today, and after the dead-serious, gritty shaky-cam action of Quantum of Solace, it was refreshing to wallow in such unashamed... fun as Transporter 3.

The movie piles on the Bond references. There are whole heaping bits of GoldenEye, a direct steal from Diamonds Are Forever and the aforementioned tire air breathing from A View To A Kill (which I've always thought to be one of the cooler moments in that movie), to mention just a few. (There’s even an actor from The Living Daylights–Jeroen Krabbe.) But in each case, Transporter 3 takes things a bit further than its illustrious predecessors. Not only does Statham’s Frank Martin survive underwater by sucking air from his car’s tires; he somehow uses that air to inflate some bags he had in his trunk and float the whole car to the surface! Yes, it’s impossible, but that’s the world of Transporter. Frank doesn’t drive through an alley on two wheels of his car; he drives between two eighteen wheelers moving at high speed! (Though we never get a satisfactory shot explaining exactly how he gets his Audi on two side wheels without the benefit of a ramp! The same way Sean Connery managed to flip his Mustang halfway down the alley, I guess.) And rather than stopping a train with a tank to face down the villain as 007 did, Frank Martin actually jumps his car onto the moving train... twice. They recycle stunts from Bond, but they do them even bigger, in loving homage.

I hate to imply that Transporter 3 out-Bonds Bond. You’ll find none of the pathos, none of the rich characterizations or stellar performances, and none of the genuine drama of the latest 007 adventure here. But there were moments when classic Eurospy movies managed to one-up the very thing they were desperately aping, like Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina rising out of the water in bikinis and brandishing spearguns in Deadlier Than the Male, or Daniella Bianchi machine-gunning people while dressed as a nun, then stripping down to a bathing suit and diving off a cliff in Special Mission Lady Chaplin. And in that tradition, Transporter 3 contains a few action setpieces far more Bondian than anything in Bond's own latest offering–even on a decidedly lower budget.


Of course, every Eurospy movie needs a hot Euro-babe. Olga Kurylenko filled that role in last year’s Hitman, and look where she is today! After the first Transporter 3 trailer hit, I speculated as to whether Natalya Rudakova would be able to follow in her footsteps. At the time, there was no information on Rudakova whatsoever on the web. Well, judging from the number of hits that story has been getting via Google searches since the movie opened, the striking freckled redhead has certainly struck a chord with viewers. While she never wields two guns as makeup streaks her face as she does on the poster (and as her predecessor Kate Nuata did in Transporter 2), she is sexy, which is really the most basic requirement of any Eurospy starlet. Her party girl character is a bit annoying at times, but Rudakova has fun with that and earns quite a few laughs.

Furthermore, her character becomes the first woman in a Transporter movie to actually become romantically involved with Frank Martin.

In the first two movies, Frank wanted nothing to do with women. It was explained away under his strict adherence to his own specific set of strict rules, which didn’t allow for such distractions–but he almost seemed afraid of the fairer sex. Rudakova’s Valentina picks up on this and exploits it fully. And this is how the Eurospy genre has changed in forty years. At one point, Valentina steals Frank’s car keys (the most important things in the world to a professional driver), and demands that Frank do a strip tease for her to get them back. (She’s already watched him fight topless with great interest.) Then she demands even more from him, and Frank finally succumbs to feminine wiles. This is exactly the sort of behavior that one of the loathsome, chauvinist Sixties male Eurospy heroes would have engaged in. (I can just picture Kommissar X’s Tony Kendall forcing a reluctant woman to strip for some keys! In fact, maybe he did...) Natalya Rudakova makes the prospect much more appealing. In forty plus years, things have some full circle. Gloria Steinem might not agree, but for the Eurospy genre, this is feminism.

It may not have done it with quite the finesse of the second movie in the series, but for the most part, Transporter 3 delivered exactly what I wanted from it. It’s fun, mindless action with a likable hero and a sexy girl. It’s crazy car stunts that unfold impressively before the viewers’ eyes, and not off camera between rapid cuts. And it doesn’t make a lick of sense. It’s daffy action. It’s Eurospy.

Random Intelligence Dispatches For June 10, 2008

A couple of spyish tidbits from AICN today...

Transporter 3 Teaser

First, they point the way to a great Transporter 3 teaser trailer. In short, it looks awesome!

Prisoner Remake News

Second, they link to a rumor from Six of One claiming that the Prisoner TV remake is back on, due to start filming this August in Namibia and South Africa. They say that Jim Caviezel will play Number 6, and Ian McKellen will play Number 2. I assume that McKellen would be only one of several Number 2s, following the original show's formula, but perhaps not. This is, after all, billed as a "radical reinvention." While McKellen's involvement would definitely be cool, I can't get too excited about the idea of Jim Caviezel stepping into Patrick McGoohan's shoes. And, for now, I'll take the whole story with a big grain of salt, since last I'd heard, the TV remake was called off. None of this has any bearing on the Christopher Nolan bigscreen remake, which is a separate project altogether.

Tradecraft For June 3, 2008

More Ludlum Multiplex-Bound

In my opinion, you can never have too many movies based on Robert Ludlum books! For years, fans had to make do with nothing but an occasional TV miniseries, but finally, after the success of the Jason Bourne franchise (which, ironically, eschews most of the books' plots), Hollywood has recognized the potential goldmine in Robert Ludlum's back catalog.

Following hot on the heels of MGM's $3 million acquisition of Ludlum's 1979 thriller The Matarese Circle to star Denzel Washington, Variety reports that Universal has fast-tracked an adaptation of The Sigma Protocol. Both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter describe The Sigma Protocol as the last novel Ludlum penned before his death, but with so many posthumous publications and ghost writers, I don't know how they can really be sure.

The Reporter describes Sigma as centering on "an American economist who becomes the target of professional assassins. When a U.S. intelligence agent investigating his case finds herself discredited, the two end up on the run and uncover a multinational conspiracy manipulating the global economy and world events." After several discarded attempts by other writers, Iron Man co-writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway have signed on to write the adaptation. They will start from scratch after reportedly pitching a fresh take on the material. Strike Entertainment's Marc Abraham and Eric Newman will produce the film with Paul L. Sandberg. According to Variety, Universal picked up the rights in 2002, prior to The Bourne Identity, and has been working on it ever since.

In other Ludlum news, the trade also asserts that Universal is "laying the groundwork for a fourth 'Bourne' pic, with Paul Greengrass directing and Matt Damon starring."

"The success of the Bourne franchise," they state, "has turned the late author into a revenue machine. Ludlum's The Chancellor Manuscript was sold to Paramount in 2005 for $4 million ... as a star vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio."

Transporter 3 This Thanksgiving

According to Variety, Lionsgate has nabbed the rights to the next installment in the Jason Statham Transporter series. Fox released the first two films. To me, the wildly entertaining Transporter movies (along with lesser fare like Hitman) are the modern day equivalent of the Sixties Eurospy phenomenon, and the third entry sounds like nothing less. Says the trade, "Principal photography in France and Russia wrapped in early May, and the movie is in post-production. Helmed by Olivier Megaton (The Red Siren), pic was scripted by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen." Exotic Euro locations, Euro crew, commanding international star... As long as they've got another sexy babe on board, they'll have hit all the key items on the Eurospy checklist! Lionsgate plans a Thanksgiving release, and I can't wait!

Random Intelligence Dispatches For January 21, 2008

Stiller Persuades Clooney and Grant?

This one's ollllllld news, but somehow I missed it last May, so I better play catch-up! Last I heard, Ben Stiller was developing a movie remake of the classic Tony Curtis/Roger Moore television series The Persuaders (my second-favorite British spy series, after The Avengers) to star himself and Steve Coogan as playboy adventurers Danny Wilde and Lord Brett Sinclair. But apparently news emerged from last year's Cannes Film Festival that George Clooney and Hugh Grant are in talks to take over the roles, with Stiller still on board to produce. I still believe that the Stiller/Coogan pairing could have worked (and it would have been cool to see Coogan realize his ongoing Roger Moore fixation by stepping into his shoes), but there was certainly a lot more potential for that version to go horribly awry, too, and turn into Starsky and Hutch 2. To me, Clooney and Grant leave a lot less room for error. (My dream cast for such a remake has always been Grant and Bruce Campbell.) Clooney is actually perfect for Danny Wilde, and an Ocean's 11 tone is just the right thing for The Persuaders, which despite its share of more dramatic episodes, was always first and foremost about fun. It would be great to see this version happen, become a hit, and spawn a whole series of glamorous spy action on the French Riviera! (And I can't wait to see a red Ferrari 599 GTB square off against a gold Aston Martin DBS to a pulsing remix of John Barry's sublime theme music.) Of course, it all really depends on what kind of chemistry Clooney and Grant have together...

More Jack Ryan On The Horizon?

Moviehole runs the rumor today that Paramount is reviving its Jack Ryan spy franchise with Ryan Gosling as the fourth actor to step into the role of Tom Clancy's action-prone CIA analyst(following Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck) . The new movie, they claim, won't be based on a Clancy novel at all, but will be an original Jack Ryan film adventure titled By Any Means Necessary. This is a little bit surprising as, unlike the Bond series (whose producers have-with the obvious exception of Casino Royale-been creating original plotlines since Licence To Kill, having basically exhausted the Ian Fleming source material), there are still unfilmed Jack Ryan novels. Some of those are unsuitable for a younger actor (taking place after Ryan implausibly became President), but Clancy wrote Red Rabbit, about a younger Ryan, specifically with the goal of continuing the Ben Affleck-led series reboot. Oh well. This Gosling rumor comes on the heels of far more tantalizing rumors about either Alec Baldwin or Harrison Ford returning to the role.

Defiance Trailer

The first trailer is out now for Daniel Craig's next star vehicle, the Ed Zwick-directed Defiance. Frankly, I'm underwhelmed. Hopefully it's not too indicative of the actual film...

New Transporter Director

Not quite spy news, but as I've made the case before, essentially so: Dark Horizons reports that a director has been selected to helm the Jason Statham sequel Transporter 3. Olivier Megaton, director of the 2002 Asia Argento thriller The Red Siren will take the reins. I hope he manages to capture the same ideal "Roger Moore Bond movie" feel that Louis Leterrier found for Transporter 2. There aren't enough action movies in that tone these days, and while I wouldn't advocate Bond himself heading back in that direction, I like the idea of someone else doing it. And Statham's perfect for it. I haven't seen The Red Siren (though it sounds pretty cool), but I have seen Hitman, for which Megaton directed second unit. And I wasn't impressed by the second unit stuff. I didn't find any of the action scenes particularly memorable. So I really hope that Transporter [1] co-director Cory Yuen returns to his Transporter 2 position of "action choreographer" to ensure that doesn't happen here! On the plus side, maybe Megaton will bring along Argento to co-star. She'd fit right into the Transporter world!

Shooting on Transporter 3 is expected to begin this summer. If you need a Jason Statham fix in the meantime, be sure to check out the awesome trailer for The Bank Job. Again, not a spy movie (why doesn't he do a straight-out spy movie?), but something that looks like it will appeal to fans of The Italian Job and other great Sixties and Seventies heist flicks!

Transporter 3 In 2008

Yes, I know the Transporter isn't really a spy; he's more of a... um... transporter... but these Jason Statham movies are essentially spy movies, and should appeal to the same audience, so I'm going to cover them here. The mostly disposable Transporter was basically the modern-day equivilant of a Eurospy movie, and the far superior Transporter 2 was the closest thing you're likely to see in theaters today to a Roger Moore Bond movie (silly, over-the-top stunts, ridiculous car chases, a gun-crazy, lingerie-wearing femme fatale, goofy humor and lots of fun). So, for those wondering, there's finally news on a third installment. Dark Horizons reports that producer Luc Besson told The Collider that he's aiming to shoot Transporter 3 in March and April of next year. Presumably that means a Fall 2008 release in the U.S., following the pattern of the first two. Having enjoyed the second movie immensely, I, for one, am looking forward to this! Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that director Louis Leterrier will return, since he has moved on to The Incredible Hulk. Perhaps his co-director on the first film (and martial arts choreographer on the second one) Corey Yuen will step in. He did an excellent job directing 2002's Hong Kong actioner So Close...