Angelina Jolie Celebrates World Refugee Day

Talking with ‘Wanted’ Director Timur Bekmambetov

by Tom McLean
posted 17 June 2008 03:56 pm ET

For his first film for an American studio, Kazhakstan-born Timur Bekmambetov scored not only a cutting-edge comic book series to adapt, but an enviable cast that includes rising star James McAvoy and Academy Award winners Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman.
But it was the setup for the comic-book series Wanted, in which cubicle-dwelling loser Wesley Gibson learns he’s the heir to the world’s greatest assassin, that most attracted the director to the project.

“I think the comic book is the first act of the movie,” says Bekmambetov, who admits the rest of the film is only tangentially related to Mark Millar and J.G. Jones’ Top Cow comic book. “He wants to change his life, he wants power to destroy things. The movie, the second part, provides the reason to be so bad.”
The director says what makes Wanted work is Wesley’s sad life and how he changes it. “He has no chance to escape,” Bekmambetov says. “It’s a very important starting point.”
The Wanted comic book was very obvious in its movie aspirations. Jones drew Wesley to resemble rapper-actor Eminem and Jolie’s character The Fox as Halle Berry. Bekmambetov says he felt free to disregard those casting suggestions and feels he has improved on them.

“I didn’t picture Eminem to play Wesley. I saw him differently,” he says. “I think Eminem is not representative enough for a big worldwide release. James McAvoy is going to be easy to identify with.”
McAvoy, whose star has risen quickly in Hollywood based on performances in such critically acclaimed fare as The Last King of Scotland and Atonement, captures the spirit of Wesley’s arc from loser to confident killer and beyond, the director says. “He’s still alive (at the start). It’s very important. It’s not like in Fight Club, where (Brad Pitt’s narrator) is really depressed and down - with James there is an optimism.”
The director, who still lives in Kazhakstan, was hard-pressed to come up with an influences for the high-octane sequences in Wanted, citing “every movie I’ve ever seen,” computer games and a few innovative visual effects films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Matrix.

The film’s extensive and innovative action sequences earned the film an R-rating, and prompted extensive discussions with Jolie, who convinced the director that the film would not show innocents being killed by the assassins.
But the biggest challenge of making Wanted was simply to finish the film, which took two years to make. Bekmambetov also says it was a challenge for him to get into Wesley’s head and understand him as “an American boy-man.”
Bekmambetov, whose previous films include Night Watch and its sequel Day Watch, says his next project will be announced shortly, though he says it will involve what he calls a “new type of the martial arts.” He’s also developing a number of projects, including a film based on Christian Gossett’s Soviet-themed sci-fi comic book series The Red Star.
Asked whether he’d consider returning for a sequel should Wanted be a success at the box office, Bekmambetov said anything was possible. “If the audience decides (there should be a sequel), we could figure this out.”

http://www.newsarama.com/film/080617-bekmambetov-wanted.html

Lovely. What a beutifull, but more, carismatic and helpfull woman. If all celebreties acted like Angie, there were no more deaths.
And I am not even a fan…

vickifromtexas @ 06/18/2008 at 3:18 pm
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ITA!!!

Hi Vicki - I hope your mom is doing ok during this time. Best wishes to her.

Thanks BAMPZS+2 for the Wanted article. Hope to see it tonight at a press screening. Really looking forward to it.

Off to work. Take care all. :)

CLINIQUA @ 06/18/2008 at 3:03 pm I just had to share this bit of subtle Aniston bashing from People Mag…it warms the cockles of my heart..heeee:

Battle of the Jens?

Rumors are swirling that Jennifer Aniston and Jennifer Connelly clashed on the set of their new movie ‘He’s just not that into you,’ in fact, one report even claimed that the former Friends star refused to share a Marie Claire cover with the OSCAR WINNER. — PEOPLE MAGAZINE
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OH SNAP!!! Bahahahahahaha!!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! HEEEEEEE!! They might as well have used my nickname for her the no-talent TV sit-com HACK!! LMAO

Jennifer Connelly, we love you.

http://www.people.com/people/news/0,,2,00.html
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Sounds like a tab story but oh well. LMAO! it’s funny how the stars of this film is coming to light. You have an oscar winner and much younger women in the ensemble but somehow the media thinks this is a Aniston film. Aniston is one of 5 in this film right? so how is she gonna be competing with Angelina in movies when she’s not the star of the film? There’s already discussion of who’s the hottest in the film and it looks like a 3 way tie between Ginnefer Goodwin, ScarJo and JenCo. No one even mentions X and Drew Barrymore! LMAO

Anistons lets everyone think she is blue eyed and Blonde Hair,and never had no plastic surgeries,So if her fans are liars they take after Aniston because she is a Liar and Fraud.So no wonder her fans are like they are.

I’dont believe the J-P’s are at Miraval I believe its a decoy. The Paps have been outside the gate for a month and there have been no sightings of them leaving by car or helicopter . What do you guys think?

yoco,i just know that they are good at keeping a low profile

anoble

waving back atyou :)

hello anoble, how are you? hugs.
cook says “hello”.

sorry for the double post.

Goody-Lili Vonn Sl*t up is in the house! This p*rn obsessed freak will likely post another of her fav p*rn. Ignore this sl*t’s link.
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Hi anoble. I hope you are feeling better. Hi Vicki-I am glad you are posting.

I tried to post a link but Jared won’t let me.

thelookoflove1365 @ 06/18/2008 at 4:20 pm

LOL - thanks for that article link - that is so funny that they are making up stories. :D