Brendan Fraser Starring In ‘William Tell 3D’ And Historical Drama ‘Four Kings’
If it feels likeBrendan Fraseris suddenly everywhere, that’s because he is. After being relatively low-profile for a couple years he is about to be in several films: he’s shooting the Belfast-based heist comedyWhole Lotta Soleright now, will soon shootGimme Shelter(playing against type as a less than accepting father) and now has two new roles.
He’ll be in the ‘sweeping epic historical drama’Four Kings(not a sequel toThree Kings, fortunately) that will shoot late this summer in Toronto withDamien Leedirecting. And he’ll play the title role inWilliam Tell 3D(ok, not so exciting) from directorNick Hurran, aDoctor Whovet. More info on both new films is after the break.
Deadlinebroke word ofFour Kingsyesterday, saying that it will be “set against the French and Indian War that essentially divided North America,” with Brendan Fraser playing " Colonel Lord Francis Nicholson, a vastly wealthy Brit who self-finances the war in the hope of creating a utopian society in what is now Canada."
And then a press release announces thatWilliam Tell 3Dwill shoot this summer in Romania and Switzerland based on a script byScott Reynolds. Another fairy tale sorta thing? Sigh, why not? At least this one is trying to throw in some historical background. The producers are trying to landAnna PaquinandTil Schweigeras well, and announce the core of the story:
In the legend, Tell just can’t leave well enough alone. The local potentate of the Hapsburg monarch, Hermann Gessler forces Tell to shoot the apple because he refused to bow before Gessler’s hat, erected in a town square. Tell succeeds in cleanly (and safely) cleaving the fruit and wins his and his son’s freedom. But Gessler asks Tell why he had two arrows is his quiver, and Tell replies he was going to shoot Gessler with the second if he’d missed. Tell’s defiance of Gessler ignited an uprising against the Austrian government which led to the formation of Switzerland. If confirmed, Paquin will play Zora, Tell’s wife and Schweiger will play Gessler.
Oh, and he’ll also voice Scortch in The Weinstein Company’s filmEscape From Planet Earth, about “a group of aliens plotting to escape that top-secret Nevada compound popular with conspiracists known as Area 51.” That one has been kicking around in development for years, and is evidently now finally starting to come together withCal Brunker(storyboard artist,Despicable Meand9) directing.
