A Questionable Escape Clause

A Questionable Escape Clause

Did CAA make the right pre-emptive move by packaging up actor Gerard Butler in a somewhat surprising remake vehicle choice? We're not so sure.

Monday, March 19, 2007 at 12:01 AM


By Dennis Michael


The highest-paid actors, writers and directors in Hollywood surrender 10% of their paychecks to
CAA (Creative Artists Agency) because they believe the House that Mike Ovitz built knows what's best for their careers. But has the talent agency been perhaps a little hasty in its post-300 handling of that film's star, Gerard Butler? We're sure New Line Cinema, the winner of last week's Escape from New York remake auction, paid a pretty penny for the project, in which Butler is attached to reprise the role essayed by an eye patched Ken Russell back in 1981. But is this lightning speed commercial move in the actor's best artistic interests? It's not quite Eddie Murphy's Dreamgirls-Norbit combo and, on paper, trying to solidify Butler's standing as an A-list Hollywood action star makes sense. But a remake of a 1981 film that is in itself a grungy genre classic, made by John Carpenter at the peak of his powers? Surely there were other action scripts floating around, and surely CAA didn't need to be in this big a hurry to make the mega-bucks leading man deal. Their client's breakout Tinseltown calling card has just dominated the box office for a second straight weekend and though they could probably sell him in a remake of Driving Miss Daisy right now, what makes 300 so formidable is its originality. It's like nothing we've ever seen, treating historical subject matter with a new millennium, graphic novel, green screen touch. But here we have now a project that follows an original and a 1996 sequel starring Russell, Escape from Los Angeles. That's right... 1996. The fact that CAA could tie in Neil Moritz’ Original Films banner and Black Hawk Down screenwriter Ken Nolan certainly must have played a factor. But somehow, we can't help but think that Butler - a formidably poised talent - might have wanted to wait a film or two before jumping into the tired old Hollywood remake game.


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