If you have a problem… if no one else can help… and if you can find them… maybe you can buy advanced tickets to see… The A-Team. After what seems like years of gesticulations, 20th Century Fox is finally going full-steam ahead with a big screen adaptation of the cult 80s television show, which is expected to hit theaters during the summer of 2010. Director Joe Carnahan will replace the once-attached John Singleton at the helm, and also rework the current script with actor Brian Bloom. As of now, Skip Woods (the genius behind Hitman, Swordfish and the upcoming G.I. Joe) is credited with the screenplay, though Wanted writers Michael Brandt and Derek Haas had previously given it a once-over. While the members of The A-Team will be veterans from the Middle East and not Vietnam, the rest of the premise from the original series will remain largely in tact: four soldiers, wrongly accused and convicted of a crime, escape jail to become Good Samaritan mercenaries-for-hire. Since brothers Ridley and Tony Scott are involved as producer and executive producer, respectively, expect many things to go boom.
As major fans of Mr. Carnahan, the news of his involvement is quite exciting. We’ve been waiting for him to make good on the promise he showed with the gritty Narc for six years. And while Smokin’ Aces has become fine and disposable late night cable fodder for us, that has more to do with Ryan Reynolds’ committed performance and Clint Mansell’s trailer-worthy score. In actuality, since Narc, the projects Mr. Carnahan has failed to make have been more interesting than anything on his resume. He was lined up to direct Mission Impossible III, but quit after spending fifteen months preparing the film, because of creative differences with Paramount. Additionally, his adaptation of James Ellroy’s White Jazz hit the skids when he lost both George Clooney and Chris Pine to scheduling conflicts. And! His remake of Bunny Lake is Missing was scuttled when Reese Witherspoon quit at the last minute. It’s about time the guy got some good news!
Still, our endorsement of Mr. Carnahan notwithstanding, the key to The A-Team is, naturally, the cast. Not that 20th Century Fox needs our help with this, but how about these suggestions: Chiwetel Ejiofor as Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus, because, not only would he look good in a mohawk, but someone needs to give this man a major studio movie post-haste; Josh Brolin as Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock, because he’s Josh Brolin; Val Kilmer as Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck, because "Faceman" sounds a lot like "Iceman"; and, of course, George Clooney as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith. Now that’s a cast. We love it when a plan comes together.
