Column Chronicles: Hollywood reboots and resumes, part two

Hollywood reboots and resumes, part two

Frank Cotolo
June 2, 2016

We continue now with our exclusive report on Hollywood's plans to start old franchises up again and pick up with new chapters for franchises that stopped.

We have been privy to private information on pending movie projects, so here come more sequels, prequels and remakes, bringing back familiar heroes and villains to older audiences and introducing them to a whole new audience.

Anxious Max is a prequel to the reboot of the "Mad Max" series. It turns out, according to notes from the early drafts of a script that Max's rage didn't entirely come from the cruel murder of his wife and child. Max's father, a first-generation post-apocalyptic child who grew up in the desolation of what remained on Earth, beat Max often, usually with car parts from jalopies. The script calls for very graphic scenes to show how badly young Max was treated.

A source told us "there are scenes where Max is hit with an alloy axle shaft and whipped with engine belts while his hands are locked with differential bearings."

The Fantastic Five brings back the Fantastic Four with a new member, forcing the super-heroes to change their name. The new member is Ameba-man, who can turn himself into any shape he wishes, though that shape is in constant flux. Ameba-man is created by a freak accident in the annual Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest (details not available). A source told us that the plot is not secure yet but that the story starts with Ameba-man as a member and flashbacks will show how he became a member. Another source told us that this movie is a set-up for another action flick, "The Fantastic Five Meet The Avengers".

Nick Cage, said one source, is raring to reprise his roles as the Ghost Rider and Ben Sanderson (his Oscar-winning role) in Leaving Las Vegas II: Ghost Rider Returns. The early draft for a script calls for Ben Sanderson to return from the dead as a Ghost Rider, flaming skull and all. He battles with the actual Ghost Rider as the two battle for control of the city.

Whatever Happened to Hannibal? picks up the travels of Hannibal Lector when he escapes with only one hand in the sequel to "Silence of the Lambs." A source tells us that’s just a working title but the script is coming along well. "Hannibal lands in a Scandinavian country and creates a new identity. This time he disguises himself as Hans DeGans, an epicurean expert in Swiss chocolate. Hans recipes come to the attention of Clarice Starling, who is now working as a caterer for Interpol. When the two accidentally meet at a Nestles’ product convention, the plot thickens, though no one would tell us about the middle or ending. One source said, "This may turn out to feature the perverted romance between the two, though Hannibal, who will be played by Anthony Hopkins again, is much older, with his taste for cannibalism fading as his love for chocolate grows.

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.