Sunday
15Jun2008
Eva Mendes Joins Cage, Herzog for 'Bad Lieutenant'
Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 9:54PM 
Remember about a month ago when it was announced that
Werner Herzog and
Nicolas Cage would join forces to remake
Bad Lieutenant, the
NC-17 film starring
Harvey Keitel as one of the baddest and worst dudes wearing
a badge?
You might be familiar with
the comments of
Abel Ferrara,
who directed the 1992 original: “As far as remakes go, Harvey begged me not to
say anything mean, or stupid. But I wish these people die in Hell. I hope
they’re all in the same streetcar, and it blows up.”
So the remake's got that going for it. Undaunted, the
production is moving forward, and it just signed a head-turner to soften the
blow for all you Bad Lieutenant purists:
Eva Mendes will join the cast,
according to
Variety.
Now, I know what you're thinking and you're right, the
pairing of Cage and Mendes didn't make Ghost Rider any more bearable. I have
nothing to counter your argument. However, Ghost Rider didn't have Werner
Herzog, so maybe, just maybe, that will be enough to save the day for the new
Bad
Lieutenant.
It might seem like an odd remake, but the combination of
the unpredictable Herzog and Cage, who is often in his own orbit, certainly
could make the story more volatile than it already was. And before you think
Eva's just around as window dressing, she's actually better in grittier movies
than she is in splashier ones with bigger budgets; I actually thought she was
pretty solid in We Own the Night.
Now, as for the "remake" aspect of this project, Herzog
swears this is not the same story, comparing it to the chapters of James Bond
movies.
He also threw a few barbs back at Abel Ferrara, telling
Defamer, "I don't feel like doing an homage to Abel Ferrara because I don't know
what he did — I've never seen a film by him. I have no idea who he is. Is he
Italian? Is he French? Who is he? Maybe I could invite him to act in a movie!
Except I don't know what he looks like."
Ouch.
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