Pawn Shop 'Atlas Shrugged' Adaptation in Production

Remember the hurried-up Atlas Shrugged that some independent producer is flinging together like so much chimp dung on the walls of a zoo? At one point, the classic 20th century Ayn Rand novel had Angelina Jolie attached to star (and I think produce), with Randall Wallace (Braveheart) writing the script and Vadim Perelman (The House of Sand and Fog) directing. Not anymore, and not by a long shot. A few weeks back, John Aglialoro, a CEO of a fitness company who purchased the rights to the book 15 years ago, announced that he'd make the movie outside the system, in essence, self-financing it, hiring an unproven director (to direct a script Aglialoro co-wrote), and rushing it into production this month. The reason: Aglialoro spent $1 million on the rights and if he hadn't gone into production by this past Saturday, according to Variety (through Slashfilm), he would have lost the option. Suffering from a major case of forest blindness, Aglialoro didn't want his $1 million to go to waste, so he's spending $5 million to run a movie production, based on one of the most cinematically impenetrable books ever published. Hollywood has struggled with a good way to visualize Rand's book for decades, but this guy thinks he can wrangle Paul Johansson from One Tree Hill to star and direct the first part of a multi-film series and somehow, that's not a bigger waste of even more money than just letting his option expire. Back when it was announced that Aglialoro would pursue the film on his own, he had offers out to Charlize Theron and Maggie Gyllenhaal to portray Dagny Taggart. He wound up with Taylor Schilling, late of NBC's Mercy. I won't disparage Ms. Schilling or Mr. Johansson, but they sure have walked into a nearly impossible situation. Will this ever be distributed? And if it's as bad as it lets on, will the sequels ever get made? And will that kill forever a studio's chance to actually make this movie? In order, I'll go with no, no, and no. I mean, you and I know about this Atlas Shrugged, but that doesn't mean the general public will ever be aware of it. I'm counting on it, in fact. So, if Hollywood was going to do it - and there's a miniseries supposedly in the works, too, with Charlize Theron in the running for that one - this shouldn't get in its way. Nobody will ever see it. Another sign of trouble is that Johansson is the replacement director, hired at some point since Memorial Day; prior to that, Stephen Polk, whose dad used to run MGM, was going to perform those duties. How long before the CEO steps in and directs it, do you think?

Comments

[D]

I'm surprised he didn't just higher Roger Corman for a Fantastic Four style rights holder.

[Jay]

They'd be better to get the developers behind Bioshock onto this!

[Al]

It is a shame. The best book ever written is having such a hard time becoming a movie. I don't think it is just by chance. I think it is intentional.

There are some very powerful forces that despise this book. This book speaks to the common man and tells him/her that they have value: That they are the most important thing in existence. This is the LAST concept the Churches, the Politicians, the Academics want the people to know.

They have to keep the people stupid and guilt ridden and full or "original sin" crap so as to enslave them.

This movie WILL be hated by Hollywood, the political trash and the religious whores. They will hate it BUT if it is actually released, it will become the #1 movie of all time whether it is promoted or not.

I can't wait. This movie will change the world and the more HATE you hear from the preachers, rabbis, congressmen/women, Ph.d. educational pimps, etc., the more you know it is the truth.