Max Ryan
July 2014 I discovered a movie version of the Hunchback set to stared one Max Ryan, who I have been told is an actor. This version had a script and a cast list but not much more. You can read that post RIGHT HERE. The summery I found that is now gone so reading that post is worth it. Esmeralda gets attack by wolves and Quasimodo lives in the cave of Notre Dame. I also very briefly mentioned it back in September read here Really I had passed this verison off has never being till last month.
Back in October it was announced that Director Chuck Russell was going to direct. Russell’s credit’s include The Mask, The Scorpion King and other action adventure movies. Also on the IMDB page for this version the genre is set as “Action, Drama, Fantasy.” Dear God help us all. Hunchback hasn’t had a hollywood movie since 1939 and we get an Action Adventure movie. Also I just want to point out that screenwriters are Max Ryan and one Julio Ponce Palmieri who writes for mostly short films.
But what REALLY puzzles me so far is that cast list on the IMDB. First off there is no sign of Esmeralda and Frollo. When I first discovered this version it listed the actors for Frollo and Esmeralda as under negotiations so that could be the reason why they are not there. But still the cast has some roles that just confuse me like The Figment and the Giant, the Fuck you say? Also Max Ryan has a double role as Quasimodo and Pierre. Considering the summery said Quasimodo’s parents loved him and he was stolen, Pierre could be his original name OR he just playing another guy to show off his versatility as an “actor”. This version has even started filming and I hate it.
There was also a new breif on IMDB when Russell was reported as the director that claimed that this version was still the same version as Josh Brolin version and the key players just switched which is not the case. This version existed before Brolin dreamed up his version in 2011 with Tim Burton but that switched to Yimou Zhang in 2013 and then nothing. While Brolin’s jazzy’s version seems to either be dead or in development-hell, it’s amazing how similar these movies are to each other. Both are vanity projects from generic actors who have directors known for action-ish movies. Consider Hollywood studios has had battles with similar movies before maybe The Max Ryan version will fuel Brolin to make his Jazzy versions. Either way I still don’t know what that Figment character is and nor to have faith in either version.
This sounds sooo awful and horrible and, well… they only need to cast Britney Spears as Fleur de Lys, Kim Kardashian as Esmeralda (using your anticast), and Ralph Garman as Frollo – then it can be a worse piece of shit – a disaster.
Oh, that is a scary cast list. Although it would be like a car crash, I don’t want to look but I can’t look way.
First off will Brolin ever live the “jazzy” comment down? I hope not.
Honesty, this new version just seems confused. Figment…wasn’t that some sort of Disney character at one point?
It’s got a giant-what? Is the cathedral going to be alive or something in this version? How stoned will I need to be to understand this one?
Not sure if I’d want to see an adaptation that is just Hunchback of Notre-Dame/Notre-Dame De Paris in name only.
I will never left that Jazzy comment go, ever.
Figment is technically a Disney character. He is a small purple dragon and is the mascot of Imagination! pavilion at the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort. I mean he is cute but I don’t think that is what Max Ryan has in mind for the Figment in his movie.
I think you need to be quite stoned for this movie.