Author: s1e2t3u4p5

David Kelley has written an article, “Atlas Shrugged Filming Wraps Up,” about the new Atlas Shrugged movie.
An excerpt:

The Hollywood press has taken a dismissive view of the project. How could an outsider hope to produce a successful film with so little time, a reported budget of $5 million, a director with limited film experience, and a cast without stars?
Offsetting those limitations, however, is the passion of the producers, cast, and crew to realize the vision of the novel. Thatâ??s why Johansson took on the challenge of directing on such short notice. (Though Atlas will be his first film, Johansson has considerable experience directing TV, with an Emmy to his credit.) Schilling was attracted to the lead roll because she loved Randâ??s work, having read Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. Many crew members came on board at less than their usual fees just to be part of the project. As for the budget, the producers says the actual figure is at least twice the reported $5 million. And Atlas is not really a star vehicle. The power of an adaptation, and its ultimate success or failure, turn on how well it captures Randâ??s narrative and its meaning. As an independent production, this adaptation has pursued that goal directly, without having to bargain with studios, stars, or screenwriters who donâ??t get it.

See the full article for much more.

From a new article by Big Hollywood’s John Nolte:

Big Hollywood has enjoyed two visits to the filmâ??s set, which our own Charles Winecoff will be writing more about soon, but due to the fact that much of what weâ??re reading in the media regarding the filmâ??s production doesnâ??t coincide with what weâ??ve seen and heard for ourselves, I asked producer Harmon Kaslow to help set the record straight.
Much has been made of the filmâ??s reported budget of $5 million, especially for a project major studios have shied away from out of budgetary concerns. Like most smart producers, Kaslow wonâ??t talk specifics, but thereâ??s more to the story than the $5 million…
Assuming weâ??re talking in the area of $15 to $20 million to film the entire novel, with no big star salaries thatâ??s still a low budget but not a ridiculously low budget. As far as the casting of unknowns, as is the case with any film, budget constraints are a reality and when youâ??re working in the arena of millions as opposed to hundreds of millions, youâ??re not going to get a Charlize Theron or Angelina Jolie.

Of course, replacing Angelina Jolie with Taylor Schilling isn’t an entirely bad move. 🙂

Taylor Schilling (cast as Dagny Taggart)

See the full article for much more, including photos of the actors playing John Galt and Jim Taggart.

Filming has begun on the new Atlas Shrugged movie.

The long-brewing feature version of author Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” has begun shooting in Los Angeles as a $5 million indie produced by John Aglialoro and Harmon Kaslow.
Cameras began rolling over the weekend on a five-week shoot for “Atlas Shrugged Part One” with Paul Johansson directing from Brian Patrick O’Toole’s script. Aglialoro would have lost the feature rights if the film wasn’t in production by Saturday.
A spokesman for Aglialoro — the CEO of exercise equipment producer Cybex — said there will be at least one more “Atlas Shrugged” shot after the current film’s completed. Rand’s massive novel is divided into three parts, each consisting of 10 chapters.
“Atlas,” published in 1957, takes place in a dystopian version of the U.S. in which society has collapsed as the government gains increasing controlover industry. The decline occurs while the most productive citizens, led by John Galt, begin vanishing.
Johansson (“One Tree Hill”) portrays Galt. The lead role of railroad executive Dagny Taggart has gone to Taylor Schilling (“Mercy) and the part of Henry Reardon is being played by Grant Bowler (“Ugly Betty”).

See the full article in Variety for more.

On the heels of the recent Atlas movie update from Deadline.com, the Atlas Society has posted an update with official word from John Aglialoro on his Atlas Shrugged movie plans.

Aglialoro expects the film to be released by the first quarter of 2011. He currently projects a three-movie sequence, following the structure of the novel. He has engaged Paul Johansson as director. Locations have been booked and casting is nearly complete.
â??Thereâ??s obviously a lot of risk in doing it this,â? says Aglialoro, head of Cybex, the exercise-equipment company, and a trustee of The Atlas Society. â??But taking risks for something you believe inâ??thatâ??s what Atlas is all about. The strength of the project is what itâ??s always been: the power of Ayn Randâ??s novel.â?

See the full post for more.