MTV Has a Movie Blog

Run at least partially, by my old Slush Factory chum Brian Jacks. Good to see him doing well. But anyway, I was particularly (white) jazzed to see the very first post from the blog announcing some interesting news.

A decade after “L.A. Confidential” snagged Curtis Hanson an Academy Award, the director tells us plans for the heavily anticipated sequel are finally underway. “Just very recently, [screenwriter] Brian Helgeland, [novelist] James Ellroy and I have been talking about it,” he announced to MTV News. “Russell [Crowe] and Guy [Pearce] would love to come back and revisit those characters ten years later. But it’s all about getting the story that’s worth telling.”

As to whether “L.A. Confidential 2” would conflict with fellow helmer Joe Carnahan’s planned adaptation of Ellroy’s “White Jazz” (starring George Clooney), Hanson doesn’t think so. “Ellroy’s written many books,” he says. “‘White Jazz’ is very different from either ‘L.A. Confidential’ or what we would do as the sequel.”

Carnahan recently told MTV that despite initial talks with Guy Pearce about reprising his role in “White Jazz”, the director has now decided to go in another direction, eliminating the name Exley from his film. “We were basically required to change his name…as much as I wanted Guy Pearce to reprise that role, the minute it became something else it opened up casting possibilities,” said Carnahan.

Frankly, I'd rather see Hanson's follow-up than Carnahan's, at least after sitting through the madness that was Smokin' Aces. If they can get Crowe and Pearce back together, that'd be worthwhile...maybe a crossover with the never made Two Jakes sequel and throw J.J. Gittes in there? A sequel to two different movies combining them into one universe! Someone should really be paying me for these great ideas I come up with...