A Preview: Money Never Sleeps, And Neither Do Sequels

When I first heard that Oliver Stone was producing/directing another Wall Street film, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, it first occurred to me: why the fuck, bro?

Actually, let me back up a bit. Back in June, 2009 I read that Javier Bardem was attached to the project and was in final talks to play the villain. Then in July, 2009  it was reported that Bardem had turned down the project in favor of shooting a film adaptation of the best-selling book, Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts. It was later stated that Bardem had turned down the role because if he'd chosen to do both film projects it would have had caused filming and scheduling conflicts and that the actor had had "five or six other offers." I was a little dampened on the previous enthusiasm I had for the project.

But then as I always do, I investigated the film. After all it is boasting such stars as Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas, Josh Brolin, and Frank Langella, so I had no choice. Their names alone are worth it, and certainly with Douglas primed and ready to take it back and bring some limelight prestige to his name as of late, this is not so bad. So after a while I saw that Oliver Stone had really done his homework, specifically on the stock market crash of 2008, unemployment rate spike of 2009 and the national debt. Douglas' returning character, Gordon Gekko will be warning the trading world of these very things, as well as repairing the damage with his daughter Winnie (Carry Mulligan), who is engaged to LaBeouf's character Jacob, a young trader. Which is the plot right there.

Gekko get's out a prison and wants to reconnect with his daughter, but she blames him for the suicide of her brother, so she hates the shit outa him. So in steps LaBeouf, who is her fiance and trades Gekko help with her, if Gekko agrees to help Labeouf find out how his mentor (Langella) died. Bam!

I gotta say, I don't see this thing making very many waves, considering the release date, April? The dead center of nothing ever good most times. That stretch were January surprise hits and summer blockbusters start in May is like the film equivalent to Midland, Texas: nothing good. Well, there's always something with potential in March, always. But we'll see about Greengrass and Damon's The Green Zone later. Anywho.

After a little more digging, which is easy to find today, not last summer, I found that Susan Sarandon is playing LaBeouf's mother, and even Charlie and Martin Sheen are back for a little visit as the Fox's. 

Stone, who is known greatly for bledning fact with fiction, and calling it fact, has apprently tried to take the high road with this one. But we'll see fa sho soon enough. And it would appear that LaBeouf is also stepping up his game (in trying to prove the critics wrong at least). The biggest and widely known point of criticism of this upcoming feature is that LaBeouf is an action star with no real drama chops and he's gonna sink the film without a trace.

LaBeouf's got it in the bag though, just listen to how seriously he's attacking his first real chance to wow the audience with his one-on-one with Sarandon, Douglas, Langella and Brolin. 

In a quote, looks like he did his research: 

"I don't know what ... a credit derivative is." Adding that "I have no idea. I don't know what a Cpo is. Ipb. Lvc. You gotta know ticker names." LaBeouf also said of playing the role and of the film's background of the financial world that he has “no concept” of the "ins and outs of the financial world." LaBeouf stated, as part of as part of getting into character, he chose to stay "skinny" because "hedge funders are big in cardio" and they are "lean."

As much as that idiotic shit didn't help his case, I've paid close attention to him in the past. And as long as we don't get into anything involving his firm disagreement with something, we should be alright. See Below.

Yes, he does have a tendency to overact like he's got a gun to his head. Some have said he makes Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. proud. But that doesn't mean as long as those temptations are removed... he can't pull it together, and whip people's faces off with some serious performing. I have faith he'll do just fine, but sometimes there's no makin' anyone happy, ya know?

Here's su'mo about what he had to say about his prep to broke stocks (Can I say it like that?)

Damn son! 20-489,000. And now here's a trailer (I like this one better than the full length).  

 

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps comes to you September 24th. See you there?

Munki Out.