There’s been chatter about a movie adaptation for The A-Team for a while now. Most recently it was in the works with John Singleton set to direct and Ice Cube in as B.A. Baracus. It was also said that UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson auditioned for the same role. Singleton eventually left the project due to issues with casting. No word on if this is because of auditions by UFC fighters or not, but he apparently didn’t like something.
Now that that recipe didn’t work, a new team is being assembled, starting with negotiations to hire Smokin’ Aces director Joe Carnahan to take the wheel. Because Singleton left due to casting issues, there’s a chance that actors may be still attached, but that’s not confirmed. Considering how chaotic Aces was, I’m thinking this may be a good choice.
The A-Team followed a group of US Army Special Forces soldiers who were wrongly accused of a crime and went on the run from the military. They’re perceived as a team of mercenaries, but in fact do many good deeds. NBC President of Entertainment at the time Brandon Tartikoff initially pitched the show to series co-creator Stephen J. Cannell as:
…a cross between The Dirty Dozen, Mission Impossible, Seven Samurai (and its western remake The Magnificent Seven), Mad Max and Hill Street Blues, with Mr. T driving the car.
Ridley Scott and Tony Scott‘s Scott Free will produce the project with Cannell for Fox. Skip Woods (Hitman, Swordfish) wrote the current script.
If all goes as planned, the movie will release on June 11, 2010.
[Source: THR]
