As much as I’d like to tell you that Hollywood has finally opened its eyes to a rich, cinematic goldmine and will finally be adapting popular candybars into feature films, Warner Bros’ The Three Musketeers is, instead, based on the far less nougaty Alexandre Dumas “literary” version. Disappointing, I know, but at least the film may have found its director.
The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Doug Liman, a man whose filmic credits began with Swingers and then took a decidedly action-oriented turn with flicks like The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, might very well be calling the swashbuckling shots when the cameras start rolling, a date that Warner Bros. is eyeing as “as soon as possible”.
A rival Musketeer project is, meanwhile, being set up at Summit Entertainment with Paul W.S. Anderson to direct. That film has already been declared go for 3-D and THR suggests that its more than likely that the WB version will follow suite.
If Liman does sign on officially, it probably won’t be long before we start hearing official casting announcements for both films. By the math, the misleadingly-titled source material actually has parts for four musketeers. Double that, and there’s eight sets of pantaloons to fill in Hollywood. If you’re a male moviestar, your odds of becoming a musketeer have never been better.
