Pirates, Crichton, Spielberg, and Koepp: Who Could Ask for Anything More?

I just so happened to stumble across this article regarding a project to make a movie.

Not just any movie. A pirate movie.

And not just any pirate movie, but one based on a book by Michael Crichton (being published posthumously).

And not just any adaptation of a Crichton novel, but one with a script possibly written by David Koepp (adapted Jurassic Park and The Lost World) and produced -- possibly even directed -- by Steven Spielberg.



Here's a description of the novel:

The Caribbean, 1665. A remote colony of the English crown, the island of Jamaica holds out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Devoid of London's luxuries, Port Royal, its capital, is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses. In this steamy climate, life can end swiftly by dysentery — or dagger. But for a daring soul like Captain Edward Hunter, this wild outpost in the New World can also lead to great fortune, if he abides by the island's code. In the name of His Majesty King Charles II of England, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it.

Word in port is that the Spanish galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in nearby Matanceros. Heavily fortified, the impregnable Spanish harbor is guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of King Philip IV. With the Jamaican governor's backing, Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy island and commandeer the galleon and its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloodiest tales of Matanceros legend, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he makes it onto the island's shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry stand between him and the treasure.

With the help of his cunning band, Hunter hijacks El Trinidad and escapes the deadly clutches of Cazalla, leaving plenty of carnage in his wake. But the danger — and adventure — are only just beginning...

The book will be released November 24, 2009. The movie is still in the very earliest phases.

Inspiration for an updated Home Alone

According to the Birmingham News, two young men in the Birmingham (that's Alabama) area targeted homeowners in upscale neighborhoods based on when they updated their FaceBook accounts that they'd be out of town.

I can see it now: an updated Home Alone where the crooks are lured by the McCallister family's FaceBook announcement that they're all going to [insert popular family vacation destination here] for their summer vacation. Unfortunately, one precocious child is left behind. The real kicker is that Macaulay Culkin will either reprise his role as eight-year old Kevin McCalister, or he can return as the father (either a grown-up Kevin or taking on the role of the original father while the beloved child character continues his pranks and signature shocked expression) who sees the other side of the family drama as he is now the father of an abandoned child. If he plays a grown-up Kevin, we could even get a touching Hollywood moment where the father and son make one final trap for the crooks, thus ensuring a parent-child bonding experience that was absent at the beginning of the movie.

*sighs* It's a great cautionary tale about the dangers of making your profile -- and thus your life -- too public on the internet. Because if you're not careful, Hollywood can -- and will -- bring Home Alone back to punish you for your ways.