DISCUSSION: Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie's ''Jack the Giant Killer?

Span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Despite "Superman Returns," not my favorite film by any means, I still have faith in Singer's ability to release films with taut, interesting plots with strong cinematography and editing. That he's working not only on "Jack the Giant Killer" but "Battlestar Galactica" bodes well for his creative process, I think, in terms of working with different genres, writers, etc. Personally, I'm a fan of fairy-tale adaptations and don't see either fairy tales or movies adaptations as needing to be appropriate for fans of all ages – any more than I see comic books and their adaptations as needing to be for all ages. I believe it's a false assumption that either fairy tales or comic books are intended for children.

(My comparison between fairy tales & comic books is drawn from Singer's work with the "X-Men" films. But the same argument applies to animation, to my mind.) Besides, there's already a rich film history of fairy-tale adaptations intended for adults, including Cocteau's "La Bell et la Bete" ("Beauty and the Beast"), "The Company of Wolves" ("Little Red Riding Hood"), "Freeway" ("Little Red Riding Hood"), "The Red Shoes," "Snow White: A Tale of Terror," and "Splash" ("The Little Mermaid;" it may be a film appropriate for most (not all) children (PG rating), but it's not intended for children). Plus there's all the films out there that are even more loosely inspired on fairy tales or folk tales, like Terry Gilliam's "Brothers Grimm" and "Sleepy Hollow.

"Like the fairy tales themselves, especially those not sanitized by the Grimm Brothers let alone Disney, these films tend to the suspenseful, gruesome, and horrific.So to my mind, Singer is participating in a rich cinematic history by working with fairy tales and adapting them for an audience he's interested in. I've never had the impression, at least based on his directing and producing history, that he's particularly interested in creating work for all ages. Nor do I think he "should."As for "Jack the Giant Killer" itself, versions of the tale are dark, dark indeed.

Not every version of the tale has poor little underdog Jack killing the giant in self-defense. It's not a David vs. Goliath URL2 many variants, Jack is the aggressor – stealing from the giant(s) and killing them wantonly. He's a trickster figure.

And those magic beans? Not necessarily part of the tale. Indeed, the Jack from the comic-book series "Fables" is closer to many variants of the tale than Mickey Mouse from "Mickey and the Beanstalk.

"So I'd be more concerned/interested in what Singer plans to do with 3D and who he's bringing on for cintematography than about the adult focus of the script. All that said, it's entirely possible that the film won't be any good. If that were to happen, though, it wouldn't necessarily be because "Jack the Giant Killer" was was a fairy-tale adaptation not intended for or marketed to children.

I'll be watching with interest to see how the project develops!

Despite "Superman Returns," not my favorite film by any means, I still have faith in Singer's ability to release films with taut, interesting plots with strong cinematography and editing. That he's working not only on "Jack the Giant Killer" but "Battlestar Galactica" bodes well for his creative process, I think, in terms of working with different genres, writers, etc. Personally, I'm a fan of fairy-tale adaptations and don't see either fairy tales or movies adaptations as needing to be appropriate for fans of all ages – any more than I see comic books and their adaptations as needing to be for all ages. I believe it's a false assumption that either fairy tales or comic books are intended for children.

(My comparison between fairy tales & comic books is drawn from Singer's work with the "X-Men" films. But the same argument applies to animation, to my mind.) Besides, there's already a rich film history of fairy-tale adaptations intended for adults, including Cocteau's "La Bell et la Bete" ("Beauty and the Beast"), "The Company of Wolves" ("Little Red Riding Hood"), "Freeway" ("Little Red Riding Hood"), "The Red Shoes," "Snow White: A Tale of Terror," and "Splash" ("The Little Mermaid;" it may be a film appropriate for most (not all) children (PG rating), but it's not intended for children). Plus there's all the films out there that are even more loosely inspired on fairy tales or folk tales, like Terry Gilliam's "Brothers Grimm" and "Sleepy Hollow.

"Like the fairy tales themselves, especially those not sanitized by the Grimm Brothers let alone Disney, these films tend to the suspenseful, gruesome, and horrific.So to my mind, Singer is participating in a rich cinematic history by working with fairy tales and adapting them for an audience he's interested in. I've never had the impression, at least based on his directing and producing history, that he's particularly interested in creating work for all ages. Nor do I think he "should."As for "Jack the Giant Killer" itself, versions of the tale are dark, dark indeed.

Not every version of the tale has poor little underdog Jack killing the giant in self-defense. It's not a David vs. Goliath URL2 many variants, Jack is the aggressor – stealing from the giant(s) and killing them wantonly. He's a trickster figure.

And those magic beans? Not necessarily part of the tale. Indeed, the Jack from the comic-book series "Fables" is closer to many variants of the tale than Mickey Mouse from "Mickey and the Beanstalk.

"So I'd be more concerned/interested in what Singer plans to do with 3D and who he's bringing on for cintematography than about the adult focus of the script. All that said, it's entirely possible that the film won't be any good. If that were to happen, though, it wouldn't necessarily be because "Jack the Giant Killer" was was a fairy-tale adaptation not intended for or marketed to children.

I'll be watching with interest to see how the project develops!

I have more faith in Bryan Singer after Superman Returns than I have of Brett Ratner after X-men 3 (which I actually liked more than most people). I have to see more content before I am dismissive or in praise of it. I'm interested in how they're going to get away with calling it "Jack the Giant Killer" I know it may sound silly to some people, but I think that you don't have something like killing in the title of your film when it's for a wide audience.

Maybe for PG-13, but I'm guessing this is PG. As long as there's no blood, it's all cool, right? I think it'll be fantasy violence, and little more than that.

Nothing too crazy. It sounds like a Harry Potter type audience they're going for.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.