Wondering what Orlando Bloom is up to? Well it appears he hasn’t had his fill of swordplay in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies. Variety is reporting that Orlando Bloom and James Corden (THE HISTORY BOYS) have joined the cast of Paul W.S. Anderson’s (DEATH RACE) 3-D version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS for Constantin Film and Impact Pictures.
Bloom will be playing the Duke of Buckingham, with British comedian Corden portraying the servant Planchet. It was previously announced that Christoph Waltz (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS) was cast as Cardinal Richelieu, Logan Lerman (PERCY JACKSON THE LIGHTNING THIEF) as D’Artagnan, Matthew MacFadyen (ROBIN HOOD) as Athos, Ray Stevenson (ROME) as Porthos, and Luke Evans (CLASH OF THE TITANS). The cast also includes Milla Jovovich (any RESIDENT EVIL movie) as M’lady De Winter, and Mads Mikkelsen (CLASH OF THE TITANS) as Rochefort.
Summit is shooting for a Summer 2011 release. The film’s screenplay is adapted from the Alexandre Dumas novel by Andrew Davies and Alex Litvak. Incidentally, Warner Bros. has signed THE BOURNE IDENTITY director Doug Liman last month to head their version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS, which starts production in the fall.
According to SlashFilm, Anderson has previously said about his MUSKETEERS film:
“We are definitely modernizing ‘The Three Musketeers’ without compromising the fun of shooting a period piece,” said Anderson, who hopes to shoot in France and Germany. “But in our film, corsets and feathered hats don’t take center stage. Our version is rich in eye-popping action, romance and adventure.”
Hmmmm… waht exactly does that mean? Granted, Anderson’s films are mostly guilty pleasure films, and some are just not that great. However, I personally liked EVENT HORIZON, and DEATH RACE… and I even kind of enjoyed the first RESIDENT EVIL… and yeah, I remember liking MORTAL KOMBAT more than I should have. BUT he did also make ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, which I loathed, and SOLDIER wasn’t exactly a masterpiece. Then again from what I’ve seen of RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE, it’s looking pretty good, and really nice with its 3-D. Maybe doing a 3-D version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS is the perfect project for Paul. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
