You might think a sequel to "Oliver Twist" is unnecessary, and you’d probably be correct. But what if we told you it was written by Edgar Wright? And it was going to take the Dickensian era and throw a little steampunk sauce on it? Yeah, we figured you might be warming up to the idea now.
Film Divider reports the Wright has done a full-blown rewrite of "Dodge And Twist" for Sony. Conceived by Ahmet Zappa ("The Odd Life Of Timothy Green"), with Cole Haddon (NBC series "Dracula") working out the story, and Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire," "127 Hours") writing an initial draft, Wright’s tale brings a new dimension to the long-brewing project that centers on Twist and the Artful Dodger, 20 years after the events in the Dickens novel, and plunks them into a Victorian-era heist film. But if you think Wright will direct, guess again. He’s got "Baby Driver" coming up, and "Grasshopper Jungle" after that, and he’s not expected to lens this. Still, now this is one we’re keeping an eye on.
Meanwhile, Wright’s pal Simon Pegg has landed the gig co-writing "Star Trek 3" with Doug Jung ("Banshee"), according to THR. It’s an interesting flavor to add to the tone of "Star Trek" films, but certainly not an unwelcome one, especially after the dour "Star Trek Into Darkness." The third installment could use some lightening up and wit, and Pegg is the right guy to do this (presuming that’s what his talents are being brought in for, beyond playing Scotty). We’ll be curious to see how director Justin Lin handles a Pegg-penned script, and most importantly, whether or not the diehard fanbase will be pleased with the results.