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...The concept is something we’ve never seen before on the big screen, and in the right hands, could be a good Summer tentpole film...

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He did both Nights at the museum. I liked the first movie very much and I don´t think it was bad at all. It

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MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT*****MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT*****MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT***** MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT
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A link to a script review of REAL STEEL was posted on the IMDB page of the prospective movie, thanks to Narrows 101. There are two parts - a synopsis of the storyline and a commentary on the script by the reviewer.

http://www.mypdfscripts.com/sc...p-reviews-real-steel


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jkap Reviews: Real Steel

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In the near-future, robots have replaced humans as boxers. Story of Charlie Kenton, a down-on-his-luck boxer and his shot at redemption when he unexpectedly finds himself in custody of his 11-year old son, Max.

This is what it’s come down to. Charlie Kenton is dragging his boxer, SUPERNOVA, off to some out-of-the-way fair to fight a…200lb steer! Worse, when Charlie arrives he finds out they’re actually fighting a 2,000lb bull.

Times are hard for Charlie. He lives in his truck. His future is non-existent. He’s barely hanging on. That’s why he agrees to fight the 2,000lb bull and even bets $10,000 that Supernova will win.

RICKY, the boxing promoter, warns Charlie that he will beat Charlie to within an inch of his life if Charlie loses and doesn’t pay up.

The fight is on. And it’s over quickly. The bull tears off Supernova’s left leg and it all goes downhill from there. The bull stomps Supernova into pieces. Charlie’s out $10,000…which he doesn’t have!

With no intentions of paying, Charlie beats a hasty retreat when he’s confronted by TWO GENTLEMEN, stating that Charlie’s ex-wife has died and he now has custody of his 11-yr old son, MAX KENTON.

So, we’re off to Court where we meet young MAX and his AUNT HELEN who has temporary custody. Aunt Helen is wealthy beyond belief (having married three times). Her current husband MARVIN is the one paying all the bills.

It’s here we learn what kind of man Charlie is. He has no interest whatsoever in his son. Doesn’t even want to meet him. He’s perfectly willing to sign some paperwork that will relieve him of custody…until he sees an angle.

He makes a deal with Marvin. He will sign over custody of Max to Aunt Helen in exchange for $100,000. The only hitch is, Marvin and Helen are leaving for a prearranged trip to Italy and won’t return for two months. Charlie gets $50,000 now and retains custody for two months. When the aunt returns, Charlie will turn over custody and get an additional $50,000.

With the newfound money, Charlie is off to the races, buying a new robot – NOISY BOY, with Max in tow.

Max learns Charlie sold him for money. He’s upset. We see though that this isn’t an ordinary 11-year old kid. He’s street smart like this father. Tough as nails. Also, Max knows everything about robot boxing. He’s a rabid fan of the sport.

Charlie takes Noisy Boy to their first fight. Max tags along. However, Noisy Boy loses badly. Max and Charlie cart away the pile of robot parts that used to be Noisy Boy.

They don’t have a robot now. Max knows everything about Charlie. Middleweight. Once had a title shot but got knocked out in the 11th round.

Charlie goes to a scrap metal yard to scrounge for parts so he can build a robot. Max questions how

Charlie can win with a junker robot. Charlie states he doesn’t have to win, he just needs a robot in order to get paid for fights. It’s here that Max realizes Charlie is nothing but a loser and that’s all he will ever be.

Max almost falls down a ravine in the scrap metal yard. His life is saved by a left-for-dead robot who grabs ahold of him, preventing Max’s fall. This is Atom. Grateful, Max vows to save Atom from the scrap heap and lugs him out of the junkyard.

Charlie advises against this. States Atom is just a pile of junk. Max insists. That’s when two robot guard dogs attack. Charlie and Max are separated. The dogs go after Max. Max is able to outmanuever the dogs. The scene is very important because it’s here that Max realizes Charlie ran away and didn’t do a thing to save him. All Charlie cared about was himself.

Charlie inspects the broken down robot that saved Max’ life. It’s the only robot he has left. Worse, Charlie realizes Atom was built to be a sparring robot. Atom is not meant for real boxing.

Max and Atom’s relationship grows as Max teaches Atom how to play hide and seek. It’s like a kid and a dog.

Charlie takes Max to a real boxing match. We see COLOSSUS, the world champion. Colossus doesn’t beat his opponents, he demolishes them. Unbeatable.

Charlie and Max take Atom to his first fight. It’s in a bowling alley. The opponent is METRO. Bigger, stronger, faster than Atom. The payoff is $250 for the first round. An extra $1000 if Atom can make it to the second round.

The first round is brutal. Atom is almost knocked out but barely hangs on to survive the first round. Charlie is ecstatic, they’ve just made $1,250. Metro’s owner states he’ll double the $1,000 if Atom can survive round two. Charlie knows this is impossible but Max takes the bet. Charlie is angry – Max has just thrown away their prize money. Round two starts and Atom, mimicking moves that Max has taught him, actually knocks out Metro. The crowd is stunned.

Max goes to work. Using old parts from Supernova and Noisy Boy, Max enhances Atom. Now he needs Charlie to teach Atom all of his boxing skills.

Atom wins his next fight with Charlie barking out vocal commands. Charlie is in his moment, reliving his glory days through Atom. They are paid $15,000. For the first time in a long time, Charlie is a winner.

That’s when Ricky and his goons reappear. They beat Charlie to within an inch of his life. However, when they attack Max, we see Charlie rise to the occasion. Charlie fights with a wild abandon, protecting his son at all costs. In the end though, there’s too many goons and Charlie goes down. Ricky takes off with all of their prize money.

Broken and battered, Charlie and Max take stock. Their money is gone. All they have left is Atom.

That’s when Colossus’ handlers call. They watched Atom’s fight and offer $50,000 to buy Atom. Max refuses to sell. Instead, they will fight Colossus. A shot at the title will earn them $25,000. If Atom somehow manages to win, the purse is a million bucks. The handlers up their offer to buy Atom to $65,000. Max refuses and the fight is set.

Charlie and Max arrive at Madison Square Garden for the fight. Aunt Helen is there. She states after the fight, she will take Max home with her.

Atom gets the holy hell beat out of him but manages to survive the first round. It’s the first time any robot has managed to get to the second round against Colossus.

Max knows sending Atom out for the second round is suicide – until Atom signals to Max that he wants to go again.

Atom survives the second round and we now see that Colossus is starting to run out of steam.

Charlie calls out commands in a frenzy as Atom actually starts to hurt Colossus, landing punch after punch.

Atom makes it through rounds three and four but suffers heavy damage.

In the 5th, Atom actually knocks Colossus down. The crowd is going crazy.

Colossus gets up and the two robots savagely attack each other with everything they have left. The bell rings. Atom has survived the entire fight against Colossus.

Max and Charlie go to Atom who slumps to the ground. His lights go out. He’s dying.

The judges score the fight a unanimous victory for Colossus.

In despair, Max states he’s a loser. With conviction, Charlie puts Max on his shoulders and parades him in front of the crowd who rise in unison, giving Max a standing ovation.

Max is ontop of the world. He talks to reporters afterwards.

Charlie meets with Aunt Helen. Takes his $50,000 she owes him and slips out the back door without saying goodbye to Max. Once a loser, always a loser.

Charlie’s in his truck with Atom. Along again…until Max shows up with his duffel bag. Father and son are together and ready to take on all challengers



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The script is good. I can see why this is a high priority at DreamWorks. Very well-written and with robots being all the rage at the boxoffice (IRON MAN, TRANSFORMERS, etc,), I can see this film doing very well.

However, with another polish, the script can be great. It’s never explained why human boxing has been outlawed. That’s where they can really elevate Charlie’s character. He could be the reason. He could’ve been involved in the most brutal boxing match ever, coming to within an inch of dying in the ring. His iron-will and his heart kept him from going down. He’s just a bloody pulp at the end of the fight. Afterwards, with the media endlessly replaying the brutal rounds, the lawmakers step in and ban the sport forever.

This way, when the story opens, we see his Charlie’s will has been shattered. His life is meaningless. Yet, boxing is the only thing he knows so he desperately clutches onto it even though it means finding himself in the most-degrading situations, lugging around broken robots, fighting for a paltry $200.

And through Max and Atom, Charlie will rediscover his iron-will and his heart as they climb back up the ranks together, ending in a title shot that has long been denied him.

Also, the polish should work at strengthening Max and Charlie’s relationship. Charlie should see what he once was in Max. Full of love, hope, optimism and sheer blind faith. That anything can be accomplished in only you just believe hard enough. These qualities need to be hit much harder in the script. That way, the scenes will be much more emotionally fulfilling when they succeed in the end.

All in all though, a definite green-light for this script….with just a few provisional tweeks

Note: Due to the production status of this film, the screenplay is currently unavailable here.

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Rating: 3.8/4 (10 votes cast)
jkap Reviews: Real Steel3.8410

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Will Hugh Jackman film part of sci-fi flick 'Real Steel' in West Michigan? Maybe

By John Serba | The Grand Rapids Press
January 26, 2010, 3:29PM

AP PhotoHugh Jackman will shoot "Real Steel" in Michigan this summer.The story broke recently that "Real Steel," a sci-fi flick starring Hugh Jackman, is slated to begin filming in Michigan in June, primarily in the Detroit area.

However, West Michigan may see some action as well for the Dreamworks production budgeted at $80 million. It's not certain if Jackman will film scenes on this side of the state.

"We'll get between one and four weeks (of shooting) over here," said Rick Hert, director of the West Michigan Film Office. "I've been working with a location scout since before Thanksgiving ... but we're still up in the air with the details."

According to Variety, the movie is based on a story by Richard Matheson ("I Am Legend"), and is produced by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider. It's scheduled to begin filming in June.

"Real Steel" will be directed by Shawn Levy (the "Night at the Museum" films). The story is set in the future, when boxers are replaced by robots. An ex-fighter, played by Jackman (best known as Wolverine in the "X-Men" movies), is a struggling promoter building 'bots with his 11-year-old son.

Production scouts sniffed around for locations in Barry County in December, looking at courthouses, fairgrounds, hotels and diners.

"They were looking for the exact spot where (the main character) would build robots," Hert said. "I sent them a lot of pictures of places that they liked. The scout found most of what he wanted."

"Real Steel" will be the biggest-budgeted project Michigan has seen since passing its tax incentive for film production in 2008. A $40 million remake of “Red Dawn” filmed in the Detroit area in 2009.

"It's a big shoot with many locations and a lot of activity," Hert said.

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Fox Moguls Give Bash For Cameron, 'Avatar'

By Nikki Finke | Category: Uncategorized | Thursday February 11, 2010 @ 4:32pm

UPDATE: I just learned Rupert Murdoch and Peter Chernin were there, too.

Don't feel blue if you were left off the list for last night's big party thrown by Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman for James Cameron and the Avatar folks at Jim G's Brentwood home. Most of the guests were directors or stars or Fox hires: names included Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, Bryan Singer, Robert Rodriguez, Anne Hathaway, Gerard Butler, Roger Corman, Danny DeVito, Robert Duvall, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Hugh Jackman, Salma Hayek, Josh Brolin, Peter Saarsgard, Joe Carnahan, etc.

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• Hugh Jackman and business colleagues were spotted having a lively dinner at Sam Nazarian's The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. "He was having a lovely time and he was there for a while," says an onlooker. "He was really enjoying himself and it looked like things went well

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Originally posted by Krista:
New video here:
Searching young actor for Real Steel