Hollywood, Ca. The release of Jake Gyllenhaal Sci-Fi Actioner Source Code has been marred by controversy this week, as it appears that the memo that prompted its development was meant as a joke.
Producers and executives at the film’s production company were wishing they could turn back the clock for real yesterday as it was revealed that on April 1st last year Development Executive David Birnbaum had circulated a memo suggesting that the 2006 Tony Scott/Denzel Washington Sci-Fi Actioner Déjà Vu was ripe for a remake. The reasons he said, were clear. “We made a few mistakes last time round”, the lawyer turned entertainer states in the memo, “I mean casting a black lead AND a black love interest!? What were we thinking!? And Val Kilmer! I mean come on! This time out all we need to do is switch the older black couple for a hot young white couple, swap out the crazy white soldier bad guy for a weird, smug black doctor bad guy and switch the exploding boat for some other kind of big exploding vehicle, something fast, like a train. And hey presto! $100 mill, guaranteed! While we’re at it we should drop the French name in case people in Iowa think it’s a foreign movie, they hate those. Call it something meaningless like Source:Code, only you know, better. They’ll lap it up!” Birnbaum also went on to suggest that the writers watch at least one season of classic 80s Sci-Fi Comedy Quantum Leap before putting anything down on paper, and that “the science” behind the Source Code should make absolutely no sense at all.
Executives at the company, apparently unable to tell a good idea from a side of ham rushed the movie into production in order to meet Birnbaum’s proposed release date of April 1st, 2011, April Fool’s Day, without copping that they were being had.
Speaking through his lawyer Mr. Birnbaum was resistant to the idea that he had put the financial future of the entire company in jeopardy with his stunt, “The movie I was suggesting remaking was called Déjà Vu, it means Seen Before! It’s a TONY SCOTT MOVIE! How could they not realise I was joking!
Mr. Birnbaum, however rather than being run out of the company has been promoted to President, as in a post script to his April Fools Memo he also jokingly suggested making a fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie, a movie mash-up between High Noon and Independence Day, and remaking “that Jap motorbike cartoon Akira with the kid from Twilight”.
Source Code is expected to top the US box office this weekend.
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