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Monday, June 7, 2010 | 10:24pm
Antione Fuqua Hopes To Do What Vinny Chase, Entourage Couldn’t. Make ‘Medellin’ a Hit
The Training Day Director hopes his real life version has more success than the Billy Walsh flick
@adriangrenier #antioinefuqua #pabloescobar
It looks like my former West Viginia University classmate Antoine Fuqua is going to be pretty busy this year. In addition to manning the helm of the Tupac biopic and working with Spike Lee on a film about a Pimp and Hoe turned Assasin, he’s also directing the on-screen adaptation on the life of Colombian Drug Cartel kingpin, Pablo Escobar.
Vincent Chase as “Pablo Escobar” in the ficticious film “Medellan”
Fans of HBO’s hit television series, Entourage of course remember an entire season dedicated to characters Vinny and Eric determination to cut their teeth as producers on the doomed Escobar film, “Medellin”.
Unlike Medellin however, the “Training Day” says he won’t be casting a one-hit wonder like Vinny Chase and instead is looking to land Javier Bardem and Benicio del Toro to play Pablo and Roberto Escobar, respectively.
Perhaps learning from the mistakes of his fictitious predecessor, Billy Walsh, Fuqua, himself a New York native is determined not to “get [the film] wrong.”
“I think it’s an important story of what was happening at that time and with him,” he tells Digital Spy. “We want to get it right, or as close as we can.”
The Pablo Escobar story was one that always intrigued me as I’m sure it did many my age. He was the real life Tony Montana, George Jung, Carlito Brigante style gangster. I can remember his life, rise and fall playing out through peaks at the evening news and newspapers. He is the reason we associate Cocaine with Columbia and why the country has had to fight so hard to change the stigma. So when Entourage tackled the issue it was intriguing as the subplot of the Entourage saga. However, a lot of pressure will be put on Fuqua’s shoulders to bring this modern day villain to the big screen, this time all jokes aside. The character development, setting, music and most importantly, dialog is going to have to be on point. But given his work with “Training Day” I think he’s more than up to the task. Lets just hope he doesn’t over exert himself with two bioflicks now slated for the horizon.
In my opinion, the problem with making a biopic of this magnitude is that more often than not, American filmakers step in the trap of the stereotypes and can’t seem to get out of it. For the most part, average Americans know little outside their immediate circles/likes, as well as history. Thus, filmakers give their American audiences something that they can live with, with little substance or even historical correctness. So, there will be a lot of bloody action, car chases, blown up buildings and stereotypical Hispanic males with equally thick accents and mustaches. I won’t be surprised if Escobar says, “say hello to my little friend” at some point in the movie.
That’s why I think Fuqua would be great. As a black director I think he’ll understand the tendency for films to go down that road. If you think about Training Day, he challenged those stereotypes by having people of all races involved in the Drug trade. However, considering this is a bioflick and not fiction it will be even that much more important for him to avoid the trap as you say.
Would have to say that Carlito’s Way is my favorite movie for the twist and turns. However that movie is based on fiction and can be written to fit within whatever the director deems fit. Since Antione Fuqua will have to contend with FACTS I feel he will be digging himself a nasty, muddy grave by undertaking such a movie. Fuqua will not be able to embellish for the sake of making an exciting story. I am open to see b/c what else do we have out there to watch on the big screens.
I’m going to try and find out which film comes out first this or the Tupac bioflick I think the later of the two will be better given he’ll have the experience of dealing with a biography.