Hold That Jumper - Doug Liman's Next Project?

Regardless of updates to IMDB and other talk about Jumper 2, it's possible that Doug Liman's untitled Moon project might be closer to starting production than his Hayden Christensen starring sequel to Jumper. Recently, IMDB added Hayden Christensen to the cast on the Jumper 2 listing for the sequel. The original Jumper came in number one at the box office when it was released in February 2008.

As schedules are always in a state of being arranged and re-arranged on Hollywood movie projects, you just never know what might get moved up or pushed back.

Only time will tell if Jumper 2 or the Moon project will be Doug Liman's next project. At the moment, it looks like everyone involved, including Jake Gyllenhaal, might have room on their schedules for the Moon project to start filming in early 2010.

Hayden has two possible projects listed in pre-production on IMDB which haven't been confirmed yet but could keep him busy for awhile. Besides that, there are several scripts for Moon and there has been no mention of any script yet on Jumper 2. Status is still listed as "In Development: Optioned property". Fans of the Steven Gould Jumper books may have to wait a little longer to see Hayden Christensen reprise the role of David Rice in a second installment in the series.

Simon Kinberg who also wrote for Jumper and who is tayloring the Moon script specifically for actor Jake Gyllenhaal spoke to 30 Ninjas Blog about the progress of that project.


JFG: Where does the film [Moon Project] stand now?

SK: We’re hoping that the movie shoots the beginning of next year. And it has been through many iterations, which I think is Doug’s process, to some extent, where he wants to look at a lot of different versions of something to make sure it’s the exact right version, and I think we’re starting to close in on the exact right version. Like you say, it’s been a labor of love for Doug, and I’ve worked with him on two movies and a TV pilot now, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him as passionate about a project as he is about this.


JFG: It’s the longest he’s been on a project.

SK: For sure. Which is telling. So it’s an ongoing — as you know, since you’re part of the conversation still — it is an ongoing conversation, it’s a group dialogue, it’s all these people involved giving ideas, and our trying to synthesize them … I just spent time with Jake, who is also a producer on the movie, and hopefully the star of the movie, and he’s doing research, and thinking about it, and has all kinds of good ideas, and — like all Dougie’s movies, but maybe more than the others — it’s an all-hands-on-deck, everybody’s-contributing-ideas process. Source

Check Hayden Christensen Fan News for the latest news updates.

Hayden Christensen, Doug Liman, Jumper 2

Jumper Sequel In Development - It may not be his next directing job, but Doug Liman is quick to let people know that Jumper 2 is definitely in the works.

Speaking to Craveonline last November about his new producing gig on Knight Rider, he was asked if Jumper was on the list of projects he'll be working on in the future.

"That's definitely something in the works but it wouldn’t be my next directorial assignment", said the director who is currently deciding his next project.

The director of 2008's Jumper took movie goers on a whirlwind ride around the globle in the story about a young man (Hayden Christensen) who finds he has the power to jump anywhere, anytime. The movie's subject about someone with the power to teleport is thoroughly fascinating and imaginative. Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell and Samuel L. Jackson have reportedly already signed on for the sequel currently in development. There is a projected April 27, 2010 start date for filming on Jumper 2.

Doug Liman has some definite ideas about where a Jumper sequel might go.

"I'm very interested in using films as Trojan Horses, and mass media for Trojan Horses..."

Liman describes the work he is interested in as a director as more subversive than the traditional stories. It seems a risky concept but more often than not it has succeeded in Liman's films.

"So I'm interested in the Jumper sequel as a way to maybe introduce time travel and explore history in a way that you could get a mass audience in and maybe they'd learn about World War II, they'd learn about the Cold War which was something I was lucky enough to live through and the average moviegoer today doesn't even understand what it was like to go behind an iron curtain."

While answering questions about a possible Jumper Director's cut, Liman reveals one story shocker.....

A Doug Liman director's cut of Jumper would reveal some alternate story situations. There were scenes filmed that were never used because they had Hayden Christensen's character going in a different direction than the final theatrical version.

"I definitely have material where he [Hayden Christensen] actually leaves the finale. He's incredibly unheroic. He actually leaves. He has the ability to teleport. He just abandons Rachel Bilson and goes."

Still one has to wonder how a movie without a clear cut hero could succeed even in a world of movies where heroes are usually somewhat flawed. Times have changed. In the 40's and 50's Superman's Clark Kent had a normal upbringing being adopted by the perfect parents. Jumper's David, who grows up in the 90's and is a runaway, has a more cold and harsh reality. He is a product of his environment, left unguided you can understand if he strays from the straight and narrow path from time to time. Steven Gould's books set that up nicely.

In the novels, Steven Gould writes David as having some redeemable qualities as well. For instance Davy is empathetic to the homeless since he was once homeless as a runaway. He secretly gives away his coat or money (albeit stolen money) to street people because he knows what it's like to be mugged, have no money or home. He's somewhat compassionate even as he continues his quest for revenge against those who hurt him. He becomes the accidental hero while exacting his revenge when he has to make a decision to help others in the process or leave innocent bystanders in danger.

Times may have changed and how heroes are born may have changed but we still hope for them all the time.

What might we hope for in a Jumper sequel? We have a protagonist who had no great shakes of a family life and only that internal mechanism called a conscience to guide him. Unless David is a complete sociopath, the audience may still hope he finally comes to the right conclusions about love, honor and integrity even if he has to go through hell to get there. Maybe that's where the real story lies.

As played by Hayden Christensen, David is anything but a sociopath. He doesn't want to be the bad guy but makes a lot of bad choices. Millie becomes his anchor and his conscience and it is because of her he strives to be better. She not only becomes the heart of the story but the rock. That makes David an underdog that we can root for and care about in a story where Millie and David eventually become the team they progress to in the Jumper novels. With David also having to deal with additional characters like Griffin (Jamie Bell) and Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) added to the mix, there would seem to be some great story possibilities for Jumper 2.

Jumper 2 expected to be released sometime in 2011.

For the latest news about Hayden Christensen visit Hayden Christensen Fan News

Jumper DVD Release June 10, 2008

Jumper DVD Reminder. Jumper pre-book date May 12, 2008. You can pre-order from many places online where DVD's are sold. Jumper is also available in Blu-ray format.

"From Doug Liman, the director of The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and based on the best selling science-fiction novel by Steven Gould, Jumper is an experience “like nothing you’ve seen before” (Good Day NY) and has “something new and cool every five minutes” (The New York Sun). A fantastical journey through space and time, Jumper stars Hayden Christensen (Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Awake) as David Rice, a young man with the uncanny ability to transport himself anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye. Living a carefree life of excess where anything and anywhere is possible, David’s world comes to an abrupt halt when he realizes that his gift is not as unique as he initially thought. Pursued by a secret organization sworn to kill Jumpers, David is forced to form an uneasy alliance with another young Jumper named Griffin (Jamie Bell; King Kong, Flags of Our Fathers), becoming a key player in a war that has been raging for thousands of years."

Jumper Single-Disc Bonus Features:

The Jumper single-disc DVD is presented in North America in full screen and widescreen (1.85:1 aspect ratio) on a flipper disc with English Dolby Surround 5.1 and Spanish and French Dolby Surround, plus English and Spanish subtitles. Bonus content includes:

Audio Commentary By Director Doug Liman, Writer/Producer Simon Kinberg and Producer Lucas Foster
Jumping From Novel To Film: The Past, Present & Future of Jumper Featurette
Making An Actor Jump Featurette
Previz: Future Concepts

Jumper Two-Disc Special Edition Bonus Features:

The North American Jumper two-disc special edition DVD with digital copy includes all the above single-disc content along with the following additional bonus features:

-- Doug Liman's Jumper: Uncensored Featurette
-- Jumping Around The World Featurette
-- Jumpstart: David's Story Animated Graphic Novel

Deleted Scenes

-- Inadvertent Jumps
-- Alternate Roland Introduction
-- Tokyo And The Machine
-- David Hides From Roland
-- Taxi To Airport - Rome
-- Epilogue War

Blu-ray Disc Features

The disc features Digital Copy and all of the above special features plus the Blu-ray exclusive PIP Jumping Around the World.

Jumper Sequel Seems Likely

Hayden Christensen may yet again be a teleporter if the Internet Movie Database's info is accurate. While searching earlier today for news on director Doug Liman, I found Jumper 2 listed on IMDB as one of Hayden's upcoming projects.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has added Jumper 2 to it's movie pages and shows a projected release date of 2011. IMDB's status for the film is "announced" and "in development" and was last updated March 12, 2008. No cast is listed but listed are director, Doug Liman and writers Steven Gould (novel) and Simon Kinberg. You can keep track of Jumper 2 by clicking here to go to IMDB.

The Toronto Star reported earlier this year that Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Bell had all signed for two sequels, which will only happen if Jumper is a box office success.

The Jumper 2 Message Board is also online and active at IMDB and you'll find a permanent IMDB link on Hayden Christensen Fan News in the right column of the main site for handy access to Jumper 2 and all of Hayden's movie pages on IMDB.

Hayden Christensen Takes Jumper to Japan

Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson and Doug Liman received a warm welcome from fans and the media for the premiere of Jumper at the Toho Cinemas in Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, Japan.

Hayden was debonair in a dark suit and Rachel was chic in a Zac Posen blue and green water-colored strapless dress, black tights and Christian Louboutin black heels. They signed autographs and spoke to the press before the movie presentation.

Jumper is in theaters everywhere in Japan on March 7th.

Click pictures to enlarge. (Thanks to Sophie for the pictures.)

Hayden Christensen's Jumper - What Fans Say

Jumper Teleports To Top Boxoffice Spot

"Jumper" surprised many critics in it's President's Day weekend opening and teleported straight to number one with a comfortable box office lead over two other anticipated movies, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and "Step Up 2 The Streets".

The Doug Liman directed action-adventure sci-fi movie starring Hayden Christensen debuted over a long US holiday weekend releasing on Thursday, Valentine's Day. The final totals for the weekend's domestic box office came in with Jumper at number 1 with $32,092,991 with a more than comfortable lead over the number 2 movie, "The Spiderwick Chronicles", with $24,740,537. "Step Up 2 The Streets" grabbed the number 3 spot with $22,125,429.

"Jumper" now enters the record books, coming in at number 5 on the list of all time highest grossing box office movies, premiering on President's Day weekend. "Jumper" found an audience despite being trashed by critics, earning $67.6 million worldwide in it's first week in release.

Jumper Fans Jump the Critics

Critics came down hard on the movie and it's star Hayden Christensen, naming anything from script problems and plot holes to lack of chemistry and general lack of talent.

What some critics fail to realize is that Hayden Christensen has already found an audience and "Jumper" had a cast that people were very much looking forward to seeing, a cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell and Diane Lane and an anticipated movie directed by Doug Liman.

More and more audiences are making up their own minds about actors and movies because movie reviews trying to convince them not to like something they already like or have an interest in is beside the point.

Hayden is appealing as the "every-man", down-on-his-luck character, David Rice, who is transported from ordinary to extraordinary circumstances when he finds he can literally teleport from bullies and survive by taking not just what he needs but what he wants. Like the character says, "I was 15. Come on, what would you have done?" But David's luxurious and selfish lifestyle can only last so long before karma happens and all hell breaks loose with David being forced to turn his attention to things other than himself.

Movie goers jumped ahead of the critics and decided for themselves about Jumper and went out and saw the movie. In answer to the critics: "Jumper" isn't a big brain teaser. It's not hard to understand. Most of the complained about "unanswered questions" in the story are there in the movie if you're paying even a little attention. The movie did hold some things back and in that respect it was a lot like director Doug Liman's "The Bourne Identity" and its sequels. Jumper's ending and John Powell's totally cool music score especially at the end of the movie gave the feeling of more to come.

Though "Jumper" isn't perfect, there's something intriguing about the story and characters and together with some cool action sequences makes it an entertaining and fun popcorn flick. A sequel is already being talked about as a possibility. It deserves a sequel and if there is one, I'm there.

Over the coming days expect to see fan reviews and comments for Jumper posted here with probably a good dose of jumping the critics. Go out and make up your own mind about Jumper and see the movie this weekend.

Join the chatter. Comment on reviews here or email me if you want to submit a review, long or short, simple, serious or funny. Let us know what you thought about Jumper.

Read another fan review HERE.

Barbara
Email: Hayden Christensen Fan News

Jumper "Anywhere is Possible" Press Junket

Updates for appearances and media coverage for the movie Jumper with Hayden Christensen

ETalk on CTV - February 8th (Friday) - "All about the new movie Jumper with Hayden Christensen." Etalk on CTV

Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell and Doug Liman in London - February 7th - Various coverage and media.



Ben Lyons - February 5-11 - E! News and the Daily 10 coverage from Egypt, Rome, London and next week from the New York premiere.

Hayden, Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell and Doug Liman in Italy - February 6th - the Coliseum, February 6th.

Daily 10 on E! - Hayden, Rachel and Jamie with Ben Lyons. February 5th at 6:30 p.m. Catch night time repeats at 11:00 p.m., 2:00 a.m. and mornings at 7:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. CT

American Idol - Upcoming Jumper tv spot with Hayden and Ryan Seacrest. American Idol airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. CT

E! News - Ben Lyons - From Cairo on February 5th. E! News Live covers Jumper press junket at 6:00 p.m. Catch night time repeat episodes at 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. CT and mornings at 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. CT.

eTalk on CTV - Jumper coverage every night this week on this Canadian network. Check CTV for listings.

Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell and Doug Liman in Cairo- February 5th - At the Sphinx. Watch out for taped interviews from various tv programs.

Kicking It - With Byron Allen:
Week of 2/4 - 2/11 - Hayden is on the schedule for this syndicated program featuring interviews with stars of upcoming movies. Some of you may get this program on Saturday and others on Sunday. It may air more than once in your area. I usually get it on Sunday mornings at 2:00 a.m. Check local listings.

LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY, syndicated
Mo 2/11: Rachel Bilson
Tu 2/12: Samuel L. Jackson
Th 2/14: Hayden Christensen

LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON, CBS
Fr 2/15: Rachel Bilson

Hayden Christensen Teens for Jeans Spokesperson

Actors Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson recently filmed a Public Service Announcement as spokespersons for the Teens for Jeans Campaign sponsored by Aeropostale and Dosomething.org. The PSA was directed by Doug Liman.

1 in 3 homeless people in the US are under the age of 18 and Canada's homeless population is about 300,000. The Teens for Jeans Campaign is reaching out to help young homeless people in the US and Canada by raising awareness and giving teens the opportunity to help.

It's Easy to Donate

Aeropostale has made it easy for you to bring your gently worn jeans and drop them off at any of their store locations. Aeropostale stores are located nationwide and in Canada and you can find the store nearest you here on the Store Locator Map

Aeropostale will thank you for donating your jeans with an additional 20% off on any purchase of a new pair.

There's More You Can Do

It's easy to help but get a move on and clean out your closet and bring your jeans between 1/22/08 and 2/10/08. Get your friends in on things too. Invite your MySpace, Facebook and Live Journal friends to join you in spreading the word. Bloggers, you're on!

You and a few friends can organize a neighborhood jeans drive or one in your school. You could just make it a fun day with friends bringing your jeans to the nearest store. Write up the info and add it to your school newspaper or your local newspaper's calendar of events. There's lots of ways to spread the word.

Click to visit Teens for Jeans


Links:

Celebrities for Teens for Jeans Auctions

Hayden, Rachel and Doug - Celebs Gone Good

More Ways to Help

Hayden Christensen autographs jeans for the auction.



Rachel Bilson shown autographing jeans for the celebrity auction.



Hayden Christensen Fan News Website

Hayden Christensen and Doug Liman MIT Jumper Preview

Hayden and Doug Liman answered questions and took pictures with fans and talked about Jumper and the science behind the story at the special screening held at MIT last night. They were joined on the panel by two of the university's physics professors who answerd the more scientific and technical questions about teleportation. During the Q & A, Hayden asked the crowd not to think of him as only a "sci fi kinda guy" adding that he has two films coming out that have nothing to do with science fiction, saying "it will be a nice change". Where would Hayden teleport? "Home, it’s always good to be home.”

Articles:
Boston.com
Boston Herald
Photos from JustJared.com




Back to Hayden Christensen Fan News Website

Hayden Christensen and Doug Liman at MIT Jumper Screening

Jumper's Hayden Christensen and Doug Liman will both be in attendance at a screening of selected scenes from the movie and a panel discussion with MIT Physics Professors Max Tegmark and Edward Farhi on the MIT campus Wednesday, January 16, 2008. You can get more info on the event on the Arts@MIT webpage.

Jumper, a 20th Century Fox February movie release, is the story of a young man with a genetic anomaly who finds he can teleport anywhere in the world in a split second. Trouble comes when he finds he isn't the only 'Jumper' out there and a secret organization isn't as excited about his talent as he is. In fact, they want to kill him because of the dangers Jumpers pose in being able to break laws at will and also a little something to do with creating rifts in the space-time continuum.

But if you think Jumper is just an action movie just read the synopsis:

"David is a Jumper who can teleport himself to the streets of New York and Tokyo, the ruins of Rome, and the Sahara Desert. He can see twenty sunsets in one night, whisk his girlfriend around the world in the blink of an eye, and grab millions of dollars in a matter of minutes. But David's global odyssey takes a deadly turn when he finds himself relentlessly pursued by a secret organization sworn to kill Jumpers. Forming an uneasy alliance with another Jumper, David becomes a key player in a war that seems to have no end. As these world-changing events unfold, David begins to discover the secrets and mythology behind his incredible ability."

I find jumping around the world to all those beautiful cities and taking time for sunsets and whisking your girlfriend around the globe just as romantic as I find it action-packed. And when Jumper whisks into theaters on Valentine's Day 2008, I'll have my head in the clouds thinking of romance and still be ready for an exciting ride.

MIT Scheduled Jumper Sneak Preview

When: Wednesday, 16, January, 8:-00 p.m.

What: In the science fiction-action-thriller _Jumper_, a genetic anomaly allows a young man to teleport himself anywhere. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between "Jumpers" and those who have sworn to kill them.

The screening will be followed by a discussion panel about the film and the physics of teleportation featuring lead actor HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN, director DOUG LIMAN, and MIT Physics Professors MAX TEGMARK and EDWARD FARHI.

Who: This is a FREE Sneak Preview, with preferred admission for members of the MIT Community with an MIT ID or brass rat.

LSC members (including permpass members) may reserve tickets (for yourself and a guest). Email by Tuesday the 15th. Email: zykorex@gmail.com

Where: 26-100. Tickets will be distributed in Lobby 16 at 6pm on January 16.