Falsipedia
Like everyone else near a keyboard, I've grown accustomed to Wikipedia.
I should probably wean myself.
Every now and again I'll check the IMDB discussion boards on movies I'm working on. It's pretty fascinating, if only as a study in the global game of Telephone that is the internet. My favorite debates are the ones where someone insists loudly and arrogantly and with supreme confidence that "This movie will be Rated R! I know someone at the stuido!"…even though the movie was never going to be R.
And yes, spellings like "stuido" are part of the fun.
So today, when I skimmed the boards for Superhero!, I was excited to see that someone was trumping the debate by citing the ultimate internet authority. Off I went to see the movie's entry on Wikipedia.
Wowsers.
Let's go through it…
Superhero! is an action/comedy written by Craig Mazin and directed by David Zucker, and produced by Robert K. Weiss. The movie will spoof famous superhero films. It is distributed by The Weinstein Company. It is uncertain what the release date will be. Some sites confirmed that it will be released on March 21, 2008.
Boy, only thirteen words in, and they've already blown it. I'm directing, not David. I've always been directing. I've never not been directing. I'm also producing with Weiss and Zucker. We've shifted positions a little bit, but the same basic team behind SM3 and SM4 is still in place.
I do believe we are on the schedule for March 21, 2008, though, so good on them.
Now, here's the "purported plot."
Fabtopolis' greatest supervillain, a magician who goes by the pseudonym The Great Jim (Chris Elliot), has just kidnapped the city's mayor (Leslie Nielsen) and his wife (Anna Faris). Four of the world's most spectacular superheroes are called to the rescue: Beakman (Greg Giraldo) - the leader of the group, Squak (Eric Christian Olsen) - the wannabee, Cleara (Carla Gugino) - the see-through hero, and The Stoner (Ben Harr) - a loser who becomes a large stone monster when he gets high. The Great Jim is building a device that will allow him to sound like anybody in the world and this group of superheroes must stop him and save the mayor or the entire city will be destroyed.
As they race against time to defeat Jim, they team up with many other superheroes to try and take down Jim and his allies, including the dreaded Dock Cock (Kevin Mcdonald) and Mephistopheles (Adam Arkin).
Not bad. The only things they got wrong were everything. Every single thing. Insane.
Fabtopolis?
Anna Faris married to Leslie Nielsen?
Dock COCK?
Folks, I know I've disappointed some audiences in the past. Maybe myself too. But if I ever write anything that even remotely resembles the above, I'm eating a gun. Okay? Here's a hint…we never do "funny names." Ever.
Then they move on to a list of the movies we will be spoofing.
Superman film series
Batman film series
Fantastic Four film seriers
The Hulk (film)
Spider-Man film series
The Prestige
Daredevil (film)
Ghost Rider (film)
We're not really specifically spoofing anything. We're taking on the entire genre. However, I can assure you that the vast majority of the movies mentioned above aren't even getting casually referenced.
The Prestige???
Here's my favorite part. "History." This is the part that sounds like actual information!
It is currently unknown whether David Zucker or Craig Mazin will direct. According to some sites, the film was supposed to be originally released on February 7, 2007. However the film's real release date has been reported to be delayed to March 21, 2008.
It was confirmed on March 2, 2007, that Adam Campbell will reprise his Superman role from Epic Movie.
Many cast changes were announced on March 13, 2007. Big name actors such as Josh Lucas, Laura Kightlinger, and Joshua Jackson turned out to be actors "considered" for the roles, but not actually cast.
The producers have decided to go with actors that are more familiar to this type of film. They've gone with Anna Faris, Kevin McDonald, and Chris Elliot to replace the others.
It's currently known. I'm directing. It was "confirmed" about wha-huh now about Adam Campbell? I've never even met the guy. He's not in our movie, and he's not going to be in our movie. Nothing against him, but he belongs to a different brand of…well…whatever genre Epic Movie is. Yeah, I was totally considering "big name actors" like….Laura Kightlinger??? I actually think she's very funny…but "big name actress?"
No, none of the actors mentioned in the paragraph above have been considered for anything in this movie (YET…because we haven't really gotten into casting yet…that's coming up in just a few weeks). But why should that stop anyone? Here's the "cast of characters!"
Greg Giraldo - Theo Payne / Beakman
Carla Gugino - Cleara
Leslie Nielsen - Mayor Jogen
Anna Faris - Mrs. Jogen
Eric Christian Olsen - Mark Ockle / Squak
Ben Harr - The Stoner
Chris Elliot - The Great Jim
Fred Willard - Alfred
Adam Campbell - Superman
Kevin McDonald - Dock Cock
Lil' Kim - Betty Sue
Jonathon Martes - Spider-Man
Penny Ulrich - Lindsey
Lochlyn Munro - Daredevil
Shannon Elizabeth - Elektra
Adam Arkin - Mephistopheles
Xavier Reboir - Lex Lover
I'll go in order, giving you a "yes" or "no". Presume that a "no" is both to the actor and the character. A "yes" is a yes to both.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no and no.
Other than that, it's a really accurate entry.
At least let me congratulate you for directing…
Unk
I actually got into a little debate about the accuracy of Wikipedia. I find it to be incredibly and glaringly inaccurate.
Why in the world would anyone cite Wikipedia as a reputable source when it can be updated by just about anyone?
IMDB has more accuracy.
…..think gun training in kindergarten would reduce the number of victims in public school shooti…… Wait….. Who’s Dock Cock?!
Kevin:
In this case, IMDB is just as bad. I’ve asked them twice to remove the ridiculous casting. So far…nothing.
March 21st, 2008? Have fun for one week, Mazin.
Ha!
Seriously, though, it might be two weeks later now. I would much prefer to slam the door shut on you.
BTW, Teixeira FINALLY hit a home run tonight. Can you believe that guy?
There is actually a lot of useful information on Wikipedia on history, science and technology, although I wouldn’t use it to research an academic paper. It’s great for quickly looking up stuff like a computer algorithm or some dates in the life of a classical composer.
Pop culture stuff like movies, where all sorts of people want to get their gossip in — not so much.
It’s good that you don’t do “funny names”. I’m with you on that. But “Kevin McDonald - Doc Cock” transcends funny name into awesome casting.
yeah, wikipedia (although i use it ALL THE TIME), is overrated and not accurate. if you want good information to a topic, read a book.
my history teacher always tells us to not use wikipeda, but to read books, because there’s always an author standing surety for the book’s content. in wikipedia, there may be hundreds of people who edited the article…
craig, i think all the wikipedia movie articles are stupid.. i only check them to see how much budget a movie had;-)
inglewood
Wrong about world history is one thing, but wrong about an unfinished film, is a sin against nature.
Okay, fine - but the point about Wikipedia is you get out what you put in. Your five minutes spent railing against inaccuracy might’ve been better served by, uh, fixing it.
Which it looks like someone’s now done.
That’s the great thing about Wikipedia. If you complain about an inaccuracy, it gets fixed.
We get it, you’re directing, not David. You’ve always been directing. You’ve never not been directing. You’re also producing. Congrats.
Oh, sure, belittle my ego. See where that gets you.
So, moment of truth… will SUPERHERO! be A Film By Craig Mazin…?
THE PRESTIGE? Huh. I think there’s much more material to pull from in THE ILLUSIONIST. :)
Johnny:
No. Never.
I only use wikipedia as background information and always take it with a grain of salt.
I’m actually surprised that Paris Hilton wasn’t listed in the cast of characters.
BTW, compared to last weeks comments I feel like I’m typing in slow motion.
Hey cool, Wikipedia is about as accurate now as Fox News
Hey, I’m one of the person that edits some things in Wikipedia and try to make it as accurate as possible. But the other info. about cast I did not make. I somehow did got tricked by the plot, because it was in IMDb, so I rather did assume the info. was correct so I let it stay there in Wiki. My other mistake is the directing…because I trusted IMDb…again. Maybe I shouldn’t believe IMDb. lol. I was currently the guy who edits Superhero! in wiki but I never really go there anymroe so don’t blame on me with the false info.!
So do you only direct superhero-related movies?
You probably should cast Carla Gugino, though.
So I guess the rumor about the CGI Liberace as “The BookMite” is also unfounded.
Stupid Wikipedia. I’d already set my eleven dollars aside.
Cast all of the KIDS IN THE HALL… do it!
I have found many mistakes in wikipedia and would never use it seriously. I think that in this age of the internet, if producers want information about their movies, they need to make an official website to visit.
If you want me to buy a ticket you should definitely cast Kevin McDonald as anything (but I hate the name Doc Cock, too juvenile — glad you’re not going to Cracked! Magazine route)…
But I love Wikipedia! I use it all the time for research that doesn’t need to be particularly accurate, just get me thinking in the right direction. Also it’s fun to read thousands of words profiling Donkey Kong or “All Your Base Are Belong To Us” or whatever.
You just don’t cite Wikipedia for anything official, but you will find it to be fairly accurate for most things that aren’t political or pop-culture, or in the area of gossip.
If you recognize Wikipedia’s strengths and weaknesses (and use it accordingly), it can be a very good tool.
As displayed here, it was IMDB that resulted in a lot of the inaccurate information on the wiki.
Craig:
This is TOTALLY off topic but I wanted to share something fun (or sad) with you. I just wrapped a shoot late last night and now I have to go to criminal court because of it. The 1st AC busted out his personal camera and here’s why I might go to jail!:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kVrqwOQSEVk
I think you’re safe, Kevin. The guy in that video was labeled “Kevin Arbout.” ;)
That’s what happens when you work with Polish DP’s…
It’s much ado arbout nothing, if you ask me. Picking up a car? Bah. What is important, Kevin, is that the people leaving comments on that video say you’re hot.
On the topic of Wikipedia…
I find Wikipedia to be the most accurate in two different areas: 1) All the geek stuff the people who edit Wikipedia care deeply about, like D&D, or The Internets, or The Simpsons, and 2) THe things nobody really cares about enough to vandalise, like Isaac Newton or books or ancient history.
But wherever there can be two differing opinions, what is posted on Wikipedia is probably the third one.
On the topic of the IMDb…
I’ve been perusing not only IMDb, but also its forums, for ages now. And while it’s not most accurate when it comes to movies that are yet to come out, the existing stuff is mostly correct. And when it comes to the forums, I find the amounts of idiocy and vitriol spewed up there somewhat amusing. It’s fun to see, for example, loads of people deriding CGI animation on the Beowulf (2007.) board, or bashing remakes on the Departed board, or voicing their hatred for all things Hollywood at… everything, really. Not to mention the obligatory WORST MOVIE EVAR thread that pops up all over the place.
It’s fun.
Hey Craig,
This is off the main topic, but I’m wondering … why don’t you EVER use “funny names.” Do you think it’s a hack device in general? Or do you just think it doesn’t work in spoof movies? Like anything, it can be done well or poorly. For example, I laugh every time the name “Bob Loblaw” from Arrested Development pops into my head. Not to mention “Bob Loblaw’s Blog.”
S.A.:
I bet you any amount of money that whomever wrote that was a dude.
Kevin - they ALWAYS are.
I must say, this post gets me excited about Superhero!… it sounds like you’re doing more Mystery Men and less Epic Movie… which is a VERY good thing. Spoof’s definitely need to be taken in a new direction. Which, personally I think Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg seem to be doing a refreshing and wonderful take on the spoof with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
The best thing to use Wikipedia for is to quickly find links to other, more accurate information.
The worst thing to use it for is to look up stuff that hasn’t happened yet.
What Sean said. Exactly. “Pedia’s” are best to view history… not so great on the future. That’s for gossip rags.
BTW, the entry has been totally changed.
I hope this doesn’t mean Leslie Nielsen will NOT be in this movie, because well.. HE SHOULD. In fact, Leslie Nielsen should be in EVERY movie.
IR:
He most likely will be.
So did you fix it? That’s how wikipedia should work. Someone comes along, notices an error, and fixes it. It would have taken less time than this blog post. And when someone else comes along to correct your corrections, you’d have a much funnier topic to blog about.
Craig, off topic, but I wanted to say that I can’t wait for this movie. I love your stuff. Spoofs are great. Can’t wait!!
By the way, I have a question, will you guys be making Scary Movie 5 anytime soon? The fourth one was pretty good.
POOOP!
Please, add me Mr. Mazin, I need to talk with you about a screenplay, I need to deliver to a producer, if you like it, you can send him to some producer, to make the movie a “real movie”, if you don’t I understand, but if you could at least read it, it would be nice for me: joaoiria2@hotmail.com
For chemistry, wikipedia is more accurate than most textbooks and much more accessible.
Read some pages of the script. Slapstick to the EXTREME. People getting shocked in and out of frame… could be funny. Gonna depend on the directing.
Craig,Im also very glad youre going in a different direction of spoof movies then the latest spoofs. (Date Movie and Epic Movie were horrible.)
Hey, I know a guy in real life named Bob Loblaw.