ROTTEN TOMATOES: Damian Chapa Preps Polanski Biopic

Damian Chapa Preps Polanski Biopic

Meanwhile, Polanski preps adaptation of Robert Harris' The Ghost.

by Jeff Giles | November 09, 2007

Love him or hate him, Roman Polanski has definitely led an interesting life -- a life that will soon receive the biopic treatment.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the unauthorized biography will be something of a passion project for Damian Chapa:

Amadeus Pictures head Damian Chapa will write, produce and direct "Polanski," which will include passages about the director's childhood in Poland during the Holocaust; the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, by followers of Charles Manson in 1969; and his conviction for sex with a minor that has kept him out of the U.S. for decades.

"It's a very intense story we're going to carefully base on court documents and public-domain records," Chapa said. "I've looked at the court documents of his (statutory rape) case, and they're so brash and in-your-face. What happened there has overshadowed his whole life yet also been swept under the carpet. I've always been fascinated by his story and couldn't understand why no one has done a movie about him."

In addition to writing, producing, and directing Polanski, Chapa will take a supporting role as Eugene Gutowski, the Polish producer who collaborated with Polanski early in his career. Production is set to begin early next year.

Not to be outdone, Polanski's got his own project in the works; as the AP reports, the director is set to helm an adaptation of Robert Harris' The Ghost next year. From the article:

The book's narrator is a ghostwriter, hired to help a former British leader complete his memoirs, who becomes enmeshed in a web of espionage and political intrigue.

It has caused ripples in Britain for its parallels to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has known Harris for 15 years. Like Blair, fictional premier Adam Lang is a once-popular politician brought down by his close alliance with the United States in its "war on terror."

"There's a lot of psychological intrigue in the story, as well as espionage and politics, and most of the action takes place in an oceanfront house during the middle of winter - all of it classic Polanski territory," Harris said.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Source: AP

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(1-14 of 14 posts) | Reply

Young Turk writes:
on Nov 09 2007 09:58 AM

All the while awaiting trial in the U.S.

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iamtheseagull17 writes:
on Nov 09 2007 10:46 AM

polanski sure is a creepy guy. i was flipping around on tv this summer and it described his oliver twist movie as "full of prepubescent teens" if this is the basis on which this biopic is based, it should be veeeeery interesting.

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Metafact writes:
on Nov 09 2007 11:20 AM

Now that I think about it, a Roman Polanski biopic sounds like a wonderful idea. I only ask that it doesn't take obvious sides on the issues of his life. Just tell the story, Chapa, and let the audience make their own impressions of the man.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Nov 09 2007 12:32 PM

Starring Natalie Portman as the minor.

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harrismonkey writes:
on Nov 09 2007 01:39 PM

Are you familiar with the charles dickens story oliver twist?

It is populated with pre teens and teens mostly, as it was about how children were treated during the industrial revolution (or somewhere there abouts- maybe pre industrial revolution) in london.

It's a classic story that's been filmed more times than I care to count- and except for once or twice with cartoon animals, it has always had teens and preteens in it. Regardless of exactly what happened with the minor a few months after his pregnant wife was murdered by charles manson and had "PIG" carved into her belly- (I don't know the full story, but have been told it's not nearly as bad as it sounds in the short media bite version we're getting here yet again)-

Regardless of this, don't even try to pull Oliver Twist into this. Unless of course you want to call Steven Spielburg a petafile for using children in ET, AI, Hook, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, War of the worlds, Jurassic Park, etc.

(Reply to this)

arcadefire325 writes:
on Nov 09 2007 04:06 PM

will it include when he raped that 14 year old girl and escaped to france to avoid being arrested????

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crudebob writes:
on Nov 09 2007 05:03 PM

Yeah we know Youngturk, Polanski's wanted in the US, Gibson hates Jews, Tom Cruise is a nutbag, Catholics are evil, yadda yadda yadda. Big fat hair deal! Who in the hell else cares about any of this gossipy BS than holier than thou morons like you?

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arcadefire325 writes:
on Nov 09 2007 05:19 PM

he raped a 14 year old girl. there is no holier than thou attitude. this is not gossipy bs. he did it. that is why he left the us. there is no extradition treaty with that country.

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harrismonkey writes:
on Nov 09 2007 07:15 PM

Ok, here we go. Given the vague source (somebodies blog and god knows where they got it from), and the statement being made years later, this certainly doesn't PROVE anything. But it should be enough to make you stop for a moment and ask the intelligent questions you ought to ask-

As I said before, I have heard before that the "Polanski had sex with a 14 year old" soudbite everybody likes to cite is not an accurate picture- so I did a little digging and found this. (remember, he never stood trial, he chose to flee rather than RISK his freedom).

Polanski? He never touched me, says model
By Hugh Davies
(Filed: 25/07/2005)

The former model at the centre of the Roman Polanski libel trial said yesterday that the film director had not talked to her, let alone put his hand on her thigh.

Beatte Telle had declined to give evidence at the High Court hearing over an allegation that Polanski had tried to seduce her shortly after the murder of his wife, Sharon Stone, in 1969. Her statement appears to confirm the Oscar-winning director's claim that a Vanity Fair report about him was untrue.

He called it "an abominable lie" that "dishonours my memory of Sharon".

A jury, without hearing from Miss Telle, was unanimous in awarding Polanski �50,000 in damages against Conde Nast, the magazine's publishers, which is said to face costs of up to �1.5 million. Miss Telle, now 59, said that Vanity Fair's lawyers had repeatedly attempted to contact her to ask her to testify in the case, but she had ignored them.

Once a top model at New York's Ford agency, the Norwegian now lives in reduced circumstances in a one-bedroomed flat in Oslo, with her ailing mother.

However, she appeared to have a vivid memory of the evening Polanski came to her table at Elaine's, the Manhattan nightclub, in August 1969, after his wife was killed by cult followers of Charles Manson.

The jury heard from Lewis Lapham, then a rising young journalist on New York's literary scene, that the director had allegedly tried to proposition her, putting his hand inside her thigh and promising, "I will make another Sharon Tate out of you".

The model said that Mr Polanski did come across to the table where she was eating a steak "and it was if he tried to say something but he didn't".

She said: "I was very young and wore my hair very long. I looked like a beatnik I suppose.

"He never said that he would make me another Sharon Tate or that he would make me a star.

"He never spoke to me at all."

She said: "Polanski just stood there. He just stared at me for ages. Perhaps I reminded him of Sharon Tate."

Miss Telle said that she was with her then lover, Ed Perlberg, and had no idea who Polanski was until he told her in the taxi home later that evening.

She told the Mail on Sunday that lawyers for Conde Naste "wrote to me several times, but I ignored them".

She added: "At one point I said I was coming to London and I would see them but I didn't. I just wanted to put them off. Ed wrote to me too. He wrote all about that night, saying, 'Do you remember how Polanski came on to you? How he said this and that'.

"I just thought, 'If you remember so much about it than you talk about it in court. It isn't how I remembered it'."

The model said that she was pleased for Polanski. "I'm smiling. He didn't touch me, he just didn't. I'm so happy."

She insisted that her modelling days were not over.

"I know I need a little work done, a nip and tuck here and lose a few pounds. But I'll do that and get back working again."

Miss Telle added: "I was considered a beauty, you know. But Polanski was never fresh with me.

"I never spoke to him that night and I never saw him again."

(Reply to this)

harrismonkey writes:
on Nov 09 2007 07:49 PM

OK, I just dug deeper through this blog, learned many more interesting things and I seem to have taken the above quote out of context.

None the less, if this is worth name calling, take a few minutes and read the blog (which chronicals many deatils of what has happened)-

http://tatelabianca.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_archive.html

(Reply to this)

iamtheseagull17 writes:
on Nov 09 2007 11:15 PM

In reply to this comment (#1264993)
hey, i dont have a problem with polanski. i have nothing but respect for the man-its just the choice of the word "pubscent" that strikes me as somewhat odd.

(Reply to this)

dracus writes:
on Nov 10 2007 12:58 PM

In reply to this comment (#1265423)
Outside of a the US justice system who never admits to being wrong, who else says he raped a 14 year old?

(Reply to this)

dracus writes:
on Nov 10 2007 01:01 PM

In reply to this comment (#1265423)
Outside of a the US justice system who never admits to being wrong, who else says he raped a 14 year old? Since the accuser has recanted her story, he's innocent in my eyes, BUT as we all know that in the US, you are gulity until proven innocent and even when you are you are still guilty. With that kind of Iranian mentality, no wonder he fled.

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harrismonkey writes:
on Nov 10 2007 08:14 PM

Actually, I don't seem to be able to delete that post. That's somebody else besides the girl he had a stautory rape relation with (wich is not neccesarily forced at all, remember. Just inapropriate.)

If you check out the link I left, it does give a reasonably thorough accounting of what went on, why he plead guilty, and that someone in a bathroom at the courthouse overheard the judge say that despite the guilty plea being on condition of no time being served, the judge planned to break this agreement and make an example of Polanksi by sentencing him to 50 years jail time (so he'd still have 20 to go today). I'd have fled too under those circumstances.

Just check out the link.

http://tatelabianca.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_archive.html

The man was a genius who had some really horrendous things done to him. Does that absolve him of guilt, not neccesarily, but get the all the facts.

I think the biggest crime here has been perpetrated against the movie going public. The man was one of the most gifted filmmakers working in his day, and because of this he was forced to move away from all the resources neccesary to do his work at the height of his abilties. It's generally agreed that the quality of his filmmaking took a huge nose dive after he left because of this.

It's very possible we missed out on a few more masterpieces because of this. Imagine if spielburg had been forced to flee hollywood after making ET and had to make the remainder of his films from China using chinese money, equipment, and technology...

(Reply to this)

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