Jul 16, 2007

Sigaw/ Echo starts shoot in Canada sans Iza

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Remember the Funfare story a few weeks ago about the Regal suspense-thriller Sigaw, directed by Yam Laranas, which will be remade by Hollywood retitled The Echo?

Sigaw stars Iza Calzado (with, among others, Richard Gutierrez and Angel Locsin) but, sob and sigh, it seems that Iza is left out in the Hollywood version despite Laranas’ efforts to have her cast. That answers the question of Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre (news editor of the New York-based The Filipino Reporter).

“You see,” said Edmund in his e-mail, “Filipinos in New York are hoping that Iza will be included in the The Echo cast. The reports here don’t mention Iza’s name at all, and only its lead actor, Jesse Bradford, and Scottish actress Louise Linton.”

Told that Iza is out, Edmund sounded disappointed.

“Sayang,” he said, “Iza would have helped draw the Asian crowd. Besides, mas magandang multo ang Asian kaysa Caucasian, di ba?”

Edmund also mentioned in his e-mail the following news item about The Echo and other films also shooting at the same time in Canada, published in the July 9, 2007 issue of CanWest News Service:

Two foreign directors are spending part of the summer in Canada making new movies with stars like Julianne Moore and Gael Garcia Bernal.

Filipino filmmaker Yam Laranas will shoot the English remake of his 2000 thriller Sigaw in Toronto for one month beginning Aug. 13. Entitled The Echo, the film stars Jesse Bradford (Flags of Our Fathers, Swimfan) and Scottish actress Louise Linton.

The Echo is the story of an ex-convict who moves into an old apartment building and becomes trapped in a curse when he tries to save his neighbour from her abusive husband.

Moore and Bernal will be in Toronto until early September with co-stars Mark Ruffalo and Danny Glover to make Blindness, a new feature by Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener).

Based on the novel by Jose Saramago, the film is about a woman who becomes the only person who can see in a town where everyone is struck with blindness. As the town descends into chaos, she pretends to be sick so that she can take care of her doctor husband.

Also shooting in Toronto this season is The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth and William Hurt; Flash of Genius with Greg Kinnear and Lauren Graham; The Love Guru with Mike Myers; and The Rocker with Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate and Teddy Geiger.
Ricky Lo
Philippine Star

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