I know we’ve all been eagerly awaiting information on Mission: Blacklist so this snippet from The Hollywood Reporter is very welcomed.  At least it shows that things are still on track – music to our ears 🙂

From the Hollywood Reporter:

…This is the fifth year that the state has made funding available under a program that began in 2009. Not all of those listed below will actually get money — some will drop out or move to another state, and many TV projects are pending renewals. There is a waiting list of projects that will then be moved up and qualify for funding.

Here is the complete list of projects:

We can read some more information about California Tax Credits here, to get a better understanding of what it all means.  Keeping my fingers tightly crossed we hear more news very soon.  I know how much I & us all are looking forward to seeing Rob as Eric Maddox.

Well it would make sense if he does since Mission:Blacklist and Map To The Stars are there looking for distributors/selling agents (don’t worry Aussies we have an Australian distributor for M:B already).  According to some recent tweets:

@MrMarkBoardman

@MediaEyeTweets

Hmmm – well I guess we will know soon enough since the Cannes Film Festival runs from 15 to 26 May 2013.  I hope we get some Rob & David bromance if it’s true.   Or even some  Rob and Simon Le Bon lol

Will keep you posted.

 

And it’s a little strange.  It appears director, Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, is no longer attached and principal photography is now late Summer.  Interesting …. will keep you posted.  (Note:  Sauvaire is still included on IMDbPro so I’ll keep tabs on that to see if they update)

Source via RobPattinsonWeb

Source

Via

Terry  Hood from News on 6 (Oklahoma) interviewed Eric Maddox and at the end of the news story she states that “filming is to commence in August”.  I hope that’s true.

NewsOn6.com – Tulsa, OK – News, Weather, Video and Sports – KOTV.com |

Via

Website Mission: Blacklist #1 France interviewed Dylan Kussman, one of the screenwriters of Mission: Blacklist & asked him a couple of questions about Rob which I have included here as well as the parts where Rob is mentioned:

Was it complicated for you to work on this book and, particularly, on this subject?

“The most challenging part about working on the project for me personally was absorbing the vast amount of research Erik and Trace had compiled before I came onboard.  On top of the book itself, there were hundreds of pages of interviews they’d conducted with the Staff Sergeant, firsthand accounts of the Iraq War and of the American presence in Baghdad and Tikrit after Saddam’s fall — I had to get up to speed in a hurry.  Once I’d gotten on top of the material, however, I was fortunately able to see a strong and clear contribution I could make towards rendering this soldier’s mind-bending ordeal into a piece of dramatic cinema.  Incredible human beings don’t always make compelling onscreen protagonists, but between the work we’ve done as writers, Jean Stephane Sauvaire’s guiding hand as director, and Robert Pattinson’s commitment to playing this inspiring figure with the fearless honesty for which he’s known, I don’t think that will be the case here.”

Did you work with Eric Maddox Directly to sort out what to take or not take from the book?

“Both Erik Jendresen and Trace Sheehan Worked Directly with Eric Maddox more than I did, and Mr. Pattinson has Spent an extended Amount of time with him at this issue. They will be able to speak to your issue better than me.”

In the story, the blue shirt is very important and during a lecture in Oklahoma University, Eric Maddox said that Robert Pattinson will probably wear it, did you include it in your work?

“Eric Maddox wore the same blue oxford shirt throughout his intelligence effort to help locate Saddam Hussein, and we included that costume choice as part of Maddox’s character in the screenplay. Whether Robert will be wearing the actual shirt during the shoot is a question for the director, actor, and Staff Sergeant Maddox to answer.”

What do you think of Robert Pattinson’s choice as the lead man?

“Robert Pattinson is a phenomenal choice. We were all thrilled when he came onboard. More importantly, after spending lengthy one-on-one time with Staff Sergeant Maddox, and getting Maddox’s personal blessing to portray him in the movie … he is the only choice.”

Exciting & LOVE Dylan’s last answer.  I cannot wait to hear more news about MB.  Fingers crossed it’s not too far away.   As I’ve said many times before, I LOVED the book so much & cannot wait to see Rob portray Eric Maddox.

Last Wednesday, Eric Maddox, gave a speech at Okalahoma  University:

““What I’m about to tell you is not the opinion of the United States Army, it is the opinion of Eric Maddox,” he said.

Eric Maddox – interrogator, author and OU alumnus explained the process of finding and capturing Saddam Hussein and detailed the dilemmas he faced to about 300 people in Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Molly Shi Boren Ballroom. The audience ranged from students to faculty to Maddox’s father.

“My faith plays an absolute role in every single thing I do,” Maddox said.

A devout Christian who had planned on going to law school after graduating from OU, Maddox decided to change his plans during a run near his hometown of Sapulpa.

“I joined the army because I was running in Tulsa between semesters, and I heard a voice that said, ‘you need to be an airborne ranger,’” Maddox said.

After talking with his dad about what he would have done differently with his life, Maddox said he decided he needed to be an airborne ranger.

Maddox shared the story of the steps leading to the capture of Hussein in chronological order, only leaving out “little bitty elements” he was asked not to discuss due to the classified nature of these elements.

This same story is encapsulated in his book, “Mission: Blacklist #1,” on which a movie will be based starring Robert Pattinson, who will play Maddox.

“Somebody wants to make a movie about my story – it’s very exciting,” Maddox said.

Maddox said he has already met and gotten to know Pattinson.

“He’s a great guy,” Maddox said. “When they brought his name up to me, I had never heard of him before. I don’t believe in vampire movies and stories. I just didn’t know who he was.”