LEGION (Damian Lee, 2000-2001) (unproduced)

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LEGION (Damian Lee, 2000-2001) (unproduced)

Postby Jox on 08 Sep 2015, 17:35

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LEGION was a project developped by Damian Lee (writer/director of AGENT RED, exec producer on JILL RIPS) and Dolph, a sort of cheap take on HEART OF DARKNESS (and kind of ICARUS meets MEN OF WAR-ish), that was even supposed to become a videogame...

More info here:
http://www.dolph-ultimate.com/dolph-in/legion.html

Here's a pic of the spring 2000 when they were publicizing the project and brought on another writer to work on a treatment before the script:
Actor Dolph Lundgren, writer Harper Quantrill, and Director Damian Lee on the Terrrace at 102 Bloor st west to announce their up coming film Legion staring Dolph. They are going to make the entire filming experience available on the net as the film is created from scouting locations and actual footage and out takes as the project comes together. loction http://www.taketakes.com (Photo by David Cooper/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
(Harper Quantrill is actually pseudonym for British actor / writer Anthony Forrest)

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http://www.gettyimages.de/detail/nachri ... /165004047

Currently he is producing and directing Legion for Lions Gate, a $6.5 million thriller set in Costa Rica and starring Dolph Lundgren and Armand Assante;

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 27902.html

LEGION, budgeted at $5,300,000 US, is an action adventure picture starring Dolph Lundgren and based on a story by Damian Lee and Dolph Lundgren. It is anticipated that the film will be distributed by Lion's Gate Entertainment (TSE symbol LGF), and preliminary documents with LGE have been drafted. In addition, there is also a video game and an e-comic being developed with an industry front running joint partner.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 92497.html

LEGION: Budget $ 4,300,000
An action adventure starring Dolph Lundgren
Based on a story by Damian Lee and Dolph Lundgren

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/ ... 9-0001.txt
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Re: LEGION (Damian Lee, 2000-2001) (unproduced)

Postby Krom on 12 Oct 2015, 16:22

Assante & Dolph, could've been interesting..
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Re: LEGION (Damian Lee, 2000-2001) (unproduced)

Postby savagesketch on 15 Oct 2015, 23:41

Krom wrote:Assante & Dolph, could've been interesting..


Still don't understand... How in the world did a promising-sounding project like LEGION get turned into something so bland and cheap as AGENT RED? I understand Dolph must have been under contract and owed them a movie, but what went on here?
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Re: LEGION (Damian Lee, 2000-2001) (unproduced)

Postby Jox on 16 Oct 2015, 00:07

LEGION was a follow up to AGENT RED, not the other way around. AGENT RED was shot in late 1999, and the LEGION project was announced and on-going from the spring 2000 and the summer 2001 (when Dolph chose to do DETENTION instead, this is right before September 11th by the way).

AGENT RED on the other hand, was pre-sold under CAPTURED and with completely different storyline which must be what you're thinking of (and the change must be the typical producers "we'll just scrap this idea and change it into this").

Lee had executive produced JILL RIPS already before AGENT RED, so back then if he had some kind of influence maybe he talked Dolph into collaborating on this LEGION project (they co-wrote the storyline together supposedly, and hired at least one but maybe more writers to do the script). I wouldn't be surprised if the original concept idea came from Dolph by the way (and it was aimed at a "deeper" characterization though I now doubt it) and maybe if mentioned it to Lee he took the opportunity to get on it.

And AGENT RED and LEGION were was under different companies, but AGENT RED seems like it was one of those paychecks he talked about, and his third picture with Phoenician aka Franchise Pictures of Andrew Stevens (the one who demanded AR to be a remake of Dudikoff's COUNTER MEASURES) and Elie Samaha, so maybe he owed them another movie. LEGION was under Lee's own production company (which never produced a film before it falled, but he set up another one) and supposedly pre-licensed in the US by Lionsgate (still small at the time).

What I still don't know is how he pursued with LEGION after the debacle on AGENT RED... but by the end of the day it's still business...

To be fair, I recently two synopses written by a writer they had hired and I don't think it was very good or up to its potential, would have ended up like a cheap and bad mash-up between ICARUS and MEN OF WAR... not mentioning if Lee had pulled an AGENT RED on it, given that he was direct it as well (some his most recent films seem to have improved significantly since though)...
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