Posts Tagged ‘Teddy KGB’

“Rounders 2” Back with Paris Stop and De Niro

Tuesday, December 17th, 2013

The poker world has waited forever, and finally, Rounders 2 is a reality! Miramax and the Weinstein company came to an agreement that’ll see some hit classics made into sequels, including Shakespeare in Love and Rounders.

What’s exciting about Rounders 2 is the changes that’ll be made to the upcoming film. As Harvey Weinstein told Deadline Hollywood, the movie is set to take on a more international feel “where you start the card game in Paris.” He also added that they need a new supervillain to replace John Malkovich.

The rumored villain is Robert De Niro, who already has an outstanding role from the gambling world to his credit. De Niro played Sam “Ace” Rothstein in the 1995 hit Casino, which inspired millions of people to visit the casino. So it’s only natural that De Niro would be linked to a film that’s inspired millions of people to play poker over the years.

As for the new Paris location, this is certainly a good move because more and more Europeans take up the game every day. We can thank the Hendon Mob and WSOP Europe in large part for this. And who knows…maybe the Rounders sequel will encourage a European poker boom.

In regard to where else this movie is going, Weinstein explained the path by saying, “There might be a certain beautiful Parisian actress involved in it, and then we’re off to the racetrack and Vegas with Matty and Edward Norton, and a new supervillain to replace John Malkovich.”

With Norton coming back to play “Worm,” it’s almost a given that Matt Damon (a.k.a. Mike McDermott) is going to have to bail him out. If De Niro is indeed involved in the project, we can reasonably assume that Worm will be in trouble with him. Whatever the case may be, this is exciting news and I can’t wait to see the film play out on the big screen.

Rounders Sequel may hinge on “Runner, Runner”

Thursday, October 10th, 2013

Ever since the 1998 cult classic Rounders was released, many poker players have been interested in seeing a sequel. After all, there are some burning questions that fans of the first movie have, such as the following:

– How did Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) do at the WSOP?

– Did “Worm” (Edward Norton Jr.) do anything worthwhile with his life?

– Is Teddy “KGB” (John Malkovich) still hustling players in his card club?

– Did Joey Knish (John Turturro) ever grow the “stones to take a shot?”

Well our chances of having these questions answered may all depend on the success of a more current movie in Runner, Runner. The thriller, which centers on the shadier side of the online poker industry, has currently grossed $31,106,712 – just above its $30 million production budget. When its subsequent weeks and DVD sales are factored in, Runner, Runner could end up showing a profit against the $30m budget and undisclosed advertising/promotion costs.

If you’re wondering why a Rounders sequel hinges so much on Runner, Runner, it’s because writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien have a hand in both films. This duo wrote the original Rounders, and they also came up with the script for Runner, Runner. Assuming this anti-online poker flick takes off, it could convince investors that Koppelman/Levien’s Rounders II concept is worthwhile. The pair commented on this matter by telling PokerNews the following:

We do, however, have the story for Rounders II worked out, and all the actors and the director of the first film are ready to come do it. It’s a matter of the companies who control the rights getting behind it and allowing it to happen.

What’s really cool is to hear that the guys who made the first Rounders so great – Damon and Norton – would be ready to come out and do a sequel. Now we just have to wait for the Hollywood politics and financials to play out before Rounders II becomes a reality.