HOME TRAILERS 2013 SCHEDULE PODCASTS REVIEWS POSTERS INTERVIEWS SHORT FILMS NEWS FEEDS ABOUT APPS

LATEST NEWS

'Entourage' Script Nearly Done & Happens Six Months After Series End

by Ben Pearson
September 12, 2012

HBO's "Entourage" was a fresh and exciting look at how the movie industry works behind the scenes, and should have been the perfect show for readers of this site. But through some high and low periods, as with any show that stays on the air for eight years, it fizzled out creatively and left longtime viewers with a disappointing series finale one year ago. Since 2009, there has been talk of a movie that would continue the story of Vincent Chase (Adrien Grenier), Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), and the whole gang. Now Deadline has word from series creator Doug Ellin saying the movie picks up six months after the series' conclusion.

Ellin hasn't officially received a greenlight from HBO for the movie quite yet, because the brass still needs to see his finished screenplay, but he tells Deadline it should be finished by this weekend and he's optimistic about it being made. He also offered an update about what we can expect to see in the movie version:

There are interesting developments about Ari as a studio head, and that’s still the first page for me. But foremost is the friendship between the guys who are still hanging out and going to fun parties, and it continues with the same characters.

So pretty much business as usual, then. I was really into the series for the first couple of seasons, and then I realized that none of the characters were developing at all, and every season essentially began at the same status quo, regardless of the finale that happened before it. It turned into a guilty pleasure instead of good television, and I'm not convinced that bringing these characters back in movie form is a good idea.

First of all, it's insanely insulting to the core audience of the show to say, "hey, you can watch this show for eight years but you have to pay an extra 12 bucks to watch the movie version years later in order to get any satisfying closure to these characters." And second, what could they possibly do in a movie that they couldn't do on television? They'll have to spend at least twenty minutes establishing the characters for people who never watched the show, and what's the big story here? Vinnie Chase winning an Oscar? Gimme a break. Ellin and executive producer Mark Wahlberg had their shot at telling a complete story and they blew it, so why should we reward them by going to see an Entourage movie? Thoughts?

Filed under Development, Movie News

From around the web:

FUZZBUG

I definitely agree with all your points. But as the finale sucked so much balls. I wouldn't mind some kind of "do-over" as a send-off for the series. But yea, definitely not a movie in theaters. Maybe more a "TV" movie on HBO?
http://www.andreascliment.com Andreas Climent

I'd love to see a new show where the focus is moved to Ari.
Wafffles

First of all, to address the percieved treatment of the audience, let me say that you may be in a minority with your opinion. I personally agree for the most part, in that you can buy any given SEASON for the price of one movie ticket, with the movie being the equivalent to about a third of a season. Being fresh out of college, however, my friends and I went through our young adult years in love with the series (no judgements please haha) and I can tell you they are nothing but excited at the prospect of a movie. Hell, we'd all probably gobble up a 5-minute short as long as it had the cast back together on screen. Similarly a group of guys from work, in their upper 20's, are much less fanboyish but still think it perfectly reasonable to release one last movie. Sure they're milking the cow - they've been milking the cow for 5 seasons and HBO isn't exactly cheap - but after all this movie was planned well before the show ended, and I think most of the people who would be interested in this don't mind paying extra for the theater format. As for the homogeneity, you're right and you're wrong. If you never got past the first few seasons, you'll probably find most of the plotlines regarding the Entourage itself fairly insufferable, but Jeremy Piven's Ari had personality, style, and character development that was among the best in the business. I think it speaks volumes that he was the most sexist, misogynistic, racist, foul-mouthed, conniving character in a show full of them and still wound up a favorite of fans and critics alike (3 Emmys and a Golden Globe for a man who must drop the F-bomb for 50% of his screen time ain't too shabby). The entourage itself, sure, it was pretty one-dimensional and static. Then again, isn't that exactly what it should have been. Like you said, would a Vince who went from playboy action hero to studious Oscar winner really have been believable or appealing? I don't often buy into the escapism for its own sake argument, but if Transformers and Twilight can get a pass as mindless eye-candy and shallow fun, then Entourage definitely deserves a little slack too. The drama of our time? Nope. But for 22 minutes a week we all got to be best friends with a millionaire superstar and party with beautiful models and famous celebrities while occasionally learning a thing or two about family and Karma. So yeah, it'll probably be a critical bomb and there's a good chance it even disappoints fans. And you know what? I'll be there opening week with some of my best friends, and I'll love every minute of it.
Lebowski

I'd like to see the boys get taken by the Sinaloa Cartel during a holiday on the Mexican coast. Then they can kill off all the characters except Mrs. Ari's ass in the first 10 minutes, and the final 90 minutes of the film can be long, slo-mo tracking shots of that flawless derrière (which consistently outperformed basically the whole cast).
Cody W

Get ready everyone, unrivaled douchbagery and immorality coming to a theater near you! Ill see it if I hear they all die in a car crash in the first 5 minutes
- Richie G
  
  I don't get it. You said all the reasons I like the show then said you want them all to die
  - obloodyhell
    
    I do. He/she is an idiot. Says it right there. The parents were too stupid to pick a name that wasn't sexually ambiguous. Genes will tell.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chiroptera-Exsanguination/100003572540431 Chiroptera Exsanguination

can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait. can't wait.
Steve Dude

Entourage was amazing for a while...then it got lost....my opinion is because Grenier's character was the least interesting of all of them (and he's the most wooden actor). Once he'd "made it" the show didn't know what to do with itself. Would love to see a movie. I'd love to see an Ari spinoff series even more! His character is perfect and obviously there could be cameo's from other actors. Would be interesting to see the movie industry from an exec's perspective too.