My Friend Flicka

[Brian in Mesa]

Flicka (remake)

Flicka Remake On The Way
Source: Hollywood Reporter
April 7, 2005

Hollywood Reporter had the following bit of info:

Maria Bello, Danny Pino and Dallas Roberts have joined the cast of "Flicka" for Fox 2000. They join Tim McGraw and Ryan Kwantan in the update of the 1943 Fox film, "My Friend Flicka." Based on the novel by Mary O'Hara, "Flicka" is set against the backdrop of a modern-day ranch in Wyoming. It tells the story of Katie (Alison Lohman), a teenager who dreams of running her family's ranch, much to the dismay of her father (McGraw). Katie finds a wild horse she names Flicka and claims it as her own. Gil Netter is producing, and Michael Mayer is directing from a script by Larry Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Bello will play Katie's mother, Pino plays Jack, and Roberts will play Gus.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Was planning on posting about the remake as it got closer to completion, but this bit of news prompted me to post it now:

Not So Friendly "Flicka"
Friday April 29, 2005

Flicka is running out of friends.

According to the American Humane Society, two horses have died in just two weeks on the set of the upcoming My Friend Flicka remake, starring Tim McGraw.

A rodeo horse died Monday while shooting a "wild horse race scene" at the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, prompting production to briefly shut down. The equine actor broke free from its handlers and tripped over a rope, breaking its neck. And a quarter horse was put down on Apr. 11 after it tripped during filming and broke its back leg.

American Humane Association spokeswoman Sara Spaulding said her organization is conducting an investigation of 20th Century Fox to see if the Flicka filmmakers are following animal-friendly guidelines. The movie is being produced the studio's Fox 2000 division.

The movie brain trust, meanwhile, has issued a statement, saying "we are terribly saddened by the events that occurred. The production has taken every possible precaution and safety measure in shooting scenes where horses are involved."

The City of Los Angeles' Department of Animal Services allowed filming to resume on Tuesday, and the AHA investigation continues. But the production will no longer be able to use wild mustangs previously employed on the shoot, according a spokesman for the department.

But many animal-rights activists say the AHA probe may be compromised because the group is paid by the Screen Actors Guild to monitor animal use in films.

"I am mortified. Poor horses. They've gotta stop this," Kathy Riordan, a member of the Los Angeles Animal Services Commission told UPI. "I personally think there is a major conflict of interest when the entity responsible for monitoring an industry is supported by it. Any way you look at it, [the AHA] gets paid by Hollywood and there's something wrong with that."

My Friend Flicka is a remake of the 1943 Roddy McDowall film. The new version, starring McGraw, Maria Bello and Alison Lohman, is scheduled to hit theaters in February.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Flicka

Release Date: October 20, 2006
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Michael Mayer
Screenwriter: Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner
Genre: Drama, Family
MPAA Rating: PG (for some mild language)
Website: Flicka

Starring: Alison Lohman, Tim McGraw, Maria Bello, Ryan Kwanten

Plot Summary: In "Flicka," a contemporary motion picture adaptation of Mary O'Hara's beloved novel "My Friend Flicka," 16-year-old Katy McLaughlin (Alison Lohman) dreams of fulfilling her family legacy by working on her father's ranch in modern-day Wyoming. But Katy's father (Tim McGraw) wants more for her, insisting that Katy go to college. Katy finds a wild mustang, which she names Flicka, and sets out to make her a riding horse. But Flicka and Katy are more alike than she could have imagined. Like Katy, Flicka has a disdain for authority and is not about to give up her freedom without a fight.

The principal character in the book and in its two motion picture incarnations was an adolescent boy. But this new version tells the story through the eyes of headstrong Katy McLaughlin. Katy is enrolled in a private school on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming, but her heart is with her sprawling family ranch in the state's remote mountain region. Katy returns home to the ranch, and soon becomes enamored of a wild mustang filly she finds in the mountain woods. She names the long-legged, ebony horse Flicka, or "beautiful young girl," in Swedish.

But Katy's rancher father, the equally-willful Rob, sees nothing but trouble coming from the untamed animal and discourages his daughter from keeping her. Nonetheless, conflicted by a need to harness her own wild ways yet stay true to a free spirit within, Katy sets out to break through to Flicka and transform her into a riding horse.

Despite her father's disapproval, Katy goes on and forms an unbreakable bond with the wild horse. Her relationship with Flicka becomes a catalyst for change for the entire McLaughlin family, which is at a major crossroads: Katy's dad is considering selling the ailing ranch, brother Howard (Ryan Kwanten) wants to leave Wyoming for college in Boston, and her mother Nell (Maria Bello) is fighting to keep her family from falling apart.

Can Katy ultimately tame her beloved Flicka and prove everyone wrong about the wild-hearted mustang? Will Rob find a way to support his daughter yet still keep her safe through this momentous life passage? And can the McLaughlins hold onto the ranch that they've worked so hard to maintain throughout a sea of social and economic change?

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Could the thread title please be changed to Flicka (remake) ... ?

Thanks.



BIM

 

[Bada0Bing]

I recently watched this. I thought it was boring. I was continually wondering how old the girl was supposed to be. She looked like she was about 16, but she acted like she was about 12. It had one of the worst goofs I’ve seen in a long time. In one scene Tim McGraw is doing something with no shirt on. Then the camera moves to a different angle and all of a sudden he is wearing a sweaty t-shirt.