Will ABC drama ‘Will Trent’ return for second season?
You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: I really liked “Will Trent.” Will they be making more?
A: Yes. A second season has been ordered of the fine drama starring Ramon Rodriguez and inspired by the books by Karin Slaughter. With the actors’ strike ongoing at this point, a return date for the series is not set. And even if the strike is settled soon, this and other shows may not be ready for telecast until 2024.
Q: We enjoyed watching the movie “Salt” again recently and have always wondered what happened after she escaped. Was a “Salt 2” ever proposed?
A: The 2010 spy thriller with Angelina
Jolie was a box-office hit which many saw as the setup for a whole series of “Salt” movies. Deadline.com reported in 2011 that Sony Pictures “is moving forward” with a sequel, and that Jolie wanted to do one “if it comes together right.” There were reports about the hiring of a director and a screenwriter, but — according to many reports — Jolie was not happy with the script and decided to pass. In 2016, the focus appeared to shift to a television series — airing first in Europe, ScreenDaily.com reported, since the film had been especially successful overseas. But as far as I can tell, nothing has come of that, or any other concrete project, aside from more talk. ScreenRant.com earlier this year noted that, when looked at closely, “there wasn’t overwhelming demand for more of the (Salt) story. The problem with the movie was that the characters and storyline relied too heavily on its genre predecessors, trying to take the best parts of earlier, better actionspy flicks without giving the film an original spin or approach.”
Q: We were watching a Hallmark film set in Italy, and I recalled to my wife that I had seen a wonderful film with Laurence Olivier and a young Diane Lane that was titled ( I believe) “A Little Romance.” Couldn’t find it anywhere. Do you know if it’s still available?
A: The 1979 film, which was directed by George Roy Hill (“The Sting,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and other features), did charm a lot of people. The best results of my search for it were releases on DVD and Blu-ray; I have seen copies for sale on Amazon.com and MoviesUnlimited.com, or you may find it at your local library.
Q: Do you know where one might find Erich von Stroheim’s classic silent film “Greed” for TV viewing? I believe
there is a version consisting of what remains of the movie combined with still shots and commentary.
A: “Greed” is a 1924 film written and directed by Stroheim, famous for his extravagance (and in later years for his acting in films like “Sunset Boulevard”). Based on a novel by Frank Norris, its first cut ran around 10 hours, according to “The Oxford Companion to Film.” (The time varies some in other sources.) Stroheim, who had seen other movies taken out of his hands, was faced with demands for cut after cut of “Greed,” reducing it finally to about two-and-a-half hours. While even that truncated version has its admirers, those few hours “give only an outline of Stroheim’s conception,” says the Oxford book. But that was also the only known cut for many years, and it was said that the removed footage had been destroyed. Then, the Turner Classic Movies website says, filmmaker Rick Schmidlin (who reassembled Orson Welles’ studio-mangled “Touch of Evil” into Welles’ vision) “used more than 650 stills and the continuity script to fill in the gaps in the narrative.” This version, released in 1999, runs about four hours — and you can find it for sale and rent on Prime Video.
Do you have a question or comment about entertainment past, present and future? Write to Rich Heldenfels, P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH 44260, or brenfels@gmail.com. Letters may be edited. Individual replies are not guaranteed.