Wanted (2008 film)
Directed by
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Produced by
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Screenplay by
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Chris Morgan
Michael Brandt Derek Haas |
Based on
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Wanted by
Mark Millar and J. G. Jones |
Starring
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James McAvoy
Angelina Jolie Morgan Freeman Common Thomas Kretschmann Konstantin Khabensky |
Music by
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Cinematography
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Mitchell Amundsen
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Editing by
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Studio
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Spyglass Entertainment
Relativity Media Top Cow Productions |
Distributed by
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Universal Pictures
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Release date(s)
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June 12, 2008 (London premiere)
June 27, 2008 |
Running time
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110 minutes
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Country
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Language
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English
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Budget
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$75 million
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Box office
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$341,433,252
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Production began in April 2007, with filming in the Czech Republic later to superimpose the sets on images of Chicago. Wanted was released on June 25, 2008 in the United Kingdom and two days later in the United States, to both critical and commercial success. It was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.
Plot
In Chicago, Wesley Gibson works at a dead-end desk job with an overbearing boss, takes anti-anxiety medication for panic attacks, and has a live-in girlfriend who cheats on him with his best friend Barry. One night in the pharmacy, Wesley is told by a mysterious woman named Fox that his father was a recently murdered assassin, and the killer, Cross, is after him. Cross and Fox engage in a shoot-out followed by a car chase in the streets of Chicago. Wesley manages to escape and Fox then has a shoot out again with Cross, causing a car accident that knocks Wesley unconscious. Fox brings Wesley to the headquarters of The Fraternity, a thousand-year-old secret society of assassins. The group's leader, Sloan, explains that Wesley's panic attacks are actually the untrained expression of a rare superhuman ability; when stressed, the drastically increased heart rate and adrenaline levels result in bursts of superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes – demonstrated when he successfully shoots the wings off of a fly. The Fraternity can teach him to control this ability, so Wesley can follow in his father's footsteps as an assassin, beginning by inheriting his fortune. Wesley is initially reluctant and returns to work, only to finally snap when discovering several million dollars in his bank account. He excoriates his boss in front of the entire office, and on his way out, smashes Barry in the face with a computer keyboard. Fox is waiting outside to take him back to the Fraternity headquarters—an unassuming textile mill.Wesley is then subjected to brutal training; among other forms of combat, he learns to fire bullets to curve around objects. Afterward, Wesley is shown the Loom of Fate, a loom that gives the names of the targets through binary code hidden in weaving errors of the fabric. Those the Loom identifies will apparently cause tragedy in the future; but only Sloan sees and interprets the names fate wishes to see dead. Wesley is initially reluctant about killing people. Then Fox reveals that in her childhood, a hired killer burned her father alive in front of her—and said hitman was supposed to be killed by the Fraternity before that, but the assassin failed to pull the trigger. She now considers preventing such tragedy her mission.
After several routine missions and a chance meeting with Cross, in which Wesley is shot in the arm with a deliberately traceable bullet, Sloan grants Wesley's wish to avenge his father and sends him after Cross—but then secretly gives Fox a mission to kill Wesley, saying that his name had come up in the Loom as well. Analyzing the bullet that hit Wesley, it is discovered that the manufacturer was Pekwarsky, a bullet-maker living in eastern Moravia, the birthplace of the Fraternity. Wesley and Fox travel there and capture Pekwarsky, who arranges a meeting with Cross. Wesley faces Cross alone on a moving train. Fox steals a car and crashes it into the train, eventually causing a derailment. After Cross saves Wesley’s life by preventing him from falling into a ravine, Wesley fatally shoots him. Before dying, Cross reveals that he is Wesley's real father. Fox confirms this, and explains that Wesley was recruited because he was the only person that Cross would not kill. Fox then reveals the kill order on Wesley and raises her gun, but Wesley escapes by shooting out the glass underneath him and plunging into the river below.
Wesley is retrieved by Pekwarsky, who takes him to his father's apartment, located across the street from Wesley's old home. Pekwarsky explains that Sloan started manufacturing targets for profit after discovering that he was targeted by the Loom of Fate, and did not tell the Fraternity members that they were now nothing more than paid killers. Cross discovered the truth and went rogue, and started killing Fraternity members to keep them away from his son. Pekwarsky departs, stating that Wesley's father wished him a life free of violence. Wesley, however, decides to take out Sloan after discovering a secret room containing all of his father's weapons and maps.
An enraged Wesley assaults the Fraternity's textile mill-fortress and battles his way through it, killing nearly every Fraternity member in the process. Upon entering Sloan's office, he reveals Sloan's deception to the master assassins present in the room. Sloan reveals that all of their names had come up in the weaving, and that he had merely acted to protect them. Were they to follow the code, every one of them should kill themselves on the spot. Fox, who believes in the code more than anyone due to her own experience, turns on her fellow assassins, and curves a bullet that kills every Fraternity member in the room, including herself, but not before she throws her gun to Wesley to distract him from trying to save Fox. Sloan manages to escape, and Wesley destroys the Loom of Fate.
Wesley, penniless once again, is left aimless. A man is then seen at a computer, much like Wesley at the beginning of the film. Sloan appears and points a gun at the back of the man's head. At that moment, the man turns around and is revealed to be a decoy. Sloan is then killed by Wesley using a long-distance bullet. Similar to the comic book miniseries, the film ends with Wesley stating his accomplishments, then turning to the camera, breaking the fourth wall and asking the audience "What the fuck have you done lately?", then the credits roll.
Wanted You Tube
Cast
- James McAvoy as Wesley Allan Gibson, a meek 24-year-old who works in a cubicle, but learns he is heir to a legacy of assassins.
- Morgan Freeman as Sloan, leader of the Fraternity, and assassin partner of Wesley Gibson's deceased "father".
- Angelina Jolie as Fox, an accomplished member of the Fraternity who mentors Gibson.
- Thomas Kretschmann as Cross, a rogue assassin who has left the Fraternity.
- Common as Earl Malcolm Spellman a.k.a. "The Gunsmith", a professional gunman who trains others to use weapons.
- Konstantin Khabensky as The Exterminator, an expert in explosives who makes bombs and attaches them to rats. One of Wesley's only friends in the Fraternity.
- Marc Warren as The Repairman, an assassin who says he "breaks bad habits" by violently beating people. Trains Wesley in hand-to-hand combat and endurance.
- Dato Bakhtadze as The Butcher, a master of knife work to the extent that he can block bullets. Trains Wesley in knife fighting.
- Terence Stamp as Pekwarsky, a master in the science of killing. Pekwarsky operates as a rogue agent outside of The Fraternity. He is also a craftsman who is able to build bullets both untraceable and capable of traversing long distances. One of Cross's compatriots.
- David O'Hara as Mr. X, said to be the greatest assassin, and believed to be Wesley's father. His murder is the catalyst for Wesley's introduction into the Fraternity.
- Chris Pratt as Barry, Gibson's co-worker and best friend, who is having an affair with Gibson's girlfriend.
- Kristen Hager as Cathy, Gibson's unfaithful and bickering girlfriend.
- Lorna Scott as Janice, Gibson's overbearing boss.
Wanted Image Collection
Production
The comic book miniseries Wanted by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones first attracted the attention of Universal Pictures executive Jeff Kirschenbaum, a comic book fan who sought a film adaptation that would be considered a "hard-R" and encouraged the studio to pick up the rights to the miniseries. By 2004, producer Marc Platt set up development of the film adaptation. In December 2005, Russian-Kazakh director Timur Bekmambetov was attached to helm the project as his first English-language film, with the script being written by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt. Millar did not like the first draft of the script. He explained:Director Timur Bekmambetov said that the film would keep the same characters from the miniseries (which ultimately, did not happen) though the director would take liberty in adapting the comic book's world. In July 2006, screenwriter Chris Morgan was hired to revise the third act of the Wanted script written by Haas and Brandt. Haas and Brandt returned to polish the character of Wesley Gibson, which they had established in their first draft.
Wanted co-creator Mark Millar saw previsualized footage for the film and said the footage had raised his expectations for the film adaptation. Millar described the first half of the film as being close to the graphic novel, and also said that the film's ending was similar, though it was relocated elsewhere from the setting in the graphic novel. The superhero costumes in the series were also removed, with the exception of the leather attire worn by Wesley Gibson and Fox. Coincidentally, this had been Millar's intent when writing the graphic novel, although he and artist J. G. Jones had forgotten to. "I wanted them to have those powers and then just wear those costumes for the initiation, but just for one panel. And then I forgot." he said. Millar also stated he would have liked to keep the supervillain mythos that dictates the original comic in the film. Millar was favorable to most changes in the storyline, including the story arc of the Fates issuing death orders in line with the series' original theme of predestination. Angelina Jolie asked for Fox to get killed, considering that "If she was to find out she had killed people unjustly and was a part of something that wasn't fair, then she should take her own life."
Filming
Location plate shooting took place in Chicago in April 2007. Several chase scenes, including one with a low flying helicopter, were shot in Chicago over two days, on Wacker Drive along the Chicago River, between Columbus Drive and LaSalle Street. The opening scene was filmed using the Carbide & Carbon Building. Production moved to the Czech Republic later in May, scheduled for 12 weeks of shooting. Using a former sugar factory in Prague, production designer John Myhre constructed a large textile factory as part of an industrial world, the setting of a mythological environment in which looms create fabrics that weavers interpret as assassination orders. Afterward, filming moved to Budapest, then returned to Chicago in August. The film originally had both an alternate opening and an alternate ending. The alternate opening, a flashback to ancient times describing the history of the Fraternity and the Loom of Fate, is available on the special edition DVD and Blu-ray.Eight visual effects companies worked on the film, with the majority of work being done by Bekmambetov's company Bazelevs. Cars of both Chicago 'L' and European Pendolino trains were built, and were combined with computer-generated models of said trains in the action scenes. Some of the action scenes had the actors practicing free running and parkour.
Release
Wanted was initially set to be released in cinemas on March 28, 2008, but in December 2007, Universal announced it would be moving the release date later to June 27, 2008. Previews started in the UK on June 25. It was also the opening night film for the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 19.Russian localization
Given the Russian origin of the director, Universal released a specially localized version in Russia. The literary translation of the English dialog was written by the writer Sergey Lukyanenko. Several texts appearing on the screen and important for the plot were translated using CGI, without using subtitles or a voice-over translation. Several famous Russian actors, most of which were also in Bekmambetov's Night Watch and Day Watch, dubbed the main characters, and Konstantin Khabensky dubbed himself as the Exterminator. James McAvoy also provided some words in Russian for Wesley Gibson. Danny Elfman's song "The Little Things" received a version in Russian, performed by Elfman himself, and Bekmambetov also directed a music video for the band Delta as part of a viral marketing campaign in Russia.Home media
Wanted was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 2, 2008 in the U.S. Two versions were released including a single disc DVD and a two-disc edition of both the DVD and Blu-ray. A collectible two-disc gift-set DVD also included a photobook of the Assassins, collectible postcards and a lenticular film cel in an acrylic frame. The DVD debuted at second place on the charts (behind The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), and generated over $65 million in revenue by February 2009. The Blu-ray debuted at first place on the charts.
Film score by Danny Elfman
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Released
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June 24, 2008
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Genre
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Length
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48:00
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Label
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Lakeshore
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The main song that features throughout the film and as the credits roll is a rock song written and performed by Elfman called "The Little Things". Initially, it was just a guitar riff, to which the producers first asked Elfman to add a beat, and then some lyrics. Then, while Elfman was in London scoring Hellboy II: The Golden Army, he received a call from Bekmambetov, asking him to make a full version of the song. "The Little Things" also received a version in Russian.
Also featured twice in the film is the song "Every Day Is Exactly the Same" by Nine Inch Nails. Played for comic relief after the initial car chase is the song "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes, and "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli plays while Fox and Wesley kill a man in a limousine.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Danny Elfman.
No.
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Title
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Length
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1.
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"The Little Things"
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3:26
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2.
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"Success Montage"
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3:32
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3.
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"Fraternity Suite"
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3:28
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4.
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"Wesley's Office Life"
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5:15
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5.
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"The Scheme"
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1:44
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6.
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"Fox in Control"
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2:16
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7.
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"Welcome to the Fraternity"
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4:28
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8.
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"Fox's Story"
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3:29
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9.
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"Exterminator Beat"
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2:52
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10.
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"Rats"
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3:28
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11.
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"The Train"
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3:59
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12.
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"Revenge"
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4:33
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13.
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"Fox's Decision"
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2:29
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14.
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"Breaking the Code"
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1:21
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15.
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"Fate"
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1:46
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