In the age of remakes and sequels, celebrities and audiences have been claiming for years that Hollywood is fresh out of unique and original ideas. It seems like something always comes along to counteract that claim, but a lot of creatives are currently complaining that Hollywood studios are only investing in “garbage” right now, and the notion seems to be catching on. Shazam! actor Zachary Levi and acclaimed writer Charlie Kaufman have been two of the most vocal in this regard.

Levi has been receiving attention for recent comments made at a FanExpo in Chicago, which he attended due to his involvement in many projects centered around fandom. The actor expressed his frustration with the unsuccessful performance of his latest film, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. In making statements of support around the 2023 WGA strike and SAG-AFTRA strike, he talked about his disheartenment around Hollywood as a whole. He said (via EW):

Levi’s statements, while inflammatory, are understandable not only due to the reception of his latest movie, but also other DCEU flicks, like Black Adam and The Flash. Not only was Shazam! 2 met with mixed critical reception, it came on the heels of the new DC Universe franchise being announced, which may have played a role in its underwhelming commercial performance. However, while superhero movies may not be reaching the same heights they once did, there have been several critically lauded blockbuster studio films that have been released this year. Mission: Impossible 7 continues the legacy of one of our greatest action franchises, and summer phenominons Barbie and Oppeheimer have demonstrated what great things can be done under the thumbs of great auteurs. 

However brash, Levi isn’t the only one who feels this way. Oscar winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, known for his many iconic movies, including Being John Malkovitch and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, made similar remarks recently to Deadline. He bluntly expressed that great films rarely make money, and only “garbage” big budget studio films do well at the box office. Kaufman explained his perspective by saying:

In terms of Hollywood making cash-grabby films, Kaufman has a point. Sure-thing money makers like MCU tentpole films and sequels with built-in audiences seem to usually get precedent over smaller, more thoughtful dramas because they don’t always benefit the bottom line. Some films have been able to rise above this notion, as the new horror flick Talk To Me is doing great at the box office, and has been praised by many well-respected directors. Everything Everywhere All At Once also had a major moment last year, doing great financially and critically, while going on to win Best Picture. 

The money-making nature of Hollywood, especially as cinema is more often churning out "event"-type movies, is understandably frustrating for creatives. People like Zachary Levi and Charlie Kaufman likely feel beat down by their passion projects being overshadowed by flashy films that don't hold the same quality. However, the tide seems to be turning and audiences seem to be looking towards more unique and original ideas. Hopefully less “garbage” is made in the process.

There is still a lot of hope for great movies this year, so check out our 2023 movie release schedule to see what's coming down the pike. For information on movies already released, make sure to consult our feature on new and recent movies streaming now.

Charlie Kaufman's latest film, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, is the first direct-to-streaming feature from the Oscar-winning director and screenwriter. The genre-bending film, based on Iain Reid's novel of the same name, follows a woman and her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, played by Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons, as they visit his parents' farm in the midst of a blizzard. Since premiering on Netflix in September, it has been met with praise from various critics, including our own. But no film is safe from critique, positive or negative. Kaufman could tell you about that, as he recently spoke out about the criticism has received about the Netflix film.

Getting to his comments is going to require a little backstory. While reading a round up of The New York Time's top films of 2020, in which I'm Thinking of Ending Things was notably absent, Charlie Kaufman discovered a chain of comments celebrating the omission. He then shared his frustration as part of a larger roundtable panel with Indiewire about the movie. At that time, he noted that commenters seemed like they were going beyond criticism of the film, saying things such as "Thank God," and instead taking aim at the director himself:

Charlie Kaufman isn't first director to have his work lambasted by the internet, nor will he be the last, but trashing the director directly feels like it is more common in a large franchise than it usually is for a one-off Netflix adaptation. This isn't the first Kaufman's work has been considered polarizing, either. His unique style manages to stand out in almost all of his projects, including those he didn't even direct.

Fortunately for those who enjoy I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Charlie Kaufman was quickly supported by the rest of the panel, which included filmmaking stars Tamara Jenkins, Yorgos Lanthimos, Boots Rile and Richard Linklater. The panel took time to discuss how they navigate the reactionary waters surrounding their own projects. Richard Linklater, who directed the critically-acclaimed Before Trilogy and stoner-classic Dazed and Confused, offered Kaufman this sage advice to keep in mind when dealing the internet:

On one hand, I get it. The internet can be a scary place. Who needs that? Bleak negativity and sadness permeate Kaufman's work (hello Synecdoche, New York). The man is no stranger to the feeling of inadequacy. He earned his second Oscar nomination for his Adaptation screenplay, which was notably brutal to write. However, it must be near impossible to avoid the online chatter when other outlets are putting I'm Thinking of Ending Things in their top ten films of the year.

Regardless of where I'm Thinking of Ending Things lands on your 2020 film list, it's apparent that Charlie Kaufman's film and signature cerebral intrigue, will continue to polarize audiences for years to come. Well, so long as he can get the financing. I'm Thinking of Ending Things is currently streaming on Netflix, along with some of his other projects (If you haven't watched Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind you should do that like, right now.) In the meantime, stay tuned with CinemaBlend for the latest updates on movies, television and entertainment news.

Like with Wes Anderson films, you know a Charlie Kaufman movie when you see one. And this may be even more impressive in regards to Charlie Kaufman since more than half of his films weren’t even directed by him. They’re from his screenplays, as it’s his writing that always stands out. It’s not so much his voice as it is his themes and labyrinthine storytelling. Case in point, his latest movie, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, is based off of a novel, but still distinctly fits in with the kind of cerebral films that the writer/director has been known for over the years.

In truth, Charlie Kaufman is probably the only modern day screenwriter who could get a list of this sort just from his writing alone. Now, granted, Charlie Kaufman is not for everyone, and some of his movies are so far out there that I probably wouldn’t recommend them to anybody I know. But for that rare person who is genuinely interested in getting lost in a movie, then there’s no better storyteller in Hollywood than Charlie Kaufman. Here are his best films, both written and directed, ranked.

8. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

Even though Charlie Kaufman doesn’t particularly like George Clooney’s directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, is still a pretty good movie. It follows The Gong Show host, Chuck Barris (played by Sam Rockwell) and his double life as a CIA assassin.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a pretty enjoyable film, but it’s definitely the least Kaufman-esque movie on this list. This seems to be by design since George Clooney apparently changed up the script quite a bit, which is why Kaufman isn’t particularly fond of this film. So, while it’s a decent movie, it’s kind of bland in its delivery and mostly devoid of Kaufman’s cerebral storytelling, which is more to its detriment than its benefit.

7. Human Nature (2001)

Michel Gondry’s first film (the director and Kaufman would work together again on a much more beloved film), Human Nature is weird, but not so much in a good way. It’s a story about a woman named Lila (played by Patricia Arquette) who grows hair all over her body and returns to nature to be sexually liberated. She ends up writing a book about her experience and eventually meets a sexually repressed scientist (played by Tim Robins), as she’s looking for a mate. They both discover a man raised by apes (played by Rhys Ifans), and the scientist tries to condition him to adapt to society. But it’s hard, since it’s nigh-impossible to overcome one’s human nature. The scientist shocks the man ape every now and then with a buzzer to prevent him from humping things. It’s somewhat humorous.

Human Nature definitely feels like an entry-level Charlie Kaufman film, but its comedy feels like it misses the mark more often than it hits it. The characters are all really silly, which may be more because of Michel Gondry’s directing-style rather than Kaufman’s writing. But if you want to gently introduce somebody into the world of Kaufman, then there’s a far better Gondry/Kaufman film to steer them in the direction of.

6. Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York is the most Charlie Kaufman movie ever made. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Synecdoche, New York is about a theater director who commits to a production so deeply that it eventually takes over his life. He also creates his own little world inside of a warehouse. That’s the best I can explain it, because honestly, this is the most existential movie you will ever see in your entire life, and that’s putting it lightly.

Famed movie critic, Roger Ebert, once called Synecdoche, New York the best of movie of the decade. And I can only attribute that to the fact that he was much smarter than I’ll ever be. I said earlier that Kaufman is known for his labyrinthine storytelling, and this movie is the clearest example of that. You can get so lost in this movie that you almost forget that you’re even watching a movie, which I guess is the point. It’s an audacious film, to be sure. Just not a very clear one.

5. Anomalisa (2015)

I’m sure there’s a perfectly rational reason for why Anomalisa had to be a stop-motion film (and I just love that it was up against children’s films like Inside Out and Shaun the Sheep Movie at the 2016 Academy Awards), but I’m not entirely sure what it is. It’s the story of a an extremely lonely man named Michael (voiced by David Thewlis) who sees everybody in his life as looking and sounding exactly the same (all voiced by Tom Noonan). This is all part of what is known as the Fregoli delusion, which is a real disorder where people believe that everybody is the same person. Things are awful for Michael until he meets a woman in a hotel who actually looks and sounds different (voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh). But since this is a Charlie Kaufman film, things of course don’t end well.

Anomalisa has an interesting concept, but it’s surprisingly played straight. Despite its plot, it’s a story that anybody can relate to since it’s entirely human to feel completely alone at times. This one is actually one of Kaufman’s hardest films to process because of all the real emotions running through it.

4. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

The most recent film on this list, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is based on a novel of the same name, but could just as well be a Charlie Kaufman joint. The story is about a woman (played by Jessie Buckley) who is thinking of ending her relationship with her boyfriend (played by Jesse Plemons) on the way to visiting his parents on their farm. But it’s also quite scary, and most of it takes places in a car to and from the farm. Plus, the protagonist may not be who you think it is. Because of course it isn’t.

While there are a few deviations from the book (mostly in the ending), Charlie Kaufman deep dives into the minds of his characters like no other writer/director. It seems like a fairly simple story, but it turns super subversive, and creepy because of it. It’s the kind of film where you need to watch and re-watch it just to catch every little detail, and even then, you might not grasp all the different character dynamics all throughout the film.

3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

The other Charlie Kaufman/Michel Gondry project, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is undoubtedly Charlie Kaufman’s most popular film. Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as a couple going through a tough break-up, the movie poses this question: If you could medically forget somebody’s existence, would you do it? And if so, what ramifications does that have on the person who’s being forgotten? There really aren’t any easy answers for that in this movie, nor should there be.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is probably Kaufman’s most accessible movie. The concept is out there, but it’s easy enough to digest, and the plot is relatable. It’s not his most interesting film, but it’s probably his most complete.

2. Being John Malkovich (1999)

Being John Malkovich was the debut movie for both Charlie Kaufman and filmmaker Spike Jonze, and what a debut! It’s about a puppeteer (played by John Cusack) who finds a door that leads into John Malkovich’s head. He and his wife, Lotte (played by Cameron Diaz with frizzy hair!) realize that anybody can go through the door, and she goes through as well, realizing that she likes women and creating a sort of love triangle with a woman named Maxine (played by Catherine Keener) and John Malkovich. It’s bizarre, but in all the best ways.

When I think of Charlie Kaufman, I think of Being John Malkovich. Its story is perplexing and existential, but also enjoyable throughout. The concept is something only Charlie Kaufman could come up with, but it’s never really dark or nihilistic like some of his later stories. It’s fun and audacious, and you feel like you’re along for the ride. It’s a safe, enjoyable Charlie Kaufman film that I can recommended to anybody, no problem.

1. Adaptation (2002)

I’ll tell you, Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze make a really great team. In Charlie Kaufman’s best film, Nicolas Cage plays Charlie Kaufman and Charlie Kaufman’s fictional brother, Donald. Charlie Kaufman is adapting the real book, The Orchid Thief, but has severe writer’s block, while his brother, Donald, is a budding screenwriter who wants to write banal action fluff that eventually makes its way into the climax of the film. It’s super meta, but in a way where you don’t feel excluded from the actual story, and even feel a little smart for being able to follow it completely. Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper also fill in key roles.

Adaptation is Charlie Kaufman’s funniest film, and all the better for it. I love movies like Anomalisa and I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and Charlie Kaufman is a really talented director, but I feel like he gets a little too dark when he has complete creative control. Adaptation is the perfect mixture of Kaufman’s cerebral storytelling, and Spike Jonze’s often off-beat approach to his direction. So, Adaptation is a mindbender, but an approachable one. It might not be the Kaufman devotee’s favorite film (that would likely be Synecdoche, New York), but when it comes to all the plusses and none of the minuses of Charlie Kaufman’s oeuvre, you would be hard pressed to find a better movie of his than Adaptation.

Charlie Kaufman is still one of the most fascinating writers in Hollywood today. You never go into a Charlie Kaufman movie knowing what you’re going to get, and that’s a good thing. But what’s your favorite Charlie Kaufman movie? Sound off in the comments.

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Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking Of Ending Things hit Netflix on September 4th. The surreal adaptation is based on a 2016 novel of the same name by Iain Reid. Kaufman fans will recognize that this isn't the first adaptation that he has had a hand in bringing to the big screen. The screenplay of Spike Jonze's Adaptation was originally based on The Orchid Thief but transformed into a completely different film due to Kaufman's severe case of writers block.

Adaptation went on to earn numerous nominations and awards, including a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination and a Best Supporting Actor win for Chris Cooper, despite its deviation from the source material. Now, Kaufman has once again tried his hand at an adaptation, this time remaining much more faithful to the original text. But, when it comes to book-to-movie adaptations, there will always be differences in the finished products – sometimes minor, and other times major.

Before we go on I must warn you. There are major spoilers for both the book and movie adaptation of I’m Thinking Of Ending Things in this article. If you still have some questions after viewing the film I highly recommend checking out the book.

If you are cool with the spoilers, have already read the book or just don’t care, then let’s dive into the differences between each iteration of this sad, sad story.

Lucy Is Never Named In The Book

Kaufman’s I’m Thinking Of Ending Things stars Jessie Buckley as Lucy. The film introduces Lucy as she road trips into the country with her new boyfriend, Jake (Jesse Plemons), to visit his parents. Before they set off she lets viewers know that she is “thinking of ending things." Throughout the film Lucy starts to take on different names, sometimes Lousia and other times Ames, as the real plot of the film is revealed. Lucy isn’t real, well at least the Lucy we see on screen. She’s simply an imagined version of a woman that Jake met at a bar many years ago.

The idea of Jake projecting issues onto other characters, namely the girlfriend and his parents, is expanded upon in the books but there is one major difference. Lucy is never named in the source material. The entire novel is told in first person from her perspective. The girlfriend in the books isn’t real. In fact, none of the characters introduced in the story are real in the sense that we read about their actual characters.

They are just reimaginings or projections of people that Jake had interacted with in the past. There’s an ex-girlfriend, a driving teacher, his parents and a girl he met at a bar, but was too nervous to give his number. That girl is Lucy, he’s just projecting what could have been through her point of view. It really throws you for a WTF in the twist ending, but also brings me to the next key difference.

The Caller Plays A Much Larger Role In The Book

Throughout the film Lucy is pestered by a number of calls at extremely inconvenient times. Upon closer inspection you may have realized that she is being called by someone named Lucy, her own name. Pretty weird, but the film barely touches on it until closer to the end when she is called by a Lousia who says: “There’s only one question to resolve. I’m scared. I feel a little crazy. I’m not lucid. The assumptions are right. I can feel my fear growing. Now is the time for the answer. Just one question. One question to answer.” It should be noted that the lines are delivered by what sounds like a grizzled, downtrodden old man.

However, in the book the person who keeps calling the unnamed girlfriend is known as The Caller. There are entire sections of the book dedicated to this mysterious caller and their incessant calling. The girlfriends first interaction was when she noticed the caller standing outside her bedroom watching her. The Caller plays as an anxiety inducing character for the girlfriend, she’s constantly ignoring the call but listening to the messages. The same one each night. The exact same one you hear in the film. Who is The Caller? We’ll it’s Jake’s thoughts of suicide. Constantly calling to his mind and prompting him to answer the ultimate question.

Jake and Lucy Stop For A Different Treat In Each Version

Even a good old fashioned dessert can’t save you from the gut wrenching sadness of I’m Thinking Of Ending Things. In the film Jake and Lucy visit Tulsi Town. A local dessert shop where they run into a pair of judgmental girls and an innocent but scarred girl covered in rashes. Jake is struck by these girls and avoids the entire situation as a kind of deer in the headlights. Lucy orders two Oreo Brr’s and they leave after a haunting warning from the scarred girl. While Jake pays, it’s revealed that he too has rashes on his arm. It’s an easy-to-miss scene, but an important one.

Now, this scene is pretty much the same in the books but there are a few minor differences. The first being that it takes place at a Dairy Queen. Why not a DQ in the film adaptation? Probably due to licensing. The second difference is that the girlfriend is lactose intolerant in the books. Another ailment that Jake himself carries but he projects onto the characters of his story.

Lactose intolerance comes into play multiple times throughout the book, but in this instance an Oreo Brr would be completely out of the question. So, the two opt for Lemonades, one strawberry and one regular. Everything else is largely the same, even the mention of varnish and the melting desserts prompting Jake to drive to a local high school.

The High School Scenes Are Way Scarier In The Book

At the end of Kaufman’s I’m Thinking Of Ending Things Lucy begrudgingly follows Jake into the high school and is confronted by an older janitor. What follows is a psychedelic dance routine featuring two dancers who wear the same clothes as Jake and Lucy. They dance, get into a theatrical fight and ultimately the dancer dressed as Jake ‘dies’. It’s really not that scary outside of the whole suicide context. In a pure horror sense it’s pretty tame, almost melancholic.

In the book this goes down in a completely different fashion. There’s no dancing. The school scene is straight up terrifying. The girlfriend frantically works to find Jake after being locked in the high school from the inside. All the while trying to escape the shambling janitor. She hides for what could be hours as she loses track of time. It’s reminiscent of a cat and mouse affair with the girlfriend playing the mouse.

Readers are treated to straight-up horror when reading her inner thoughts as she is hunted by the janitor that presumably killed Jake. Eventually, she relents and comes into contact with this janitor and he's revealed to be old man Jake. He then asks the girlfriend the same question as The Caller. No dancing, just pure terror. This brings us to the climax of both versions and where Kaufman chose to take his biggest liberties.

The Book’s Ending Is Much Darker

The ending of I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is pretty damn bleak. You realize that Lucy isn’t thinking about ending things with Jake, rather Jake is an old man who is thinking about ending his time on this earth. Dark. But, after the dance session, the Nobel Prize ceremony and rendition of Lonely Room from the musical Oklahoma!, Jake ultimately decides to end it. He strips naked in his car, shuts off the ignition and the camera transitions to a snowed in truck at the highschool parking lot.

Jake presumably committed suicide via hypothermia, or did he? After the credits roll there is the faintest sound of the ignition turning over. So perhaps he lived and continued to fight his demons another day. It’s kind of hopeful, in an utterly depressing sort of way. I mean we are talking about Charlie Kaufman here.

Well if you thought that was depressing buckle up because the book leaves readers with no such hope. After the girlfriend confronts the Janitor who is revealed to be Jake/The Caller and the author of this entire story, she realizes that she is one in the same. Jake then leads her to a closet, prompts her to help him and hands her a straightened out coat hanger. She then bends it to two fine points and stabs herself multiple times in the throat, falling to the ground and ultimately dying.

Extremely dark. 

In the end Jake was the author of this story. He was searching for reasons to keep living. In the end, he couldn’t find any. So he chose to end his life there, in the high school that he went to and worked for so many years. The book is actually interspersed with bits of conversation of folks talking about the death, the journal and scene of the crime.

Either way you cut it, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a dark story. Charlie Kaufman took his own liberties and made something with the smallest glimmer of hope. Albeit a sad story, I’d expect nothing less from the director of famous gut wrenchers like Synecdoche New York and Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind. As for Iain Reid’s book? It’s plain sad any way you cut just mixed with some more horror. Sometimes that's okay, though. I sure know I loved both renditions. Maybe I should call a therapist?

For more coverage of I’m Thinking of Ending Things check back at CinemaBlend. We’ve got the latest on streaming, television and movie news. I promise it’s not all this sad.

After writing for a variety of television shows through most of the 1990s, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman broke out on the big screen in a massive way when he teamed up with director Spike Jonze to make Being John Malkovich. While not exactly a box office phenomenon, never getting more than a limited release, it became an instant favorite among cinephiles who fully embraced its imagination and wonkiness. Kaufman has since gone on to make a number of equally incredible films as both a writer and a director, including Adaptation., Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Synecdoche, New York, and I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, but fans will never forget the film that served as his big break out.

Part of what makes Charlie Kaufman’s films so fun for fans is the fact that they demand analysis, and his feature debut is no exception – hence what we’re here to discuss today. Being John Malkovich’s ending is a wild one, and in this feature we’re going to break down both what unfolds, and what it means. In case it’s been a minute since you’ve last seen the film, let’s begin with the former…

What Happens At The End Of Being John Malkovich

Picking up eight months after “John” (really John Cusack’s Craig) tells his agent that he wants to transition his career from acting to puppetry, the third act begins as a pregnant Maxine (Catherine Keener) sets up a nursery and “John” settles in to watch a television special about his work. It’s revealed that Malkovich’s clout has successfully elevated the art form in notoriety, and that he’s earned great fame and accolade for his contributions to the field – but the documentary also highlights that his relationship with Maxine has been on a steep decline following the announcement of her pregnancy… which is only further highlighted by the fact that “John” is watching television all by himself while his wife is in the other room.

His special over, “John” makes his way to the Metropolitan Opera House for a performance of his latest performance piece, which has a human-sized puppet elegantly dancing with a ballet company.

The Kidnapping

When “John” makes his way home, a massive birthday cake in hand, he realizes that Maxine is gone and that the apartment has been raided. Hearing the phone ringing, he finds it and answers it. On the other line is Dr. Lester (Orson Bean), calling from the seventh-and-a-half floor of the Mertin-Flemmer building, and he explains that he and his group have kidnapped Maxine, and that they will kill her if Craig doesn’t leave Malkovich’s body immediately.

Hanging up on them, “John” sits in contemplation. Dr. Lester informs the members of his group, including Lotte (Cameron Diaz) that Craig has called their bluff. While they do indeed have Maxine, and she is tied up, they have no intention of actually hurting her. Knowing that the group must enter Malkovich before the end of his 44th birthday, Lotte asks why the group can’t just enter the actor-turned-puppeteer’s mind, but Lester notes that doing so with Craig in control would merely get them pushed down into Malkovich’s subconscious.

Upset and still feeling scorned, Lotte decides that she is going to personally execute the threat made to “John,” and she pulls a gun out of her purse to shoot Maxine – saying, “If I can’t have you, no one can.” Dr. Lester exclaims that Maxine can’t be killed, and the manipulative business woman uses the temporary distraction to dive into the Malkovich door for the first time. Lotte follows her, but as Lester predicted, Craig’s influence leads them to be shoved into Malkovich’s subconscious. A chase ensues through the actor’s memories until they both find themselves dropped on to the side of the New Jersey Turnpike in a torrential downpour.

With Maxine scrambling and successfully grabbing Lotte’s gun, the two women have an emotional reckoning. Lotte remains incredibly hurt by Maxine’s betrayal, but Maxine explains that she really did love her in her own way… and that the baby she is carrying came from a time when Lotte was controlling Malkovich, not Craig.

Craig's Change Of Heart

Meanwhile, “John” gets drunk in a bar, and winds up getting in a fight when a fellow patron recognizes him. Getting a glimpse of himself in a bar mirror, “John” calls Lester to tell him not to hurt Maxine, and that he will leave Malkovich. Craig makes good on his promise, dropping a few feet away from where Lotte and Maxine are, and the real John Malkovich returns to control of his body for the first time in months. It’s a short-lived experience, though, as Lester and his group file into the Malkovich door.

Lotte and Maxine successfully hail down a car, and Craig runs up to them arguing that his willingness to sacrifice being John Malkovich proves his love for his former business partner. He is promptly told to “fuck off,” and the car drives away. He screams that he is going to go back to the Malkovich door, kick Lester out, and continue to demonstrate his love… but this by itself shows his ignorance about how the door really works.

A Jump To The Future

Seven years later, a balding Charlie Sheen arrives at “John Malkovich’s” house. Malkovich has taken on Lester’s look in both hair and clothing style, and has married Lester’s former assistant, Floris (Mary Kay Place). “John” takes Charlie upstairs and begins recruiting him to be a part of the new group that will enter the next vessel.

Said next vessel is Emily (Kelly Teacher), who is then shown having a pool day with her two moms, Maxine and Lotte. As the three are shown to be having a wonderful day, it’s revealed that Craig went through with his threat to try and reenter the Malkovich door and is powerlessly trapped inside Emily’s mind – miserable at his inability to get Maxine to love him.

It’s a wild ending, and one that we’re excited to dig into – starting with an explanation of exactly what the hell is happening as characters filter in and out of John Malkovich’s brain.

What Happens To Craig, Maxine And Lotte In Being John Malkovich

Being John Malkovich is ultimately about a truly strange love triangle formed between Craig, Lotte, and Maxine, and as strange as their relationship is from the get-go – with Craig being married to Lotte and then falling in love with Maxine, only to then learn that Lotte is in love with Maxine as well – things end in an even more bizarre place.

As explained during the second act of the movie, Dr. Lester and his group need to enter the Malkovich door before midnight on his 44th birthday, with the given reason being that entering the door after that point in time would result in the collective being diverted to a “larval vessel” and getting absorbed. Lotte knows this, and it’s possible that Maxine is informed of what’s going on during her kidnapping, but Craig doesn’t.

Craig winds up making good on his shouted promise to try and return to Malkovich so that he can win Maxine’s heart, but doing so diverts him to the aforementioned larval vessel – who happens to be Emily, Lotte and Maxine’s daughter. Assuming that Craig didn’t wait a few days/weeks before trying the door again, this means that he experienced the birth of Emily as a passenger in the newborn’s mind, and he will presumably be trapped there forever, viewing the world through her eyes with absolutely zero control. And making it hurt all the more is that he simultaneously has to watch the loving relationship between his ex-wives.

Odd? Certainly. But the truth is that Being John Malkovich was originally going to end on an infinitely more bizarre note…

The Original Being John Malkovich Ending

Those who have followed Charlie Kaufman’s work know that his movies have only gotten stranger in the years since Being John Malkovich – but it feels necessary to note that his particular penchant for weird didn’t exactly manifest out of nothing. The truth is that as wild as the end of the 1999 film is, the end as it was originally scripted was far more over the top.

The original ending of Being John Malkovich was unearthed by Badass Digest in 2014, and it’s ridiculous just how much the third act changed over the course of development. The differences between the early versions and the final cut of the film are many, starting with the fact that the plan wasn’t always to have Malkovich change careers from acting to puppeteering. Instead, the early version of the script saw Malkovich become famous as a puppet, with Craig letting everyone in the world know that he is pulling the metaphorical strings.

Craig takes his show to Vegas, where he has Malkovich perform scenes from On The Waterfront and juggle chainsaws – but his dominance in the puppeteering market is eventually challenged. Derek Mantini a.k.a. The Great Mantini (who is referenced in a news broadcast at the start of the film for having operated a giant Emily Dickenson puppet) challenges Craig to a duel of sorts: the Malkovich puppet and a Mantini-controlled Harry S. Truman are to co-star in a performance of the play Equus, and then fans would choose which one of the puppeteers would be banned from the art.

Meanwhile, it’s revealed that Dr. Lester and his group aren’t quite as innocent as they seem, as the reality is that they are being led by the literal Devil, who goes by the alias Mr. Flemmer (in turn revealing that the Mertin-Flemmer building was co-founded by Satan). During the second act of the Equus performance, Flemmer teleports in and livens up the show by “possessing” the Truman puppet. The audience is wowed as the Truman puppet juggles bowling pins before transforming into a giant swan and exploding. From the remains emerges the real Harry Truman, who urges the audience to vote for Mantini – which they do in overwhelming numbers.

Defeated, Craig leaves Malkovich’s body, which gives the opening for Mr. Flemmer, Dr. Lester, and the rest of the group to enter the door. Malkovich becomes a godlike being, transforming most of the world into black-and-white, and he flies into midtown Manhattan to organize a massive choreographed number that finds people dance until they die.

During all of this, Lotte winds up falling in love with her chimpanzee, Elijah, and together they organize a resistance group to try and stop Flemmer. The last resort is to try and plant a bomb behind the Malkovich door, but Lotte is interrupted when she runs into Craig at the Mertin-Flemmer building. They make peace, and Lotte invites Craig back to where she lives – and as they walk we see a wire extending from Craig’s arm. Panning up, we see that he is being controlled by The Great Mantini, but then it’s revealed that Mantini has wires as well, and is being controlled by Flemmer. The final shot was originally meant to dive into the Devil’s mouth, with the inside looking similar to the Malkovich tunnel.

Between the extra money that would have been required to pull all of this off, and the absolute nuttiness of it, it’s not entirely surprising that this isn’t the conclusion of Being John Malkovich, but we can certainly always appreciate the brilliant madness of Charlie Kaufman’s vision.

What are your thoughts on the ending of Being John Malkovich? Would you have preferred to see the original ending? Hit the comments section with all of your thoughts, feelings, and opinions on the matter, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more of our regular Ending Explained features.

Charlie Kaufman possesses one of the most creative minds in the film industry today. Hell, not only are his movies regularly filled with bombastic and wild ideas, but he is the filmmaker who famously struggled to adapt a book and then turned the adaptation into a movie about that struggle. Because of this, it’s curious to see him once again go the adaptation route with his latest movie, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, and thus I felt compelled to ask him about that choice when I recently had the chance to interview him.

Prior to the release of I’m Thinking Of Ending Things on Netflix this past weekend, I had the pleasure of interviewing Charlie Kaufman about the new film, and my very first question out of the gate was about his original decision take author Iain Reid’s book of the same name when pursuing a new project to direct. His answer was two-fold, and you can listen to his explanation by clicking play on the video below:

Originally published in 2016, I'm Thinking Of Ending Things was author Iain Reid's debut novel, and the film that Charlie Kaufman has made largely honors what’s in the original text – albeit with more than a few flourishes that only Kaufman can provide. At the core of it all it the story of a young woman (played by Jessie Buckley) who agrees to take a trip with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to visit his parents (Toni Collette, David Thewlis) for an introductory dinner. It’s threaded in via voice over narration that the girlfriend isn’t quite sure about the future of the relationship, and as the night goes on reality begins to… morph.

What unfolds is a very special kind of existential nightmare that is very Kaufman-esque, and one can see how that would lure his attention. But as the filmmaker explained, that was only half of the attraction:

Obviously the positive to take away from this is the fact that Charlie Kaufman wound up finding excellent and suitable material to adapt, and he wound up turning that material into a phenomenal film… but I will take a second to get hung up on the awfulness that is the fact that Kaufman struggles to get movies made. Admittedly you don’t have to being a Hollywood insider to figure out what’s going on, as his movies don’t exactly become blockbuster hits, but there are few in the industry that would disagree that his creativity is a great thing for the art form and his vision deserves support.

In the wake of I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, it would be a wonderful thing to see Charlie Kaufman develop a stronger relationship with Netflix. Consistent financing and distribution would clearly be a wonderful thing, but one could also argue that availability on streaming can enhance the audience’s experience. His movies demand analysis and interpretation, and it’s certainly a lot easier when you can rewatch the work ad infinitum and jump to specific scenes with a single click.

This was actually another subject that I touched upon in my conversation with Charlie Kaufman about I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, and you can watch my full conversation with him – as well as my chat with stars Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons – below!

I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is now on Netflix, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more coverage of my interviews with the director and stars.

When going into watching a film made by Charlie Kaufman, one must be ready to think. From the very beginning of his career in features, jumpstarted by his genius script for Being John Malkovich, the writer’s work has been defined by powerful themes, examined abstractions, and surrealist style, and has made films that specifically beg for analysis and examination rather than just existing for pure entertainment value. Kaufman is a filmmaker who aims to challenge an audience, and while that can present a struggle for some, it’s also remarkably rewarding to find yourself operating on his wavelength and engaging with his mesmerizing perspective.

His style has only become more refined since he started to direct his own screenplays, presenting a kind of unfiltered quality, and while it has been more than a decade since his last live-action effort, his directorial debut Synecdoche, New York, his latest proves that he is as sharp and fascinating as ever. Based on the book of the same name by author Iain Reid, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is a cinematic vision that only Charlie Kaufman can provide, outwardly presenting itself as a thriller built out of slow escalation that ultimately reveals itself as a unique meditation on identity and the existential absurd that will leave you unknotting your brain for days.

The film begins with the simple and familiar, as a young woman (Jessie Buckley) makes plans with her boyfriend, Jake (Jesse Plemons), to drive out to his parent’s house for dinner on a particularly snowy late-fall day. As we glimpse into her mind through voice over, we understand that she is emotionally torn regarding the state of the relationship, as she is thinking about ending things and questioning her choice to even go on the trip, though her contemplation and hesitation is interrupted by forced conversation and observation by Jake.

Arriving at the remote farm house, things immediately get off on an odd foot, as Jake is reticent to introduce his mom (Toni Collette) and dad (David Thewlis), and our protagonist learns horror stories about the barn and meets Jake’s perpetually wet-and-shaking dog. Finally everyone does get together, and as the night continues and the snowy storm gets worse, reality bends further and further, with concepts like time and identity becoming ephemeral and like gossamer, with hope for escape and understanding slowly slipping away.

I’m Thinking Of Ending Things demands every ounce of your attention, and is entirely worth it.

I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is the first Charlie Kaufman film to be released directly to streaming, though it can’t be stressed enough that this isn’t a movie that you should switch on during an evening when you’re occasionally jumping off the sofa to do a quick chore or spending time with chatty friends. The best of what the experience has to offer is found in the details of its contemplative dialogue and morphing existence, and the proper way to absorb it all is like a sponge not leaving a drop.

This assessment stems from the fact that this is a feature that isn’t particularly interested in providing the audience with firm answers to all of the questions that it inspires by the time, and it invites you to work to understand it and draw out your own takeaways – which is more rewarding when you’ve fully engaged with the material. It lends itself to fantastic post-screening discussion, and one of the advantages of it being available on Netflix is that it can be immediately rewatched over and over again. You’ll not only want to do it to dig further into it, but also because I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is immensely entertaining.

As broadly introspective as it can be, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is also delightfully weird and freaky.

Surrealism is a tool that Charlie Kaufman wields like a funhouse mirror, altering perspective in aim of gaining greater understanding of reality, but coming part and parcel with its philosophical effect is the fact that it makes the movie both fun and thrilling. You grin and quietly whisper “What the fuck?” as you realize that inconsistencies are starting to pile up regarding everything you know about the young couple at the center of the narrative, and as the film plays out its secondary storyline involving a high school janitor (Guy Boyd) performing his daily duties, and throws in a fake Robert Zemeckis-directed romantic comedy you’re left chuckling at the absurdity.

That same aspect of I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, however, also has the wonderful ability to perpetually keep you on the edge of your seat. When the known rules of reality are failing to hold at the seams, there is an atmosphere created where you truly don’t know what’s going to arrive next, and Charlie Kaufman loves playing with that here. The slow-burn escalation is brilliant.

I’m Thinking Of Ending Things presents a great acting challenging, but the entire cast is up for the task.

Of course, that atmosphere doesn’t play unless provided with properly grounded performances, and I’m Thinking Of Ending Things gets them from the entire cast – all of whom understand the assignment, so to speak, and do tremendous work with what is a challenging assignment. Jessie Buckley, who instantly proved herself a star last year with her lead role in Tom Harper’s Wild Rose, puts in a turn that is subtle, dramatic and compelling; while Jesse Plemons is at once both mysterious and affable.

Having the most fun with it all, though, is the pairing of Toni Collette and David Thewlis, who operate will all manners of wild emotion and are utterly captivating in their extremeness. In the narrative they are agents of the surreal, and they are imbued with a particularly unpredictability that never allows you to take your eye off them once either of them has entered the screen. They’re captivating, and at times hilarious. After 20-plus years of watching Charlie Kaufman’s movies, audiences probably have a pretty good grip on whether or not they connect with his style – but it’s a promise that if you consider yourself a fan that you’re going to love I’m Thinking Of Ending Things. It features the very best of what the writer/director does so incredibly well, and will wrap itself around your brain like a coil as you work to decipher it all. It’s a phenomenal film that will go down as one of the best, if not the best, of 2020.

Writer/director Charlie Kaufman has always had a special way around the human psyche, as evidenced in films like Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But his latest movie, I’m Thinking of Ending Things feels like another leap forward in world of WTF, even when compared to Kaufman’s typically offbeat sensibilities. You’ll see what we mean when you watch the trailer for this Netflix original film below:

Based on author Iain Reid’s book of the same name, I’m Thinking of Ending Things sees its protagonist (Wild Rose’s Jessie Buckley) thinking about ending her relationship with her boyfriend, Jake (Jesse Plemons.) But even with those thoughts in mind, she’s up for a road trip to meet the parents (Toni Collette & David Thewlis) in what looks to be the dead of winter. And that’s where the weirdness starts, as this particular family gathering turns into some rather wild existential pondering. What started as a relationship drama looks to turn into a dreadful tale of personal peril, as only Charlie Kaufman could deliver.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m Thinking of Ending Things seems to have a poor dog in its midst, who always seems to be shaking something off for an unnerving amount of time. Or maybe it’s the fact that while Toni Collette’s Mother and David Thewlis’ Father are uber friendly, they seem a bit too friendly. Whatever the case, the dread that seems to fill Jessie Buckley and the simmering anger seen on the usually happy-go-lucky face of Jesse Plemons turn things into a twisty maze of feelings pretty quickly.

Oh, and there’s totally creepy aging effects, a meditation on how time wears us all down in body and spirit, and some musical style dancing that has us questioning the outcome of Charlie Kaufman’s latest outing. I’m Thinking of Ending Things certainly has us thinking; and our thoughts are that this is a movie we’re going to be talking about long after the credits start to roll.Not to mention, Toni Collette looks like she could go full Hereditary at any moment in this one, and that’s always a cause to celebrate.

Then again, this is Charlie Kaufman we’re talking about here. If there’s two things that his skill set has been able to do, in any genre he tackles, it’s make us think about the human condition and feel more than a little uncomfortable about what we come up with. The only real difference with I’m Thinking of Ending Things, is that it looks like this particular exercise is going to take a detour into the world of slow burning horror and confusion. Which, ultimately, makes this Netflix original a movie that couldn’t have come to us at a more appropriate time, to be sure. We’ll see how deep I’m Thinking of Ending Thingscuts into our souls when it debuts on Netflix, on September 4th. Though if you want to prime your mind for some of the weirdness ahead, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is currently available in their library as well.

James Wan’s The Conjuring 2 is certainly based on true life events, specifically Ed and Lorraine Warren’s investigation of the Enfield Poltergeist, but anyone who sees the film will recognize its departure from reality. On beyond the way that it adapts what is considered controversial material, there are also a number of elements that were added for the sake of drama and storytelling. Balancing the truth and the fiction was certainly one of the challenges of creating the movie for the director, but there’s a surprising movie that really inspired his process through it: Spike Jonze’s Adaptation, based on the Academy Award-winning script by Charlie (and Donald) Kaufman.

James Wan revealed this interesting bit of trivia when I had the chance to sit down with him one-on-one at the Conjuring 2 press day in Los Angeles this past weekend. I brought up the subject of reality versus fiction, and the filmmaker explained that Adaptation was a movie that he found tremendously helpful in his approach, given that it’s a story that is a perfect meta blend of both elements. Said Wan,

For those unfamiliar with the film, Charlie Kaufman’s script for Adaptation features himself (played by Nicolas Cage) given the assignment to adapt the book "The Orchard Thief" by Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep). The movie manages to simultaneously be that adaptation, as well as the story of Kaufman writing the adaptation – with the two twisting together in fascinating fashion by the end of the movie. The Conjuring 2 isn’t anywhere near as narratively complex, but it does keep the audience in a persistent state of questioning what is real and what isn’t.

While The Conjuring movies are based on the true life investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren, ultimately James Wan knows that the fiction is needed to enhance the reality – and it actually makes him question a particular section of the movie-going audience: those who refuse to see the movies because they don’t believe in the Warrens’ work. Said Wan,

At the end of the day, what really matters in The Conjuring movies is that you care about the characters, and that it manages to terrify you as a result. Seeing as The Conjuring 2 manages to do both, you should do yourself a favor and see it when it hits theaters this Friday, June 10th.

It is not unusual for actors to be become attached to particular types of parts. Certain films become iconic, or certain roles become so memorable that you can’t think of the character without thinking of the actor, or vice versa. But John Malkovich has them all beat. He doesn’t simply have a movie where his name appears before the title, be has a film where his name is the title. What does the actor think about Being John Malkovich more than 15 years later? Well, he compares the movie to the way bad sex, or possibly great sex, can affect your life.

Malkovich feels that the movie had a truly major impact on cinema, but that it had nothing to do with him. Instead, he says that the introduction of director Spike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman to the movie world is what the movie should ultimately be known for. For himself, however, he told Rolling Stone that the legacy of the film is like the legacy of oral sex.

So that’s a ...vivid metaphor. It’s not entirely clear what "your life becomes a blowjob" means, beyond being the greatest sentence I’ve had the chance to type in my career. As bizarre as it sounds at first, it may actually be a fitting comparison. How do you have a conversation with John Malkovich about a movie that has his name in the title? Even if you honestly believe it’s a wonderful movie, anything you say is going to come across as the conversational equivalent of a blowjob.

Ultimately the problem is that it’s difficult to talk about the movie without discussing the bizarreness that came from the its premise. You can’t talk about John Malkovich the character without also talking about John Malkovich the actor. Maybe it’s not so much a blowjob as it is a self-referential circle jerk.

We can certainly agree that the movie introduced Hollywood to two unique filmmakers that the movie business is all the richer for. Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman have gone on to make some of the greatest, and strangest, movies in recent memory. We’re glad they got the chance to make Being John Malkovich, even if it did rish turning the actors life into a blowjob.

Stop-motion animation. It’s not just for children’s stories anymore. Anomalisa, the latest creation to stem from the original mind of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, has been proving that point to film festival audiences all season, and now you get to see what all of the fuss is about:

Charlie Kaufman, whose previous forays into cinema’s cerebellum have include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich, co-directs Anomalisa with Duke Johnson, though it has his neurotic fingerprints all over its spine. A brilliantly puzzling film, Anomalisa places a magnifying glass over the minutia that comes with business-class travel, as Michael Stone (David Thewlis) arrives in Cincinnati (where the zoo is zoo-sized) to speak at a generic convention, except… he has other things on his mind.

The trailer above, shared by Fandango/MovieClips, does a fairly good job of protecting some of the unusual aspects of Anomalisa, so I’m hesitant to reveal any of them here. Just know that if you dial in to the unconventional ways that Charlie Kaufman likes to explore the human condition – often approaching such things as "emotions" from a science-fiction angle – then there are some twists and turns in Anomalisa that will be sure to push your buttons and lure you close to the edge of your seat over stakes that are incredibly small – and yet, still vital.

Now, let’s side track and talk, briefly, about the film’s Awards possibilities. While a film certainly doesn’t rise or fall solely on the amount of awards chatter it can generate, Anomalisa already is making a two strong cases in two separate categories. Because of its emotional impact, and the creativity that went into its painstaking production, several are starting to beat the drum hard for the movie to have a chance at Best Picture. While that is not necessarily out of the picture just yet (a lot will depend on how the movie plays with audiences, and how many films end up being legitimate contenders as the end of the year approaches), Anomalisa likely will end up in the Animation category at the Academy Awards… where it’s expected to go up against Pixar’s Inside Out. Would it be an upset if Anomalisa beat one of the best reviewed Pixar movies in years?

But an Oscar campaign certainly is in this movie’s plans, as the trailer shows it will open in select theaters on December 30, before expanding in January. That means it just needs to be eligible to contend, and then it can test the waters with a larger market. Look for Anomalisa when it reaches a theater near you. I guarantee, you haven’t seen anything like it.

It took a long time for director Robert Zemeckis to get out of the motion-capture business and back into proper filmmaking, with twelve years passing between 2000’s Castaway and last year’s Flight (which wasn’t really the imagination-bursting flick that his fans are used to seeing). His next project just might return him to his science fiction hey day, however, as sources at TheWrap are saying the director is now in negotiations with Lionsgate to helm an feature version of British author Patrick Ness’ bestselling young adult series Chaos Walking. And before you throw your hands up in agony over yet another dystopian young adult series headed to the big screen, this one gets extra cool points for being adapted by Charlie Kaufman, the Academy Award winning screenwriter of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. A Zemeckis and Kaufman team-up? We’re definitely interested.

The Wrap takes special care in pointing out that no deal is in place yet, but that a deal could be reached before the end of the month. Apparently Zemeckis has spent the last few months going back and forth in deciding whether or not to take the project on. The film admittedly sounds just as difficult to direct as it would be to write, but this is the guy that made Who Framed Roger Rabbit, so I doubt he’s intimidated.

The Chaos Walking trilogy is comprised of 2008’s The Knife of Never Letting Go, 2009’s The Ask and the Answer and 2010’s Monsters of Men. They take place in a future where humans have colonized another Earth-like planet. Problems arise when a phenomenon called The Noise occurs, which allows all living creatures to hear everyone else’s thoughts. But this isn’t What Women Wants for the new millennium. The Noise leads to moral and ethical breaches, and a war breaks out between the indigenous alien race and the humans that have settled there. The first book involves a young man named Todd who holds the key to saving the planet from destroying itself. Working with a girl named Viola, he tries to find a known area where silence exists.

While neither Zemeckis nor Kaufmann have really delved into the young adult lit genre – The Polar Express doesn’t really count here – their established careers put this adaptation miles ahead of similar sounding projects. And since The Hunger Games trilogy will be completed by 2015, Lionsgate is eager to find another popular series to hang their hats on for another five years. While I’m many years past the target audience’s age group, this is a series that I’m actually interested in, unlike The Mortal Instruments or Divergent series. And no, it’s not just because the central hero is a male.

Zemeckis has recently been trying to get another adaptation started, namely Elizabeth L. Silver’s murder mystery The Execution of Noa P. Singleton, and has also been developing Focus Features’ Rose, with a script from Nathaniel Halpern. Time will tell which of these projects he’ll eventually end up with, but maybe we can hear his thoughts if we try really hard.

Director Guillermo del Toro seems to be very excited by the prospect of working with Benedict Cumberbatch. As we reported back in April, the two men are set to collaborate on the gothic haunted house movie Crimson Peak, which will be the filmmaker's next project, but apparently that just isn't enough for del Toro. Not only does he want Cumberbatch for his ghost story, he wants him to play the lead in his version of Frankenstein.

With Pacific Rim due out in theaters this week del Toro has been doing press rounds like a madman, and in an interview with The Daily Telegraph (via The Playlist) he revealed that he wants the Sherlock star for his long-in-development Mary Shelley adaptation. While the paper doesn't have a direct quote from the director, the story reportedly says "he is hoping to direct Cumberbatch again in a new film version of Frankenstein."

The article doesn't seem to specify which role del Toro would have Cumberbatch play - either the monster or Victor Frankenstein -though the director has previously said that he would like to have his longtime collaborator Doug Jones play the scientist's creation. Truthfully, the British star is covered either way as he actually has terrific experience in both parts. Last year director Danny Boyle produced his own version of Frankenstein for the stage and had stars Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller sharing the roles on opposite nights. You can see the former as the monster above and as the man below.

That's not all that the Telegraph got out of del Toro either, as the director also offered up details about his in-the-works big screen version of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five. He's been developing the project for just as long as he has been talking about Frankenstein, but now it's apparently moving forward with an idea from one of the best screenwriters in Hollywood: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind scribe Charlie Kaufman. Said del Toro about the Oscar winner's work on the story,

It took five years between Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Pacific Rim to finally get del Toro back into the director's chair, but we won't have to wait that long for his next movie. Crimson Peak, which stars Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam in addition to Cumberbatch, is looking to start production at the start of next year, putting it on target for either a late 2014 or 2015 release date.

It's been 10 years since Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze last collaborated, on the hugely beloved Adaptation, but the distinctive writer and director are gearing up to work together again, with Jonze planning to direct Kaufman's script this year. Amy Adams, Joaquin Phoenix and Samantha Morton are already on board, and though Carey Mulligan had been circling a role for a while, she apparently can't make the schedule work, which leaves an opening that clearly can only be filled by another woman recently Oscar-nominated for her breakthrough role.

According to Variety, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara is in final negotiations to join the film, playing an unspecified role in the story about a man who falls in love with the voice of a computer. Mara's currently at work on The Bitter Pill with Steven Soderbergh, but she'll have the time to make the move over to Jonze's movie, which should be ready to go into production fairly soon.

Mara also had Terrence Malick's new film Lawless coming at some point soon, though given Malick's habits you never really know when his films will come out, and presumably she's still on board for The Girl Who Played With Fire, the Dragon Tattoo sequel that as of January was set to shoot at the end of this year. But with David Fincher not looking all that interested in returning for Played with Fire, it wouldn't be hard to imagine that Mara wouldn't be too interested either, so she's cramming her resume full of auteur-driven films before she goes back to the grueling Lisbeth Salander role.

So what's this role that both Carey Mulligan and Rooney Mara would be up for playing? Both actresses have incredible ranges from the limited work we've seen from them, so it's fairly hard to guess. Anyone out there want to throw out some wild ideas?

When Lionsgate was looking for a new director for the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire, they were eyeing all kinds of prestige-worthy names, like Moneyball director Bennett Miller, or Children of Men's Alfonso Cuaron. Eventually they settled on Francis Lawrence, a fine director but not nearly up to the Oscar-worthy options they'd considered. Catching Fire was going to do just fine no matter how talented a director they hired, of course, and now the studio seems to be taking that eye for prestige and applying it to what they might hope will be the next Hunger Games-sized franchise.

According to Deadline the studio has hired Charlie Kaufman-- yes, Adaptation and Being John Malkovich's Charlie Kaufman-- to adapt Chaos Walking, the young adult series by Patrick Ness that takes place in a dystopian future in which a single young person holds the key to setting things right. Sound familiar? The rest of the book doesn't sound all that similar to The Hunger Games-- it's set on a distant planet, and things go bad when humanity is infected with a virus that makes all of your thoughts audible-- but don't think for a second that The Hunger Games is the model here.

More importantly, Kaufman actually seems really well-suited to the source material. A lot of his famous characters, whether the alternate version of himself in Adaptation or the theater director in Synecdoche, New York, seem to already live in a world in which their thoughts are audible, constantly neurotic and paranoid about how to fit in around others. Obviously the constraints of a blockbuster film means Kaufman will have to tone down his trademark imagination a bit, but hey, he worked as a script consultant on Kung Fu Panda 2-- it's not like he doesn't know his way around the territory.

It's unclear how this job will affect what's supposed to be his next directing project, Frank and Francis, which had had lined up an impressive cast in January but hasn't yet gone intro production. Maybe that Lionsgate check will help Kaufman get it made? So long as Chaos Walking does't significantly delay one of his own projects, putting more Charlie Kaufman in the world sounds like nothing but a good thing from here.

UPDATE!: THR is also reporting that Paul Reubens has joined the cast of Frank and Francis. The trade says that he will be playing an old-school film critic.

Just yesterday Charlie Kaufman added Kate Winslet and Catherine Keener to his next directorial effort, Frank and Francis. The casting is a reunion of sorts, as Keener previously starred in Being John Malkovich (and had a small role in Adaptation), while Winslet played the female lead in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - all films based on Kaufman scripts. Today he's added yet another actress to his cast, though this one will be working with the writer/director for the first time.

THR has learned that Elizabeth Banks has signed on for a part in Frank and Francis. In addition to Winsley and Keener, the film is set to star Jack Black, Nicolas Cage, Steve Carell, and Kevin Kline. The film is a musical about Hollywood in which Black plays an online film reviewer who regularly abuses a pretentious-yet-successful director played by Carell; Cage plays an actor named The Emcee who is best known for starring in "high-concept" films; and Kline plays a dual role as the director of the biggest film of all time and his own twin brother, who has been turned into an anamatronic head that comes up with marketable script ideas. Though the trade doesn't give her character a name, Banks will play an actress who is best known for starring in crappy comedies and happens to be having an affair with Carell's character.

It's really impressive how big Elizabeth Banks has gotten over the years. While she started her career as a character actress, this year alone she has high-profile roles in movies like The Hunger Games, Man on a Ledge, and What to Expect When You're Expecting. Banks is one of the few actresses that can balance comedy and drama really well, and she truly deserves all of the success that she's having.

Just a little over an hour ago about the new Charlie Kaufman project Frank or Francis. While the story revealed the subject of the movie - online film critics - one key piece of information the story lacked was who will actually be starring in the movie. As I mentioned, Nicolas Cage, Jack Black and Steve Carell have had their names connected to the project, but it was unknown if they would actually be doing it. It turns out that they will be and another actor has joined them as well.

Variety reports that the three aforementioned actors are now all officially attached to star in Frank or Francis as is Kevin Kline, who will be playing two roles. The story revolves around Black's character, Francis -an "extremely intelligent Internet troll" - who takes pleasure in taking direct aim at a "successful, somewhat pretentious filmmaker" named Frank, played by Carell (who also happens to be cheating on his wife). Cage, who returns to Kaufman's work for the first time since 2002's Adaptation, plays a high profile actor named The Emcee who is known for making high concept films.

But here is where it gets weird: one of the characters that Kline plays is named Richard Waller, brother of Jonathan Waller, the filmmaker responsible for the most successful movie of all time. But while you may be thinking that Kline will play his own brother, you're dead wrong. Instead, the second role Kline will play a character called Richard's Head, "an animatronic head that, through the use of advanced screenwriting techniques, helps Jonathan develop a completely inoffensive product that will have the broadest possible appeal and zero artistic integrity." I'll wait while you let that soak in.

The casting process isn't over yet, as they are still looking for two actresses for singing parts (yes, there's apparently singing involved). Kaufman will be directing the film himself (only his second effort after 2008's Synecdoche, New York) and the project is scheduled to start production in January.

We learned back in March that Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman, a director and writer who just work better when they're together, had found funding for their next project together thanks to Megan Ellison, the heiress who's using her wealth to save the movie industry by funding projects by people like Paul Thomas Anderson, Kathryn Bigelow, and these guys. Now a major studio and a star have gotten in on the party to make it all seem more real and fantastic. Twitch Film is hearing that Warner Bros. has come on board the project, and Joaquin Phoenix is "attached" to star.

The plot description we heard last says the story is about powerful people who "gather to figure out all the seismic events that will take place in the worlds, from oil prices to wars that will be waged." Presumably, since this will be a film by the guys who brought you Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, it gets a lot more complicated from there. It's no surprise to hear that a studio, even one usually not focused on indie fare like Warner Bros., would want to get on board a project like this. I was thrown a little, though, to see Joaquin Phoenix's name in there. Since his bearded-up I'm Still Here days he has been working hard to shake that bad reputation, and snagged a key role in Paul Thomas Anderson's next film, which sure can't hurt. But I've never really thought of him as a comedy guy, and definitely not the kind of dry, anything-is-possible comedy that Charlie Kaufman usually specializes in. Maybe this is him trying, even more so than in I'm Still Here, to prove exactly how much range he's got?

Twitch says they're aiming to start shooting in March of next year, giving them plenty of time to settle in the rest of the cast and maybe give us a few more tidbits of what we can actually expect from the story. Then again, with Jonze and Kaufman, usually it really is just best to be surprised.