Richard Grieco in 22 Jump Street?

This question has been on all of our minds for quite a while and...we still don't have an answer.

We do, however, have hope--at least, as much hope as we can gain from a tabloid story quoting an alleged (and presumably now unemployed) "insider". An online publication that would be called a "rag" if tabloids were still printed says that Richard has filmed a "secret cameo" for the upcoming 22 Jump Street film.

You kind of already had your hopes up when he cut his hair in the fall, didn't you? No? That was just me? Ah, well. You can get them up now. I wouldn't place any bets or anything--you saw how that went for fans of the roughly 30 stars who were leaked as the 50 Shades of Grey leads--but if you were on the fence about showing up for 22 Jump Street at midnight, you should probably go.

With or without Richard, it's bound to be entertaining.

Richard Grieco Fans - the 4th Annual Flicker Awards are For You!

If you have enough of an interest in Richard Grieco to be reading this blog, you won't want to miss your opportunity to vote in MatchFlick's 4th Annual Flicker Awards. Both AE: Apocalypse Earth and A House is Not a Home are heavily represented among the nominees. A House is Not a Home--which Richard co-produced--has four nominations:

Best Breakout Film
Best Boogeyman (the house itself)
Scariest Film
Best Haunted House Film

I haven't seen a lot of press surrounding this film, but it did take Best Horror Picture at the Burbank Film Festival when it premiered in September.

I know a little more about AE: Apocalypse Earth, having actually seen the movie and also interviewed writer/director Thunder Levin. A year ago, you couldn't have convinced me that I'd get excited about the category of Best Mockbuster Twin, but AE: Apocalypse Earth truly deserves a win in this category. If you have any doubt, check out this earlier post in which I compared The Asylum's knock-off to Will Smith's After Earth.

The second AE: Apocalypse Earth nomination goes to Costa Rican supermodel Bali Rodriguez in the category of Best Warrior Woman.

It takes just a minute or two to vote, and they're not requiring registration or anything you might want to avoid--why not take a moment right now and help ensure that Richard's films take five of these awards (6 if we count Bali's).

Christopher Don Talks Richard Grieco's Minutes to Midnight Character

Last week, I talked with Minutes to Midnight writer/producer Christopher Don about Richard Grieco's role in the upcoming thriller.

In case you're just hearing about the film, here's the short description:

On the countdown to the New Year, seven friends and a mysterious backpacker form an alliance at a desolate mountain ski lodge where they are methodically hunted down by ruthless, sadistic masked men with an unknown agenda.

I had some questions about Richard's character, Sheriff Wyatt. The married, long-time Sheriff described in the original script didn't exactly bring Grieco springing to my mind. He's said many times that he accepts roles based on interest in the character AND he's repeatedly asserted over the past couple of years that he's pulling back form acting to focus on his artwork...so, what was he doing in this part?

Don cleared up all of those doubts for me in minutes. First, when I asked him what had brought Grieco to mind for this part, he said, "Richard is the ultimate badass. He knows how to be tough but also show an emotional side."

I'm no wrestling fan, but there's no
denying that this guy is pretty.

He went on to say that the character had evolved a bit since Richard had come on board: Wyatt is no longer married and is "not purely good." Ah, a character with personal demons that we'll uncover as the movie progresses--that sounds more like Richard. (I mean, let's be honest...you kind of thought he might turn out to be the killer, didn't you?)

Don also said that since Richard had signed on, they'd "beefed up the role big time." And--added bonus for Grieco fans--those personal demons he mentioned earlier play a role in the sequel.

Under other circumstances, I'd say talking sequels was a bit optimistic at this stage of the game. But with loaners from two mega-franchises already on board (Kane Hodder of Friday the 13th fame and John Morrison from the WWE), those ambitious plans may just be realistic.

As you may have guessed from the design above and the whole "New Year's Eve hiking" theme, filming requires snow. Don says they'll be shooting in late February or early March, regardless of the outcome of the IndieGoGo campaign in progress.

More to come as updates are available. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this one.

Hoops in Vegas, 1998

Hat tip to some guy who calls himself "doesntmattr" on Tumblr for this one: I can't share the pics here, but IMDB has some great shots of Richard from the 1998 Hard Rock Cafe Hoops in Vegas event.  I'm assuming this was a charity event, but I haven't been able to find any information about it.

The most interesting thing about these pictures is that they show Richard in basketball gear just months after the filming of A Night at the Roxbury, a role for which he famously packed on about 40 pounds to cultivate a "past his prime" kind of look.  In these pics, taken just a few months after Roxbury filming wrapped, there's no sign of those extra pounds or the "didn't that guy used to be..." look he achieved for the film.

View the slideshow here: 1998 Hoops in Vegas

Sexual Predator

I've mentioned Sexual Predator in passing as I worked my way through a sampling of Richard Grieco's movies and wrote about some of them. I haven't said too much about this one for a couple of reasons. The first is that this movie involves a lot of sex between not-very-attractive people whom I'd have preferred not to see naked.

The second is that despite being mere millimeters from porn, this is, in my view, one of Richard's better movies. I'm not sure what that says about either of us.

Grieco is credited as an Executive Producer on this film, and his character is compelling. The plot includes a few twists, one of which actually took me quite by surprise. All in all, this one is worth watching (I watched it a second time to be sure), but not while the kids are around.

Here's the trailer:

 

Be a Part of Richard Grieco's Next Movie

Kane Hodder is in this movie,
too. I may know who the killer is.

Earlier this evening, I got a message from Minutes to Midnight writer/producer Christopher Don. He wanted me to let you know that the Minutes to Midnight team had launched an IndieGoGo campaign for the film. Obviously, we all want to see Richard in this film, which is reason enough to lend your support...but there's more.

Here are the top reasons I think you should pop over and make a donation to the campaign:

1. There's more to this movie than Richard Grieco. Though casting is still underway, they've already assembled an impressive team, including a horror icon and a hot wrestler. And, producer Steven Kaplan has promised to 'scare the piss out of you".

2. You will actually get to see this movie--and I don't just mean because you'll be helping ensure that it gets made. You know that not everything that makes it onto film ends up in the theater...or in our living rooms. Remember Cats Dancing on Jupiter? No? Too busy wondering if/when you're going to get to see A House is Not a Home? Well, it only takes a $10 donation to earn you a digital download of this movie--so, think of it as an insurance policy.

3. You've always wanted to be in a movie with Richard Grieco, right? Okay, it will cost you big bucks if you want to land the one actual role in the movie that's up for grabs, but you can see your name in the credits at a much more reasonable level. If you've never seen your name roll up the screen at the end of a movie, you should try it. It's kind of fun.

That's my pitch, but probably you should hear what the guys who are actually behind the film have to say:




After you've made your donation, don't forget to share the link on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else you have friends and followers who might be interested in helping out.

Richard Grieco 21 Jump Street Interview

I can't tell when this Australian interview is from; it was just posted last month and it's obviously fairly recent, but the haircut and shades are reminiscent of a look we saw on Richard a couple of years ago. I'd like to read into the fact that he's being interviewed about 21 Jump Street, but all signs point to this interview having taken place around the time of the 21 Jump Street movie premiere in the spring of 2012.