TVSquad

The BBC is reporting that the Dallas movie has found itself a director, and she's British. This makes perfect sense to me, as I once lived in Dallas and couldn't believe all the British people that were everywhere. "Spot o' tea with your grits?" they would say.

Okay, but seriously, the film does have a director now, Gurinder Chadha, who also helmed Bend It Like Beckham. Apparently Robert Luketic, their first choice, backed out for creative reasons. The same story reports that both John Travolta and Jennifer Lopez will be playing the roles of JR Ewing and Sue Ellen, respectively. This piece claims Luke Wilson and Shirley MacLaine are also "expected to appear in the film." It further states that the producers are trying their best to have the movie shot in Dallas, though other cities have tried to lure them away. Either way, I have the feeling that all the noise leading up to the movie will turn out to be more entertaining than the movie itself.

Despite being the city in which the popular television series was based, the upcoming film adaptation of Dallas may not actually be shot there due to high costs. Some private fundraising is being planned in order to create incentives for the studio to bring the film to the city where the TV series took place, but like all films, cost will be the deciding factor in whether or not Dallas actually comes to Dallas.  One producer maintains that Dallas is naturally the first choice, but it's still too early to know for sure. The reality of movie making, however, is that the celluloid version of Dallas will be whatever location is most economically viable. If producers do decide to venture elsewhere for a location, I hope the residents of Dallas will take some consolation in the fact that movies these days are rarely filmed in there supposed "actual locations." For example, Mission to Mars wasn't actually filmed on Mars. Frankly, I find that inexcusable.