Is There A Market For That?

You have to wonder where Gina Carano's career is going. 'Haywire' was a piece of work but, I'll admit, I never expected to see her in anything on that level again. Not that 'In the Blood' is on that level. The film, directed by John Stockwell, certainly doesn't bring to mind the polish of Soderbergh's filmmaking, but the plot has what it takes to hook an audience of giggling, popcorn munching kids, so who cares what it looks like.

Carano is already headlining an untitled project by Adi Shankar, a producer whose credits speak for themselves: The Grey, Killing Them Softly, Lone Survivor. With a cast that includes Katee Sackhoff, and is rumored to include Sharni Vinson, Linda Hamilton, and Pam Grier, this could be a turning point for tough girl movies. Considering Shankar's track record, the result may very well be on a par with 'Haywire', adjusting for genre, and we might have the next Sylvester Stallone -- this one female.

The question, ultimately, is "Does anyone want to see this stuff?" Will Shankar snag a helmer that can deliver? Without a director like Steven Soderbergh behind another girls-can-kick-ass-too movie, will anyone care? Does the quality of direction matter for such projects? Will girls be able to drag their boyfriends to the theater for another Carano flick? Will guys go to see movies like this without a date?

So many variables.

They might catch the 'Haywire' lightning in a bottle once or twice again, but more than that? I have no problem with a girl Rambo but don't see people turning out for movies like this year after year. 

I could be so wrong, though. Who knows. Didn't they say that every Stallone movie surely had to be his last? Thing is, Sly was the new thing so long ago, and he did so many movies that got bad reviews. They might have said that, however, I can't remember. Could be, in twenty years, after twenty movies with girls stomping dicks into the dirt, we'll wonder if they said that about Gina Carano when she started out.