Posted Oct 10th 2008 3:03PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Thrillers, Deals, Exhibition, Home Entertainment
A long time passed since
10 Things I Hate About You hit the big screen. Julia Stiles got Bourne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become a powerhouse on the indie scene, and Heath Ledger ... we know what became of him. I'm guessing that his death and reminiscing moments about his work is what inspired this next piece of news:
Ace Showbiz reports that ABC Family is going to make the Shakespeare-inspired film into a television series, with the film's director, Gil Junger, signed on to helm the pilot. In it, Kate and Bianca Stratford will face "their new high school environment." I don't know if that means freshman hitting the big leagues, or the girls moving to a new zip code, but I can only hope that they come up with a new love interest for Kate. There's only one Patrick Verona.
Hater has been on a long road to production, but it looks like the time is finally here. Almost
a year ago, Guillermo del Toro had signed on to direct the adaptation of David Moody's novel. But then the
Hobbit swept him away and left
Hater director-less. Have no fear, Moody fans, the pic is back on track.
Variety reports that the director of
The Orphanage, Juan Antonio Bayona, will helm the feature when it kicks into gear next year. So, if you liked the one-two producer-director punch of del Toro and Bayona, this should be a treat!
Hit the jump for a few exhibition news bits for the next few months.
Continue reading News Bites: '10 Things' Heads to TV, Haters, and More
Posted Oct 10th 2008 1:03PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Casting, Deals, Scripts, Newsstand
I predict that the news you are about to read will result in many people shocked,
shocked! that someone would make a
comedy about
cancer. Even
The Hollywood Reporter sounds a little uncertain about the news. But once you read the film's plot, I think you're going to see exactly what kind of movie this is.
Mandate Pictures has bought
I'm With Cancer, an autobiographical comedy by
Will Reiser.
Seth Rogen, the busiest man in Hollywood, is set to costar and produce the film alongside his writing-producing partner
Evan Goldberg and
The Daily Show's Ben Karlin.
Reiser's script is based on his own battle with cancer, and is centered around an up-and-coming 25-year-old who discovers he has the disease. I think you know where this is going. This isn't going to be some spoof of serious illness, or run with the idea that coming down with cancer is funny.
Cancer is going to be about a young man trying to deal with something that could kill him, finding the humor in hospital situations, and using it to stay sane. Laughter is the best medicine, and all that. Given that Reiser obviously conquered his disease to co-produce this movie, I bet it will even have a happy ending. You know what I'm also willing to bet on? Medicinal marijuana jokes. If there isn't at least one, I will eat this post.
Posted Oct 9th 2008 3:35PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Deals, Shorts, Distribution, Family Films, Home Entertainment
Sixteen years ago, we got
Beethoven -- not Ludwig, but rather the big ol' St. Bernard. Just in case
four sequels and a stint on television wasn't enough for you,
The Hollywood Reporter posts that Universal is releasing yet another direct-to-DVD sequel on December 30 --
Beethoven's Big Break. I guess they gave up punning on Ludwig with their titles. But just because it's not going to the big screen doesn't mean you can't see the pup in huge glory -- it seems that a giant Beethoven balloon will be part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. I bet it'll be cuter than the movie.
In other DVD news: Have you ever scoured the DVD shelves, discovered some strange, old film with current stars, and comment on how someone unearthed the crappy flick to make money on the actor's newfound fame? Well, this next bit is something like that.
THR also reports that ex 90210 gals
Tori Spelling and
Shannen Doherty are hitting DVD shelves with
Kiss the Bride and Kiss Me Deadly (respectively, and I don't think connected) to tap into some of that spotlight currently shining once again on Beverly Hills High. Ever watch either flick? Thumbs up ... down?
Finally, James Gunn's
PG Porn has debuted. You can check it out after the jump. Remember -- just because Aria Giovanni is in it doesn't mean that it's going to be explicit. So, check out
Nathan Fillion acting like a porn star who doesn't get the goods -- it's not quite Funny or Die funny, but I'll definitely keep watching.
Continue reading News Bites: Beethoven, 90210, and PG Porn
Posted Oct 8th 2008 1:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Deals, Warner Brothers, Celebrities and Controversy
Have you ever wondered where
Tom Thumb came from? If so, you'll be happy with a recent post from
The Hollywood Reporter. It seems the tiny character is heading for the big screen with Warner Bros. and director
Kevin Lima (
Enchanted), and the project will be go the live action route, although Thumb might be CG.
Robert Rodat, of
Saving Private Ryan fame, wrote the script, which is said to "look at the heroism that a knight must summon after he is reduced to a pint size." Okay ... CG is cool and all, but I hope they stick to miniaturizing a real person. CG doesn't have to be used for everything, and Tom Thumb wasn't made into a cartoon character when he shrunk, after all.
Next up,
THR also reports that
David Cronenberg is circling the Robert Ludlum project
The Matarese Circle, which we previously told you about when Denzel Washington signed on
earlier this year. Before it was simply the latest political thriller to hit the screen, one that focuses on two rival agents, US and Soviet, who work together to find Matarese criminals lurking in the American government. But with Cronenberg? The man behind
The Fly, Crash, Spider, and
A History of Violence? This sounds so bloody good.
Finally, there's good ol'
David Duchovny.
In August, he went away to rehab for sex addiction. Now, according to
Ace Showbiz, he's out and heading back to work. A statement issued by his lawyer says: "He is out of rehab and will be starting a movie soon." This will, most likely, be
The Joneses. I'm just glad it's about a
fake family and not about sex. After all this, I just can't watch
Californication without getting weirded out.
Posted Oct 7th 2008 9:03PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Drama, Sports, Casting, Deals, Celebrities and Controversy, Scripts
Celebrity interviews can be pretty nerve-wracking. The ante is upped even more when the interviewee doesn't give many interviews. You hope for the best, but sometimes that's not what you get. Xan Brooks got a chance to interview
Faye Dunaway for
The Guardian, and things didn't go so well. It started with a list of ixnayed topics, but one was left off the list -- Roman Polanski and rumors about
Chinatown. He asked if it was true that she once threw a cup of urine at the famed director and well, she didn't take too kindly to that line of questioning. Follow the link to see what happened and then comment below: Was it okay for Brooks to ask her about that? Did she overreact?
And then there's a little bit of tennis.
Variety reports that Frank Deford's adaptation of his novel
Big Bill: The Triumphs and the Tragedy, which focuses on tennis legend Bill Tilden, has been optioned by Baldwin Entertainment. This is a pretty old-school story -- Tilden won six straight U.S. Open singles titles in the 1920s, and was the first American to win Wimbledon. The plus about this feature: there's a lot more to the man than just rackets and balls. "He was also a contract bridge champ, musicologist, novelist, playwright and actor. On the other side of the ledger, Tilden was famously self-destructive, going to jail twice for sexual misbehavior with teenage boys and dying penniless." That should prove interesting.
Finally,
Michael Pena told
MTV that he'd definitely be in if a feature version of
The Shield, if one was schemed up. In fact, he thinks there could be a prequel and that it would be "awesome." Me, I caught some old-school
Felicity eps recently, and now I can't see him as anything other than the wanna-be ladies man who lived in the dorm. He's come a long way in 8 years.
Posted Oct 7th 2008 6:33PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, RumorMonger, Scripts
We might have all seen this coming, but then again, it is always nice to know you're right.
The sci-fi blog, Io9 has now
confirmed that
Ridley Scott's next project will be a feature film version of
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley's classic novel. In an interview with the blog, Scott told them about the origins of the project. Scott says, "I didn't choose to do it, someone came to me with it. In fact it was Leo's [Leonardo DiCaprio's] production company that came to me with that." Could this mean that Scott already has
Mr. DiCaprio in mind for a role in the film as well? Rumblings about the project started back in June, when Scott announced that he was finally making a return to sci-fi -- but he wasn't giving away details at the time. As it turns out,
the smart money was on a big screen version of Huxley's prophetic novel.
Written in 1932,
Brave New World centered on a future in which everyone appeared happy and content while in a constant state of consumption (sound familiar?). When an outsider is brought into the 'perfect society', things get a little tricky. The message: we're all willing to give up our freedoms and humanity for a little comfort and entertainment.
After the jump, Scott talks about the script, and the problem with finding 'the perfect writer'.
Continue reading Ridley Scott Confirms 'Brave New World'
Posted Oct 7th 2008 11:02AM by Eugene Novikov
Filed under: Comedy, Casting, Deals, Remakes and Sequels
This summer's
Get Smart reboot, with Steve Carell as Maxwell, was far from brilliant, but sweet Jebus,
Carell is funny. His improvised dance with a bewildered-but-willing overweight partygoer is one of this year's comic highlights -- a perfect blend of good-natured mockery and non sequitur. So the
official announcement of the inevitable sequel strikes me as a good thing. I doubt they'll ever come up with any sort of finely tuned masterwork, but I figure it's guaranteed to have a bunch of great moments. Big budget comedies are often so dire that "uneven with flashes of inspiration" is music to my ears.
Even better, the success of
Get Smart has earned Carell a three-year deal with Warner Bros., giving him a chance to develop both starring vehicles and projects for others. It's good to see the right people take off like this, y'know? On the other hand, it's kind of unfair: why do today's teenagers get to inhabit a comedic landscape dominated by the likes of Carell, Judd Apatow, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, etc., while I got Adam Sandler and Mike Myers? Kids these days, they don't know how good they got it.
I guess I liked Mike Myers back when; I was 13 when the first
Austin Powers came out. I still kind of like him. But he's certainly overshadowed by the crop of comics in today's mainstream.
Posted Oct 6th 2008 9:02PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Classics, Horror, Thrillers, Deals, Scripts, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
Call me crazy, but Bram Stoker's
Dracula (the book, not the movie) ends pretty definitively. Dracula gets a bowie knife in the heart, and crumbles into dust in the red sun of the Transylvanian dawn. The wiggle room has been taken care of in a score of movies, books, and television shows -- and we have plenty of
new vampire stories, so must we really dig up Dracula again? Well, according to
ShockTillYouDrop, yes.
They say a sequel
is coming -- and this time it's getting a literary
and big screen outing. For the first time, the Stoker estate has authorized an official
Dracula sequel titled
Dracula: The Undead. Written by Dacre Stoker, Bram's great-grandnephew, and
Dracula historian Ian Holt, the story uses characters and plot threads that were edited out of Stoker's original novel in 1897. It hits store shelves in October 2009, just in time for Halloween. And don't think it's the only sequel you'll be getting -- publishing house Penguin-Canada (who describes the book as having done a"fantastic job melding the old with the new"), has already signed up for two more.
But you won't get to read it before film production starts -- Holt and Alexander Galant have already completed and sold the script, and production is slated to begin in June 2009.
Jan DeBont is one of the producers and I'm sure he's debating whether or not to direct as well.
I might be interested in this if estate authorized sequels were ever good -- I can't think of one that was, but there's always a chance this could be it. Besides, I think the definitive
Dracula sequel has already been made --
Dracula 2000, starring a baby-faced Gerard Butler. I just know you've all forgotten about it, like Butler and Christopher Plummer probably want you to, but why wait until 2009 for sexy vampire times? Just rent this one.
Posted Oct 6th 2008 7:15PM by Eric D. Snider
Filed under: Foreign Language, Deals, Telluride, Mystery & Suspense, Cinematical Indie
Iceland has a more robust film industry than you might expect from a small island nation of only 320,000 people, but still, it ain't exactly Hollywood. So when an Icelandic film gains worldwide attention, it's newsworthy.
Such is the case with
Jar City, an excellent mystery thriller that
Cinematical's Kim Voynar
raved about last year at Telluride. It's the highest-grossing film in the country's history, from one of its most successful (and prolific directors), and it won a top prize at the 2007 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
And now it gets the ultimate honor: an American remake! (There may have been sarcasm in the word "honor.") According to
The Hollywood Reporter, Overture Films has bought the remake rights and will employ the original writer/director, Baltasar Kormákur, as a producer. No word yet on who will direct the U.S. version, but a writer has been attached:
Michael Ross, who wrote
Turistas and who
THR says is also penning the
Near Dark remake.
The Icelandic setting will be changed, of course, to its logical American counterpart: Louisiana. No, really. I'm curious to see how the story transfers, since some of its details relate to the insularity of those small Icelandic communities. Also, I loved that the detective in the original was a total badass despite looking like a nerdy college professor. (That's him in the picture.) I hope they keep that element for the remake. William H. Macy would be perfect.
As far as I can determine, this is the first time an Icelandic film has officially gotten an American remake. If anyone knows differently, let me know. Otherwise, I'm marking this as a historic first for our friends in the North Atlantic.
Posted Oct 3rd 2008 11:02AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Casting, Deals, RumorMonger, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek
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Love her, hate her, envy her or worship her, fact is
Megan Fox sells sex with the best of them. She may not be in line for an Oscar nod anytime soon, but she knows what her greatest assets are and is more than willing to flaunt the hell out of them if it means another starring role in a big Hollywood film. And that's what we're here to talk about (I think), as
Now Magazine claims Fox has nabbed a lead role in the big-screen comic adaptation of
Fathom -- and, luckily, this is one role where clothes are definitely optional.
In
Fathom (which has been in development for some time, and is now apparently over at Fox Atomic), Fox would play Aspen Matthews, an amnesiac girl who's discovered and adopted by a naval officer vacationing on a cruise line out at sea. Eventually we learn Aspen isn't just some regular girl, but instead a member of a race of aquatic humanoids called the Blue who, somehow, can control water. So she's not a mermaid, and this isn't a remake of
Splash (though I think I'd like to see a remake of
Splash, maybe ...), but like any comic, it has its good guys, its villains, its intrigue and its adventure. And if Fox can film the whole thing half naked, then it's also a big box office draw.
More on this project as it develops. Who's up for a little underwater action with Ms. Fox?
[Thanks
Cinemablend and
IESB]
Posted Oct 2nd 2008 5:15PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Action, Deals, Warner Brothers, Scripts, Family Films
Sometimes I oooh over talk of re-energizing an old franchise; sometimes I cringe and sometimes, like today, my brow is so damned furrowed that I probably have about 20 new wrinkles.
The Hollywood Reporter posts that Warner Bros. is going back to Yogi Bear and
YellowJellystone Park.
Oh yes, the Hanna-Barbera classic is getting developed into a big-screen feature by the pens of
Joshua Sternin and
Jeffrey Ventimilia, with
Ash Brannon attached to direct. That means a mixture of
That 70's Show exec producers and the co-writer and director of
Surf's Up. It will be live-action with a CG Yogi and Boo Boo.
Now sure, the chipmunks made a comeback, but at least they have an uber popular Christmas song that keeps them in the memory banks. Something like
Speed Racer had the effects going for it. Will kids go wild for a character from the '50s that gets into good-natured fun at a park? And who would voice them? Better yet, simply: WHY? Maybe I'm in the minority, but this doesn't seem like the best idea.
What do you think? Weigh in below ...
Posted Oct 2nd 2008 11:35AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Drama, Thrillers, Deals, Paramount, Scripts, Newsstand
I already smell Oscar nominations for this one. According to
Variety,
Martin Scorsese and
Robert De Niro are re-teaming for
I Heard You Paint Houses, based on Charles Brandt's book. And another Scorsese alumni is writing the script --
Steve Zaillian, who not only scripted
Gangs of New York, but won an Oscar for
Schindler's List. See what I mean? A contender for Best Picture, and it isn't even filmed yet.
The topic is familiar stomping ground for Scorsese and De Niro -- organized crime. De Niro will play the main man of
Houses, Frank 'the Irishman' Sheeran, who reportedly committed more than 25 mob murders. One of these was supposedly Jimmy Hoffa, who he confessed to killing and dismembering on the orders of mob boss Russell Bufalino. And if you're wondering about the title, it has a wonderfully gruesome origin: it's mob slang for a contract killing, due to the mess left behind on walls and floors when you carry one out.
Sheeran confessed all to Brandt, who befriended him before his death in 2003. While this seemed to clear up the mystery surrounding Hoffa's disappearance, controversy still reigns.
Other hitman have confessed to the crime since Sheeran, and lacking conclusive DNA evidence or a body, nothing can be proved or denied. The FBI stopped looking for Hoffa's body in 2006. But Hoffa's fate is like the identity of Jack the Ripper -- no one will ever stop confessing, wondering, or looking.
As I said at the start, this movie has a perfect pedigree. But for the sake of argument, do you think it's just
too safe? We all realize Scorsese knows a mob thriller like the back of his hand, and we know De Niro can play a guy who, well, paints houses to chilling perfection. I'd love to see Scorsese court some of that
Last Temptation of Christ controversy again, but perhaps that's just too cocky of me to question.
Posted Oct 1st 2008 7:42PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Horror, Deals, Noir, Remakes and Sequels
I'm starting to think I'm the only one out there who still follows the old maxim: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. But, it's downright silly of me to think that a movie producer would ever miss the chance to earn a few bucks on a remake.
Variety reports that
Michael De Luca has partnered with Alison Rosenzweig and Michael Gaeta on a remake of
Alan Parker's (
Evita) 1987 horror-suspense flick,
Angel Heart.
Angel Heart originally starred
Mickey Rourke as a seedy private investigator hired to locate a nightclub singer who's gone on the run.
Robert De Niro co-starred as Rourke's mysterious client, Louis Cyphre, along with
Lisa Bonet as the daughter of a voodoo priest. The film had a little bit of everything: voodoo, hard-boiled detectives, the prince of darkness, and more plot twists than you can shake a stick at. Not to mention the film is probably best remembered for its controversial sex scenes starring a Cosby kid naked and rolling around in blood.
The film might not have been a huge hit upon release, but has gained cult status over the years, and according to
Variety, De Luca "has long been a fan of the novel." The production is still in its early stages, and so far there are no names attached to the project. De Luca adds, "It's a great blend of genres with a great Faustian bargain, compelling, universal themes and a rare combination of literary and commercial appeal." One thing is for sure -- unless they have some changes planned for the update, I wouldn't exactly describe the story of Harry Angel as one with 'commercial appeal' ... would you?
Posted Oct 1st 2008 7:02PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Independent, Thrillers, Deals, Scripts, Newsstand, War
Liam Neeson's thriller
Taken hasn't hit stateside yet -- but it looks like its director,
Pierre Morel, already has another job. Relativity Media acquired the rights to
Arne Schmidt's screenplay
Hunter-Killer, based on Don Keith and Commander George Wallace's novel
Firing Point.
Hunter-Killer fills a giant gap in today's cinema -- there just aren't enough movies set on submarines. (Have you ever toured one? If you can stop yourself from imitating Sean Connery or
Das Boot, they really are terrifying places to be.) The story follows an American submarine commander and a team of Navy SEALS who must avert all-out war, rescue the Russian President in the midst of a coup,
and defeat a renegade Admiral. No word on casting yet, but it will be fun to see what up-and-coming action stars land the macho parts -- particularly since American cinema is reportedly quite short of them.
It sounds a bit like
The Hunt for Red October, which isn't a bad thing -- and it's a pretty timely choice for Relativity in light of recent geopolitical events. After
Eastern Promises, I thought we were going to see Russian mafia dramas replace the Italian and Irish ones ... but instead, the Russians are making a huge comeback as the villains of action cinema. Coincidence, or savvy optioning on the part of Hollywood? Who knows? It definitely feels like 1980 again ... and I'm okay with that. Are you?
Posted Sep 30th 2008 8:43AM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Deals, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Trailers and Clips
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Happy New Year to all my brothers and sisters. May 5769 kick a whole lot more ass than 5768. While over 98% of Hollywood takes the day off, here's what's happening:
Variety reports that Michael Bay has taken a page from Christopher Nolan and will shoot "at least three action set pieces" using IMAX cameras during
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Usually I'd reserve this spot for a Bay joke, but I truly think this is a great thing for a film like
Transformers. The action scenes in the last one felt claustrophobic (especially toward the end), and so utilizing IMAX would allow Bay and Co. to open it up and really have fun with the thing. Visually, this could add a lot to the film. Hopefully they'll use it for some massive robot battle. Other films also mentioned in the article as possible contenders for a similar IMAX approach include
Iron Man 2 and
Y: The Last Man.
Looks like the old gang is making a play for
Spider-Man 4 (and
5?), as
Kirsten Dunst told
MTV that she's "in" when asked whether she'd be returning to the mega-franchise as Peter Parker's old lady, Mary Jane. However, she did follow that up with "I'm not saying anything. I know there's rumors ..." -- which, in actor-speak, means "We're still negotiating and I'm not really allowed to open my big mouth." I'd expect a big announcement soon stating the return of Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst for a back-to-back shoot of
Spider-Man 4 and
5.
Thomas Dekker (aka that dude who stars in
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is in talks to snag a lead role in MGM's remake of
Fame, so says
The Hollywood Reporter. The original 1980 film, which was nominated for six Oscars, follows several aspiring young performers and teachers at the prestigious New York Academy of Performing Arts. Considering the times we live in, I envision this update to feel like a mix between
Step Up, You Got Served and
American Idol: The Movie.
Much more after the jump ...
Continue reading News Bites: 'Transformers 2' Goes IMAX, Mary Jane Returns and More
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