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DEJA VU FOR BRUCKHEIMER at 01:55 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films have purchased Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilii's romantic thriller spec "Deja Vu" for several million dollars. The Mouse House closed the deal preemptively Friday for Bruckheimer; they most recently teamed with Rossio on "Pirates of the Caribbean".
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at 01:55 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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JAMES IN THE BARNYARD at 01:50 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies have tapped Kevin James ("The King of Queens") to voice the lead character, a party-animal cow named Otis, in CGI-animated feature "The Barnyard".
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at 01:50 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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KNIGHTLEY'S NEXT at 01:27 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Keira Knightley is set to star in "Pride and Prejudice," an adaptation of the Jane Austen classic for Working Title and Universal. Joe Wright, who helmed the BBC miniseries "Charles II," is directing a script originally penned by Deborah Moggach ("Tulip Fever") and rewritten by Lee Hall ("Billy Elliot").
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at 01:27 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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AEON FLUX CASTING at 01:26 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Frances McDormand will co-star with Charlize Theron in Paramount Pictures' big-screen live-action adaptation of the futuristic MTV toon series Aeon Flux, to be directed by Karyn Kusama. McDormand will portray the Handler in the film - the leader of the rebellion.
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at 01:26 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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McBRIDE ON UNDERWORLD 2 at 01:24 PM by Ken Miyamoto
"McBride confirmed that shooting will begin in the fall for a targeted 2005 release; and he also confirmed that Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman have already signed on to reprise their respective roles. McBride went on to say that he is currently preparing the outline for the second draft of the sequel and that the production team is in the middle of the development stages.
The new film will carry the story further as well as incorporate a few prequel sequences, which should be extremely cool. He added, Patrick Tatopoulos (the creature designer) has, par for course, created some fantastic new designs for the film. Len [Wiseman, director] has been busy storyboarding and is gearing up for location scouting" .
Does the new prequel figure into their plans at the moment? "At the moment, we are focused on the sequel. It's our main priority because the start date is looming in the not too distant future. With that said, we still are forced to spend a great deal of time discussing the prequel because the actions and motivations of our characters in medieval times affects things downstream".
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at 01:24 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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BERRY ON CATWOMAN at 01:17 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Berry recently commented on the upcoming film, "I play Catwoman, and the plot of the story is...I'm a young art director for a cosmetics company. Early on in the movie, I find out that there's a corrupt element to this company. She then takes it upon herself to try to foil the crime, but in the process of foiling that crime, she is in fact killed and is reborn with very cat-like qualities.
The most fun for me was everyday when I got to put on that suit and prance around and live in my alter ego state. To feel that level of sexuality...feel that level of power. I got to play a lot of jokes on people and do insane things that were naughty, and I really shouldn't say, but I took advantage of it! *laughs*
I did a lot of my own stunts, which was a surprise to me. I thought, 'This is too hard, I'll never be able to do this.', but actually I did a good bit of them.
This is a scene...I think it's one of the first fight sequences that Catwoman has. She is on the prowl in a nightclub, and she's about to get her little claws on what she thinks is the bad guy. She sort of pushed him out into this alley way and just does a number on the poor guy!"
I have a bad feeling about this movie... sure she'll look good in the latex, but...
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at 01:17 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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CARTER ON X-FILES 2 at 01:13 PM by Ken Miyamoto
X-Files creator comments on the possible project, "Frank (Spotnitz) and I have worked out a story, and there's a negotiation with (Fox) going on".
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at 01:13 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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HORNET ON HOLD at 01:09 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Looks like Kevin Smith's THE HORNET is on hold... according to Smith himself, "I may not direct it now."
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at 01:09 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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WITHERSPOON'S NEXT at 12:30 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Reese Witherspoon is in negotiations to star in and produce a feature film adaptation of the supernatural thriller "The Reckoning," which Paramount optioned several months ago. Tally will adapt the book, which hits bookstands next month. Written by Jeff Long, "The Reckoning" revolves around a female New York Times photojournalist who follows a part-military, part-civilian team to Cambodia to recover the bones of lost soldiers.
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at 12:30 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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DETOUR PICKED UP at 12:27 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Paramount Pictures has bought screen rights to the James Siegel novel "Detour" for Lorenzo Di Bonaventura to produce. Di Bonaventura had the inside track on the material because he is producing the screen version of Siegel's novel "Derailed" for Miramax Films. The thriller concerns a couple who find peril when they travel to Colombia to adopt a baby. Before they know what hit them, the child has been switched, the woman is kidnapped by drug dealers and the husband is pressed into duty as a drug mule.
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at 12:27 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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2176 UPDATE at 12:26 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Ron Shusett, co-creator of "Alien," and Daniel Alter, who has just launched the management/production company Alter Ego Entertainment, are teaming up to produce "2176," a sci-fi space opera offering a retelling of the Revolutionary War, written by Thunder Levin and George Saunders. The story revolves around 13 planetary colonies in the future that rebel against an oppressive "mother" Earth.
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at 12:26 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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MAMET'S NEXT at 12:25 PM by Ken Miyamoto
David Mamet will write and direct "Joan of Bark: the Dog that Saved France" for John Calley to produce and Will Ferrell to star in for Columbia Pictures. Like much Mamet fare, pic is a contemporary satire about pop culture. The writer's most recent credits include this year's political thriller "Spartan," which starred Val Kilmer and was released by Warner Bros.
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at 12:25 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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RAINBOW SIX SNATCHES WOO! at 12:22 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Paramount has tapped helmer John Woo to direct its adaptation of Tom Clancy's "Rainbow Six," centered on Clancy's shadowy John Clark CIA agent character. Story centers on Clark joining with several colleagues to leave the CIA and create an England-based multinational org designed to battle terrorism.
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at 12:22 PM by Ken Miyamoto
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NEW KNIGHT RIDER? at 11:58 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Looks like the studio is trying to court Paul Walker into the new KNIGHT RIDER film that is currently being developed. He has expressed interest in the project rather than returning to the Fast and Furious franchise.
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at 11:58 AM by Ken Miyamoto
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UNDER SIEGE 3? at 11:45 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Steven Seagal seemed to be talking about a potential sequel to his highest grossing hit while mingling at the Cannes Film Festival. Looks like it may happen in the near future!
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at 11:45 AM by Ken Miyamoto
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RAIMI ON SPIDEY VILLIANS at 11:42 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Raimi comments, "Well, there were a lot of different iterations of the story, and at times there was more than one villain, and at times there were more than two villains," Raimi said in an interview. "But it all came down to trying to focus on what I felt was the strongest aspect of the film and diminishing everything else so that it could live.
The strongest aspect of the film is Peter Parker [Maguire] and his journey to becoming a responsible young man. So after we had one villain to test his mettle against and to be in conflict with Spider-Man, I found that there were diminishing returns for the second and third villains, since our real story was an interior story, this journey to be a human hero, how Peter Parker battles the problems of being a hero, how he copes. The more villains that we added into the mix didn't seem to make the story richer and stronger. It seemed to diminish [it], in fact".
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at 11:42 AM by Ken Miyamoto
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DUCHOVNY ON X-FILES 2 PROGRESS at 11:37 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Duchovny states, "We're all on the same page. Gillian Anderson wants to do it, I want to do it, Chris Carter, who would write and produce the film, wants to do it and I believe Fox the studio wants to do it. When you have the four major players in the enterprise wanting to do it, it will happen. It's just a matter of when. I hope it happens within the next year".
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at 11:37 AM by Ken Miyamoto
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SPY HUNTER at 03:35 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Zak Penn is in negotiations to write "Spy Hunter" for Universal Pictures and director John Woo. The film will star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the adaptation of Midway's long-running vidgame franchise. Pic follows the story of a former F-15 pilot recruited to become a member of Spy Hunters, an elite government agency that must defeat a cartel seeking world domination.
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FORD BACK IN SPACE?? at 03:35 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Harrison Ford is set to star in "Godspeed," an outer space-set thriller that is being put together by James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment. Cameron, who has not directed a regular feature since 1997's "Titanic," will not be at the helm but will produce the film. Scripted by Ryne Douglas Pearson, "Godspeed" takes place on an international space station, where a life-threatening situation develops that could kill all the inhabitants on the station. Pic will begin production in the fall.
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ALTERED STATES REMAKE? at 03:34 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Warner Bros. has set screenwriter Fernley Phillips to write a remake of "Altered States," the 1980 Ken Russell-directed psychedelic sci-fi thriller. Greg Shapiro will produce. The original film starred William Hurt as a psychophysiologist who uses a sensory deprivation tank to put his mind back into more primitive states of human evolution, with catastrophic results.
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POTTER CAST GETTING TOO OLD? at 03:27 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Producer David Heyman says "There will come a point when one, two, or all three of them will move on. I don't know when that will be - with the fifth, sixth or seventh movies - but it's inevitable". 'Azkaban' Director Alfonso Cuaron however would be keen on keeping all the kids around - "It would be amazing to have the whole series with the same kids. Right now they're doing No. 4. There's only three more to go. I just hope they keep the same cast for the whole thing. So far, they're holding up very good, the way that they are aging. I don't think Dan is going to get way much taller or suddenly grow another eye. Same with Emma, and Rupert is OK. Let's hope. In the last one they're supposed to be 17. Say they're 19, I think they're going to be very good".
Cuaron confirmed he'd also love to come back for another go in the director's chair of a Harry Potter movie - "I would love to come back. My dream is that the cast would remain intact".
Simple solution... film 5, 6, and 7 back to back ala Lord of the Rings.
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KEATON'S NEXT at 01:18 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Diane Keaton is set to star in "Da Vinci's Mother," a drama that Michael Besman and casting guru Bonnie Timmermann have set up at Fox Searchlight. The Oscar-winning actress will play a woman who sets out on a journey to get to know her son after he commits suicide. She takes a job where he waitered, spends time with his friends and girlfriend and in the process makes some major discoveries about herself.
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BRANDO ON BRANDO? at 01:17 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Reclusive veteran actor Marlon Brando is in final negotiations to star as himself in Ridha Behi's "Brando and Brando," to be produced by British Oscar-winning producer Norma Heyman ("Dangerous Liaisons"). The $5.5 million-budgeted movie details the story of a young innocent with a fascination for the American dream -- embodied by the iconic Brando -- on a journey of hope to the United States. Brando's portrayal of himself is central to Behi's story of disenfranchisement and broken spirits.
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QUEER EYE GUY CAST IN FEATURE at 01:01 PM by Ken Miyamoto
""Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" star Carson Kressley has landed his first studio feature role. Kressley will join the cast of comedy "The Perfect Man," directed by Mark Rosman and starring Hilary Duff and Heather Locklear. Kressley, the fashion expert on the Bravo show that makes over schlubs, is the first member of the Fab Five to land a film role.
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WILLIAMS' NEXT at 01:00 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Robin Williams is returning to family comedy turf. Thesp is in negotiations to topline "RV," a laffer being produced by Red Wagon for Columbia Pictures. Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel are in discussions to do a rewrite on the project's original script. "RV" concerns an average, dysfunctional American family about to set out on the most dangerous, high-stakes, life-threatening and traumatizing adventure of their lives: two weeks together in an RV.
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CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY CASTING at 12:59 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Freddie Highmore is confirmed to star as Charlie in Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" for Warner Bros. Kid thesp Highmore is featured in "J.M. Barrie's Neverland" and the upcoming Brit pic "Five Children and It".
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HELLBOY SEQUELS? at 12:45 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Producer Lloyd Levin said to The Winnipeg Sun that "There's a huge Hellboy mythology to draw from, so we wouldn't run out of material if there was a demand for several sequels...It's essential not to let the budget of the sequels balloon. We brought Hellboy in on a modest budget ($65 million) and we intend sequels to be in the same ballpark".
Sorry, but the movie was terrible. The Hellboy character was great, and the effects were okay, but with out a great script its not owrth it.
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BRAVO MICHAEL MOORE! at 12:42 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Michael Moore's controversial documentary about the Bush family and the war in Iraq, "Fahrenheit 9/11" was awarded the Palme d'Or Saturday at the 57th Festival de Cannes. Jury president Quentin Tarantino said the jury "was proud to announce" Moore's victory, which prompted a standing ovation from the closing night gala audience.
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DEL TORO, WASHINGTON, AND FUQUA at 12:35 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Benicio Del Toro is set to star alongside Denzel Washington in the Antoine Fuqua-directed "Tru Blu," produced by Brian Grazer for Imagine Entertainment and Universal. Steve Zaillian's script is a fact-based drama about how a lawman brought down the biggest drug kingpin in Harlem in the 1970s. Production will begin in early fall, and U has set a release date of June 3, 2005.
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SUPERMAN STILL ON THE GO? at 12:28 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Warner Bros. has yet to cast its Man of Steel, but the studio has already begun hiring the technical team that will help Superman fly again. Studio has tapped ESC Entertainment to serve as the lead visual effects house for the film, being targeted for a summer 2006 release. "Superman" is expected to be an effects-heavy tentpole, but because the pic has yet to be greenlit, it is unclear just how many shots ESC will be creating.
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CONRAIL PICKED UP BY NEW LINE at 12:26 PM by Ken Miyamoto
New Line Cinema has pacted with Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson's Contrafilm on "Conrail," the story of a real-life teenage Robin Hood. The high-speed thriller and coming-of-age pitch is based on the true story of Eddie Mongon, who spent a decade as the ringleader of a gang that robbed trains and shared the proceeds with the working-class poor of his hometown of Hoboken, N.J.
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YOUNG INDY MOVIE? at 12:20 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Looks like the powers that be are circling the idea of making a Young Indiana Jones film ala the Young Indy chronicles that were made for TV in the early 90s.
With INDY IV currently on hiatus, this may be an option to extend the franchise.
My view... no Spielberg, no Indy... young OR old.
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"24" SEASON FOUR CAST CHANGES at 12:16 PM by Ken Miyamoto
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that the actors who play Jack Bauer's (Kiefer Sutherland) colleagues at the Counter Terrorism Unit on the Fox drama have been informed that their options as series regulars will not be picked up for next season. Reiko Aylesworth (Michelle Dessler), James Badge Dale (Chase Edmunds) and Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida), could return next season for guest appearances.
Also up in the air is the "24" future of Mary Lynn Rajskub, Zachary Quinto, Daniel Dae Kim, who played CTU members on a recurring basis this year. Elisha Cuthbert, who plays Jack's daughter and CTU analyst Kimberly Bauer, is fielding film offers and is expected to recur next season subject to her availability.
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GOONIES 2 IS DEAD! at 12:55 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Richard Donner recently said, "Afraid not..." in regards to a possible sequel to the classis adventure film. He stated that they tried to develop a script, but it didn't live up to the original... however, another director may jump into his seat. He hinted at Sean Astin but it turns out that the project itself is completely dead.
Bummer.
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MICHAEL MOORE'S FARENHEIT 911 at 12:41 PM by Ken Miyamoto
At its 4 p.m. screening In Competition at the Palais, the movie occasioned an enthusiastic standing ovation -- onlookers placed it at 15-20 minutes -- punctuated by cries of "bravo!". "It was the longest standing ovation I've seen in over 25 years," said Harvey Weinstein, whose Miramax Films funded the project over the objections of parent company Walt Disney Co.
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DEMI MOORE'S NEXT at 12:40 PM by Ken Miyamoto
After her recent comeback in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," Demi Moore will take her first lead role in four years in Craig Rosenberg's romantic thriller "Half Light," produced by Joel B. Michaels. Lakeshore is handling international sales for the pic, which starts shooting Aug. 23 in England, Ireland and Wales. Moore will play Rachel Carlson, a successful mystery novelist whose life falls apart when her 5-year-old son drowns at her country home.
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THE GRADUATE 2?? at 12:38 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Apparently.
Kevin Costner is in talks to play the male equivalent of Mrs. Robinson in the Warner Bros. comedy that advances the storyline of '60s pic "The Graduate." Jennifer Aniston is already set to play the young woman seduced by Costner's character. Shirley MacLaine will play her grandmother, the woman who inspired the character immortalized by Anne Bancroft.
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EASTWOOD'S NEXT at 11:27 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Jay Baruchel has been cast in "Rope Burns" (aka "Million Dollar Baby"), Clint Eastwood's follow-up to "Mystic River." Eastwood is directing, producing and will star in the feature alongside Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank. The film centers on Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank), a woman determined to succeed as a boxer. A farm boy, Danger Barch (Baruchel), shares the same dream of becoming a prizefighter.
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CRAVEN'S NEXT A ROMANTIC COMEDY? at 11:24 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Horror specialist Wes Craven and producing partner Marianne Maddalena have taken a turn toward romantic comedy, buying Jeremy Drysdale's original pitch "Whole New You" for low six figures. Story centers on the world's most famous actress, who wants to escape the fishbowl of her own life. When she runs away to a small Midwestern town, where she is unrecognized for the first time in her life, she enters her own look-alike contest.
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KATZENBERG ON SHREK FRANCHISE at 11:11 AM by Ken Miyamoto
"Before the first one was finished we talked about what the whole story of Shrek is, and each of the chapters answers questions about the first movie and gives us an insight. Shrek 3 and 4 are going to reveal other unanswered questions and, finally, in the last chapter, we will understand how Shrek came to be in that swamp, when we meet him in the first movie. There is a reason he came to be there, but there is another chapter to the story before that".
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HOPKINS' NEXT at 11:05 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Anthony Hopkins has committed to star in "The World's Fastest Indian" for director Roger Donaldson. The fact-based film, written and to be directed by Donaldson, centers on the life of Burt Monro, a New Zealander who invested several decades building a 1920 Indian motorcycle. He then traveled to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, where he set the land-speed world record in the 1970s.
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TARANTINO'S HELL RIDE at 11:03 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Quentin Tarantino is set to team again with Larry Bishop, the actor who played the foul-mouthed owner of a strip club in "Kill Bill V2". Tarantino and Bishop will produce "Hell Ride," a motorcycle movie that Bishop is writing and will direct and star in. Sources say Tarantino might star in the movie as well. Michael Madsen, who also starred in "Bill," is attached to star in what is being described as a spaghetti biker film.
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TOMMYSAURAS REX? at 11:02 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Universal Pictures has paid $1 million to preemptively option Doug TenNapel's graphic novel. "Rex" is due out this summer from Image Comics. "Rex" follows a young, nearly friendless boy who loses his golden retriever in a car accident. Devastated, he is sent by his father to recover on his grandfather's dairy farm, where he befriends a Tyrannosaurus rex.
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PARAMOUNT'S CRAZIES at 11:01 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Paramount Pictures is going with "The Crazies," setting up a remake of George Romero's horror-thriller with Michael Aguilar and Dean Georgaris to produce. Project will update the storyline of the original, in which inhabitants of a small Pennsylvania town are beset by death and insanity after a plane crash lets loose a secret biological weapon into the water supply.
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GHOST OF 21 at 11:00 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Twentieth Century Fox has given life to "Ghost of 21," buying the comedy spec script from tyro writer Blake McCormick for low against mid-six figures for Davis Entertainment to produce. Project, in the vein of "Old School," concerns a 30-year-old pillar of the community who's on the verge of being married. His world is turned upside down when his old college buddies reappear to hold him to a promise he made not to get hitched.
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VERHOEVEN'S NEXT at 10:58 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Paul Verhoeven has committed to next direct "Black Book" (Zwartboek) for San Fu Maltha of Fu Works. Pic is expected to start shooting in October or November in Europe. Pic, which Verhoeven penned with Gerard Soeteman, is a World War II thriller about Jewish young woman Rachel Steinn who joins the Dutch resistance while collaborating with the Nazis. Project is expected to star Carice van Houten and Halina Reijn.
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DIESEL TALKS ABOUT RIDDICK at 10:49 AM by Ken Miyamoto
" I always knew that I wanted to explore the Riddick character and realized that the most exciting thing to do would be to explore the universe around Riddick, Diesel enthuses. We know who Riddick is he doesnt promise to save anybody, he has a lack of identity due to the fact he was never raised in a conventional way. He has abandonment issues and he just wants to be left alone. I love the idea of a guy who potentially could be so heroic, but because of his experiences and his outlook on life, isnt A: aware of what heroism is and B: probably isnt aware of anything outside of basic survival. Its often said on set, what makes this all the more challenging is that were not just making a movie were making a universe. Post-World War II, we had Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings as our mythology to buy into and then, in the Seventies, we had Star Wars. Our concept was to create a mythology that would take three films to explain, three films to adventure in, and a story that would take three films to tell".
I can't wait to see this film!
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HELLBOY 2? at 10:44 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Despite a non-stellar performace at the box office, Writer-Director Guillermo del Toro is developing the sequel with comic creator Mike Mignola again.
The first which opened early April has grossed equal to its $60 million production budget domestically and is expected to go well intro profit internationally in a few months, as well as racking up some large DVD sales.
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BRUCE ALMIGHTY 2 at 10:38 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Spyglass are in talks to mount a "Bruce Almighty" sequel based on the Bobby Florsheim/Josh Stolberg script "The Passion of the Ark". Scribe Steve Oedekerk will be enlisted to refit "Ark" into a sequel, sources said. The "Ark" script could work with another actor, who'd play a widowed writer who's chosen by God to prepare for the second great flood.
The studios will try to attach Jim Carrey to reprise his role and to have Tom Shadyac return as director. Early plan calls for Universal to run production and likely distribute domestically.
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FARSCAPE MINI-SERIES UPDATE at 10:21 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Exec Producer Brian Henson spoke about the upcoming "Farscape" mini-series and revealed "It's great, it's big, it's epic. I think it's going to be the biggest thing there has ever been. It was tough to figure out how to make a big event mini-series of Farscape when on every episode we were trying to make a movie a week. It's basically the continuing love story of Crichton and Aeryn... set against a backdrop of a full, all-out, intergalactic was between the Scarrans and the Peacekeepers". He also indicated it opens up all sorts of other possibilities for the franchise.
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LORD OF WAR CASTING at 11:55 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Jeffrey Wright and Donald Sutherland have inked to appear opposite Nicolas Cage in writer-director Andrew Niccol's $42 million "Lord of War." Pic starts shooting July 19 in New York, Romania and South Africa. Niccol, who scripted "Terminal" and "The Truman Show" and wrote and directed "Gattaca" and "Simone," has penned a drama that casts Cage as a ruthless global arms dealer trying to stay a step ahead of a relentless Interpol agent (Hawke).
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LEO READY TO SURF? at 11:54 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way banner has optioned feature rights to "All for a Few Perfect Waves," David Rensin's upcoming bio of surfer Miki Dora, with DiCaprio eyeing the central role. "High Fidelity" scribe D.V. DeVincentis will adapt the oral biography. Dora, who was credited with sparking Malibu's surfing subculture during the 1950s and '60s, was also a seductive prankster who had a fickle relationship with his public persona.
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PACINO'S NEXT at 11:54 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Emmett/Furla Films will finance and produce thriller "88 Minutes," with Al Pacino set to star. James Foley will direct pic from Gary Scott Thompson's screenplay. Budgeted at under $30 million, pic will start shooting in August in Vancouver. In "Minutes," a college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI receives a death threat that says he has only 88 minutes to live. To save his life, he must use all his skills and training to narrow down the possible suspects, which include a disgruntled student, a jilted former lover and a serial killer on death row.
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RAMBO IV ON THE GO? at 12:33 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Looks like the project is getting closer and closer to becoming a real thing. Producers are looking to sign John Woo onto the project. Rumor has it that the story may revolve around missing Nuclear Weapons... and the president picks John Rambo to hunt them down, and the men who took them.
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RHAMES' NIGHT TRAIN at 11:32 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Ving Rhames will topline and exec produce "Night Train," a long-in-development Sonny Liston biopic with James Woods, Alfre Woodard and Kristanna Loken also expected to star. Project, picked up by Filmcrest Corp. out of turnaround from Paramount, will start shooting in Puerto Rico in mid-June under the direction of Andrzej Sekula.
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DARKWATCH GREENLIT at 11:32 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Glen Morgan and James Wong are already attached to adapt Sammy Corp.'s sci-fi Western "Darkwatch: Curse of the West" into a film. The writing-directing-producing duo behind "Final Destination," have developed a pitch, based on the vidgame's plot and action sequences, and are now in the midst of penning a script. "Darkwatch" revolves around a secret organization dedicated to fighting the forces of evil. Game will take place in the Wild West, focusing on a cowboy/train robber named Jericho Cross who is recruited by the org to battle a horde of vampires and other supernatural creatures.
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ZWICK'S NEXT at 11:27 AM by Ken Miyamoto
The Last Samurai" helmer Ed Zwick is in negotiations to direct "The Talisman," the pet project from Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy that has been in development for more than 20 years. The move follows the departure of "House of Sand and Fog" director Vadim Perelman this month from the DreamWorks/Universal Pictures co-production
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COWBOYS AND INDIANS at 11:26 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Escape Artists and comic book powerhouse Platinum Studios are teaming up for some sci-fi escapism with the high-concept tentpole "Cowboys and Aliens" for Columbia Pictures. "Sahara" writers Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Donnelly have come on board to adapt the project, which is set within the Old West, where cowboys and Indians must put aside their differences to battle an alien invasion.
Don't know why, but I love the idea.
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GILLIAN'S NEXT at 11:25 AM by Ken Miyamoto
HanWay Films has finally pulled together the long-mooted Gilliam project "Tideland". It will start shooting Sept. 7 in Saskatchewan, Canada, once the director has finished his current pic, "Brothers Grimm". Co-scripted by Gilliam and Tony Grisoni, "Tideland" is adapted from Mitch Cullin's novel about a girl in rural Texas who escapes from the grim reality of her life into a world of fantasy. She is accompanied on her adventures of the imagination by four disembodied dolls' heads, which Thomas says will be voiced by well-known actors.
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BANDITS AQUIRED at 11:24 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Twentieth Century Fox will handle the domestic release of "Banditas," from producer Luc Besson. Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz are in negotiations to star in the pic, budgeted at $30 million. It's being sold at Cannes by Besson's EuropaCorp. Pic, expected to start shooting in September in France and Mexico, is a comedy-Western that centers on two feisty bank robbers.
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SCHNEIDER'S NEXT at 11:40 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Rob Schneider will star in and produce "Fearless," a comedy based on an original pitch by Travis Mann and Bob Kosberg, for Revolution Studios. "Fearless" is the story of a meek soldier who is transformed into a fearless fighting machine when he becomes the subject of a top-secret experiment.
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LINKLATER'S NEXT at 11:40 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson and Rory Cochran will join Keanu Reeves in "A Scanner Darkly," the Warner Independent Pictures drama that Richard Linklater will direct from his scripted adaptation of the Philip K. Dick novel. Thesps will film the scenes as if this were a traditional live action undertaking, but then Linklater will turn the footage into animation, much as he did with "Waking Life".
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AVI ARAD'S MARVEL UPDATES at 11:37 AM by Ken Miyamoto
- Arad said that "The Punisher" will be released internationally starting in September. They are hoping to have "The Punisher 2" ready by next fall. Thomas Jane is signed for three films and Jonathan Hensleigh will be back to write and direct as well.
- They've got a writer, director (David Hayter) and actress for "Black Widow", though they can't announce the actress just yet.
- "Blade: Trinity" was just screen-tested (as you read here) and that went "incredibly well". New Line is very confident and will promote the film aggresivelly.
- "Man-Thing" is complete, they just received the finished print. They'll be testing it and then determine an exact release date.
- "Elektra" starts production today and will be PG-13.
- "Fantastic Four" starts filming in August. It will have 5 build-in toy lines for the different characters in the film. The "funny family action film" will be rated PG-13. Activision is making a game based on the film too.
- "Iron Man" will be PG-13 and will have a major toy line. Activision is creating a game based on the movie.
- "Luke Cage" has a script (Ben Ramsey), director (John Singleton) and actors who they can't announce yet.
- They've started pre-production on the PG-13 Ghost Rider adaptation.
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JACKMAN ON WOLVERINE at 11:34 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Hugh Jackman comments on his X-Men future, "I don't want to sound ungrateful, but first of all, I don't know what the script's going to be like. I don't know what it will be like. But I would find it very, very hard to watch someone else play the role of Wolverine, you know. But, you know, I've had a really great go of it for two movies, so you never know. They may want to move it in different directions, so we'll see what happens in it".
He's all keen on the idea of a third film in any case: "I can see there being complete validity in doing X-Men 3, if not more. I mean, I think it (X2) cemented what was a really interesting world".
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JAMES CAMERON PRODUCING "FANTASTIC VOYAGE" REMAKE at 11:33 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Cameron says "We have a pretty good script, [but it] still needs to go another iteration. How do you sell that concept to people?. For me, the thing in cracking the script, which we've done, was figuring out the social context. Because ... the first film was made in the mid '60s, I think it was '66, and it was a Cold-War-era thriller. And it was about a battle between two superpowers.
We're projecting into an age where we're looking at information totalitarianism, where in the pursuit of security in a world of terrorism, people have given up their freedom to an information state. And so, in ours, there are no good guys and bad guys. There are, you know, these two vast blocs: The Coalition and The Alliance. But really, the government is the enemy. So it's a whole different kind of spy thriller than the one in '66".
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CAMERON'S NEXT... CONFIRMED? at 11:31 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Director James Cameron told SCI FI Wire that he will begin shooting his ambitious, as-yet-untitled SF movie as soon as this November with the 3-D high-definition video cameras he developed for "Ghosts of the Abyss".
Cameron says: "I'm writing it. It's very futuristic; [it] takes place in a distant future, and [there's] lots of wild action and amazing characters and, hopefully, a very emotional journey as well. We're setting that up for release ... about this time of the year in 2006, Memorial Day or somewhere around that".
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THE POLAR EXPRESS NEWS at 10:45 AM by Ken Miyamoto
"The Polar Express" will be released to conventional theaters and in the Imax 3D format Nov. 19 in the United States and many international territories. It marks the first Hollywood feature to be converted into the Imax 3D format. Says Zemeckis "The 3D adds incredible depth and allows the viewers to experience the visual splendor and amazing adventure of this classic story in a way which should create a really memorable experience, not only this holiday season but for many years to come."
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RENT COMING TO BIG SCREEN? at 10:39 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired feature rights to the Jonathan Larson musical "Rent" from Miramax Films, with Chris Columbus to write and direct. With Tribeca Films, Columbus and his 1492 Films will also produce. Miramax retains rights of first refusal for co-financing and distribution on the film. If Miramax were to come aboard for distribution, it would handle the film's foreign rights, with domestic going through Warners.
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DUEL FINALLY COMING TO DVD! at 10:36 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Spielberg's highly underrated film DUEL will be coming to DVD!
Universal Home Video will release the long-delayed Duel: Collector's Edition on August 17th.
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OC SPINOFF at 10:34 AM by Ken Miyamoto
The OC" creator Josh Schwartz is closing in on a deal to develop a companion series to the hit Fox drama. Scribe will reteam with "OC" production partners McG, Stephanie Savage and Bob De Laurentiis for the Warner Bros. TV project. Schwartz will write the pilot episode and exec produce the new series, but a showrunner-exec producer will be brought in to handle the new show on a day-to-day basis.
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"CHE" PRODUCERS UPDATE at 10:33 AM by Ken Miyamoto
After developing "Che" into a feature that will reteam "Traffic" star Benicio Del Toro and director Steven Soderbergh, producers Laura Bickford and Bill Pohlad have sealed a deal to become producing partners on films to be co-financed by Pohlad's River Road. Focus Features is also negotiating in earnest to become the domestic distributor on the River Road-financed "Che".
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X-MEN 3 UPDATES at 10:31 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Producer Lauren Schuler-Donner updated SCI FI Wire today and confirmed that they are targeting a June 2005 start for filming on "X-Men 3" in Vancouver for a May 2006 release date.
"I just had a conversation with [director] Bryan [Singer] today. We just started to talk about what the possibilities are. We're pretty sure Wolverine's going to come back...I'm dying to put Beast in. I tried to get Beast in the first one and the second one, but it was always too expensive. So, yeah, I'm really dying to get Beast in, and I'd love to get Gambit in, because he's such a cool guy. And there's some really good casting ideas for Gambit".
She's not sure if Halle Berry will be back but hopes so and does plan to write a big role for her which is one of the conditions Berry mentioned as a requirement for her to return. Will we see more of the Dark Phoenix storyline? "We will follow it through in some respect, absolutely, yes, and we love Famke [Janssen] anyway, so, yeah. Well, she's Dark Phoenix. She's Jean Grey".
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TERMINATOR 4 AND RAMBO 4 ON THE MOVE? at 10:22 AM by Ken Miyamoto
Producers Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna recently dropped some updates on the upcoming projects, "We are gearing up for some very huge projects! We are focusing all of our energies on Terminator 4! We have an amazing idea that will make sci-fi movie goers cheer. It stays true to the Terminator universe says Vajna. Arnold will be back for this one, but for how long he will be in the film is the question right now.
We also want to make another Rambo movie with our good buddy Sly Stallone. Things are being sorted out as we speak and we will get to produce another Rambo film. Stallone is waiting to see the script and then do his own polish from there as he did with the previous Rambo movies. People will be in for a big surprise with this new Rambo film, but don't worry says Kassar, Rambo still uses a machine gun and blows lots of things up. We also have a BIG fantasy movie in the works. This will be our HARRY POTTER and hopefully it will make our company C2 a billion dollars like Potter did for Warner Brothers".
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BANDERAS ON ZORRO 2 at 10:09 AM by Ken Miyamoto
The swordsman himslef commented on the upcoming project, "Last night I had dinner with Martin [Campbell, Director] and they're putting together the whole thing now. But it's green lit, we are going, and on the 26th of July, principal photography starts". Comparing the sequel to its predecessor Banderas says the new film “is a little bit more mature. It still keeps the adventure feeling and it keeps us with a hero, which I think is fundamental for Zorro. But this one is more based on jealousy and concepts that are more for us than for kids.”
Banderas is keeping busy with other work as well - "Since October, I rejected a bunch of movies and I've been basically writing and preparing things that I would like to do in the future...I bought the rights of a novel in Spain and am right now in the process of putting it together”. Banderas also plans to return to his roots in Spain - “Its just enough time for me to be out of the country and there are the possibilities of going back as a director and also Pedro Almodóvar and I have been in discussions for a year and a half now, of doing a movie that’s an adaptation of a French novel"
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BAD NEWS BEARS REMAKE? at 04:29 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Paramount Pictures is mounting a redo of the 1976 Walter Matthau starrer, this time with Billy Bob Thornton in the leading role. The original feature starred Matthau as the coach of a Little League team of misfits that he turns into a winner. Joining Thornton on "Bears" are writers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa ("Bad Santa").
I acutally think Thornton is perfect for the role... though he'll never hold a candle to Walter.
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REDFORD'S NEXT at 04:27 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Robert Redford will play Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey in a feature that chronicles the breaking of baseball's color barrier. The pic is an untitled drama about Jackie Robinson, Rickey and manager Leo Durocher. Deep River Prods. and Redford's Wildwood will produce.
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SPLASH REMAKE at 04:18 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Wannabe is more like it...
Elizabeth Allen will direct "Aquamarine," a comedy for Fox 2000. John Quaintance is adapting the screenplay from the Alice Hoffman novel about two teenage girls who discover a 17-year-old mermaid in their beach club's swimming pool.
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TALISMAN CHANGES at 03:40 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Vadim Perelman ("House of Sand and Fog") has fallen out of "The Talisman". According to a DreamWorks spokesperson, the "decision was mutual" to part ways on the film. "The studio remains committed to finding the best team for a film of this scope," she said. The project is based on the 1984 fantasy novel by Stephen King and Peter Straub, a project Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy have been developing for nearly 20 years.
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ROMANO AND JAMES TOGETHER at 03:40 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Jason Ensler will direct "Grilled," a comedy to star Ray Romano and Kevin James, for New Line Cinema. With writer Matt Nix on board for a rewrite, the project has received the greenlight and is scheduled to shoot next month. "Grilled" follows a day in the life of two meat salesmen who will stop at nothing to make a sale.
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FOSTER'S NEXT at 03:38 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Jodie Foster is set to star in "Flight Plan" for the Walt Disney Studios' Touchstone Pictures label. Robert Schwentke is directing, while Brian Grazer is producing through Imagine Entertainment. The project is described as a Hitchcockian thriller in which a woman's daughter mysteriously disappears while on board a passenger jet.
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HUDSON'S NEXT at 03:34 PM by Ken Miyamoto
""Secretary" scribe Erin Cressida Wilson has come on board to adapt the Kate Hudson starrer for Paramount. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name from British author Sophie Kinsella, "Secret" revolves around a hapless young marketing executive who confesses all during a bout of in-flight turbulence to the good-looking man beside her, not realizing that he is the president of her company. The comedy is heading for a September shoot on the East Coast.
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ASK THE DUST at 03:32 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Paramount has agreed to handle domestic distribution and partly finance Robert Towne's "Ask the Dust," set to begin lensing this week with Colin Farrell and Salma Hayak starring. Towne has been attempting since the 1970s to direct a film version of "Ask the Dust," John Fante's Depression-era novel. Story centers on a young man who comes to Los Angeles to become a novelist and falls in love with a Mexican waitress.
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ALFIE REMAKE at 03:31 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart have composed theme music and written three original songs for "Alfie," Paramount's remake of the 1966 comedy-drama starring Michael Caine. The songs -- "Old Habits Die Hard," "Blind Leading the Blind" and "Let's Make It Up" -- were written especially for the film and recorded last week at Abbey Road Studio 2 in London.
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THERON'S NEXT at 04:32 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Charlize Theron is in negotiations to star in and produce through her Delilah Films company, an adaptation of a Brian Michael Bendis comic book for Universal Pictures. "Jinx" is about a bounty hunter who has to learn to trust a wanted criminal so they can team up to find millions of dollars of abandoned mob money in order to start a new life together.
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WARRIOR at 04:32 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Icon partners Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey will team with Gavin and Greg O'Connor on "Warrior," an epic about Boudica, a female warrior who led Britain against Roman conquerors and was posthumously named Britain's first queen.
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OLIVER TWIST CASTING at 04:31 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Ben Kingsley will play Fagin and 10-year-old English actor Barney Clark will essay the title role in Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist." Clark attended a press conference Monday with the helmer in Paris. Polanski also announced other key cast members for his adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel, including Jamie Foreman as Bill Sykes and Frank Finlay as Mr. Brownlow.
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MORE MI:3 CASTING! at 04:26 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Paramount Pictures has tapped Scarlett Johansson for its Tom Cruise franchise sequel "Mission: Impossible 3". The "Lost in Translation" star is set to portray an ally of Cruise's Ethan Hunt character. Casting for the part had generated extensive submissions of ingenue types from Hollywood tenpercenteries.
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MI:3 CASTING NEWS at 04:22 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Kenneth Branagh is joining Tom Cruise and Carrie-Anne Moss in MI3. Although there is an expectation that he will be unmasked as one of the villains, few details were available on the character Branagh will play. Further casting is under way on the sequel, which is due to go into production in late summer. Branagh takes over the role that Philip Seymour Hoffman was up for... apparently he was asking for too much money.
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KING KONG NEWS at 04:15 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Entertainment Weekly spoke with LOTR trilogy director Peter Jackson who says his upcoming "King Kong" is remake -"We are not reinventing it. Our story follows the same structure. It satrts in New York, goes to Skull Island, and there's dinosaurs on the island. Then it comes back to New York and there's the Empire State Building and the biplanes and the whole thing".
They're also trying to make this version "emotionally truthful. I put that ahead of anything else, including technology and the realism of the effects. Everybody's image of 'King Kong' is that it's this amazing beauty-and-the-beast love story. And when you look at the original film, there is as sense that Kong is feeling an attraction toward Ann-probably the first empathy he's felt in his life toward another living creature. But Ann is not giving him a thing. She just looks at him as an object of horror the entire time. She screams at him, she's terrified. Her relationship with Kong doesn't go beyond that. We're having a lot of fun making it more psychologically real"
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DIE HARD 4 NEWS! at 04:12 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Bonnie Bedelia recently commented on the developing Die Hard 4 project!
Question: There have been rumors of a Die Hard 4. Do you think it'll happen?
Answer: "It's being written right now. I'm definitely doing this one. It's going to feature John and Holly's kids too, I believe. It's taken a while to do another one because Bruce wasn't sure whether he really needed to do one and the studio wasn't so sure that it was the best time to do a Die hard film with all that's going on in the world right now. So they've waited a few years, worked on a story that doesn't necessarily concentrate on the whole terrorist theme, and everyone feels it's time to make it happen."
Question: And there's talk of Britney Spears playing your daughter?
Answer: "No, all I know is that John McTiernan, who is just wonderful, he did the first film, wants to do it. Hopefully it'll be underway soon. I look forward to it".
I can't wait... it's time for another Die Hard.
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COLIN HANK'S NEXT at 04:07 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Colin Hanks, Eric Balfour and Alan Tudyk will star in RX. Set to film in Mexico and southern Texas this May, the film centers on a young man (Hanks) who gets more than he bargains for when he heads to Mexico to buy prescription drugs.
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SYKES... YIKES at 04:02 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Comedienne Wanda Sykes has nabbed a role opposite Jennifer Lopez & Jane Fonda in "Monster-in-Law" for New Line. Sykes will appear as Ruby, the mother-in-law's straight-talking assistant.
Is she not the most annoying actress in years?
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ER DOC TAKES ON MARVEL at 04:00 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Goran Visnjic, who starred as the title character in last week's USA Network movie "Spartacus," is in negotiations to star as the male lead opposite Jennifer Garner in "Elektra" for helmer Rob Bowman. Elektra is assigned to kill Visnjic's character by ninja clan 'The Hand' over something his grandfather did; however, she ends up falling for him. After the film is finished, he will return to Los Angeles to tape his final season on the NBC medical drama "ER".
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LOOK OUT ROUNDERS? at 03:59 PM by Ken Miyamoto
MGM has placed a bet of $1 million to purchase an untitled poker pitch from Don Rhymer ("Big Momma's House") for Dylan Sellers to produce. Comedy revolves around the exploits of three men who scheme a way to play in the world series of poker tournament in Las Vegas without their wives finding out. Rhymer will pen the script.
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MENDES' NEXT at 03:57 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Sam Mendes' next movie will be "Jarhead," a Universal drama based on Anthony Swofford's Persian Gulf-set Marine Corps. memoir. "Cast Away" scribe William Broyles wrote the script, and Red Wagon partners Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher will produce. Shooting begins in the fall.
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JACKMAN ON "FOUNTAIN" at 03:55 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Jackman recently gave an update on his character in the upcoming film THE FOUNTAIN. You may remember this as a Brad Pitt film... until he dropped out at the last minute. Jackman says, "I play three characters, and it's basically about the search for the Fountain of Youth. It is really an extraordinary [film], I think Darren could become, in the final analysis, another Kubrick. I think he's an amazing director, and he's written a script that is just phenomenal. I'm honored to be a part of it, I really am; I'm very excited about it".
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MTV MOVIE AWARDS NOMINATIONS at 04:16 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Yes, it's time for the most meaningless, but fun award shows around. The MTV Movie Awards...
BEST MOVIE
50 First Dates (Sony Pictures)
Finding Nemo (Walt Disney Pictures)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line Cinema)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (Disney Pictures)
X2: X-Men United (20th Century Fox)
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
Adam Sandler - 50 First Dates (Sony Pictures)
Bill Murray - Lost in Translation (Focus Features)
Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean (Walt Disney Pictures)
Tom Cruise - The Last Samurai (Warner Bros.)
Jim Caviezel - The Passion of The Christ (Newmarket Film Group)
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Drew Barrymore - 50 First Dates (Sony Pictures)
Queen Latifah - Bringing Down the House (Touchstone Pictures)
Halle Berry - Gothika (Warner Bros.)
Uma Thurman - Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Miramax Films)
Charlize Theron - Monster (Newmarket Film Group)
BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Jim Carrey - Bruce Almighty (Universal Pictures)
Will Ferrell - Elf (New Line Cinema)
Ellen DeGeneres - Finding Nemo (Walt Disney Pictures)
Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean (Walt Disney Pictures)
Jack Black - School of Rock (Paramount Pictures)
BEST ON-SCREEN TEAM
Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore - 50 First Dates (Sony Pictures)
Will Smith/Martin Lawrence - Bad Boys II (Sony Pictures)
Johnny Depp/Orlando Bloom - Pirates of the Caribbean ( Disney Pictures)
Jack Black and the "Band" - School of Rock (Paramount Pictures)
Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson - Starsky & Hutch (Warner Bros.)
BEST VILLAIN
Demi Moore - Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (Sony Pictures)
Lucy Liu - Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Miramax Films)
Kiefer Sutherland - Phone Booth (20th Century Fox)
Geoffrey Rush - Pirates of the Caribbean (Walt Disney Pictures)
Leatherface - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (New Line Cinema)
BREAKTHROUGH MALE
Ludacris - 2 Fast 2 Furious (Universal Pictures)
Cillian Murphy - 28 Days Later (Fox Searchlight)
Shia LaBeouf - Holes (Walt Disney Pictures)
Shawn Ashmore - X2: X-Men United (20th Century Fox)
Omarion - You Got Served (Screen Gems)
BREAKTHROUGH FEMALE
Lindsay Lohan - Freaky Friday (Walt Disney Pictures)
Scarlett Johansson - Lost in Translation (Focus Features)
Keira Knightley - Pirates of the Caribbean (Walt Disney Pictures)
Jessica Biel - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (New Line Cinema)
Evan Rachel Wood - Thirteen (Fox Searchlight)
BEST KISS
Jim Carrey & Jennifer Aniston - Bruce Almighty (Universal Pictures)
Keanu Reeves & Monica Bellucci - The Matrix: Reloaded (Warner Bros.)
Charlize Theron & Christina Ricci - Monster (Newmarket Film Group)
Owen Wilson & Carmen Electra & Amy Smart - Starsky & Hutch (Warner Bros.)
Shawn Ashmore & Anna Paquin - X2: X-Men United (20th Century Fox)
BEST ACTION SEQUENCE
Intercoastal Freeway Pursuit - Bad Boys II (Sony Pictures)
Escape from Mongolia - Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (Sony Pictures)
Battle at Gondor - Lord of The Rings: Return of the King (New Line Cinema)
Champion Crane Chase - Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (Warner Bros.)
BEST FIGHT
Queen Latifah vs. Missi Pyle - Bringing Down the House (Touchstone Pictures)
Uma Thurman vs. Chiaki Kuriyama - Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Miramax Films)
Keanu Reeves vs. Hugo Weaving - The Matrix: Reloaded (Warner Bros.)
The Rock vs. Kontiki Rebels - The Rundown (Universal Pictures)
Hugh Jackman vs. Kelly Hu - X2: X-Men United (20th Century Fox)
BEST DANCE SEQUENCE
Ben Stiller & Jennifer Aniston - Along Came Polly - "Hot Salsa Dance"
Seann William Scott - American Wedding (Universal Pictures) - "Disco Dance Off"
Steve Martin - Bringing Down the House (Touchstone Pictures) - "In da Club"
Drew B./Cameron D./Lucy L. - Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle "Burlesque Revue"
Omarion, Marques Houston and the Lil Saints' Dance Crew - You Got Served(Screen Gems) - "The Big Bounce"
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FLASH GORDON COMING BACK! at 04:09 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Stephen Sommers, of Mummy and hopefully Van Helsing fame, is set to direct the big budget FLASH GORDON. Ron Shushett will be penning the new Stephen Sommers-helmed take on the classic character.
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FAT ALBERT CASTING at 04:06 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Aaron Carter, Dania Ramirez, Nick Zano, Derek Watkins and Alice Greczyn have joined the cast of Fox's live-action "Fat Albert" for helmer Joel Zwick. Shooting in Los Angeles on the Paramount Pictures back lot, the project is based on the stand-up comedy monologues of Bill Cosby about his childhood in Philadelphia and the cartoon "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids".
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DARKO GETTING SECOND CHANCE at 04:06 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Donnie Darko" is getting a new theatrical release. Newmarket Films, which originally released the film, is unveiling a director's cut at the Seattle Film Festival on May 29. The new version will have 20 minutes of never-before-seen footage, new visual effects, and new music. After the festival, Newmarket plans to release the film theatrically in Seattle before moving into other markets later in the summer.
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21 JUMP STREET: THE MOVIE at 04:05 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Original Film is boarding Paramount Pictures' big-screen adaptation of the TV series "21 Jump Street." Original's Neal Moritz will produce "21 Jump Street" with Stephen J. Cannell and Douglas Rosen, while Original's Tania Landau will executive produce.
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SONNENFELD'S NEXT at 04:05 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Barry Sonnenfeld has fallen for DreamWorks' "The Heartbreak Kid" and is closing a deal to direct the film. The romantic comedy is a loosely inspired remake of the 1972 pic, written by Neil Simon and directed by Elaine May. Story is about a man who hastily weds a local girl whom he thinks is perfect -- until he falls in love with another girl during the honeymoon.
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SODERBERGH SCRIBE NOW DIRECTING at 04:04 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Scott Burns, who wrote "The Informant" for Steven Soderbergh, will make his feature-directing bow with "PU239" at United Artists. Soderbergh's Section 8 Prods. will produce the pic. Production is expected to begin this fall on locations in Eastern Europe. Written by Burns, "PU239" is set in post-Glasnost Russia. After a nuclear facility technician has an accident, he travels to Moscow in search of work and finds himself involved with the city's low-level mobsters.
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MIRAMAX PICKS UP FANTASY NOVELS at 04:03 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Miramax has acquired U.S. publishing and film rights to "Mistmantle Chronicles," a forthcoming trilogy of children's books by Brit author Margi McAllister. First book in the series, "Urchin of the Riding Stars," is due for publication in spring 2005 by Miramax Books in the U.S. and by Bloomsbury in the U.K., with the second and third books due in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Series is about a group of animals, including squirrels, otters, hedgehogs and moles, living on an island hidden in mist.
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NEW LINE PICKS UP GREENBERG at 03:57 PM by Ken Miyamoto
New Line Cinema has hired "The West Wing" writer-producers Lawrence O'Donnell and Paul Redford to pen a script based on the story of Jack Greenberg, the attorney who argued in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.
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STAR WARS DVD DETAILS at 11:31 AM by Ken Miyamoto
I can't wait for this release! Looks like it'll be better than the Indiana Jones Box Set with MANY more extras. If only Lucas would come to his senses and offer the Original Versions of the films as well. Anyway, here's what to expect so far from the DVDs.
All three films are presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, English Dolby Surround, Spanish Dolby Surround and French Dolby Surround tracks. Each will be THX Certified, with the transfers remastered by the folks at Lowry Digital Images.
Further details on the fourth disc below:
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy...
This two-and-a-half hour documentary traces the evolution of the saga, from a low-budget labor-of-love space saga to the movie phenomenon that defied the odds and reinvented the rules. This comprehensive documentary features all new interviews with George Lucas and more than 40 members of the cast and crew from the original trilogy, as well as a host of filmmakers and media personalities. Empire of Dreams also includes some never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage from the making of all three of the now legendary Star Wars films.
Episode III Behind the Scenes Preview: The Return of Darth Vader...
Finally, Star Wars: Episode III will reveal just how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, the most iconic villain in film history. In this exclusive preview, George Lucas discusses Anakin's descent, with a first look at the new Vader costume forged for Episode III. Also, experience how Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor have prepared for the epic lightsaber battle that has been anticipated for more than two decades: the climactic showdown between Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The Birth of the Lightsaber Featurette...
Its unforgettable hum and scintillating glow are instantly recognizable around the world. Now, viewers will discover the origins of this elegant weapon from a more civilized age in this lightsaber documentary.
The Characters of Star Wars Featurette...
An in-depth look at how favorite characters came to be, featuring rare concept art, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with George Lucas and the cast and crew who shaped the screen's favorite heroes.
The Force Is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars...
The Star Wars films opened up a galaxy of possibilities to a generation of filmmakers and creative talents. This feature allows you to hear from some of the most notable filmmakers of our time about how influential the Star Wars movies have been to their lives and work.
Star Wars Battlefront Trailer and Playable Demo...
The fourth disc will offer a trailer featuring an exciting look at the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront video game from LucasArts, along with a special demo for Xbox users that lets players fight the Battle of Endor as a Rebel or Imperial soldier and drive AT-STs, ride speeder bikes and use different weapons to lead their side to victory. The full version of Star Wars Battlefront be released Sept. 21 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC.
Star Wars: Episode III Making the Game Preview...
Video-game players will be able to experience the stunning Jedi action of Episode III themselves in the new Star Wars: Episode III game, due out in Spring 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. This special feature shows how game developers at LucasArts worked behind-the-scenes and on the set to create the most authentic Jedi experience ever.
Original Trailers and TV Spots...
You can expect the original theatrical teaser, launch and re-release trailers for each of the films, plus TV spots, to be featured on the DVD.
Never-Before-Seen Production Gallery...
Delve into an unseen corners of the Lucasfilm Archives with exclusive photos from the making of the trilogy, with hundreds of rare images.
Posters and Print Campaigns...
The original Star Wars films came at a time when international campaigns produced a wealth of intriguing, alternative poster art. Explore a collection of theatrical posters from around the world.
Exclusive DVD-ROM Content...
The Star Wars Trilogy DVDs are keys that unlock exclusive content available only through a special DVD-ROM website.
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METROID? at 04:32 PM by Ken Miyamoto
John Woo has optioned Nintendo's video game franchise METROID. He will produce the sci-fi movie and has the option to direct. The movie will center on the origins of the game's female protagonist, sexy bounty hunter Samus Aran, and relate her adventures battling the insidious life-sucking Metroids and their controlling force, Mother Brain.
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D & D 2... NO, SERIOUSLY at 04:31 PM by Ken Miyamoto
WorldWide Pictures is partnering with Silver Pictures on the sequel to DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS. Gerry Lively is directing the pic, which is to be shot in Europe this year.
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ALL THE KING'S MEN at 04:31 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Steven Zaillian will direct ALL THE KING'S MEN, based on Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a populist Southern politician, for Phoenix Pictures and Columbia Pictures. Sean Penn is being sought to play Willie Stark. The production is aiming for a September shoot in New Orleans.
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BON JOVI LAMPOONING? at 04:30 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Jon Bon Jovi will star in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S THE TROUBLE WITH FRANK for director Arthur Hiller. Production will begin this spring in North Carolina. Bon Jovi will play a former lawyer and current ne'er-do-well who decides to fund his latest get-rich-quick scheme with credit cards and winds up in court. Matty Simmons wrote the script.
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VARTAN'S NEXT at 04:28 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Michael Vartan ("Alias") is in talks to star opposite Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda in MONSTER-IN-LAW for New Line Cinema and director Robert Luketic.
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WOODY'S BACK at 04:25 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Woody Harrelson has stepped aboard Ascendant Pictures/VIP Medienfonds' dark comedy. Harrelson is replacing James Woods, who had to drop out because of a scheduling conflict. In the film, a destitute Alaskan travel agent (Robin Williams) thinks he has found the answer to his financial problems in the form of a frozen body, which he tries to pass off as his long-lost brother (Harrelson) for the insurance money.
And the people say, "Huh?"
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SMITH'S NEXT at 04:24 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Will Smith and Columbia Pictures are teaming to bring to the screen the story of Dr. S. Allen Counter, a Harvard professor and professional explorer - designed as a starring vehicle for Smith. The project is described as an adventure romance based on Counter's explorations.
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SCRIBES SELL ARK at 04:23 PM by Ken Miyamoto
In one of the more expensive spec sales in years, two unproduced scribes have sold their fantastical spec "The Passion of the Ark" to Sony's Columbia Pictures for $1.5 million against $2.5 million. Scribes Bobby Florsheim and Josh Stolberg's modern-day tale of an unmarried man approached by God to build an ark to save the world from a second flood whetted the interest of all major studios.
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FERRELL'S NEXT at 04:21 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Will Ferrell is turning his attention to insects. Bob Cooper's Landscape Entertainment has set up at Universal the pitch "Fly on the Wall" (working title), penned by "Emperor's Club" scribe Neil Tolkin. Comedy, which sold for high-six figures, is being developed as a potential starring vehicle for Ferrell. Pic centers on a down-on-his-luck lawyer whose life starts to take a turn for the better after he innocently saves the life of a fly.
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MALKOVICH'S NEXT at 04:20 PM by Ken Miyamoto
John Malkovich has signed onto "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", the adaptation of the Douglas Adams sci-fi comedy novel series classic, for Spyglass Entertainment/Walt Disney Pictures. Malkovich will play a religious cult leader called Humma Kavula, created by Adams especially for the film.
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EXORCIST 3: LEGION RE-RELEASE??!! at 04:17 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Greg Mielcarz, Head of Publicty over at Morgan Creek Productions recently contacted William Peter Blatty about putting together a re-release of his 1990 sequel to The Exorcist, "Legion".
This is the film that starred George C. Scott, and directed by author William Peter Blatty based off of his book Legion.
If you get the chance... rent this film. It is a wonderfully shot continuation of the original Exorcist following Detective Kinderman and a somewhat ressurected Father Karris. The book is an excellent mystery with some freaky moments, as is the film.
It may be better with a director's cut as well.
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CARRIE COMING TO THE RING at 04:09 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Sissy Spacek is returning to the horror genre -- where she enjoyed one of her earliest successes as the telekinetic heroine of 1976's "Carrie" -- as she steps into "The Ring 2" for DreamWorks and director Hideo Nakata. The Oscar-winning actress joins Naomi Watts and Simon Baker in the film, due to start shooting in mid-May.
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WITHERSPOON'S NEXT at 04:08 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Reese Witherspoon is attached to star in "The Proposal," which she will produce through her Type A Films for Revolution Studios. Type A president Jennifer Simpson also is producing. The romantic comedy centers on a couple and their up-and-down journey as they plan their wedding.
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KURT COBAIN BIOPIC at 04:08 PM by Ken Miyamoto
The WB Network is developing an original movie about late NIRVANA frontman Kurt Cobain. The network has obtained the rights to Charles Cross' 2001 book, Robert Munic ("They Call Me Sir") has been commissioned to write the script for the untitled film, which could get a primetime berth as early as next season.
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LUCY CASTING at 04:07 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Natasha Richardson, Bonnie Hunt, Justin Theroux, Kip Pardue and Zoe Saldana have signed to star in Maggie Greenwald's drama "Lucy" for Gotham-based banner Plum Pictures. Based on the 1990 novel by Jamaica Kincaid, the story follows a 21-year-old girl from the West Indies as she spends the summer in a sheltered New York WASP community. She takes a job as a nanny for a wealthy couple but soon notices the cracks in their seemingly perfect facade.
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JENNA BOYD SIGNS WITH SISTERS at 01:35 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Eleven year old actress Jenna Boyd has been cast as the role of "Bailey," opposite Amber Tamblyn in the upcoming Warner Brothers film "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" directed by Ken Kwapis.
Boyd, who most recently starred in Ron Howard's film "The Missing" with Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones, is managed by Ellen Drantch-Billet of James, Levy, Jacobson and represented by the Endeavor Agency and attorney Jason Sloane.
Boyd is currently nominated for a Saturn Award (Best Performance by a Younger Actor) and is a double nominee for the Young Artist Awards.The "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" is based on the best-selling teen book by Anne Brashares. As four best friends spend their first summer apart from one another, they share a magical pair of jeans. Despite being of various shapes and sizes, each one of them fits perfectly into the pants. The girls undergo a summer full of life lessons, but they keep in touch by passing the pants to each other as well as the adventures they are going through while apart.
Production is scheduled to begin May 14th in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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DREAMWORKS SHIPWRECKED? at 01:57 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Intermedia and DreamWorks are teaming up on "Skeletons of the Sahara," a film based on the nonfiction book by Dean H. King about the trials of several American sailors who were shipwrecked off the coast of North Africa in 1815, captured by the Bedouins and sold into slavery. Shooting is expected to begin by the end of the year.
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BEAUTY SHOP CAST ADDITIONS at 01:51 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Andie MacDowell, Alfre Woodard and Bryce Wilson are joining the cast of MGM's Queen Latifah comedy "Beauty Shop." MacDowell will play a conservative Southern socialite who goes through a rebirth when she follows Queen Latifah's character from her fancy hairdressers, run by Jorge (Kevin Bacon), to her new salon. Woodard is set to play Miss Josephine, the shop's Afrocentric stylist, who spouts Maya Angelou poetry. Wilson, meanwhile, will play James, a con/truck driver turned hairstylist. Nobody can figure out whether he is the ultimate metrosexual or actually gay.
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AFFLECK'S NEXT at 01:50 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Ben Affleck's next picture will be Disney's Jerry Bruckheimer production "Glory Road." The Mouse House aims to start production this summer. Commercials helmer James Gartner has been hired to make his feature directing bow. Affleck will star as a college basketball coach who led the first all-black lineup of players to the NCAA championship.
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TWO EXORCIST PREQUELS? at 01:49 PM by Ken Miyamoto
So, in case you didn't know, Paul Schraeder directed the film with a different cast and script. The film, more of a character driven flick, was shelved by the studio... wanting a scare fest rather than a psychological drama.
So they hired Renny Harlin to direct reshoots and it ended up that not one frame of Schraeder's work will be seen.
So producers are now bent on releasing BOTH versions on DVD. Yes, both Schraeder's and Renny's. Renny's will debut onscreen, but when DVD time comes... we may see both prequels!
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TRAVOLTA ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS NEXT FILMS at 01:40 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Taken from Dark Horizons...
Question: You are doing "Be Cool" right now. What is generally your take on sequels?
Answer: I don't particularly care for sequels however, Elmore Leonard wrote the book "Be Cool" and then when you start to make a whole new unit and that much time and effort to make something that good, I think it takes on a whole other life. It's a wonderful script and a great cast. And, you don't get these people to do sequels. You don't get Uma and Harvey Keitel and Vince Vaughn to do these kinds of things so you know that it has to be high end script. And it's based on Elmore's very good sequel book. The opening line of the movie is 'Sequels'. Chili Palmer is fed up with them. The sequel that he did in the movie "Get Shorty" didn't work so he'd fed up with sequels. So it's very hip.
Question: What's happened to Renee and Gene's characters?
Answer: They aren't referred to because he's moving out of the movie industry and he's looking for a new horizon. He stumbles upon the music industry which is far funnier than the movie industry.
Question: Problems with Ladder 49 with fires?
Answer: Oh no. It's a brilliant movie. It's a really breathtaking film. It's the best firefighter film that's ever been made and I'm not even exaggerating. It's a beautiful movie. It's more along the lines of Apollo 13, that level of quality in the approach. It's by far the best homage to the firefighters. It's set in Baltimore and Joaquin Phoenix plays the young guy in it and I'm really his mentor in it. The main story is about him.
Question: Can you compare it to Backdraft at all?
Answer: It's so much more based in reality. You feel it in this. It's a beautiful story too. More importantly it doesn't play on anything but a genuine reality of what these guys are about. I love it. It's just beautiful.
Question: Do you still want to do a film musical?
Answer: I've always wanted to do a musical.
Question: Do you still have hopes to do the second half of Battlefield Earth?
Answer: I don't know. It did well but it would really depend on they wanted to do it. They have the rights to it. It would be up to them really to do it. Warner Bros. Doesn't have the rights, it's Elie Samaha. It would be up to him.
Question: Did Quentin tell you his new idea for Vega Brothers?
Answer: No. I heard it though a journalist that said Michael Madsen had mentioned something about it. But that's up to Quentin. I don't question him. I wouldn't even ask him. He'll tell me. He did it the first time. Someone said I had to vie to be in one of his films and I said 'I didn't the first time. Why would I have to that this time? He'll let me know'.
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ANISTON'S NEXT at 04:18 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Jennifer Aniston has committed to star in GAMBIT, the remake of the 1966 British caper film that starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine, for Universal Pictures and director Bo Welch. Story revolves around a British thief who comes up with a fool-proof plan to steal an expensive statue from one of the richest men in the world.
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THE APOCALYPSE HAS ARRIVED... McG WILL BE DIRECTING SUPERMAN at 02:04 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Warner Bros. has lost their minds.
Looks like McG had one final chance to present his "vision" to WB execs, and they bought into it. It also looks like McG's choice for the lead role, Henry Cavill, may be the frontrunner close to signing a deal.
I sense doom. A guy who has two subpar movies to his credit is getting possibly one of the biggest possible franchises in Hollywood.
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TARANTINO ANIME at 01:29 PM by Ken Miyamoto
Director Quentin Tarantino is planning an animated prequel to both the "Kill Bill" movies which will show the early times of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. The film will be drawn in Japanese anime style that was already seen in "Kill Bill Volume 1" and the story will focus on the three men (Esteban Vihaio, Hattori Hanzo and Pei Mei) who turned Bill into a ruthless killer.
Tarantino told Zap2It that "In the writing of the film, since I'm creating my own mythology from the ground up, I had to figure out that mythology, I had to really figure out what's going on. In the course of doing that I came up with all these cool stories and all |
