FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010

CHUCK FANS RALLY
CHUCK fans have a plan to rally support for the NBC series, and this time it doesn't involve sandwiches. With the action-comedy on the bubble for a renewal, CHUCK fans on Monday will stage themed flash mobs in at least four cities.
In Chicago, Seattle, San Diego and Philadelphia, CHUCK fans plan to gather while dressed in the show's Buy More-style clothing (short-sleeve work shirts, name tags and the like).
The idea is from fan site chucktv.net, one of those that spearheaded last year's "Finale and a Footlong" campaign that made national headlines when fans bought sandwiches from "Chuck" sponsor Subway. While last year's effort was about sending a message to NBC that fans will support the show's advertisers, this year it's about trying to market the show to potential viewers.
"Chuck fans are the most loyal, dedicated, imaginative and passionate fans any show could ever hope for," CHUCK co-creator Josh Schwartz said.
"Every season they offer more proof they should be licensed and professional fans teaching other fans how it's done. This is yet another example of their awesomeness. We are, as always, grateful and inspired to deliver a show as good to them as they are to us."
The College Hill/Wonderland/Warner Bros.-produced series has been on the bubble for a pickup at NBC, though indications suggest the network is bullish about a return. CHUCK has been the most stable part of the network's Monday night lineup in a year that companion series HEROES has dropped significantly.

GUNSLINGER
The Hollywood Reporter writes that J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot shingle spent some time trying to crack Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” book series as a television series. However, they no longer has the rights to one of the author’s biggest properties.
Bad Robot has returned the rights back to the best-selling author. Now Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Akiva Goldsman are teaming up to tackle the fantasy Western.
The three are in discussions on a scenario that would see an adaptation begin as a movie, to be written by Goldsman and directed by Howard, that would lead to a TV series produced by Imagine’s small-screen division.
“Tower” is not set up, nor has any option deal been made, but insiders say Universal, home to Imagine, would be the studio that will release the movie.
That would be a contrast to the vision drawn up by Bad Robot, which had been eyeing their potential series as a reunion with “Lost” exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Because of the comprehensive nature of the project, the creators wanted to wait until “Lost” was over to give it their attention. When they realized they wouldn't be able to do an adaptation justice, they gave the rights back to King.
King’s magnum opus, “Tower” encompasses not just a narrative about the Man in Black and Roland, the Gunslinger, that spans seven lengthy books (and one short story), but also the entire universe of King’s fiction. Characters from his other novels flit in and out of “Tower” in minor and major ways.
Envisioned when King was still in his teens as his own take on spaghetti Westerns and the world of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” “Tower” has also spawned a series of graphic novels from Marvel Comics, with the latest issue hitting shelves May 19. The property’s expansive nature and direct connection to King’s other works make it one of the biggest, ripest franchise possibilities in entertainment.

PROTECTION
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Dwayne Johnson will star in the action thriller PROTECTION, with Simon West directing.
The screenplay, written by Brandon Noonan, follows a Mexico City security operative who is forced to smuggle the daughter of a high-ranking judge across the border while being pursued by corrupt cops, drug lords and white collar U.S. criminal forces.
IM Global's Stuart Ford and Robert Lawrence will produce along with Gordon Gray and Marc Ciardi of Mayhem Pictures. Brian Kavanaugh Jones is an executive producer, and Jib Polhemus will be a co-producer.
The $35-million production is scheduled to start filming in New Mexico in the fall.
Johnson most recently starred in TOOTH FAIRY and RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN. He will next appear in the Columbia comedy THE OTHER GUYS in August and the CBS Films actioner FASTER, set for release in November.
West last directed WHEN A STRANGER CALLS. He has also directed LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER, THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER and CON AIR.

HUNTER
Scarlet Fire Entertainment is set to produce a film adaptation of Brit scribe Adam Hamdy's comic, THE HUNTER. Hamdy will adapt the screenplay.
The 2007 Dare Comics debut release is a contemporary superhero comic set against the backdrop of organized crime. Through print and online distribution, HUNTER has reached 130,000 readers.
Hamdy will produce along with Scarlet Fire's Steven Pearl and Allan Loeb, the co-writer of "21" and "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps." Scarlet Fire exec Shane Abrahams first brought the comic to the company.
"We're extremely pleased to be working with Scarlet Fire," said Hamdy, who founded Dare Comics. "They understood 'The Hunter' immediately, and saw in it the potential to create a compelling new universe that loyal fans and newcomers alike will love seeing come to life on the big screen."
Hamdy will create an original Hunter story for the film iteration.
"Not only is Adam an accomplished writer, he is an innovative entrepreneur," said Steven Pearl. "He's succeeded in building a new superhero brand virtually single-handed in a market that is dominated by big companies with very deep pockets."
Hamdy has a new sci-fi comic, "Starmaker: Leviathan," publishing this month from Dare.
Scarlet Fire has produced the television series "New Amsterdam" and "The Beast." The company also has the comedy feature "Arranged" in development.

THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2010

TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN DIRECTOR
Summit Entertainment has officially confirmed rumors that Bill Condon, screenwriter and/or director of films such as Gods and Monsters, Kinsey and Dreamgirls—not to mention '80s genre fare such as Strange Invaders and Strange Behavior—has been hired to direct The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, the final entry in the massively successful film franchise based on Stephenie Meyer's novels.
Summit president of production Erik Feig said in the official press release, "Bringing Stephenie Meyer's BREAKING DAWN to the screen requires a graceful and intelligent hand, and we believe Bill Condon is exactly the right steward, having shown equal and abundant talents of immense creativity and subtle sensitivity."
Meyer herself chimed in, adding, "I'm so thrilled that Bill wants to work with us. I think he's going to be a great fit, and I'm excited to see what he does with the material."
The press release did not indicate whether BREAKING DAWN would be subject to either of the trends that studios are currently enforcing on their tentpole pictures, i.e. being filmed in or converted to 3-D or broken up into two parts, although the latter has also been rumored for the Twilight finale.
The hiring of Condon comes following recent rumors that 30 Days of Night's David Slade—the director of the third installment in the series, ECLIPSE (out June 30)—had run into trouble with Summit over the tone of his film, with reports of reshoots and a change in editors on the project. The studio has sought to dispel those rumors, telling E! Online that it is "very happy with Slade."
Condon himself said in Summit's press release, "I'm very excited to get the chance to bring the climax of this saga to life on-screen. As fans of the series know, this is a one-of-a-kind book—and we're hoping to create an equally unique cinematic experience."
The filmmaker is perhaps understating the case. Breaking Dawn is the most controversial book in the series, and as reported by CHUD.com last November, its many outrageous plot points—Bella and Edward violently consummating their relationship, Bella's monster baby nearly tearing her apart during childbirth, and werewolf Jacob's unnatural relationship with the child—would present a challenge for David Cronenberg, let alone a more mainstream director like Condon (no word on whether he'll get a crack at writing the thing—regular Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg is back again).
Condon, however, did start out in genre work and has a feel for it, while his efforts on Kinsey and Dreamgirls also show a flair for the sexually provocative and the theatrical, respectively. He'll get a chance to bring all that to the table for Breaking Dawn, while juggling the demands of Summit, Meyer and, most important, the fan base.

WAREHOUSE 13'S COMING SEASON
Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly, the stars of Syfy's WAREHOUSE 13, offered a peek at what's in store for the show in the upcoming second season in this exclusive SYFY video interview.
The stars spoke with us at the upfront presentation to advertisers and the press in New York.
"It's going to be so much better this year!" Kelly said enthusiastically.
"The writers have found the show this year," McClintock added. "They're a little bit more clear about where they need to go, and I think the scripts are really strong."
They also offered a few spoilers for the upcoming season, especially about Pete's background and what's coming up for Pete and Myka's relationship.
WAREHOUSE 13 returns in July.

THE DOUBLE
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Richard Gere and Topher Grace are teaming up for THE DOUBLE, a Hyde Park-Imagenation Abu Dhabi spy thriller on which scribe Michael Brandt will make his directorial debut.
Brandt and his writing partner Derek Haas, who were wrote movies like "Wanted" and "3:10 to Yuma," penned "Double," which begins with a murder of a senator in Washington by a Soviet assassin long thought to be dead. A retired CIA operative (Gere), who spent his career going toe to toe with his Soviet nemeses, is forced to partner with a young FBI agent (Grace) to hunt the killer down.
Brandt said he was a fan of films such as "The Conversation," "Three Days of the Condor" and "No Way Out," and hoped to follow in their tradition.
Production is scheduled for June in Detroit.
The movie is part of Hyde Park and Imagenation's $250 million financing deal to make up to 20 films over a seven years, with additional financing for the production of local language and cross-cultural films. (The two also partnered on Hyde Park Imagenation Singapore.)
Gere last appeared in BROOKLYN'S FINEST, and Grace next appears in Twentieth Century Fox's PREDATORS.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON SEQUEL
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON has emerged as one of the year's biggest box-office draws and plans to franchise it out are already in the works.
Talking on a conference call to discuss quarterly earnings, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg sais that a TV series is in the works along with a movie sequel for release in the second half of 2013.
Dreamworks is also developing an online virtual world and a live arena show along the lines of the "Walking with Dinosaurs" show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
DRAGON, the best-reviewed film in the DWA's history, has pulled in $180 million at the domestic box-office.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2010

MONSTER SQUAD
According to producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, the proposed reboot of the classic 1980s family monster movie THE MONSTER SQUAD is moving forward.
"We're out to writers right now," Form said. "We're going to start hearing takes this week. Hopefully we'll be off to the races writing that." Rob Cohen, producer of the 1987 original, is in line to direct.
The movie comes from Fuller and Form's Platinum Dunes, the company behind remakes of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and FRIDAY THE 13TH, and it marks a bit of a departure for them into family horror.
The original movie centered on a gang of movie-buff kids who actually had to battle Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Gill Man and the Mummy, with Frankenstein as an ally; it's mostly remembered now for the line "Wolf Man's got nards!" But Form and Fuller promise the reboot will be edgier.
"It seems like it stays within our wheelhouse, and yet it expands what we're doing just a little bit," Form said.
"It's a movie we're really excited about, because we loved movies like Goonies, Monster Squad," Form added. "To take a family adventure-type movie, make it scary, is something a little different for us."
Fuller added: "You're going to have those monsters in there, and Platinum Dunes is not going to make a movie with monsters where they're not scary.
"It's not a soft version," Form said.

THE LAST AIRBENDER
Here is the latest trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming martial-arts fantasy film THE LAST AIRBENDER.
The trailer highlights some of the film's fantastical visual effects, including a glimpse at the giant white furry "sky bison" Appa, as well as Aang (Noah Ringer) and his power over the four elements of air, fire, earth and water.
LAST AIRBENDER is based on the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. It also stars Nicole Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel and Aasif Mandvi and opens on July 2.

SEQUELS COMING
According to Deadline New York, Warner Bros. is moving forward with sequels to both CLASH OF THE TITANS and JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.
The site says the studio is eyeing a spring 2012 release for a CLASH OF THE TITANS follow-up. Director Louis Leterrier won't be at the helm this time (he'll still executive produce), though Sam Worthington is expected to reprise the role before he makes the Avatar sequel. Greg Berlanti will write the story while the studio looks for a screenwriter and director. The film has $388.8 million worldwide since opening at the beginning of the month.
As far as the JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, New Line/Warner Bros. wants to make a fall 2011 release, which means that Eric Brevig wouldn't be able to direct because he's busy with YOGI BEAR. The site says that "Fraser wants to be loyal to Brevig and is resisting New Line's suggestion of filmmakers like Brad Peyton." We'll have to wait and see how that turns out. JOURNEY collected $242 million worldwide in 2008.

LEONARDO DA VINCI AND THE SOLDIERS OF FOREVER
Marc Guggenheim ("FlashForward," upcoming Green Lantern) is set to write fantasy action adventure LEONARDO DA VINCI AND THE SOLDIERS OF FOREVER for Warner Bros. Pictures.
The studio acquired the project in early March from producers Adrian Askarieh, Roy Lee and Doug Davison.
SOLDIERS OF FOREVER re-imagines Da Vinci as a member of a secret society who falls headlong into a supernatural adventure that pits Da Vinci against Biblical demons in a story involving secret codes, lost civilizations, hidden fortresses and fallen angels.
The studio has also hired Guggenhem to work on a draft of THIEVES OF BAGHDAD, a 10th century family adventure steeped in the world of the Arabian Nights. Based on Cole Hadden's take on the original collection of folk tales "One Thousand and One Nights," it is a film that weaves Sinbad, Ali Baba, flying carpets, sword fights and genies in urns.

TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2010

EUREKA NEWS
Jamie Kennedy, the GHOST WHISPERER actor, will guest star on the upcoming season of EUREKA on Syfy, the network announced Monday.
In the episode "The Story of O2," Kennedy will play Dr. Ramsey, who's created a machine that creates oxygen. When the technology malfunctions and too much oxygen is released over Eureka, the town is in danger of incinerating.
Kennedy joins the previously announced Wil Wheaton ("Star Trek: TNG"), James Callis ("Battlestar Galactica") Matt Frewer and Jaime Ray Newnan, all of whom will make their own guest appearances in Season 4.
The fourth season of EUREKA kicks off on Friday, July 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Kennedy's episode is scheduled for July 30.

NIMOY VISITS VULCAN
Leonard Nimoy—Spock in the original Star Trek and Spock Prime in last year's reboot movie—was the guest of honor at the christening of Vulcan, Alberta, Canada, as the official Trek capital last Friday.
Nimoy admired the bronze bust of himself as Mr. Spock by sculptor Nathan Scott in the Canadian hamlet. He also left behind his iconic "live long and prosper" handprint. (Photos are by Glacier Valley Photography.) Nimoy presented the town with two special souvenirs: the Spock ears that he wore during the filming of the original Star Trek TV series and a lithograph of the original Trek cast, autographed by all of the original cast members, which will go on display for the next year.

LEGEND OF THE SEEKER CANCELLED
According to EW.com, LEGEND OF THE SEEKER will not get a third season in syndication.
Reports have been circulating since March that things weren't looking good for SEEKER after many of Tribune Station Group's markets dropped the series due to poor ratings. Producers Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert, who managed to keep successful syndicated versions of XENA and HERCULES alive for several years, shopped SEEKER around elsewhere without success.
The writers wrapped up last season's story pretty well, so let's hope we get an ending to the story of the SEEKER and his troupe of heroes, who are trying to save the world from the Keeper of the Underworld.
Executive producer Kenneth Biller talked about the final episodes in a recent interview: "The last four episodes, I think, are going to be a really compelling and satisfying epic payoff to the quest that was set up at the very beginning of the season to the various conflicting prophecies that we have heard about Richard's fate. The Seeker and the Mother Confessor will, in fact, find the Stone of Tears. The question is, will they be able to get it where it needs to be in time to save the Keeper from achieving his ultimate victory? They are going to find themselves with some very unlikely adversaries, as well as some very unlikely allies ... and maybe there might be a wedding."

WAREHOUSE 13 NEWS
The original Bionic Woman, the beautiful Lindsay Wagner, and action star Tia Carrere (Wayne's World, Relic Hunter) are among the guest stars on Syfy's upcoming new season of WAREHOUSE 13, Syfy announced.
They join previously announced guest stars Jewel Staite and Sean Maher of Firefly/Serenity, as well as Philip Winchester and Nolan Gerard Funk.
The second season of Warehouse 13 kicks off July 6.

MORE REALITY TV - PANIC ATTACK ORDERED
Fox has ordered a reality pilot about conquering one's fears. In PANIC ATTACK, contestants face their greatest fears -- heights, snakes, tight spaces -- with the help of a pair of therapists.
The project is from frequent Fox collaborator A. Smith & Co., which also produces "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares."
PANIC will be hosted by Nik and Eva Speakman, married psychotherapists and motivational speakers who host the U.K. series "A Life Coach Less Ordinary." Each week, five people who suffer from the same phobia will be brought together to work through conquering their fears.
The series is produced by Arthur Smith and Kent Weed.
PANIC is the latest in a series of reality projects in the works that mark a return to the intense, adrenalin- based ideas in vogue during the genre's formative years. Michael Bay is shopping an action-based series with Magical Elves, and Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are crafting "The Great Escape," an action-adventure reality pilot for TNT.

THE RING
Heat Vision reports that Paramount Pictures is developing a third installment THE RING franchise to be titled RING 3D.
The new film will be written by David Loucka, who wrote the upcoming Dream House and House at the End of the Street.
Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are in negotiations to return as producers, and Vertigo and Benderspink are executive producing.
The first installment, directed by Gore Verbinski (the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films) and starring Naomi Watts, earned an impressive $249.3 million worldwide in 2002. Watts reprised her role in director Hideo Nakata's The Ring Two, which made $161.5 million in 2005.
According to the trade, "the new film is being fashioned as more teen-centric than the first, and though the logline is being kept under wraps, the aim is to reinvent the franchise."

MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2010

DOONBY
According to The Hollywood Reporter, John Schneider (Clark Kent's father in SMALLVILLE) has signed on to play a modern George Bailey in DOONBY.
In the feature film, John Schneider stars as Sam Doonby, a happy-go-lucky drifter who takes up residence in a small Texas town but seems suspiciously immune to the misfortunes that beset the other townsfolk.
The film is described as a cross between "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Crazy Heart" and also stars Robert Davi as the town sheriff.
Tommy Warren, who was behind the "Teed Off" series of golf comedies from National Lampoon, is producing with Mark Joseph, a marketing veteran whose campaigns included "The Passion of the Christ" and "Facing the Giants."
Joseph also is co-producing the film's soundtrack, which includes music from AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson.
DOONBY is written and directed by British filmmaker Peter Mackenzie and will be shot at Spiderwood Studios near Austin.
"It's a real clever script that you can't quite figure out until the final minutes of the story," Schneider said. "But nowadays, it's the people involved in the projects that attract me more than the projects themselves. There has to be a high level of integrity, passion and skill."
Schneider, famous for his role in "The Dukes of Hazzard" series, recently wrapped a pair of Christian-themed films: He plays a drifter in "What Would Jesus Do?" scheduled for DVD release in August, and stars as Satan in the comedy "Holyman Undercover," in limited release. He also stars in the horror film "Snow Beast," set for release next year.
As Sam Doonby, Schneider is a mysterious stranger who takes a job as a singing bartender and always seems to be in the right place at the right time, a quality that inspires a dangerous level of envy from his new neighbors.
Joe Estevez, Jennifer O'Neill, Ernie Hudson and Jenn Gotzon also star.
"In some ways, DOONBY is a modern-day retelling of 'It's a Wonderful Life,' but with a little more edge," Mackenzie said. "But the central question remains the same: What would the world look like if we hadn't lived?"
In "Wonderful Life," Jimmy Stewart stars as George Bailey, a man who wishes he never was born who is granted that wish by an angel-to-be.

DEADLY HONEYMOON
Lifetime Movie Network is embarking on DEADLY HONEYMOON, greenlighting an original movie starring "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" alumna Summer Glau.
Chris Carmack ("Drop Dead Diva") and Zoe McLellan ("Dirty Sexy Money") co-star in the film inspired by real- life events.
DEADLY HONEYMOON follows two young newlyweds, Lindsey (Glau) and Trevor Forrest (Carmack), as they embark on their 10-day honeymoon cruise. But the dream vacation devolves into a night of wild partying, infidelity and strange encounters with a group of Eastern European passengers, and the next morning, Trevor is missing, presumed to have fallen overboard to his death. However, one investigator (McLellan) begins to question if his death really was an accident.
Paul Shapiro is directing from a script by Ron McGee Michael Jacobs, Fernando Szew, Ricardo Galindez and Roy Trice are executive producing. Filming is slated to begin in October for a 2010 premiere.

SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jennifer Lopez's new romantic comedy THE BACK-UP PLAN claimed a modest No. 1 slot in the Friday rankings, but it will probably cede that spot to DreamWorks Animation's indefatigable dragons as the weekend proceeds.
The PG-13 PLAN, released by the the fledgling CBS Films, took in an estimated $4.2 million in its first day of release in 3,280 theaters in North America, but Paramount's release of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, beginning its fifth weekend, ranked number two with about $3.7 million, and with the help of matinee moviegoers it could well climb to the top spot for the three days.
Fox's DATE NIGHT, heading out for its third weekend, checked in at number three with $3.3 million.
That left newcomer action-movie THE LOSERS, from Warners, in fourth place. The PG-13 movie from director Sylvain White and starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana and Chris Evans, pulled in $3.2 million from 2,936 locations.
Lionsgate's KICK-ASS came in at fifth for its sophomore session with $2.9 million.
Meanwhile, Disney's nature documentary OCEANS, which opened Wednesday, was lodged down around the eighth position as it collected about $2 million on Friday.

SAW VII 3-D
Lionsgate has announced that Cary Elwes will reprise his role of Dr. Lawrence Gordon from the first Saw movie in Saw VII 3D, coming to theaters on October 22. The full cast includes Tobin Bell, Elwes, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flanery, Gina Holden, Chad Donella, Laurence Anthony, Dean Armstrong and Naomi Snieckus.
In the seventh installment, as a deadly battle rages over Jigsaw's brutal legacy, a group of Jigsaw survivors gathers to seek the support of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen (Flanery), a man whose own dark secrets unleash a new wave of terror...
Directed by Kevin Greutert from a script by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, it is the first theatrical feature to be shot on the SI-3D digital camera system.
Oren Koules, Mark Burg and Gregg Hoffman are producing.

SHREK FOREVER AFTER
DreamWorks Animation has released the trailer for the IMAX 3D release of SHREK FOREVER AFTER which features new footage from the May 21st release.
There have been questions as to whether the title is now "Shrek: The Final Chapter." The studio has confirmed that "The Final Chapter" is just being used for marketing purposes - the film's title remains SHREK FOREVER AFTER.
Directed by Mike Mitchell, the third installment features the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Jon Hamm, Kathy Griffin and Kristen Schaal.

SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2010

As he prepares for the prequel for his seminal 1979 sci-fi movie ALIENS, director Ridley Scott says that the movie will indeed deal with the identity of the "space jockey" discovered by the crew of the Nostromo on LV-426 in the original movie.
It's one of the nagging mysteries from the original movie: Who were the race that crashed that giant ship on LV-426 in the first place, leaving a wreck—and a bunch of leathery alien eggs—for Ripley and her crew to discover?
Here's what he told MTV:
It's set in 2085, about 30 years before Sigourney [Weaver's character Ellen Ripley]. It's fundamentally about going out to find out 'Who the hell was that Space Jockey?' The guy who was sitting in the chair in the alien vehicle—there was a giant fellow sitting in a seat on what looked to be either a piece of technology or an astronomer's chair. Remember that? ...
And our man [Tom Skerritt as Captain Dallas] climbs up and says "There's been an explosion in his chest from the inside out—what was that?" I'm basically explaining who that Space Jockey—we call him the Space Jockey— I'm explaining who the space jockeys were.
Scott says the movie is still being written. "As we speak, I've got a pile of pages next to me; it's like the fourth draft. It's a work in progress, but we're not dreaming it up anymore. We know what the story is. We're now actually trying to improve the three acts and make the characters better, build it up to something [we can shoot]. It's a work in progress, but we're actually making the film. There's no question about it, we're going to make the film."

TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE
TWILIGHT fans. Here is the trailer you have been waiting for: the new trailer for THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, which debuted on Oprah Winfrey's show Friday.
In Eclipse, based on the third of Stephenie Meyer's best-sellers, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between Edward and Jacob—knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.
ECLIPSE opens June 30.

SYFY'S 51
Syfy announced that Bruce Boxleitner will star in the upcoming Saturday-night original movie 51. 51 is not the prequel to 61, Billy Crystal's movie about the Roger Maris/Mickey Mantle home-run race, but rather a movie about what happens when a visitor escapes from the most secretive base on the planet: Area 51.
Below is a portion of Syfy's full release:
BRUCE BOXLEITNER (BABYLON 5) WILL STAR IN NEW SYFY SATURDAY ORIGINAL MOVIE 51
New York, NY - April 23, 2010 - Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5) will star as a military hero nearing retirement in the upcoming Syfy Saturday Original Movie, 51. The movie is scheduled to premiere on Syfy in 2011.
A co-production with After Dark Films, 51, co-starring John Shea (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) chronicles what happens after political pressure from the American public forces the Air Force to allow a few well-known reporters limited access to the most secretive base on the planet: Area 51, the rumored repository of captured alien technology and extra-terrestrial beings. When one of the base's hidden "long term visitors" exploits this unprecedented visit as a chance to liberate himself and his fellow alien captives, Area 51 turns from a secure military installation to a horrifying destination of terror. Directed by Jason Connery (The Devil's Tomb).

THE PARSIFAL MOSAIC
Variety reports that Universal Pictures has attached Ron Howard to direct THE PARSIFAL MOSAIC, an adaptation of the espionage thriller by "The Bourne Identity" author Robert Ludlum.
David Self will adapt the Ludlum novel about a CIA operative who thinks he witnessed the execution of his lover after she was identified as a KGB double agent.
Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer will produce with Captivate Entertainment partners Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith. Imagine's David Bernardi will be executive producer.
Universal is separately developing a fourth "Bourne" installment with director Paul Greengrass and THE SIGMA PROTOCOL, an adaptation of yet another Ludlum thriller.

FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2010

MARVEL HEROES COMING TO BIG SCREEN
Marvel Studios is exploring ways to adapt some of its lesser characters into movies while it proceeds to build its more famous franchises—such as the upcoming IRON MAN 2—toward THE AVENGERS.
That's the report on CHUD:
Marvel Studios is currently taking meetings with writers and directors to work on small scale movies based on some of their third tier characters. The movies would cost in the range of 20 to 40 million dollars (very small when we're talking studio films) and would allow them to take risks with less obvious characters and with interesting talent.
Filmmakers are being offered their pick of characters whose names are only familiar to comic fans. Properties like Dr. Strange, Ka-Zar, Luke Cage, Dazzler and Power Pack are among the many that are being tossed around right now. And the attitude seems to be that Marvel is open to bringing any of their characters to the screen at the right price point. ...
Who knows what will be the first small film announced; Marvel has been meeting with people for some time now, and I don't think they're going to wait for THE AVENGERS to be released before they start planning the next phase. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a smaller film was being developed alongside THE AVENGERS.
Marvel estimates it owns more than 5,000 heroes, villains, places, etc. Which hero would you pay money to see on the big screen?

SYFY PICS
Syfy has added two familiar names to its Saturday night movie lineup.
The network has booked Bruce Boxleitner ("Babylon 5") to star in original movie "51," about reporters trapped in a top-secret Air Force Base with malevolent aliens.
And A.J. Buckley ("CSI: NY") has been tapped to star in "The Doomsday Scrolls," about a book editor who tries to prevent Armageddon.
Both films will debut next year.
Also in castings: Paula Malcomson ("Caprica") will appear in seven episodes of FX's "Sons of Anarchy," and Paul Blackthorne ("Leverage") has landed a recurring role on ABC drama pilot "The Gates."

DISNEY SLATE ANNOUNCED
Pixar tentpole BRAVE has been given a release date of June 15, 2012, and there will be another MONSTERS, INC., scheduled for the 2012 holiday season, precisely Nov. 16.
Those were two of the news items off a wide-ranging discussion and presentation Thursday by new Disney film chieftain Rich Ross.
After unveiling trailers for a number of upcoming titles -- including Jerry Bruckheimer's "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and the female-skewing "Secretariat," with Diane Lane as the horse's determined owner -- Ross unveiled the first three movies he's greenlighting: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4, THE MUPPETS in 2011 and the teen-targeted PROM in 2012.
The first is the company's most successful global franchise and hence a no-brainer, the second will introduce a new Muppet named Walter, and the third will be "smart and authentic" a la what John Hughes used to do.
BRAVE, once known as "The Bear and the Bow," is written and directed by Brenda Chapman and features the voices of Reese Witherspoon and Billy Connolly in a tale of archery and royalty.
MONSTERS, INC., directed by Pete Docter, grossed $525 million worldwide after its release in November 2001.
Speaking to about 20 reporters in the Frank Wells building on the Disney lot, Ross -- who has been on the job for seven months -- tipped his cap to the Dick Cook regime that preceded him but also embraced the studio's upcoming slate as his own.
He emphasized that the tentpole business is crucial to the success of the global Disney brand but that not everything on the slate is a four-quadrant movie. Perhaps four out of 10 Disney pics per year would be genuine tentpoles going forward, he said.
Ross emphasized the diversity of the banners under the studio umbrella -- from Disney's bemused and decidedly modern take on the Rapunzel fairy tale in TANGLED to Pixar, Marvel and DreamWorks' distinctive brands and approaches. But, he added, none has a "silo mentality."
As for his background in cable TV and his hiring of several relative outsiders to key positions, Ross said he wants "diversity of thought."
Affable and relaxed, the executive -- who said his favorite movie is "Tootsie" -- seemed particularly enthused by the emotional tone of the fall release "Secretariat," which he said is a movie that is "a signal of what Disney is."
The unfinished trailer included a scene in which the race horse is born -- and the foaling that was filmed recently in Kentucky features the actual great-grandson of the Triple Crown champion.
About the next PIRATES, Ross said several new characters would be introduced -- Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane already are on board -- including some international talent.
And more than 10 years after TOY STORY 2, the third installment in the franchise -- which is out June 18 and will be in 3D -- features a number of new toys and voices, Ross noted, as well as the return of leads Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.

LOONEY TUNES REVIVAL
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Cartoon Network is branching out into new genres, launching its first awards show and ramping up its efforts in the live-action arena.
The network also said that it is launching a new version of Warner Bros.' classic "Looney Tunes" series starring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck and unveiled several new series and pilots.
"We're delivering and adding great brands and beloved franchises that represent the breadth and scope of Cartoon Network's ongoing evolution," said Stuart Snyder, president and COO of Turner Broadcasting's Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media division.
"Cartoon Network's Hall of Game" will honor professional and amateur athletes. The show, created and produced by IMG Media, is set to debut early next year.
Also in the sports arena, Cartoon announced "Run It Back Sunday," which condenses a full NBA game in one hour with fun facts and special effects, and said NFL star Tony Gonzalez and his 8-year-old son Nikko will appear in the next installment of the shortform series "My Dad's a Pro."
Elsewhere in live-action, Cartoon has ordered a half-hour scripted comedy pilot tentatively titled "KROG" from Cartoon Network Studios. The project, created by Mark Rivers ("Metalocalypse"), centers on a monster band sent to Earth to conquer mankind.
Cartoon's first hourlong live-action scripted series, "Unnatural History," is set to premiere June 13. A second hourlong scripted show, "Tower Prep," debuts in the fall.
Meanwhile, "The Looney Tunes Show," from Warner Bros. Animation and executive producer Stan Register ("Teen Titans"), takes Bugs and Daffy out of the woods and puts them into the suburbs with "colorful neighbors" including Yosemite Sam, Granny, Tweety and Sylvester,
"Looney" will also have classic characters singing original songs in two-minute music videos called "Merrie Melodies" and the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote in CG shorts. Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone ("Duck Dodgers") are the supervising producers.
Cartoon also unveiled "Mad," an animated sketch-comedy series from Warner Bros. Animation that uses DC Comics' Mad magazine as inspiration. The show will feature such classic Mad characters and features as Alfred E. Neuman and Spy vs. Spy in parodies of movies, TV shows, games and pop culture. "Mad" is from exec producer Register and producers Kevin Shinick ("Robot Chicken") and Mark Marek ("KaBlam!").
"Mad" will be part of a new quarter-hour comedy programming block that also includes new series "Secret Mountain Fort Awesome," created by Chowder writer and artist Pete Browngardt, about underground monsters unleashed when a portal to the world is opened, and the previously announced "Regular Show" and "Robotomy."
Also in the animated lineup is new series "Young Justice," about a teenage superhero, from exec producer Register and producers Brandon Vietti ("Batman: Under the Red Hood") and Greg Weisman ("Gargoyles").

AVATAR DVD SETS RECORD
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment sold 1.5 million Blu-ray units of James Cameron's AVATAR on Earth Day, the film's first day of home video release. The 1.5 million units is a new record, topping THE DARK KNIGHT's 600,000 Blu-ray units sold its first day in 2008.
The studio expects to sell well over 4 million combined Blu-ray and DVD units of the movie.
Retailers sold out of 60% of their Blu-ray inventory, while they moved out about 50% of their AVATAR DVDs.

GREEN HORNET
Variety writes that THE GREEN HORNET is going 3D, but it's also on the move: Sony Pictures is moving the Seth Rogen starrer from the prime holiday slot of Dec. 22 to the slower Martin Luther King weekend. The Michel Gondry-helmed pic will now open Jan. 14, 2011.
The studio bristled at the notion that bad buzz surrounding the project played a role in its decision to abandon one of choicest days on the box office calendar. Instead, Sony said that once the decision was made to incorporate 3D during the production process, "Green Hornet" needed to find a frame with sufficient digital screens. A number of 3D pics have already staked out December slots including "Tron: Legacy" and "Yogi Bear."
"We've had a lot of success with the Martin Luther King frame, including 'Paul Blart,'" said the studio's marketing and distribution topper Jeff Blake. "We couldn't be more excited about 'Green Hornet.' In fact, we're doubling down by making it 3D."

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

IDW Publishing released the first "True Blood" comic book cover art of the series. Written by Alan Ball, the first comic book will be available at San Diego Comic Con in July or you can pre-order it at the HBO website.

THE PHANTOM
RHI Entertainment has posted a trailer for Syfy's upcoming THE PHANTOM, a four-hour miniseries that premieres June 20 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Based on Lee Falk's classic comic strip, THE PHANTOM stars Ryan Carnes as Kit Walker, the latest in a long line of heroes.
Paolo Barzman directed the miniseries, which was written by Daniel and Charles Knauf. Cameron Goodman, Isabella Rossellini and Sandrine Holt also star. Here's RHI's official description:
The legendary superhero returns in this modern-day and action packed miniseries event. When Kit Walker (Ryan Carnes) learns of his father's death, the adventurous young man inherits the mantle of his superhero father. As the new Phantom, the 21st in the Walker line, Kit vows to uphold and honor his ancestors' creed--to fight crime and injustice throughout the world.

TORCHWOOD - US - NOT
Fox has decided not to pursue a U.S. version of TORCHWOOD. The network was developing a stateside version of the "Doctor Who" spinoff, a prospect which divided fans.
“BBC Worldwide Productions and the FOX Broadcasting Company have mutually agreed not to progress together with a 13-episode serialized 'Torchwood' format," said BBC Worldwide in a statement. "We are currently in discussion with several interested networks.”
As to that last part, BBC Worldwide executive vp of programming and production Jane Tranter reiterated that a U.S. version was still making progress.
"It's very much ongoing and very much alive," Tranter said.
Also, fans shouldn't hope for/worry about a U.S. edition "Doctor Who," whose recent season premiere just set a ratings record on BBC America.
"It may well be confusing to have a British Doctor and an American Doctor at the same time," she said. "There is only one Doctor, so I don't see that happening."

NINETY
MOTHER'S DAY director Darren Bousman and writer Scott Milam are reteaming on NINETY, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The plot follows a psychotic killer hoping to set a record by committing 90 murders.
The trade says that Christopher Mallick's Oxymoron Entertainment is teaming with Blue Star Entertainment's William Sherak and Jason Shuman to produce the film.
The movie will be shot in 2D this summer in New Mexico and then be converted to 3D.

BATMAN 3
According to Batman-On-Film, Warner Bros. Pictures is expected to make an official "Batman 3" announcement this July.
The news is expected to be along the lines of their post-2006 Comic Con announcement for "The Dark Knight" which revealed the film's official title, Heath Ledger's casting and the release date.
This announcement may come earlier as director Christopher Nolan will be doing press for "Inception" in early July and will no doubt be asked a lot about how the third "Batman" film is progressing.
Meanwhile cinematographer Wally Pfister, who shot both "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight", tells Cinematical that he and Nolan aren't really talking about filming the project in 3D but they have discussed shooting entirely in IMAX.
In any case what Nolan "is adamant about is that he wants to shoot on film. He doesn't want to shoot on video, and I'm the same way."

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2010

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
According to Production Weekly, director Sam Mendes will direct OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, with IRON MAN star Robert Downey Jr. "circling to play the Wizard".
The film is a prequel to the 1939 THE WIZARD OF OZ, and the offer has gone out to Downey, The Playlist reported.
The family friendly project, previously known as "Oz," is set up over at the WB's New Line banner and is based around a script by Darren Lemke ("Shrek Forever After," "Jack The Giant Killer"). Naturally, details on this are tight for now. The movie is one of two proposed Oz-themed movies in the works.
It's unclear on the timing of this movie because of Downey's busy schedule. At a minimum, he's committed to a second SHERLOCK HOLMES movie this fall and Joss Whedon's THE AVENGERS early next year.
Mendes was slated to do a 23rd James Bond movie, but that looks to be on hold as a result of MGM's financial difficulties.
Downey's IRON MAN 2 opens May 7.

SORCERER'S APPRENTICE
Here's a new trailer for Disney's upcoming supernatural action movie THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE, which features a look at some new footage and visual effects and an idea of the big action.

LEONARD NIMOY RETIRING
I’ve been doing this professionally for 60 years,” Leonard Nimoy tells the Toronto Sun. “I love the idea of going out on a positive note. I’ve had a great, great time.”
The Canadian paper talks to the man who would be Spock, who also just finished shooting his last episode of FRINGE. And the "positive note" he was talking about was last year's "Star Trek."
Nimoy may also be retiring from sci-fi and comic conventions. He will be at this weekend's Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo but says this convention appearance "could be the last go-round for that too."
And yes, he really will be going to Vulcan. Vulcan, Alberta, that is. The southern Albertan town will be graced by Nimoy's appearance on Friday, before the convention.
If he truly is retiring, then I hope he still (I'm gonna say it!) lives long and prospers.

TOP GEAR - US VERSION TO LAUNCH
One of my favorite shows from across the pond, TOP GEAR, will be teaming with History to bring the show to the U.S., launching version of the series in the fall.
The network has made a 10-episode commitment to GEAR, which showcases all things automotive: customization, stunts, reviews and auto-centric celebrity interviews.
History's GEAR will be hosted by comedian and RESCUE ME co-star Adam Ferrara, stunt driver Tanner Foust and racing analyst Rutledge Wood. Scott Messick will executive produce.
"The history of the automobile and the history of America are intimately intertwined -- to celebrate one is to celebrate the other," History president and GM Nancy Dubuc said. "We'll stay true to the original format and add a sense of the American car culture."
GEAR fits the History brand even better than one might expect. The first program to air on what then was called the History Channel was "Automobiles: Corvette." Car-related content has performed well on the channel; History had several auto-related pilots in the works when it got GEAR.
GEAR premiered in 1977 in the U.K. then relaunched in 2002 as a studio-based format. It is BBC 2's most-watched program, and the brand has spun off a magazine and road tour. NBC came close to doing a U.S. version in 2008.
BBC Worldwide executive vp programming and production Jane Tranter said the U.S. version has the potential to be bigger than the original.
"It will have a completely different landscape," she said. "There's a different relationship with cars in the U.S. and a fascination with customization that's much greater than in the U.K. There's the potential for the U.S. 'Top Gear' to have even greater traction with an audience."

AVATAR SEQUEL
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, AVATAR's James Cameron talked about the highest-grossing movie of all time (it's at $2.717 billion now), as it goes to blu-ray and DVD tomorrow. In the interview, Cameron revealed that the AVATAR sequel will focus on the ocean of Pandora while they'll explore more of the Alpha Centauri AB system in a third film. Here's an excerpt:
We created a broad canvas for the environment of film. That's not just on Pandora, but throughout the Alpha Centauri AB system. And we expand out across that system and incorporate more into the story – not necessarily in the second film, but more toward a third film. I've already announced this, so I might as well say it: Part of my focus in the second film is in creating a different environment – a different setting within Pandora. And I'm going to be focusing on the ocean on Pandora, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative, but it just won't be a rain forest. I'm not saying we won't see what we've already seen; we'll see more of that as well.
While Thursday's release doesn't have any features, Cameron says that we'll get an additional six minutes in theaters for a re-release of the film in August before a 4-Disc Blu-ray/DVD set hits stores in November:
We're working on finishing an additional six minutes of the film -- which includes a lot of Weta work -- for a theatrical re-release in August. We were sold out of our IMAX performances right up to the moment until they were contractually obligated to switch to "Alice in Wonderland," so we know we left money on the table there. And the 3-D really helped "Avatar" right up until the moment that it hurt it. And it hurt it at the moment "Alice" and then "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Clash of the Titans" came in and sucked up all the 3-D screens. We went from declining 8% a week to declining 50%. Clearly, it wasn't market forces directly; it was the availability of theaters. So we're going to wait until there's a time to come back in, inject the new footage into the mix and see if we can interest people in the "Avatar" experience in theaters.

DEATHGAMES
B5's CRUSADE and LOST star Daniel Dae Kim is joining Samuel L. Jackson and Kellan Lutz in action thriller DEATHGAMES, from Motion Picture Corporation of America.
According to Heat Vision, "the story centers on a young man (Lutz) who is kidnapped by a sadistic mastermind (Jackson) and forced into a modern gladiator arena, where men fight to the death for the entertainment of the online masses. Kim is playing a fellow prisoner, an artist who happens to be a master of kendo (samurai-style sword fighting), a skill that comes in handy when he competes for his life and his wife's."
Visual effects supervisor Jonah Loop is making his directorial debut on the film, which starts shooting next month in Louisiana.

TREASURE ISLAND
According to reports in Pajiba, a second film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel TREASURE ISLAND is currently in the works at Warner Bros. Pictures.
Producer Lionel Wigram ("Sherlock Holmes") is shepherding the Warners film which is in direct competition with Ecosse Films who is currently in development on their own adaptation that scribe Niall Johnson ("White Noise") is currently working on.
The difference is speed. At last report Johnson was still at work on his script, whereas Michael Gilio's script for the Warners one was completed a month ago.
Then there's Wigram track record of getting projects he produces made first - Guy Ritchie's 'Holmes' easily beat a rival project that Sony was developing with Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen. Wigram is also producing a Doug Liman-directed "Three Musketeers" production which is moving along faster than a rival 'Musketeers' project Summit and director Paul W.S. Anderson are at work on.

TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010

X-FILES RETURNING
When the last X-FILES movie, I WANT TO BELIEVE, did not live up to potential at the box office, it looked like the end of the franchise. But Mulder and Scully will live on ... in comic-book form, at least.
WildStorm will publish a new comic series that will meld The X-Files with Steve Niles' 30 DAYS OF NIGHT vampire series, Niles said on his Facebook page. The official announcement is below.
Niles and Adam Jones will write the series, with art by Tom Mandrake. No word on when it will debut!
This summer, WildStorm will publish an all-new comic book series combining two of the most popular horror properties of the last two decades: THE X-FILES and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT.
The six-issue series will be co-written by 30 Days of Night creator Steve Niles and rockstar-turned-writer Adam Jones, guitarist of the band Tool. The series will feature the moody artwork of comics industry legend Tom Mandrake (who, amongst all of his illustrious credits, just did some amazing guest pages in Victorian Undead.)
Check out some words from Steve and Tom below:
"I'm a huge X-Files fan and when the cross-over was presented to me, I lunged at the chance. It's actually a very good match, I think because the vampires in 30 Days have a real-world feel to them, they are not effected by crossed or garlic or any of the common folklore which lends itself nicely to the X-Files universe. And getting a chance to work with Adam Jones is amazing. He's a pal, but I am also a huge fan of TOOL, as well as his video work for the band; not to mention the special effects he did at Stan Winstons before he became a rock star. He came up with the hook that really made this story come together." - Steve Niles
"I've been an X-Files fan from the very first episode and have always wanted to illustrate a story featuring Scully and Mulder. I'm also a huge fan of Steve Niles and 30 Days of Night. What could be a better project for a horror fan like myself than pitting the X-File's best agents against relentless vampires in the frozen North? Steve Niles and Adam Jones have collaborated to mesh both concepts together to give me a chance to draw the stuff I love to draw best- my favorite FBI agents, vampires and dark, bloody horror." - Tom Mandrake

STAR WARS CARTOONS
You may see what happened to Luke, Han and Leia after RETURN OF THE JEDI, at least that was the hint offered by Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet, director of fan relations, at a convention over the weekend, according to Collider.com:
During a Q&A session at C2E2 on Saturday Steve Sansweet, LucasFilm's Director of Fan Relations, revealed that this new animated series would feature the post-Return of the Jedi adventures of the original characters. It happened when a fan asked, "I would really love to see new adventures after Jedi with our favorite characters Luke, Han and Leia," to which Sansweet replied, "And you will, in the new animation." (via IGN)
In an interview with ForceCast, Sansweet seemed to backtrack and insisted that he was "in the dark" and did not know exactly what would the new series would be about. He said that it could possibly feature "characters from the original trilogy, the prequels [or] new characters," but that it will most likely be a mix of all of the above.
Sansweet revealed that the long-awaited Blu-ray versions of the STAR WARS films were in the works, according to IGN:
"We have been at work for a couple of years working on—I won't call it the Ultimate Set because we keep finding stuff—but, a very full set of all six movies on Blu-ray with lots of extra material. We're finding all kinds of scenes from dailies that have never been seen before. Beyond all of those things that you know about ... there are some real treasures."
When will the set come out? Sansweet says, "We're not ready to announce exactly when it's coming out, but it won't be in the too distant future."

BOND DELAYED INDEFINITELY
007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions, today announced they have suspended development on the next James Bond film previously scheduled for release 2011/2012.
"Due to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio, we have suspended development on 'Bond 23' indefinitely. We do not know when development will resume and do not have a date for the release of 'Bond 23,'" stated Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli jointly.
EON Productions have produced twenty two James Bond films since 1962. In 1995, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli took over the 007 franchise from Albert R 'Cubby' Broccoli and are responsible for producing some of the most successful James Bond films ever, including Casino Royale and more recently Quantum of Solace. The James Bond franchise is the longest running in film history. EON Productions and Danjaq LLC are affiliate companies and control all worldwide merchandising for James Bond.

GIRL WITH THE RED RIDING HOOD
According to Heat Vision, Shiloh Fernandez will star opposite Amanda Seyfried in GIRL WITH THE RED RIDING HOOD, Warner Bros.' gothic horror re-imagining of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale.
Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) is directing the film, in which Seyfried will play a woman in a medieval village being terrorized by a werewolf.
Fernandez has nabbed the role of Peter, an orphaned woodcutter for whom Seyfried falls, much to the displeasure of her family.
Appian Way's Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran are producing with Julie Yorn.

MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010

COWBOYS AND ALIENS
Variety reports that THE LAST AIRBENDER star Noah Ringer has been cast in director Jon Favreau's COWBOYS & ALIENS. He joins a cast that already includes Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde.
The sci-fi Western, based on the Platinum Studios Comics graphic novel, explores what would happen if the traditional Old West enemies -- cowboys and Native Americans -- found the prairie attacked by aliens in mid-1800s Arizona.
Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof wrote the script for the film, hitting theaters on July 29, 2011.

CROSSED
According to Variety, the ten-part Avatar Comics mini-series CROSSED written by Garth ("Preacher") Ennis and drawn by Jacen Burrows is being developed for the big screen by Michael De Luca, Jason Netter and Kevin Spacey's Trigger Street Productions, who are currently looking for a director.
With a script written by Garth Ennis himself, the story follows survivors "dealing with a zombie-like plague that causes it victims to carry out their most evil thoughts and wishes, including murder, rape, mutilation, arson." The series was published in 2008 and followed by a sequel called "Crossed: Family Values."

SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2010

MACHETE
20th Century Fox has set a September 3 release date for Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis' MACHETE, starring Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Robert De Niro, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, Jeff Fahey, Don Johnson and Steven Seagal. Labor Day falls on Monday, Sept. 6, which gives the movie a four-day opening weekend.
Machete is based on the "fake" trailer in Robert Rodriguez's 2007 Grindhouse. The feature version of the trailer finds Machete (Trejo) a renegade former Mexican Federale, roaming the streets of Texas after a shakedown from drug lord Torrez (Seagal). Reluctantly, Machete takes an offer from spin doctor Benz (Fahey) to assassinate McLaughlin (De Niro) a corrupt Senator. Double crossed and on the run Machete braves the odds with the help of Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), a saucy taco slinger, Padre (Marin) his "holy" brother, and April (Lohan) a socialite with a penchant for guns. All while being tracked by Sartana (Alba), a sexy ICE agent with a special interest in the blade slinger.

THE AMERICAN
Focus Features is releasing Anton Corbijn's suspense thriller THE AMERICAN, starring George Clooney, a couple of days earlier on Wednesday, Sept. 1.

MELANCHOLIA
Kirsten Dunst has scored the lead role in MELANCHOLIA, the next project from controversial director Lars on Trier ("Antichrist," "Dogville") reports Deadline New York.
Dunst takes over for Penelope Cruz who was originally in negotiations for the role before her commitment to PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES ruled her out of the running.
Dunst joins an impressive cast list which includes Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, Alexander Skarsgård, Stellan Skarsgård and Udo Kier.
Filming kicks off this July in Sweden for release sometime next year.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 2010

THE HOBBIT
In an interview with Moviefone, Peter Jackson, who is producing the two Hobbit movies, talked about a start date, casting and whether the movies are delayed.
About the only thing he'll confirm is that the script for the two proposed movies is now complete:
"We've just delivered the script. Literally last week, we delivered the second of the two screenplays -- the first draft. So the studio's got both scripts now, which is a milestone; and if anything was holding it up, it was us doing the screenplays, because we'd just been writing as fast as we can, but it took us this long to get them finished. So we take whatever responsibility there is for the speed. And we're now in the process of budgeting the films, and then hopefully we'll get to a budget the studio [people] are happy with, and they'll greenlight the movies and we'll announce the shooting dates. I'd be pretty optimistic that we'll be shooting before the end of the year. I would imagine October, November, we'd be shooting by. I'm not announcing it, though."
One big hangup, of course, is the fate of MGM, one of the studios that holds the rights. It's still being sorted out how the financially troubled studio will be saved, and that means there's no green light yet for the Hobbit movies.
"Well, it's not really been delayed, because we've never announced the date," Jackson told the site. "I mean it's sort of interesting because the studio [MGM] has never greenlit The Hobbit, so therefore The Hobbit has never been officially announced as a 'go' project, nor have we ever announced a date. But there's so much interest that people— newspapers and magazines, of their own account, say, ah, it's likely to film in May, it's likely to film in June, it's likely to film in September. People make this stuff up. And then if it's not filming in June, you get a story saying, 'The Hobbit's been delayed.' But it's never actually been announced."
Until the production receives a green light, producers can't cast or set up a schedule, Jackson added. "But I would imagine that if we get a green light within the next month or two, we would be hopefully making some casting announcements by, I guess, the middle of the year. We've done a little bit of auditioning, but we haven't really done any meetings with actors or anything yet. We've just been totally committed to the scripts. Everything's a little bit later than what people assume it is. I think people think we've been sort of doing secret casting."

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
According to Walt DIsney Pictures, Sam Claflin has been selected by producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Rob Marshall to star in the key role of Philip, a youthful missionary, in Walt Disney Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' epic adventure PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, the fourth in the blockbuster series of films. Claflin joins Johnny Depp, returning in his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow, as well as Astrid Bergès-Frisbey and an international cast. The film is slated to open on May 20, 2011.
Hailing from the United Kingdom, Claflin attended The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He then won roles in the historical mini-series "The Pillars of the Earth," alongside actors Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Matthew MacFadyen and Donald Sutherland, followed by the telefilm "The Lost Future."
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES is directed by Rob Marshall, whose first feature film was the Academy Award-winning CHICAGO, followed by MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and NINE. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer's films include (producing with Don Simpson) TOP GUN, BEVERLY HILLS COP, FLASHDANCE, and (producing solo) CON AIR, ARMAGEDDON, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy and the "National Treasure" franchise, as well as this summer's PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME and SORCERER'S APPRENTICE. JBTV's current series are "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation" and its spin-offs "C.S.I.: Miami," "C.S.I.: NY" and "Cold Case," "The Amazing Race" and "Miami Medical."
The first three films in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series amassed a total international box office of $2.7 billion.
Beginning in June, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES will film entirely on location in Hawaii, Great Britain and Los Angeles.

MIGHTY MOUSE RETURNING
The L.A. Times writes that Paramount Pictures and its Nickelodeon Movies imprint plan to bring the classic Saturday morning cartoon character MIGHTY MOUSE to the big screen.
The studio is currently looking for a new writer and director in hopes of moving the long-gestating project forward. The success 20th Century Fox had with the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movies is certainly a strong motivator for bringing back the superhero mouse whose name and theme song is almost more known than the actual cartoons in large part thanks to the late Andy Kaufman. The Terrytoons cartoon ran from the '50s through the '80s, creating a similar sense of nostalgia among those over thirty that should be easy to capitalize on with the right movie. It's unclear whether the project will be fully animated or a combination of live action and animation such as the "Alvin" movies, the "Stuart Little" or "Garfield" movies or Disney's failed attempt to bring Underdog to the screen.

FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2010

THE AVENGERS
Along with this week's news that BUFFY creator Joss Whedon would direct THE AVENGERS comes a report that he will also have a shot at the movie's script, as well as that of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER.
That's the news on Pajiba:
Several months ago, Zak Penn was charged with writing the script for THE AVENGERS. We still don't know what the gist of that story will be, other than it will involve Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. bringing together the newfound superheroes who have been developing in a series of movies from Marvel Entertainment—namely, IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, THOR and possibly THE INCREDIBLE HULK. We don't know much else about it, nor do we know who the villain will be.
Apparently, Whedon is not only in final negotiations to direct, but also to rewrite Penn's script. He's also likely to be tasked with doing a polish on the CAPTAIN AMERICA script. That movie was originally written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.
This is good news for us fans mainly because Whedon—for all his skill as a director (Serenity was underrated as a bit of masterful filmmaking)—is first and foremost a writer, with an encyclopedic familiarity with the Marvel universe in particular. We look forward to what he'll do with the familiar stories.

ABDUCTION
Lily Collins (The Blind Side, upcoming Priest) will star opposite Taylor Lautner ("The Twilight Saga") in Lionsgate thriller ABDUCTION.
John Singleton will direct from a script by Shawn Christensen. Shooting is scheduled to start this July in Pittsburgh.
Lautner will star as a teen who has long felt disconnected from his parents. He discovers his own baby picture on a missing persons website, which unleashes a chain of violent events.
The film is being produced by The Gotham Group, Vertigo Entertainment and Lautner's Tailor Made.

BURN NOTICE - TWO MORE SEASONS
Variety reports that cable broadcaster USA has ordered two further full seasons of BURN NOTICE on top of the upcoming 16-episode fourth season which begins broadcast on June 3rd.
The order for a 15-episode fifth and 18-episode sixth season brings a total of 49 episodes, more than the 44 episodes that have aired thus far over the show's first three seasons.
Debuting in mid-2007, BURN started out with solid reviews and ratings which have only improved with time. The recently finished third season scored a 7.1 million viewers per episode average including live-plus 7 data.
The number not only makes it easily one of the biggest series on all of cable, but is doubly impressive considering the show airs over the low-rating Summer period. In fact BURN has proven a better rater than many free-to-air network shows in the peak ratings season.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010

VIDEO SALES
Strong second-week sales lifted Warner Home Video's "Sherlock Holmes" to the top of both the national home video sales chart and the rental chart for the week ending April 11.
"Sherlock" narrowly captured the top spot on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart, bumping the previous week's top seller, 20th Century Fox's "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," to No. 2. "Alvin" still managed to sell nearly 93% as many units as "Sherlock" in its second week in stores, according to Nielsen data.
On Home Media Magazine's rental chart, "Sherlock" remained at No. 1 for a second consecutive week, with just a 17% decline in total rental transactions. "Alvin" finished at a distant No. 2, generating 50% as much rental action as "Sherlock."
The top-selling new release of the week was Warner's Blu-ray Disc release of "The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy." The pricey set, which lists for $99.98, debuted at No. 5 on the First Alert sales chart and at No. 1 on the Nielsen VideoScan Blu-ray Disc sales chart.
Another new release that fared quite well in its first week in stores was First Look's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans." The film, which stars Nicolas Cage and was directed by Werner Herzog, debuted at No. 7 on the sales chart and No. 4 on the rental chart, despite a limited theatrical gross of less than $2 million.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
Walt Disney Pictures has announced that French actress Astrid Bergès-Frisbey has been personally picked by producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Rob Marshall to star in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES as Syrena, a beautiful and alluring young mermaid encountered by Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow.
A star of stage and screen in her native Paris, the 23-year-old actress born in Barcelona to French-American and Catalan parents has appeared in films such as Bruc and La Première Étoile as well as work on television and in a French production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus." To date, none of those films have made their way to the U.S. shores so that "On Stranger Tide" will more than likely be the actresses introduction not only to moviegoers in the United States, but much of the rest of the world as well.
Scheduled to start filming in Hawaii, Great Britain and Los Angeles in June for a May 20, 2011 release, the fourth installment is looking to build on the $2.7 billion made globally by the original trilogy.

CAPTAIN AMERICA'S FEMALE LEAD CAST
Marvel Studios today confirmed that British actress Hayley Atwell has landed the female lead in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. Here's the full press release:
Marvel Studios announced today that Hayley Atwell has been cast to star as Peggy Carter in the studio's highly anticipated movie CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER opposite Chris Evans. In the early comics, Peggy Carter fell in love with Captain America while they fought together in the war effort. The character will be updated for the feature adaptation. Joe Johnston will direct the film penned by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.
Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige will produce CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel and Louis D'Esposito will executive produce. The film will be released in the US on July 22, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.
Atwell will next be seen in PILLARS OF THE EARTH, the 8-part miniseries premiering July 23 on Starz and the TV series THE PRISONER. Her film credits include THE DUCHESS, BRIDESHEAD REVISITED and CASSANDRA'S DREAM.
In addition to CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including the highly anticipated sequel, IRON MAN 2, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow on May 7, 2010, THOR on May 6, 2011, and Marvel Studios’ THE AVENGERS on May 4, 2012.

SHREK 3D: THE FINAL CHAPTER
DreamWorks Animation has a new poster for SHREK FOREVER AFTER, opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D on May 21. The Mike Mitchell-directed film features the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Jon Hamm, Kathy Griffin and Kristen Schaal.
In related news, The Hollywood Reporter says that DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced at the NAB convention in Las Vegas on Wednesday that the company is converting the first three "Shrek" movies to 3D for a Blu-ray Disc release.
"Our movies exist in digital files to begin with. To go back and rebuild to a quality 3D experience is not inexpensive, but we are about to achieve a pretty high quality result," Katzenberg said.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2010

IRON MAN 2
Paramount has released a cool interactive version of the IRON MAN 2 trailer, with places to find out more about what's in it.
Hot spots in the trailer, which we've seen previously, now allow you to read about new characters Justin Hammer and Black Widow, among other things.
IRON MAN 2 opens May 7.

MAN FROM UNCLE REMAKE
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Max Borenstein has been tapped to write the latest draft of MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., Warner Bros.' big-screen version of the 1960s TV show.
David Dobkin is attached to direct the long-in-development project and will produce with John Davis and Jeff Kleeman.
Running from 1964-68 on NBC, the TV series featured the espionage adventures of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, agents of United Network Command for Law Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.), who fight the forces of T.H.R.U.S.H. (Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity).
The show was produced by MGM Television and starred Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. Warners inherited rights from Turner Broadcasting, which acquired them from MGM.
Borenstein is known for highbrow and historical fare including "History on Trial" and "JIMI," a Jimi Hendrix biopic script set up at Legendary that landed on last year's Black List.

SUSPENSION
According to reports in the Hollywood Reporter, producers Daniel Alter and Adrian Askarieh have optioned SUSPENSION, an action-horror spec by Scott Milam.
Patrick Tatopoulos, a creature and special effects designer-turned-director, is attached to helm.
Milam's script is set in the German Alps as a raging fire burns and a rescue helicopter is forced to make an emergency landing on an old suspension bridge. Trapped, the passengers' hope for survival go up in flames as they face a new kind of creature.
The script began to make the rounds when Alter, a friend of the writer, asked the scribe whether he could show it to Tatopoulos. Milam acquiesced and Tato¬poulos sparked to it.
Tatopoulos -- who has unleashed monsters for movies including PITCH BLACK, I AM LEGEND, and TRICK R TREAT -- plans on creating a new type of creature.
The producers plan to raise financing independently to make SUSPENSION, with the plan to keep more control of the branded ancillary markets.
Tatopoulos made his directorial debut with last year's UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS. Milam wrote MOTHER'S DAY, the upcoming Jaime King thriller from SAW franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman.
Milam will produce with Robert Sanchez, who is executive producing Lakeshore's I, FRANKENSTEIN, which Tatopoulos hopes to direct in the fall.
Alter and Askarieh are in preproduction on the video game adaptation KANE AND LYNCH, which has Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx attached to star.

THE FLINT HEART
Variety writes that Bedrock Studios and Arcady Bay Entertainment are developing a feature based on Katherine Paterson's fantasy novel THE FLINT HEART.
Arcady Bay principal David Paterson (BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA) will adapt his mother's book as a live-action film that will be special effects driven.
The story centers on a magical amulet that brings power and despair to those who touch it while taking place during a time stretching from the Stone Age to modern day England.
The book is scheduled for a release from children's publisher Candlewick Press early next year.

TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2010

THOR NEWS
Kenneth Branagh's THOR movie takes the idea of color-blind casting to a new level: Idris Elba, the charismatic British actor best known as Stringer Bell in HBO's THE WIRE, will play Heimdall, Odin's guardian sentry of Asgard, described in some texts as "the whitest of the gods."
Elba—whose film roles include 28 WEEKS LATER, ROCK-N-ROLLA and the upcoming THE LOSERS—acknowledges the breakthrough.
"Yeah, casting now is taking definitely a more open-eyed approach to it," Elba said in a group interview on Sunday in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he was promoting The Losers. "I was cast in Thor, and I'm cast as a Nordic god. If you know anything about the Norse, they don't look like me, but there you go."
In THE LOSERS, Elba also plays the part of a character drawn in the comic books as a white guy. Maybe Elba doesn't look like the artist's conception of Roque or Heimdall, but we think it's cool to have a multi-ethnic cast of Asgardians.
"I think that's a sign of the times for the future," Elba continued. "I think we will see multi-level casting. I think we will see that, and I think that's good."
Elba still strove to be faithful to the comic books. He favored the Marvel library over Norse texts in his research. "I looked at the comic books, actually, because Heimdall, he's a very central character, and I wanted to reflect him as he is in the comic books."
THOR is coming to theaters May 6, 2011.

SYFY ORIGINAL MOVIES GO INTO PRODUCTION THIS SUMMER
SYFY AND RHI ENTERTAINMENT TO CO-PRODUCE THE ORIGINAL MOVIES THE OTHER SIDE AND ROADKILL PRODUCTION STARTS THIS SUMMER FOR 2011 PREMIERES ON SYFY
New York, NY - April 12, 2010 - RHI Entertainment and Syfy today announced they will co-produce two movies which will air on Syfy in 2011 and will also be available for worldwide distribution at MIP-TV. THE OTHER SIDE and ROADKILL will both begin production on location in Ireland this summer.
THE OTHER SIDE, written by Douglas G. Davis (Carny), is the story of a groundbreaking device designed to glimpse alternate universes. But when the machine malfunctions on its first demonstration and transports a group of observers into a nightmarish new dimension of bizarre alien terrors, the travelers must use ingenuity and courage to survive. But even if they stay alive, without a working transport, the group may never make it home.
In ROADKILL, written by Rick Suvalle (Astroboy), a group of friends take a scenic RV road trip to their high-school reunion. Their cross-country adventure takes a decidedly unexpected turn when an ancient Gypsy curse takes wing by way of a giant flesh-eating bird of prey.
"We love both of these scripts and we are looking forward to seeing them on the screen," said Robert Halmi, Jr., President, RHI Entertainment. "Both stories are filled with action, suspense, special effects and great imagination. We anticipate a great reception from the international community while at MIP TV."
"We've enjoyed a long and productive relationship with RHI, whose movies have been popular with our savvy television audience. We're looking forward to premiering these action-packed and entertaining movies as part of our hit Saturday night original movie block," said Thomas Vitale, Executive Vice President, Programming and Original Movies, Syfy.

DRAGONS SCRIBE HIRED
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Travis Adam Wright has been hired to adapt HERE, THERE ARE DRAGONS and THE SEARCH FOR THE RED DRAGON, the first two books in James A. Owen's popular young-adult fantasy series THE CHRONICLES OF THE IMAGINARIUM GEOGRAPHICA.
The Gotham Group is producing the feature adaptations, with THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy co-producer Rick Porras also coming aboard to produce. Warner Bros. will distribute the films in the potential franchise.
So far, GEOGRAPHICA, which Owen also illustrates, includes four novels revolving around a secret book that contains the unpublished maps and journals of history's most famous author-adventurers. Included as protagonists are a young J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, future giants of the fantasy-adventure genre whose famous works are imagined by Owen to have been inspired by these fictional adventures.
Wright said Owen's series is "the best gift any fanboy of Tolkien, Lucas and Spielberg could receive. Here is a character-driven franchise that is both familiar and fresh, where wit and intelligence, not just rifles and regiments, win the day."
The series' publisher, Simon & Schuster, plans to publish seven books, with the fifth novel, THE DRAGON'S APPRENTICE, due in stores in the fall.
"James Owen has managed to create a global 'what-if' franchise which subsumes not just the 'LOTR' trilogy and 'The Chronicles of Narnia' but the entire canon of Western literature from Milton to Jules Verne," said Porras, who also is producing THE LOST PATROL at Legendary Pictures.
Wright co-wrote the thriller EAGLE EYE for DreamWorks as well as Paramount's remake of Walter Hill's THE WARRIORS, which is in development with Tony Scott attached to direct and produce.

I'M.MORTAL
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Andrew Niccol is readying his next sci-fi movie.
New Regency is in negotiations to pick up I'M.MORTAL, the latest script from Niccol, who also will direct the film project.
Strike Entertainment, the production outfit run by Marc Abraham and Eric Newman that is currently shooting THE THING prequel for Universal, is in negotiations to produce.
The story is set in the not-too-distant future where the aging gene has been switched off. To avoid overpopulation, time has become the currency and the way people pay for luxuries and necessities. The rich can live forever, while the rest try to negotiate for their immortality.
The protagonist is a poor young man who comes into a fortune of time, though too late to help his mother from dying. He ends up on the run from a corrupt police force known as “time keepers.”
The script is the latest entry into the arena of “social sci-fi,” a genre that uses one big idea to reflect on societal issues. Examples range from last year’s DISTRICT 9 to CHILDREN OF MEN, which Strike produced.
The script is one of the hot projects for the under-25 set because every character looks young. (The scenario makes it so that onscreen, adults such as parents appear to be the same age as their kids.) Niccol is currently ensconced in meetings with a deep pool of candidates, eyeing a summer start in L.A.

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Mike Finch and Alex Litvak, who co-wrote the upcoming PREDATORS, have been hired by Columbia Pictures to write the script for MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.
The "He-Man" adaptation was previously at Warner Bros. Pictures, where it went through several writers and in latter stages had John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda) attached to direct.
Heat Vision says that Finch and Litvak's pitch "attempted to balance a treatment that would convince the studio it was cinematic and keep the toy company satisfied that its characters were being portrayed appropriately."

IRON MAN 2 COMMERCIAL
Dr Pepper starts airing its IRON MAN 2 commercial on TV and here is your first exclusive look at the spot that features a cameo by the one and only Stan Lee and also features the voice of Paul Bettany as JARVIS. Here's a link to the video: http://www.superherohype.com/news/ironmannews.php?id=9269

DANGER GIRL
The Los Angeles Times reports that producer Adrian Askarieh (Hitman) revealed that Todd Lincoln will direct and executive produce a big screen version of the comic DANGER GIRL for Askarieh and his producing partner Daniel Alter.
Lincoln just wrapped THE APPARITION last week and also wrote the upcoming Hack/Slash adaptation for Askarieh and Alter.
Askarieh describes the comic as follows:
I would describe it as "Kill Bill" meets "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with the "team" element of "Mission: Impossible." I would say to the uninitiated that the book is a smart, hip, fun and beautifully drawn love letter to the best action/adventure movies of the last 30 years. It is the story of a lost girl who, through this incredibly kick-ass adventure, finds her destiny, comes of age and helps save the world.
DANGER GIRL was created by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell.

SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010

GREEN LANTERN
SuperHeroHype reports that "The Closer" star Jon Tenney will play Hal Jordan's dad, test pilot Martin H. Jordan, in director Martin Campbell's GREEN LANTERN.
"Ryan Reynolds is the Green Lantern, and when he is a young boy, like 11, I'm his father. I'm Hal Jordan's dad. I'm very excited – it's incredible company," he told the site.
Green Lantern will hit 3D and 2D theaters on June 17, 2011.

PAY THE GHOST
According to Variety, Dennis Iliadis (The Last House on the Left) will direct supernatural thriller PAY THE GHOST for Sidney Kimmel Entertainment. The film was adapted by Dan Kay from a short story by Tim Lebbon.
The trade says "the story kicks off on Halloween night, when a couple's young son is mysteriously abducted. A year later, they begin to sense his presence in frightening ways. A string of terrifying clues draws them to search for the boy throughout New York, where they uncover ancient secrets and discover a vicious, vengeful spirit."
Mark Gordon Productions and Midnight Kitchen Productions are producing.

THE DARKEST HOUR
Emile Hirsch has joined Olivia Thirlby in New Regency and Summit Entertainment's The Darkest Hour, according to Variety.
The $40 million production is described as a 28 Days-like thriller about a group of kids struggling to survive in Russia after an alien invasion.
Chris Gorak (Right at Your Door) is set to direct from a script by Les Bohem and Jon Spaihts. Timur Bekmambetov and Tom Jacobson are producing.
Filming is scheduled to start in Moscow this June.

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2010

SPIELBURG GOES TO DISCOVERY
Discovery announced a science fiction-science fact miniseries to be developed by Steven Spielberg called FUTURE EARTH that will imagine what life on Earth would be like in 25, 50 or 100 years.
As the project is being produced by DreamWorks Animation, we're thinking it will have a CG component to it.
The miniseries won't be fiction, but rather will rely on futurists and scholars to examine various aspects of daily life as they might appear in the future.
No dates have yet been set for airing the new mini-series.

RIESE COMES TO SYFY
A mysterious wanderer named Riese has been on the run in an online futuristic fantasy-adventure series—and now she (along with her webisodes) has run all the way to Syfy. Syfy Digital has acquired the rights to the entire award-winning 10-part series with an eye toward possibly developing it for broadcast on air, just as the channel did with the Web series SANCTUARY.
Here's Syfy's official announcement.
SYFY DIGITAL ACQUIRES RIESE
ACCLAIMED, STREAMY AWARD- WINNING 10-PART FANTASY-ADVENTURE WEB SERIES FOR FALL 2010
Season One and The Never-Before-Seen Season Two To Be Streamed on Syfy Digital With Eye Towards Development for Broadcast
New York, New York - April 8, 2010 - Syfy remains on the forefront of cutting edge fantasy based digital entertainment with the acquisition of the highly acclaimed web series, Riese, it was announced today by Craig Engler, SVP and GM of Syfy Digital. Syfy Digital has acquired the rights to the entire 10-part series - which is distributed by Fireworks International, the television and digital distribution arm of ContentFilm plc - with an eye towards development for a broadcast air. Riese consists of two five-part episode seasons, with season two premiering fully for the first time exclusively on Syfy.com. Season one and two are both slated for a digital launch in the fall 2010.
"RIESE is a fantastic web series with a lot of room to grow, and we're excited to work with the very talented cast and crew to help them take the show to the next level, backed by the full promotional efforts that Syfy can bring to the table," said Engler. "At the same time we'll be working hand-in-hand with our TV development team to see if Riese has the potential to make the jump to TV, just like our hit show Sanctuary did."
RIESE recently scooped the Streamy Award for 'Best Cinematography in a Web Series' with a further three nominations for Best Sound Design, Best Foreign Series and Art Direction. The digital series starring Christine Chatelain (Sanctuary, Fringe), Sharon Taylor (Smallville, Eureka), Ben Cotton (Stargate Atlantis, Haper's Island), and Patrick Gilmore (Fringe, Stargate Universe), was shot in Vancouver, BC, and is created by Ryan Copple and Kaleena Kiff and produced by Galen Fletcher and Nicholas Humphries.
Jonathan Ford, Executive Vice-President, Digital Acquisitions and Distribution at Fireworks International added, "Syfy is highly regarded in the digital community with a fantastic background in identifying and securing the best in new multiplatform content. We are delighted to announce this significant deal for the important US market and look forward to working with the Syfy team on the web series as well as developing Riese for television."
RIESE is a fantasy-adventure based web series that chronicles a mysterious wanderer named Riese, (portrayed by Chatelain). A life-on-the-run from a world with a dim future, Riese and her trusted wolf companion, Fenrir flee their dying land of Eleysia in search of freedom as they are hunted by assassins of 'The Sect,' a terrifying religious entity. As she tries to piece together her mysterious past, Riese will take on a life and death journey with the balance and the fate of the world lying in the palm of her hands.

FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2010

TOY STORY 3
A new clip from Disney•Pixar's Toy Story 3 is now online and features the gang meeting Lotso and Ken, who takes them on his "Dream Tour" around the day care. Toy Story 3 hits 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on June 18.

MONTE CARLO
Variety reports that Katie Cassidy (upcoming A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Andie MacDowell are joining Selena Gomez and Leighton Meester the comedy Monte Carlo, from Fox 2000 and New Regency.
Cory Monteith has also come on board to play the love interest
Based on the Jules Bass book "Headhunters" by Jules Bass, Monte Carlo tells the story of a girl and her best friend who travel to Paris, accompanied by her future, uptight stepsister. When one of the girls is mistaken for a spoiled British heiress, they are caught up in a whirlwind of attention and find themselves going on a dream vacation to Monte Carlo.
To be directed by Tom Bezucha, the movie starts shooting next month in Monaco, Budapest and Paris. Bezucha wrote the script with April Blair. Nicole Kidman, Denise Di Novi and Alison Greenspan are producing.

THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2010

HALO
Frank O'Connor, Franchise Development Director, 343 Industries, Microsoft Game Studios, says that the HALO movie will happen eventually.
O'Connor talked about the possibility at the MI6 Conference in San Francisco last week.
"We're going to make a movie when the time is right," he said. "We own the IP. If we want to make a movie, the scale of all the other stuff that we do changes dramatically. We make tens and tens of millions of dollars on ancillary stuff, toys, apparel, music and publishing. If we do a movie all of that will grow exponentially. We have some numbers if we do a movie, but it changes everything. It also changes our target and age demographic."
The HALO movie almost moved forward with District 9's director Neill Blomkamp and executive producer Peter Jackson back in 2006. Stuart Beattie later wrote a film adaptation of "The Fall of Reach," complete with concept art.

JOHNNY ENGLISH SEQUEL
Variety reports that Universal Pictures and Working Title Films are developing a sequel to the 2003 comedy Johnny English. Rowan Atkinson will again play the bumbling British spy in the film, which is eyeing an August start date.
While the original only made $28 million in North America, it earned $161 million worldwide. The film cost about $40 million to make.
Oliver Parker (St. Trinian's) is on board to direct from a script by Hamish McColl (Mr. Bean's Holiday).
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Chris Clark are producing. Will Davies and Atkinson are executive producing.

COWBOYS AND ALIENS
IRON MAN 2 helmer Jon Favreau has confirmed a Latino Review scoop that Harrison Ford is joining Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde in the director's graphic novel adaptation COWBOYS & ALIENS.
Favreau posted the following on his Twitter account.
Please stop asking if Harrison Ford is in Cowboys & Aliens. Okay? He is. Please don't tell anybody.
Based on the Platinum Studios Comics graphic novel written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, the sci-fi Western explores what would happen if the traditional Old West enemies -- cowboys and Native Americans -- found the prairie attacked by aliens in mid-1800s Arizona.
The DreamWorks and Universal movie is targeting a July 29, 2011 release. Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof wrote the script.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2010

FRIGHT NIGHT
STAR TREK and TERMINATOR SALVATION's Anton Yelchin will next fight vampires as the new lead in FRIGHT NIGHT, the upcoming remake of the 1985 horror comedy. That's the news on The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog:
Craig Gillespie, the director behind 2007's "Lars and the Real Girl," is helming the new version, which sticks to the concept of a teen being convinced that his new neighbor is a vampire, although no one will believe him.
The new iteration, written by Marti Noxon, keeps the character's name the same as in the original: Charley Brewster. William Ragsdale, now seen on FX's JUSTIFIED, originated the role.

THE WALKING DEAD
AMC announced the casting of English actor Andrew Lincoln (Teachers) as the lead character in its upcoming zombie apocalypse series THE WALKING DEAD. Lincoln will play Rick Grimes, a small-town police officer who leads a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse.
Lincoln isn't well known on this side of the pond, having appeared in small roles in feature films such as Love Actually and Human Traffic, as well as on British TV.
The series—based on the comic-book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics—begins production in Atlanta in June for a debut in October.

HARRY POTTER NEWS
J.K. Rowling revealed yesterday when she could return to her boy wizard once more at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, the Washington Post reported.
Rowling, who was among the guests as thousands of egg hunters descended on the White House, read to a small group of children and answered their questions.
Asked whether she was planning on writing a new Potter novel, she said she doesn't intend to write any offshoots of the Potter series now—but she didn't rule it out "maybe 10 years from now," depending on how she feels.
But she told one child she does want to write more books—so we won't have to wait quite that long for another Rowling novel, though it won't be in the Potter universe.
"Yes, I do, and I am," Rowling said. "I'm quite sure in the not-too-distant future I will bring out another book."

TOXIC AVENGER
Deadline New York: A remake of THE TOXIC AVENGER is in the works and will be produced by Akiva Goldsman, Richard Saperstein and Charlie Corwin. Original Media has acquired the rights to franchise that includes sequels, an animated TV series and comic books. The company will finance the development of a script.
Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman directed the 1984 original, which starred Andree Maranda, Mitchell Cohen, Pat Ryan Jr., Jennifer Baptist, Robert Pritchard, Cindy Manion, Gary Schneider and Mark Torgl.
The film is set in Tromaville, New Jersey - a small American town, terrorized by criminals. Among the residents of Tromaville is Melvin, a nerdy emaciated janitor at the local health club. A gang of thugs devise a cruel hoax that goes horribly wrong as Melvin is cast through a third story window into a vat of hazardous toxic waste. However, an unexpected metamorphosis takes place. As the chemicals take hold of his body, Melvin turns into the Toxic Avenger, doer of good, and brutal mauler of evil.
"The group intends to turn Toxie into a green superhero for these environmentally conscious times." The remake is expected to be a family friendly PG-13 action comedy.

GREEN LANTERN
In an interview with USA Weekend, Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, upcoming Kick-Ass and Robin Hood) talked about playing Sinestro in Warner Bros. Pictures' Green Lantern.
"For anybody who's familiar with the Green Lantern and the origin story, the film closely follows the early comics," Strong said. "Sinestro starts out as Hal Jordan's mentor, slightly suspicious and not sure of him because obviously Hal is the first human being who's made into a Green Lantern. He's certainly very strict and certainly unsure of the wisdom of Hal becoming a Green Lantern."
Strong added that "[Sinestro] is a military guy but isn't immediately bad. It's the kind of person he is that lends himself to becoming bad over the course of the comics being written, but initially he's quite a heroic figure."
The actor said that the costume and other aspects of the character closely follow the character's early days. "That widow's peak and thin mustache was for some reason originally based on David Niven, and Hal Jordan was based on Errol Flynn," said Strong, who recently got fitted for special Sinestro contact lenses.
"In the '30s and '40s, they shared an apartment together in Hollywood when they were making movies and they were great friends. Obviously at the time, whoever was doing the original comics must have looked at them as guys doing very well in the film industry, and based those characters on them. So I would like to do justice to the Sinestro that was conceived for the comic books."
Opening in 3D and 2D theaters on June 17, the Martin Campbell-directed comic book adaptation stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins, Strong, Taika Waititi, Temuera Morrison, Angela Bassett and Jay O. Sanders.

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2010

THE DARKEST HOUR
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Olivia Thirlby, the young actress known for supporting roles in such indies as JUNO and THE WACKNESS, has booked one of the leading roles in THE DARKEST HOUR, a sci-fi action movie from Summit and New Regency.
Chris Gorak is directing the pic, which is being produced by Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov and Tom Jacobson.
The script, which Gorak and Josh Zetumer are currently revising, is set in Moscow and follows a group of Americans traveling in the city when an alien invasion occurs.
Thirlby plays a trust fund girl trying to survive the attack who teams up with others to try to defeat the invaders.
The movie lenses this summer in Moscow, where Bekmambetov will use his own facilities for the shoot and special effects.
HOUR marks the biggest commercial play and largest production for Thirlby. The list of distributors for her previous movies is like a Who's Who of the indie world: IFC Films, Magnolia Pictures, Fox Searchlight and Sony Pictures Classics.
Thirlby is due to shoot another indie, the fantasy romance JACK AND DIANE, this spring.

DARK LIFE
According to Variety, Robert Zemeckis is attached to direct the big screen adaptation of Kat Falls' underwater adventure novel DARK LIFE. Walt Disney Pictures and Zemeckis' ImageMovers have signed a deal to partner with the Gotham Group (The Spiderwick Chronicles) to bring the book to the big screen.
The book will by published in May by Scholastic. The following is how it's described:
Set in an apocalyptic future where rising oceans have swallowed up entire regions and people live packed like sardines on the dry land left, DARK LIFE is the harrowing tale of underwater pioneers who have carved out a life for themselves in the harsh deep-sea environment, farming the seafloor in exchange for the land deed.
The story follows Ty, who has lived his whole life on his family's homestead and has dreams of claiming his own stake when he turns eighteen. But when outlaws' attacks on government supply ships and settlements threaten to destroy the underwater territory, Ty finds himself in a fight to stop the outlaws and save the only home he has ever known.
Joined by a girl from the Topside who has come subsea to look for her prospector brother, Ty ventures into the frontier's rough underworld and begins to discover some dark secrets to Dark Life.
As Ty gets closer to the truth, he discovers that the outlaws may not be the bloodthirsty criminals the government has portrayed them as. And that the government abandoning the territory might be the best thing for everyone, especially for someone like Ty, someone with a Dark Gift.
Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey will produce through ImageMovers. Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Lee Stollman will produce through Gotham.
It has not been determined yet if the movie will be produced using Zemeckis' performance capture process.

THE THING
In a recent interview with ShockTillYouDrop.com, Joel Edgerton talked about starring in Universal Pictures' THE THING prequel that has been shooting in Toronto for a week under the direction of Matthijs van Heijningen.
In the film, Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a Ph.D. candidate who joins a Norwegian research team in Antarctica after it discovers an alien ship in the ice. When a trapped organism is freed and begins a series of attacks, she is forced to team with a blue-collar mercenary helicopter pilot (Edgerton) to stop the rampage.
Here's a clip from the interview:
"Well, it's a prequel and definitely the Norwegian base is modeled on the base you see in the Carpenter film," he told us. "Being a prequel you'll see a lot of tie-ins as to how the base comes to be the way it is in the Carpenter film, being so destroyed, and that evidence you see in the Carpenter film, We'll get a glimpse into that. It's great because you have a bunch of people behind making it—Eric Newman and Marc (Abraham), the producers at Strike (Entertainment), those guys and Matthijs the director, they have such respect for the original film that they're not trying to do a remake, they're just trying to pay homage to the original and also do the right thing with what I think is a real cool way in to doing that, and revisiting the material."

NEW DOCTOR WHO RATINGS
The UK season premiere of "Doctor Who" starring Matt Smith in his first full episode as the new Doctor scored an overnight rating of 8 million viewers, easily the highest rated program on the Easter Saturday holiday.
The figure, which is expected to rise when DVR and iView figures come in, is on par with the show's last three season premieres which have each pulled in around 8 million viewers. Viewership was notably down across the all networks over the Easter holiday, so the lack of any real impact is a welcome surprise.
Reviews for the premiere have been strong - the performances in particularly being lauded along with new showrunner Steven Moffat's writing, character elements and slightly different tone. The few common criticisms have fallen on a few sub-standard visual effects shots and the new opening credits sequence - specifically the remixed theme tune.
Along with some new creature shots, we also get quick glimpses of many of this season's guest stars in action including Bill Nighy, Toby Jones, Sophie Okonedo, Ian McNeice, Tony Curran, Robert Pugh, Helen McCrory, Meera Syal, James Corden and of course the returning Alex Kingston.

ENTER NOWHERE
Katherine Waterston, Scott Eastwood, Sara Paxton, Shaun Sipos and Christopher Denham have joined the cast of the supernatural thriller ENTER NOWHERE says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story revolves around four strangers who find themselves stranded in a deserted, supernatural forest. Taking shelter in an abandoned cabin, they must learn to trust one another and work together to find a way out of the woods. Shawn Christensen and Jason Dolan penned the script.
Jack Heller makes his directorial debut on the film which begins shooting this week in Southampton, New York. Heller and Dallas Sonnier will produce.

MONDAY, APRIL 5, 2010

TOY STORY 3
The TOY STORY panel at WonderCon in San Francisco on Saturday, we got a look at a few never-before-released scenes from the upcoming movie. Fans of the previous movies have been checking out recently released shots of the new characters from the movie. We've seen Trixie, the triceratops, Buttercup the unicorn, Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear (who smells like strawberries) and the fantastically named Mr. Pricklepants the hedgehog.
After a few brief statements from director Lee Unkrich, we were told that they were going to choose three people from the crowd to do voice-overs for the scene. The first man to the stage was an audience member, but the next two just happened to be Kristen Schaal, the voice of Trixie, and Jeff Garlin, who plays Buttercup.
After the two teased the chosen audience member about his British accent, we got to check out what they did with the scene. In it, Woody (Tom Hanks) finds himself in the room of a little girl having a tea party. When she runs out to powder her nose, Woody tries to get the attention of the other toys and find out where he is.
Mr. Pricklepants is trying to stay in character, being something of a thespian, but the other two introduce themselves and explain where they are in the soap opera they're performing. When the girl returns, she brings out what may be the most foul combination in history, a plastic hamburger topped with her "secret ingredient": jelly beans. We finally saw the scene fully scored with Timothy Dalton, the real voice of Mr. Pricklepants.
Next, we saw a scene where the toys arrive at a day care center after being donated. From inside the box, they see a room full of kids playing with toys. Everyone is excited except Woody, who misses the now college-aged Andy.
When they fall onto the floor, all the day-care toys come to welcome them, including Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear (Ned Beatty), who explains the situation. He tells them that, with a new group of kids always on the way in, they can never be hurt. They'll never feel abandoned or alone.
We also see a Ken doll (Michael Keaton), dressed up in head-to-toe turquoise, encounter Barbie (Jodi Benson) for the first time. It's love at first sight. She tells him he has a nice ascot. If the roar of the crowd was to be believed, the sneak peek went over well.
Before the end of the panel, Kristen Schaal was told by Unkrich that she will be in every Pixar picture going forward. The crowd certainly loved her. And if we're going by their casting history, this woman will be employed for life.
TOY STORY 3 will open in theaters on June 18.

RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE
The teaser trailer for RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE, which premiered this weekend at WonderCon in San Francisco, is now online! Opening in 3D and 2D theaters on September 10, the Paul W.S. Anderson-directed sequel stars Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Spencer Locke, Boris Kodjoe and Wentworth Miller.
In the film, Alice (Jovovich) continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead - and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap.

XXX: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE
XXX: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE, the third film in the spy action franchise started in 2002, has left Sony Pictures and has re-emerged over at Paramount who are in negotiations to finance, produce and release the film says Deadline New York.
John Brancato and Michael Ferris ("Terminator Salvation") penned the script which involves Xander Cage, the extreme sports athlete-turned-government operative from the first film, returning to the National Security Agency after an eight-year absence to work on a dangerous assignment only he can pull off.
As previously reported Vin Diesel is reprising the role of Cage, Samuel L. Jackson will return as his handler Agent Augustus Gibbons, and the first film's director Rob Cohen will helm. Ericson Core ("Invincible") was briefly attached to direct last year but that's seemingly no longer the case.
Cohen plans to shoot the film with 3D cameras and a late 2011 or early 2012 release date is being targeted.

SUNDAY, APRIL 4, 2010

NATIONAL TREASURE 3
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME and THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE co-writers Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro are reteaming with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and SORCERER'S APPRENTICE director Jon Turteltaub to pen the script for NATIONAL TREASURE 3.
The first National Treasure was released in 2004 and earned $347.5 million worldwide, but National Treasure: Book of Secrets easily surpassed that in 2007 with $457.4 million worldwide.
There's no word yet on which way the story is going to go in the third film. Though it has not been confirmed, we assume Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger and Jon Voight will all be back.

SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2010

GREEN LANTERN
Ryan Reynolds is currently gearing up to wear the power ring as GREEN LANTERN, but it's just been announced that he'll also soon star as an undead cop in the feature-film adaptation of the R.I.P.D. comic series.
Producer Neal Moritz told Collider.com:
R.I.P.D. Rest in peace department. A terrific script by Manfredi & Hay at Universal that we hopefully going to make at the beginning of next year. ...
It's terrific based on the graphic novel. It's about two cops, one recently dead and a gunslinger who's been dead for hundreds of years who work on the Rest in Peace department—which is the police department of the dead. And they basically, ... it takes place on a normal day and it's about trying to keep the dead quiet. ...
R.I.P.D. is a 2003 Dark Horse graphic novel by Peter Lenkov.

LORD OF THE RINGS ON BLU-RAY
When The Lord of the Rings debuts in the Blu-ray high-definition home video format, you'll finally be able to see some of the fine detail that got lost in the big-screen releases, Oscar-winning makeup effects artist and creature supervisor Richard Taylor said in an interview on Thursday.
"It's probably more in the close detail in terms of the filigree and the surface of ribbons and buttons and elf clasps and belt buckles," he said.
Fans know that Taylor and his Weta Workshop team gave every costume a distinct look instead of making armies of identical uniforms. Those subtle differences will finally be revealed.
"It was going with the philosophy that in the period of the medieval age, it could be just as easy to make something look totally different or make something look completely the same," Taylor said. "There would not have been a huge amount of replicates of technology. Obviously, if you reproduce the same object, it might be easier at a mass-production level in the modern-day workshop, but we tried to give the feeling of a different quality to different elements. That's something that I look forward to seeing if it comes through."
The Blu-rays are not even out yet, but people are complimenting Taylor on new details they've seen in the films some nine years later.
"People have told me over the last couple of days that they have now seen the details that we had put in," Taylor said. "We had thought we had just been a bit fanatical, because they weren't apparent to the viewer. Now they are. That's a fantastic thing, to hear that. A lot of that very fine detail is now popping out."
Blu-ray was not yet on the horizon when Taylor began creating the creatures, makeup and costumes of The Lord of the Rings, so it's fortunate that the work was of such a high quality that it holds up in the hi-def format.
"You try and aim to produce the best work you possibly can, obviously," Taylor said. "I certainly didn't cast my mind forward going, 'Gosh, one day the world's audience will be watching these movies on cinema-screen-sized televisions in a level of clarity that we can only dream about today.' Thankfully, the work that was done back then was done with the greatest intent to make it as good as possible. So hopefully it holds up OK today. It's just exciting to think that the Blu-ray release offers an opportunity for the community of enthusiasts to enjoy them all afresh."
THE LORD OF THE RINGS Blu-ray trilogy debuts next Tuesday, April 6.

MERLIN
Even if you haven't seen season one of the British series MERLIN, now showing on Syfy, actor Colin Morgan promises plenty of "swashbuckling" adventure that the entire family will enjoy in the upcoming second season. And for those who have seen it, Merlin promises to dig deeper into the characters, show new sides of the story and get a bit darker. (Merlin premieres on Syfy Friday at 10 p.m. ET/PT.)
"The great thing about going into the second [season] is it ties up in terms of storylines where we left off on the end of the first [season], where Merlin's relationship with the dragon had changed drastically. We get really stuck right into the action at the start of the second [season] with a kind of Raiders of the Lost Ark-type opening," the young Irish actor said in an exclusive intervew. "Which is great. It just gets kicked off full force with them."
Merlin focuses on what might happen if a young Merlin, before he became a great wizard, met a young Prince Arthur, before he became king. And, oh yeah, Arthur's father, King Uther, has outlawed magic under penalty of death. The BBC series premiered in 2008 in Britain and stars Morgan as Merlin and Bradley James as Prince Arthur, along with Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Anthony Head, Richard Wilson and John Hurt as the dragon.

JOHN FORSYTHE PASSES AWAY
Depending on how good your memory is and when you started watching TV, John Forsythe will bring back different memories. I remember him in BACHELOR FATHER years ago. Then we heard him as Charlie in CHARLIE'S ANGELS and envied him his role as Blake Carrington in the 1980s soap DYNASTY.
Forsythe died Thursday in Santa Ynez, Calif., of complications from pneumonia after a yearlong struggle with cancer. He owned a ranch in the area north of Santa Barbara. He was 92.
For his portrayal of Blake Carrington, Forsythe earned two Golden Globes and three Emmy nominations. So popular was the show that in 1985, Forsythe became the spokesperson for a line of men's cologne called "Carrington." He series ran from 1981-89.
Forsythe was born John Lincoln Freund on Jan. 29, 1918, in Penn's Grove, N.J. The son of a Wall Street businessman, Forsythe attended and graduated from the University of North Carolina, then defied his family's wishes by moving to New York to become an actor.
While making the rounds, Forsythe landed his first paying job as the ballpark announcer at Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. After the Dodgers deserted to Los Angeles, Forsythe lent his distinctively soothing voice to radio soap operas and performed in supporting roles on Broadway.
After serving in World War II for the Army Air Corps, Forsythe returned to New York and starred on Broadway in "Mr. Roberts," the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Teahouse of the August Moon" and Gore Vidal's "Weekend." He also helped found the Actors Studio after auditioning for Lee Strasberg.
While onstage, he was noticed and, following a screen test, signed by Warner Bros. and cast in his first movie, "Destination Tokyo" (1943), opposite Cary Grant.
In the early '50s, Forsythe acted in many of the early live television shows, including "Studio One," "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars," "Philco Playhouse" and several episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."

ROBIN HOOD
A new behind-the-scenes trailer has been released for ROBIN HOOD by NCM. This new featurette on director Ridley Scott's ROBIN HOOD, opening in theaters on May 14. The action adventure stars Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Matthew Macfadyen, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Lea Seydoux, Scott Grimes, Kevin Durand, Alan Doyle, Danny Huston and Max von Sydow.

FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2010

FAMILIAR FACES ON SYFY DRAMAS
Syfy's acclaimed series, STARGATE UNIVERSE has cast famed actors, Robert Knepper (Heroes, Prison Break) and Julie McNiven (Supernatural, Mad Men) as guest stars to the second season of the hit series. Knepper joins the cast for a six-episode arc and will portray Simeon, a member of the Lucian Alliance. McNiven will also join the cast for a five-episode arc, portraying Ginn, a member of the Lucian Alliance. Season two of STARGATE UNIVERSE premieres on Syfy fall 2010.
Production is underway in Vancouver, Canada. The second-half of Stargate Universe's first season premieres Friday, April 2, at 9 PM (ET/PT).
Edgier and younger in tone, SGU takes the franchise in a dynamic new direction, appealing to longtime Stargate fans and first-time viewers alike. The series stars Robert Carlyle, Louis Ferreira, Brian J. Smith, Elyse Levesque, David Blue, Alaina Huffman, Jamil Walker Smith, Ming-Na and Lou Diamond Phillips.
SGU follows a band of soldiers, scientists and civilians, who must fend for themselves as they are forced through a Stargate when their hidden base comes under attack. The desperate survivors emerge aboard an ancient ship, which is locked on an unknown course and unable to return to Earth. Faced with meeting the most basic needs of food, water and air, the group must unlock the secrets of the ship's Stargate to survive. The danger, adventure and hope they find on board the Destiny will reveal the heroes and villains among them.
Robert Cooper and Brad Wright, of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, serve as executive producers and writers. SGU is produced and distributed by MGM Worldwide Television Distribution.

CAPTAIN AMERICA
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Sebastian Stan, one of the actors who tested for the title role of Marvel’s CAPTAIN AMERICA which ultimately went to Chris Evans, has nabbed the key role of Captain America’s sidekick Bucky Barnes.
In comic book lore, Barnes, a teenaged orphan, was too young to join the army but became one camp’s mascot. When he discovered Captain America’s identity, he joined Captain America as a partner in his Nazi-fighting escapades. The character died in Captain America’s final World War II adventure.
After decades of being “dead,” the character was revived in 2005 and brought back into modern comic continuity, initially as a covert assassin named Winter Soldier.
It is not clear if the movie version of Barnes sets up the Winter Soldier identity. Marvel would only confirm that Stan is playing Barnes.
Insiders also say Stan has signed on for five or six pictures.
Shooting on the Joe Johnston-directed pic starts this summer in Europe.
Stan starred in NBC’s short-lived KINGS and had a stint on the CW’s GOSSIP GIRL. His feature film career has been on a roll of late, having recently appeared in HOT TUB TIME MACHINE and wrapped the Joel Silver-produced thriller THE APPARITION and Darren Aronofsky’s BLACK SWAN.

THREE MUSKETEERS COMING
Doug Liman (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity) is in negotiations to direct Warner Bros.' THE THREE MUSKETEERS, which is in a race with the Paul W.S. Anderson-directed THE THREE MUSKETEERS 3D in development at Summit Entertainment. The latter project is currently casting.
Producer Lionel Wigram, the creative force behind Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, recently hired screenwriter Peter Straughan (The Men Who Stare at Goats) to update Alexandre Dumas' classic for Warner Bros.
Straughan's script is expected to play up the action and "sexier" elements of the story.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

NEW SYFY MOVIES
Syfy is teaming with indie production company After Dark on two films for the network's Saturday night creature-feature slot.
The first co-production is SCREAM OF THE BANSHEE, starring Lauren Holly ("NCIS") and Lance Henriksen ("Aliens"), about a professor who releases a creature with a bone-splitting scream.
The second is "51," which revolves around a group of reporters allowed access to a top-secret Air Force base housing aliens.
After Dark produces Syfy's annual "8 Films to Die For" event.
"We've aired nearly 20 After Dark-acquired movies, which have played very well with our viewers," said Thomas Vitale, Syfy executive vp programming and original movies. "Because of After Dark's strong branding, effective production values and understanding of the audience, we are excited to expand our relationship."
TRAVIS MCGEE
WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS helmer Oliver Stone is in talks to direct TRAVIS MCGEE for 20th Century Fox. Leonardo DiCaprio has been attached to play the title character since September of last year.
In the adaptation of John D. MacDonald's first book in the mystery novel series, titled "The Deep Blue Good-by," McGee is a self-described beach bum who lives aboard 52-foot houseboat the Busted Flush and alleviates his cash-flow problems by hiring on as a "salvage consultant." He recovers property for clients, taking a hefty percentage and getting into a lot of danger.
Peter Chernin is producing with Appian Way's DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran. The film was written by Dana Stevens and Kario Salem.

IRON MAN 2
A new trailer for IRON MAN 2: The IMAX Experience is now available and can be watched using the player below! Opening in North American theaters on May 7, the Jon Favreau-directed sequel stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Garry Shandling, John Slattery, Kate Mara, Clark Gregg and Olivia Munn.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2010

WAR OF THE GODS
Stephen Dorff has rounded out the cast of Relativity Media's Greek mythology movie called WAR OF THE GODS, set to begin shooting in early April in Montreal, Variety reported.
The movie, not to be confused with Friday's CLASH OF THE TITANS, also stars Kellan Lutz, Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke and Freida Pinto and will be directed by The Cell's Tarsem Singh.
Dorff (Blade) will play Stavros, a master thief who joins Theseus on his quest to help free Greece from the dark threat of the Titans. The movie opens on Nov. 11, 2011.

ACTION COMIC #1 SETS RECORD
Another copy of Action Comics number one—featuring the debut of Superman— has sold at auction, setting a new record of $1.5 million, surpassing the previous record of $1 million and exceeding the $1.075 million paid for Detective Comics number 27, which marked the first appearance of Batman.
This particular copy of Action Comics No. 1 was given a grading of 8.5 versus the 8.0 that the $1 million copy of Action Comics No. 1 rated.
The high grade comes from its excellent condition. The comic book was tucked inside a stack of magazines from the 1930s, preserving its quality. A savvy buyer who purchased the stack of magazines knew exactly what he held in his hands when he saw the iconic image of the Man of Steel lifting a car. Since then, the comic book has been bought and sold several times, increasing in sale price each time.

BY VIRTUE FALL
Variety reports that UP IN THE AIR co-writer Sheldon Turner is making his directorial debut on BY VIRTUE FALL, a thriller he wrote that Nicolas Chartier (The Hurt Locker) will finance and produce. Jennifer Klein will also produce with Turner.
The movie revolves around a man who is framed by his mentor and winds up in prison. Once released, he's fixated on getting revenge on his former partner, who has flourished in his new life and tried to cleanse himself of the past.
The filmmakers are looking to make BY VIRTUE FALL for less than $20 million. Production will start in September.

NEW WEREWOLF FLICKS ON THE WAY
Scribe David Hayter ("X-Men," "Watchmen") will make his directorial debut on the $18 million thriller WOLVES for TF1 reports Deadline.
Described as a less chaste TWILIGHT, Hayter's script de-constructs past werewolf films of their mythology and make it a more blunt metaphor for teenage sexual awakening.
The project almost got going once before with Thomas Dekker and Ray Stevenson, but the credit crunch put a stop on that.
Steve Pink ("Hot Tub Time Machine," "Accepted") is attached to direct the R-rated horror comedy WEREWOLVES OF RESEDA reports Production Weekly.
Brian Frank's script follows a group of guys who live in San Fernando Valley suburbia and gradually turn into werewolves. The changes actually end up being a benefit to their family lives.
Lawrence Grey will apparently produce.

TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2010

WALKING DEAD
AMC has given a green light to THE WALKING DEAD, a six-episode zombie show based on Robert Kirkman's Image Comics series.
The show comes with a huge sci-fi pedigree: Executive producers include Frank Darabont (The GREEN MILE, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION), Gale Anne Hurd (the TERMINATOR franchise) and Charles "Chic" Eglee (DARK ANGEL), among others.
John Bernthal (HBO's The Pacific) has been cast as a supporting character, but the lead has not yet been cast, and AMC denied rumors that Eli Stone's Jonny Lee Miller would star.
The show, about the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, is slated to debut in October.

KNIGHT AND DAY
20th Century Fox has debuted the new trailer for James Mangold's action comedy KNIGHT AND DAY, hitting theaters on June 25 and starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
An action-comedy centered on a fugitive couple (Cruise and Diaz) on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.
Use this link to view the trailer.
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3896771609/

VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN
Production Weekly reports that WANTED helmer Timur Bekmambetov is attached to direct David Auburn's adaptation of Peter Ackroyd novel "Casebook of Victor Frankenstein."
Random House describes the book as follows:
When two nineteenth-century Oxford students—Victor Frankenstein, a serious researcher, and the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley—form an unlikely friendship, the result is a tour de force that could only come from one of the world's most accomplished and prolific authors.
This haunting and atmospheric novel opens with a heated discussion, as Shelley challenges the conventionally religious Frankenstein to consider his atheistic notions of creation and life. Afterward, these concepts become an obsession for the young scientist. As Victor begins conducting anatomical experiments to reanimate the dead, he at first uses corpses supplied by the coroner. But these specimens prove imperfect for Victor's purposes. Moving his makeshift laboratory to a deserted pottery factory in Limehouse, he makes contact with the Doomsday men—the resurrectionists—whose grisly methods put Frankenstein in great danger as he works feverishly to bring life to the terrifying creature that will bear his name for eternity.
Filled with literary lights of the day such as Bysshe Shelley, Godwin, Lord Byron, and Mary Shelley herself, and penned in period-perfect prose, The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein is sure to become a classic of the twenty- first century.

NEW GODZILLA COMING
News is breaking that a new American version of Godzilla is being developed by Legendary Pictures, based on Toho's classic monster.
Entertainment Weekly reports:
[Legendary], which is behind the upcoming Clash of the Titans, has made it clear it won't be a sequel to the 1998 film that Sony and Roland Emmerich made. (That movie starring Matthew Broderick grossed close to $400 million worldwide.) Rather, it will be a re-imagining of the original Godzilla movies. Legendary has plans to announce a director for the film soon.
Good news, if they are serious about being faithful to the original Japanese movies.
The new Godzilla will rampage through a city near you in 2012.

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2010

THE NEW DAUGHTER
A trailer for THE NEW DAUGHTER, coming to DVD and Blu-ray on May 18th, is now online.
The film follows the James family, as John (Kevin Costner) tries to rebuild his family after a painful divorce. John has his hands full raising his youngest child Sam (Gattlin Griffith) and especially his adolescent daughter Louisa (Ivana Baquero). As Louisa's troubling behavior continues, far beyond the average tween angst and frustrations, John begins doubting his parental abilities. But when events around the James household start taking on an increasingly mysterious nature, John realizes that his family may be in mortal danger.
Co-starring Samantha Mathis, THE NEW DAUGHTER is adapted by John Travis from the short story by John Connolly. Luis Berdejo (screenwriter of [REC] and Quarantine) makes his directorial debut on the Anchor Bay Films thriller.

HAPPY FEET AND SMURFS
Heat Vision is reporting that Sofia Vergara has joined the cast of Sony's THE SMURFS. According to the trade, the "Modern Family" star "will portray Odile, a powerful executive at a high-end French cosmetics company who is married to the live-action character played by Neil Patrick Harris."
Directed by Raja Gosnell, the big screen adaptation is scheduled for an August 3, 2011 release. Filming will start in New York next week.
In related news, Vergara has also landed a voice role in George Miller's HAPPY FEET 2, which Miller is filming in Sydney for a November 18, 2011 release.
She joins Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brad Pitt and her "Smurfs" co-star Azaria in the Warner Bros. sequel.

HAVEN
Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant (Dollhouse) and Eric Balfour (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) have been cast in Syfy's new series HAVEN, based on the novella "The Colorado Kid" from author Stephen King.
The series kicks off this summer following FBI agent Audrey Parker (Rose), who arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine on a routine case...only to discover that this curious enclave has served as a longtime refuge for people who are afflicted with a remarkable range of supernatural abilities.
Bryant will play Nathan Wuornos, the wry local cop who soon becomes Audrey's partner. Bristling under the thumb of his father, the Chief of Police, Nathan has a quiet, controlled demeanor that often clashes with Audrey's feisty one: a dichotomy that also makes them perfect complements. As events in the town begin to unfold at a surprising pace, Nathan's usual controlled sense of calm is put to the test.
Also among the citizens of this eccentric town is Duke Crocker (Balfour), a charming yet mysterious jack-of- all-trades. Though Duke outwardly appears to be a free spirit who lives an unobtrusive life on his boat, it becomes apparent that his mellow demeanor may conceal a much darker agenda.
Shooting is taking place in Halifax, Nova Scotia this spring.

SUNDAY-MARCH 28, 2010

IRON MAN 2
Paramount Pictures aired this TV spot for IRON MAN 2 during Nickelodeon's "Kids' Choice Awards 2010" on Saturday night! Opening in conventional theaters and IMAX on May 7, the Jon Favreau- directed sequel stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Garry Shandling, John Slattery, Kate Mara, Clark Gregg and Olivia Munn.

FRIDAY BOX OFFICE
DreamWorks Animation's HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, the newest 3D attraction to hit theaters, fired up an estimated $12 million in 4,055 theaters in North America on Friday.
Based on the children's book by Cressida Cowell and directed by the team of Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, the PG-rated Paramount release about a Viking boy who makes friends with a dragon in the enemy camp, easily commanded the top slot for the day as Disney's ALICE IN WONDERLAND, which has reigned atop the boxoffice for the previous three weekends, should shift to the second spot for its fourth round, having pulled in about $4.8 million on Friday.
MGM's R-rated comedy HOT TUB TIME MACHINE, starring John Cusack and Rob Corddry, was contesting for second postition on Friday with $4.85 million as it bowed in 2,754 locations.
Sony's rom-com THE BOUNTY HUNTER, with Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, held down fourth position with $4.1 million as it entered its second weekend.
Rounding out the top five, Fox's DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, also entering week two, pulled in $2.8 million.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2010

THE LAST AIRBENDER
A Japanese trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's THE LAST AIRBENDER is now also online. Opening on July 2, the fantasy action adventure stars Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel, Jessica Jade Andres, Aasif Mandvi, Shaun Toub, Cliff Curtis and Keong Sim.
I know, it is in Japanese -- but I don't think you need to speak the language to see follow the story and see that this movie is going to be full of special effects.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
Just one week ago, director Bryan Singer and producer Lauren Shuler Donner were talking to the L.A. Times about Singer's affinity for the X-Men characters, which convinced him to direct X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. According to Deadline's Mike Fleming, Singer's obligations to begin production on JACK THE GIANT KILLER, his 3D version of the classic fairy tale for Warner Bros., will have to take precedence and Singer will now only be producing X-MEN: FIRST CLASS.
According to Fleming, Fox is already in talks with a few directors they've short-listed who may be able to start production on the proposed first movie in a new prequel trilogy as early as summer or fall for a 2011 release, while Singer is locked into making the other CG-heavy movie through his contract with Warner Bros. Some may remember that WB snagged Singer to direct SUPERMAN RETURNS, preventing him from directing X-MEN: THE LAST STAND.

SCORCER'S APPRENTICE
Walt Disney Pictures has a new trailer for director Jon Turteltaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer's THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE, opening in theaters on July 16.
In the epic comedy adventure, Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina). Balthazar can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel), a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. It'll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE.
This one looks really cool.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2010

FRINGE RETURNS APRIL 1
One of my favorite shows, Fox's mind-bending sci-fi series FRINGE, returns with the first of the final eight season-two episodes on April 1. Star John Noble (Dr. Walter Bishop) discussed the show from the set in Vancouver, Canada, about the first episode back, "Peter," in which we learn the heartbreaking, shocking backstory of his character.
Much of the episode takes place in 1985.
"It's interesting having played Walter 25 years younger. He's actually quite a likable man," Noble told a group of visiting reporters in the white lab set of Massive Dynamic. "He's married to a lovely woman, and he seems to enjoy his work. He's driven. He's a driven man. He's very smart, and he's very driven to succeed ...
We also meet Peter's mother, played by Orla Brady.
The Walter we meet is different from the one we know: younger, more energetic, more focused, more arrogant. And with longer hair. We also see younger versions of other characters, including Blair Brown's Nina Sharp.
FRINGE returns with the new episode next Thursday in its regular 9 p.m. timeslot.

WAREHOUSE 13 MEETS FIREFLY
Gina Torres, who played the kick-ass Zoe on Joss Whedon's FIREFLY/SERENITY, will appear as a guest star in the upcoming second season of Syfy's hit WAREHOUSE 13, becoming the third FIREFLY star to guest on the show. Syfy previously announced that Jewel Staite (Kaylee) and Sean Maher (Simon Tam) would also guest-star.
Other guest stars for the coming season include Philip Winchester and Paula Garces. WAREHOUSE 13 returns with new episodes in July.

ROBIN HOOD TO OPEN CANNES
Universal's ROBIN HOOD, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, has been selected as the opening-night film for the upcoming Festival de Cannes.
The film will screen out of competition May 12, the opening day of the festival, which ends May 23.
The film was written by Brian Helgeland ("L.A. Confidential," "Mystic River") and portrays the beginnings of the Robin Hood legend.
Scott is a familiar face at the festival, having been to the Riviera in 1977 with prize winner "The Duellists" and in 1991 with "Thelma and Louise."
The film, which also stars Max Von Sydow, Lea Seydoux and William Hurt, will be released in France on the day it screens at the festival and in the rest of the world May 14.

CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL
Film School Rejects has learned from author Glen David Gold that his novel, CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL, has been optioned by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Hyperion Books describes the title as follows:
America in the 1920s was a nation obsessed with magic. Not just the kind performed in theaters and on stages across the country, but the magic of technology, science, and prosperity. Enter Charles Carter -- a.k.a. Carter the Great -- a young master performer whose skill as an illusionist exceeds even that of the great Houdini. Fueled by a passion for magic born of desperation and loneliness, Carter has become a legend in his own time.
Carter the Great's thrilling act involves outrageous stunts carried out on elaborate sets before the most demanding audiences. Night after night, in towns across the nation, he performs these masterful feats, bringing his unique brand of magic to those starved for wonder. But nothing in his career has prepared carter for his most outrageous stunt of all, which stars none other than President Warren G. Harding and which could end up costing Carter the reputation he has worked so hard to create.
Filled with historical references that evoke the excesses and exuberance of Roaring Twenties, pre-Depression America, Carter Beats the Devil is a complex and illuminating story of one man's journey through a magical -- and sometimes dangerous -- world, where illusion is everything.

THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010

GREEN LANTERN CASTING
According to Variety, Angela Bassett is joining the cast of director Martin Campbell's GREEN LANTERN, which is currently shooting in New Orleans.
In the Warner Bros. release, Bassett will play Dr. Amanda Waller, a government agent who's a staple of the DC Comics series. There's a good chance that she's being introduced to set-up the proposed Suicide Squad movie announced last year.
She's joining a cast that includes Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins, Mark Strong, Taika Waititi and Temuera Morrison.
GREEN LANTERN is scheduled for a June 17, 2011 release.

BUCK ROGERS
Paul W.S. Anderson ("Resident Evil" films) has signed to direct BUCK ROGERS, to be released in 3D. IRON MAN co-writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway will write the script.
According to Deadline New York, the big screen adaptation is "a new version of the classic tale of a fighter pilot who quickly acclimates to the future and puts his skills to use defending the planet against invaders."
One of the first pop-culture vehicles to tackle the issue of space exploration, the story of Buck Rogers began life as a comic serial in the late 1920's and early '30's and has seen numerous film and television versions over the years.
The rights to the property are controlled by Paradox, the company behind the new Conan movie that is currently filming in Bulgaria. Paradox will finance and Anderson's partner, Jeremy Bolt, will produce with Fredrik Malmberg, Larry Abramson and George Furla.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Finally, this movie opens this weekend. The trailers look awesome! And this looks like a movie for everyone -- children and adults alike. The animation is unbelievable! Dreamworks has done it again!
Synopsis:
From the studio that brought you "Shrek," "Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda" comes "How to Train Your Dragon." Set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell, the action comedy tells the story of Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t exactly fit in with his tribe's longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup's world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges he and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2010

WOLVERINE DANCES TOO?
Here is something a bit different for you this morning. We all love Hugh Jackman. Now you can see what really gives him his mutant powers -- Lipton tea!
At least that's the way it seems based on the Japanese iced tea commercial Lipton just launched starring Hugh Jackman.

MALEFICENT
The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision has confirmed a report that said Tim Burton is interested in making a live-action feature based on MALEFICENT from Disney's 1959 adaptation of the fairy tale SLEEPING BEAUTY.
The trade Blog adds that ALICE IN WONDERLAND screenwriter Linda Woolverton will write the script for Disney. MALEFICENT might reunite Woolverton with Burton, but it's not a done deal as the movie is one of a handful of projects the filmmaker is circling.
The movie would tell the classic fairy tale from the point of view of the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil."
Woolverton's credits also include Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and THE LION KING.

TWILIGHT: NEW MOON SELLS 4 MILLION DVDS
Summit Entertainment announced today that the home entertainment release of the studio's THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON sold just over 4 million DVD units in its first weekend of release. The tally surpasses the first weekend sales of TWILIGHT in 2009 which sold 3.8 million DVD units, and went on to be the top selling DVD title of the year with 9.2 million units sold. The DVD launch of NEW MOON commenced this past Saturday morning with 7,000 retail locations nationwide taking part in events at midnight giving fans their first chance to obtain a DVD of the film.
Thousands of TWILIGHT fans across the nation participated in the "'New Moon' at Midnight" event and some were treated to surprise appearances by members of the cast as well as the film's director. Fans saw actors Justin Chon who plays Eric, Christian Serratos who plays Anglea, and Michael Welch who plays Mike in Salt Lake City; director Chris Weitz and Nikki Reed who plays Rosalie Hale in Los Angeles; Peter Facinelli who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen in New York; Edi Gathegi who plays Laurent in Pittsburgh; and Liz Reaser who plays Esme Cullen in Phoenix. Other cast members of The Twilight Saga: New Moon made appearances nationwide including Kiowa Gordon and Tinsel Korey in Cincinnati; Charlie Bewley in Denver; Chaske Spencer and Tyson Houseman in Atlanta; Daniel Cudmore in Houston; and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg in Seattle.
Summit Entertainment's Co-Chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger stated, "Once again the incredibly dedicated fans of the 'Twilight Saga' came out in massive numbers this weekend for the opportunity to be one of the first take home the second movie in the series. As we have said all along, the fans are what make this franchise and we once again thank them for their support."
"The support that we have received from our retail partners in accommodating the incredible demand for the title has been nothing short of amazing," said Steve Nickerson, Summit's President of Home Entertainment. "The ground we have broken with in-store partnerships and the availability of this title has been a positive influence on the retail DVD business."
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON was released in theaters on November 20, 2009 and has since grossed over $705 million worldwide. The third installment, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE will be released in theaters throughout North America on June 30, 2010.

SCREAM 4
It’s official: Scream 4 is a go. Dimension Films announced today that the fourth iteration of the popular series is back and starting production this spring. Kevin Williamson is writing, Wes Craven is directing, and Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox have all signed on to reprise their roles from the original SCREAM movie. The veterans are set to join a new group of young actors who have yet to be announced. Scream 4 will be released on April 15, 2011.
Said Craven in a press release, “Working with Courteney, David, and Neve was a blast ten years ago and I’m sure it will be again. Kevin is right on his game with the new script — the characters and story crackle with energy and originality — to say nothing of some of the most hair-raising scares I’ve seen in a script since… well, since the original Scream series. Let me at it.”

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010

DOCTOR WHO IS COMING
BBC America released the latest trailer for the new season of DOCTOR WHO, which kicks off on Saturday, April 17.
Starring Matt Smith as the 11th incarnation of the Timelord and Karen Gillan as his companion Amy Pond, the new DOCTOR WHO looks to have just as much creepy action as before.

WAR OF THE GODS
Everyone's second-favorite TWILIGHT vampire, Kellan Lutz, expected to make a splash in the upcoming Greek mythology-based WAR OF THE GODS as Poseidon, the God of the Sea.
Expect lots of shirtless godliness in this one, since he'll have the entire ocean at his beck and call. He'll be playing opposite Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto, and Henry Cavill.
This latest casting confirmation comes on the heels of a long list of rumored roles for Lutz, including SPIDER-MAN and CONAN THE BARBARIAN.
According to Variety, WAR OF THE GODS starts shooting in April. Lutz can be seen next in the upcoming NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET thriller, which opens on April 30.

SISSY SPACEK COMES TO TV
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Oscar winner Sissy Spacek has been tapped as the lead on the John Wells-produced medical drama pilot on CBS.
The Warner Bros. TV-produced project, written by Hannah Shakespeare and to be directed by Christopher Chulack, centers on a mobile team of volunteer doctors led by a driven visionary (Spacek) that travels the world and the U.S. helping those in need.
Deeply committed to her work, Spacek's character, originally envisioned as a man, works around the clock, and expects her team to do likewise. Complicating things is her own cancer diagnosis, which requires agonizing chemo treatments at regular intervals, as well as her physician daughter's (Rachelle Lefevre) decision to join the team.
This is the second major drama pilot this season whose lead character's gender was switched to male to female for an Oscar-winning actress.
The curmudgeonly lawyer at the center of David E. Kelley's "Kindreds," also from WBTV, was conceived as a man, Harry Korn, but became Harriet when Bates came on board.
The name of the lead character on the CBS medical drama pilot will similarly be changed from Adrian to Adrianne for Spacek.
Spacek is coming off a strong arc on HBO's drama "Big Love."

SPY HUNTER
Variety reports that Warner Bros. Pictures is developing a big screen adaptation of Midway Games' SPY HUNTER with Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes) and Roy Lee of Vertigo producing.
The story follows a highly-trained spy hunter whose job it is to eliminate rogue spies when they become liabilities to their governments. Chad St. John is set to write the script.
The project was previously set up at Universal, where John Woo and Paul W.S. Anderson were attached to direct at various points and Dwayne Johnson was attached to star.
Warner Bros. picked up most of Midway's assets in bankruptcy court last summer for $33 million, giving the studio rights to "Mortal Kombat," "Spy Hunter," "Joust" and several other game franchises.

TRANSFORMERS 3 UPDATE
Michael Bay has made a big announcement about Transformers 3 on his official website! He writes:
Hey, it's been a long time since I've posted. Just been a little busy.
Transformers 3 has been going very well. We are going to shoot in LA, Chicago, Washington DC, Florida, Texas, Africa, Moscow, and China. On the talent front, we just locked in Frances McDormand and John Malkovich. Both amazing actors I've always wanted to work with. We also just got Ken Jeong, he is the super funny actor stuck in the trunk from “Hangover” and the Doctor from “Knocked Up.”
We start shooting pre-shoots in about one month.
I also was at a Ferrari charity event this week raising money for a hospital being built by Ferrari in Haiti. I announced that night the newest Autobot to join Transformers: the Ferrari 458 Italia.
I also want to thank everyone on this site that donated to the Make -A-Wish charity. We raised $20,000 which I will personally be matching. This is a great charity where they make wishes come true for kids who are very ill. We have had many Kids from Make-A-Wish visit us on our Transformers sets and this time we will be posting video of their visits on Transformers 3.

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2010

ROCK THE HOUSE
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Hallmark Channel is looking to ROCK THE HOUSE, greenlighting an original movie toplined by "Heroes" star Jack Coleman.
Just as in "Heroes," in which Coleman's character is involved in a complicated father-daughter relationship with Claire (Hayden Panettiere), ROCK, which co-stars Cassi Thomson ("Big Love"), centers on a strained father-daughter relationship.
Coleman stars as Dave Peterson, a career-driven attorney who barely spends time with his teenage daughter, Karen (Thomson).
But when Dave opens up his 25th high school reunion invitation to see photos of himself, he begins reconnecting with old friends, including members of his high school band, the Groaners, and starts spending more time with Karen while putting his career on hold.
ROCK has begun production for a premiere next year. Larry Levinson is executive producing with Lincoln Lageson; Erik Helberg is producing. Ernie Barbarash directs from a script by Joe Woolf.
"Heroes," which has been sliding in the ratings, wrapped its fourth season, and its future is up in the air.

CAMELOT COMING TO STARZ
Chris Albrecht is building CAMELOT at Starz. In its first series order since Albrecht took the reins as president and CEO, the pay cabler has greenlighted a contemporary retelling of the Arthurian legend from a producing team that encompasses four countries -- the U.S., U.K., Ireland and Canada -- and is led by Oscar-winning producer Graham King and THE TUDORS masterminds Morgan O'Sullivan and Michael Hirst.
The 10-episode CAMELOT, slated to premiere in first-half 2011, marks the first project from King's recently launched GK-TV. It uses Thomas Malory's 15th century compilation, "Le Morte d'Arthur," often considered the definitive work on the legend of King Arthur, as a starting point for a take on the tale that looks to weave authenticity into a narrative relatable to contemporary audiences.
"The story of Arthur isn't history, it's mythology, and Camelot isn't a place but an idea of hope that has resonated at different times throughout history," Albrecht said. He called "Camelot" "a highly entertaining and distinctly original TV program that fits in perfectly with our lineup." That includes the breakout original hit "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," the returning comedy "Party Down" and the recently acquired eight-part miniseries based on Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth."
Described as a romantic adventure series, CAMELOT is being written by British TV scribe Chris Chibnall ("Torchwood").
Casting is under way for CAMELOT, which will start production in June in Ireland, where "Tudors" and HBO's upcoming "Game of Thrones" also are filmed. Postproduction will be done in Canada.
The goal with the series is "to tell the universal story of Camelot on a global scale," he said. The project reunites O'Sullivan with Albrecht, who worked together during the latter's tenure as head of HBO. Chibnall, who was head writer on "Torchwood" and showrunner on "Law & Order: UK," has ties to the Camelot legend. In 2005, he developed a fantasy series involving the mythical magician Merlin for the BBC.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND easily topped the domestic box office for a third straight weekend, earning an estimated $34.5 million to bring its total to $265.8 million. The film also topped the overseas box office a third time with $47 million, bringing its total to $300 million. Made for $200 million, the Walt Disney Pictures release has reached $565.8 million worldwide. Playing in 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters, the film stars Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Mia Wasikowska, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Christopher Lee, Paul Whitehouse and Barbara Windsor.
20th Century Fox's adaptation of Jeff Kinney's best-selling illustrated novel DIARY OF A WIMPY KID opened in second place to $21.8 million from 3,077 theaters, an average of $7,085 per site. Directed by Thor Freudenthal, the $15 million family comedy stars Zachary Gordon, Chloe Moretz, Steve Zahn, Rachael Harris, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick and Grayson Russell.
Following close in third was Columbia Pictures' THE BOUNTY HUNTER, starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. The action-comedy earned $21 million from 3,074 theaters. Averaging $6,831 per theater, the film was made for about $40 million.
Universal Pictures' REPO MEN bombed out of the gate in fourth place, collecting just $6.2 million from 2,521 locations. Produced for $32 million, the futuristic action-thriller stars Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Liev Schreiber, RZA, Alice Braga and Carice van Houten.
Rounding out the top five was DreamWorks' SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE, which dropped a reasonable 38.5% in ticket sales and added $6 million its second weekend for a total of $19.95 million, slightly below its production costs of $20 million.
Universal's GREEN ZONE suffered a drop of 58.3% its second weekend in sixth place. Directed by Paul Greengrass, the Matt Damon-starrer has earned just $24.7 million compared to its budget of $100 million.
In seventh place, Martin Scorsese's SHUTTER ISLAND made $4.8 million to bring the psychological thriller's total to $115.8 million. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the film cost about $80 million to make.
In its 14th weekend in theaters, James Cameron's AVATAR earned another $4 million to push its domestic total to $736.9 million. Internationally, the film added $13 million to take its foreign sum to $1.937 billion. Worldwide, the #1 film of all time has reached $2.673 billion!
There were also some notable limited releases. Apparition opened THE RUNAWAYS in 244 theaters where it earned $803,000, an average of $3,291 per site, and Warner Bros.' HUBBLE 3D debuted in 39 IMAX theaters in which it collected $453,000, an average of $11,615. The film that impressed the most out of the limited releases was Noah Baumbach's GREENBERG, starring Ben Stiller, which earned $120,432 from just three theaters - that's an average of $40,144 per location. Also, Anchor Bay released CITY ISLAND in two theaters in which it made $35,000.

BLANK SLATE
The Hollywood Reporter informs us that Bold Films has acquired BLANK SLATE, an action thriller script from Doug Cook and David Weisberg, the writing team behind The Rock and Double Jeopardy.
The project involves the CIA which, in order to investigate a murdered female agent, implants the agent's memories into the damaged brain of a female convict. The agent's lethal abilities also are implanted, and soon the convict goes rogue to discover the truth about the murder.
Bold recently financed and produced LEGION.

SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2010

FARSCAPE CELEBRATION
For those who loved FARSCAPE on Syfy, here is a clip from John Crichton's first adventure through the wormhole when the series debuted on Australia's Nine Network March 19, 1999. There are two early teaser trailers Oz audiences saw, at least one of which clearly aired before Farscape began. See the other one at http://scifiwire.com/2010/03/farscapes-11-today-watch.php#more.

FLASH FORWARD RETURNS
Thursday's two-hour return of ABC's sci-fi drama FlashForward had the show's lowest ratings yet, partly because of competition from basketball playoffs on CBS.
Here's the news on The Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed blog:
The two-hour "FlashForward" (6.6 million viewers, 1.9 preliminary adults 18-49 rating) was down 10% from its last original episode back in December. If the show continues to perform at this level, the ABC drama's next blackout might be the show winking off the air. It's kind of a shame; last night's episode—"Revelation Zero," parts one and two— kicked the narrative into high gear, with many reveals and lots of action and suspense. br> The show's prospects for a second season are not good, though Canadian SF writer Robert J. Sawyer—on whose book the show is based—remains sanguine. In a post on his Facebook page, the author wrote:
On the other hand, my Hollywood agent, who is much more savvy about these things than I am, just emailed to say he thinks FLASHFORWARD still has a good shot at a second season, despite last night's ratings—and it's certainly true that a lot of very-high-level conversations have been going on at ABC lately on that topic. Fingers crossed!
ABC will repeat the 2-hour return episode tonight - in case you missed it on Thursday. FlashFoward airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

STAR WARS TV SERIES
The Chicago Tribune reports that work is progressing on the series, with writers working on scripts for the proposed first season.
... Lucas and executive producer Rick McCallum want all the scripts for the show's first season to be completed before production begins.
"They are working with writers on scripts," a Lucasfilm representative said in response to a query. "They won't set a production date [for Season 1] until the scripts are done."
But work on the unnamed show's scripts appears to be at an advanced stage—which isn't surprising, considering the writing of the live-action show began two years ago.
The show would be set between the eras of Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope, will not feature any major characters from the film series and is rumored to be in preproduction in Australia, though none of that is officially confirmed.
The show is being developed independently by Lucasfilm with writers from all over the world and has not found a home on any TV network yet.
As for casting?
"They met with people in several countries (including Australia) early on but they are not currently casting. They are not going to start casting until the scripts are completed," according to the Lucasfilm rep.

Clash of the Titans Exclusive Clip

| CLASH OF THE TITANS
Warner Bros. Pictures has released two clips from director Louis Leterrier's CLASH OF THE TITANS, opening in 3D and 2D theaters on April 2. The anticipated film stars Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Danny Huston, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Jason Flemyng, Alexa Davalos, Izabella Miko, Nicholas Hoult and Pete Postlethwaite.

FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
Bryan Singer, who made comic-book movies cool with the first X-Men movie, is returning to the franchise with the prequel X-Men: First Class, and he's talking about it for the first time.
The movie will deal with the early relationship between Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr/Magneto and the early days of the Xavier Academy, Singer told the Los Angeles Times:
... a prequel to the 2000 film that shares its name with the eight-issue comics series that began in 2006 and was written by Jeff Parker with art by Roger Cruz.
Singer says the film will find its axis in the relationship between Professor X and Magneto and the point where their friendship soured. It will also detail the beginning of the school for mutants and have younger incarnations of some characters with new actors in roles of Cyclops, Jean Grey, the Beast, etc. (He only shrugged when asked if Hugh Jackman might appear as Wolverine, the one character who doesn't age at the same rate as humans.)
The premise has compelling elements to it, Singer said. "Just doing younger mutants is not enough. The story needs to be more than that. I love the relationship between Magneto and Xavier, these two men who have diametrically opposite points of view but still manage to be friends -- to a point. They are the ultimate frenemies."

DIBBUK BOX
Lionsgate will make DIBBUK BOX, a supernatural thriller a la The Shining, which will be written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White and produced by Ghost House Pictures partners Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, Deadline Hollywood reported; the film, based on a true story, comes from a Los Angeles Times story about a family with a haunted box and an evil curse.

DARK FIELDS
Australian actress Abbie Cornish (the upcoming Sucker Punch) will star in Neil Burger's sci-fi movie DARK FIELDS alongside Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, The Playlist reported; the movie deals with a writer (Cooper) who uses a brain-enhancing drug whose side effects include sanity-splitting headaches, spontaneous blackouts and violent outbursts.

ROCKFORD FILES REMAKE
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Beau Bridges is set to co-star opposite Dermot Mulroney on NBC's ROCKFORD FILES reboot.
ROCKFORD, written and executive produced by HOUSE creator David Shore and executive produced by Steve Carell, stars Mulroney as roguish private detective Jim Rockford.
Bridges will play his father and closest friend, Rocky, a truck driver for thirty years who always helps his son in a tough situation, though he tends to offer a commentary that Jim doesn't always appreciate. Noah Beery, Jr. played the role on the original series.
ROCKFORD marks Bridges return to NBC where he recently played the father of another title character on comedy series MY NAME IS EARL. On the show, he played Earl's (Jason Lee) dad Carl, earning an Emmy nomination for his recurring turn.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010

RIDE ALONG
The Hollywood Reporter writes that "Brotherhood" star Jason Clarke has been tapped as the lead in "Ride-Along," Shawn Ryan's cop drama pilot for Fox.
"Ride-Along," set and to be filmed in Chicago, centers on Chicago born-and-bred Detective Jarek Wysocki (Clarke), one of the city's toughest cops. He is a local legend and outsized character with a wicked sense of humor who struggles to clean up the town's violence and corruption.
The casting could bring the two stars of Showtime's critical darling "Brotherhood," Clarke and Jason Isaacs, back together. Isaacs headlines another Fox/20th TV drama pilot, "Pleading Guilty."
Clarke, who next appears in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," recently wrapped the indies "Trust" and "Yelling to the Sky."

DREAM HOUSE
EVERWOOD fans will be glad to hear that Gregory Smith, has booked three movie roles.
He has joined the cast of "Dream House," the Daniel Craig-Naomi Watts thriller that Jim Sheridan is directing for Morgan Creek.
Smith also will star in Canadian indie "Whirligig" and then segue to "Conception," an indie that will shoot in Los Angeles.
In "House" -- a psychological thriller about a man (Craig) who moves his family into what appears to be the perfect home but turns out to be the scene of the murder of a mother and her two children -- Smith plays a punk rocker obsessed with the case. The movie is shooting in Toronto and will be distributed by Universal.
"Whirligig," directed by Chaz Thorne and shooting in Halifax, Canada, sees Smith as a young man who hits rock bottom and returns home to live with his parents. He find comfort with his married neighbor, and when he befriends the woman's adopted 12-year old Vietnamese son, family secrets are revealed.
"Conception," directed and written by Josh Stolberg ("Sorority Row," "Good Luck Chuck"), follows nine couples as they grapple with sex, love and pregnancy. Smith enters a relationship with a divorced woman (Julie Bowen) who has a child. Shooting is to begin this month.

SMURFS NEWS
According to Entertainment Weekly, Hank Azaria ("The Simpsons") will voice evil sorcerer Gargamel in Sony's THE SMURFS.
The magazine also says that Jayma Mays ("Glee") will play the pregnant wife to Neil Patrick Harris' character. The film centers on the happy expectant couple's lives being turned upside-down upon meeting these blue creatures. The movie will take place in New York City's Central Park and is set to begin production next month.
Jonathan Winters, who voiced multiple characters on the long-running Hanna-Barbera cartoon version of SMURFS, will play Papa Smurf. Katy Perry will portray Smurfette, Alan Cumming is taking on Gutsy Smurf and George Lopez is onboard as Grouchy Smurf.
The studio is targeting a August 3, 2011 release.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010

SCARE TACTICS BACK FOR ANOTHER SEASON
Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan, who's been hosting the hidden-camera show SCARE TACTICS for three seasons, adds a new title to his resume—executive producer—as Syfy picks up a fourth season. Here's an excerpt from the official announcement:
ACTOR/COMEDIAN, TRACY MORGAN RETURNS AS HOST AND FIRST TIME EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF SYFY'S HIDDEN CAMERA REALITY SERIES, SCARE TACTICS
The Fourth Season of Production Begins This Spring On 13-Episode Pick-Up Order- Series Premiere To Kick Off Fall 2010
New York, New York - March 16, 2010 - Syfy returns with the frighteningly funny fourth season of the hit hidden camera reality series, Scare Tactics. Actor/comedian, Tracy Morgan (30 Rock, Cop Out, SNL) is on series double duty this new season as host and executive producer for the half-hour, 13-episode pick-up order, it was announced today by Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Syfy. Scare Tactics begins production this spring and is scheduled to premiere fall 2010.
"We're ecstatic to be bringing back Scare Tactics for another season to all our die-hard Syfy reality fans," said Stern. "Tracy has his finger on the pulse when it comes to comedy and having him on board as executive producer just adds another layer to the huge success of our show."
Set-up by friends and loved ones, unsuspecting victims are placed into elaborately staged scary situations involving movie-style special effects and makeup. The horror hoaxes are skillfully designed to tap into the wildest fears of the prank's prey. Viewers laugh along to the hilarious reactions of the show's "stars" as they are caught off guard and on camera. Scott Hallock and Kevin Healey of Hallock Healey Entertainment are the executive producers and creators of Scare Tactics.

SANCTUARY BEGINS PRODUCTION ON SEASON THREE
In December, Syfy picked up SANCTUARY for a third season with a 20-episode order. Production began on Monday. Here is a portion of the Syfy announcement:
SYFY'S SANCTUARY BEGINS PRODUCTION ON SEASON 3
New York, NY - March 16, 2010 - Syfy's groundbreaking hit original series SANCTUARY, commenced production on its third season in Vancouver on March 15. The one-hour drama's 20-episode season is slated to return to Syfy this fall.
SANCTUARY is one of television's most groundbreaking series, shooting almost entirely on green screen. The series was the first television series in North America to use the RED camera exclusively, and its stunning visual effects were nominated for a 2008 Emmy Award.
Season three picks up from the adrenaline-fueled action of season two, which raised the stakes for the brilliant scientist Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) and her team, who use their unique combination of instinct, medicine and cutting-edge science and technology to find and aid a clandestine population of beings that the world refuses to believe exist. SANCTUARY also stars Robin Dunne as forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman, Agam Darshi as the quick-witted Kate Freelander, Ryan Robbins as tech wiz Henry Foss and Christopher Heyerdahl as the sinister John Druitt.
Created by Damian Kindler (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis), SANCTUARY is produced in association with Syfy and is distributed by Tricon Films and Television. Season three of the series will be executive produced by Damian Kindler, Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood, Keith Beedie and Tricon Films.

ER MEETS BATTLESTAR
The Hollywood Reporter writes that ER alum Goran Visnjic is in negotiations to star opposite Katee Sackhoff (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, 24) in the ABC drama pilot BOSTON'S FINEST, which also has cast Nia Long.
FINEST centers on a detective (Katee Sackhoff) who teams with a disgraced ex-cop (Visnjic) to solve crimes and untangle the conspiracy that sent him underground. Long, repped by Gersh and Hyphenate's Glenn Rigberg, will play her friend, mentor and partner.
Following his nine-year stint on ER playing Dr. Luka Kovac, Visnjic co-starred in the 2009 CBS movie "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler."

THE HOBBIT BEGINS SHOOTING IN JUNE
Ian McKellen, who is returning as Gandalf in the two films based on J. R. R. Tolkien's THE HOBBIT, has confirmed a report from earlier this year about the start of filming on his official website. The site says: THE HOBBIT's, two films, start shooting in New Zealand in June. Filming will take over a year. Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started. The script too proceeds. The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth.
Guillermo del Toro will direct the two highly-anticipated films.

VAMPS
Sigourney Weaver (Avatar) will play a vampire queen in writer/director Amy Heckerling's romantic horror- comedy VAMPS.
The modern-day story focuses on beautiful young vampires (Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter) who are living the good nightlife in New York until love enters the picture and each has to make a choice that will jeopardize their immortality.
Weaver is set to play Ciccerus, the bloodthirsty vampire who turned the two ladies into creatures of the night. Filming is scheduled to start in late April.

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2010

EUREKA NEWS
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's" James Callis will be back on Syfy later this year as a regular on EUREKA.
Production on EUREKA's fourth season begins this week, with Callis joining returning regulars Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Erica Cerra, Joe Mortan, Niall Matter and Neil Grayston. Callis will play a character named Dr. Grant, a former Eureka resident whose return to the town sets people on edge. He also has a thing for Allison (Richardson-Whitfield), which causes friction with Sheriff Carter (Ferguson).
Callis, who played Gaius Baltar on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, will also be seen in a guest arc on ABC's FLASH FORWARD later this season.

REAL STEEL
The nationwide search for Hugh Jackman's Real Steel co-star didn't turn up a talented unknown to fill the part of Jackman's son in DreamWorks' robot-boxing movie after all.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the role has gone to 11-year-old Canadian actor Dakota Goyo, who previously appeared with Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett in 2007's RESURRECTING THE CHAMP.
The sci-fi movie is based on a story by Richard Matheson that director Shawn Levy has described as "a father/son action drama set in the near future, surrounding the sport of robot boxing." In a world where robot boxing has replaced the human version, a former boxer gets a shot at redemption when he teams up with his long-lost son to train an unusual robot for a shot at the championships.
Production on REAL STEEL will begin in June, with Disney set to release the film on Nov. 18, 2011.

GRAVITY
CHILDREN OF MEN's Alfonso Cuaron is looks to get his 3-D space film GRAVITY off the ground, deadline.com reported.
Robert Downey, Jr. is negotiating a deal to star as the leader of a team posted at a remote space station who is traveling outside the station with a female colleague when the other team members are killed by debris from an exploded satellite.
Downey was attracted to the project for a chance to work with Cuaron, who also directed Y tu mama tambien. Downey will shoot the film in London this summer, finishing in time to re-team with director Guy Ritchie and Jude Law in the SHERLOCK HOLMES sequel that will shoot in early fall, also in London.
Cuaron wrote the script , which had originally been developed at Universal with the intention of having Jolie play the female role, with his son, Jonas. Much of the film was to be devoted to Jolie's struggle to get back to Earth and her daughter. But Jolie passed on the project around the time Universal cut it loose, and it will now be co-financed by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures.

SYFY AND THREE INCHES
Syfy has greenlighted a pilot that puts a spin on the traditional superhero genre and seeks to continue growing its "Battlestar Galactica" empire.
The network has ordered a 90-minute pilot, THREE INCHES, from Fox Television Studios, writer Harley Peyton ("Twin Peaks") and executive producer Bob Cooper. It centers on an underachiever who gains the power to move any object using his mind, but only for a distance of three inches. He recruits a team of fellow heroes, each with their own less-than-spectacular abilities.
" THREE INCHES is a fun, smart, offbeat spin on the superhero genre," Syfy executive vp development Mark Stern said. "It's a very postmodern approach, with a really wonderful, tongue-in-cheek script."
Added David Madden, executive vp at Fox TV Studios, "We felt there was something special and particularly twisted about this script, both in tone and in its sense of imagination."
The network hopes to at least pick up one of its two pilots. The other, ALPHAS, also is about a team with superpowers.

CAPRICA/BATTLESTAR NEWS
Syfy also is seeking to expand its popular "Battlestar" franchise.
When asked about the chances of its modestly performing spinoff "Caprica" getting a renewal, Syfy executive vp for development Mark Stern was bullish. He pointed to the show recently hitting a series high in the adult demographic using Live+7 ratings, drawing 1.6 million viewers and 913,000 adults 18-49.
"We have a lot of hope for that show," Stern said. "The (DVR data) has been very promising and growing week after week."
The network also is looking to order another "Battlestar"-related project. Details were slim, but Stern said the title would mark a return to the franchise's space-opera roots.
"We're looking for other ways to spin off 'Battlestar' beyond 'Caprica,' " he said. "That world is so rich. We're sitting down with (executive producer) Ron Moore and his team. It would not necessarily be a traditional series."
With Syfy's upfront scheduled for Tuesday, media buyers likely will receive added clarity on the network's plans. Until then, there's one project that Stern adamantly refused to discuss, a title so notorious, the Syfy executive would not divulge any hints about its content.

THE TOURIST
Variety reports that Paul Bettany and Rufus Sewell have joined Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's romantic thriller THE TOURIST, which is shooting in Venice, Italy.
The Columbia Pictures release revolves around Frank (Depp), an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. Elise (Jolie) is an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path. Frank pursues a potential romance but soon finds himself the pursued as he and Elise are caught in a whirlwind of intrigue and danger.
THE TOURIST is produced by GK Films in association with Spyglass, and is produced by Graham King, Tim Headington, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Jonathan Glickman.
Julian Fellowes, Christopher McQuarrie and Jeffrey Nachmanoff wrote the script.

EXISTENCE 2.0
According to HeatVision.com, Paramount has picked up the film rights to Image comic book EXISTENCE 2.0, with Miles Millar and Alfred Gough attached to adapt.
The title, written by Nick Spencer with art by Ronald Salas, centers on an amoral, self-absorbed physicist who finds his consciousness transferred into the body of the hitman who just killed him. He begins enjoying the hitman's lifestyle until his daughter is kidnapped by the same people who "killed" him.
Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller's Platinum Dunes is producing with Circle of Confusion's David Alpert. Gough and Millar are executive producing, as is Circle of Confusion's Rick Jacobs.

MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2010

To relive some of the opening segments of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, use this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k55NuWQCh78&feature=player_embedded

24
Rumors are that the clock may be running out for 24 at Fox, but there's a new rumor that beleaguered NBC is considering picking it up for a ninth season.
That's what Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello reports:
Multiple sources confirm to me exclusively that 20th Century Fox has approached NBC about picking up the series should Fox opt to cancel it—and the Peacock is considering it. "There's definitely some interest," says an insider close to the talks. ...
A move to NBC—while still considered somewhat of a long shot given the hefty price tag—would likely delay 20th's plans to launch a Jack Bauer film franchise.
Earlier this week, Variety speculated that other networks would be unlikely to pick up the show because of its dwindling ratings and rising production costs.

GREEN LANTERN UPDATE
Kiwi filmmaker/actor Taika Waititi and Kiwi actor Temuera Morrison, Jango Fett from the "Star Wars" movies, have joined the cast of Warner Bros. Pictures' Green Lantern.
Production begins this week in New Orleans on the 3D feature, which has Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye) directing Ryan Reynolds as the superhero.
Waititi plays the best friend of Hal Jordan, the test pilot who comes to wear the super-powered ring of the interplanetary police force known as the Green Lantern Corps.
Morrison is playing Abin Sur, a member of the Corps who is instrumental in Jordan becoming the superhero. The studio has set a June 17, 2011 release the comic book adaptation.

STARGATE UNIVERSE
The first photos and trailer for the second half of the first season of the "Stargate" spin-off have gone online. The photos can be found at Daemon's TV while the preview is here. The remaining ten episodes of SGU's initial season kicks off at 9pm on Syfy on Friday, April 2nd.

THE LEDGE
Christopher Gorham from UGLY BETTY is the latest to climb up on THE LEDGE.
He joins Charlie Hunnam, Terrence Howard, Liv Tyler and Patrick Wilson in writer-director Matthew Chapman's suspense thriller. The film tells the story of a man (Hunnam) standing on a high-rise ledge who insists he must jump by noon as the policeman below (Howard) tries to manage the situation. Gorham will play the distraught man's roommate, a television editor.
Michael Mailer ("Loverboy") and Foresight Unlimited's Mark Damon ("Monster") are producing the film, which began shooting last week in Baton Rouge, La. Howard, Moshe Diamant, Bobby Ranghelov and Tamara Stuparich De La Barra are exec producers.
Gorham next appears in the features "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend," "Trivial Pursuits" and "Somebody's Hero." He also stars opposite Piper Perabo in the USA series "Covert Affairs," which premieres during the summer. Gorham has been a regular on the series "Popular," "Felicity," "Jake 2.0" and "Harper's Island."

SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2010

THE CAPE
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Summer Glau, from TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES and FIREFLY and DOLLHOUSE, has joined THE CAPE.
In the pilot, directed by Simon West, a former cop (David Lyons) is set up as a criminal and becomes a masked hero, the Cape, to clear his name.
Glau will play Orwell, a cute and intrepid investigative blogger who fearlessly goes after corrupt cops and costumed bad guys.
For those of us accustomed to Glau kicking butt and taking names, we're assured there'll be plenty of that as well.

RIVERWORLD
Syfy has set an April 18 premiere date for Syfy's upcoming four-hour TV movie RIVERWORLD, which will air in one block starting at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
The movie, starring Battlestar Galactica's Tahmoh Penikett and V's Laura Vandervoort, is based on the books by Philip José Farmer and takes place on a world where everyone who has ever lived on Earth is resurrected simultaneously in an unusual afterlife.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Disney’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND remained atop all newcomers on Friday, ringing estimated $17.4 million in domestic coin, as Tim Burton’s 3D fantasy began what is sure to be a repeat No. 1 performance at the weekend boxoffice.
The pic’s bodacious Friday boxoffice suggests a soph-session tally of $60 million or more for the Johnny Depp starrer, which rung up $116 million last weekend. A modest drop of less than 50% this frame would see ALICE soaring noth of $200 million in cumulative b.o. through Sunday.
Four wide openers this session marked sluggish starts Friday.
Universal opened Paul Greengrass’ GREEN ZONE with $5 million in Friday b.o. That was the second-highest tally among daily grossers, but the so-so sum reinforces a sense that the Iraq War thriller will be limited to the mid-teen millions for the weekend.
Elsewhere among the market entrants, Summit Entertainment’s Robert Pattinson starrer REMEMBER ME debuted in third place with $3.6 million. That was roughly in line with modest pre-release expectations for the romantic drama this weekend.
Paramount’s romantic comedy SHE'“SS OUT OF MY LEAGUE wooed $3.3 million in fourth place in its first day of release, while Fox Searchlight’s Forest Whitaker starrer “Our Family Wedding” fetched $2.5 million in fifth.

FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2010

FIREFLY MEETS ROCKFORD FILES
Ex-FIREFLY star and Joss Whedon regular Alan Tudyk has signed on to NBC's remake of THE ROCKFORD FILES. Tudyk, who had recurring roles on Whedon's FOX series DOLLHOUSE and ABC's V earlier this season, will star opposite Dermot Mulroney in the pilot. He'll play Dennis Becker, an LAPD detective who gets along with private eye Rockford -- which makes him a rarity on the force, according to The Hollywood Reporter. HOUSE creator David Shore is behind the new show.
Joe Santos played Becker alongside James Garner's Rockford in the 1970s series.
Tudyk is the second DOLLHOUSE alumnus to join an NBC pilot this season. Fran Kranz, who played Topher on the show, will be one of the stars of the network's comedy FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS.
In addition to FIREFLY (and its followup movie "Serenity"), Tudyk's credits include "Knocked Up," "3:10 to Yuma" and "I, Robot."

CAPTAIN AMERICA VILLAIN NAMED
The Hollywood Reporter writes that while the title character in THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA remains to be cast, the villain seems a lock: Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings, The Matrix) is the choice of Marvel Studios to play the Red Skull. The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog says:
In the Marvel comics, Red Skull has been Captain America's archenemy since 1941, when he engaged in espionage and sabotage as Hitler's right-hand man. In his final battle with the superhero, he was buried under the rubble of a bombed building but—as would occur later with Captain America—fell into a state of suspended animation. Both were revived in modern times.
Weaving just worked with Johnston in The Wolfman and is no stranger to villain parts, having played the nefarious Agent Smith in the Matrix films.

SHARKTOPUS
Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Eric Roberts will star in the new Syfy Saturday Original Movie SHARKTOPUS, produced by cult movie legend (and recipient of an Honorary 2010 Oscar) Roger Corman.
SHARKTOPUS (scheduled to premiere later in 2010) is about a research scientist (Roberts) and his daughter, who develop a secret military weapon—a hybrid shark/octopus that can be controlled by electrical implants. But when the controls break down, the monster goes on a killing rampage at the resort beaches of Mexico.
Roberts received Golden Globe nominations for his starring roles in King of the Gypsies (1978) and Star 80 (1983), and was nominated for the 1985 Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in the film RUNAWAY TRAIN. Roberts also appeared in THE DARK KNIGHT as Sal Maroni, the Gotham City Mafia boss who hires the Joker to killer Batman.
On television, Roberts co-starred in the ABC sitcom LESS THAN PERFECT and made guest appearances on HEROES, CSI: MIAMI, LAW & ORDER: SVU and THE L WORD.
Roger Corman is the legendary director and producer of numerous low-budget cult classics, among them It Conquered the World, Little Shop of Horrors, House of Usher, Pit and the Pendulum, Premature Burial, The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, The Wild Angels and The Trip.
SHARKTOPUS is produced by Roger Corman and Julie Corman and directed by Declan O'Brien (Wrong Turn 3, Cyclops, Monster Ark, Rock Monster).

MIDLAND
The Hollywood Reporter informs us that Jon Voight has signed on as a lead in Fox's drama pilot MIDLAND. This is his first regular TV series role.
David Keith also landed co-starring role on the pilot, directed by Marc Webb.
MIDLAND from 20th TV, centers on Bob (Jimmy Wolk), a con artist juggling two lives in two Texas cities with two women (Adrianne Palicki, Eloise Mumford), one of whom (Palicki), is the daughter of a Texas legend (Voight), described as a gravely voiced titan equally at home in boots or a three-piece suit.
On TV, Oscar winner Voight most recently did an arc on the seventh season of "24," also a Fox/20th series, as villain Jonas Hodges.
Veteran Keith will play Bob's con-man father, who groomed his son to follow in his footsteps.

TRUE GRIT UPDATE
Barry Pepper has signed to play "Lucky" Ned Pepper in the Coen brothers' TRUE GRIT. The character was played by Robert Duvall in the 1969 original.
Pepper is joining a cast that includes Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Hailee Steinfeld.
Ethan and Joel Coen will direct from their adapted script. Scott Rudin is producing with the Coens and Steven Spielberg is executive producer.

NINJA ASSASSIN COMING MARCH 16
Warner Bros. will release NINJA ASSASSIN on March 16. A young ninja turns his back on orphanage that raised him, leading to a confrontation with a fellow ninja from the clan. The screenplay was written by Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski (BABYLON 5). More information about the video can be found in the DVD section of this page.

THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2010

TRON MONORAILS IN DISNEY WORLD
Disney will paint its Disney World monorails with light cycles from its upcoming TRON LEGACY movie in an effort to cross-promote the upcoming movie.
The repainted monorails will feature snazzy versions of the new generation light cycles from the upcoming 3-D sequel to the classic 1982 sci-fi movie.
Disney Parks posted this description:
The transformed trains will be visible on the Epcot monorail line as early as this month. And if you look close, you'll notice that the design of the futuristic motorcycle-like vehicles from the upcoming film TRON: LEGACY also includes walls of trailing colored light.
TRON LEGACY opens Dec. 17.

Walt Disney Pictures has provided us with a new billboard for Tron Legacy, opening in 3D theaters and IMAX 3D on December 17. You can get a bigger version of the billboard by clicking on the image below (and save it to your desktop in the gallery for an even larger version).

DA VINCI PROJECT
Warner Bros. is turning Leonardo Da Vinci into an action-adventure hero.
The studio has picked up a treatment titled "Leonardo da Vinci and the Soldiers of Forever" from producer Adrian Askarieh, who is teaming with Vertigo's Roy Lee and Doug Davison.
Da Vinci is best known as the painter behind "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper," though he also was an inventor, engineer, architect, mathematician among many other occupations. The project re-imagines Da Vinci as a member of a secret society who falls headlong into a supernatural adventure that pits the man against Biblical demons in a story involving secret codes, lost civilizations, hidden fortresses and fallen angels. Think "National Treasure" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" by way of "Clash of the Titans."
Askarieh, who is producing via his Prime Universe banner, came up with the original idea and wrote the treatment, with a search for a writer now under way.
Jon Berg is overseeing for Warners.
In the wake of the worldwide success of "Sherlock Holmes," Warners seems eager to make more projects involving a period setting, a historical figure and the fantastical. Last week, the studio picked up a pitch that has Francis Lawrence attached to direct a supernatural tale featuring explorer Marco Polo, and it's back in business with "Holmes" director Guy Ritchie on a King Arthur project.

J. EDGAR HOOVER BIOPIC
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Clint Eastwood will next direct a biopic of controversial FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment will produce.
Hoover was the first Director of the FBI of the United States. He was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972. Hoover is credited with building the FBI into a large and efficient crime-fighting agency, and with instituting a number of modern innovations to police technology, such as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories.
Late in life, and after his death, Hoover became an increasingly controversial figure. His critics have accused him of exceeding the jurisdiction of the FBI.
Dustin Lance Black (Milk) wrote the script.

PROTECTION
Variety reports that Gary Fleder will direct the thriller PROTECTION for 20th Century Fox. John Davis is producing via his Fox-based Davis Entertainment.
The story centers on a college professor who investigates the disappearance of his wife and daughter and who must confront authorities at the Witness Protection Program to find them.
Mark Bomback has been brought on board to rewrite the script, which was an original spec from Allan Loeb.

PRINCE OF PERSIA
Walt Disney Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer Films have announced plans to release its epic action-adventure PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SAND OF TIME in IMAX theatres across the globe to coincide with the film's day-and-date worldwide release on May 28th 2010.
The film's limited international IMAX release will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of the larger screen format. The project will be the sixth feature of the Summer season currently set to score a IMAX release in at least some territories. Others presently listed on the IMAX website include IRON MAN 2, SHREK FOREVER AFTER, TOY STORY 3, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE and INCEPTION.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010

CAPTAIN AMERICA CASTING UPDATE
According to HEAT VISION and DEADLINE NEW YORK, Marvel Studios is looking seriously at Wilson Bethel (HBO's "Generation Kill," "The Young and the Restless"), Mike Vogel (Cloverfield), Chris Evans ("Fantastic Four" movies) and Garrett Hedlund (upcoming Tron Legacy) are reading for the role of CAPTAIN AMERICA, have tested or have received test offers.
Actors previously reported as testing including Krasinski, Michael Cassidy, Chace Crawford, Scott Porter and Patrick Flueger are no longer under consideration, say the sites. The part calls for a nine-picture deal, the second of which would be The Avengers.
To be directed by Joe Johnston, The First Avenger: Captain America is scheduled for a July 22, 2011 release.

TWILIGHT SAGA TRAILER COMING
The first trailer for Summit Entertainment's THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE will come online on Thursday morning at around 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST. The 90-second trailer's contents are being kept under tight wraps until its debut. Prior to this, on Wednesday, March 10 a 10-second teaser of that trailer will come online at about 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST. The full trailer for THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE can also be seen in theaters in front of Summit Entertainment's Remember Me, which also stars Robert Pattinson.
In THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between Edward and Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner reprise their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black. The film is directed by David Slade, based on the novel "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer, with a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg. The movie hits conventional theaters and IMAX on June 30, 2010.

OUR WILD LIFE
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Walter Salles (Dark Water, The Motorcycle Diaries) is in talks to direct OUR WILD LIFE, an animal drama from New Line/Warner Bros. being produced by Mandalay Pictures' Peter Guber and Cathy Schulman.
Previously known as "Peaceable Kingdom," the film is based on the true life and work of Dame Daphne Sheldrick, the leading animal conservationist in Kenya, who has devoted her life to preventing elephant extinction by endeavoring to save baby elephants left orphaned by war, poaching and culling.
Jeff Stockwell wrote the script.debut with "Dark Water" and recently directed a segment in the ensemble shorts feature "Paris, I Love You."

DARKEST HOUR
Deadline New York writes that Entertainment are teaming for the thriller THE DARKEST HOUR.
A more sci-fi spin on "28 Days Later" in tone, the story follows a group of kids struggling to survive somewhere in Russia after an alien invasion.
Chris Gorak ("Right at Your Door") directs from a script by Les Bohem and Jon Spaihts he re-wrote.
Timur Bekmambetov and Tom Jacobson will produce with filming kicking off in Russia in June.

MURDER MYSTERY
According to Variety, Kevin Macdonald is set to direct the whodunit MURDER MYSTERY, the first feature from production company Tower Hill Entertainment.
Tower Hill picked up James Vanderbilt's script from Disney, which put the project into turnaround. Vanderbilt ("Zodiac") is currently penning the next chapter in Sony's "Spider-Man" franchise.
MURDER MYSTERY revolves around an American couple honeymooning in Europe who are implicated when they witness a murder and wind up embroiled in interna-tional intrigue.
" 'Murder Mystery is pure entertainment. It's exciting, suspenseful and romantic," said Dix, who is Tower Hill's prexy of production.
Dix said MURDER MYSTERY will be shot on location across Europe, and that the film is now casting.
Macdonald, who past credits include "The Last King of Scotland" and "State of Play," is next in theaters with historical drama "The Eagle of the Ninth," which Focus Features releases in the U.S. on Sept. 24. Pic stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell and Mark Strong.

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2010

THOR ANNOUNCEMENT
Paramount and Marvel released the official synopsis and cast list for its upcoming THOR, starring Star Trek's Chris Hemsworth and Star Wars' Natalie Portman.
"THOR"
Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment Present
A Marvel Studios Production
A Kenneth Branagh Film
Co-Producers Craig Kyle Victoria Alonso
Executive Producers Louis D'Esposito Alan Fine Stan Lee David Maisel Patty Whitcher
Produced by Kevin Feige
Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Cast:
Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Clark Gregg, Colm Feore
Synopsis:
Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present the epic adventure, "Thor," which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. A beautiful, young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), has a profound effect on Thor, as she ultimately becomes his first love. It's while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.
Release: May 6th, 2011
CREDITS ARE NOT FINAL AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE

ARABIAN NIGHTS
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Liam Hemsworth, who co-stars in Disney's upcoming Miley Cyrus drama "The Last Song," is jumping into action-movie territory with ARABIAN NIGHTS.
The actor is in negotiations to star in Inferno Entertainment's 3D adventure directed by Chuck Russell.
Inferno's Bill Johnson is producing with Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray of Mayhem Pictures. ROAR also is producing.
Written by Russell and Barry P. Ambrose, the period epic centers on a young commander (Hemsworth) who, after his king is murdered in a coup, joins forces with Sinbad and Aladdin to rescue Queen Scheherazade.
An end-of-summer shoot is being eyed.
Hemsworth is a relative unknown who apart from the buzz he is generating from "Song" appeared in last year's "Knowing."
The deal also puts him in territory being tread by brother Chris Hemsworth, who is in production as the title character in Marvel's superhero action fantasy THOR.
Inferno is planning a year-end shoot for "The Grey," an action project starring Bradley Cooper and directed by Joe Carnahan. The company also is coming off the Sundance premiere of comedy "The Kids Are All Right" and the Berlin premiere of thriller "The Experiment."

COVERT AFFAIRS ADDS CAST MEMBER
According to the Hollywood Reporter, HEROES co-star Sendhil Ramamurthy is joining USA Network's new drama series COVERT AFFAIRS as a regular. The spy drama centers on Annie Walker (Piper Perabo), a multilingual CIA trainee unexpectedly promoted to field operative while reeling over a mysterious ex-boyfriend who appears to be of particular interest to her agency bosses.
Ramamurthy will play a CIA agent. He fills the void left by the departure of Eric Lively, who played a third-generation CIA agent in the pilot. However, this is not a straight recasting as Ramamurthy will play a new character.
He joins COVERT cast members Christopher Gorham, Peter Gallagher, Kari Matchett and Anne Dudek as well as Eion Bailey.
Ramamurthy first indicated that he may be done with HEROES in November when he was cast in a regular role on NBC's dramedy pilot REX but made a quick exit over a scheduling conflict.
Ramamurthy's character on HEROES, Mohinder Suresh, was key in the series' first couple of seasons, but his importance has gradually been scaled down. He also recently guest starred in an episode of another USA series, PSYCH.

TRON LEGACY
The teaser trailer for Tron Legacy that debuted in front of Alice in Wonderland this weekend is now online.
Tron Legacy is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that's unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the anticipated film hits 3D theaters and IMAX 3D on December 17.

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2010

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND killed the competition at the March 5 weekend box office, taking in an estimated $116.3 million domestically to set a new record.
Worldwide, the 3-D fantasy movie took in $210.3 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Even accounting for ticket-price inflation, that's the biggest-ever (domestic) opening in the first quarter of the year, easily beating the record of $83.8 million set by THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST in 2004.
In the 40 foreign territories where it opened simultaneously, ALICE IN WONDERLAND collected an additional $94 million. That's also a record for the biggest foreign opening in the winter or spring, Disney said.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Here is a new clip from DreamWorks Animation's HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, opening in 3D theaters and IMAX 3D on March 26th. Set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell, the action-comedy tells the story of Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), a Viking teenager who doesn't exactly fit in with his tribe's longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup's world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges he and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view.
The voice cast also includes Gerard Butler, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller.

SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2010

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Plenty of moviegoers followed Alice down the rabbit hole on Friday as Disney's 3D ALICE IN WONDERLAND opened to an estimated of $41 million. Setting up shop in 3,728 theaters, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's PG-rated revisionist take on the Lewis Carroll classic, is on track to climb above the $110 million mark for the weekend.
While ALICE dominated the scene, Overture's R-rated cop drama BROOKLYN'S FINEST, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Don Cheadle and Richard Gere, still found solid footing. Bowing in 1,936 locations, it took in $4.8 million for a second place showing.
Last week's #1 picture, Paramount's psychological thriller SHUTTER ISLAND, moved into third place after two weekends in the top spot. Its Friday haul amounted to nearly $4 million as its collective domestic gross moves in the $90 million range this weekend.
In its second weekend, Warners' buddy cop movie COP OUT ranked four for the day with $2.9 million.
Overture's zombie tale THE CRAZIES was fifth with $2.3 million.
Although it ceded most of its 3D theaters to ALICE, AVATAR still hung in in sixth place with nearly $2 million for the day.

BEYOND
According to reports in The Hollywood Reporter, Suri Krishnamma (“A Man of No Importance”) will direct the film adaptation of acclaimed New Age author Deepak Chopra's graphic novel BEYOND.
The supernatural thriller follows an American businessman and his family who journey to India on vacation. In the midst of a teeming bazaar, the son sees his mother wander into a small store but never come out, leading to a frenzied search for her whereabouts.
Gotham Chopra, Sharad Devarajan, John Garland and Michael Dufficy will produce the UK film production.

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2010

PENDRAGON
The Los Angeles Times reports that Sylvain White, who directed upcoming THE LOSERS, is negotiating to helm PENDRAGON, a retelling of the Arthurian legend. The spin involves providing the key Camelot characters -- Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Galahad, et al. -- with origin stories.
The script for the Phoenix Pictures project was written by Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy.
The film is set up at Fox-based production company New Regency.

MIDNIGHT RUN
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal Pictures is developing a sequel to MIDNIGHT RUN, the 1988 action-comedy that starred Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. Here's synopsis for the original:
Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) is a tough ex-cop turned bounty hunter. Jonathan 'The Duke' Mardukas (Charles Grodin) is a sensitive accountant who embezzled $15 million from the Mob, gave it to charity and then jumped bail. Jack's in for a cool $100,000 if he can deliver The Duke from New York to L.A. on time. And alive. Sounds like just another Midnight Run (a piece of cake in bounty hunter slang), but it turns into a cross-country chase. The FBI is after The Duke to testify - the Mob is after him for revenge - and Walsh is after him to just shut up. If someone else doesn't do the job, the two unlikely partners may end up killing each other in this hilarious, action-filled blockbuster from producer-director Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop).
Timothy Dowling (Role Models) will write the script that would bring back De Niro's character, Jack Walsh, and pair him with a younger comedic foil.
The 1988 film carried a budget of about $30 million and earned $38.4 million domestically.
De Niro will produce the sequel with Tribeca Films partner Jane Rosenthal.

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2010

FUTURAMA RETURNS IN JUNE
Comedy Central sources confirm to HitFix that Thursday, June 24, at 10:00 p.m. is currently set to be the premiere of the first new half-hour episode of "Futurama" since 2003.
Despite earlier reports, the entire voice cast will be back.

CAPRICA
James Marsters fans! Buffy and Caprica fans! Here is the first look at James Marsters as terrorist leader Barnabas Greeley from Syfy's new Battlestar Galactica prequel series, CAPRICA!

BODY OF EVIDENCE
Jeri Ryan has joined ABC's drama "Body of Evidence." "The Unit" alum Robert Patrick has joined ABC's drama "Edgar Floats," Allison Miller has landed a lead in the CW's drama "Betwixt" and Alan Ruck has joined the CW's untitled Wyoming project.
"Body" is a procedural that centers on a brilliant, tenacious medical examiner -- a part Dana Delany is in talks for -- whose background as a neurosurgeon gives her a unique and refreshing crime-solving perspective but puts her at odds with nearly everyone.
Ryan will play the city's chief medical examiner. She has been recurring on TNT's "Leverage" and Star Trek fans will remember her from her days as 7 of 9 on Star Trek: Voyager.
"Edgar" centers on a a police psychologist-turned-bounty hunter who often works for a bail bondsman (Patrick) whose daughter (Alicia Witt) is Edgar's ex-wife.
"Betwixt" revolves around "changelings," who are responsible for saving humans from evil. Miller ("17 Again") will play an ethereal beauty.
The Wyoming project centers on 22-year-old Gideon (Sean Faris), a horse trainer who becomes the patriarch of a Wyoming ranch responsible for his three younger sisters after their parents die. Ruck will play a nemesis who wants a chunk of Gideon's land.

BOOK 'EM DANNO
Scott Caan, co-star in the "Ocean's Eleven" movie franchise, has been tapped for the role of Danny "Danno" Williams on CBS' updated version of "Hawaii Five-O."
The new "Hawaii," from CBS Studios, "Star Trek" writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and "CSI: NY' executive producer Peter Lenkov, centers on an elite branch of the Hawaii State Police headed by Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin).
Williams, who was played by James MacArthur on the original series, is a New Jersey cop who has recently undergone an acrimonious divorce and has transferred to Hawaii to be near his 7-year-old daughter. Forced to partner with McGarrett, Danno is initially leery of their association -- but as he grows more familiar with his maverick new boss, he begins to appreciate the opportunity to work with McGarrett.
The character's name was immortalized by McGarrett's catchphrase, "Book 'em, Danno!" which closed most episodes of the original series and is expected to live on on the new show.
Caan will be a guest star on the "Hawaii" pilot because of his commitment to HBO's "Entourage."
Caan is regular on the showbiz comedy for the upcoming seventh season, reprising his role as tough-talk manager Scott Lavin introduced in an arc last season.
He will then segue to "Hawaii" as a regular if the pilot is picked up to series.
Caan is probably best known for his role as Turk Malloy in the three "Ocean's Eleven" heist movies from Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney.
He will next be seen in IFC Films' "Mercy," which he also wrote and produced.

GREEN LANTERN GOING 3-D
Warner Bros. on Thursday revealed plans to release two previously announced 2D pics in 3D: THE GREEN LANTERN and SUCKER PUNCH.
Zach Snyder's action fantasy PUNCH is still set to land in theaters on March 25, 2011, following its move into the third dimension. And Ryan Reynolds starrer GREEN LANTERN will light up screens about three months after that, on June 17 of next year.
Warners has gotten more bullish on 3D following Fox's big payday with "Avatar." In a pair of previous moves, Warners announced plans to convert action fantasy CLASH OF THE TITANS and HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART ONE to 3D for release on April 2 and Nov. 19, respectively.
On Thursday, Warners also confirmed it will release HALLOWS, PART TWO in 3D on July 15, 2011.

FOUNTAIN CITY
Variety reports that Andrew Adamson ("The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Shrek" franchises) will next make the fantasy film FOUNTAIN CITY. The trade indicates that Lightstream Pictures has preemptively picked up the live-action/CGI hybrid, which it will co-finance.
The budget for the film is projected at more than $100 million. The company is keeping the storyline under wraps. Adamson and writer Joby Harold sold the fantasy-adventure to Lightstream based on their pitch. Harold is writing the script, which Adamson will direct.
Adamson, Aaron Warner, Tory Tunnell and Lightstream executives Garrett Kelleher, Paul Currie and Lawrence Inglee will produce.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010

| PRINCE OF PERSIA
The new full 2-and-a-half-minute trailer for Disney's upcoming PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME gives us a great look at the epic scale and amazing action in the video-game adaptation.
In particular, we finally get to see some of Prince Dastan's (Jake Gyllenhaal) signature parkour-like acrobatics, which gamers may recognize, as well as more of Jake's English accent and co-star Gemma Arterton's voluptuous moves. PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME also stars Ben Kingsley. Jerry Bruckheimer produced and Mike Newell directed. It opens May 28.

WAREHOUSE 13 RETURNING IN JULY
Syfy announced that its hit series WAREHOUSE 13 has begun production on season two, which will premiere on July 13. All the main cast members are back, along with special guest star Nolan Funk (Nickelodeon's Spectacular and Drake & Josh), who will appear in a four-episode arc.
Season two will consist of 13 brand-spanking-new episodes.
Here is the official announcement:
New York, NY - March 2, 2010 - Syfy's #1 original hit series, WAREHOUSE 13, commences production on season two this March in Toronto and will kick off the new season with a summer premiere on Tuesday, July 13. Series regulars, Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly, Saul Rubinek and Allison Scagliotti, along with series guest star, CCH Pounder, reprise their roles in the series ratings leader for Syfy. The 13 episode, hour-long dramedy is slated to return this summer 2010.
Nickelodeon star, Nolan Gerard Funk (Spectacular), who recently starred on Broadway in Bye, Bye, Birdie, guest stars in a four-episode storyline in season two. Funk portrays Todd, a tech savvy local who takes a special romantic interest in Claudia (Scagliotti). This budding relationship is put to the test by the secrets they are forced to keep from one another.
WAREHOUSE 13 follows two Secret Service agents who find themselves abruptly transferred to a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse's caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the Warehouse itself.
WAREHOUSE 13 became the all-time Syfy leader in total viewers (4.1 million), Adults 25-54 (2.1 million) and Household ratings (2.9), as measured by 7-Day DVR data, making it the most successful series in Syfy's 17-year history.
WAREHOUSE 13 is produced for Syfy by Universal Cable Productions. Jack Kenny (The Book of Daniel), returns as showrunner.

FANTASTIC VOYAGE REMAKE
According to James Cameron, the script for his proposed remake of the classic 1960s medical sci-fi movie FANTASTIC VOYAGE is done and in a group interview Sunday in Century City, Calif., at the Visual Effects Society Awards, Cameron said, "Fantastic Voyage, we're looking for a director."
Cameron will produce the new FANTASTIC VOYAGE, based on the 1966 sci-fi movie that starred Raquel Welch, about a team of scientists in a miniaturized submarine who navigate a human body to zap an inoperable blood clot.
Cameron said that he has updated the original, thanks to new medical information available. "Look, medical imaging has come an awful long way since the '60s, when the first film was made," Cameron said. "So we can do some pretty amazing stuff."

FRINGE SEASON FINALE SURPRISES
The first-season finale of Fox's FRINGE revealed the twin towers in an alternate-universe New York. So how do you top that? Series creator and producer J.J. Abrams said this season finale will outdo the last, in a deeper way.
"I think the whole alternate-universe idea is at the core of what's going to be happening," Abrams said in a group interview Sunday in Los Angeles, where he attended the Milk + Bookies Story Time Celebration with his family. "Without giving anything away, I think that the ending of this second season is, I think, richer and better and deeper than what we did last year. I mean, last year was definitely shocking, but I think the end of this year is different, but I think equally impactful."
No doors should be totally closed in the finale. It is FRINGE, after all, and anything is possible. "There are certain things that I think happen that I wouldn't want to talk about that might resolve certain stories, but for the most part I think the fun about Fringe—which I think some episodes that are coming up this season and certainly the ending take advantage of—is that sort of unlimited possibility. Not to say there aren't rules and things that are happening that have to be abided by, but the fun of this show that's specific to Fringe is the fact that we can go to certain places and do certain things that you couldn't normally do on a show and not have it be 'The Wacky Episode.' Every episode is a little bit the wacky episode."
FRINGE's second season resumes on April 1 with seven new episodes (eight if you count a two-parter as two episodes). Abrams said the April Fool's Day episode is awesome, and he doesn't sound like he's joking.
"It's one of my favorite episodes that we've done," Abrams said. "It is particularly retro and weird. It's a really cool episode."
Retro could mean many things. It wouldn't be that strange for Fringe to mimic the tone of classic sci-fi shows that came before. The creators could also use retro technology for a change. Abrams only hinted, "Both. You've got to see it."
It's too early for even Abrams to know whether Fox is ordering a third season of FRINGE. "There's no official word yet," he said. "I would hope so, but my fingers are crossed."
It would be surprising if Fox did not renew the hit show, though. "I have no idea," Abrams continued. "I hope so. Like I said, my fingers are crossed. I don't know. I just know that we have a lot of story yet to tell, so I hope that we get our shot to do it."
When the order comes in, Abrams knows how he would begin the third season. "Well, you have to see how the second season ends first, because it's pretty cool, but there are a lot of really fun ideas that are being kicked around," Abrams said. "I'm hoping that we get a chance to actually realize them and not resort to just blogging it or something."
FRINGE airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.

SPACE INVADERS MOVIE
The Los Angeles Times reports that Warner Bros. Pictures is negotiating to acquire feature rights to classic video game SPACE INVADERS from Taito, the Japanese company that originally manufactured the game.
"Space Invaders" was designed by Tomohiro Nishikado and released in 1978. The game was later licensed for production in the United States by Midway.
The project would be produced by Mark Gordon (The Day After Tomorrow, Saving Private Ryan), Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity) and Guymon Casady.
Movie versions of "Missile Command" and "Asteroids" are also in development at Fox and Universal, respectively.

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND
Variety reports that Warner Bros. Pictures and production company Atlas Entertainment are developing a feature film based on CBS' GILLIGAN'S ISLAND.
Charles Roven and Richard Suckle will produce for Atlas, with Brad Copeland writing the screenplay. Original show producer Sherwood Schwartz is on board to executive produce along with son Lloyd Schwartz.
Variety says that plans are for a contemporary take on the iconic show. They're hoping to start production next year but won't move forward on seeking a director or cast until Copeland's script is completed.
"The characters are so good," Roven added. "We think it's going to be a great story to transport these cultural icons to the modern day."

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010

FOUNDATION
Director Roland Emmerich (2012, The Day After Tomorrow) is still waiting for a complete script for his proposed film version of Isaac Asimov's FOUNDATION series but says now that he will take a page from James Cameron's AVATAR when he finally gets down to making the movie as a 3-D CG epic.
"I want to create everything," Emmerich told Empire magazine. "I want it to be a full CG film, so [performance capture] is perfect for that."
Earlier, Emmerich told MTV: "The AVATAR technology applies to FOUNDATION. It has to be done all CG because I would not know how to shoot this thing in real."
As for the story, Emmerich assures us that he wants to remain faithful to Asimov's original books, about the rise and fall of a galactic civilization.
"I want to give people exactly what the Foundation trilogy is," Emmerich said. "You have to tell a story that represents the books but also works as a film. That's the challenge."

DEATH RACE 2
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Sean Bean is starring opposite Luke Goss in DEATH RACE 2, the prequel to Universal's 2008 Jason Statham starrer.
Universal is putting out the feature, now shooting in South Africa, as part of its DVD Originals banner. "Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball" was the label's most recent release.
Also in the cast are Lauren Cohan, Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo and Frederick Koehler. Paul W.S. Anderson, who directed the 2008 movie, is producing with Jeremy Bolt. Roel Reine is directing.
The prequel is serving as the origin story for the character named Frankenstein, a convicted cop killer (Goss) in a declining American empire where a racing reality show is about to be born in the country's corrupt prison system.
Bean, currently seen on screens as Zeus in "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," is starring in the pilot "A Game of Thrones," which is awaiting a series pick-up order from HBO.

LUCK
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Dustin Hoffman has signed to topline HBO's horse racing drama pilot LUCK, from Michael Mann and David Milch. It will be the Oscar winner's first major TV series.
The following is how the project is described:
The project is described as a provocative look at the worlds of horseracing and gambling told through a diverse group of characters surrounding a racetrack.
It centers on an intelligent, intuitive tough man (Hoffman) who always has been involved with gambling, from bookmaking and money laundering to casino operations.
Recently released from prison after four years, he teams with Gus Economou (Dennis Farina), his longtime chauffeur and muscle, to craft a complex plan involving the track. They recruit Turo Escalante (John Ortiz), a successful trainer with a sordid reputation.
Milch wrote the pilot, which Mann is directing. Filming is expected to star in the spring in Los Angeles.

TANGLED
A short teaser trailer for Disney's upcoming animated Rapunzel movie TANGLED is hitting stores with the DVD and Blu-ray for The Princess and the Frog on March 16th.
Coming to theaters in November, TANGLED is an action-packed, swashbuckling, animated musical comedy about the girl behind 70 feet of magical, golden hair. A princess stolen from her parents' castle as a baby, Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore) is locked in a hidden tower longing for adventure Now an imaginative and determined teenager, she takes off on a hilarious, hair-raising escapade with the help of a dashing bandit (voice of Zachary Levi). With the secret of her royal heritage hanging in the balance and her captor in pursuit, Rapunzel and her cohort find adventure, heart, humor, and hair... lots of hair.

MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2010

SERENA
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Angelina Jolie and Darren Aronofsky are in discussions to adapt Ron Rash's 2008 novel "Serena: A Novel." The project would be a starring vehicle for Jolie, while Aronofsky would direct. Chris Kyle (Alexander, K-19: The Widowmaker) wrote the screenplay.
The following is how publisher HarperCollins describes the book:
The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains—but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her husband's life in the wilderness. Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives, and when Serena suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons' intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves toward its shocking reckoning.
Rash's masterful balance of violence and beauty yields a riveting novel that, at its core, tells of love both honored and betrayed.
Jolie is currently shooting THE TOURIST with Johnny Depp, but she has nothing lined up next. The untitled Kay Scarpetta project is one possibility.

INCARCERON
Variety reports that Fox 2000 and Seed Productions have scored the film rights to Catherine Fisher's young-adult novel series INCARCERON.
The dystopian fantasy follows a young boy incarcerated in a futuristic and living prison ruled by rivalry and savagery, and the daughter of the prison's warden who lives outside in a future world made to resemble the 17th century and is being forced into an arranged marriage. Both find a device, a crystal key, which allows them to communicate with each other.
The project will go out to writers and directors shorly and John Palermo will produce. The second novel in the series, SAPPHIQUE, hits bookstores early next year.

SHREK FOREVER AFTER
SHREK FOREVER AFTER, the fourth installment of the jolly green ogre's adventures and the first in 3D, will raise the curtain at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival as its opening-night film.
The DreamWorks Animation feature, directed by Mike Mitchell, will have its world premiere April 21 at the New York City fest.
Shrek has always had a taste for fests -- the first two movies in the franchise played the Cannes Film Festival.
"We have always sought to open our festival with films that are captivating and strike an emotional chord with moviegoers," Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal said. " 'Shrek Forever After' combines the very best in storytelling and artistry while showcasing the wonders of innovative 3D filmmaking."
With a voice cast headed by Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas, the movie pits Shrek against Rumpelstilskin, who tricks the ogre into signing away the life he has known.
Paramount will release the movie nationwide on May 21.
Tribeca, which runs through May 2, will announce its full slate of programming next month.

SUNDAY, FEBRURAY 28, 2010

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Martin Scorsese's SHUTTER ISLAND from Paramount got a big jump on a likely repeat performance atop the domestic rankings this weekend when the suspense thriller topped the boxoffice Friday with an estimated $6.7 million.
The Leonardo DiCaprio starrer boasts $59.6 million in cumulative boxoffice through its first eight days in the marketplace. Originally set to unspool in the fall, ISLAND cost an estimated $75 million to produce, after tax credits.
Warner Bros.' Kevin Smith-helmed buddy cop movie COP OUT, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan – captured the #2 spot, ringing up $6 million during its first day in release. That should keep COP on track to cop mid- to high teen millions through Sunday, meeting pre-release expectations despite another snowstorm's hitting the East Coast on Friday.
Overture Films' THE CRAZIES, an R-rated remake of George Romero's 1973 horror classic, debuted just a shade further back with $5.9 million in third place. Starring Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell, "Crazies" also appears to be hitting its marks and should fetch mid-teen millions on the three-day frame.
Participant Films and Imagenation Abu Dhabi jointly contributed 50% of pic financing on CRAZIES.
Fox's AVATAR was fourth among all Friday grossers, with $3.1 million on the day shaping a $696 million cume. And Warner Bros.' romantic comedy VALENTINE'S DAY was fifth with $2.9 million and a $93.8 million cume.

MORE HAWAII FIVE-O CASTING
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Grace Park, aka Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, has joined CBS' HAWAII FIVE-O remake.
The updated take on the original series centers on an elite branch of the Hawaii State Police headed by Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin). Park will play Kona Kalakaua, the niece of squad member Chin Ho Kelly, played by LOST's Daniel Dae Kim.
Kono is a beautiful and smart champion surfer who is about to graduate from the police academy when McGarrett recruits her to join his team.
Park most recently co-starred opposite Benjamin Bratt in A&E's dram drama THE CLEANER.
She joins another BATTLESTAR alumna, Katee Sackhoff, who was recently recruited to star in ABC's untitled Richard Hatem drama pilot. Additionally, Tricia Helfer, who played No. 6 on the sci-fi series, is joining TNT's cop drama DARK BLUE as a new regular.

GRAVITY
According to Vulture, Angelina Jolie has pulled out of WANTED 2 in favor of the space thriller GRAVITY which Alfonso Cuarón ("Children of Men") is helming for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures. Jolie would play the sole survivor of a space mission gone wrong who desperately tries to return to Earth and see her daughter again.
David Heyman, who worked with Cuaron on HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, will produce. Cuaron co-wrote the script with his son Jonás.
Jolie is currently shooting the Johnny Depp-led thriller THE TOURIST in Paris.

CONAN CASTING
Heat Vision has confirmed a Latino Review scoop that Mickey Rourke (Iron Man 2) is in negotiations to play Conan's father in Lionsgate's CONAN, to be directed by Marcus Nispel.
Filming on the fantasy action adventure, in which Jason Momoa plays Conan the Barbarian and Leo Howard a younger version of the character, will start in Bulgaria on March 15th.
The story sees Conan embark on a quest to avenge the slaughter of his people.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2010

MAX STEEL/STRETCH ARMSTRONG
Twilight teen werewolf Taylor Lautner has pulled out of MAX STEEL, a proposed film based on the Mattel toy, in favor of his other toy movie, Stretch Armstrong (Hasbro).
... In the weeks after signing on to play Steel, Lautner became increasingly convinced that Hasbro was playing its hand better than Mattel. Thanks to WME, Hasbro was moving with far greater speed through Hollywood's development maze than Mattel, not only setting up projects, but quickly moving them forward ...
As a result, by the time Universal had begun conversations earlier this month with Monsters vs. Aliens director Rob Letterman about directing Stretch Armstrong, Lautner had already decided not to do Max Steel.

ROCKFORD FILES REMAKE
In his first regular TV role, Dermot Mulroney is set to play the iconic private eye in NBC's updated take on THE ROCKFORD FILES, the hit 1970s drama that starred James Garner in the title role.
The new Jim Rockford is described as "slightly crumpled, wry humored, cynical, world weary, compassionate when it's called for and easily irritated by morons."
His troubled past includes includes doing some time as a convict and as a cop.
Aside from an arc on NBC's "Friends" in 2003, "My Best Friend's Wedding" Mulroney has been focused on features, most recently appearing in "Burn After Reading."
NBC's "Rockford Files" was penned by "House" creator David Shore, who is executive producing with Steve Carell.

STEEL CITY CON
Just a reminder that this weekend kicks off the STEEL CITY CON in Monroeville, PA. Guests include SMALLVILLE's John Schneider, STAR WARS' Matthew Wood, LOST IN SPACE's Mark Goddard, STORM TROOPERS' Jake Busey and many others.

JMS INTERVIEW SERIES
Ranger Jim sent along this note regarding a series of interview with J. Michael Straczynski over at Newsrama. Here are the links:
Day 1: SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/JMS-Week-Superman-Earth-One-100216.html
Day 2: BRAVE & THE BOLD and WORKING With DC
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/jms-brave-bold-dc-100217.html
Day 3: MARVEL COMICS & THE TWELVE
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/JMS-Week-MARVEL-100228.html
Day 4: His Secret Origin in Comics!
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/JMS-Week-Comics-Secret-Origin-100219.html
Day 5: MOVIES, TV, & Following Dreams
http://www.newsarama.com/film/JMS-Week-Movies-TV-100220.html

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010

WALTER KOENIG'S SON FOUND DEAD
After days of searching, the body of missing "Growing Pains" actor Andrew Koenig was discovered in a Vancouver area park today (Thu. Feb. 25), the actor's father has confirmed. "My son took his own life." Walter Koenig, Andrew's father, said at today's press conference.
A private group of family and friends, including his father, discovered his body in a wooded area of Stanley Park around noon today. His father did not find the body, but he was nearby. Police were summoned to the scene soon after.
Both Walter and Judith Levitt Koenig reached out to those who are suffering from depression and hopes they learn from Andrew's death that there are people out there who care. Friends and family previously reported that the actor was severely depressed and had stop stopped taking his prescribed medication.
The family asks that their privacy be respected at this time.
Friends revealed on record that in the weeks leading up to the Vancouver trip, Koenig sold or gave away his belongings, gave notice on his Venice apartment and paid his final rent.
Walter and his family are in our hearts and prayers at this most difficult time.

FLASH
IESB.net report that Greg Berlanti, co-writer of the upcoming GREEN LANTERN and director of Life as We Know It, is in line to direct the upcoming FLASH movie:
The name should ring a bell or two, Berlanti wrote GREEN LANTERN with one my favorites Marc Guggenheim and was once attached to direct the film before WB settled on Martin Campbell.
It's unclear whether FLASH will be based on David Goyer's initial idea or will be written by someone else. And, of course, way to early to know who will put on the red suit, though Ryan Reynolds was once Goyer's choice (he's not involved and will instead play Hal Jordan in Green Lantern).

TRANSFORMERS 3
According to Michael Bay's official site, the director has settled on where two big action sequences will be shot for Transformers 3:
Spoke with Michael today and got some little info on TF3: there will be big action sequences shot in Chicago and Moscow this time around.
The third installment, again starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, will be released in theaters on July 1, 2011.

ANONYMOUS
Empire Online reports that Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis and Rhys Ifans have all joined ANONYMOUS, the Shakespeare- themed royal political thriller that big-budget disaster movie helmer Roland Emmerich ("2012," "The Day After Tomorrow") will direct.
John Orloff ("A Mighty Heart") penned the script which explores the theory that Shakespeare was not the author of his plays, but rather Edward De Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. The film will also explore the declining years of Elizabeth the First's reign as her court devolved into feuding factions between the Cecils and the Essex's. The aim is expected to be a dark and tense thriller along the lines of 1998's Oscar-winning "Elizabeth".
Redgrave will play Elizabeth, David Thewlis will be both the old and young incarnations of William Cecil, and Rhys Ifans will be the Earl of Oxford. Shooting kicks off in Berlin next month.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2010

NINE LIVES
Steven Spielberg's proposed supernatural miniseries NINE LIVES, which was original developed for Syfy, is now being rewritten for NBC, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Executive producer Les Bohem, who previously partnered with Spielberg for Syfy's TAKEN miniseries, is reportedly reworking the script to appeal to a broader audience.
The 12-hour miniseries was originally slated to air on Syfy in 2007.
[It] revolves around a group of people who find a way to reunite with their loved ones in the afterlife through near-death experiences, but those journeys unleash an evil force. ...
Bohem is reworking the script for a broader broadcast audience. NBC won't make any decision until reading the latest draft, but it's eyeing "Nine Lives" as a direct-to-series vehicle.

FINAL ORBIT
According to Production Weekly, John Moore is attached to direct FINAL ORBIT, a sci-fi thriller based on the graphic novel adapted by Phil De Blasi & Byron Willinger, about lottery winners who are vacationing on the International Space Station when it is damaged and they find themselves trapped.

BACK NINE
SMALLVILLE's John Schneider has been tapped to star in the single-camera BACK NINE for Spike TV. Schneider portrays Ronnie Barnes, a hard-drinking, larger-than-life, washed-up former U.S. Open champion. He travels the country competing in small-time tournaments with Tiger, his sex-addicted longtime caddy, in order to qualify again for the PGA Tour. Miguel Nunez is in negotiations to play Tiger in the project written by Jason Filardi ("17 Again") and Mark Perez ("Accepted").
Spike put the BACK NINE script on the fast track almost a year ago. Filardi and Perez also are set to direct the pilot for BACK NINE and executive produce with John Lynch.
Schneider recently recurred on THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER, 90210 and NIP/TUCK. BACK NINE is looking to join Spike's two new sports-themed scripted comedy series: BLUE MOUNTAIN STATE and the upcoming PLAYERS.

NEW NIKITA NAMED
According to the Hollywood Reporter, The CW has cast Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible III) as the new NIKITA. The character was first played by Anne Parillaud in Luc Besson's 1990 film, followed by Bridget Fonda in the 1993 remake and Peta Wilson in the 1997 USA Network series. According to the trade, The CW's premise of a new Nikita being trained to replace the original one after she goes rogue gave creator Craig Silverstein an opportunity to break the stereotype, and he wrote the lead as "beautiful and exotic."

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2010

TREASURE ISLAND UPDATE
Variety reports that Ecosse Films is moving forward with a contemporary adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND.
Taking a page from the success of SHERLOCK HOLMES, the project will update the 19th century tale with a 'hipper' contemporary sensibility and a stronger focus on the relationship between Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins Douglas Rae and Robert Bernstein will produce while Niall Johnson ("Callas") is penning the script.

WARNER/TALPA MEDIA PARTNERSHIP
Warner Horizon, a unit of Warner Bros TV, is teaming with Holland's Talpa Media to develop series for the American market based on the latter's formats.
Under terms of the agreement Stateside, Warner Horizon TV will have exclusive rights to develop and produce shows, jointly with Talpa, for cable and broadcast in the U.S. based on reality and game formats which have already been telecast in the Netherlands.
For Talpa, the arrangement gives the Dutch-based producer entree into a major new marketplace for its programs and the support and expertise of a key local player in it.
Current formats in Talpa's collection include "The Golden Cage," "Viper's Nest" and "Pretty Smart."
In a similar move in France, Talpa recently partnered with Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine to exploit its formats and finished product in the Gallic market.
Warner Horizon TV produces the "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" franchises as well as "High School Reunion."
It is unclear if any money changed hands in the deal or what the split in profits would be from eventual broadcast fees.

FINAL ORBIT
According to Production Weekly, John Moore is attached to direct the 20th Century Fox action-thriller FINAL ORBIT, based on the graphic novel adapted by Phil De Blasi & Byron Willinger.
Back in June of 2008, publisher Platinum Studios announced that Gale Anne Hurd's Valhalla Motion Pictures would co-develop and produce a feature film.
FINAL ORBIT tells the story of some lottery winners who are vacationing on the International Space Station but when it is damaged, the vacation becomes a nightmare, trapping the tourists alone in a crippled module with no astronauts to help them.
Moore's credits include MAZ PAYNE, THE OMEN, FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX and BEHIND ENEMY LINES.

SOURCE CODE UPDATE
In a Twitter posting, MOON writer/director Duncan Jones announced Wednesday that Jeffrey Wright (QUANTUM OF SOLACE, CASINO ROYALE, ANGELS IN AMERICA) has joined Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan in his new sci-fi thriller SOURCE CODE at Summit Entertainment.
In a recent interview, Gyllenhaal said that "'Source Code' is a kind of sci-fi thriller based in different time continuums. I play Colter Stevens and he's a helicopter pilot who finds himself in a very unlikely and disoriented situation."
According to previous reports, Stevens is part of an experimental government program to investigate a terrorist incident who finds himself in the body of an unknown commuter living and reliving a harrowing train bombing until he can find out who is responsible for it.
Farmiga will play a hands-on communications officer controlling Gyllenhaal as he travels through time and space. Monaghan is a woman on the train with whom the man is involved romantically.

FASTER
Variety reports that Carla Gugino has signed on to CBS Films revenge thriller FASTER, joining a cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Maggie Grace, Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Moon Bloodgood.
Johnson will play an ex-con bent on avenging the death of his brother, murdered 10 years earlier when the two were double-crossed during a heist.
Gugino plays the detective in charge of the investigation, hot on his trail and hell-bent on connecting the killings with a decade-old case.
Directed by George Tillman Jr. from a script by Joe and Tony Gayton, the project started shooting earlier this month.

ERECTOR
Indie producer Helix Films and the Meccano Toy Company are teaming to develop an original 3D feature film based on Meccano's Erector Set toy line.
Meccano was conceived in England in 1901 as a model toy construction system which enables the building of working models and mechanical devices. The products are currently sold in more than 80 countries.
The tone will be a family fantasy/adventure but plot details are being kept quiet. The project is developing an original script with the aim of creating a film franchise.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2010

TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE
Bryce Dallas Howard takes over the role of the evil vampire Victoria in the upcoming THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE. Here is the first look at the red-haired star as Victoria, a role previously played by Rachelle Lefevre, in an encounter with Edward Cullen, played by Robert Pattinson. Fearnet says:
The new image shows Victoria (Howard) with her hands around Edward's (Pattinson) head, preparing to kill him the old-fashioned way: by tearing his head clean off. Victoria's boy-toy Riley (Xavier Samuel) is also present, restraining Edward who kneels in pain.
Twilight devotees will notice that nothing exactly like this happens in the book, although Edward does face off with the vengeful Victoria in the snow, so it seems as though screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg has taken some creative liberties to raise the stakes in the third, and more suspenseful, film installment.
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE is in theaters June 30.

RENEWAL FOR THE VAMPIRE DIARIES AND SUPERNATURAL
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and SUPERNATURAL fans can rejoice! Both shows received early pickups from The CW for next season, meaning a second season for breakout hit THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and a sixth season for the apocalyptic SUPERNATURAL. THE DIARIES pickup was expected, since the teenage vampire romance is The CW's most watched series, with 4.6 million total viewers, and the network's number-one show among those coveted 18-34-year-old adults. The series debuted on The CW with their largest audience ever, at 5.7 million total viewers and increased 18-34-year-old female viewership on Thursdays at 8 p.m. by a whopping 114 percent.
But SUPERNATURAL's pickup was less certain, though the series did improve over last season among 18-34-year-old women by 29 percent and adults by 8 percent. The CW's press release praised SUPERNATURAL, saying that it has "one of the most loyal audiences of any show on television and does heroic work in a perennially tough time period."
Beyond angels, demons, the devil and an apocalypse, SUPERNATURAL has indeed managed to survive for years airing in the toughest timeslot on the schedule, Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, opposite ABC's GREY's ANATOMY and CBS's CSI. This season, Fox threw FRINGE into the mix as well. On the other hand, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES' strong female viewership has given SUPERNATURAL, a lead-in that has introduced some of that desirable audience to the charms of the Brothers Winchester.
One CW show that's still waiting to learn its future is SMALLVILLE, which is in its ninth season. While the soon-to-be- Superman series lost viewers when it was moved from Thursdays to Fridays, SMALLVILLE stabilized and actually began performing well, considering the universally low ratings that Friday shows receive.

GREEN LANTERN VILLAIN
Peter Sarsgaard (An Education) goes before the cameras in March in the role of GREEN LANTERN's villainous Hector Hammond, the infamous massively domed telepath with the tiny, withered body.
Sarsgaard's excited to wrap his brain around the role. "It's something completely different for me and something that I've not done before," he told us at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where he received a Cinema Vanguard Award. "I imagine that if I'd done 10 of them I wouldn't be as excited as I am, but it's not the kind of thing that I normally do. It feels expansive to me. It feels like shackles being taken off instead of being put on. I just feel like I can do anything with this role." Sarsgaard said "meeting [director] Martin Campbell" was what hooked him on taking on the enemy to Ryan Reynolds' ring-slinger— he wasn't initially familiar with the comic-book villain. "I can't really talk much about it, because we have to protect it, but it's a very, very fun role, and I just don't get the opportunity to play a role that is so expansive and delicious—and it really is!"
He's mum on whether the movie incarnation of Hammond will be visually faithful to the comics version first drawn by classic Silver Age artist Gil Kane, but he claims he was not taken aback when he first saw the original incarnation. "No," he chuckled. "I think it's awesome!" GREEN LANTERN is due in 2011.

TRUE BLUE
The Hollywood Reporter writes that WITHOUT A TRACE alumna Poppy Montgomery and Marc Blucas are set as leads on the ABC drama pilot TRUE BLUE. TRUE BLUE, from ABC Studios, revolves around six former best friends who rose through the ranks at the San Francisco Police Department and reunite to solve the murder of one of their own.
Montgomery plays one of the six, the only female police captain in San Francisco, who was once married to another member of the team (Blucas), a detective.
Blucas also co-starred on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. Peter Horton is directing the pilot exec produced by Jon Feldman, Chris Brancato and Bert Salke.

TERRA NOVA
Variety reports that Steven Spielberg and Peter Chernin are in negotiations to board Fox's drama project TERRA NOVA, which is described as following a family from 100 years in the future who travel back in time 150 million years to the strange and inhospitable environs of prehistoric Earth.
The trade adds that the project would involve such elaborate sets and visual effects that there's been talk of greenlighting it directly to series production rather than a pilot because it would be too expensive to shut down and start up again during the downtime between pilot and first season's episodes.
The script for TERRA NOVA was co-written by Craig Silverstein and British writer Kelly Marcel, from an idea of Marcel's. Silverstein and Marcel would serve as executive producers along with Aaron Kaplan. Spielberg and Chernin would also executive produce, but deals for the two are not in place yet. If Spielberg comes aboard, DreamWorks TV's Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank would also sign on as executive producers, as would Chernin Entertainment TV's Katherine Pope.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2010

VLAD
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Scott Kosar has been brought on to work on the screenplay for Summit Entertainment's VLAD. Actor Charlie Hunnam ("Sons of Anarchy") wrote the original script, which takes an action-oriented look at Dracula, or Vlad the Impaler, as a young prince. Music video director and photographer Anthony Mandler recently came aboard to direct the project and will shepherd Kosar's work on the screenplay.
Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner are producing through their Plan B shingle. Summit president of production Erik Feig and vp production Meredith Milton are overseeing the project. Jeremy Kleiner is shepherding for Plan B.
Kosar wrote the script for the 2003 "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake, the 2005 "Amityville Horror" remake and "The Machinist." He also co-wrote the screenplay for the remake of George A. Romero's "The Crazies," which Overture releases Feb. 26.

FRANKENSTEIN
Variety reports that Ralph Winter and Terry Botwick have acquired feature rights to Dean Koontz's "Frankenstein" through their 1019 Entertainment. Three titles in Koontz's series have been published, with the fourth scheduled for release in June.
Here's how the books are described:
Every city has secrets. But none as terrible as this. His name is Deucalion, a tattooed man and sleight-of-reality artist who's traveled for two centuries with a secret worse than death. He arrives in modern-day New Orleans as a serial killer stalks the streets, a killer who carefully selects his victims for the humanity that is missing in himself.
Is this an age-old conspiracy? A near-immortal race of beings, and killers that are more – and less – than human? They are stronger, heal better, and think faster than any humans ever created – and they must be destroyed. But not even Victor Helios – once Dr. Frankenstein – can stop the engineered killers he's set loose.
On the case is Detective Carson O'Connor, who is cool, cynical, and every bit as tough as she looks. Her partner Michael Maddison would back her up all the way to hell itself – and that just may be where this case ends up.
Now, the only hope rests in Deucalion, a one-time "monster" and Frankenstein's first attempt to build a perfect human, and his partners, the all-too-human detectives O'Connor and Maddison. Together, they must destroy a monstrosity that even Dr. Frankenstein could not imagine. Deucalion's journey is fated to end in the ultimate confrontation between a damned creature his mad creator.
"These books have enough twists and turns to keep the public coming back to the theaters for many years to come," Winter and Botwick said. The project will be produced by Winter and Botwick along with 1019 Entertainment executive Whitney Thomas.
The first book is titled "Prodigal Son," the second is "City of Night" and third is "Dead and Alive." The fourth book, "Lost Souls," will be published June 22.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2010

SHARKTOPUS
Syfy's original movies director Karen O'Hara tweeted last week the network has greenlit a long-rumored SHARKTOPUS movie -- and directed by B-movie king Roger Corman.
Wrote O'Hara: "Just got off the phone with the legendary Roger Corman who's doing a new movie for us this year. Yes, it's the long-rumored SHARKTOPUS! ... Spent half am hour discussing what a sharktopus should look like, how many mouths it should have and how it should kill. That's my job!"

DENIRO/SCORSESE PAIR AGAIN
According to Reuters, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are re-teaming for a presently untitled mobster drama. At the premiere of SHUTTER ISLAND at Berlinale on the weekend, Scorsese says "Bob De Niro (and I) are talking about something that has to do with that world… We're working on something like that, but it's from the vantage point of older men looking back, none of this running around stuff."
Scorsese and De Niro previously worked together on RAGING BULL, TAXI DRIVER, CAPE FEAR and CASINO.

UNBLINKING EYE
Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("Watchmen," "P.S. I Love You") is set to star in the psychological thriller THE UNBLINKING EYE for Wind Fish Motion Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter. The story begins with a determined journalist hunting down a retired homicide detective (Morgan) who has become a recluse after nearly being killed by a serial killer. Dark stories from both their pasts come out as the pair face each other.
Michael Bassett ("Solomon Kane") penned the script and is directing while Juliusz Kossakowski and Kevan Van Thompson will produce. Filming kicks off in May.

SHIVER
Variety reports that scribe Nick Pustay ("Ramona and Beezus") has been hired to adapt Maggie Stiefvater's supernatural romance novel SHIVER for Unique Features. The first in a trilogy, the story covers a bittersweet paranormal romance between a teen who becomes a wolf each winter and his girlfriend, who helps him find the secret to staying human.
Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne will produce. The second novel in the series, LINGER, is scheduled to be released next August.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2010

TEEN WOLF REMAKE
According to reports out on the internet, Russell Mulcahy (Resident Evil: Extinction) will direct the pilot for MTV's "Teen Wolf," a reinvention of the 1985 movie starring Tyler Posey, Tyler Hoechlin, Crystal Reed and Dylan O'Brien. The pilot was written by "Criminal Minds" creator Jeff Davis.
MTV's take on the film, which starred Michael J. Fox, is a dramatic thriller with a buddy-comedy element at the center and a romantic plot line. It revolves around Scott McCall (Posey), a dorky high-school student who gets a rush of new powers, including the ability to attract girls, after a wolf attack. The pilot is filming in Atlanta, Georgia.

MIND HUNTER
Variety reports that Charlize Theron and David Fincher have teamed to develop a drama series titled MIND HUNTER for HBO and Fox 21. The series will revolve around the investigation of serial killers. Fox 21 has optioned the book "Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit," by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. The book recounts Douglas' experiences as a top FBI investigator of serial killers and rapists, and the profiling techniques he developed.
Scott Buck, an executive producer on DEXTER, has been hired to write the pilot. Theron and Fincher are executive producing along with Jennifer Orme Erwin and Buck.

MAGNIFICENT ELEVEN
"Trainspotting" Irvine Welsh will direct gritty UK comedy The Magnificent Eleven, a modern-day version of the classic 1960 western THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, reports Screen Daily.
In the updated story, the Cowboys are a local amateur soccer team, the Indians run a nearby Tandoori restaurant and the bandits are a group of menacing thugs run by a maniac called Blonde Bob.
Sean Bean, Dougray Scott and Robert Vaughan, the veteran actor who is the last surviving cast member from the original "Magnificent Seven," will star.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010

SPLICE
According to Deadline.com, a monster-sized deal is in the works for the Frankenstein-esque film SPLICE, thanks to the Sundance Film Festival. Two weeks after the film premiered at Sundance, producer Joel Silver's Dark Castle is in the final stages of closing a huge distribution deal, which includes a wide summer release on 3,000 screens and a marketing commitment somewhere between $25 million and $40 million. SPLICE, a tale of genetic mutation gone wrong, stars Adrien Brody (King Kong) and Sarah Polley (Dawn of the Dead) as two scientists who combine human and animal DNA to create a new creature. The Cube's Vincenzo Natali directed the film, with executive producer Guillermo del Toro guiding the project for over a year.
Sundance often generates film offers, but usually at $5 million or less. While the megabucks potential for Splice is huge, the Dark Castle deal is not the first deal via Sundance that SPLICE has been close to having. We'll have to wait and see if it goes through.

DAVID GOYER - WRITER
David S. Goyer former show runner for FlashForward and TV writer/author Michael Cassutt have signed a three-book deal with Penguin's imprint, Ace Books, to write a sci-fi adventure trilogy, including HEAVEN'S SHADOW, HEAVEN'S WAR and HEAVEN'S FALL, according to Variety.
The HEAVEN trilogy involves what happens when an object hurtling through space toward Earth threatens to destroy the human race. Two rival teams of astronauts race to intercept the apparent meteor, only to discover alien forces when they land on the object.
"The idea of telling a big story over a series of novels is something I've been thinking about for a while, and a little over a year ago I actually got down to doing a treatment for one and invited Michael to write the series with me," Goyer said.
The trilogy is Goyer's first adventure as a novelist. However, he has written several films, including BATMAN BEGINS, the BLADE films and the upcoming X-MEN ORIGINS: MAGNETO. He also is developing a new version of THE INVISIBLE MAN for Universal and Imagine Entertainment. In TV, he developed BLADE: THE SERIES and executive-produced THRESHOLD.
Cassutt has been writing for TV for more than 20 years, including working as a story editor on MAX HEADROOM, a staff writer for THE TWILIGHT ZONE and a co-executive producer for Showtime's THE OUTER LIMITS. He has also written several novels, such as Tango Midnight, and nonfiction books, including We Have Capture: Tom Stafford and the Space Race.

THREE MUSKETEERS
Variety reports that SHERLOCK HOLMES producer Lionel Wigram is setting up a similar period-set but modern-toned update of another great literary adventure, Alexandre Dumas' THE THREE MUSKETEERS at Warner Bros. Pictures. Peter Straughan ("The Men Who Stare at Goats") has been hired to pen an adaptation that will play up the action, humor and 'sexier' elements of the story.
No director or cast has yet been announced. The project is not linked with Paul W. Anderson's 3D version of the story currently in development.

NEW SERIES NEWS
CRIMINAL MINDS SPIN-OFF
According to the Hollywood Reporter, CBS has tapped Beau Garrett as the female lead for it's new CRIMINAL MINDS spinoff series. Garrett will play a new FBI recruit who joins the team of profilers led by Forest Whitaker's character. The proposed spinoff will be introduced in a CRIMINAL MINDS episode toward the end of the season. Garrett co-stars in TRON LEGACY later this year. Her other credits include TURISTAS, 4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER and an episode of HOUSE earlier this season.

NUMBERS
NUMBERS star David Krumholtz is going back to his comedy roots in a FOX pilot executive produced by Ron Howard and set in an IRS office, the HR says. Krumholtz will play an auditor whose boss won't leave him alone. NUMBERS is on the bubble for renewal this year for CBS, so the pilot is in second position to NUMBERS.

CHASE
Cole Hauser ("K-Ville") and former "Prison Break" regular Amaury Nolasco have joined NBC's CHASE, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama about a team that tracks fugitives. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Hauser will play the head of the unit and Nolasco the team's intelligence specialist.

CHAOS
Freddy Rodriguez ("Six Feet Under," "Ugly Betty") will star in CBS' drama CHAOS, which follows a group of CIA agents who work around government bureaucracy to get results.

BEING HUMAN
The second season of BEING HUMAN will debut on BBC America in late summer, with the third season following shortly, the network announced.

THE LOSERS
Warner Brothers has pushed its comic-based action movie THE LOSERS to June 4 from its original April 9 release date to move it out of the way of CLASH OF THE TITANS, which comes out April 2 (to allow for the addition of 3-D effects).

SUPERHERO CONTEST
Lionsgate is launching a Superhero Contest in connection with the superhero satirical movie Kick-Ass; entrants can create their own heroes and compete for a chance to win a cameo in a comic sequel. Go to http://www.iwillkickass.com/ for more information.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2010

THE LONE RANGER
Heat Visision reports that Justin Haythe, who adapted Revolutionary Road, is negotiating to write the script for Walt Disney Pictures' THE LONE RANGER. Jerry Bruckheimer is producing the project, which will star Johnny Depp as Tonto. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN scribes Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were previously attached to write the script.
The Hollywood Reporter says Haythe's last gig at the studio, writing 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA: CAPTAIN NEMO, ended when the project was cancelled during the recent executive turnover.
The Lone Ranger's origin story begins with a group of Texas Rangers chasing down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish. The gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice.

THE LAST EXORCISM
Variety reports that Lionsgate has picked up the U.S. distribution rights for the Eli Roth-produced horror thriller THE LAST EXORCISM (formally titled "Cotton").
Helmed by German director Daniel Stamm, the cinema-verite style pic stars Patrick Fabian as a troubled evangelical minister who allows his final exorcism to be filmed by a documentary crew.
"It's always great to work with our friend Eli, who has played a key role in establishing Lionsgate in the vanguard of the horror genre," said Jason Constantine, Lionsgate's president of acquisitions and co-productions. "'The Last Exorcism' feels as close to a real exorcism as anyone would ever want to get -- audiences are going to find this movie scary as, well, hell."
THE LAST EXORCISM will premiere next month at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

SHIVER
Unique Features' Michael Lynne and Bob Shaye are moving forward with supernatural romance Shiver, hiring Nick Pustay (Ramona and Beezus) to adapt the Maggie Stiefvater novel, according to Variety.
The Scholastic Press title is described as follows:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human... until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
The second book, "Linger," will be published in August.

A LITTLE WAR OF OUR OWN
Variety reports that Kevin Costner will direct and star in action-adventure A LITTLE WAR OF OUR OWN, portraying a sheriff during World War II. Beacon Pictures is fully financing. Beacon topper Armyan Bern­stein will produce in his fourth teaming with Costner and their first since 2003's OPEN RANGE for Disney. Production's slated for fall.
A LITTLE WAR OF OUR OWN, penned by Dan Gordon, centers on a sheriff who must try to keep a town from exploding into violence. Beacon and Costner are beginning to cast, including pic's other lead role -- that of a German U-boat commander. Suzann Ellis, Jasa Abreo and Peter Almond will exec produce. IM Global is handling foreign sales and is introducing the project to distributors at Berlin's European Film Market this week.
"This has been a dream project for Kevin and I for years," Bernstein said. "The themes are timeless -- war, peace and reconciliation. The canvas is epic -- look at the movies Kevin has directed."
Costner won Oscars for best picture and director for DANCES WITH WOLVES. He starred with Ben Affleck and Tommy Lee Jones in John Wells' feature directorial bow, THE COMPANY MEN, which screened at Sundance last month.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2010

SPIDER-MAN IN 3D
Sony has confirmed that its proposed reboot of SPIDER-MAN will be in 3-D and will hit theaters on July 3, 2012. Here's the full announcement:
SPIDER-MAN will swing into theaters worldwide in 3D beginning July 3, 2012, it was announced today by Jeff Blake, Chairman of Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing & Distribution. The new film which is still untitled, will begin production later this year directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin will produce the film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios.
Commenting on the announcement, Blake said, "SPIDER-MAN is the ultimate summer movie-going experience, and we're thrilled the filmmakers are presenting the next installment in 3D. Spider-Man is one of the most popular characters in the world, and we know audiences are eager and excited to discover Marc's fantastic vision for Peter Parker and the franchise."

DUNE NEWS
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Chase Palmer has been hired to work on the DUNE script for director Pierre Morel at Paramount. Morel came aboard the project at the beginning of the year, and Palmer will work Morel's ideas into original scribe Josh Zetumer's screenplay. The "From Paris With Love" and "Taken" helmer is intent on hewing close to the source material, Frank Herbert's classic 1965 sci-fi tome.
David Lynch adapted the first novel into a feature for Universal in 1984.
Kevin Misher and Richard Rubinstein are producing the new Paramount version, which they hope will spark a franchise.

NEW STEVE MC GARRETT NAMED FOR HAWAII FIVE-O
After much speculation, the Hollywood Reporter writes that Alex O'Loughlin is the new Detective Steve McGarrett. The "Moonlight" star has closed a deal to topline CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" remake. He will play the role of the head of the Hawaii State Police portrayed by Jack Lord in the original series. O'Loughlin, who was an early favorite for the part, joins recently cast "Lost" co-star Daniel Dae Kim, who will play Detective Chin Ho Kelly.
The new "Hawaii Five-0" hails from hot feature writers and "Fringe" co-creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and "CSI: NY" executive producer/co-showrunner Peter Lenkov. CBS Studios is producing. "Hawaii Five-0" marks O'Loughlin's third starring vehicle at CBS, following "Moonlight" and this season's medical drama "Three Rivers."
CBS brass certainly hope that the third time will be the charm for O'Loughlin the way it was for another network favorite, Simon Baker, who starred in CBS' short-lived drama series "The Guardian" and "Smith" before headlining hit "The Mentalist."

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010

SUPERMAN/BATMAN NEWS
Warner Brothers is going to try to reboot its SUPERMAN franchise yet again, but the big news is that they're enlisting the man who turned Batman into one of the biggest movies of all time: THE DARK KNIGHT director Christopher Nolan.
According to Deadline Hollywood:
Our insiders say that the brains behind rebooted Batman has been asked to play a "godfather" role and ensure The Man Of Steel gets off the ground after a 3 1/2-year hiatus. Nolan's leadership of the project can set it in the right direction with the critics and the fans, not to mention at the box office. ... Superman 3.0 is in the early stages of development and no one knows if Nolan would direct. This wouldn't be a sequel to SUPERMAN RETURNS but a completely fresh franchise. As one of our insiders reassures: "It would definitely not be a followup to SUPERMAN RETURNS."
It's well known that Warner was disappointed with the results of Bryan Singer's 2006 reboot movie SUPERMAN RETURNS. Nolan is currently putting the finishing touches on his sci-fi mind-bender INCEPTION, which debuts on July 16.
Meanwhile, news that David Goyer had left ABC's FlashForward fueled speculation that he is turning his attention to a third Batman movie, which Deadline Hollywood confirms:
Now [Nolan's] brother and frequent collaborator Jonah Nolan and David Goyer who co-wrote BATMAN RETURNS and penned the story for THE DARK KNIGHT, are off scripting it.

TV NEWS
THE SHIELD's Michael Chiklis has landed the role as superdad in ABC's new superhero drama pilot NO ORDINARY FAMILY. In the pilot, Chikis plays the father of an American super family who all have special abilities. NO ORDINARY FAMILY was written by Greg Berlanti (Eli Stone) and Jon Feldman (Tru Calling) and comes from ABC Studios. Chiklis won an Emmy for his role as the rogue supercop Vic Mackey on FX's THE SHIELD; however, he's no stranger to superhero movies. He played the Thing in the FANTASTIC FOUR movie franchise and has been very in demand this pilot season.

In other pilot casting news, we reported that LOST (and CRUSADE's) Daniel Dae Kim has been tapped to play Detective Chin Ho Kelly in the remake of HAWAII FIVE-O. Moonlight star Alex O'Loughlin is in talks to play the lead role of Detective Steve McGarrett (originally played by Jack Lord). And Stargate's Michael Shanks confirmed to us that he was reading for the part of Danno (originally played by James MacArthur).

THE CW has ordered a pilot for BETWIXT, which takes place in an urban setting and revolves around "changelings" who try to save humans from evil. Elizabeth Chandler (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) wrote the script, which is being executive-produced by Paul Stupin (Make It or Break It).

THE GATES
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that PRISON BREAK alum Frank Grillo has landed the lead in ABC's supernatural crime drama series THE GATES. Luke Mably, Janina Gavankar and Chandra West also have been cast in the project, which Terry McDonough has come on board to direct.
GATES is produced by Fox TV Studios through the company's international co-production model. Its green light was contingent on FtvS securing foreign financing. The series, being eyed for a summer launch, moved forward after ABC stepped up and increased the license fee on it while FtvS continues conversations with international broadcasters.
Written by Richard Hatem and Grant Scharbo, GATES centers on a big-city cop (Grillo) who becomes chief of police in a seemingly sleepy planned community only to discover there's much more to the residents than meets the eye.
Mably ("The Prince and Me") will play one of the residents, a cardiologist who is a vampirelike creature. Gavankar ("The L Word") will play a local cop with a dark secret. West ("90210") will play the owner of a tea shop.

STAN LEE AND SEVEN
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Andy Heyward's recently launched A Squared Entertainment and Archie Comics have partnered with Stan Lee for a multimedia comic book property, SUPER SEVEN, which will feature the comic book icon. Lee, the Marvel legend and chairman and founder of POW!, is creating SEVEN, about seven aliens who find themselves stranded on Earth after their spaceship crashes and are befriended by Lee himself. Taking them under his care, Lee becomes their leader and enables them to resume their lives as superheroes.
"Although I've briefly appeared in other comics, 'Super Seven' is the first time that I'll actually be a continuing character in a far-out, original superhero series," Lee said.
"Seven" does not fall under the agreement between POW! and Disney, which this year acquired a 10% stake in Lee's company for $2.5 million.
Archie Comics will publish "Seven," and A Squared will focus on developing the project as a TV series and online property as well as handling licensing and merchandising. The partners are targeting a fall launch in print, online and on TV.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE IV
Paramount Pictures announced today that it is making MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE IV. The film, which will be produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) and Bad Robot Productions and will star Cruise, will be released Memorial Day weekend 2011.
"Tom and J.J. are great talents and we are excited to be working with them to re-launch this legendary franchise," said Paramount Pictures Chairman & CEO Brad Grey.
Screenwriters Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec are attached to write the script, from an original idea by Cruise and Abrams.
The studio, Cruise and Abrams are in now the process of identifying a director for the film. Cruise's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise has grossed over 1.4 billion globally.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE IV will be co-financed by David Ellison's Skydance Productions.
The move puts the fourth installment up against The Hangover 2, while Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opens a week earlier on May 20th.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010

HAVEN
Emily Rose (Jericho, Brothers and Sisters, ER) has been cast in Syfy's new supernatural drama series HAVEN, based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King. Rose will play the lead role of Audrey Parker, the shrewd and confident FBI agent with a lost past who arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine to solve the murder of a local ex-con. Before long, her natural curiosity lands her in the epicenter of activity in this curious enclave, which turns out to be a longtime refuge for people that are afflicted with a remarkable range of supernatural abilities.
As the townspeople's dormant abilities begin to express themselves, Audrey helps keep these forces at bay while discovering the many secrets of Haven - including one surrounding her own surprising past in this extraordinary place.
Production is expected to commence in Spring 2010, with an eye towards a Summer 2010 premiere.
The impressive creative team behind Haven includes Scott Shepherd (Tru Calling, The Dead Zone) serving as showrunner and is joined by his partners Executive Producers Lloyd Segan and Shawn Piller (The Dead Zone, Wildfire, Greek) and E1 Entertainment's John Morayniss (Hung,) and Noreen Halpern (The Bridge, Copper). The pilot is written by Sam Ernst (Shrek the Third, The Dead Zone) and Jim Dunn (Shrek the Third, The Dead Zone) who will also serve as executive producers on the series.

TERMINATOR RIGHT SOLD
According to Deadline Hollywood, the Halcyon Holding Corp. has sold the TERMINATOR rights not to Sony Pictures or Lionsgate, but to Santa Barbara-based hedge fund Pacificor for $29.5 million. What's interesting is that Halcyon has previously accused Pacificor of extortion, bribery, and fraud and demanded $30M in damages.
Halcyon will receive $5 million for every TERMINATOR movie made from now on, as well as retains the revenue streams from the third and fourth TERMINATOR movies. An arrangement also was made that the sale now wipes out the debt Halcyon owed to Pacificor and all the other creditors.
Back on May 9, 2007, rights to the TERMINATOR series passed from producers Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar to the privately funded Halcyon for a reported $30 million. It was Pacificor that lent Halcyon the money to conclude the deal.

GREEN LANTERN CAST ADDITION
Heat Vision reports that Tim Robbins has joined the cast of director Martin Campbell's GREEN LANTERN at Warner Bros. Pictures. Robbins will play Senator Hammond, the disapproving father of the movie's villain, Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), who becomes infused with psychic powers.
Ryan Reynolds stars as Green Lantern, with Blake Lively as the hero's love interest, Carol Ferris. Filming is set to star in March in New Orleans. The studio is planning a June 17, 2011 release.

DREAM HOUSE
Rachel Weisz will star alongside Daniel Craig and Naomi Watts in Universal Pictures' DREAM HOUSE. The Morgan Creek production is being directed by Jim Sheridan and was written by David Loucka. Filming began Sunday in Toronto.
The film is about a family that relocates into what appears to be the ideal residence in small town Connecticut. However, the father (Craig) and his family are disturbed to discover that their beautiful new home was the site of another family's slaughter, believed to be at the hands of the husband who survived. Weisz will play the wife and Watts is the family's neighbor.

CONTAGION
Variety reports that Marion Cotillard and Kate Winslet are in talks to join Steven Soderbergh's CONTAGION. Matt Damon and Jude Law are set for the action-thriller.
Soderbergh's been developing the project with producing partner Gregory Jacobs. Participant Media is in talks to co-finance and produce. Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher of Double Feature Films are also producing. The plan is to shoot the project later this year.
CONTAGION, based on a script penned by Scott Z. Burns, revolves around the threat posed by a deadly disease, with multiple plotlines in the style of Soderbergh's "Traffic."
Soderbergh currently is lensing "Knockout" for Relativity Media. Project stars Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor and martial arts champ Gina Carano.

MONDAY, FEBRUARAY 9, 2010

DANIEL DAE KIM IN HAWAII FIVE-O
According to the Hollywood Reporter, LOST's (CRUSADE's Lt. Matheson) Daniel Dae Kim is staying in Hawaii with a lead role on CBS' HAWAII FIVE-0 remake.
In CBS' updated take on the classic cop series, from CBS Studios, Kim will play Detective Chin Ho Kelly, a role played in the original series by Kam Fong.
The part of Detective Steve McGarrett has not yet been cast, though "Moonlight" star Alex O'Loughlin continues to be in talks for it.
The new "Hawaii Five-0" hails from hot feature writers and "Fringe" co-creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and "CSI: NY" executive producer/co-showrunner Peter Lenkov.
Kim, who played Jin Kwon on "Lost" for its six-season run, is the first actor from the show's core cast to book a new series project this pilot season as the ABC mystery drama heads to its May finale.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
James Cameron's AVATAR, which has dominated the box office for the last seven weekends, finally slipped to second place the weekend of Feb. 5, but still took in a strong $23.6 million. That raised the blockbuster's domestic total to $630.1 million, the Associated Press reported.
Screen Gems' new drama DEAR JOHN, starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, took the industry by surprise taking the #1 spot away from James Cameron's AVATAR. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom and based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, Dear John earned an estimated $32.4 million from 2,969 theaters, a strong average of $10,913 per theater. The film was made for about $25 million and the studio said its audiences were 84% female and two-thirds were under the age of 21. Screen Gems had hoped for an opening of about $20 million for the movie, which set a new Super Bowl weekend record, surpassing 2008's Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour ($31.1 million).

CAPTAIN AMERICA
Director Joe Johnston has addressed concerns that an Australian or Englishman would take the title role as CAPTAIN AMERICA. Johnson said categorically that he will cast an American in the title role of THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA.
"Casting an American? Absolutely," Johnston said in a news conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday while promoting his next film, The Wolfman. "Oh, yeah. I don't think we could make the film without an American playing the part. But we may not be casting in America, because we're going to London. I think we'll probably shoot in the U.K. for most of it, because it takes place in Europe. But, yeah, we'll definitely be casting [an American]."
Johnston also revealed other details about his upcoming film:
"Expect a casting announcement no later than March 1. And expect an unknown. "I hope it'll be somebody that we discover and who's never been in ... —he's probably been in something, but you won't know who he is. You won't recognize him, and we'll surround him with more prominent names. That's who we're looking for. Will we find him? I don't know. It's tough."
"It won't be shot in 3-D, but it will be shot on high-definition video that could be converted to 3-D later. "We're not going to be shooting it specifically in 3-D, but this is the first film I will have shot in hi-def."
"It won't look like other superhero movies. "We're definitely going to shoot it in a different way than any of the other Marvel pictures have been shot. What I'm trying to do is look at the comics, mostly the new ones, mostly the [Ed] Brubaker series [from 2004] and to interpret that sort of visual style into a film in a way that I think has been tried before, but it always looks like it's a little too on the nose. It looks like, oh, they're shooting a comic-book movie. I want to try something a little bit different."
Johnston promises big action set pieces. "Right now we have to sort of pick our battles, because it's a little more than we can afford right now, but there are some great action sequences, stuff we haven't seen before."
CAPTAIN AMERICA is due in theaters on July 22, 2011.

THE THING
The website, Heat Vision, says that Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton will star in Universal's THE THING, the latest take on the shape-shifting alien who terrorizes a group of people.
Matthijs Van Heijningen is directing the the film, which was written by Ronald D. Moore and Eric Heisserer. Strike Entertainment's Marc Abraham and Eric Newman are producing.
Winstead will play a Ph.D. candidate who joins a Norwegian research team in Antarctica after it discovers an alien ship in the ice. When a trapped organism is freed and begins a series of attacks, she is forced to team with a blue-collar mercenary helicopter pilot (Edgerton) to stop the rampage.
The movie starts shooting on March 15 in Toronto.

THE DESCENDANTS
Variety reports that Shailene Woodley (ABC's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager") is set to star opposite George Clooney in Alexander Payne's THE DESCENDANTS.
Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, the revolves around an attorney (Clooney) who is forced to get closer to his daughters after a family tragedy. Woodley will play the oldest daughter.
Nat Faxon and Jim Rash wrote the script.
Payne will helm the pic and produce along with Jim Burke from a script adapted by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.

TEXAS KILLING FIELDS
Variety indicates that AVATAR star Sam Worthington is in talks to front the cast of TEXAS KILLING FIELDS, a new thriller by Ami Canaan Mann. Her father Michael Mann will produce.
THe trade says the film is a murder mystery titled Texas Killing Fields and written by Donald F. Ferrarone. Shooting will start in April in Louisiana.
The film focuses on the true story of a pair of police officers who undertook to solve two decades of disappearances and homicides -- totaling as many as 60 victims -- in the industrial wastelands surrounding Gulf Coast refineries.
Worthington will portray a local homicide detective who works with a New York transplant to wage a war against the unknown but fierce killers.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2010

STRETCH ARMSTRONG
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Lautner has signed on to star in “Stretch Armstrong,” Universal’s movie based on the Hasbro toy. The studio is making the movie in 3D, which will push back the release date of the movie from May 15, 2011 to some time in 2012.
The story developed for the movie, being produced by Imagine and Hasbro, sees an uptight spy who stumbles across a stretching formula, which he takes and must now adjust to in everyday life and when fighting crime.
“In the past two years, Taylor has emerged as a real star at the global boxoffice. He brings the perfect balance of energy and athleticism to the role of an unlikely super hero with a fantastic super power,” said Universal co-chairman Donna Langley.
Taylor has emerged as the mainstream star from the “Twilight” movies, signing on to major tentpoles such as “Max Steel” or action vehicles such as “Cancun.” The actor, repped by WME and Management 360, has shown charisma and physical prowess on screen beyond the “Twilight” movies (a recent “Saturday Night Live” appearance is an example) and Lautner is being positioned to be this decade’s action star.

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE RED SKULL
THE WOLFMAN director, Joe Johnston, has been doing press for his new movie and Johnston confirmed that the Red Skull will indeed be the villain of the first movie and told Ryan a bit more about why they decided to set the majority of the movie during WWII:
"Virtually the entire story except the bookends are in World War II because we all recognize we have one chance to tell the origin story of how he became Captain America, you can't tell a modern story and then go back and tell the origin story. If you're going to do it, let's do it. Let's do it first. Everyone wanted to tell an origin story. There was a version where it was a modern story and it didn't work."
THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA is currently scheduled for release on July 22, 2011.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010

FLASHFORWARD GETS ANOTHER SHOWRUNNER
Co-creator and executive producer David Goyer is exiting as showrunner of the sci-fi thriller just months after he took over for former showrunner Mark Guggenheim, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed. Goyer created FlashForward with Star Trek's Brannon Braga. However, because Goyer had limited experience running a television series, Guggenheim, who co-created ABC's Eli Stone, took the reins. During the fall, Guggenheim then stepped down, leaving Goyer in charge for the show's back nine episodes.
The series, which is based on Robert Sawyer's novel about what happens when everyone on the planet blackouts at the same time for two minutes and 17 seconds and has visions of their future, started off with big ratings. However, FlashForward has struggled in its first season so far, and ABC removed it from the schedule in early December. The series is due to return to the ABC schedule on March 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, with the network planning to air original episodes through the end of the season without repeats or pre-emptions.
It's never a good sign when a series has showrunner trouble, since that key position is basically the captain of the ship, running all the day-to-day operations for a series. No word from ABC as yet as to who will take over for Goyer, but the production is still several episodes shy of the show's 23-hour order.
Goyer said: "As my feature projects have started ramping up again, I felt I was being pulled in too many directions. I'm proud of the show and excited about the relaunch. It's in great hands." Goyer will still maintain the title of executive producer, and still be "involved" in the show, according to ABC sources. The producer wrote The Dark Knight and Batman Begins, and directed the films, The Unborn and The Invisible.

DAREDEVIL
According to deadline.com, Marvel's blind superhero will get a chance on the big screen again. David Scarpa, who has already scripted one reboot—The Day the Earth Stood Still—will be writing the screenplay for the new Daredevil film, which will be released by New Regency and produced by former News Corp. president Peter Chernin.
Why could we see yet another superhero on the big screen? Any Hollywood studios with Marvel superheros need to keep bringing those characters to the screen or else the rights will revert back to Disney-based Marvel.

ROYAL PAINS ADDS FONZI TO CAST
Henry Winkler is joining the breakout USA Network hit in a major recurring role next season, playing Eddie R. Lawson, the absentee father to Hank (Mark Feuerstein) and Evan (Paulo Costanzo) Lawson.
In ROYAL PAINS' first-season cliffhanger, Hank learned that their father had taken the majority of the funds of his and Evan's company HankMed.
In the second season, Eddie arrives unannounced in the Hamptons, determined to reinsert himself into his sons' lives and make up for lost time, but his motives are unclear at best. ROYAL PAINS, which centers on Hank Lawson, a disgraced New York City physician who reinvents himself as the hot new in-demand doctor-for-hire returns in the Hamptons, for a 18-episode second season in the summer. The series, from Universal Cable Prods., also stars Reshma Shetty and Jill Flint.

BAG OF BONES
Where BAG OF BONES TV mini-series will reside on the small screen is to be announced shortly. In the book, novelist Mike Noonan still suffers writers block several years after his wife's death. A dream inspires him to return to the couple's summer retreat in western Maine, a lakeside house called Sara Laughs. Shortly after arriving, Noonan is caught in the middle of a custody battle involving the daughter of an attractive young widow and the child's enormously wealthy grandfather. He also discovers that Sara Laughs is haunted and that his late wife, Joanna, still has something to tell him.

EARTHBOUND
Whoopi Goldberg and Kathy Bates have signed onto Nicole Kassell's romancer EARTHBOUND says Screen Daily. Kate Hudson and Gael Garcia Bernal play the leads while Rosemarie DeWitt, Lucy Punch, Romany Malco, Steven Weber and Treat Williams also star in the project.
Story details are unknown at this time, but Kassell is directing from a script by Gren Wells. Shooting is currently underway in New Orleans.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010

TRUE BLOOD
TRUE BLOOD has filled in the last major piece of its season 3 casting puzzle, adding Brit Morgan to the ensemble. Morgan ("The Middleman") will have a recurring part on the HBO hit as Debbie Pelt, the ex-girlfriend of Alcide (Joe Manganiello), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Morgan's other credits include a guest spot on "Cold Case" and the Toby Keith movie "Beer for My Horses."

NEW SPIDER-MAN?
According to the Latino Review, Logan Lerman, the 18-year-old actor who stars in the upcoming PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF as a teen who discovers he's the descendant of a Greek god, may soon discover himself to be the next friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
"Conversations are starting," said Lerman. "It's a long process with the studio and the producers and everything. But it's definitely a project that I'm really interested in, of course. I'd love to focus on the human element a little bit more. It'd be such a fun experience."
Lerman also revealed that he's been a longtime Spider-Man fan. "It's one of my favorite characters ever, and I'm a huge fan of the series," he continued. "I'd love to have more conversations about it. I'm definitely very interested in it."

TERMINATOR AUCTION
Variety reports that Sony has joined Lionsgate in the bidding on the rights to the "Terminator" franchise. The studio submitted a bid on Thursday, the final day for submitting offers. Lionsgate stepped up last month as the first bidder for the rights to the "Terminator" franchise with bid of $15 million and a 5% cut of future gross receipts.
Halcyon Group put the franchise up for sale in September. The auction for the assets--which include the rights to future "Terminator" movies, TV series, DVDs and merchandise--will be held Monday at the offices of FTI Consulting in Los Angeles, followed by a bankruptcy court hearing two days later. If Lionsgate doesn't win the auction, it will receive $750,000 as a breakup fee from the winning bidder.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010

AVATAR CONTINUES TO MAKE FILM HISTORY
The records keep falling for James Cameron's AVATAR. It has officially become the highest-grossing film domestically of all time, surpassing Cameron's own TITANIC.
As of yesterday, AVATAR's domestic gross was $601.1 million, higher than TITANIC's $600.8 million, Variety reported.
AVATAR earlier topped TITANIC's global total with $2.05 billion worldwide, compared with the boat movie's $1.84 billion.

THOR
In a recent interview, Sir Anthony Hopkins talked about his current project, THOR, the big-budget comic book-based movie in which he'll play Odin, the Norse god-like ruler of Asgard, as well as the father of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and stepfather of Loki (Tom Hiddleston).
Production is underway now on the superhero adventure, which also stars Natalie Portman, Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson and Rene Russo and is being directed by Kenneth Branagh (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein).
"That's a really big one, a really big movie," Oscar winner Hopkins said a couple of weeks ago while promoting THE WOLFMAN. "I'm a big Ken Branagh [fan]. I think he's an extraordinary guy, a wonderful actor and a terrific director. He's one of the easiest guys to be with. He doesn't shout or scream. He just is very gentle with everyone. He believes in his actors. He needs them to act, and he'll direct in a strong way, but he leaves it to you. Whatever you want, he gives it to you."
Hopkins didn't know Branagh well before signing on for THOR. But the two men had met previously as Hopkins had worked, twice, with Branagh's ex-wife, Emma Thompson, and they'd all gone out to dinner years ago. Hopkins got a better feeling for Branagh a few months back, over conversation and coffee in Santa Monica, Calif.
"He said, 'Would you take the [Thor] script and read it and see what you think? And if you'd like to play Odin,'" Hopkins recalled, adding: "I felt he was a very, very smart man, very bright and compassionate and well rounded."
THOR is in production now, with an eye toward a May 6, 2011, release.

THE LOST SYMBOL
According to Variety, Columbia Pictures is moving forward with THE LOST SYMBOL, the third installment of the "Da Vinci Code" franchise. Steven Knight has come on board to adapt Dan Brown's novel.
The book is described as follows:
The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths... all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.
As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.
When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.
Tom Hanks, who played Langdon in THE DA VINCI CODE and ANGELS AND DEMONS. has not yet committed to reprise the role, though he is expected to. Imagine's Brian Grazer and John Calley have signed on to produce the latest installment.

FAST AND FURIOUS 5
Variety indicates that Universal Pictures is pushing through on a fifth installment of "Fast and Furious," currently being referred to as "Fast Five." The studio has closed deals with Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, director Justin Lin and producer Neal Moritz to return to the franchise, which has become one of the studio's most lucrative.
Diesel and Walker sat out the third chapter in the series but returned for last year's fourth installment, which was the highest-grossing "Fast and Furious" film and Universal's top grosser of 2009. Its box office haul was more than $350 million worldwide.
Chris Morgan is writing "Fast Five," marking the third time he and Lin have teamed for a "Fast and Furious" film. The story finds Dom (Diesel) and Brian (Walker) as fugitives being pursued by relentless lawmen.
Lensing will begin later this year for a 2011 release.
Original Films' Moritz has produced every film in the series, beginning in 2001 with the "The Fast and the Furious." Universal's Jeff Kirschenbaum and Franklin Leonard will oversee the project for the studio.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2010

TRON LEGACY
Walt Disney Pictures has released this new photo of Jeff Bridges in TRON LEGACY, opening in 3D theaters and IMAX 3D on December 17. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film co-stars Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett and Michael Sheen.

SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN
According to the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post, Hugh Jackman will play the male lead in Wayne Wang's SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN and that Li Bingbing (The Forbidden Kingdom) has replaced Zhang Ziyi in the film that also stars Jeon Ji-Hyun.
Filming started today at Hengdian, a large film studio near Shanghai. Jackman is expected to join the production in mid-February.
Set in 19th century remote China, SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN revolves around the lifelong friendship of Lily and Snow Flower and their imprisonment by rigid cultural codes of conduct for women.
The script is based on the novel by Lisa See. Wendi Murdoch and Florence Sloan are producing.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2010

SYFY - NEW SATURDAY MOVIES
Syfy announced that it will add a series of new original fantasy films to its schedule of Saturday Original Movies, based on classic fairy tales and legends.
The new series kicks off with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST on Feb. 27, followed by re-imaginings of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, HANSEL AND GRETEL, ALADDIN and other stories.
Below is the official announcement.
SYFY UNVEILS NEW SATURDAY NIGHT ORIGINAL MOVIES RE-IMAGINED CLASSIC FAIRY TALES, LEGENDS AND POP CULTURE CHARACTERS FROM LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD TO HANSEL AND GRETEL KICKS OFF WITH PREMIERE OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, AT 9PM (ET/PT)

New York, NY - February 1, 2010 -- Syfy announced today it is adding a new Saturday Original Movies genre to its popular mix, re-imagining classic fairy tales, legends and pop culture characters -- from LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, ALADDIN and SINBAD THE SAILOR to HANSEL AND GRETEL -- beginning with the premiere of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST on Saturday, February 27, at 9PM (ET/PM).
Starring Estella Warren (Planet of the Apes), BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is not the traditional Disney fairy tale. In this gritty celebration of Valentine's Day, a young Beauty (Warren) with a gift for healing helps a deformed Prince (Rhett Gilles, Wraiths of Roanoke) regain his throne and defeat the ruthless nobleman who wants to be king -- and then together they try to destroy a power-hungry witch. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was directed by David Lister and written by Gavin Scott.
Said Thomas Vitale, Executive Vice President, Programming and Original Movies, Syfy: "By turning familiar timeless stories inside out -- like retelling LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD as a werewolf tale or envisioning a dark version of Shrek -- we're creating an entertaining new genre for our popular Saturday night movie franchise, which has become the television destination for fans of action-packed independent sci-fi, horror and fantasy films."
During 2009, the 22 Syfy Saturday Original Movies averaged nearly two million total viewers (1.8 million) across the channel's twice-monthly original presentations. Syfy is one of television's most prolific producers of original movies.
Vitale also announced a preliminary development slate for the new line of Syfy Original Movies including:
o Red -- A young woman who is a descendant of the real Little Red Riding Hood brings her fiancé home, where he meets the family and learns about their business - hunting werewolves. He's skeptical until bitten by a werewolf. When her family insists he must be killed, Red tries saving him.
o Hansel -- Twenty years after his encounter with the witch, a grown-up Hansel returns to the haunted forest, seeking revenge. But there's a surprise waiting - his sister Gretel (who he thought had been killed) is the witch's protégée.
o 8TH Voyage of Sinbad -- Sinbad searches for the golden head of the long lost Colossus of Rhodes and, instead, discovers an island where the mythical Minotaur still rules, protecting a vast treasure. Sinbad and his crew have to battle the creature and its minions to get the treasure and save their own lives.
o Aladdin (working title) -- After accidentally releasing an evil genie from an ancient lamp, Aladdin must find a way to imprison the genie again before it wreaks havoc on the world.
o Black Forest -- A group of naïve tourists take a sightseeing tour into a supposed enchanted forest, where they encounter evil creatures from the world of fantasy. Trapped in the Black Forest, their only hope of survival is fighting their way out.

THE GOOD DOCTOR
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Orlando Bloom is toplining THE GOOD DOCTOR, an indie drama to which Michael Pena, Troy Garity, Courtney Ford, Taraji P. Henson, Rob Morrow and J.K. Simmons are in negotiations to co-star.
Bloom also is producing the Lance Daly-directed pic while his Viddywell Prods. producing partner Sharon Miller exec produces. Jonathan King and Dan Etheridge also are producing.
The script from John Enbom ("Veronica Mars"), described as a Hitchcockian thriller, centers on a frustrated doctor looking to impress his superiors and colleagues. When his 18-year-old patient, admitted for a kidney infection, provides him with the esteem he so craves, the doctor tampers with her treatment so that she'll have to stay at the hospital with him.
Pena will play an orderly who discovers the doctor's budding relationship and blackmails him for prescription painkillers. Garity is a successful, self-assured doctor, a counterpoint to Bloom. Ford is a woman who has eyes for Bloom's character.
Production is to start this week in Los Angeles. Leonid Lebedev is exec producing while Julia Lebedev acts as co-producer. Nicholas Chartier of Voltage Pictures is handling foreign sales. "Doctor" will make house calls at the European Film Market, which opens next week in Berlin.

NEW CBS PILOTS
CBS is laying down REAGAN'S LAW, giving a pilot order to the project from "The Sopranos" alumni Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green.
The network also has ordered a medical drama pilot produced by "ER" chief John Wells.
Burgess and Green wrote "Law," a multi-generational show revolving around a family of cops in New York.
The two are also executive producing with Leonard Goldberg for CBS TV Studios.
The untitled medical drama, from Warner Bros. TV, revolves around a roaming medical team that travels the U.S. helping those less fortunate get through life-or-death medical crises.
Hannah Shakespeare wrote the script and is exec producing with Wells.

SGT. ROCK
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Producer Joel Silver revealed the that comic book adaptation Sgt. Rock has found new life at Warner Bros. Pictures, but that the film won't take place in WWII. Instead, the plan is for Sgt. Rock to serve his country in the not-too-distant future.
"It's a little bit in the future," Silver said. "As a war movie, it's not going to be 'where it's been,' it's going to be 'where it's going.' We didn't want to do Iraq, we didn't want to do a contemporary war. We wanted to do a sort of futuristic war. It's pretty strong. Chad St. John wrote the script and we've got Francis Lawrence involved in developing it with us. It's not a 'go' movie yet but I'm feeling good about it."
As far as the status, Silver added that they just received a new draft of the script this week.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2010

SPOCK, SYLAR, GERSHWIN?
According to Deadline Hollywood, Star Trek and "Heroes" star Zachary Quinto will play famed composer and pianist George Gershwin in a biopic at DreamWorks Pictures. This is one of three projects that Steven Spielberg is looking at to direct next.
The site says that the studio is supplying accent and dialogue coaches for Quinto, and shooting could begin as soon as April. Doug Wright wrote the script, and Marc Platt and singer/pianist Michael Feinstein are producing.
Gershwin, who passed away at the age of 38 in 1937, composed music for both Broadway and the classical concert hall, as well as popular songs. His compositions have been used in numerous films and on television.

THIS WEEK'S TOP SHOWS
It is wonderful to see so many of my favorite shows in the top ten this week:
1. Bones (FOX)3.6/1112.4.
2. Fringe (FOX)3.0/88.9
3. The Mentalist (CBS)2.3/611.0
4. The Office (NBC)2.1/64.6
5. CSI (CBS)2.0/59.1
6. The Vampire Diaries (CW)1.8/53.7

SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010

DOLLHOUSE FINALE
Fox's DOLLHOUSE concluded on a familiar ratings note Friday night, while a battle of reality remakes had a tight race.
The DOLLHOUSE series finale drew 2.2 million viewers and a 0.8 preliminary adults 18-49 rating, providing a weak lead-in for the return of Gordon Ramsay's KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (3.3 million, 1.4) at 9 p.m. For NIGHTMARES, that's down 42% from its premiere a year ago on Thursday nights.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2010

BEING HUMAN GETS THIRD SEASON
The BBC's supernatural show Being Human winds up its second season in February on BBC Three, and now comes word that the network has ordered up a third season, with the regular cast returning. In the show, a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost try to suppress their violent natures while finding a way to share a flat in Bristol. It stars Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow and Aidan Turner.
(The new season of the British original show is gearing up as Syfy develops its own American remake of the show.)
It's unclear when or whether the season will air in the United States.

ANOTHER DUNE REMAKE
French action director Pierre Morel is taking over a new film version of Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic DUNE and indicates he wants to remain faithful to the book, of which he is an immense fan.
Speaking to the Tribeca Film Web site, Morel (Taken; From Paris, With Love) said he's going to start drafting a new script soon:
I'm preparing for a long trek in the dunes... We're going to start writing in a couple weeks. It's very early [in the] process.
[Q:] Do you plan to infuse it with some action?
I don't know. It's all about—I'm a huge Dune fan, a reader, like for 30 years; I read it when I was a teenager. I've read it 10 times maybe, so I want to stay true to the book. Saying that, I also think that there's a lot of scenes that are not described in the books—it's just mentioned, like the bad guys attacking something—and it might make sense to include those in the movie, not just by mentioning it but showing them, and that would maybe [call for] some action scenes, yes. It's not about action. It's not the point. It's not about [making] an action movie. It's just doing Dune. It's like a huge universe thing, and there's such a fanbase, like guys who have been reading that forever—you can't mess with that.

THE LOSERS
Warner Bros. Pictures has debuted the trailer for director Sylvain White's THE LOSERS, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Holt McCallany, Oscar Jaenada, Jason Patric and Peter Macdissi. The action-thriller opens in theaters on April 9.
Based on the DC Comics title, the film centers upon the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team--Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar--find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max. Presumed dead, the group makes plans to even the score when they're joined by the mysterious Aisha, a beautiful operative with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded Max, a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war.

LOST TRAILER
ABC recently held a sweepstakes in which 815 winners received an exclusive message in a bottle with the opening minutes of the sixth and final season of "Lost." That footage is now online. The premiere is airing on Tuesday, February 2 at 8/7c.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010

CAPED
The Hollywood Reporter writes that on Thursday NBC picked up an hourlong pilot for "The Cape." "Cape," from "Empire" creator Tom Wheeler, is a light drama with a comic book sensibility. Set in a fictionalized version of Los Angeles, it centers on a former cop framed for a crime who becomes the Cape, a masked hero, to clear his name and reunite with his son.
The project, from UMS and BermanBraun, was set up at NBC in the fall with a premium script commitment. Wheeler wrote the script and is exec producing with Lloyd Braun and Gail Berman.

COLD WARRIOR
Reports in the Hollywood Reporter indicate that Mel Gibson is in negotiations to reteam with his "Lethal Weapon" scribe Shane Black for Universal's spy thriller COLD WARRIOR.
Black, directing his second movie after 2005's "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," is tackling a tale in which a Cold War spy (Gibson) comes out of retirement to confront a domestic terrorism threat from Russia by joining with a younger agent. Charles Mondry wrote the script.
The dealmaking is in the early stages, but it does further Gibson's plan to get back in front of the cameras. "Edge of Darkness," his first onscreen performance since 2002's "Signs," opens Friday.
Michelle Manning, David Greenblatt and Anthony Bagarozzi are producing COLD WARRIOR.

THE WELL
Variety reports that Philip Seymour Hoffman and Emily Ziff's production company Cooper's Town Productions is developing a psychological thriller titled THE WELL.
Guy Pearce and Mary-Louise Parker will star in the film, which will mark actor Tim Guinee's feature directorial debut. Guinee will also write the script.
Story details are being kept under wraps, but THE WELL revolves around a well-to-do Manhattan couple whose obsessive pursuit of salvation ultimately leads to destruction.

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS
20th Century Fox has released the trailer for Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, coming to theaters on April 23rd. The film's official website is now also online.
MONEY NEVER SLEEPS stars Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Frank Langella, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon, Vanessa Ferlito and Charlie Sheen.
Use this link to see the trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi875627545/

FIRE
Deadline Hollywood reports that Zac Efron is attached to star in Universal Pictures' adaptation of Brian Michael Bendis' graphic novel FIRE. In the film, based on the Image Comics title, Efron will play a college student who is recruited by the CIA, only to find that he has been trained for a program that creates expendable agents.
Bendis will write the script for the movie. Neil Moritz will produce with Circle of Confusion's David Engel. Efron and Alchemy Entertainment's Jason Barrett will be executive producers.
In a separate deal at Warner Bros., Efron has signed to star in a BACK TO THE FUTURE-like film that combines two projects - a pitch from writer Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski and a WB project called ALGORITHM that the studio was developing for director Nick Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

STAR TREK ONLINE
Syfy has entered into a promotional partnership with Atari for Star Trek Online, the upcoming MMO, which goes live next Tuesday. The promotion includes exclusive new content and special offers through Syfy.com. Following is the official announcement with all the details.
ATARI AND SYFY ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP TO LAUNCH THE EPIC TITLE STAR TREK™ ONLINE
Syfy to Broadcast Two-Day Star Trek Marathon and Offer an Exclusive "Syfy Bundle" for Download Only on Syfy.com's Game Center
New York, NY (January 27, 2010) - Atari, Inc., one of the world's most recognized videogame publishers, and Syfy, the broadcast leader in imagination-based entertainment, have announced an exclusive partnership promoting the highly anticipated massively multiplayer online game (MMO), Star Trek Online, releasing for the PC on February 2, 2010.
This exciting initiative explores uncharted territory, empowering Syfy.com to build a one-stop "hub" for Star Trek Online, where fans and gamers alike will be able to view explosive new content, participate in special contests and sweepstakes, and even purchase an exclusive bundle via digital download. The deal furthers Syfy's mission to leverage multiple platforms, transcending just the television screen, to reach its broad audience and leverage the affinity they have with the most mainstream and profitable genre world wide: science fiction.
Star Trek fans can visit Syfy.com/StarTrekOnline and purchase the limited time "Syfy Bundle" to digitally download the game and receive a variety of bonus offers, both in-game and out of game!
* "Neodymium Deflector Dish" -- An in-game item grants a bonus to Auxiliary power, boosts maneuverability, and increases the effectiveness of a ship's Science abilities.
* "500 Cryptic Points" -- These micro-transaction credits can be used to purchase in-game items and unlock unique bonuses.
* "Syfy Store Discount" -- Purchasers of the Syfy bundle will receive 15% off their next purchase at the Syfy.com store.
In addition, to celebrate the launch of Star Trek Online, Syfy will air a two-day Star Trek marathon on Monday, 2/1 8 am to 5 pm of "STAR TREK ENTERPRISE" and Tuesday, 2/2 8 am - 9 pm of "STAR TREK NEXT GENERATION".
"Syfy is the perfect home for Star Trek Online," said Jim Wilson, President and CEO of Atari, Inc. "By offering broadcast support, exclusive content and in-game bonuses, fans of Star Trek and the science fiction genre will be able to take part in this title's much anticipated release."
Alan Seiffert, Senior Vice President Syfy Ventures, added, "The Syfy audience has immense passion for video games. With that said, we are making a significant commitment to growing our presence in gaming and establishing Syfy.com's Game Center as a leading destination for cutting edge interactive entertainment from a news, entertainment and even sales perspective. This joint venture with Atari helps showcase the types of unique partnerships we will look to develop to provide our audience with exclusive experiences tied to today's hottest interactive entertainment."
This exciting - and first time - sales partnership between a media property and a gaming publisher will be supported with TV and Digital advertising and promotional units throughout the month of February.
Taking place in the year 2409, Star Trek Online boasts extraordinary features and lets fans both new and old experience unparalleled adventures. Players have the opportunity to become a high ranking Starfleet officer and participate in missions that take them into the depths of space, across exotic planets and even inside other starships. Star Trek Online offers total customization, from a player's avatar to the ship he captains.
Star Trek Online is a licensed product from CBS Consumer Products. For more information, please visit:
www.startrekonline.com and www.atari.com
Videos, screens, and additional assets are available at the Atari press vault. Log onto: www.atari-press.com.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2010

DRACULA YEAR ZERO
According to reports in The Hollywood Reporter, AVATAR star Sam Worthington is in negotiations to star in DRACULA YEAR ZERO, a period vampire epic Alex Proyas (Knowing) is set to direct for Universal. Michael De Luca is producing:
Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless wrote the spec, which explores the origin of Dracula, weaving vampire mythology with the true history of Prince Vlad the Impaler. It seeks to depict Dracula as a flawed hero in a tragic love story set in a dark age of magic and war.
Worthington will also appear in the Helen Mirren thriller THE DEBT, and his next role is Greek hero Perseus in the remake of CLASH OF THE TITANS.

SHERLOCK HOLMES 2
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Producer Joel Silver said that Guy Ritchie is no longer attached to direct Warner Bros. Pictures' adaptation of the DC Comics title LOBO because the studio is moving forward with SHERLOCK HOLMES 2.
"I don't think he's going to do it now," Silver, who is producing both properties, said. "The studio wants us and Guy to focus on making another 'Sherlock Holmes'... So we're trying to see if we can do something quickly with another 'Sherlock Holmes' movie. We have some ideas and some good story points." Silver added that they'll likely go with another director for LOBO.
He expects everyone to come back for Sherlock Holmes 2. "Downey loves the experience of playing Sherlock and would love to play him again, and I'd love to see him play it again. Jude and all of them will be back and it will be great."
Silver was also asked about the rumor that Brad Pitt would appear in the "Holmes" sequel as Professor Moriarty. "Well, I mean, we talked about that at one point, but you know as of right now we're not sure what we're going to do. We'll see what happens," he said.

PASSENGERS
Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness, Seven Pounds) is in advanced negotiations with Morgan Creek to direct PASSENGERS, a sci-fi romance film he described as "a love story set on a spaceship," reports Variety. PASSENGERS is set in the future on a spacecraft making a centuries-long interstellar voyage to a new planet. Due to a computer glitch, a single passenger (Keanu Reeves) awakens from cryogenic sleep 90 years before anyone else. Faced with the prospect of growing old and dying alone, he, in turn, awakens a beautiful woman. Stephen Hamel and James G. Robinson will produce. Jon Spaihts (Ridley Scott's upcoming Alien prequel) wrote the script. Muccino expects to start shooting the film this summer.

CRUELEST MILES
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Gavin Hood ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "Tsotsi") is in talks to direct an adaptation of Gay and Laney Salisbury's book THE CRUELEST MILES for Walden Media.
Set in Alaska in 1952, the story follows twenty dog teams who're the only ones who could transport a life- saving serum across a thousand miles of Alaskan wilderness to the town of Nome where a deadly diphtheria epidemic was underway. The journey, through -60 Degrees Farenheit and phenomenon like ice fog, inspired the annual Iditarod dogsled race.
Sean O'Keefe and Will Staples are penning the script with filming to kick off in the Summer. Mark Johnson will produce.

HEREAFTER
Former GHOST WHISPERER star Jay Mohr has landed a role in director Clint Eastwood’s next HEREAFTER, says Variety.
The film, about a group of people who experience death in dissimilar ways (though not in a “Final Destination” sense. In fact, the film is said to be closer in tone to “The Sixth Sense”), stars Matt Damon and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Mohr, whose film credits include “Go!” and “Picture Perfect”, will play Damon’s brother.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2010

STARGATE PROPS ON SALE
Would you like to have an actual piece of STARGATE in your home? You may be in luck. Propworx, who was also behind 2009's Battlestar Galactica auctions, has lau