Film News Roundup – May 2009 – Week 1
We are trying something different this week. Scott’s News Roundup will be split into 4 articles with one being released each day. Please give us feedback if you like it this way or prefer the one big article.
It’s May, It’s May, the lusty month of May!
Spring is here and with it come the first quarter earning reports for the studios and the numbers are interesting. I’m not an accountant so I wouldn’t even attempt a forensic analysis of each of the big houses P&L’s but sometimes the story is in the headlines.
“Viacom’s profit tumbled 34%”
“Time Warner profits fall 14%”
“Disney profits plunge 46%”
In spite of execs doing their best impersonation of a losing sports franchise coach (“It’s a building year, but next season we’re going to come back stronger and winners!”) there’s a lot of belt-tightening going on in tinsel town.
About the only winner out there at the moment is the upstart Marvel Entertainment, the comic book company’s movie division. With only two self-financed films (“Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk”) under their belt, they’ve managed to pull off a 75% rise in overall revenue. Make mine Marvel!
Let’s get on with the news
Film News
STAR TREK WATCH: Leonard Nimoy Talks about J.J. Abrams STAR TREK
“When Karl Urban introduced himself as Leonard McCoy and shook hands with Chris Pine, I burst into tears. That performance of his is so moving, so touching and so powerful as Doctor McCoy, that I think D. Kelley [DeForest] would be smiling, and maybe in tears as well.”
STAR TREK WATCH: J.J. Abrams Admits Star Trek Lens Flares Are “Ridiculous”
“I wanted a visual system that felt unique. I know there are certain shots where even I watch and think, “Oh that’s ridiculous, that was too many.” But I love the idea that the future was so bright it couldn’t be contained in the frame.”
TERMINATOR WATCH: Common & Bloodgood Talk Terminator Salvation
Common (“Smoking Aces,” “American Gangster”) and former model and LA Lakers cheerleader Moon Bloodgood (“Pathfinder,” “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li”) interviewed about Terminator: Salvation.
TERMINATOR WATCH: Salvation by cyborg: McG helms next chapter in ‘Terminator’ saga
I didn’t want clean, shiny Logan’s Run Terminators. I wanted Children of Men/Mad Max Terminators… I strongly suspect the next movie is going to take place in a [pre-Judgment Day] 2011″
TERMINATOR WATCH: Terminator wreaks publicity at Bloor Station
The remote control moves the robot’s head. It also can turn its red eyes off and on. That’s something. When the eyes do go on, a crowd of about 30 people, all with cell phone cameras start snapping pictures.
‘Transformers’ Blockbuster Filmmaker Michael Bay Wants to Make…A Western?
” I love, love, love Westerns; love them,” he insisted. “I’ve just always been a huge fan of Western movies. I actually wrote a senior thesis on Western movies.”
Warner Bros. takes ride with ‘Whales’
Jack Amiel, Michael Begler wrote spec script
Warner Bros. has picked up “Everybody Loves Whales,” a spec based the true story of three California gray whales who were found trapped under the ice of the Arctic Circle in October 1988. The subsequent rescue attempt became a huge global event, and a rare moment of U.S. and Soviet collaboration.
Fox’s Tom Rothman Dishes on an Alien Prequel and more!
“There’s been some talk. Ridley Scott, Ridley is right now working on Robin Hood, but I think he’s toying with the idea and that would be great for us. I mean, it’s always been a matter of, really, if you can get the originator to do it that would be the greatest thing, so I’ve got my fingers crossed, all of them.” [Video]
Gervais’ ‘Flanimals’ heads to bigscreen
Illumination to create 3-D animated feature
Based on “Flanimals,” a children’s book series by Ricky Gervais. Gervais will voice the lead character, and the script will be written by Matt Selman (“The Simpsons”). Gervais’ character, a pudgy, perspiring purple creature, goes on a mission to change the world. “It will be great to play a short, fat, sweaty loser for a change. A real stretch.”
‘Big Fan’ touches down in U.S.
“Big Fan,” written and helmed by “The Wrestler” scribe Robert Siegel, will star Patton Oswalt as a nutty New York Giants fan whose encounter with his football hero ends in violence. Pic co-stars Kevin Corrigan and Michael Rappaport and is due out in late August or early September.
A new resident of the Guillermo del Toro School?
Universal is developing the horror tale “Mama,” a debut project from a pair of young filmmakers, and in negotiations to produce the film and mentor the filmmakers is one Guillermo del Toro.
Oliver Stone in for Fox’s ‘Wall Street’ follow-up
Allan Loeb script pushes long-developing project forward
Stone has just closed a deal with Fox to direct the follow-up to “Wall Street,” now tentatively called “Wall Street 2,” with Micheal Douglas starring. It will pick up with corporate raider Gordon Gekko whose presence will once again loom over a younger upstart looking to navigate the shark-tank world of today’s Wall Street. Shia LaBeouf is in talks with the studio to take on the younger role.
David Slade to direct Kanzaman’s ‘Cold Skin’
$25 million horror pic to shoot March 2010
An Antarctic island-set horror/psychological thriller, “Skin” adapts Albert Sanchez Pinol’s bestselling Spanish novel of the same title.
‘Coco’ aims to match ‘Rose’ success
Chanel biopic stars Tautou, focuses on youth
Audrey Tautou starrer “Coco Before Chanel,” biopic of iconic fashion designer Coco Chanel, is just one of the projects following in the wake of the heat generated by Edith Piaf biopic “La Vie en rose.”
Danny Huston joining ‘Titans’ film
Actor will play Poseidon in retelling of Perseus myth
From General Stryker to Roman God! Huston has been cast as Poseidon in “Clash of the Titans” opposite Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes.
Zhang Yimou to shoot ‘Three Guns’
Pic to be divided into two parts
Zhang Yimou (“Raise the Red Lantern,” “Curse of the Golden Flower”) is starting work on a new pic “Amazing Tales – Three Guns” and the project will be divided into two parts, one part a suspense thriller and the other a comedy.
Barry Levinson going back to ‘Sixty-Six’
Writer-director’s coming-of-age film will be set in Baltimore
Levinson will write and direct from his own novel, “Sixty-Six,” a story about a group of characters coming of age in 1966 Baltimore on the eve of significant historical events such as the counterculture movement and the war in Vietnam.
Cast set for ‘Love Child’
Pic is first teaming of father-son Sutherland duo
Donald Sutherland, Rossif Sutherland, Rebecca Romijn and Sarah Roemer are toplining romantic comedy “Love Child” about an ex-con on parole who finds his plan to go straight is thwarted by a loan shark, who reminds him of a hefty debt he has to repay.
Con man’s story a real ‘Crack-up’
Beau Flynn options Wired article; Craig Zobel to write, helm
Flynn has optioned an October 2006 Wired article by Randall Sullivan about Swedish con artist Bo Stefan Eriksson, who had launched a hand-held video game company, Gizmondo, was allegedly once a figure in organized crime, and has been in and out of Swedish and U.S. jails for fraud, extortion, auto theft, embezzlement, kidnapping and other charges.
Maya Ent. acquires ‘La Linea’
Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta star in Tijuana drug pic
Maya Entertainment has acquired distribution rights to the crime drama “La Linea (The Line)” starring Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta and Esai Morales. Set in Tijuana amid the drug wars the story follows a veteran assassin as he tracks down the elusive head of a crime cartel, who’s attempting to become the most powerful narco trafficker in the hemisphere.
Miramax, Focus to ‘Tell No One’
Studios acquire rights to remake French thriller
Miramax and Focus Features Intl. have snagged English language remake rights to “Tell No One,” centered on a doctor grieving for his dead wife who then discovers she may still be alive…EuropaCorp is also in negotiations an English-language remake of “District B13,” about an undercover policeman and former criminal trying to infiltrate a gang armed with a neutron bomb. That remake will be retitled “Brick Mansion.”
Cast gathers for ‘Tribes of October’
Stevenson, King, Moyer on board; Duvall, Caan circling
ay Stevenson, Jaime King and Stephen Moyer, along with Robert Duvall and James Caan, are starring in the postapocalyptic thriller “Tribes of October” from Philippe Martinez, who is directing and producing. “October” is set in a future in which New York has become surrounded by an endless desert plagued by heat storms, and the city’s technology is such that nothing made after 1960 works any more.
Three actors squeeze into ‘Hot Tub’
Lizzy Caplan, Crispin Glover, Sebastian Stan join comedy
The trio join stars John Cusack and Rob Corddry in “Hot Tub Time Machine,” about a group of friends who go back to the ski lodge where they partied as teens and end up transported to 1987 through their hot tub.
Robert Zemeckis ‘Buzzing’ About Second ‘Roger Rabbit’ Movie
“I’ll tell you what is buzzing around in my head now that we have the ability-the digital tools, performance capture-I’m starting to think about ‘Roger Rabbit.’” [Video]
The Dark Tower Movie – JJ Abrams Dark Tower Update
“Hopefully as soon as Lost is done we’ll begin to tackling that.” [Video]
Tommy Wirkola reworking ‘Hansel’ tale
Kevin Messick joins Gary Sanchez Prods., will produce pic
Tommy Wirkola (“Dead Snow”) has an idea: “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.” 15 years after that whole gingerbread house incident they’re now specialized bounty hunters with an “old-timey feeling, yet there’s pump-action shotguns. Modern technology but in an old style.”
Trio cast in indie dramedy ‘Hesher’
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rainn Wilson, Natalie Portman star
“Hesher” is an indie drama being directed by Spencer Susser. The story, written by Susser and David Michod, centers on the story of a family struggling to deal with a loss and the anarchist who helps them do it.
Writer Tapped For ‘Predator’ Reboot
Alex Litvak is currently penning the new draft of Predators. Litvak recently wrote Medieval for New Regency. The reboot to the classic 80’s action/horror flick Predator is being penned as a “sequel” and will follow a team of commandoes who face down a mysterious race of vicious monsters.
Ben Stiller to ‘Spread Goodness’
Filmmaker to direct Participant pic
Ben Stiller has been set by Participant Media to direct “Help Me Spread Goodness,” a drama about a Chicago banker who gets swindled in a Nigerian Internet scam. While the project is meant to be entertaining, it sheds light on current issues in Nigeria and other African countries.
Marcus Nispel takes a ‘Voyage’
Director in talks to join ‘Demeter’ for Phoenix
Director Marcus Nispel (“Friday the 13th”) is in talks to board “The Last Voyage of Demeter” based on a chapter in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” describing the arrival of the vampire count in England on a cargo ship that has crashed into the rocks at Whitby with no crew and the dead captain lashed to the steering wheel.
Martin Poll finds ‘Paradise Lost’
Vet producer teams with Granite, STV Nets for indie film
Veteran producer Martin Poll has joined with Granite Entertainment and STV Networks to mount an indie version of John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” finding itself going up against a competing version of “Paradise” that Legendary Pictures and Vincent Newman Entertainment have been developing for several years.
Two join Nolan’s ‘Inception’
Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy set for sci-fi action feature
Ken Watanabe and Tom Hardy are boarding Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind, with Leonardo DiCaprio as a CEO type. Watanabe will play the film’s villain, a man who is blackmailing DiCaprio. Hardy is a member of DiCaprio’s team.
‘Geeky’ scores Japanese first
Pic premieres online, in theaters on same day
“Fujoshi Kanojo” (My Geeky Girlfriend), a pic based on a hit blog that has generated 11 million page views (a romantic comedy about a beautiful otaku (geek) girl who falls for an ordinary guy) will be released in theaters and starting on the same day, fans will be able to see the pic on the ShowTime website and the iMovieGate mobile site for 1,000 yen ($10) – the price of a standard advance pic ticket.
Danny Strong serves up Sony’s ‘Butler’
Original story was based on Post article
Based on the Washington Post story about an African-American butler’s career at the White House. Eugene Allen worked for eight presidents from 1952 through 1986 along with the hope and optimism he and his wife shared as Barack Obama was about to be elected. Allen’s wife died the day before the election and was buried on the same day that the article was published.
Disney picks up Disney picks up ‘Boss’
Scott Rudin will produce comedy
Disney has picked up the workplace comedy “Boss,” for Scott Rudin (“Revolutionary Road,” “Doubt,” “No Country for Old Men”) to produce. Spec script by Tony Lord (“The Heartbreak Kid”) and David Cohen, revolves around a 21-year-old who becomes his father’s boss.
Trio joins Roadshow’s ‘Love’
Strahovski, Dinklage set for romantic comedy
Aussie actress Yvonne Strahovski (NBC’s “Chuck”), Brendan Cowell (“Noise”) and Peter Dinklage topline romantic comedy “I Love You Too” for Roadshow Films. Cowell plays a commitment-phobe and Dinklage a gifted New Ager, both on a quest to win over the women of their dreams.
Scribe team’s deal right on ‘Q’
‘Toy Story’ duo also will produce, share in back-end profits
Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen, in a rare deal for screenwriters, will partake in back-end profits as well as merchandising and ancillary revenue for their original screenplay “Q”. Inspired by “Don Quixote,” the project centers on marionettes in Central Park who escape from their theater and embark on a fanstastical adventure.
‘Mr. Big’ to return in ‘Sex and the City 2′
Chris Noth signs on for New Line sequel
Chris Noth has committed to “Sex and the City 2.” The pic shoots in early September, and Warner Bros. has set a May 28, 2010, release date.
Indies take on French ‘Heroine’
Calio, Sennet/Sheftell developing WWII pic
Indie shingles Calio Prods. and Sennet/Sheftell Entertainment will develop the story of Virginia d’Albert-Lake, the only American woman to fight with the French Resistance during WWII.
‘Mona Lisa’ theft to hit the big screen
Roger Donaldson directing Phoenix adaptation
A screen adaptation of Seymour Reit book “The Day They Stole the Mona Lisa” which centers on the theft of the world’s most famous painting from the Louvre in 1911. It was missing for more than two years before an Italian carpenter named Vincent Perugia showed up with the painting in Florence. The film will center on the conman who masterminded the theft.
Fox plans new ‘Used Guys’
Ben Stiller, Reese Witherspoon circling project
Used Guys,” a high-concept sci-fi comedy, which was kneecapped by Fox several years ago, is rising again in a new guise. It takes place in a future run by women, who clone and trade men like used cars and will focus on the relationship between Stiller’s character and Witherspoon’s clone owner.
The Fine Print
This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.
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