Since “The Strangers” was a surprise hit back in 2008, we might have expected its director to jump straight back behind the camera. What would Bryan Bertino do next, we wondered. The answer is a lot of writing and producing, but he’s now finally set to direct again, with a found-footage affair tentatively titled “Mockingbird.” Bertino has working on the screenplay since November, but this is the first news that he’ll be directing it himself. The film involves a couple who mysteriously receive a videocamera and a list of explicit instructions that they have to follow to prevent somebody dying.
Production
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Bradley Cooper And Jennifer Lawrence To Reteam In “Serena” ?
Hopefully you like the chemistry Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence display onscreen in “The Silver Linings Playbook”! The pair of seemingly mismatched onscreen paramours will team again for an adaptation of “Serena,” a 2008 novel about timber magnates and their iron-fisted rule of North Carolina. Based on Ron Rash’s book, “Serena” follows George and Serena Pemberton (Cooper and Lawrence), a pair of young newlyweds who turn “War of the Roses” on each other when Serena finds out she can’t have children of her own; an issue complicated by the fact that George has an illegitimate son. Cooper and Lawrence will be seen together onscreen this November in “Playbook,” an adaption of Matthew Quick’s quirky novel about a recently released mental patient (Cooper) and the girl who lives next door to his mother, which is directed by David O. Russell.
http://news.moviefone.com/2012/01/30/lawrence_n_1242684.html
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Ashley Benson Jumps On “Spring Breakers”
So is Harmony Korine reaching for the mainstream, or is this all just a ruse to get tweens to watch “Trash Humpers”? Whatever it is, Korine is currently ramping up to start filming “Spring Breakers,” a road trip comedy of sorts that has an improbable cast that includes wholesome Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and James Franco (Emma Roberts recently dropped out). Well, one more unlikely name has come aboard. Ashley Benson, best known for playing Hanna Marin on the ABC Family show “Pretty Little Liars,” is the latest to come aboard the bonkers-sounding pic. The story will follow four college-aged girls who decide to rob a fast food restaurant in order to pay for the annual getaway, and who get thrown in the slammer once they get there. Franco will then show up, playing a rapping drug and arms dealer who bails out the girls, and coaxes them to kill his nemesis named (of course) Arch.
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Okay, Now Jim Jarmusch Is Making A Vampire Flick? Really?
Tilda Swindon will rejoin her “The Limits of Control” helmer Jim Jarmusch for the director’s new film, a take on the vampire romance genre titled “Only Loves Left Alive.” Fellow Oscar-winner John Hurt, most lately of “Tinker Tailor Solider Spy,” Mia Wasikowska of “Albert Nobbs” and “War Horse” actor Tom Hiddleston also star in the horror drama, described as an unusual love story between two vampires who have been in love for centuries. Jarmusch is producing “Only Lovers Left Alive” together with Cologne-based Pandora films.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tilda-swinton-john-hurt-join-285758
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Lively Out, Mara In, “Side Effects” That Is
Rooney Mara has signed on to the lead role in Steven Soderbergh’s “Side Effects,” replacing the previously announced Blake Lively. As reported last week, Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures had backed out of financing the film, unhappy with Lively’s casting. Mara will play Emily Hawkins, a troubled young woman whose husband (to be played by Channing Tatum), is about to be released from prison, while Jude Law and Catherine Zeta-Jones will both play psychiatrists charged with her care. The script comes from Scott Z. Burns (“Contagion”), while Open Road, fresh from the success of “The Grey” this past weekend, will distribute.
Monday, January 30th, 2012
James Marsh Is Busy, Busy, Busy
James Marsh might have missed out on another Oscar nomination for his excellent film “Project Nim” last week, but he’s not too upset. For one, the DGA gave him their documentary directing award over the weekend for his work on the film. For another, his latest feature, the IRA thriller “Shadow Dancer,” was the toast of Sundance last weekend, picking up excellent reviews. The writer-director is working with Focus on “The Silent Land,” a novel by British writer Graham Joyce. Marsh is writing the script with Nick Drake.”
Monday, January 30th, 2012
“Stretch Armstrong” Finds A New Home At Relativity
Relativity is moving full steam ahead with a production of “Stretch Armstrong,” setting an April 11, 2014, release date for what it is calling a live-action tentpole. Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh, Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Bennet Schnier are producing. Stretch was introduced as a toy in 1976. The toy was different from other action figures in the sense he could be stretched out, twisted and folded but he always returned to his original form. The toy had a big relaunch in the 1990s and that’s when Hollywood took serious interest.Stretch was part of a series of properties that were part of a Hasbro-Universal pact made in 2008. It had several release dates (the first one was April 15, 2011) that were pushed back until the project eventually left the studio.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/stretch-armstrong-relativity-taylor-lautner-285783
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Vera Farmiga Will Duet With Aaron Eckhart In “The Drummer”
Even though she nabbed the biggest exposure and acclaim of her career to date thanks to her Oscar nominated turn in “Up In The Air,” Vera Farmiga has continued to march to the beat of her own drum. The actress continues to take on new challenges, with her next gig providing another intriguing role. In case you forgot, Aaron Eckhart is leading “The Drummer,” a biopic on Dennis Wilson, the Beach Boys beat-keeper, who released a posthumously celebrated solo album “Pacific Ocean Blue” and died tragically at the age of 39. Farmiga has now come aboard, taking the role of Fleetwood Mac singer/songwriter Christine McVie. “Bottle Shock” director Randy Miller is at the helm.
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Joe Carnahan Has A “Death Wish”
Joe Carnahan must be feeling vindicated this morning. The writer/director broke out with 2002′s terrific, muscular cop thriller “Narc,” but hasn’t had a lot of joy since: his 2006 sub-Guy Ritchie action-comedy “Smokin’ Aces” wasn’t beloved by many, while a director-for-hire gig on the would-be-tentpole “The A-Team” was tepidly received by audiences and critics alike. But from that, he reteamed with star Liam Neeson for a far more personal project, the existential killer-wolf survival tale “The Grey,” and was validated in a big way when the positively-received film topped the box office this weekend with a strong $20 million haul. Now, the director has been recruited by “The A-Team” and “The Grey” producers Scott Free (Ridley & Tony Scott’s company) to remake Michael Winner’s influential 70s vigilante thriller “Death Wish.” The film, based on Brian Garfield’s novel, and a smash hit on its release in 1974, starred Charles Bronson as a mild-mannered architect driven to become a gun-toting vigilante after the rape and murder of his wife, and severe beating of his daughter. After the first film became something a phenomenon, it spawned four further sequels, up to 1994′s “Death Wish V: The Face of Death,” to increasingly diminishing returns. Talk of a remake has been going around for a little while — Sylvester Stallone was considering a new version five years back — but Scott Free has now set up the project at MGM and Paramount, with Carnahan writing and directing and his “The Grey” producer Jules Daly along for the ride too.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/joe-carnahan-to-write-and-direct-remake-of-death-wish
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Dreams Really Do Come True: Entire “Arrested Development” Team Is Back At Work
The entire original cast of “Arrested Development” — Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Jeffrey Tambor, David Cross, Michael Cera, Portia De Rossi, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat and Jessica Walter — will be back for the new season on Netflix, according to writer Dean Lorey. To all the skeptics out there, Lorey confirmed that production is underway, even though the schedule is under wraps. “There are offices and parking spaces,” he wrote. The current plan is for a 10 episode series for Netflix in 2013, followed by a feature film. Series star Bateman confirmed the news shortly after it was announced in October.
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Two Writers Sign On For “Too Cool” Comic Adaptation
Rocky Russo and Jeremy Sosenko have been signed to adapt “Too Cool To Be Forgotten,” based on the Alex Robinson graphic novel from Top Shelf Productions. The film was set up by Red Crown Productions’ Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Daniel Crown and Anthony Bregman. Bregman’s Likely Story has had a first-look deal with Top Shelf Comix since late 2009. The project revolves around family man Andy Wicks, who goes to a hypnosis clinic to break a 25-year smoking habit. Skepticism gives way to wonderment when he is transformed back to his 15-year-old self, with his 40-year-old mind intact. He’s force to relive the horrors of algebra class, visits to the principal, social hierarchies and intense sexual frustration. Will he relive his mistakes or revise history to make things right?
http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/too-cool-to-be-forgotten-lands-scribes/
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Tuesday’s Comic Book Adaptation Updates
Our friends at Comic Book Resources have a plethora of updates today, including bits about “The Avengers,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” among others. It’s a lengthy one today, so set aside plenty of time for your perusal.
Monday, January 30th, 2012
The Non-Bigelow Bin Laden Flick Just Got More Cast
When it comes to films depicting the death of Osama Bin Laden, Kathryn Bigelow’s still-untitled action thriller has been receiving most of the attention. But there is another movie out there looking to cover similar territory: John Stockwell’s “Code Name: Geronimo,” which has just set Kathleen Robertson to star. She’ll be playing an eager CIA officer who is part of the team directing the operation that sent two teams of Navy SEALs into Pakistan to track down and kill the Al Qaeda leader. Stockwell will be sticking more with sand than sea this time, as he started shooting yesterday in New Mexico. He’s working from a script by Kendall Lampkin.
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Matthew Vaughn Wants Another “X-Men” Go Round
According to a report about 20th Century Fox production president Emma Watts signing a new multi-year deal to keep her at the company, there’s a line about the studio closing a contract with Matthew Vaughn to return and direct the sequel to his 2011 hit flick, “X-Men: First Class.” It’s not exactly a shock. “First Class” might not have knocked down any franchise box office records, but it won plenty of acclaim and did well enough that the studio began putting a sequel in motion. But it wasn’t definite that Vaughn would come back and make it. Now? He’s committed. Simon Kinberg, Fox’s in-house superhero veteran, who produced the first movie, is already on board to write the script. But don’t be surprised to see Vaughn (and possibly co-writer Jane Goldman, provided she’s not too busy) taking a pass before the film hits screens. No word on when that would be, or the new flick’s title.
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
Everyone Take A Breath! “This Means War” WILL Be Rated PG-13 After All
Good news, kids! Fox apparently cut a few racy jokes from Chelsea Handler, who plays Reese Witherspoon’s sister in the film, and “This Means War” earned its PG-13 rating. You know you’re excited.
http://news.moviefone.com/2012/01/27/this-means-war-r-rating-u_n_1236231.html
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
That’s Sarah Jessica Parker In For Demi Moore In That “Lovelace” Flick
According to “Lovelace” directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, Sarah Jessica Parker — and not Mary-Louise Parker — will replace Demi Moore in their new film about porn star Linda Lovelace. She’ll play journalist and Ms. magazine co-founder Gloria Steinem. She joins a “Lovelace” cast that already includes Amanda Seyfried as the titular porn star, Peter Sarsgaard as her abusive ex-husband, James Franco (in a cameo as Hugh Hefner) and Adam Brody as Lovelace’s “Deep Throat” co-star Harry Reems.
http://news.moviefone.com/2012/01/27/sarah-jessica-parker-in-l_n_1237526.html
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
Tyler Perry’s Latest Has A Decidedly Caucasian Feel
Tyler Perry’s next Lionsgate production “Madea’s Witness Protection” will begin filming next week in Atlanta. Perry opted for an “interesting” and mostly white cast ensemble for this one, with the exception of Romeo Miller, the son of rapper Master P. Film is about a man (played by Eugene Levy) “who, after his investment company goes belly up due to embezzling, is put in witness protection with his family, which is forced to move from a wealthy Connecticut neighborhood to Madea’s home in the South.” Miller is set to play a man who blames Levy’s character for his depleted church investments and seeks revenge. Denise Richards signed on to play Levy’s wife. Besides Levy, Miller and Richards, Doris Roberts, Devan Leos, Tom Arnold, Danielle Campbell, and of course Tyler Perry himself round up the cast. Flick will be produced by Perry along with Paul Hall and Ozzie Areu.
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
Just About Everyone Wants To Work With Charlie Kaufman
It just keeps getting better and better. Only a day after Charlie Kaufman’s wildly ambitious “Frank Or Francis” landed its first female lead in Catherine Keener, more exceptionally talented thesps are coming on board. Elizabeth Banks has joined the crazed musical satire, adding another strong voice to the already first-rate cast. She’ll join Steve Carell, Jack Black, Nicolas Cage and Kevin Kline in the film that will follow three characters — pretentious screenwriter Frank Arder (Carell); an online film blogger (Black); and a major comedian on the decline (Cage) — through an elaborate plot that will find their lives and careers intersecting. Banks will take the role of an actress who has made a series of comedy bombs who starts up an affair with Arder. Still no word on the role for Keener. Paul Reubens also joined the cast. He’ll be playing an old-school film critic. Kate Winslet is not in the film despite previous reports.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/charlie-kaufmans-frank-or-francis-adds-elizabeth-banks
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
ABC Is Back In The Made-For-TV Movie Business
Cuba Gooding Jr will play Dwayne Johnson, a counselor at a youth correctional facility in an upcoming ABC movie titled “Firelight” (once called “Crew 6,” with Terence Howard previously eyed for the lead), which is scheduled to air on April 22 from 9pm to 11pm. Darnell Martin is attached to direct. Gooding Jr.’s character, nicknamed DJ, is said to be a counselor at a youth correctional facility where “the incarcerated girls and young women come from trouble, often violent, backgrounds.” He trains the kids to battle forest fires and assist the public during other natural disasters. Joining Gooding Jr. in the film are DeWanda Wise, Yakina Horn and Q’Orianka Kilcher.