PHOEBE GALLAGHER
1. A new Leah Rachel-pitch has attracted the interests of Universal. The untitled threesome comedy, produced by Garry Sanchez Productions and, among others, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, is the first big studio sale for Rachel.
2. Arnold Rifkin’s Cheyenne Enterprises has snagged the film rights to “Soul Seekers”, the young adult book series by Alyson Noel. The series, of which there are four books, “follows a rebellious 16 year-old, Daire Santos, who is plagued by strange happenings: crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy haunts her dreams. Sent to live with her grandmother in the small town of Enchantment, New Mexico, Daire’s visions and reckless behavior are recognized for what they truly are – the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker: one who navigates between the worlds of the living and the dead. As she learns to use her powers, she meets identical twins she’s dreamed about. They hold the future of the world in their hands.”
3. An injunction to stop the airing of a “Steel Magnolias” reboot has been thrown out; the Lifetime film will air Sunday as planned.
4. Sienna Miller (“Stardust”) will play murdered wrestler Dave Schultz’s wife in the Steve Carrell/Channing Tatum drama “Foxcatcher”.
5. The Australian mini-series “The Slap” is set to be remade for American audiences. Jon Robin Baitz will write the adaptation, with Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald (“The Ring”) onboard to produce.
6. “Felon” helmer Ric Roman Waugh is attached to direct “Currency”, a Mark DiStefano written piece about “two Secret Service agents in pursuit of a private mercenary’s powerful and sophisticated counterfeiting operation.”
7. Mary Harron (“American Psycho”) has signed on to direct “The Anna Nicole Story” for Lifetime. Martin Landau and Virginia Madsen have agreed to co-star in the pic, joining Agnes Bruckner who has been cast as the late model and actress.
8. Sam Reid (“Hatfields & McCoys”) will star in the Aussie thriller “The Second Coming”. Writer/director David Barker’s film tells of “a rebellious prophet who becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation”.
9. Gillian Anderson, Ron Howard, Christina Hendricks, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Noth, Aubrey Plaza, Anton Yelchin and Beau Bridges, are amongst the English-language voice cast of the latest Studio Ghibili release “From Up on Poppy Hill”. Set in Yokohama in 1963, this lovingly hand-drawn film centers on Umi (voiced by Sarah Bolger) and Shun (voiced by Anton Yelchin) and the budding romance that develops as they join forces to save their high school’s ramshackle clubhouse from demolition.
10. Nate Parker (“Arbitrage”) has joined “Non-Stop”, the Liam Neeson/Airplane-thriller. The Joel Silver produced thriller, which pits an Air Marshall against a terrorist planning to kill every passenger onboard a flight, will go into production in the next few weeks.
