Feels like yesterday we were popping crackers around the table – gee, that came out just right, didn’t it? Christmas, Christmas, I’m referring to – and now the Bunny’s back in town. The Darrel Lea accountant always earns his money this month, that’s for sure. My eggs this week? A Dozen or so of the latest flicks. The good, the bad and the ugly I’ll call them I think. Taking Lives’ Angelina Jolie was rather welcome haggle for centre beanies, I will say. Have a good Easter break folks and we’ll see you on the other side of it.
Superman-V has some updates on “Superman” including word that Production Designer Owen Paterson and Costume Designer Kym Barrett are in Australia now and WB plan to shoot there.
Nicole Kassell will direct the feature adaptation of Arthur Miller’s play “The Ride Down Mt. Morgan”, with Michael Douglas starring and producing in the film. It’s apparently a comic satire on the state of contemporary marriage.
Alison Lohman and Tim Blake Nelson have joined the cast of “The Big White”, a dark comedy starring Robin Williams.
Gary Fleder, director of “Kiss the Girls”, will develop MGM’s 9/11 drama “Counter-Terrorist”. The drama is based on the real-life story of FBI counterterrorism agent John P. O’Neill, who lost his life in the World Trade Center attacks. He dedicated much of his life to tracking Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network, which was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. O’Neill had just taken on a new position as head of security for the World Trade Center when he was killed.
IGN FilmForce reports that David Hayter is in talks to write and direct Lions Gate’s “Black Widow”, based on the Marvel comic.
Focus Features are doing a remake of Korean hit “Phone”. The original film centers on a reporter who changes her cell phone number after publishing a controversial article that results in death threats. But when a friend’s daughter answers the new phone and exhibits increasingly bizarre behaviour, the reporter begins to investigate a mysterious string of deaths that have haunted her phone number’s previous owners.
According to Ananova, The Dursleys – Harry’s incommodious family – won’t appear in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”.
Inside Film reports the SAFC is an investment partner on two new Australian films, “Wolf Creek” and “December Boys”. The former is a chilling horror/thriller set in the Australian Outback, and the latter is about four orphans in the 60’s that battle each other for prospective parents.
Willem Dafoe [“Spider-Man”] has jumped on board the “Dogville” follow-up, “Manderlay”, playing Grace’s (the character Nicole Kidman played in the first film) father in the film.
Lions Gate is prepping “Flight of the Dead”, which follows the tale of two zombies being shipped back to their homeland after they are captured. But when the deadly creatures come unexpectedly to life aboard an airplane, the begin to wreak high-altitude havoc.
Sean Penn is being sought to star in “All the King’s Men”, an adaptation of Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a populist Southern politician named Willie Stark. Steven Zaillian will direct.
According to Monkey Peaches, there’s interest by Miramax in picking up Chen Kaige’s first martial arts film, “The Promise”, but the producer is reluctant to work with the studio apparently.
Coming Soon takes a look at the script for the new Mike Judge film “3001”, which Luke Wilson is set to star in.
MediaSharx reports that “Peter Pan” star Jason Isaacs will be doing a guest spot on “The West Wing” for three episodes, playing a photojournalist and love interest for Donna Moss.
Popstress Kylie Minogue has apparently been offered the role of a Bond Girl in the next 007 flick. Whether that’s a good girl or bad girl is unknown.
George Gaynes tells About.Com that Paul Maslansky is the man trying to get the “Police Academy” reunion movie up and going.
Tom Cruise is currently scouting Berlin, Germany for locations for “Mission : Impossible 3”, which starts shooting in the Summer.
An article in Variety confirms that Fox are indeed checking if Michael Chiklis would be available to play ‘The Thing’ in “The Fantastic Four” movie.
According to News.com.au, Julia Roberts was so upset at the daggy wardrobe set aside for her by the costume department of “Oceans Twelve” that she flipped and forced writers to change the fact her character is supposed to be seven months pregnant.
Chris Evans [“Cellular’] and Kristen Stewart [“Catch That Kid”] have joined the cast of “Fierce People”, opposite Diane Lane. It revolves around a woman (Lane) who, hoping for a better life, moves with her son into a world of wealth and privilege after the son has a brush with the law. When the woman is attacked, their new life is shattered.
Will Ferrell will have a role in Jack Black and Kyle Gass’s “Tenacious D” movie, reports Empire mag.
VinDiesel.hu has scanned the second article from French magazine Score.
Peter Care will develop and direct “Town Creek”, a horror film about two brothers who experience a haunting.
A new “Kill Bill : Vol 2” trailer is online. It looks a lot slicker than the first peep released.
According to Dark Horizons, Now that Phil Joanoa has signed to direct, Dreamworks is expected to try getting Matthew McConaughey again for the action pic “Hammer down”.
Both Brendan Fraser and Director Stephen Sommers have reportedly passed on “The Mummy 3”. What that means for the sequel – which the studio was apparently pushing for – remains woolly.
MediaSharx have pics up from ‘Underneath’ the next episode of the [almost all bye-bye] “Angel”. Oh, and get to saveangel.org – save this tot.
Fox has a new “Aliens vs. Predator” featurette up which discusses how they created those babies.
Warner Bros have decided to pull the plug on Danny Boyle’s new film “3000 degrees”, because of a lack of support. It would’ve been about a fire that turned a century-old storage building in Worcester, Mass., into a cinderbox and claimed the lives of six firefighters in December 1999.
There’s rumblings that another "Universal Soldier" movie could be in the works. No word whether Van Damme is involved in this one.
According to Monkey Peaches, “Hero” Director Zhang Yimou and several of the film’s stars will do a ten-city promotional tour this summer. The trailer for the film will play in front of “Kill Bill Vol.2” this month.
Sources : Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, ‘Mark’, ‘Olivia’, ‘VinDiesel.hu’, ‘Marcus’, ‘Robert’, ‘Stephen’, ‘Stax’, ‘Gareth’
Caffeinated Clint
Feels like yesterday we were popping crackers around the table – gee, that came out just right, didn’t it? Christmas, Christmas, I’m referring to – and now the Bunny’s back in town. The Darrel Lea accountant always earns his money this month, that’s for sure. My eggs this week? A Dozen or so of the latest flicks. The good, the bad and the ugly I’ll call them I think. Taking Lives’ Angelina Jolie was rather welcome haggle for centre beanies, I will say. Have a good Easter break folks and we’ll see you on the other side of it.