Meryl Streep will reteam with her “Devil Wears Prada” director David Frankel for ”Great Hope Springs”, centering on a middle-aged couple who after thirty years of marriage attend an intense counseling weekend to examine the intimacy issues that are threatening their marriage. [THR]
“Lars and the real girl” and “Fright Night” director Craig Gillespie is the [new] frontrunner to direct the film adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies“. Mike Smith (“School of Rock”) was previously onboard the long-gestating project [Vulture]
”Little Johnny The Movie”, a new comedy based on the legendary ‘Little Johnny’ jokes, celebrates its world premiere with a limited season of cinema screenings as part of the 2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, from 1 to 24 April at the Greater Union Cinemas in Russell Street. The film screens Monday to Wednesday 7.30pm, Thursday to Saturday 7.30pm & 9.00pm, Sunday 6.00pm & 7.30pm.
Kat Dennings, Chad Michael Murray and Rupert Friend are onboard “The Renee Project“, a film “based on the life of Renee Yohe, the young Florida woman whose life inspired “To Write Love on Her Arms,” an awareness group/charity aimed at young people going through depression, substance abuse and self-injury, aka “cutting.”” [The Orlando Sentinel]
Roger Hargreaves’ classic “Mr Men” book series are headed to the big screen. Shawn Levy, who was yesterday announced as the director of Jim Cameron’s “Fantastic Voyage” remake, is producing. [THR]
Anton Yelchin (“Star Trek”) will star in director Stephen Sommer’s adaptation of the Dean Koontz novel “Odd Thomas“. The book tells of Odd Thomas, a youngster who is silently approached by the ghost of a young girl brutally raped and murdered, and through his unique ability to understand the dead, is psychically led to her killer, a former schoolmate named Harlo Landerson. [Bloody Disgusting]
The first picture of Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady” is online [The Hollywood News]
Kerry Washington will star in Shona Rhimes’ new untitled drama project for ABC. The pilot revolves around the life and work of professional fixer Olivia Price (Washington) and her dysfunctional staff. Columbus Short (“The Losers”) is already onboard. [Deadline]
C.Thomas Howell remains tight-lipped about his role in the forthcoming “Spider-Man” reboot. The “Red Dawn” and “Hitcher” star says, “I had to sign, basically, a bible about not expressing anything, not talking about details. It’s understandable they want to keep things secret. There’s so much money in it.” He continues, “It’s so hard keeping the iPhone out of my pocket on the set, when I want to take photos left and right. The other night, we were on the back lot of Universal, and they had it dressed up to be downtown New York, with steam coming up out of the ground and cabs crowding the street. You’d never have guessed you weren’t in New York City. I felt like a kid in the ultimate playground.” Howell can say that his is “not a major role, but it is a poignant, important role.” [Fort Worth Tribune]
Universal and Strike Entertainment have acquired the Jay Asher novel ”13 Reasons Why” as a star vehicle for Disney fave Selena Gomez. “The novel tells of a shy California high school student who returns from school to find a box waiting on his doorstep. It contains seven cassette tapes recorded by Hanna Baker, the classmate he had a crush on. Before she committed suicide, Hannah sent the tapes to one classmate with instructions to pass them on to a list of students like a chain letter. The tapes explain to 13 people how they played a role in her death.” [Deadline]
Sony looks set to distribute Bond 23, “Cabin in the Woods” (Amy Acker, Bradley Whitford) and “Red Dawn” (Chris Hemsworth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan) [Collider]
Brendan Gleeson (“In Bruges”), Robert Patrick (“S.W.A.T : Fire Fight”), Sam Shepard (“The Right Stuff”), and Liam Cunningham (“Clash of the Titans”) have joined the cast of Ryan Reynolds/Denzel Washington thriller “Safe House“. Yesterday Tanit Phoenix (“Death Race 2”) was also confirmed for the movie. [The Wrap]
Gareth Edwards won’t be involved in a sequel to his film “Monsters”. “I do think whoever Vertigo ends up hiring will do a great job because they really know what they’re doing there”, Edwards says. “For me, if they hire someone to direct another Monsters movie, the last thing they need is for me to be hanging around, telling people how the movie should be.” [Dread Central]
