the most anticipated...

[crippled_avenger]

Fox Searchlight and New Regency are lining up Hugh Laurie (TV's "House") to join the cast of the David Ayer-directed, James Ellroy-penned crime drama "Night Watch" (aka. "The Night Watchman") reports Variety.

Story follows a Los Angeles cop (Keanu Reeves) who's become wedded to the bottle after his wife's death and is framed by a onetime mentor (Forest Whitaker), for the killing of a fellow officer.

Laurie and Chris Evans would play internal affairs officers. Shooting begins this month.

[crippled_avenger]

Producer Roy Lee ("The Ring," "The Grudge") has revealed to The New York Times that he's still moving forward with his plans to remake the infamous "Battle Royale" despite recent events such as the Virginia Tech massacre reports The New York Times.

Set in a future where kids are rebelling against the state, the Government creates a Battle Royale where a class is chosen each year, at random, to head to a deserted island and kill each other. The one remaining classmate wins.

New Line has been pursuing the rights to the film since last year but no deal has been signed yet. Lee says his Vertigo Entertainment is still moving forward, but "the killings have seriously shaken the prospects" for his version which will now "be a little more sensitive to some of the issues".

He also confirmed that their planned remake of Asian revenge flick "Oldboy," a film that was said to have influenced gunman Seung-Hui Cho, had been halted long before the massacre.

[crippled_avenger]

John Cusack is attached to star in Jan de Bont's action thriller "Stopping Power" for Intermedia Films. Skip Woods ("Swordfish") will write "Power" with Eric Red ("The Hitcher") says The Hollywood Reporter.Cusack is set to star as a test pilot who sets off on a series of high-speed chases to save his kidnapped daughter from an escaped thief.

The film is one of six new projects that Intermedia will be offering at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Others include Agnieszka Vosloo's "After.Life" with Kate Bosworth, Jodie Markell's adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond,", and Simon Crane's hired assassin thriller "The Killer's Game."

[Джон Рейнольдс]

CANNES 2007 - BOLL AG Lineup - CARLTON HOTEL Suite 235/236

We are pleased to announce BOLL AG's exciting CANNES 2007 lineup.  A lot of the films we presented to you at last AFM are now completed or nearing completion, and are or will be ready for delivery over the summer.

We will be screening the newly finished POSTAL, BLOODRAYNE 2 (work print), and the final cuts of SEED and of course IN THE NAME OF THE KING,  starring Jason Statham and an all star cast.

IN THE NAME OF THE KING will get a 2,500 screen release in the United States this fall, and we will formally announce our distribution plans in the coming days.

We are also very excited to announce the brand new acquisitions of:

THE 5TH COMMANDMENT starring Rick Yune (Fast and Furious, James Bond Die Another Day) Keith David (Mr. and Mrs Smith, Crash, Delta Farce) and Dania Ramirez (X-Men The Last Stand), an action thriller about a top Hitman who becomes the target when he turns down a contract to kill his brother; and  ONE WAY a classic Thriller starring Til Schweiger and Michael Clark Duncan. Both films are screening at the Market.

Budgeted at US$60,000,000, the action packed Adventure-Fantasy stars Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Claire Forlani, Leelee Sobieski, Matthew Lillard, Burt Reynolds, John Rhys Davies, Ron Perlman, and Kristanna Loken.

The film is premièring in Germany and the United States this coming November.

We will also be screening a working copy of BLOODRAYNE 2 and POSTAL, as well as the final cut of Uwe Boll's latest opus of Violence and Gore, SEED, that follows the rampage of a mad mass murderer. The film stars Ralph Moeller, Michael Paré and Will Sanderson, and is based on a true story.

Additionally, Uwe is currently preparing FAR CRY, a US$ 40 million action film based on the popular videogame, as well as ALONE IN THE DARK 2. Both films will shoot this summer.



Product Information

              Completed:


IN THE NAME OF THE KING (A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE): Action-Adventure-Fantasy (2007) - Produced by Dan Clarke and Shawn Williamson. Directed by Uwe Boll. Cast: Jason Statham (Crank, The Transporter), Ray Liotta (Narc, Goodfellas), Claire Forlani (The Medallion, The Rock, Meet Joe Black), Leelee Sobieski (The Wicker Man, Joy Ride), Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo, Screams) Burt Reynolds (Boogie Nights, Deliverance), John Rhys Davies (Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Alien 4), Kristanna Loken (T3, Bloodrayne), Will Sanderson (House of the Dead, Bloodrayne). Budget: $60 Million.

Based on the popular video game. A man named Farmer sets out to rescue his kidnapped wife and avenge the death of his son -- two acts committed by the Krugs, a race of animal-warriors who are controlled by the evil Gallian.



SEED: Horror/Thriller (2007) - Produced by Shawn Williamson. Directed by Uwe Boll.
Cast: Will Sanderson (Dungeon Siege, House of the Dead, Bloodrayne), Michael Paré (The Virgin Suicides, The Philadelphia Experiment) Ralph Moeller (The Scorpion King, Gladiator) - Budget: $10 Million.

Sam Seed, an insane mass murderer, is scheduled for execution at the hands of Warden Wright. Before the executioner throws the switch, Wright steps in front of Seed, "Do you have any last words?" Seed, " I'll see you again." After three attempts to electrocute, complete with boiling blood that steeps from his eyes, he's still alive. The executioner, Wright & the doctor collectively agree, that the breathing Seed be pronounced dead. He is bound and buried alive. After biting & clawing his way to the surface, Seed, the blood soaked, enraged madman, is now bent on vengeance. The reign of violence that follows will redefine the boundaries of extreme gore, physical & mental torture explored through cinema. Based on a true story. Seattle 1972.



THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT: Action/Thriller (2007) - Produced by Patrick Cole and Rick Yune. Directed by Jesse Johnson. Cast: Rick Yune (James Bond Die Another Day, The Fast and the Furious, Snow Falls on Cedar), Keith David (Mr & Mrs Smith, Crash, Delta Farce), Dania Ramirez (X-MEN III - The Las Stand), Roger Yuan (Batman Begins, Syriana, Shanghai Noon) - Budget: $7 Million.

A top Hitman becomes the target when he turns down a contract to kill his brother and her client. In the vein of Romeo Must Die, see the trailer at www.t-5-c.com



ONE WAY: Thriller (2006) - Produced by Til Schweiger and Joseph Steinberger. Directed by Reto Salimbeni. Cast: Til Schweiger (The Red Baron, King Arthur), Michael Clarke-Duncan (Sin City, The Green Mile), Lauren Lee Smith (The Last Kiss), Eric Roberts (DOA: Dead or Alive, The Cable Guy, The Specialist) - Budget: $8 Million.

To cover up his infidelities and protect his upcoming marriage, a star advertiser helps free an accused rapist by giving a false alibi and suffers the brutal revenge of the victim.



BLOOD MONEY: Action/Thriller (2006) - Produced by Matthew Chausse and Ho Sung Pak. Directed by Wayne Kennedy. Cast: Peter Greene (Blue Streak, Pulp Fiction, The Mask), A. Martinez (Santa Barbara, General Hospital), Sherilyn Fenn (Darkness Falls), Roger Smith (American Gangster, Final Destination), Ho Sung Pak (The Book of Swords, Alone In The Dark).

A story of Betrayal, Death and Redemption in the Mean Streets of LA. Shady cop Craig Barnes is forced by the mob into tracking one of their former Hitman off on a killing spree after the cold execution of his wife. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, but only one will survive.



IN POST PRODUCTION:

POSTAL: Comedy/Action (2007) - Produced by Shawn Williamson. Directed by Uwe Boll. Cast: Zack Ward (Transformers, Freddy vs. Jason, Almost Famous), Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall, Sky High, Blast from the Past), Chris Coppola (Beowulf, Spawn), Erick Avari (The Mummy, Planet of the Apes), Ralf Moeller (The Scorpion King, Gladiator), Seymour Cassel (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums), David Huddleston, Verne Troyer (Harry Potter, Austin Powers) - Budget: $15 Million.

A cult action favorite with millions of fans around the world, the hit video game POSTAL finally comes to the big screen. Filmmaker Uwe Boll directs the political satire in the tradition of Falling Down and Wag The Dog. Living on Social Security and unemployed, Dude desperately seeks employment, but instead finds a life of violent action and adventure when he teams up with a financially strapped cult leader and his uncle Dave, in an effort to rip off an amusement park, only to find that the Taliban are trying the same heist simultaneously...



BLOODRAYNE 2: Action/Horror (2007) - Produced and directed by Uwe Boll (House of the Dead, Alone In The Dark, Bloodrayne) Cast: Natassia Malthe (DOA: Dead or Alive, Elektra), Zack Ward (Postal, Trade, Transformers) , Michael Pare (The Virgin Suicides, Bloodrayne, The Philadelphia Experiment)

After BLOODRAYNE´s enormous success in DVD sales (domestic DVD release by Universal Studios), the BLOODRAYNE franchise continues with this new exciting chapter. BLOODRAYNE 2 brings back the sexy and dangerous vampire slayer Rayne. Half-human, Half-vampire, Rayne has a mission to fulfill: destroy all vampires, and put an end to the tyranny of the undead. In this new chapter of the saga, we follow Rayne from old Transylvania to the wild west. Based on the best selling videogame by Majesco.




BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD: Horror (2007) - Produced by Nicole Ackermann and Marc Burman. Directed by Michael Roesch and Peter Scheerer Cast: Victoria Pratt (House of the Dead 2), Sid Haig (The Devil's Rejects, Kill Bill Vol 2), Jason Connery (Shanghai Noon) - Budget: $1 Million.

A team of vampire hunters face a threat that even the vampires fear: The mighty vampire demon Vlad Kossei. The vampire sovereigns killed Kossei many hundreds of years ago, but now he has returned. In his new body, he will take revenge and destroy everything in his way. But he has not yet regained his old strength... Website: www.brotherhoodofbloodmovie.com




IN PRE-PRODUCTION:

ALONE IN THE DARK 2: Horror/Thriller (2007) - Produced by Uwe Boll - Director: TBA Cast: TBA. Budget: TBA.

After the US theatrical release of ALONE IN THE DARK by Lions Gate, and the enormous success of US and International DVD sales, BOLL AG brings the franchise back to the screen When night falls, and the creatures of the dark crawl out of the shadows, there is only one man standing between us and the forces of Evil. His name is Edward Carnby. One of the most popular characters in video game history returns for a second mission. Based on the best selling video game series by Atari.



FAR CRY: ACTION/ADVENTURE (2007-2008) - Produced by Uwe Boll - Director: Uwe Boll Cast: TBA. Budget: US$40 million

A fizzing rocket hurtles towards Jack Carver's boat. He barely manages to escape before the ship is torn into pieces by the explosion. That was not quite how Carver had imagined the journey, when young journalist Valerie Constantine had engaged him for the trip. Jack and Valerie make a narrow escape into the jungle. Hunted recklessly by the mercenary troops, they try to reach the other side of the island to capture a ship at the harbour. Whatever the secret of that island, its keepers aren't going to divulge it to anyone voluntarily...

Based on the video game FAR CRY, the number one selling PC game in over 100 countries.


Also Completed


GARDEN OF LOVE: Horror/Comedy - Produced by Holger Fleig. Directed by Olaf Ittenbach. Cast: Natacza Boon, Bela B. Felsenheimer, Anika Julien

Come see the underground cult classic gore fest by Master of Horror Olaf Ittenbach. Twelve years after the small Verlaine community gets decimated by a mysterious killer, sole survivor Rebecca is forced to return on the scene of the crime. There, she will have to face her inner ghosts, as well as the deceits and lies of people surrounding her, and discover the truth about the Verlaine massacre.



Completed and Ready for Delivery

THE CABIN MOVIE: Comedy/Drama (2005) - Official Selection, Toronto Film Festival - Produced by James Liston, Directed by Dylan Akio Smith. Cast: Ben Cotton (Slither, The Chronicles of Riddick), Arabella Bushnell (Man Feel Pain), Justine Warrington (Vice).

The cabin movie is a darkly comic look at the nature of desire, the value of monogamy, and the definition of sexuality when a group of friends travel to a secluded cabin in an attempt to revitalize their lives through bizarre games of sexual dysfunction.

[crippled_avenger]

George Clooney and Grant Heslov

George Clooney and his Smoke House partner Grant Heslov will co-write a dramedy for Warner Bros. Pictures detailing how the CIA, with help from Hollywood, used a fake movie project to smuggle a handful of Americans out of Tehran during the 1979 hostage crisis.
Warners has snapped up the film rights to Joshuah Berman's Wired magazine article on the real-life intelligence tale and set it up with Smoke House to produce.

As with any Smoke House project, "Escape From Tehran" is a potential directing and starring vehicle for Clooney.

Project is the first Heslov and Clooney have penned together since 2005's "Good Night, and Good Luck."

Berman's article in the current issue of Wired centers around CIA operative Tony Mendez, a master of disguise who was put in charge of rescuing six Americans hiding out in Tehran. He came up with the idea of using a bogus movie and contacted Hollywood makeup artist John Chambers.

Chambers and Bob Sidell, also a makeup artist, launched Studio Six Prods. (an allusion to the six Americans awaiting rescue) and announced their first movie project, to be shot in Iran. Both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter were duped into writing news stories on the film after Studio Six took out trade ads.

Mendez went to Tehran in January 1980 and told the Americans to pretend they were Canadians on a scouting trip for a big-budget Hollywood epic. The ruse worked.

Smokehouse VP Nina Wolarsky brought in "Escape." David Klawans ("Nacho Libre") is attached to produce.

UTA repped the magazine article.

Heslov and Clooney launched the Warners-based Smoke House last year after Clooney parted ways with former partner Steven Soderbergh.

Clooney is currently directing and starring in the 1920s sports pic "Leatherheads," which Smoke House is producing for Universal.

[crippled_avenger]

Mann & DiCaprio Do L.A. Noir

"Heat," "The Insider" and "Collateral" director Michael Mann has delivered a pitch for his next directing effort, his first film since last year's box-office fizzer "Miami Vice".

Penned by "Gladiator" and "The Aviator" scribe John Logan, the project is a "L.A. Confidential"-esque untitled noir drama that takes place on the old MGM lot in the 1930s reports Variety.

Leonardo DiCaprio is poised to play the kind of private detective studios once relied on to clean up the scandals created by its stars. He's hired to investigate whether a starlet murdered her husband.

A shootout scene that unfolds in the Trocadero nightclub on Sunset Boulevard is a centerpiece of the film, whilst yesteryear celebs like Judy Garland and Bugsy Siegel are worked into the story.

The script was delivered to studios late last week, and sources say a deal is expected soon, but so far many studios have been reluctant to bite due to its $120 million pricetag (and Mann's tendency to go over budget).

At present only New Line has made an offer for $100 million, but Sony, Paramount and Fox are said to be circling. A February start-of-shooting date is planned.

[crippled_avenger]

Shooting began this week in Glasgow on "Doomsday," a sci-fi thriller set in 2033 from Neil Marshall - the director of the recently acclaimed cave-diving horror flick "The Descent".

A report up at The Evening Times revealed that the normally quiet Marwick Street in the suburb of Haghill was transformed into a hellish ghetto of burnt-out cars, gun-toting soldiers, and boarded-up tenements for filming on the £15million project.

Bob Hoskins and Rhona Mitra were on hand (pictured above on the set) to film scenes from the film which paints a grim portrait of a Scotland cut off from the rest of the world in the wake of a deadly virus. During a 30-year quarantine Scots scientists develop a cure for the disease but the victims have been forgotten by the rest of the world.

Most of the film has already been shot in South Africa's Cape Town, but the scenes this week in Scotland involved gun battles and simulated helicopters.

[crippled_avenger]

Liv Tyler will star opposite Ed Norton in Marvel Studios' "The Incredible Hulk," signing on to play Betty Ross, the longtime love interest of Dr. Bruce Banner/the Hulk says The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie will unfold with Ross estranged from Banner (Norton), but with the pursuit of the Hulk heating up and Banner on the run trying to cure his condition, Ross finds herself swept back into his life.

Louis Leterrier is directing the movie, slated to begin filming this Summer in Toronto. The role of Betty was played by Jennifer Connelly in the 2003 Ang Lee feature.

[crippled_avenger]

DreamWorks has won the week-long bidding war for "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson's next movie, committing at least $65 million adaptation of Alice Sebold's best-selling 2002 tome "The Lovely Bones."

Sebold's book tells the story of a 14-year-old who has been raped and killed, and now watches over her family and killer. Insiders tell Variety that the acquisition deal came in at just under $65 million, but that might not include a $25 million contingency fee.

The move isn't a surprise though. DreamWorks fought hard for the film rights to Sebold's book several years ago before the rights went to Jackson, whilst Jackson's "King Kong" was made at Universal when it was being run by current DreamWorks CEO-co-chair Stacey Snider.

Jackson is set to begin shooting in October in Pennsylvania and New Zealand from a script he co-wrote with "Lord of the Rings" collaborators Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh. Film 4 will produce in association with Dreamworks.

Paramount, which owns DreamWorks, will distribute "Bones" worldwide, with Jackson promising to deliver the film by the fourth quarter 2008.

[crippled_avenger]

The Scotsman has gone into detail on the plot for "Doomsday," the currently filming next project of Director Neil Marshall ("The Descent," "Dog Soliders").

Here's the official breakdown: "Scotland has been cut off from the outside world for about 30 years, following the outbreak of a deadly virus, caused by genetic tampering.

Hadrian's Wall has been rebuilt to keep the Scots out of England. But the Scots have a cure for the virus, and when England is threatened by a new outbreak, a crack military team goes over the wall to get it, led by Rhona Mitra.

Marshall himself adds some more details to the story - "She goes through from the wall up to Glasgow and then farther north. The farther north she gets, the more back in time she goes. It's like a Heart Of Darkness journey.

There's a Kurtz character (Malcolm McDowell) running a feudal society and living in a castle. He used to be a scientist - he's the guy who found the cure and he's taken on this kind of God-like stature up there."

[crippled_avenger]

Chris Smith ("Severance") has revealed "Triangle" will be his next project - a psychological horror film set on an ocean liner in the Bermuda Triangle.

"it's a movie that will play in time loops, like a character getting stuck in a glitch. That's what the Bermuda Triangle is and this character has to combat her way back" Smith told Shock Til You Drop.

Smith says that he's been working on a script for this film for about four years, and that it is a major step up for him in terms of budget and scale.

[crippled_avenger]

Warner wants 'Weekend Warrior'
Actor Birch to write supernatural comedy
By MICHAEL FLEMINGWarner Bros. has acquired "Weekend Warrior," a comedy pitch that will be produced by Andrew Lazar through his Mad Chance banner.
Movie will be scripted by Bill Birch, an actor who is attached to the WB pic "Pre-Astronauts."

"Weekend Warrior" revolves around an armchair home-repair enthusiast with no construction skills who unwittingly becomes a superhero who fights supernatural forces bent on destroying the world. Idea is to create a "Ghostbusters"-like comic romp that's heavy on special effects.

Lazar is currently in production at Warners on "Get Smart," the Pete Segal-directed comedy that stars Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson and Alan Arkin.

[crippled_avenger]

Walt Disney Pictures has tapped scribe David Benioff to bring his take to the long-gestating action project "Gemini Man."
Benioff -- who'll pocket a fee of $2 million -- will be doing a ground-up reworking of the story of an over-the-hill hitman forced to do battle with a younger clone of himself.

Pic will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who boarded the project about nine months ago; Bruckheimer toppers Mike Stenson and Chad Oman will exec produce along with Angry Films' Don Murphy. Jason Reed will act as creative executive for the Mouse.

Over the years, a number of writers have been linked with the project, including "Armageddon" and "Next" scribe Jonathan Hensleigh.

[crippled_avenger]

On the eve of the bowing of "Shrek the Third," Mike Mitchell ("Sky High, "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo") is in negotiations to direct "Shrek 4" for DreamWorks Animation says The Hollywood Reporter.

Penned by Tim Sullivan, the fourth installment will chronicle the continuing adventures of Shrek and his buddies. Josh Klausner recently penned a rewrite.

The "Shrek" series is a massive moneymaker for Dreamworks, the first taking in $484.4 million worldwide, the second one a whopping $920.7 million.

[crippled_avenger]

Latino Review reports that Robert Rodriguez ("Sin City," "Spy Kids") is tipped to be handling Warner Bros. live-action feature "The Jetsons."

The storyline will be based on the popular animated Hanna-Barbera TV show, which revolved around the travails of a family in the distant future.

Meanwhile they also report that Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie", the upcoming WWII film about a German assassination attempt on Hitler, looks set to have a stellar cast of English acting veterans to star alongside Tom Cruise.

Amongst them are four legends - Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Fry. "Little Children" star Patrick Wilson is also in discussions for the film.

[crippled_avenger]

Problem - you have a Marvel comic superhero character and want to put him into a feature, but can't justify the expense of a stand-alone franchise.

Solution - shove him into a "Fantastic Four" sequel. Talking with The Los Angeles Times, Director Tim Story revealed his motivations for the upcoming sequel "Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer" - and in doing so hinted at bringing in another character in a future sequel that has been struggling (and failing so far) to get a film of his own.

"I've got to tell you, to get the 'Fantastic Four' and turn it into a franchise, the first thing I thought was, 'Will I get the Silver Surfer'? Or someone like [the superhero] Black Panther, who was introduced in their book, get Djimon Hounsou and go do it?' But there are so many other great villains and stories - I feel like I hit the jackpot" says Story.

The Black Panther was the first modern African-American superhero. Created in 1966, he uses a heart-shaped herb that grants the person who consumes it enhanced strength, agility, and perception.

[crippled_avenger]

Summit Entertainment has unveiled its slate of development projects over on Variety with one in particular drawing attention - a new version of "The Osterman Weekend."

Based on the acclaimed 1972 novel by "The Bourne Identity" author Robert Ludlum, the story has the host of an investigative news show becoming convinced by a CIA agent that the friends he has invited to a weekend in the country are engaged in a KGB conspiracy that threatens national security.

The second and shortest of Ludlum's works, the book was famously adapted once before in 1983 by legendary helmer Sam Peckinpah ("Straw Dogs," "The Getaway," "Convoy"). The final film of Peckinpah's career, it starred a stellar cast including John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Rutger Hauer, Dennis Hopper, Meg Foster, Burt Lancaster and Chris Sarandon.

The resulting film however was a legendarily incomprehensible mess, thanks mostly to a convoluted script which took many liberties with the work, and Peckinpah's ill health and slow psychological breakdown brought on by years of major substance abuse.

Ludlum himself offered to rewrite the overly complex and confusing script for free, but differences between the producers and Peckinpah prevented this from happening. Peckinpah was fired when he refused to re-edit the film after very confusing test screening results.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith" scribe Simon Kimberg will make his directorial debut on this new incarnation of the project, a more faithful and more contemporary version of Ludlum's work (ie. will probably swap secret KGB agents for terrorist sleeper cell members) with shooting expected to start late this year.

Other porjects on Summit's slate include "Labyrinth," a Hilary Swank-led remake of the French thriller "Dedales"; an adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" novel series about a family of vampires; and a sequel to last year's Channing Tatum dance movie "Step Up."

[crippled_avenger]

Ethan Hawke has signed on to star in Lionsgate's futuristic vampire film "Daybreakers" says The Hollywood Reporter.

Australian horror veterans Peter and Michael Spierig ("Undead") wrote and direct helm the high-concept project, which begins shooting in July in Australia.

Hawke will play a researcher in the year 2017, when a plague has transformed most of the world's population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human or find a blood substitute before time runs out.

However, a covert group of vampires makes a discovery that has the power to save the human race. Weta Workshop will create the creature effects.

[crippled_avenger]

Dino and Martha De Laurentiis will partner with a trio of German producers to turn Frank Schatzing novel "The Swarm" into a big-budget ecological disaster film reports Variety.

Story is about an alien presence that exists quietly on the ocean floor and is compelled to destroy humanity after its eco-system is disrupted by pollution. Scientists race to stave off an apocalypse.

Ted Tally ("The Silence of the Lambs," "Red Dragon") has been set to adapt the novel. The De Laurentiis have a first-look deal at Universal, which will be first candidate to distribute.

[crippled_avenger]

Roth cast as 'Hulk' villain
Actor to play Abomination
By MICHAEL FLEMING


"The Incredible Hulk" will be matched against the oversized adversary Abomination, and Tim Roth will play the villain's alter ego, Emil Blonsky.
Roth joins Edward Norton and Liv Tyler in the Louis Leterrier-directed drama, which is being financed by Marvel Studios and distributed by Universal Pictures on June 13, 2008.

While Roth's deal is still being negotiated, he becomes the latest piece in a reinvention of a franchise, following the self-serious Ang Lee-directed "Hulk."

Blonsky is a KGB agent who deliberately exposes himself to the gamma rays that caused Bruce Banner to morph into the Hulk. Blonsky has upped the dosage, making him larger and stronger than the Hulk, but unable to change back to human form. He blames Banner for his problem, and makes his best efforts to destroy the Hulk.

"The Incredible Hulk" is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Marvel's Feige. Jim Van Wyck, David Maisel, Ari Arad and Stan Lee are exec producing. Zak Penn wrote the script.

Roth stars this fall in "Youth Without Youth," the Francis Ford Coppola-directed drama for Sony Pictures Classics. He also stars with Naomi Watts in "Funny Games" for Warner Independent Pictures.

[Ghoul]

The Los Angeles Times reported recently that filmmakers/SOUTH PARK creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker (pictured) have signed on to produce and direct GIANT MONSTERS ATTACK JAPAN!, a homage to kaiju and other Nipponese genre fare scripted by J.F. (UNDER SIEGE) Lawton. The screenwriter told the Times that despite the duo's rep for raunchy fare, "Trey and Matt said that they felt that they could do a G movie or a PG movie easier than they could a PG-13, because it's their nature to push an issue." He notes that he intended the film to appeal to young viewers amd carry a less restrictive rating, saying, "I'm not sure exactly where the ratings board is on monster-to-monster violence, what their reaction is to men in rubber suits wrestling but never getting hurt."

That's right, no digital FX here—the GIANT MONSTERS will be created via the old-school actors-in-rubber-costumes techniques that have made the films of Godzilla et al. beloved by generations of viewers. "I was terrified when I wrote it that people would say, 'OK, great, we'll do this and we're gonna CGI all the monsters,' " Lawton says. "And Matt and Trey want to do it with guys in rubber suits, which is what it needs to be. There's something really special about that."

The film's story is told through the eyes of an 8-year-old boy who goes to live in Tokyo when his father takes a job there, and discovers that enormous creatures, ninjas and other staples of the country's pop culture all really exist, and are accepted as facts of life there. Paramount and Nickelodeon Films are producing GIANT MONSTERS ATTACK JAPAN!, which goes into production once Parker and Stone wrap up the current season of SOUTH PARK and then helm the teen comedy MY ALL-AMERICAN.

[Shozo Hirono]

Ovo poslednja vest je super !!!Nisam siguran da ce uopste imati slicnosti sa Hondinim "masterpiecom"Destroy All Monsters iz 1968,ali se iskreno nadam da cemo videti ne samo Godzillu,vec i Gigana,Mothru,Hedoru,Ghidoru,Rodana...i jos po neka cuvena "cudovista" iz ere maketarenja !!!!

[Meho Krljic]

Pretpostavljam da Cripple još spava, pa nije video ovu vest (a možda ju je postovao pre neki dan a meni promaklo):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20070510/en_industry_eo/2e84a59d36ed_408d_8838_6b4918130e32

Terminator Will Be Back, Without Arnold by Gina Serpe
Thu May 10, 8:08 AM ET



Los Angeles (E! Online) - The Terminator is making good on its coming-back word. The Governator, not so much.


The Halcyon Company has announced plans to revive the cyborg-battling movie series with at least three more films, after the production company purchased all rights to the dormant franchise for an undisclosed, though likely eight-figure, sum.

But while Halcyon founders Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson are looking to begin preproduction on Terminator 4 as soon as possible, they will do so without a leading man. Or man-machine.

Plot details for the fourth film have been kept under tight wraps, though are said to pick up with John Connor, heir to the rebellion, in his thirties, leading the remainder of the human race in its ever-worsening battle against the machines. As the film will mark the beginning of a new trilogy, rather than a continuation of the previous three installments, its unlikely that the Terminator himself,        Arnold Schwarzenegger, will even take part in the film reinvention, other than perhaps a cameo.

Of course, there are other reasons why the Ah-nuld won't be featured on the big screen. He has a bit of a schedule conflict due to matters of a more gubernatorial nature.

T4 has already been fast-tracked for production, with Halcyon looking to get the installment in theaters by summer 2009. As it is, Schwarzenegger will be leading the state of California through 2011.

While a spokeswoman for the governor asserts that "no law says he couldn't" star in the reimagined flick if he wanted to, the project was nonetheless "not even on his radar."

Still, the franchise's new minders aren't worried about extending the brand beyond Arnie.

"With T3, we included many incidental details and plot points that, along with the ain narrative, set the stage for an entirely new set of inter-related stories covering the future adventures of John Connor and the Terminators," producer Moritz Borman said. "This new Terminator trilogy will build upon the already huge worldwide Terminator fan base, which was both revitalized and expanded with the global success of T3."

In fact, T3, along with T2 and, well, plain old T, have grossed just over $1 billion worldwide since Terminator was first released in 1984.

"The Terminator franchise represents by far the most popular and successful franchise not owned by a major studio," Kubicek said. "We see this global franchise as a cornerstone of Halcyon's future business plans."

A very large cornerstone.

In addition to the big-screen cyborg saga, the company snapped up all future merchandising and licensing rights to the franchise, future revenue generated by T3: Rise of the Machines and a portion of the rights to an almost guaranteed TV series based on the films.

Warner Bros. has already filmed a pilot for The        Sarah Connor Chronicles, an hourlong show based around the Terminator character and mythology surrounding the movies. According to Variety, Fox has already expressed interest in the project, and could opt to pick up the series at next week's upfronts, when the fall prime-time schedules are unveiled.

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"Lord of the Rings" filmmaker Peter Jackson is being lined up to tackle yet another internationally beloved literary property - "Tintin".

Both the trades report that Jackson and Steven Spielberg would each direct one of three back-to-back installments of the franchise based on Herge's series of Belgian comics.

What is surprising though is that these will be CG-based, 3D digital motion-capture movies, ala "The Polar Express" and the upcoming "Beowulf." No word yet on who'll helm the third. They will be adaptations of three of the 23 books based on the character, but which ones have yet to be revealed.

Kathleen Kennedy, Spielberg and Jackson will serve as producers on the three films to be released through Dreamworks Animation. Jackson's WETA corporation produced a 20-minute test reel which brings to life the characters.

Jackson told Variety that the aim is "making them look photorealistic; the fibers of their clothing, the pores of their skin and each individual hair. They look exactly like real people --but real Herge people." Spielberg added "We want Tintin's adventures to have the reality of a live-action film, and yet Peter and I felt that shooting them in a traditional live-action format would simply not honor the distinctive look of the characters and world that Herge created."

Whereas superhero comics dominate the American market, in Europe and other areas of the world it has been comics like Tintin and Asterix which have left a far more indelible impression on the last few generations of young adults.

In the comics, Tintin is a young reporter and world traveler who in his time has been to the moon, sided with South American guerillas, taken down Eastern European royal conspiracies, uncovered a lost tribe of Incans and much more.

The books were famous for never speaking down to kids and frequently including adult elements of drug smuggling, murder and politics along with frequent offbeat humor and memorable characters like the low-tempered Captain Haddock or the eccentric Professor Cuthbert Calculus.

Spielberg is a lifelong Tintin fan and first optioned the film rights just before Herge's death in 1983. Various attempts have been made to bring the property to life on the big screen but lapsed due to other issues.

It's expected that both will get to work on the project once they wrap up their involvement in both "The Lovely Bones" and the fourth "Indiana Jones" film. Teletext UK reports that Hayden Christensen is already the bookies favourite to land the lead role.

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IGN Filmforce recently caught up with Dark Castle Entertainment VP David Gambino to talk the status of the "Sgt. Rock" comic adaptation.

Gambino says John Cox's screenplay for the proposed film is "fantastic and everybody's really happy with it," and that discussions are currently underway as to how to shoot the WW2-set picture.

"It's really just about trying to attach cast right now and really decide what the movie is going to be, how we're going to make it. There's been talk about possibly doing it like a 300, really making it like a graphic novel come to life, but no decisions have really been made on that." says Gambino.

One comment he did make sounds concerning in that the film may be overly jingo-istic and could come under fire for being politically naive - "We're living in times now where people are questioning whether or not we should be in Iraq, and I think World War II was the last war where it was pretty clean-cut who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. I think audiences still love that, they still love going back to that era where the politics of the time were very clear as to who we wouldn't want to take out and who were the heroes. And Sgt. Rock tries to capture some of that."

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Fox Atomic bets on 'Beth'
Columbus' 1492 to produce Doyle's debut
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK


Fox Atomic is falling head over heels for Larry Doyle's debut tome "I Love You, Beth Cooper."
Studio specialty arm has picked up the film rights to the novel and set it up with Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan to produce through their 1492 Pictures.

Doyle, a magazine writer and TV scribe, will pen the screenplay.

As with any project 1492 produces, "Beth Cooper" is a potential directing vehicle for Columbus.

Comic romp follows the adventures of geeky high school valedictorian who decides he has nothing to lose by making a play for a popular cheerleader, declaring his love during the graduation speech.Doyle's TV credits include "The Simpsons" and "Beavis and Butt-Head." He writes for a number of mags, including the New Yorker and Esquire.

"Beth Cooper," which hit bookstands earlier this month, has landed on a number of summer reading lists. Tome was published by HarperCollins imprint Ecco.

Fox Atomic is currently in theaters with sequel "28 Weeks Later," which opened over the weekend at No. 2, taking in roughly $10 million. Fledgling specialty unit will release "The Comebacks" on Oct. 26, and is preparing to go into production this summer with "The Rocker."

Doyle is repped by CAA and the Gernert Co.

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Director James Toback is planning a feature documentary about former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson which traces how the fighter self-destructed and let a fortune and his ring legacy slip away reports Variety.

Toback will prepare "Tyson" using more than 30 hours of recently completed interviews with the ex-champ. The director said his subject pulls no punches in chronicling every aspect of his rise and fall.

Amongst the topics - his time under the wing of promoter Don King, marriage to actresss Robin Givens, his knockout of Buster Douglas, the prison term for a sexual assault conviction and biting off Evander Holyfield's ear in the ring.

ICM will sell worldwide rights when the doco is completed this Fall.

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Madonna's hubbie Guy Ritchie ("Snatch," "Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels) is returning to his strengths by helming caper movie "RocknRolla" for Dark Castle Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures.

"RocknRolla," penned by Ritchie, follows a Russian mobster orchestrates a crooked land deal, putting millions of dollars up for grabs and attracting all of London's criminal underworld.

A dangerous crime lord, a sexy accountant, a corrupt politician and a band of petty thieves are among those double-crossing one another.

Casting for "RocknRolla" is under way with filming to take place in London at end of the end of June. It marks the rejuvenated Dark Castle's second project after "Whiteout" which is currently filming.

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Lakeshore, Butler to play 'Game'
'Crank' duo's thriller begins shooting in January
By ELIZABETH GUIDER
Posted: Wed., May 16, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Lakeshore is "cranking" it up again.
Company headed by chairman and CEO Tom Rosenberg is reteaming with "Crank" creators Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor on "Game," a high-concept futuristic thriller that will star Gerald Butler. It's one of Lakeshore's more ambitious projects, though not as costly as its most expensive, the $75 million "Runaway Bride" of a few years ago.

Neveldine and Taylor have written the script and will direct the movie, which will begin lensing in January.

Athough no details were available, the company is also set to produce, probably late next year, a remake of "Fame," which will go out domestically through MGM.

The more immediate "Game" will be produced by Lakeshore's Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi and Skip Williamson, and Lakeshore will retain foreign rights.

Stateside, Lakeshore is deciding what to do with the film since it has deals with MGM and Warner Bros. and also works occasionally with Screen Gems and Lionsgate, Rosenberg said. ("Crank" went out domestically via Lionsgate.) On the foreign front, "Game" will get talked up by Lakeshore's sales team in Cannes.

This latest pic is set in a dystopian future of implanted nano-devices, where the ultimate online simulation environment is humans remote-controlling other humans in mass-scale, multiplayer online gaming. The lead character, played by Butler, is a worldwide sensation, and the top-ranked warrior in a game called "Slayers." With his every move tracked by millions, he battles to regain his identity and bring down the entire system.

"As the world witnessed in '300,' Gerard Butler is a commanding performer, connecting with an audience on many levels. He is the perfect actor to play Kable, a man who represents the fight against the ruthless commercialization of our lives," Rosenberg said.

Butler will next star opposite Hilary Swank in the romantic comedy, "P.S. I Love You," directed by Richard LaGravenese for Warner Bros.

Lakeshore will soon commence its second collaboration with the duo, on the thriller "Pathology," directed by Marc Schoelermann. "Pathology" is being sold here in Cannes.

David Dinerstein, who took over as president of worldwide marketing and distribution in January, absorbed some of the international oversight duties formerly performed by British exec Peter Rogers. Latter, who was London-based, ankled several months ago.

Lakeshore has six features in various phases of production, including an adaptation of Philip Roth's novel "The Dying Animal" starring Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley.

As for "Fame," Dinerstein said doing a remake is something of a no-brainer, and will likely reflect the renewed interest around the globe in music and dance movies.

A few of Lakeshore's recent pics, including "Blood and Chocolate," did not perform well at the box office. But Dinerstein said the Lakeshore portfolio has had some notable successes, both domestically and internationally, with pics including not only "Million Dollar Baby," ($220 worldwide) and "Runaway Bride" ($310 worldwide) but also smaller pics like "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" ($150 million worldwide) and "Underworld" ($100 million worldwide).

"In all fairness, businesses are built on portfolios. Our aim is to produce projects with universal appeal -- but also made for the right price," said Dinerstein, who had stints at Miramax and Paramount.

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Universal buys 'Remarkable' pitch
Carnahan to direct Bateman in revenge film
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Carnahan

Universal Pictures has acquired "The Remarkable Fellows," a pitch for an action buddy comedy that Joe Carnahan will write to direct. Jason Bateman, who hatched the film's premise, will produce with Carnahan and Richard Gladstein.
Bateman, who was part of the manic ensemble of Carnahan's last film, "Smokin' Aces," cooked up an outline with the writer-director and then hooked the studio.

Carnahan is writing the script before he begins pre-production on "White Jazz," the adaptation of the James Ellroy book that was scripted by Matthew Michael Carnahan and will star George Clooney.

"The Remarkable Fellows" revolves around two brothers who take over the family business, which involves exacting revenge for clients.

Bateman will play one of the brothers. The duo, who are "part James Bond and part Ricky Jay," get assignments "from their father and carry them out all over the world," Bateman said. "The revenge scenario is dependent on the intricacy of the plot. If the president of a major bank was sleeping with the French ambassador's wife, the banker would call these guys."

Bateman is about to start the Peter Berg-directed "Tonight, He Comes" alongside Will Smith and Charlize Theron. He'll next be seen starring in the Berg-directed "The Kingdom," which Universal releases Sept. 28, and then stars with Natalie Portman in the Zach Helm-directed "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium," which Mandate and Fox Walden release Nov. 16.

He's repped by UTA and 3 Arts, Carnahan by Endeavor.

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This time it's no April Fools joke kids.

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino will star together for the first time since Heat in £30m crime thriller Righteous Kill" reports Teletext.

Jon Avnet will begin a two-month shoot in August in Connecticut on the story, which pairs the stars as detectives on the trail of a serial killer.

"This was one of the hardest deals we've done," producer Randell Emmett said. "When we realised we had a chance to get them together we leapt at it."

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Nickelodeon Movies has picked up "Bro-jitsu," a book proposal from pop scientist Daniel H. Wilson, for an adaptation to be produced by Marc Rosen and Lynda Obst.

Wilson will pen the screenplay, his first.

The deal marks the first project that Rosen and Obst have set up since teaming to form Rosen-Obst Prods. in March.

Wilson, who holds a doctorate in robotics, is the author of "How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion," which is set up at Paramount, and the new "Where's My Jetpack?: A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived." With "Bro-jitsu," Wilson plans a comedic instruction manual looking at sibling rivalry using a martial arts approach of offense-defense.

"(Wilson) feels like sibling rivalry drives the world and that we are all somehow formed by our siblings," Rosen said. "He is tapping into universal aspects like noogies and floogies and Indian burns. It's our first sale, and we couldn't be happier."
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Chris Salvaterra was instrumental in the deal and will oversee for Nick, which is looking at "Bro-jitsu" as a family comedy.

Wilson is repped by literary manager Justin Manask.

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First Sun has acquired the rights to remake Dario Argento's classic 1977 horror movie "Suspiria" an plan to remake it as an English-language film.

"'Suspiria' has a unique style that we want to reinvent for today's generation. We intend to create a concept that will encompass cinema, videogames, fashion and music and that revives the original for those who did not experience it. The Gothic resurgence is very strong around the world at the moment ... and we feel that a new version of 'Suspiria' will fit very well" said 'Sun' co-founder and director Luca Guadagnino ("Melissa P.") at a press conference in Cannes yesterday.

Guadagnino added that he is seeking an international director not necessarily associated with the horror genre. First Sun is also in talks with writer Scott Heim ("Mysterious Skin") and David Gordon Green to adapt, and production is slated to begin next year.

The original refurbished Italian-language version of the film is set to screen today at Cannes in honor of the 30th anniversary of its release.

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CANNES -- France's two hottest Jeans -- Reno and Dujardin -- were on the Croisette Friday touting their new $20 million pic together "Cash."
Movie, being pitched by sales agent TF1 Intl. as a sophisticated comedy actioner in the vein of "Ocean's Eleven" or "The Thomas Crown Affair," began shooting on the Riviera 10 days ago.

Two thesps play the heads of rival criminal gangs, while Valeria Golino plays a cop chief trying to stop their antics. Leggy blonde Alice Taglioni co-stars.

It is being helmed by vet scribe Eric Besnard, whose writing credits include Mathieu Kassovitz's upcoming "Babylon A.D."

"Cash" is the first film to come out of former Gaumont managing director Patrice Ledoux's new indie shingle Pulsar. Ledoux said he has a pic in the works with Gaumont, "My Daughter's 14," with Daniel Auteuil.

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Russian director Alexei Sidorov ("Shadow Boxing") has signed to helm the $5 million action thriller "The Tourist" says The Hollywood Reporter.

The story deals with amateur snipers who travel to war zones to act out their computer game fantasies for real. As yet no cast has been signed.

The script is by former elite forces soldier and commercials director Tom Petch and based on his experiences in Serbia. Shooting begins in Hungary this Fall.

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Get ready for melting clocks ... in 3-D.
Showing a bit of the flair for which Salvador Dali was famous, the producers of a Dali biopic proclaimed at Cannes that they plan to shoot the entire film with Panavision digital 3-D cameras.

"Dali was crazy about 3-D films when they started in the 1950s," notes writer/director Philippe Mora. "This is the film spectacle Dali would want you to see."

Producer Peter Rawley adds, "This film will put you inside the extraordinary surrealist vision for the first time."

Mora and Rawley are searching for thesps to play Dali from age 20 to 80. They're hoping to begin shooting in the fall and are looking for European co-production partners, particularly in Spain, France and the U.K.

The 3-D enhancement could give "Dali" something to distinguish itself from another Dali biopic. "Dali & I: The Surreal Story" will explore the painter's relationship with art dealer Stan Lauryssen.

No 3-D there, but it does have its own calling card: Al Pacino as its star.

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Myriad Pictures and Killer Films will produce an adaptation of James Ellroy's memoir "My Dark Places" reports Reuters.

Ellroy's 1996 book tells the true story of his mother's murder, a troubled adolescence that followed and his later investigation into the crime.

The event, which occurred when he was 10, was key in developing the writer's fascination with Los Angeles-based crime tomes such as "L.A. Confidential" and "The Black Dahlia."

The producers are in talks with several directors, including Tom Kalin ("Savage Grace"), to potentially helm. Robert Greenwald was previously attached to direct. No date is yet set.

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Latino Review reports that Marc Forster, Tony Scott, Alex Proyas and Jonathan Mostow are the alleged frontrunners to direct the next James Bond film it seems.

Of the four they say Forster ("Monster's Ball," "Finding Neverland") is the front runner. Have to admit either him or Proyas ("I Robot," "Dark City") seem the best choice, but none of them particularly sit just right.

Meanwhile a source for CHUD says that the opening action scene of the upcoming "Indiana Jones IV" will pit Dr. Jones against Russians agents in Area 51. Seems much of the story will delve from Erich von Däniken's 1968 novel Chariots of the Gods?" which centers on the theory that many ancient civilizations' technologies and religion were given to them by space travelers who were welcomed as gods.

LaBeouf will apparently play a 50's guy thrown together with Indy who only later discovers that they're related. Crystal skulls are also said to play a key component.

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CANNES -- Producer Emmanuel Benbihy has assembled a who's who of hot helmers to head to New York to shoot his upcoming project "New York, je t'aime" (New York, I Love You), with names including Zach Braff, Mira Nair, Park Chan-Wook and Fatih Akin.

Benbihy said in an interview that other directors signed to contribute to the $14 million project to date are Yvan Attal, Wang Xiaoshuai, Emanuele Crialese, Albert and Allen Hughes and Andrey Zvyagintsev.

Three more directors are to be added to the 12-strong lineup on the movie, which has the support of the city and state of New York and is co-produced by Benbihy's producer partner Marianne Maddalena, whose credits include Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes" and the "Scream" trilogy.

The project also has backing from the recently announced Future Films and Grand Army Entertainment funding pact (HR 5/16).

"With 'NY, I Love You,' we really want to surprise audiences with young, hip filmmakers with their own personal style and movie language," Benbihy said.
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Producers are planning a first-quarter 2008 delivery with plans to submit the movie to unspool at next year's Festival de Cannes.

Each director will create a five-minute segment about a love encounter in a district of the five boroughs for a 100-minute long final cut.

"The idea is to give the impression of a community of directors," Benbihy said.

A 13th, as-yet-unchosen, filmmaker will fashion a series of the transition sequences to make the movie much more fluid than "Paris, Je t'aime."

With no credits to be shown until the end of the film, the audience will have a single narrative experience.

"Hopefully, with 'NY, I Love You,' critics will have more difficulty choosing their favorite or least favorite segments. They'll all be good. We want to give the illusion of unity as much as possible and bring the narrative challenge a step further," Benbihy said.

The film, unlike its mostly French-language predecessor, will be shot almost entirely in English. "We'll try to be as representative of the city as possible, that's the idea," Benbihy said.

Benbihy is also sketching plans for "China, I Love You," aiming for summer 2008.

"We hope we've started a new movement in cinema, a different way to make movies," Benbihy said.

The producer wants to roll out a series of U.S.-based projects for foreign directors who want to shoot in the territory.

He added: "The Cities of Love concept is about people. It has nothing to do with politics. We want to show that love is universal. It's the right time to say 'New York, I Love You.' "

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Warners books Hughes brothers for 'Eli'By Borys Kit

May 22, 2007

Albert and Allen Hughes are coming aboard to direct "The Book of Eli," a postapocalyptic Western written by Gary Whitta for Warner Bros. Pictures. Joel Silver is producing with Silver Pictures' Susan Downey and Erik Olsen.

The script, which Warners bought earlier this year, centers on a lone hero who must fight his way across the wasteland of postapocalyptic America to protect a sacred book that might hold the key to saving the future of humanity.

Ironically, it was a book that was the key for the Hughes brothers getting the job to helm the feature. The duo had read the script, agreeing that it had been the best thing they had read in years, and knew they wanted it to be their next project. Using their own funds, they produced a hardcover tome that featured notes, comic panels, color photos and storyboards on how they envisioned the movie.

During a meeting with Warners production head Jeff Robinov, the duo dropped the book on his desk, saying, "This is what we want do to." That led to a sit-down with Silver Pictures, who loved the brothers' take as well as their passion.

The most recent movie the brothers directed was 2001's "From Hell." They are attached to direct "The Ice Man," a hit man biopic being produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Jason Blum, and "Kung Fu," based on the 1970s TV series, for Warners and Legendary. The studio is hoping to roll on "Eli" before year's end.
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Whitta, who is writing "Diablo" for Legendary and Blizzard Entertainment, is repped by UTA, Circle of Confusion and attorney Howard Abramson.

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Cannes isn't usually a time to be shy. Sellers trumpet exactly what they're selling to whom -- even if the film doesn't exist.
That maxim makes the case of the untitled Larry Charles project fairly unusual. Originally fostered by First Look, it migrated to IM Global (the recently renamed sister company of Intermedia) in April. Sold as Charles' "Borat" followup, the pic is narrated by Bill Maher about "the role of institutional religion around the world."

Based on a 10-minute promo reel seen by about 200 buyers Friday, the pic promises a blend of comedy and reportage that could attract significant controversy. A one-page "statement of intent" by Charles was released at Berlin, and some territories started responding then.

In order to avoid the uncomfortable situation of providing picketers with an address to which to mail anonymous threats, IM is doing its best to withhold names.

But as the list of territories sold grows -- it's at nearly 19 after France, the U.K. and Benelux were sewn up Saturday night. Italy, Russia, South Korea and Latin America are already gone. Six Japanese distribs are bidding.

The big question now: Who will buy the film in the U.S., Maher's home turf? And how readily will they want to be known as the grinches who stole Christ?

"The filmmakers are in no hurry to sell domestic," said Stuart Ford, managing director of IM Global. "We have comfortably covered more than 100% of the production costs through foreign sales."

The pic has completed production but has not yet been cut.

A raft of domestic buyers were still in the hunt as of Sunday, among them New Line, Picturehouse, Miramax, the Weinstein Co., Focus, Paramount Vantage and several others.

Some who saw the footage believe it would be extremely difficult for a division of a major studio to handle the pic. Handily enough, though, Cannes 2007 is stocked with deep-pocketed indie players capable of distributing on their own.

The producers, Palmer West and Jonah Smith ("A Scanner Darkly," "Waking Life"), fully financed the film. CAA is handling sales.

Among other IM Global titles attracting interest, "Speed" helmer Jan de Bont's "Stopping Power" has sold in a few overseas territories, and a domestic deal is expected by fest's end. Gulf Film grabbed Mideast rights, and Japan went to Gaga.

Pic, budgeted at $50 million and set to start shooting in August in Berlin, stars John Cusack as an American tourist whose daughter is kidnapped. An average dad who just happens to be an experienced test pilot, he engages in a cat and mouse hunt for his daughter, and the pic culminates in a 51-minute, real-time chase involving cars, helicopters and jets.

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'Locker' to be filmed in Jordan
Shooting on actioner to begin in summer
By ALI JAAFARJordan's Royal Film Commission has confirmed that Kathryn Bigelow will lense "The Hurt Locker" in Jordan this summer. Iraq-set action drama follows the expoits of an elite American bomb disposal unit.
"Jordan is a safe, professional environment in which to work and a very welcoming place," said "Locker" producer and scribe Mark Boal. "The assistance of the government and the personal support of His Royal Highness Prince Ali has made it ideal for filmmakers."

RFC execs, in Cannes to drum up awareness of filming in the country, also announced that Costa Gavras will chair the Arab-Franco film week in June. Events will include seminars, workshops, screenings and a local preem of Laurent Herbiet's "Mon colonel."

Gallic promotional film body will send a delegation of producers, including Salem Brahimi, to take part and meet aspiring Jordanian helmers.

"We hope it will be an inspiration to the young filmmakers," said Pernilla Frykholm, the RFC's project manager.

[Ghoul]

Kathryn Bigelow will lense "The Hurt Locker" in Jordan this summer.

bolje bi bilo da režira neil jordan!

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http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2007/05/free-mct.html

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Sam Neill and Ethan Hawke have joined the cast of Lionsgate's vampire thriller "Daybreakers" reports Screen Daily.

The story takes place in 2017 as of a clandestine group of vampires discovers the key to saving the human race from a plague. Weta Workshop will create the effects on the project.

"Undead" filmmakers Peter and Michael Spierig wrote and directed the film with shooting scheduled to begin in Australia this July.

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Shooting is apparently underway on "Bruno," the film version of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's third most famous character creation after Borat and Ali G.

Defamer reports that Cohen, dressed in full Bruno regalia (minus the mohawk), showed up at the Foreign Trade Association luncheon at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles yesterday.

When Borat became a huge hit, Universal offered Sacha Baron Cohen $42 million to make a follow-up based on one of his third most popular character. Well production has apparently begin as Bruno showed up at the Foreign Trade Association luncheon at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles yesterday. According to a spy, Cohen's character was sans mohawk.

A scooper described his look: "He's dressed in leather pants, black vest and a black t-shirt. The hair is kinduva flock of seagulls/sad boy from the cure look - rusty brown hair mopped over to one side and the tips are a frosty blonde."

Hoping to avoid the lawsuits that came with "Borat," signs were posted that a documentary was in the process of filming, whilst some "were offered $20 to sign a release and be interviewed for a documentary about American culture and world trade."

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After completing work on the upcoming Malcolm Lee-directed comedy "The Better Man," Cedric the Entertainer will play a serious role in the upcoming drama "Night Watch" opposite Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker.

Cedric tells Blackfilm that "I play an informant named Scribbles. There are all these corrupt cops and they getting information from this modern day "Huggy Bear", but it's not comedic. I'm a street guy and I'm on some drugs a little bit. The director said that this would be a great serious role for me."

Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Terry Crews, Common and Naomie Harris also star in the project due out in 2008.

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Warner Bros. Pictures has picked up an original comedy project from Ken Kaufman ("The Missing," "Space Cowboys"), with "Meet the Parents" helmer Jay Roach on board to direct and produce says The Hollywood Reporter.

The dark comedy follows two party-loving male friends who are as close as brothers. When one of them dies in a fluke accident, the other succumbs to grief, until he meets a stranger who eerily resembles his dead friend, only shorter and nerdier.

He then sets out to corrupt him and refashion him into his lost buddy.

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Venezuela Giving Danny Glover $18M to Direct Film on
Epic Slave Revolt
by Rory Carroll


CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela is to give the American
actor Danny Glover almost $18m (£9m) to make a film
about a slave uprising in Haiti, with President Hugo
Chávez hoping the historical epic will sprinkle
Hollywood stardust on his effort to mobilise world
public opinion against imperialism and western
oppression.

The Venezuelan congress said it would use the proceeds
from a recent bond sale with Argentina to finance
Glover's biopic of Toussaint Louverture, an iconic
figure in the Caribbean who led an 18th-century revolt
in Haiti.

It will also give seed money for a film version of The
General in His Labyrinth, Gabriel García Márquez's
novel about the last days of Simón Bolívar, who
liberated much of South America from Spanish
colonialism.

Glover, 60, who starred with Mel Gibson in the Lethal
Weapon series, and more recently with Eddie Murphy in
the film DreamGirls, is a civil rights activist and
supporter of Mr Chávez's radical leftwing policies.

A document from the congress's finance commission said
the culture ministry would be a partner with Glover
and give $17.8m for "scripts, production costs,
wardrobe, lighting, transport, makeup and the creation
of the whole creative and administrative platform".

The project could mark a breakthrough for Villa del
Cine, a new government-funded studio outside the
Venezuelan capital, Caracas, which is part of Mr
Chávez's effort to combat what he sees as American
cultural hegemony.

Glover, who visited Caracas at the weekend, told the
Guardian that he would direct the film, titled
Toussaint. "It's so advanced that you can taste it.
We've scouted locations within 75km [45 miles] of
Caracas. I can do everything I need to do with this
film from here." He said he had been in talks with the
government, but was unaware that a decision had been
made until journalists tipped him off about the
congress's announcement. "That's the first I've heard
of it," he said.

He suggested that there was still some uncertainty
over whether the venture would go ahead. "One of the
major axioms in theatre is never talk about anything
until the deal is signed. There's a lot of
deliberation that goes on before something actually
happens."

It appeared that the congress timed the announcement
to coincide with a media conference in Caracas hosted
by the television network Telesur, a Venezuela-funded
regional answer to CNN. Glover is on the board.

It would not be the first declaration to run ahead of
reality. Mr Chávez once said the director Oliver Stone
planned to make a film about him, but it came to
nothing. However at the president's request, Villa del
Cine, which was inaugurated last year, is making a
film about Francisco Miranda, who lit the fuse of
South America's liberation. A lavish production with
hundreds of extras and battle scenes, its costumes and
sets could work for the Haiti film.

Toussaint Louverture is a towering figure in the
region's history. A freed slave of African descent, he
led thousands of slaves in successful campaigns
against British, Spanish and French troops before
being betrayed, captured and exiled. He died in 1803,
just before his followers succeeded in establishing
the island's independence. William Wordsworth wrote a
sonnet about him.

Glover said he wanted to educate the US about the
story. "It's been essentially wiped out of our
historic memory, it's been wiped clean."

The actor is chairman of the TransAfrica Forum, an
advocacy group for African Americans and other members
of Africa's diaspora, and a vocal critic of the Bush
administration. Along with the singer Harry Belafonte,
Glover is the best known celebrity supporter of Mr
Chávez, whom he considers "remarkable". He is a
regular visitor to Venezuela.

Venezuela's congress, which consists entirely of
Chávez supporters, also said it would give $1.8m to
develop a screen treatment of The General in His
Labyrinth, by a Venezuela-born director, Alberto
Arvelo. Some rate Gabriel García Márquez's account of
the final days of Bolívar along with the Colombian
writer's better known novels, One Hundred Years of
Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera.

To build consciousness of what Mr Chávez calls
"21st-century socialism", the government has funded
nationwide screenings of Charlie Chaplin's classic
film Modern Times, about the exploitation of US
factory workers during the depression.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited
2007

[crippled_avenger]

Kao potpuni McT geek nisam mogao da odolim a da ne primetim sledecu koincidenciju. RUN je naime film koji je prvobitno trebalo da rezira guess who?

Dutch FilmWorks unveils big budget Cannes haul
Tim Dams in London
02 Jun 2005 04:00

 

Netherlands distributor Dutch FilmWorks has unveiled a string of big budget acquisitions from this year's Cannes film festival.

Buys include Peter Hyams' $60m The Chaser from Signature Pictures. An action film filled with special effects, it is about a bank robbery which takes place in Key Largo during a tornado.

It also bought Renny Harlin's Run, a high concept thriller sold by Arclight, which is centred on a huge car chase in Rome, and action picture The Life And Death Of Bobby Z, starring Paul Walker and sold by Nu Image, which is set to begin production in September.

From IAC, Dutch FilmWorks also bought the fifth instalment in the Highlander series – Highlander: The Source - with stars Christopher Lambert and Adrian Paul - and psychological horror film The Dark Hours from Fabrication.

The company also snapped up a number of Asian titles: manga title Dragon Head and Japanese action film Muscle Heat, both from Pony Canyon. Samurai Commando: Mission 1549, a sci-fi fantasy action film, was bought from Horizon.