***New Release Dates for THE THING and MONEYBALL ***Gore Verbinski Attached to Direct THE LONE RANGER Starring Johnny Depp as Tonto ***Christian Bale Says THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Will Be His Last Time as Batman (Unless Christopher Nolan Says Different)

New Release Dates for THE THING and MONEYBALL

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 23rd, 2010

The upcoming films The Thing and Moneyball have landed new release dates.  The Thing, which is a prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter horror film of the same name,  was originally set for April 29, 2011, but then Universal decided to give that date to the new Fast and Furious film, Fast Five.  Now Universal is tweeting that The Thing will open on October 14, 2011.  The film, which stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton, will now square off at the box office against the remake of Footloose and Paul W.S. Anderson’s 3D adaptation of The Three Musketeers.
Also getting a release date is Bennett Miller’s Moneyball starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.  The film, which centers on how the Oakland Athletics became a competitive ballclub through utilizing statistics, will open on September 23, 2011 according to Box Office Mojo.  The only other film currently set for that date is the action flick Abduction starring Taylor Lautner and Alfred Molina.
http://www.collider.com/2010/11/23/the-thing-moneyball-release-dates/

Gore Verbinski Attached to Direct THE LONE RANGER Starring Johnny Depp as Tonto

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 23rd, 2010

In Hollywood, some projects can take a while to get off the ground.  In May of 2007, Steve reported that producer Jerry Bruckheimer wanted to re-team with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski for a new Pirates-style take on The Lone Ranger with a script by POTC screenwriters Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio.  It turns out we were slightly early on that report.  After a report in September that said Verbinski was finally in talks for the gig, Deadline is now reporting that he’s officially on board and that Johnny Depp will play Tonto.  There’s currently no word on when production will start or who will play the title character.  Depp and Verbinski recently collaborated on the animated film Rango, which is set to open on March 4, 2011.
Hit the jump for recap of Verbinski’s other projects as well as a brief refresher on The Lone Ranger.

Verbinski and Rossio are currently developing a supernatural police procedural for Fox called Magical Law.  Verbinski is also producing an adaptation of the video game Bioshock directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later).  Finally, this past summer Verbinski was in early negotiations to direct The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, but we don’t know if those negotiations resulted in him signing on to the project.
For those who aren’t familiar with The Lone Ranger, here’s a brief synopsis [via Wikipedia]:

The Lone Ranger is an American radio and television show created by George W. Trendle and developed by Fran Striker.
The title character is a masked Texas Ranger in the American Old West, originally played by George Seaton (radio), but more famously by Clayton Moore (television), who gallops about righting injustices with the aid of his clever, laconic Native American companion, Tonto played by (amongst others) John Todd, Roland Parker, and (in the television series) Jay Silverheels. Tonto usually referred to the Lone Ranger as Kemo Sabe, meaning “trusty scout”.  Departing on his white horse Silver, the Ranger would shout “Hi-yo, Silver, away!” as the horse galloped toward the setting sun, followed by someone asking “Who was that masked man, anyway?” “Why he’s the Lone Ranger.” The sayings, as well as the theme music from the William Tell Overture, are indelibly stamped in the memories of millions of Americans (and Britons) who came of age during the decades of the show’s initial popularity or viewed the television series run nearly continuously for past fifty years. Reruns of the Lone Ranger as portrayed by Clayton Moore are still telecast today (August, 2010) sixty-one years after their production and initial broadcast. The character has become an icon of American culture.

http://www.collider.com/2010/11/23/the-lone-ranger-johnny-depp-gore-verbinski/

Christian Bale Says THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Will Be His Last Time as Batman (Unless Christopher Nolan Says Different)

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 23rd, 2010

It looks like Christian Bale only has so much gravel-voice to give.  In a recent interview with E! News, Bale says that The Dark Knight Rises will be his last turn as the Caped Crusader.  Said Bale,

“The thing is that this will be, I believe, unless [Christopher Nolan] says different, this will be the last time I’m playing Batman.”

Nolan has previously stated that The Dark Knight Rises will be the last Batman film he directs and that the third film will “finish the story” that started with Batman Begins. Hit the jump for what Bale says he knows and doesn’t know about the third film.  The Dark Knight Rises also stars Michael Caine and Tom Hardy.  It’s slated for release on July 20, 2012.

Bale, who is picking up strong critical acclaim in David O. Russell’s The Fighter, says that when it comes to the plot of The Dark Knight Rises,

“I probably know a little bit more than some other people out there, but I think most people would be surprised at how little I do know… It just hasn’t been necessary yet. I know he’ll give me plenty of time to prepare for whatever I need to, and I’ll discover it.”

This coincides with Michael Caine’s recent interview where he said they weren’t set to receive the script until January.  Filming on the highly-anticipated sequel is set to begin in May.
http://www.collider.com/2010/11/23/the-dark-knight-rises-christian-bale/