Ryan Murphy Is the Frontrunner to Direct ANNIE Remake Starring Willow Smith
by Matt Goldberg Posted: February 9th, 2011
A couple weeks ago, we reported that Will Smith and Jay-Z were teaming up to produce a “re-imagination” of the Broadway musical Annie starring Smith’s daughter Willow. The young Smith already has an obnoxious pop single with “Whip My Hair” so she can apparently handle a musical. Deadline is now reporting that Sony wants Glee creator Ryan Murphy to direct the flick. For those unfamiliar with Annie, the story is set during the Great Depression and centers on a spunky 11-year-old redhead named Annie who is adopted by kindly billionaire Daddy Warbucks. The musical was based on the comic Little Orphan Annie. The character has traditionally been white, but nothing prevents the character from being black provided you move the time to post-integration. Otherwise, if you keep it set during the Great Depression, it seems like you’re saying, “Black children have always been treated equally as white children! What’s Jim Crow?”Hit the jump for more on Murphy and his other potential projects.
............. http://collider.com/ryan-murphy-annie-remake/75396/
Rooney Mara to Star in EMANUEL AND THE TRUTH ABOUT FISHES
by Adam Chitwood Posted: February 9th, 2011
Soon-to-be (if not already) “it” girl Rooney Mara is set to reunite with her Tanner Hall director Francesca Gregorini on Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes. The film, also written by Gregorini, “centers around a young, troubled woman who becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor that looks uncannily like her dead mother.” Gregorini made her feature film debut with 2009’s Tanner Hall, which was also one of Mara’s first major roles.The Playlist reports that Emanuel is set to start shooting this summer with Paul Schiff producing. Mara is currently filming David Fincher’s highly anticipated adaptation of Steig Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Mara recently came to the public’s attention in a big way with her scene-stealing role as Mark Zuckerberg’s ex-girlfriend in The Social Network.
http://collider.com/rooney-mara-emanuel-and-the-truth-about-fishes/75407/
D.J. Caruso to Direct BEAT THE REAPER; Leonardo DiCaprio to Possibly Star
by Adam Chitwood Posted: February 9th, 2011
Director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) is currently doing the press rounds for his upcoming sci-fi film I Am Number Four, and it looks like he’s already decided what his next project will be. Caruso is set to direct the film adaptation of Josh Bazell’s suspense novel Beat the Reaper for 20th Century Fox. Leonardo DiCaprio acquired the film rights to the novel through his production company Appian Way a couple of years ago. He’s currently set to produce, but The Playlist reports that Caruso and DiCaprio are now trying to figure out if DiCaprio will be available to star in the film as well.Beat the Reaper tells the story of a former mobster-turned-doctor whose past comes back to haunt him and ends up trying to tie up loose ends. Brian Koppelman and David Levian (Ocean’s Thirteen) wrote the script. Reaper is apparently the first in a series of novels, so this could be the first in a franchise of films for Caruso and possibly DiCaprio if he signs on to star. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of the book.
................. http://collider.com/d-j-caruso-beat-the-reaper/75420/
