by Bill Graham Posted: March 1st, 2011
Following in the footsteps of your dad is not such a bad idea when your father is Ron Howard. Bryce Dallas Howard, who burst onto the scene in M. Night Shyamalan’s ultra polarizing The Village, will be stepping behind the camera soon for her first feature. Showbiz411 caught up with the actress during the busy Oscar weekend and got the first details of the film. Titled The Originals, Bryce will be looking to cast stars her own age and described it as, “a Breakfast Club for my generation.” Hit the jump for whom she has in mind to star and more details on the film.
http://collider.com/bryce-dallas-howard-the-originals/78627/
Jose Padilha in Talks to Direct ROBOCOP Remake
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 1st, 2011
Last month, we reported that the newly-restructured MGM was planning to remake Paul Verhoeven’s classic 1987 action film Robocop. For those unfamiliar with Verhoeven’s flick, the story centered on a deceased cop (played by Peter Weller) who is rebuilt into a crime-fighting cyborg. While there was plenty of memorable action, Robocop also included some biting and clever social satire. Darren Aronofsky came on board to direct a remake in 2008, but then MGM fell into bankruptcy and Aronofsky left the project.
Deadline reports that MGM’s new run at a remake may put Jose Padilha (Elite Squad) into the director’s chair. Padilha, you may recall, was one of the directors under consideration to helm Gangster Squad at Warner Bros. In addition to Elite Squad and its sequel, Padilha has done documentary work including the award-winning Bus 174. He recently served on the World Documentary Jury at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. According to Deadline, once Padilha is aboard, MGM will hire a writer to work under his supervision.
http://collider.com/robocop-remake-jose-padilha/78635/
Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures Picks up Untitled Spike Jonze-Charlie Kaufman Project
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 1st, 2011
Producer Megan Ellison has recently been proving herself to be the patron saint of film nerds. In addition to backing Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of Inherent Vice and his untitled Scientology movie, as well as a movie about WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange, it now looks like Ellison and her Annapurna Pictures are acquiring an untitled satire that would re-team director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman.
We reported back in December that the Being John Malkovich and Adaptation duo were pitching a new film, so presumably this is it. Deadline reports that the untitled satire is “about how world leaders gather to figure out all the seismic events that will take place in the worlds, from oil prices to wars that will be waged.” I have a feeling that the project will be a tough sell, but I’m glad that Ellison is clearly up to the challenge.
http://collider.com/spike-jonze-charlie-kaufman-movie-megan-ellison/78641/
First Set Photos from THE IDES OF MARCH Starring George Clooney and Ryan Gosling
by Adam Chitwood Posted: March 1st, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Filming is currently underway on George Clooney’s The Ides of March and the first set photos have surfaced. Clooney directs and stars in the political drama based on the play Farragut North, which centers on the backdoor politics of a presidential primary campaign. Clooney stars alongside an all-star cast which includes Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright and The Social Network’s Max Minghella.
Sony recently acquired the rights to the film and is planning an award-season limited run this December to be followed by a wide release in January 2012. Hit the jump to check out the set photos of Clooney, Gosling and Minghella filming on Oxford’s campus.
Here’s the set photos courtesy of The Oxford Press (via ComingSoon):
PETER PAN BEGINS Pitch Makes its Way Around Town with Channing Tatum Set to Star
by Adam Chitwood Posted: March 1st, 2011
In keeping with the current trend of mining classic fairy tales/stories for “fresh take” remakes, a pitch package is making the rounds called Peter Pan Begins. The package includes Channing Tatum attached to star, with Billy Ray (Breach, Shattered Glass) tapped to write the screenplay and Joe Roth producing. Roth has been a staple in the “classics update” trend lately, as he has both Oz, the Great and Powerful and Snow White and the Huntsman currently in development. Details on Peter Pan Begins are scarce, but one can assume that Tatum would be donning the Pan tights.
Heat Vision’s report on the matter doesn’t reveal more than the title and the parties involved, so at this point no one really knows what the movie is about. It’s a bit hard to picture Tatum taking on the role of Peter Pan, given that Pan is a young boy and “Begins” implies this could be a prequel of sorts to the J.M. Barrie tale. Or maybe they’re going for a gritty version of Pan, a la Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (adding “begins” to the title of a movie automatically makes it gritty). Either way, the whole project sounds a bit strange. Maybe the whole thing will make more sense once the plot is revealed. Until then, speculate away.
http://collider.com/peter-pan-begins-channing-tatum/78661/
