Sissy Spacek to Make Directorial Debut with BUTTERMILK SKY
by Jason Barr Posted: May 9th, 2011
After years of turning in terrific performances in front of the camera (Coal Miner’s Daughter and Carrie come to mind), Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek is poised to release her first effort from the director’s chair. 24 Frames reports that Spacek will helm Buttermilk Sky, a 1930s drama to be based upon Julia Oliver’s short story collection Goodbye to the Buttermilk Sky. Per the report, Oliver’s “supernaturally inflected” collection of 15 short stories “centers on various families and relationships in Depression-era Alabama.” No production timetable is given, however, casting news regarding Buttermilk Sky is expected to follow in the next few days (Spacek is not expected to take on any roles).
For more info on the project, hit the jump to check out a brief overview of Oliver’s collection. Spacek can be seen alongside Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Viola Davis, and Jessica Chastain in the upcoming drama The Help. That film hits theaters this summer on August 12.
Brett Ratner to Direct THE 39 CLUES for DreamWorks
by Jason Barr Posted: May 9th, 2011
Director Brett Ratner (X-Men: The Last Stand) has been tapped to direct the live-action adaptation of the Scholastic young-adult book series, The 39 Clues. According to Deadline, Ratner will once again collaborate with scribe Jeff Nathanson on the project which DreamWorks initially envisioned as a directing vehicle for Steven Spielberg (a studio can dream, can’t they?). Ratner and Nathanson have previously collaborated on Rush Hour 2 and Rush Hour 3 and most recently on Ratner’s upcoming action/comedy Tower Heist. That film is due out later this year on November 4 and stars Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, and Tea Leoni.
As for The 39 Clues, the popular book series/online game/card collection recently published its eleventh installment which focuses on the Cahill family (a.k.a. “the most powerful family in the world”). For more on the series, hit the jump to check out a synopsis for the book’s first installment, The Maze of Bones. .... http://collider.com/brett-ratner-the-39-clues/89775/
Casting Call: Charlie Hunnam to Star in Guillermo del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM; Amber Heard and Shiloh Fernandez Like SYRUP
by Jason Barr Posted: May 9th, 2011
We have a couple of casting stories to send your way tonight. First up, Charlie Hunnam (FX’s Sons of Anarchy) has landed the starring role in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. Heat Vision reports that details regarding Hunnam’s role are under wraps but speculates that the turn may be as a pilot of a mecha (from the Japanese genre which involves humans manning “robotic constructs”) that “needs to climb back into the driver’s chair.” You may remember that the director decided to pursue Pacific Rim as his next project shortly after Universal failed to greenlight his R-rated take on At the Mountains of Madness. Back in March, we filled you in on some of the film’s potential plot elements and described the project as a monster-pic that takes place in “two worlds.” Hunnam’s casting reiterates that synopsis and describes Pacific Rim as “monster movie that sees powerful extraterrestrial aliens threaten the Earth’s existence, attacking cities and nations neighboring the Pacific Ocean.”
To read about Amber Heard and Shiloh Fernandez’s latest project, hit the jump.
