New Poster for STRAW DOGS Breaks James Marsden’s Glasses
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: June 14th, 2011
I have yet to see the 1971 Straw Dogs (it’s on my Before I Turn 30 list), but I love that poster. The image of Dustin Hoffman in the broken glasses tells me everything I need to know about the film, a thriller about a man pushed to the edge of reason when they move to a small village where the locals prove anything but hospitable.
James Marsden fills in for Hoffman in the upcoming remake, and now dons the broken glasses for a remake of the iconic poster. There are a few twists: Screen Gems found a way to get Alexander Skarsgård’s beautiful Swedish face in the picture and added the slogan “Everyone has a breaking point.” The image can’t be as powerful four decades later, but this is smarter than your average poster. Kate Bosworth also stars in Straw Dogs, opening on September 16. See the new poster and its inspiration after the jump. http://collider.com/straw-dogs-poster/96490/
Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED Opens Christmas Day 2012
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: June 14th, 2011
How cool is your family? For instance, if the new Quentin Tarantino movie opened on Christmas Day, would you have to ditch the folks for a couple hours, or could you bring them along? The Weinstein Company will put these family ties to the test with a December 25, 2012 release date for Django Unhcained [Box Office Mojo]. The supporting cast is mostly set: Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, and Leonardo DiCaprio are all on board or about to be barring any sticking points in negotiations. Much less certain is who will play Django, the freed slave taught the tricks of the trade by a German bounty hunter (Waltz) to liberate his wife from an evil plantation owner (DiCaprio). Will Smith was the early frontrunner, though a deal has not come easy. More recently, Idris Elba, Chris Tucker, and Jamie Foxx came up as possible Djangos. Showbiz 411 hears Foxx is the closest to the role, but all is heresay until it’s in the trades. Production is scheduled for later this summer or early fall — with the finish line in place, we’ll meet our Django soon enough.
Christmas Day is a Tuesday in 2012. As of this writing, Django Unchained has the holiday all to itself, but Hunter Killer, Life of Pi, and The Lone Ranger open the Friday before, December 21.
Relativity to Distribute MACHINE GUN PREACHER This Fall; Paramount Picks Up Comedy Spec BASTARDS
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: June 14th, 2011
Lionsgate had tentative plans to release Machine Gun Preacher in the fall, but three other films — Warrior, Abduction, and Safe — will occupy the studio’s resources with September/October release dates. Relativity’s fall is lighter, with Shark Night 3D in September and Immortals in November — as newcomers to distribution, the studio is eager for product to push. The schedules worked out such that, per Risky Business, Lionsgate will hand off the domestic release for Machine Gun Preacher to Relativity. (Lionsgate will still handle international distribution.) Gerard Butler and Michelle Monaghan in the biopic about Sam Childers, “a drug-dealing biker who found God and became an activist on behalf of child soldiers in Sudan. Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace) directed the $30 million independent production from a script by Jason Keller. No official release date is set, but Machine Gun Preacher is still on the agenda for Fall 2011.
Hit the jump for details on Bastards, the latest acquisition at Paramount. http://collider.com/relativity-machine-gun-preacher-paramount-bastards/96513/
David O. Russell Circling MALEFICENT, Talks About Upcoming Projects and Why He Left UNCHARTED
by Adam Chitwood Posted: June 14th, 2011
When a director is coming off an Oscar nomination, or better yet a win, he or she automatically has some clout in choosing his or her next project. It’s a tough decision, and you may only get once chance, so you best choose wisely. David O. Russell, coming off his Oscar nomination for The Fighter, seems to be circling 1,000 projects at the moment, and another one has just been added to the list. THR reports that Russell is currently one of the directors being considered to helm Disney’s fantasy flick Maleficent. Angelina Jolie is attached to star, and Tim Burton was previously set to direct before backing out last month.
Disney is looking at a number of directors for the job (Darren Aronofsky and David Yates have been mentioned) and Russell has plenty on his plate already, so this deal is far from a sure thing, but it appears Russell is on the list of candidates. The Fighter director recently dropped out as director of Uncharted, and today he explained a bit about why he left that project. Hit the jump to check out what he had to say, which includes updates on a number of his upcoming projects. http://collider.com/david-o-russell-maleficent-uncharted/96494/
Akiva Schaffer May Direct NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH With Ben Stiller Circling Starring Role
by Adam Chitwood Posted: June 14th, 2011
It looks like The Lonely Island member and Hot Rod director Akiva Schaffer may next helm a high-profile sci-fi comedy. Schaffer, who currently serves as a writer on SNL, has been offered the director’s chair on Fox’s long-in-development comedy Neighborhood Watch. Heat Vision reports that Schaffer has the offer, and that Ben Stiller is circling one of the starring roles. The plot revolves around a suburban neighborhood watch group that serves as a front for some dads just wanting some time away from their families. You know, for fantasy baseball and such. Things go awry, however, when the stumble upon a plot to destroy the world.
Originally, Peter Segal (50 First Dates) was going to direct the flick, but it appears that he’s now left the project. Last we heard, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg had come aboard to perform a rewrite of the script. Hit the jump for more. http://collider.com/akiva-schaffer-neighborhood-watch-ben-stiller/96438/
