Blake Lively, John Travolta, and Uma Thurman Join Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson SAVAGES
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: April 21st, 2011
We heard last week Blake Lively was the frontrunner to play Ophelia in Oliver Stone’s adaptation of Savages, though for scheduling she had to choose between Savages and Oz: The Great and Powerful. It seems Disney must look elsewhere for a Glinda the Good Witch, because Lively has signed on to Savages. Additionally, John Travolta and Uma Thurman have joined a cast that is blossoming terrifically. Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek, and Benicio Del Toro have long eyed roles in the film; Deadline writes confidently tonight that all four are on board.
Shane Salerno adapted the screenplay with Savages author Don Winslow. The story centers a pair of marijuana growers (Kitsch and Johnson) who get into trouble with a Mexican drug cartel. Read the full synopsis after the jump.
Warner Bros. Pays Seven Figures for Dan Fogelman Pitch; Tom Cruise Attached to Play Politician
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: April 21st, 2011
Warner Bros. beat out Fox, Paramount, MGM, and other studios to win a bidding war for an untitled pitch by screenwriter Dan Fogelman (Tangled). Tom Cruise is attached to star as a politician who is caught having an affair: “With his reputation in tatters, the politician retreats to his hometown to lick his wounds, repair relationships and confront his past.” The deal pays $2 million upfront, with $3 million promised if the movie gets made. This is the latest in a series of impressive spec script paydays for Fogelman. WB paid $2.5 million for his Crazy, Stupid, Love screenplay which led to a summer comedy starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone. Fogelman will reunite with Carell for his directorial debut, Imagine — that script netted the writer $3 million. In addition to a story credit on Cars 2, Fogelman set up My Mother’s Curse at Paramount. So basically, start preparing for the imminent Fogelmanization of your local theater in the next couple years. More on the story after the jump.