***THE SOCIAL NETWORK Producer Scott Rudin Options “The Terrorist Search Engine” as Possible Starring Vehicle for Jesse Eisenberg ***Jack Black to Star in Michael Winterbottom’s BAILOUT ***Cannes Casting Call: Zoe Saldana Joins THE WORDS; Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent in Talks for CLOUD ATLAS **Tim Robbins Joins Mark Ruffalo in THANKS FOR SHARING

THE SOCIAL NETWORK Producer Scott Rudin Options “The Terrorist Search Engine” as Possible Starring Vehicle for Jesse Eisenberg

by Matt Goldberg   Posted: May 12th, 2011 at 7:34 am

When it comes to prestige pictures, producer Scott Rudin is a heavy-hitter.  His credits include No Country for Old Men, The Royal Tenenbaums, and last year’s Best Picture nominees The Social Network and True Grit.  Now he’s optioned an intriguing New York Magazine article, “The Terrorist Search Engine” about Evan Kohlmann, who was once dubbed by an FBI agent “The Doogie Howser of Terrorism”.  Kohlmann, who is a government expert witness in terrorism cases due to his extensive study of jihad particularly in terms of how it relates to the Internet, has become a controversial figure because testifying has become his primary source of income.
Vulture reports that Rudin has taken the project to Sony’s Columbia Pictures and that the film is being set up as a starring vehicle for Jesse Eisenberg.  However, Eisenberg is waiting to see a script before making a commitment.

http://collider.com/scott-rudin-terrorist-search-engine-jesse-eisenberg/90455/

Jack Black to Star in Michael Winterbottom’s BAILOUT

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 12th, 2011 at 7:51 am

Jack Black has signed on to star in the Michael Winterbottom comedy Bailout.  The film is based on Jess Walter’s novel, The Financial Lives of The Poets. THR reports that the script (which Walter also wrote) “details the story of one man’s attempt to come back from the brink of financial ruin after meeting a couple of losers in a late night supermarket.”  Black will play the man on the brink of financial ruin although it’s amusing to think that a little over a decade ago, he probably would have played one of the two losers.
Winterbottom, who swings wildly between light comedy (The Trip, Tristam Shandy) and intense drama (A Mighty Heart, The Killer Inside Me) said Walter’s script accomplishes the “rare feat of being funny and true at the same time.”  Filming is set to begin in the US this August.  Black is currently promoting Kung Fu Panda 2 and he’ll next be seen in non-animated-panda-form in Richard Linklater’s Bernie.

http://collider.com/jack-black-michael-winterbottom-bailout/90468/

Cannes Casting Call: Zoe Saldana Joins THE WORDS; Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent in Talks for CLOUD ATLAS

by Matt Goldberg   Posted: May 12th, 2011 at 8:23 am

 

Yesterday, we reported some casting news for The Words and The Wachowski Siblings/Tom Tykwer’s adaptation of Cloud Atlas.  Turns out those films weren’t quite finished in the casting department.  Producer Cassian Elwes has tweeted [via The Playlist] that Zoe Saldana will star alongside Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, and Dennis Quaid in The Words.  The drama centers on a celebrated writer (Cooper) who must pay the price for stealing the work of another author (Irons).  I imagine the price is somewhat higher than the lawyer’s fees for the litigation that would most likely occur in a less-interesting movie.
In other casting news, ScreenDaily reports that Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent are in talks to join Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw, and Halle Berry in Cloud Atlas.  The movie is based on David Mitchell’s acclaimed novel that spans the progress of a soul across six separate existences across several centuries.  Shooting is planned to begin this September.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.

http://collider.com/zoe-saldana-the-words-susan-sarandon-jim-broadbent-cloud-atlas/90473/

Tim Robbins Joins Mark Ruffalo in THANKS FOR SHARING

by Matt Goldberg   Posted: May 12th, 2011 at 10:15 am

 

Tim Robbins will co-star with Mark Ruffalo in Thanks for Sharing, the directorial debut of The Kids Are All Right screenwriter Stuart Blumberg.  Risky Business reports that Blumberg’s script “revolves around characters in a 12-step program for recovering sex addicts in New York City.”  While Robbins earned an Oscar for his dramatic work, I’ve always found him to be delightful in comic roles even though Thanks for Sharing is being billed as a “dramedy”.  Filming is slated to begin this fall.
Robbins and Ruffalo will both next be seen in superhero films.  Robbins plays Senator Hammond, father of villain Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) in Green Lantern.  Ruffalo is currently filming on The Avengers where he plays Bruce Banner/Hulk.

http://collider.com/tim-robbins-mark-ruffalo-thanks-for-sharing/90483/

29 march; HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Born Today

 

Michael Winterbottom(50)

Lucy Lawless (43)

Brendan Gleeson (56)

Annabella Sciorra (51)

 

Eric Idle (68)

Christopher Lambert 55
Jessica Chastain 30
Amy Sedaris 52
Hayley McFarland 20
Elle Macpherson 48
http://www.imdb.com/search/name?birth_monthday=03-29

***Donnie Darko Director Richard Kelly's Next Movie Will Be Corpus Christi ***Freida Pinto To Star In Michael Winterbottom's Trishna ***Olivia Wilde Rumored To Be The Next Lara Croft

Donnie Darko Director Richard Kelly's Next Movie Will Be Corpus Christi

published: 2011-02-16 20:04:25 Author: Josh Tyler
I know it may not seem like it if you’ve read anything I’ve written about any of his movies in the past few years, but I root for Richard Kelly. I’m not sure he has any idea what he’s doing when it comes to filmmaking mind you, but I root for him. Donnie Darko is a brilliant movie, but everything he’s done since then, including the director’s cut of that same film, makes it seem more and more like Darko was a happy accident which even he doesn’t really understand . But man, I’d like to be wrong about that.

So I’ll probably always give him a chance. Here’s the next movie I’ll be giving him a chance on: Corpus Christi. The movie is titled after the same-named, Texas coastal town and it’s described as a more “traditional narrative” by Variety. What they mean by that is that Kelly’s movies are often really freaking weird and this one probably won’t be. I love oddity but it hasn’t really been working for Kelly lately, maybe something more grounded will be just the thing to get him on track?

This traditional narrative will be about a mentally unstable Iraq war veteran named Patience, and the strong relationship he forges with his wealthy, politically ambitious, supermarket chain owning boss. Why that kind of movie needs to be set in Corpus is anyone’s guess, but any time anyone sets a movie somewhere besides Los Angeles, New York, or New Orleans I’d consider that a win.

Corpus is a strange Texas city which, whenever we visited it for a beach vacation as a kid, always seemed more fun in theory than it is in practice. Part of the problem is perhaps that, unlike beaches everywhere else, the Texas coast is kind of dreary. If they actually shoot the movie there, it’ll be pretty dreary too. If it looks like an episode of Rick Springfield’s High Tide though, then you’ll know they didn’t actually shoot it in Corpus.
source; http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Donnie-Darko-Director-Richard-Kelly-s-Next-Movie-Will-Be-Corpus-Christi-23213.html

Freida Pinto To Star In Michael Winterbottom's Trishna

published: 2011-02-16 19:29:19 Author: Eric Eisenberg
Following her debut part in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, everyone predicted that Freida Pinto would be the next big thing. Fast forward three years and she's only had one other film come out, Woody Allen's You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, which received very little attention. This year should be quite an improvement, with Rise of the Apes, Julian Schnabel's Miral, and Tarsem Singh's Immortals arriving in theaters, but she needs more if she's properly going to make her way to the A-list. Michael Winterbottom is going to help her out with that.

Deadline reports that Pinto has signed on to star in Trishna, an adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel (not that Tom Hardy) Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Moving the setting to India, the film centers on the son of a wealthy industrialist, played by Riz Ahmed, who falls in love with the daughter of a rickshaw operator, who will be played by Pinto. This is the third time that Winterbottom has adapted Hardy's work, having previously directed Jude and The Claim. The production is set to begin in Rajasthan and Mumbai at the end of the month.

I don't think I'll ever understand why Pinto's career has taken so slow to get going after such an incredible debut, but, at the same time, she's giving herself the opportunity to work with some truly great directors. Perhaps this is one beautiful actress who won't settle for humping a motorcycle in a Michael Bay film.
......  http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Freida-Pinto-To-Star-In-Michael-Winterbottom-s-Trishna-23211.html

Olivia Wilde Rumored To Be The Next Lara Croft

published: 2011-02-16 17:59:18 Author: Eric Eisenberg
Though the first two Lara Croft videogame adaptations were largely despised by critics, we've been hearing talk for years about a reboot of the franchise. Names from Kristen Stewart to Kim Kardashian have been suggested to play the female adventurer, but nothing has ever come of any of the rumors. Now there's a new one to throw on the pile.

Gossip site The Fan Carpet has learned from a "source close to the project" (I wasn't sure there was enough of a project for a source to get close to) that Olivia Wilde is an actress now being considered to fill the brown shorts and green tank top of Lara Croft. The source also says that they are looking for a top tier director and script (aren't all projects?) and that the next installment would be "far darker and more serious." According to the rumor it is Wilde's role in Tron: Legacy that has begun to turn the heads of studio bosses.

I have absolutely no faith in this article and it is almost definitely wrong, but here's the bright side: I get to post a big ol' picture of Olivia Wilde at the top of this article. Let's hear the complaints.
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Olivia-Wilde-Rumored-To-Be-The-Next-Lara-Croft-23207.html