***Paul Greengrass Offered MAERSK ALABAMA Starring Tom Hanks ***Jesse Eisenberg to Star in NOW YOU SEE ME; Jake Gyllenhaal May Co-Star ***First Poster for THE THREE MUSKETEERS and NSFW Poster for THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Paul Greengrass Offered MAERSK ALABAMA Starring Tom Hanks

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 8th, 2011

Last week, we reported that Paul Greengrass was considering three projects as his next film: the Somali pirate drama Maersk Alabama, the racing biopic Rush, and an unknown third project.  Now it looks like Maersk Alabama is the frontrunner as Deadline reports that Sony has offered the film to Greengrass and talks are about to begin between the two parties.  Deadline adds that the film won’t be an impediment to Greengrass’ delayed MLK assassination drama Memphis and that Maersk will likely be the director’s next film.

The story is based Captain Richard Phillips’ memoir A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea which recounts his three days as a Somali pirate hostage and the dramatic rescue from a team of Navy SEALs.  Tom Hanks is attached to play Phillips; Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca, Dana Brunetti, and Kevin Spacey are producing, and Billy Ray (State of Play) wrote the script.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the memoir. http://collider.com/paul-greengrass-maersk-alabama/95365/

Jesse Eisenberg to Star in NOW YOU SEE ME; Jake Gyllenhaal May Co-Star

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 8th, 2011

Jesse Eisenberg has taken the lead role in Louis Leterrier’s Now You See Me.  As we reported in February, Edward Ricourt and Boaz Yakin’s spec script is about “a crack FBI squad in a game of cat-and-mouse against a super team of the world’s greatest illusionists, who pull off a series of daring bank heists during their performances and showers the profits on to their audiences.”  Eisenberg will lead the magicians.  Variety also reports that Jake Gyllenhaal has been offered a role, but his deal is more tentative.

Eisenberg is set to co-star in Woody Allen’s next film and the indie comedy Predisposed.  He’s may also reunite with Noah Baumbach for While We’re Young.  He’ll next be seen alongside Aziz Ansari and Danny McBride in Ruben Fleischer’s heist comedy (why does Eisenberg love to steal in a humorous fashion?) 30 Minutes or Less.  http://collider.com/jesse-eisenberg-now-you-see-me/95359/

First Poster for THE THREE MUSKETEERS and NSFW Poster for THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 8th, 2011

I shouldn’t complain about writing about posters.  I have 44 of them in my office (the majority are mini posters, but they still count, dammit!) so I get the appeal.  Plus, they can be really fun to mock!  For instance, Summit has released the first poster for Paul W.S. Anderson’s The Three Musketeers and it makes me feel so bad for Mads Mikkelsen.  I can’t decide what’s worse: that he’s the tiniest main character on the poster or that Matthew Macfayden is shoving his crotch in Mikkelsen’s face.  The expression on Mikkelsen’s face suggests the latter.

There’s also a NSFW US poster for David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I’m sure that Rooney Mara knew that she would have to bare her breasts for the movie, but I wonder if she knew they would also be part of the marketing campaign.  I wonder if the folks in Sony’s advertising department thought to themselves, “I have seen Rooney Mara’s pierced nipples and they are going to boost ticket sales.”  Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The Three Musketeers opens in 3D on October 14th.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opens December 21st.

 http://collider.com/three-musketeers-poster-girl-dragon-tattoo-nsfw-poster/95353/

**Uma Thurman and Jessica Biel Join Gerard Butler in Soccer Comedy PLAYING THE FIELD **Confirmed: Louis Leterrier Will Direct Sci-Fi Disaster Film “G” (Formerly GRAVITY) After NOW YOU SEE ME

Uma Thurman and Jessica Biel Join Gerard Butler in Soccer Comedy PLAYING THE FIELD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 22nd, 2011

The next big American soccer comedy (after The Big Green, yes that one with the Sandlot kid) has added two more names to its cast. Uma Thurman and Jessical Biel have joined previously announced Gerard Butler in Playing the Field. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film tells the story of a troubled father trying to make up for lost time by coaching his son’s team — but who finds himself in hot water after some of the local mothers take a little too much of a shine to him (and he to them).
Variety reports that Biel will star as Butler’s ex-wife, while Thurman will play one of the soccer moms trying to seduce Butler. The actor is also producing the film, with a script from Robbie Fox (So I Married an Axe Murderer). Pre-production is underway with filming set to start soon. As we reported earlier today, Muccino will move on to direct the romance film Adaline following Playing the Field.
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http://collider.com/uma-thurman-jessica-biel-playing-the-field/77385/

Confirmed: Louis Leterrier Will Direct Sci-Fi Disaster Film “G” (Formerly GRAVITY) After NOW YOU SEE ME

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 22nd, 2011

Several months ago, we learned Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans) was circling a disaster film (then called Gravity) with this cool premise: “a father who has to search for his lost child as the world stops spinning and Earth begins to lose its gravity.”  Leterrier has officially signed on to produce and direct the movie, now called G, for Universal Pictures.  The project is based on an original idea by producer Guymon Casady (The Expendables) that has drawn comparisons to The Day After Tomorrow and Taken. Leterrier, Casady, and fellow producers Mark Gordon (2012), George Nolfi and Michael Hackett (The Adjustment Bureau) are currently looking for writers to turn the visually rich logline into a script.
Heat Version confirms that Leterrier will first direct Now You See Me, a heist thriller that pits FBI agents against “a super team of the world’s greatest illusionists.”  Leterrier previously demonstrated a penchant for single-letter titles with his interest in the acclaimed comic book Y: The Last Man.  I believe Y: The Last Man will reach the screen before I die (hopefully after I read it), but it seems increasingly unlikely that Leterrier will own the “Directed by” credit.  Leterrier has two “go” projects on his plate, while last we checked he was struggling to find financing for Y.  No matter — Now You See Me has potential, and G sounds positively cool.
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http://collider.com/louis-leterrier-g/77405/