**David Fincher May Direct CLEOPATRA Starring Angelina Jolie **First Look at Roman Polanski’s CARNAGE Starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, and Christoph Waltz **Alexander Payne’s THE DESCENDANTS Set for December 16th; ONE FOR THE MONEY Falls to January 27, 2012

David Fincher May Direct CLEOPATRA Starring Angelina Jolie
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 22nd, 2011
Producer Scott Rudin’s Cleopatra biopic is continuing its search for a top-tier director. Last October, James Cameron was in talks for the gig, but he decided to direct Avatar sequels instead. Then Paul Greengrass started circling the project, but chose to helm Memphis, which is about the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Now Deadline is reporting that Rudin wants to re-team with David Fincher on the project which is set to star Angelina Jolie as the Egyptian queen.


Hit the jump for more on the project and the likelihood that Fincher will sign on to direct.
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http://collider.com/david-fincher-cleopatra-angelina-jolie/81784/

First Look at Roman Polanski’s CARNAGE Starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, and Christoph Waltz
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 22nd, 2011
The first image from Roman Polanski’s new film Carnage (based off the play God of Carnage) has gone online. The film stars Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, and Christopher Waltz as two sets of parents who come together to talk about a schoolyard fight between their kids. If that cast combined with this director doesn’t make you want to see this movie, you’re nuts. And while Polanski is known for the deadly seriousness of his movies, Foster says the movie has some humor:


“It all happens in real-time, so it’s about an hour and 45 minutes of negotiation between two sets of parents and how it all falls apart,” she said. “Kind of like Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, but a little funnier. There’s a lot of wit.”


So I guess it will be like Revolutionary Road but intentionally funny. Hit the jump to check out the first image from the film as well as a photo of Polanski on the set. Carnage is currently in post-production and may hit theaters before the end of the year.

http://collider.com/carnage-movie-image-roman-polanski/81794/

Alexander Payne’s THE DESCENDANTS Set for December 16th; ONE FOR THE MONEY Falls to January 27, 2012
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 22nd, 2011
For those who like to plan in far in advance, we have some release date news for you this morning. First up, Fox Searchlight has set Alexander Payne’s The Descendants for December 16th. The film stars George Clooney as a wealthy landowner who tries to re-connect with his daughters. While the release date puts it in prime position for awards season, it will have to contend with three blockbusters getting released the same day: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Presumably, Searchlight is going to start out with a limited release and then expand the film since releasing it wide as counter-programming would be incredibly risky. I’m also going to assume that The Descendants will make the rounds at various fall film festivals because if you make a modestly-budgeted film starring George Clooney, federal law requires that you show it at Toronto and/or Telluride.


Hit the jump for news on the release date for One for the Money starring Katherine Heigl.




http://collider.com/the-descendants-release-date-one-for-the-money/81800/

**Javier Bardem ‘Psychologically Confirmed’ to Star in Ron Howard’s THE DARK TOWER **Nicholas Hoult to Star in WARM BODIES **Josh Radnor Exclusive Interview HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE **Eleanor Tomlinson Lands Female Lead in Bryan Singer’s JACK THE GIANT KILLER

Javier Bardem ‘Psychologically Confirmed’ to Star in Ron Howard’s THE DARK TOWER
by Adam Chitwood Posted: March 1st, 2011
Back in January, it was reported that actor Javier Bardem had been offered the lead role in Ron Howard’s ambitious three film/TV series adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower. While not much was heard after that, Howard’s producing partner Brian Grazer recently offered an update on Bardem’s involvement:
“Javier Bardem, that’s what we’re hoping. We’re in the process of trying to put that together. He’s locked in psychologically. He really wants to do it, so we’re absolutely rooting for him to do it.”
So it looks like Bardem’s keen to take the role on, and he’s currently in the negotiating phase. This could take a while, given that if he signs on it will likely be for three films and one “season” of the TV series. The adaptation is being spread out over three feature films, with two TV “seasons” bridging the gap between each film. In the interview with MTV, Grazer also revealed that the first story they’re exploring is The Gunslinger, which is the first book in King’s Dark Tower series. Hit the jump for more on The Dark Tower.
http://collider.com/javier-bardem-the-dark-tower-2/78666/


Nicholas Hoult to Star in WARM BODIES
by Adam Chitwood Posted: March 1st, 2011
Quickly shaping up to be one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors, Summit has announced that Nicholas Hoult has signed on to star in an adaptation of the Isaac Marion novel Warm Bodies. Hoult recently nabbed the lead in Bryan Singer’s epic adventure tale Jack the Giant Killer, and will next be seen as Beast in X-Men: First Class which opens in May. The story of Warm Bodies is as follows:
When an existentially tormented zombie named “R” (Hoult) begins an unlikely friendship with the girlfriend of one of his victims, it starts a chain reaction that will transform him, his fellow zombies, and maybe the whole lifeless world.
The film will shoot late this summer, after Hoult finishes up with Jack the Giant Killer. Jonathan Levine (The Wackness) wrote and will direct the adaptation. The flick has been in development for quite a while, with Levine signing on to the project over a year ago. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of the novel.
http://collider.com/nicholas-hoult-to-star-in-warm-bodies/78678/



Josh Radnor Exclusive Interview HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE
by Christina Radish Posted: March 1st, 2011

Happythankyoumoreplease, written, directed by and starring How I Met Your Mother’s Josh Radnor, is a new comedy about a group of 20-somethings who are learning to navigate life and love in New York. On his way to a meeting with a publisher, aspiring novelist Sam Wexler (Radnor) meets Rasheen (Michael Algieri), a young boy separated from his family on the subway. When he realizes that Rasheen has already been in several previous foster homes before this one, he lets the boy stay with him for a few days. During that time, the boy meets Sam’s friends, including Annie (Malin Akerman), who has the auto-immune disorder alopecia, Mary-Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and Charlie (Pablo Schreiber), whose possible move to Los Angeles threatens their relationship, and Mississippi (Kate Mara), a waitress who also happens to be an aspiring singer that catches Sam’s eye, but also tests his fear of commitment when she wants him to open up to her.
At the film’s press day, Josh Radnor did this exclusive interview with Collider and talked about how the film came about for him, how excited he is for audiences to finally get to see it, what he learned from the experience of writing and directing that will help him in the future, and the scenes he cut that he plans to put on the DVD/Blu-ray. He also talked about being happy with where things are at with Season 6 of the hit comedy series How I Met Your Mother and how far he sees the show continuing. Check out what he had to say after the jump.
http://collider.com/josh-radnor-interview-happythankyoumoreplease/78519/


Eleanor Tomlinson Lands Female Lead in Bryan Singer’s JACK THE GIANT KILLER
by Adam Chitwood Posted: March 1st, 2011
Director Bryan Singer is putting the final casting pieces into place in his epic adventure story Jack the Giant Killer. Deadline reports that British actress Eleanor Tomlinson (Alice in Wonderland) has landed the female lead in the flick, opposite Nicholas Hoult who stars as the titular Jack. Tomlinson will play the princess who gets kidnapped by the giants, spurring Jack into action to rescue her from the land of the giants.
In addition to Hoult and Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor joined the cast last week, while Stanley Tucci is signed to star as the villain and Bill Nighy and John Kassir take on the role of the two-headed leader of the giants. Singer took his time in casting the lead roles in this film, testing a number of actors and actresses for the parts. Filming is set to begin this month in London.
http://collider.com/eleanor-tomlinson-jack-the-giant-killer/78691/


Lionsgate Moves Up ONE FOR THE MONEY to June 3
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: March 1st, 2011
Lionsgate has moved the Katherine Heigl-led comedy One for the Money from July 8 to June 3. On the original July release date, One for the Money would have been one of three comedies opposite The Zookeeper and Horrible Bosses. Variety suggests the switch is counterprogramming tactic; action tentpole X-Men: First Class is the only other film scheduled for June 3.
Heigl plays “a down-and-out woman who takes a last-ditch job working for her cousin’s bail bond business, and her biggest client turns out to be her high-school heartbreaker.” Jason O’Mara, John Leguizamo, and Debbie Reynolds also star, directed by Julie Anne Robinson (The Last Song) from a script by Liz Brixius (Nurse Jackie). One for the Money is based on the novel of the same name by Janet Evanovich; hit the jump for a synopsis.
http://collider.com/one-for-the-money-release-date/78709/