***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/

***Casting Call: Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright Join EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE; Mark Ruffalo Considers THANKS FOR SHARING

Casting Call: Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright Join EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE; Mark Ruffalo Considers THANKS FOR SHARING

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 21st, 2011

A couple of casting stories for you this morning. Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright have joined the ever-growing cast of director Stephen Daldry’s (The Reader) adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. We recently announced the addition of John Goodman to a cast that is toplined by Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks, with Jeopardy wiz-kid Thomas Horn set to star as nine-year-old Oskar Schnell. Daldry directs from a script by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump). The story follows Schnell on his quest to find the lock that belongs to a mysterious key that his father left behind when he perished in the 9/11 attacks. Featuring multiple narrators and heartbreak at every turn, the novel was a bestseller and the film adaptation is sure to be Oscar bait come February 2012.

Baz Bamigboye’s report (via The Playlist) doesn’t specify what roles Davis and Wright will take on, though it’s feasible to think that they could be portraying two of the many tenants of Manhattan that Schnell runs into on his year-long quest.  Hit the jump to hear about Mark Ruffalo re-teaming with The Kids are All Right-scribe Stuart Blumberg for Thanks for Sharing.

While Mark Ruffalo is gearing up to begin shooting Joss Whedon’s The Avengers as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, he’s also looking ahead to other projects.  The actor is currently in talks to take on one of three lead roles in The Kids Are All Right co-writer Stuart Blumberg’s Thanks for Sharing. Baz Bamigboy reports (via The Playlist) that the story focuses on three sex-addicts who attend a recovery clinic together. No other news is given other than the fact that Blumberg is writing the script, but a “dramedy”-like take (a la The Kids are All Right) on sex-addicts seems like a role that Ruffalo would knock out of the park.

http://collider.com/viola-davis-jeffrey-wright-extremely-loud-incredibly-close/71805/