**FilmDistrict to Release THE RUM DIARY Starring Johnny Depp on October 28th **Hailee Steinfeld Attached to SLEEPING BEAUTY **James Spader, Ryan Phillippe, and Carla Gugino Join Eric Bana in Sheldon Turner’s BY VIRTUE FALL **BATMAN Reboot Christopher Nolan to Remain on as Producer **Teresa Palmer in Talks to Co-Star with Nicholas Hoult in Zombie Love Story WARM BODIES

FilmDistrict to Release THE RUM DIARY Starring Johnny Depp on October 28th
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 29th, 2011
We haven’t heard much about Bruce Robinson’s adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s The Rum Diary since we ran some images from the flick last June. It was slightly worrisome that a movie that starred Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli, Richard Jenkins, and Giovanni Ribisi was sitting on the shelf, but now that worry can be set aside. FilmDistrict has announced that they have picked up the film and will release in the heart of awards season on October 28th.


The story centers on itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Depp) who moves to Puerto Rico and eventually discovers his voice as a writer and his integrity. Hit the jump for a full synopsis and the press release. The only other films currently opening on October 28th are the horror flick Dibbuk Box and Andrew Niccol’s sci-fi thriller Now starring Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake.
.......
http://collider.com/the-rum-diary-release-date-film-district/83040/




Hailee Steinfeld Attached to SLEEPING BEAUTY Spec Script
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 29th, 2011
Hailee Steinfeld may have missed out on The Hunger Games due to her age, but the young Oscar-nominee is showing no signs of slowing down. In addition to circling an adaptation of the upcoming novel Forgotten, Steinfeld is now attached to lead a re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty. According to Deadline, Lindsay Devlin’s script tells the story from the eponymous princess’ point of view and has her fighting to find a way out of the dream world. While I’m getting a little sick of these re-tooled fairy tales, I like the premise of this one. The story of waiting for a prince is stale and a smart director could have some fun telling the tale from Aurora’s point of view.


However, if Sleeping Beauty moves forward (the script is currently out to buyers) it will have plenty of competition when it comes to fairy tale re-imaginings. Hit the jump for list of just some of the public domain properties that Hollywood is banking on.
........ http://collider.com/hailee-steinfeld-sleeping-beauty/83067/










Teresa Palmer in Talks to Co-Star with Nicholas Hoult in Zombie Love Story WARM BODIES
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 29th, 2011
Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four) is in talks to star alongside Nicholas Hoult (A Single Man) in Jonathan Levine’s adaptation of Isaac Marion’s upcoming novel Warm Bodies. Per Heat Vision, the story is described as a cross between Shaun of the Dead (yay!) and Twilight (nay!) and “follows an existentially tormented zombie named R that begins an unlikely friendship with the human girlfriend (Palmer) of one of his victims. The blossoming relationship starts a chain reaction that will transform him, his fellow zombies and maybe the whole lifeless world.” Palmer’s character is the daughter of one of the “military leaders who is tiring of a life of constantly fighting off zombie attacks.”


Palmer recently co-starred in back-to-back duds with I Am Number Four and Take Me Home Tonight, but I don’t think the short-comings of those films are her fault. She showed she can be a bad-ass in I Am Number Four and she demonstrated charm in TMHT, so it’s really a matter of finding the right project for her talents. Perhaps Warm Bodies will be it. Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.
........ http://collider.com/teresa-palmer-warm-bodies/83011/






James Spader, Ryan Phillippe, and Carla Gugino Join Eric Bana in Sheldon Turner’s BY VIRTUE FALL
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 29th, 2011
Last summer we reported that Eric Bana and Colin Farrell were in talks to co-star in By Virtue Fall, the directorial debut of Up in the Air screenwriter Sheldon Turner. Farrell eventually dropped off the project but Bana has signed on and according to 24 Frames, he’ll be joined by James Spader, Ryan Phillippe, and Carla Gugino. The story concerns “two ATF agents who find themselves on opposite sides of the friendship divide after one sells out the other.”


Bana tells 24 Frames that he hopes to make By Virtue Fall his next project after finishing the thriller Blackbird with Olivia Wilde. He’ll be seen in theaters this week alongside Cate Blanchett and Saoirse Ronan in Joe Wright’s Hanna.
......... http://collider.com/eric-bana-ryan-phillippe-carla-gugino-by-virtue-fall/83021/






Warner Bros. to Reboot BATMAN after THE DARK KNIGHT RISES; Christopher Nolan to Remain on as Producer
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 29th, 2011
Christopher Nolan has publicly stated that The Dark Knight Rises will be his final Batman film, and Warner Bros. is already looking ahead to the future of the franchise. As we reported last night, the studio is currently planning a Justice League movie for 2013 and Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinov tells Hero Complex that scripts are being written for Flash and Wonder Woman (the Wonder Woman project would exist separately from the upcoming NBC show). But most intriguing is what the studio plans to do with its marquee superhero, Batman:


“We have the third Batman, but then we’ll have to reinvent Batman…” says Robinov. “Chris Nolan and [producing partner and wife] Emma Thomas will be producing it, so it will be a conversation with them about what the next phase is.”


Hit the jump for my thoughts on the future of the Batman franchise.
............ http://collider.com/batman-reboot-warner-bros-christopher-nolan-producer/83025/

**Jennifer Garner To Play Miss Marple **Photos: New Images, Posters, Title Treatments And More **First Look At Caesar In Rise Of The Apes **Teresa Palmer Joins Warm Bodies

Jennifer Garner To Play Miss Marple
published: 2011-03-28 21:23:07 Author: Mack Rawden
I’m a pretty emotionally level person. There are very few things I’m invested in enough to fundamentally alter my mood, but Agatha Christie novels are one of the few sentiments I cling to. I grew up reading every one of her novels I could get my hands on. I watched all the films, the television shows and even read a biography chronicling that bizarre incident where she briefly disappeared. It’s a subject close to my heart; so, imagine my bewilderment when I read Eric’s article earlier today telling me Disney was making a Miss Marple film in which they were reinterpreting the character as a thirty-something. That’s right, shaving some thirty-five years off my favorite old woman to cater her to a new generation who apparently hates the elderly. Initially, I hoped maybe this was just some ludicrous pipe dream that would never make it to production, but now we have actual casting news. This bullshit is not going away, people.


According to Deadline, Jennifer Garner has officially boarded as this madeover Miss Marple. No offense to her, but what in God’s name is going on this afternoon? Why even make this a Miss Marple story? If you want to introduce a young and sassy female detective, why not make her Miss Marple’s great niece or some wily girl she gave piano lessons to back in the day?


Here’s a few more ideas straight out of this horrid bag of tricks. Let’s do a Jaws where the shark is reinterpreted as a manatee who does tricks. Then when we’re done, let’s do a James Bond set in a local high school in which 0-0-7 is his locker combination! Oh God, I’m cooking with gas now. How about a Home Alone reboot where Kevin can’t find his wife at the Sandals’ pool?


The whole point of Miss Marple is that she’s a nice, disengaging old woman who can easily pry information out of suspects. Giving her sex appeal just meddles with the equation. Let’s hope to God Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost has put more thought into this then it seems. He’s hard at work on the script as we speak, but beyond the basic premise, details are very scarce. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Jennifer-Garner-To-Play-Miss-Marple-23921.html








Cinema Con In Photos: New Images, Posters, Title Treatments And More
published: 2011-03-28 18:20:04 Author: Katey Rich
I've already shown you the major highlight from the exhibit floor at Cinema Con, the first look at Caesar in Rise of the Apes. But there's plenty more to see, as the floor is jammed with posters, standees and other advertising for a ton of upcoming movies. Not all of it is new, but there's always something interesting to look at.


In the gallery below you can check out brand new images from upcoming Fox films like The Sitter, We Bought a Zoo, Now, A Big Year and Monte Carlo, plus new title treatments for The Change-Up and Larry Crowne and other posters I thought were worth seeing. I'll be updating the site as new posters show up throughout the week, so make sure to keep coming back! For all the Cinema Con coverage as it happens, go here.


http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Cinema-Con-In-Photos-New-Images-Posters-Title-Treatments-And-More-23920.html






First Look At Caesar In Rise Of The Apes
I've arrived in Las Vegas for this year's Cinema Con, the annual gathering of movie industry executives and theater owners where the major studios take the chance to show off their goods for the coming year, especially summer movies. There will be a lot to see from the presentations from Paramount, DreamWorks, Disney and Warner Bros., but kicking things off in the goody bag, of all places, was Fox, which handed out a calendar featuring brand-new images from many of its upcoming films.


We'll have all of those images later today, but by far the most interesting is the first look at Caesar from Rise of the Apes, the Planet of the Apes prequel coming to theaters in August. The first official image focused on human star James Franco, but this is the first look at the main ape, played in a motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis. Check out the photo below-- it's not great, we know, but we'll have to hope for an official version released online soon. You can click on it for a much larger version too.
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Cinema-Con-First-Look-At-Caesar-In-Rise-Of-The-Apes-23917.html
 




Teresa Palmer Joins Warm Bodies
I Am Number Four's Teresa Palmer is in negotiations to star opposite Nicholas Hoult in Summit's zombie love story Warm Bodies.


Jonathan Levine is directing the project, which follows an existentially tormented zombie named R that begins an unlikely friendship with the human girlfriend (Teresa Palmer) of one of his victims. The blossoming relationship starts a chain reaction that will transform him, his fellow zombies and maybe the whole lifeless world.


Teresa Palmer's character is described as the daughter of one of the humans' military leaders who is tiring of a life of constantly fighting off zombie attacks.


The project is based on a book by Isaac Marion that will be published by Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster.


Production on the film is slated to commence this summer.


Warm Bodies comes to theaters in 2012.




Sources: Heat Vision http://www.movieweb.com/news/teresa-palmer-joins-warm-bodies

**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/