Hardy-Har-Har

Hot off of their recent mega-hit Night At The Museum, Ben Stiller and director Shawn Levy, are set to re-team for another project. This time though Stiller's co-stars will not be primarily limited to a bunch of CGI enhanced characters. Indeed, Tom Cruise will be along for the ride, helping to bring a pair of famous teen detectives into adulthood...

Nicole LaPorte and Michael Fleming of Variety:

Twentieth Century Fox has set...Stiller and... Cruise to play sleuths in "The Hardy Men," a Shawn Levy-directed action comedy based on mystery series "The Hardy Boys."

At the same time, Stiller and Cruise have been actively discussing a potential team-up in "Tropic Thunder," the pic Stiller will direct next for DreamWorks. Such an alliance would be ironic, given that the film would be distributed by Paramount, the studio that unceremoniously severed its long-term deal with Cruise after Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone publicly rebuked the star.

Cruise and Stiller have been friends for years -- an alliance that grew out of Cruise’s admiration for Stiller’s penchant for doing Cruise impersonations. That started on "The Ben Stiller Show" and was executed most memorably in the 2000 Joel Gallen-directed short "Mission: Improbable," in which Stiller portrayed a stuntman for Cruise on "Mission: Impossible 2." Cruise played himself in the spoof.

While "Tropic Thunder" is in the talking stage, Cruise and Stiller are further along on "The Hardy Men," which Fox hopes to put into production by 2008...

Stiller began batting ideas around recently with Levy and Cruise, and they’ve come up with an ambitious premise that will be executed in the spirit of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

The plot: The Hardy boys, once wunderkind youth sleuths, have grown up. Long estranged, they’re brought together to solve one last case.

Fox is hunting for a scribe to do a rewrite.

Stiller is producing "The Hardy Men" with his Red Hour partner Stuart Cornfeld, along with Robert Kosberg. Kosberg owned the original "Hardy Boys" rights and brought the project to Red Hour eight years ago.

Since then, the project has languished in development hell through regime changes at Fox and numerous rewrites. (Michael Sargent penned the original script.) Project was originally set up at Fox 2000 but now will be produced at 20th Century Fox...

Continue Reading...

I never really got into the Hardy Boys books all that much growing up. I think I may have glanced at one or two of them in grade school...

What I really remember of them comes from having watched segments of "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" television series in the 70's...

The Hardy Boys TV Series Cast Photo

For the the film version of Boys to work-The script has to be better than your average retro-comedy spoof--along the order of The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) which was very well done as opposed to the 2004 comedy version of Starsky & Hutch....which also starred Stiller. Fingers Crossed...

Writers Block

Last night, in bi-coastal ceremonies, the Writers Guild of America handed out honors for the top scripts of 2006.

Dave McNary and Jeff Sneider of Variety take you inside the dual event:

Opting for recent awards-season favorites, the Writers Guild of America presented its top screenplay trophies to Michael Arndt for "Little Miss Sunshine" in the original category and William Monahan for "The Departed" in the adapted category.

Arndt's dysfunctional family comedy bested "Babel," "The Queen," "Stranger Than Fiction" and "United 93." Monahan's crime drama -- adapted from the 2002 Hong Kong thriller "Infernal Affairs" -- topped "Borat," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Little Children" and "Thank You for Smoking."

Both Arndt and Monahan were first-time WGA nominees, together with the rest of the field.

"I think the only thing that is standing between me being up here and living in my mom's basement is my agent Bill Weinstein," Arndt said, noting that Weinstein was the first person in Hollywood to peddle his script six years ago as Arndt crashed at his mother's house.

Kudos were announced Sunday night in simultaneous ceremonies for the 59th annual Writers Guild Awards at the Century Plaza in Los Angeles and the Millennium Broadway in [in New York City]

Based on voting by the 13,000 WGA members, the victories maintain recent momentum for Fox Searchlight's "Sunshine" and Warner Bros.' "The Departed," which are vying for the best picture Oscar along with "Babel," "Letters From Iwo Jima" and "The Queen." "Sunshine" won the Producers Guild and SAG ensemble awards, and Martin Scorsese drew the DGA trophy for "The Departed" on Feb. 3.

Arndt's WGA award is for his first produced screenplay and comes half a dozen years after he first penned "Little Miss Sunshine." He noted at the guild's panel discussion Thursday that it was crucial in the road-trip comedy that the characters face seemingly unsolvable dilemmas.

"The problem with comedy is that it's not serious enough," Arndt said. "There have to be problems the audience can't see a solution to, so it comes as an epiphany. As you watch the film, it feels like a comedy because you're laughing, but the characters feel like this is the worst weekend of their lives."

Monahan's script centered on mobsters in Boston, where he grew up, and its Irish Catholic culture. The pic's mob boss, played by Jack Nicholson, was partly modeled on James "Whitey" Bulger, who was eventually revealed to be an FBI informant.

A nervous Monahan's acceptance speech was simply, "I can't thank you enough; I did not prepare anything to say."

Arndt and Monahan head into the Feb. 25 Academy Awards as front-runners, although this year's screenplay races are viewed as especially competitive.

WGA winners have matched Oscar winners in the original category in seven of the past 12 years, including last year, when Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco won for "Crash"; the guild's winner in the adapted category has doubled as Oscar winner eight times in the past 12 years, including last year's Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana for "Brokeback Mountain...

Amy Berg won the documentary feature writing award for Lionsgate's "Deliver Us From Evil." Pic, which centered on a former priest and convicted pedophile, was the only docu among the finalists with an Oscar nomination.

Find out who else took home WGA awards on Sunday...

Kudos to William Monahan on his win for The Departed...I will post a review of the Martin Scorsese crime drama soon after my pre-ordered DVD of the movie arrives in the mail... The Oscar nominated flick hits store shelves in the U.S. tomorrow.

Eddie's Big Bite

In the weekend match-up between Eddie Murphy and a younger Hannibal Lecter--it turned out to be not much of a fight at all. Audiences had a much bigger appetite for Norbit over that of Hannibal Rising in a very big way...

Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo:

Fat suit comedy was the main course again as 'Norbit' gorged on an estimated $33.7 million, dwarfing 'Hannibal Rising [at #2 with only some $13.4 million in tix sales]'

Ian Mohr of Variety:

Eddie Murphy's latest latex-laden comedy outpaced tracking estimates to tip the scales as the No. 1 pic over the weekend, amassing $33.7 million.

"Norbit," about a nerd unhappily married to an overbearing, gelatinous gal -- with Murphy playing both those roles plus others -- averaged $10,758 per engagement at 3,136 locations as the weekend's widest new rollout.



On the other end of the artistic spectrum, Picturehouse continued to edge its artsy fantasy "Pan's Labyrinth" into more mainstream cinemas, upping its screen count by 61 to 1,143. Ploy worked as the pic remained No. 8 on the charts for the second straight frame.

"Labyrinth," which has six Academy Award nominations, added $3.5 million more over the weekend to bring cume to $26.5 million. While other foreign fare is having a tough time finding traction in the U.S., "Labyrinth" is the highest-grossing Spanish-language pic ever released Stateside.

The frame's other wide opener, MGM's "Hannibal Rising," from the Weinstein Co., landed in the No. 2 spot for the frame. Pic, about the early years of the infamous cannibal, skewered $13.4 million off 3,003.

Some had thought the R-rated "Hannibal" might take more flesh from "Norbit" at the B.O., but the latter weighed in just as comedy has been playing particularly well at multiplexes: Previous frame's No. 2, "Because I Said So," from Universal, continued to pick up sturdy biz, dropping just 31% in its second frame. Laffer reeled in $9 million to land at No. 3 and raise cume to $25.6 million.

PG-13-rated "Norbit" -- made by DreamWorks and distributed by Paramount -- overcame poor critical reception to outperform expectations.

Thesp's biggest opening for a live-action pic was the $42.5 million that "The Nutty Professor II" posted for Universal in 2000. His most recent live-action laffer, 2003's "The Haunted Mansion," bowed to $24.3 million.

"Norbit" marks Murphy's 14th No. 1 opening overall.

Meanwhile, "Hannibal" didn't show as much bite at the B.O. as expected: A tighter race had been predicted for the top spot because of "Hannibal's" high tracking with male auds heading into the frame.

Its numbers marked the lowest bow for any movie featuring the Hannibal Lecter character except for the 1986 Michael Mann-helmed "Manhunter."

But "Hannibal" likely chopped biz for last weekend's No. 1, Sony's supernatural "The Messengers," which saw ticket sales drop 51%...

Continue Reading Here

Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly writes in his weekend wrap-up:

''Norbit'' tops the box office with the star power of Eddie Murphy; meanwhile, Hannibal Lecter fans come in smaller crowds

Meanwhile, Archie Thomas of Variety reports, our friends "across the pond" at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts have crowned The Queen as the best film of 2006...

Reel Exposure

Usually, I'm not the type of person who enjoys being in the spotlight--or one that goes around and toots his own horn. But in this case--I'm willing to make an exception. I am pleased to say that The Last Reel has caught the attention recently of folks outside its core audience of family and friends.



Last week, William Stape, who is a contributing writer for the Associated Content website, contacted me about doing an interview about this blog. After voicing some reservation about putting myself even further out there--I decided what the heck. I should just go for it right?

I granted the interview after I checked out the site for myself. Since the article was published last Friday February 9th--It has ranked pretty well among the site's readership. I hope all of my regulars will stop by AC to read the "view" as well. And then decide to check out Mr. Stape's other articles...It's worth the click

Thanks William for your kind words and interest in this small little corner of the Blogosphere.

The Ready For Slime Time Players

Following in the cinematic footsteps of fellow 80's film heroes like Indiana Jones, John Rambo, and The Terminator, it seems the Ghostbusters are making plans to return as well:

Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons has the preliminary details...

According to a radio interview with Dan Aykroyd at CISN FM, not only is the third "Ghostbusters" movie, subtitled 'Hellbent', back on but it will be in the form of a CG animated feature.

The news came completely out of left field as months ago Aykroyd himself stated that plans for a sequel were essentially dead, a lot of that due to Bill Murray's reluctance to be a part of the film.

Now it seems Murray has apparently given the CG version his blessing and agreed to reprise the voice of his character, Peter Venkman, from the original films in the new feature.

Of the new film's story, Aykroyd says "We go to the hell side of Manhattan, downtown, Foley Square. It's all where the cops are--they are all blue minotaurs. Central Park is this huge peat mine with green demons there, surrounded by black onyx thousand-foot high apartment buildings with classic red devils, very wealthy. We go and visit a Donald Trump-like character who is Mr. Sifler. Luke Sifler. Lu-cifer. So we meet the devil in it".

Aykroyd also spoke a little about what happened since we last heard from him - "It won't happen as a live-action, because Billy will not come on in the live-action stage anymore for it, but he will voice his part and we're looking to do it as a CGI-animated project. It lives. It lives today. Last year it didn't. This year it lives. With CGI animation and the way these cartoons are done, we can do everything I ever wrote in that script for much less money."

Personally, I think a CG animated version is a great way to go with this-The franchise has already had some success as a hand drawn animated TV series called The Real Ghostbusters so this could work with the right script. Besides I can't imagine a live action ghost-busting sequel being any good without Bill Murray being involved--therefore this is the next best thing.

The Toy Drive

As the first full length computer generated animated film 1995's Toy Story, not only broke new ground on a technical level, it was a hit with both critics and audiences alike. It also spawned a 1999 sequel that ended up being as much fun as the first film..For all the success that every other flick of its kind has had since, I have no problem saying that nothing has ever topped the Toy Story 2-some. Sure, The Incredibles (2004) may come pretty close, but it still walks a few steps behind.



Rumors of a third installment for TS have been around forever--even when things were kinda messy between business partners Disney/Pixar in 2005. Now that both parties made nice...Official word about TS3 has finally come down.

But as Variety's Ben Fritz reports, the project moves forward without series mastermind John Lasseter, calling the shots...

"Toy Story 3" is coming in 2009, but John Lasseter won't be the director.

In an unusually candid presentation from the typically tight-lipped execs, Lasseter and Disney Animation [president] Ed Catmull provided extensive details on their upcoming slate at the Mouse House's investor conference Thursday.

In addition to confirming for the first time that a third "Toy Story" is in the works, most likely for 2009 release, Lasseter said Lee Unkrich will helm it.

Unkrich co-directed "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc." and "Finding Nemo" but has never before been sole helmer on a Pixar pic.

Lasseter directed the first two "Toy Story" pics but is presumably too busy in his new post as chief creative officer of Disney Animation to work on individual films.

Michael Arndt, Oscar-nominated scribe of "Little Miss Sunshine," is penning the script.

Lasseter said, "The greatest thing about the merger of the two companies is that the creators of 'Toy Story' 1 and 2 can make 3 with the story that we wanted."

Comment was a not-too-subtle swipe at Disney's former plan to develop a third "Toy Story," without Pixar input, before Disney decided to buy the toon studio in late 2005...

Continue Reading...

I hope that the filmmakers and the studio can find a way for the original vocal talent of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen to return as Woody and Buzz Lightyear respectively...I can't wait to see where this story goes next.

Meal Ticket

The latest box office battle for number one is on...

Thomas Harris adapts his latest novel Hannibal Rising (reviews) for the big screen--explaining the backstory of Hannibal Lecter--and how he became the sadistic killer we know him to be. 22 year old french actor Gaspard Ulliel plays the younger Hannibal in the new film. Will audiences be able to accept anyone other than Anthony Hopkins in the role he's owned for three previous movies? Let's just say Ulliel has a tough road ahead in that regard.

The other big opener this weekend is the comedy Norbit (reviews) starring Oscar nominee Eddie Murphy playing multiple roles again.

The critical reaction to both films is not very good as I write this...

Other films opening today include:The Last Sin Eater (reviews) --based on the novel by Francine Rivers and the political drama The Lives of Others (reviews)--both begin theatrical runs in a limited number of locales...

Gaspard Ulliel as Hannibal Lecter

Ian Mohr of Variety:

Will Hannibal Lecter still have bite at the B.O. this weekend?

The previous three pics featuring the cannibalistic serial killer -- "The Silence of the Lambs," "Red Dragon" and "Hannibal" -- have been worth a combined $388.9 million at the domestic tickets.

Standing in the way of latest entry "Hannibal Rising" will be "Norbit," the latest urban-skewing comedy to see funnyman Eddie Murphy take on a series of latex-enhanced roles a la "The Nutty Professor" franchise.

Paramount and DreamWorks' comedy will be the weekend's widest new release at 3,136 theaters.

R-rated "Hannibal" hits 3,003.

"Norbit" is tracking strongly with African-American auds, and data suggest the PG-13 pic has the potential to draw eyeballs in all quadrants.

But "Hannibal" is tracking well with males, both over and under 25, suggesting the Hannibal brand still has pull.

Pic was penned by the character's creator, Thomas Harris, who could bring in fans of his books.

Bloodthirsty teen version of Hannibal, however, is played by Gaspard Ulliel, rather than Anthony Hopkins, who made the devious doc a household name.

After some false starts, burgeoning MGM is hoping it can follow the success late last year of "Rocky Balboa" with handy "Hannibal" box office. Pic comes from the Weinstein Co., which is looking for a solid debut for a commercial film after its recent artier efforts have struggled.

"Hannibal Rising" also may generate some heat through day-and-date launches in France and the U.K. via local distribs. The 2001 "Hannibal" was a solid offshore performer, eating up more than $180 million.

Murphy, meanwhile, is riding high on an Oscar nom for "Dreamgirls," in release via Paramount and DreamWorks. Last comedy the thesp toplined, Disney's "Haunted Mansion," conjured under $76 million.

Broad comedies have been working well of late at the B.O.: Fox's "Epic Movie" and "Night at the Museum" are still in the heart of the top 10. And Universal's "Because I Said So" could continue to draw female auds who don't necessarily see pics in their opening frames.

Some Oscar-nominated films will expand in a bid to capture attention before the envelopes are opened.

Picturehouse's "Pan's Labyrinth" will move to 1,143, up from 1,082 locations. And Warner Bros. will move "Letters From Iwo Jima" up to 781 from 720.

Both pics have been picking up steam, but no one Oscar-nommed film seems to be grabbing all the headlines this year.

On the arthouse circuit, Sony Classics -- which has Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" in theaters -- will roll out German nominee "The Lives of Others" on 13 screens.

And TWC will move its Anthony Minghella-helmed "Breaking and Entering" to 22.

Continue Reading...

In his latest weekend preview Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly thinks:

Eddie Murphy's latest flick should nab No. 1, with ''Hannibal Rising'' eating its dust as a distant second...

Happy Birthday John Williams

Today is film score composer John Williams' 75th birthday...

I have been a fan of his work for as long as I can remember...He has created some of cinema's most enduring film music. He is a true master of his craft.

Among my favorites of his work: Jaws (1975) which also helped coin the word "blockbuster"--The first Star Wars flick and its 1980 sequel Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back; Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Empire of the Sun (1987), JFK (1991) Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Jurassic Park (1993) Williams boasts almost 30 Oscar nominations to his credit going back 40 years for 1967's Valley of the Dolls...

I can think of no better way to honor him, than by hearing Williams in his own words talking about his work on the Oscar winning score for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial--directed by frequent collaborator Steven Spielberg...posted on You Tube



As regular readers of this blog know, I consider the music Williams wrote for 1978's Superman The Movie his best work... If not, the best film score ever. Here now is that Main Title--complete with those memorable credits...



...followed by the supes theme, as adapted by John Ottman for last summer's Superman Returns



John Williams has helped to bring film music into the mainstream consciousness of the general public like no one else has. The Original Soundtrack for Star Wars-A New Hope is one of the best selling soundtracks of all time.

All that's left to say is:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THOSE GREAT MOVIE TUNES!

I'm Getting Space Sick

There's been so much internet chatter back and forth, about whether or not JJ Abrams is still involved with Star Trek XI, that it's given me a Klingon-sized headache.

Flmforce at IGN tries to sort it all out...

[Please Note: A few of the links in the story were added by me--while others were provided by IGN.]

Last week brought word that J.J. Abrams was off Star Trek XI, a claim that was denied by J.J. Abrams himself to Ain't It Cool News and by the filmmaker's reps at William Morris Agency and his production company, Bad Robot.

Now Latino Review -- the site that first reported "J.J. Abrams is out of Star Trek XI!" -- says that Abrams will not direct Trek XI, but will instead helm another Paramount film titled Cloverfield.

It must be noted that Abrams was never officially announced as the director of Star Trek XI.

While it was known Abrams was producing the film, whether or not he was directing it has remained a point of speculation.

A report in December initially claimed that Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman had confirmed Abrams as the film's director to Variety, but this was later clarified. According to transcripts of Dauman's comments, available at Trekmovie.com, Dauman did not actually confirm Variety's claim that Abrams was helming it.

Earlier this week, IGN asked Abrams' lifelong friend and frequent collaborator Greg Grunberg whether Abrams was directing Trek XI or not, and the actor revealed, "I keep hearing the same thing. One week he tells me he's not sure. One week, he told me, 'No. I'm definitely just producing.' And then just last week he was like, 'Man, I'm really excited to do it.' I said, 'Are you doing it?' He said, 'I don't know.' I mean, honestly, it's like he's still really up in the air. But he's really happy with the script. I know that. Really, really happy. I can't wait to read it."

So Abrams was never officially onboard the project as director and, should Latino Review's report bear out, he never will direct it. But that is not the same as "J.J. Abrams is out of Star Trek XI!" -- unless he opts out of producing the picture, too. By all accounts, however, that doesn't appear to be his intention.

...That's why some sites, including IGN, were gun-shy about couching earlier Trek reports in that way.

A couple of questions to ask about all of this:

Why does Latino Review continue to post such nonsense about Trek XI without at least verifying sources a little better?

I knew the initial story was bogus when I first read it last week--When the story didn't hit any of the major news outlets...That's why I didn't cover it. Is LR against Abrams' being involved with Trek?

Why wouldn't Abrams want to direct this film? What's taking so long for him to decide? He would help himself a lot if he would just make a decision so that we can all move on...Jeebus!

Is it a matter of money? Fear of screwing up the franchise? To be honest I think Abrams is the only one who can direct his material the way it should be done.

All of this is just ridiculous Someone needs to make a decision and put this issue to bed...and now.

Part Of The Rule Rather Than The Exception

Zogby International recently conducted a poll about the viewing habits of movie-goers Some of the findings proved rather interesting and might well send a few chills down the spines of the suits at the film studios.

Theaters may may have the biggest screens and superior surround sound systems to ticket buyers, but according to the findings:

Most would rather stay in the comfortable confines of home and watch DVDs, the survey showed. The majority (63%) said they would rather have free unlimited DVD rentals with no late fees for a year than a year’s worth of free unlimited movie passes (30%).

High ticket prices (30%) and a dislike for the movie selections (30%) were the main reasons given for falling attendance – 13% said they don’t like the crowds in the theater. Those aged 18-24 are most likely to complain about costly tickets – nearly half (46%) said high ticket prices have kept them away from the theater. Among older adults, dissatisfaction with the film selections are the main deterrent – 46% of those age 65 or older echoed these same sentiments.

Nearly half (45%) said that, while they still go to the movies, their movie attendance has decreased from five years ago – 27% said it is much less, and 9% said they never go to the movies anymore..

Lastly the poll indicated: “[And] the oldest respondents (age 70 or older) were most likely to say they no longer go to the movies at all (23%).”

Speaking for myself: I definitely don't go to the theater as often as I used to. And I'm right in line with the majority, in that I would rather stay in and rent a movie, than go out....What's worse--I don't have a home theater system and I still feel that way.

The turnaround time for a film--from multiplex to disc--has also influenced my habits. It's so fast now that I figure why go to all of that trouble and expense-- when I will be able to see any theatrical release in a few months time?

I see more films theatrically over the summer now over any other time of year...

My how our movie-going habits have changed...

The solution for the studios? Get rid of all those ads before the film starts. Lower ticket prices. And MOST importantly: MAKE BETTER MOVIES!!!

Henry Jones Jr Has A Date For The Cinema

Last night I opened an e-mail sent out by Box Office Mojo to its members that read:

Paramount Pictures has set Thursday, May 22, 2008 for the release of the next Indiana Jones movie, which the studio is now officially referring to as the 'Fourth Installment of the Indiana Jones Adventures.' The picture maintains the Memorial Day weekend release strategy of the last two Indiana Jones movies, and it mirrors the last two 'Star Wars' movies and 'The Matrix Reloaded' with its Thursday launch.

Indy 4 Gets A Release Date

Also currently scheduled for Memorial Day weekend 2008 is Warner Bros..' 'Speed Racer' Two other event-style pictures have previously staked out May 2008 releases dates: Paramount's 'Iron Man (May 2) and Buena Vista's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (May 16).

Even though Indy will have plenty of competitors surrounding him next year--it's a safe bet that his newest adventure will open big...

"Write" Of Way?

Dave McNary of Variety offers an update on the looming possibility of a strike for the Writers Guild of America:

The [WGA] has taken the first formal step toward the bargaining table, tapping 17 scribes as members of its negotiating committee.

Committee chief John Bowman told Daily Variety he expects negotiations to start in July and stressed that he's not expecting a strike.

"We expect a successful negotiation because our committee members are working members," he noted. "We'll be practical but tough."

Panel members include such heavyweights as "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" showrunner Neal Baer, "Desperate Housewives" showrunner Marc Cherry, "Dreamgirls" writer-director Bill Condon, "Syriana" writer-director Stephen Gaghan and "Hotel Rwanda" writer-director Terry George.

Bowman said he agreed to chair the panel due to two key areas -- how writers are to be paid from the fast-expanding array of digital platforms, and the question of WGA jurisdiction in such areas as reality TV. "This is the most important negotiation we've had in many years," he added.

Tuesday's announcement by WGA West prez Patric Verrone and WGA East [president] Chris Albers puts into motion the guild's constitutionally mandated process under which the panel will spend two months generating a "pattern of demands" to serve as a guideline for negotiators. That list of demands then will be sent to the membership for approval, a step allowing the WGA to start formal bargaining.

The WGA's current three-year deal expires on Halloween...

...Bowman is in his second two-year term on the WGA West board and served on the 2004 negotiating committee. Credits include "Saturday Night Live," "It's Garry Shandling's Show," head writer on "In Living Color," "Martin" (creator-exec producer), "Murphy Brown" (exec producer) and "Cedric the Entertainer Presents" (creator)...

"The depth and breadth of this committee should show our membership, our sister unions and the industry at large our widespread commitment to making a fair and forward-thinking deal for writers," Verrone said in a statement. "This is an amazing roster of talented people." ...

The announcement comes a year and a half after guild members opted for slates... that promised to take a more assertive tack at negotiations following disappointment by members over the inability of the guild to improve the DVD residuals formula at the 2004 negotiations. That's led to increasingly testy relations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which serves as the negotiating arm for studios and nets.

Three months ago, the guild spurned an offer by the AMPTP to launch negotiations in January, asserting that the companies were unwilling to address key issues such as digital downloads at the early negotiations. That led to a declaration by AMPTP president Nick Counter that relations with the WGA had reached the lowest point since the five-month [strike] in 1988...

For his part, Counter has asserted that the issues facing negotiators -- with an array of digital delivery platforms emerging -- are so complex that negotiations need to start as soon as possible. He's insisted the delay puts studios and nets in a difficult spot since they have no alternative but to start planning

The complete article can be found here...

Both sides seem to be making nice with one another at least for now...It may be very different come July when negotiations begin. I still tend to think that a strike won't happen. I'll be sure to keep you...well...er posted as the story develops...

Film is Easy--TV Is Hard

The casting call that went out to find the 2 the leads for the television series, based on the flick Mr. and Mrs. Smith, has been answered....

Jordana Brewster is Mrs. Smith

Martin Henderson is Mr. Smith

The folks at Sci-fi Wire tell the tale via The Hollywood Reporter:

Jordana Brewster (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) has signed on to co-star in the ABC pilot Mr. and Mrs. Smith, based on the 2005 feature of the same name, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Brewster takes over the role played by Angelina Jolie in the film.

Like the film, the TV series revolves around John and Jane Smith, a married couple who are assassins for hire. Brewster will play Jane, who is as cool, tough and smart as she is gorgeous, and can disarm a horde of thugs without breaking a sweat. The film's writer, Simon Kinberg, and director, Doug Liman, are both involved in the pilot, and will serve as executive-producers of the series Brewster was in high demand this pilot season, with five projects vying for her, including NBC's [update on the 70's classic] The Bionic Woman.

Martin Henderson (Smokin' Aces and Flyboys) has been tapped as the male lead in ABC's drama pilot Mr. and Mrs. Smith.... The pilot, from Regency TV and Dutch Oven...tells the story of John and Jane Smith, a married couple who are secretly [assassins].

I have seen most of Brewster's on screen work and almost none of Henderson's stuff--except The Ring (2002) Therefore, it's impossible to have an informed opinion on the choices made. I can say this...Brewster has played tough characters before and I assume that Henderson can handle a gun--thanks to his role in Smokin'...Still the pair will have a tough time trying to fill the shoes of their film counterparts Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I just watched Mr. & Mrs. Smith - The Unrated Cut on DVD recently and well--let's just say the sparks that the real life couple had in the film were even more apparent when you watch the new bonus material.

The Lunch Bunch

With the 79th annual Academy Awards now only 2 and 1/2 weeks away, events surrounding the ceremony are happening left and right:

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences honored the 2007 Oscar nominees with its annual luncheon at the Beverly Hilton.

Timothy M. Gray of Variety takes you to the "Nominees Luncheon":

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences honored the 2007 Oscar nominees with its annual luncheon at the Beverly Hilton.

With a whopping 139 contenders, Monday's Oscar nominees luncheon offered several only-during-awards-season treats: Seeing Peter O'Toole sit a few feet from Abigail Breslin, Steven Spielberg introduce himself to Philip Glass, Clint Eastwood reunite with his "Bird" star Forest Whitaker and members of the Mexican film community issuing whoops of enthusiasm over each other's noms.

The annual ritual, which began in 1982, offers contenders the opportunity "to bask in the company of your fellow nominees," as Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences [president] Sid Ganis said.

Event at the BevHilton featured three of the five directing hopefuls, 15 of the 20 actors and reps from 23 categories -- everything except foreign-language film, since that group gets its own event two days before the Feb. 25 ceremony.

Oscarcast producer Laura Ziskin announced the first "Thank-You Cam," a camera backstage that will be the first stop for winners as they step offstage. They can extend their acceptance speeches, and the footage will be quickly posted on Oscar.com. (The unspoken goal, as always, is to reduce the laundry list of names cited onstage.) ...

The invitation said dress is informal, and outfits ranged from Penelope Cruz's snazzy white dress and Eastwood's suit to the jeans and untucked shirt of Gil Kenan ("Monster House," animated feature) and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's cargo pants and corduroy sport coat.

Biggest applause went to eight-time nominee O'Toole (a rare standing ovation) and Martin Scorsese.

The tradition is for all the contenders to assemble for a "class photo," after which each is called to the stage to accept a certificate and an Oscar sweatshirt. Ganis said the first lunch featured 45 nominees; last year's event featured a then-record 111. With a turnout this year that "easily blows our previous record out of the water," as Ganis said, it took 40 minutes to complete the roll call.

The "Thank You Cam"? Ugh! I know that brevity for the tv audience is important...But c'mon! Do you really think this new idea is gonna make the show any shorter? Nothing else has worked that's been tried to meet that goal over the years...I doubt this cam will either.

Here's a related item from the website Breitbart.com:

Oscars contender Forest Whitaker said an annual awards show held to honor black actors should not be interpreted as a political statement against the Academy Awards.

"It's about people being celebrated by a community. It's very clearly not a protest or a statement," Whitaker said at an Oscars nominees luncheon here.

Whitaker was speaking in response to a question about an article in the latest edition of Newsweek magazine referring to a "secret meeting" held by black stars in Hollywood to honor each other.

Whitaker is on course to become only the third African-American actor to win the best actor prize in 78 years for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland."

He is one of a record five black actors who have been nominated for acting Oscars at Hollywood's big night on February 25, along with Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Will Smith and Djimon Hounsou.

Whitaker said the diversity indicated that the Oscars were increasingly color blind. "I think there's been progress," Whitaker said. "When I was a kid there was only one actor (Sidney Poitier)."...

Oh how I wish the color of some one's skin was no longer an issue in this country...

Out Of Character

Writer/director Joss Whedon is one of my favorite industry folks. He has proven himself to be quite a talent, having success in both TV and film.

He wrote the screenplay for 1995's first full length CGI feature film Toy Story. He also added some interesting mythology to the "Alien" franchise in the form of Alien: Resurrection (1997).

I am a big fan of his television work too. From the short-lived sci-fi series "Firefly" which had a shot at the big screen with Serenity (2005), "Angel" (1999-2004), and of course his crowning achievement..."Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1996-2003), which itself began as a 1992 feature film Given that Whedon has a real knack for writing strong female characters, he seemed like the ideal choice to bring the comic book heroine Wonder Woman to the big screen this year...News that the studio became interested in developing a a second Wonder Woman script to replace the one Whedon had written, made the rounds last week...

And now Whedon made it official on Friday--He's off the project...

Wonder Woman Is Without A Director Again

Image DC Comics Inc

Borys Kit and Tatiana Siegel of The Hollywood Reporter:

Joss Whedon, who had been developing a big-screen adaptation of DC Comics superhero Wonder Woman for Warner Bros. Pictures and Silver Pictures, parted ways with the studio and production company on the project.

Whedon announced the news on Friday on a fansite, chalking it up to creative differences. "I had a take on the film that, well, nobody liked," he wrote on www.whedonesque.com. Studio and agency sources confirmed the development.

The latest setback on "Wonder Woman," which has gone through a long gestation process, underlines the difficulties studios encounter when developing such marquee pop culture titles....(like the film based on fellow comic book hero the Flash which just lost a director, and then gained another in a matter of days--in another case of creative differences.)

In the case of "Wonder Woman," "We just saw different movies, and at the price range this kind of movie hangs in, that's never gonna work," Whedon said in his post to his fans. "Non-simpatico. It happens all the time. I don't think any of us expected it to this time, but it did. Everybody knows how long I was taking, what a struggle that script was, and though I felt good about what I was coming up with, it was never gonna be a simple slam-dunk. I like to think it rolled around the rim a little bit, but others may have differing views."

Whedon, who came on board the project in March 2005, was paid $2 million to $3 million to develop and write the adaptation, which Joel Silver is producing. He also was attached to direct. His involvement had looked like it would finally move the project forward. Whedon, the creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," was seen as someone who could crack the challenge of making a female superhero movie work, especially one that involved a magic lasso, bullet-deflecting bracelets, an invisible jet and a bathing suit-like costume.

"The worst thing that can happen in this scenario is that the studio just keeps hammering out changes and the writer falls into a horrible limbo of development," Whedon wrote. "(Warners and Silver) had the clarity and grace to skip that part. So I'm a free man."

Whedon still has plenty to keep him occupied. He is working on "Goners," a thriller he is attached to direct for Universal Pictures; will be taking over writing chores on "Runaways," a comic series about super-powered teens, for Marvel Comics; and is overseeing a new story line of "Buffy" for Dark Horse Comics.

As I said, Whedon certainly seemed like the right guy, to guide WW to the big screen. It's a shame he won't be around to finish courting her. As for his replacement? How about Frank Darabont? I think he would do justice to the material much the way Joss would have.

The Big Loss

As I struggle to move on from the final score of last night's Super Bowl (Chicago Bears 17 Indianapolis Colts 29)...The Motion Picture Biz feels my pain over the game but for different reasons:

Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo:

'The Messengers' [at #1 with $14.5 million] and 'Because I Said So' [at #2 with $13 million] led a weak Super Bowl weekend...

The mojo keeps-a-flowing...

Next up Ian Mohr of Variety:

Biz for most pics, whether wide studio holdovers or Oscar hopefuls, went slip-sliding away over the Super Bowl weekend as ticket sales dropped sharply from the same frame a year ago.

After winning the past six straight Super Bowl weekends at the B.O. by rolling out horror and genre fare, Sony succeeded again with the same strategy, taking the No. 1 spot with supernatural pic "The Messengers."

Movie -- from the studio's genre arm, Screen Gems, and production banner Ghost House -- led a soft frame at the movies overall.

"Messengers" scared up $14.5 million off 2,528 engagements for a per-location average of $5,736. A year ago, the studio's "When a Stranger Calls" dialed up $21 million-plus over the same frame.

Hoping to continue its scary winning streak, Sony has already slated slasher pic "Prom Night" for next year's Super Bowl frame.

While many Oscar films saw respectable drops in the 30% range, none were igniting the B.O. at a time of year when distributors really look to build biz for such pics.

A year ago, the gay-themed "Brokeback Mountain" roped in $6 million in its ninth frame during Super Bowl weekend. This weekend's best-performing Oscar hopeful was urban musical "Dreamgirls," which took in an estimated $4 million in its eighth frame.

One bright spot came for foreign-language fare: The distribs behind "Letters From Iwo Jima," "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Volver" all had reasons to cheer as Paramount's "Letters" expanded with a slight drop and the other two pics earned their way into the B.O. record books.

Picturehouse's "Labyrinth" became the highest-grossing Spanish-language film released in the U.S., passing "Like Water for Chocolate" with a cume of $21.7 million.

Pic landed in the No. 8 spot after expanding to become the distrib's widest rollout ever, at 1,082, and reeling in $3.6 million.

And Sony Classics' "Volver," from Spanish helmer Pedro Almodovar, became the helmer's top-grossing film, taking in $885,012 off 587 screens to bring cume to $10.2 million, passing that of "Talk to Her."...

Trailing in second place was Universal's counterprogrammer "Because I Said So." Multigenerational chick pic, starring Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore, picked up $13 million off 2,526, scoring $5,155 per engagement.

"Messengers" and "Said So" repped the frame's only new wide releases.

Fox's "Epic Movie" -- last frame's No. 1 -- landed in third in its second frame, with $8.2 million off 2,840. Spoof of movies dropped 56% from its opening weekend and has cumed $29.3 million to date.

Studio's "Night at the Museum" stayed strong in fourth to bring cume to $225.3 million. Supernatural sensation, starring Ben Stiller, has been in theaters for seven weeks.

Overall, ticket sales dipped almost a full $10 million from a year ago among the frame's top 10 titles, down to $66.5 million...

Article Continues...

Michelle Kung has the weekend wrap-up for Entertainment Weekly:

The suspense thriller debuts with $14.5 mil, while Diane Keaton's ''Because I Said So'' settles for No. 2.

...Bears QB Rex Grossman threw a few interceptions and that cost the Bears the game...The boys started off great though... When CB Devon Hester brought the ball in for a TD on the opening play of the game Wow! ...The Bears were in it until half way through the 4th Quarter And Then The Dream Ended...This one won't be easy to forget...I end this post very disappointed and highly frustrated...

Read this spot on post game analysis from Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti for more...

Super Sunday

No matter what the outcome of Super Bowl XLI turns out to be later tonight, I still have a small reason to smile...

Director Martin Scorsese finally took home a Best Feature Directing award from the Directors Guild of America for The Departed. And as Dave McNary of Variety explains that's a good omen for his chances to win that elusive OSCAR as well:

After six tries, Martin Scorsese has arrived in the winner's circle with "The Departed" as the mob thriller took the DGA feature directing award.

The award underlines Scorsese status as the front-runner for the Best Director Oscar, to be presented Feb. 25. He won the Golden Globe three weeks ago and the DGA winner, based on voting by 13,400 Guild members, has matched the Oscar winner in 52 of its 58 awards, including last year when Ang Lee won both for "Brokeback Mountain."

Saturday night's win, presented by Steven Spielberg at the Century Plaza before a crowd of about 1,000, came more than three decades after Scorsese's first nomination for another gritty drama "Taxi Driver."

"It's the first time I've been given this recognition," an elated Scorsese noted at the top of his acceptance speech. The 64-year-old helmer was the only repeat DGA nominee, topping Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for "Babel," Bill Condon for "Dreamgirls," Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris for "Little Miss Sunshine" and Stephen Frears for "The Queen."

"I just wanted to make a good film and people would go see it and enjoy the film and that's it God willing I'd get another picture," Scorsese said in his usual rapid-fire delivery. "I did not think I'd be standing here tonight, I'll tell you that."

Prior to the award, Scorsese received by far the warmest reception during presentations of nominee plaques. Leonardo DiCaprio, who's toplined Scorsese's last three films, told the audience in his presentation speech that the director never stops teaching, adding, "Every time you're with him, whether on set or at dinner, you learn something."

And Scorsese noted kiddingly that the grosses for "The Departed," an adaptation of Hong Kong hit "Infernal Affairs," were especially strong in such organized crime centers as Las Vegas. "It was the first picture I'd ever done with a plot," he added.

Scorsese also paid tribute to genre film directors such as Don Siegel, Samuel Fuller, Bud Boetticher, Anthony Mann and Robert Aldrich. "So I thank them and I thank you tonight," he concluded. "I am greatly honored."... It's his sixth Oscar directing nomination along with "Raging Bull," "The Last Temptation of Christ," "Goodfellas" "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator."

"The Departed" has taken in the highest gross among the nominated films with $127 million domestically and nearly $270 million worldwide. Scorsese's previous DGA nominations were for "The Aviator," "Gangs of New York," "The Age of Innocence," "Goodfellas," "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver." He won the DGA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003...

Article Continues...

Click here for the complete list of winners at the 59th Annual DGA Awards

...As great as Scorsese's DGA win is though, nothing will truly compare to a Super Bowl XLI win for the Chicago Bears versus the Indianapolis Colts...I hate to say this, but a Bears victory really depends on how well QB Rex Grossman preforms this evening... After all, we already know that the team has a consistent defense. Unfortunately, the same can't always be said of Grossman's play... If one more person tells me that it would so great to see the Colts QB Peyton Manning finally get that Championship Ring--I THINK I'M GONNA SPIT!!

I'm Rootin' For Rex To Play Well...

...Inside Dolphin Stadium In South Florida

FINGERS FIRMLY CROSSED...

Enjoy The Game Folks!

Slice And Dice

It's time for yet another special edition of Cinema Stew. On the menu today more sequel/franchise updates for you to chew on:

Image courtesy of HalloweenMovies.com

Stax of IGN kicks things off more casting news for Rob Zombie's Halloween Halloween remake/ sequel:

Director Rob Zombie has announced the latest piece of casting for his remake of the slasher classic Halloween. The helmer revealed at his MySpace blog that Udo Kier (BloodRayne), Brad Dourif (Lord of the Rings) and Kristina Klebe have joined the cast.

Zombie revealed that Kier will play "Morgan Walker head of Smith's Grove Sanitarium," while Dourif will play the role of Sheriff Brackett. Klebe has been cast as Lynda...

A bogus rumor made the rounds on Friday (1/26) claiming that Sybil Danning had also been cast in the film, but that rumor appears to have been started by an anti-Zombie site.

Despite reports about script revisions Blabbermouth.net is reporting that filming "has quietly begun"

Brad Dourif makes for a unique choice as Brackett, considering his penchant for playing dark and creepy characters...

Locations for The Dark Knight have been finalized... Stax continues...

Batman is once again heading to the Windy City. Batman Begins was shot partially on location in Chicago and it now appears that its sequel, The Dark Knight, will be as well.

Warner Bros. has reportedly scheduled 13 weeks of filming in Chicago mid-year, according to the Chicago Tribune. Chicago doubled as Gotham City in the previous film, with its skyline enhanced and altered via CGI.

ReelChicago.com spoke with Chicago Film Office head Rich Moskal, who referred to a top-secret Warners project that is set to film in Chi-Town this year. And that project's name is ... Rory's First Kiss, which Batman-on-Film.com claims is the not so secret codename for The Dark Knight.

In addition to Chicago, The Dark Knight will reportedly lens in the U.K., Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

"Batman" must really like that Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza the windy city is famous for to be going back for seconds....

Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons says that a sequel the Oscar nominated film The Departed may be in the works!

"The Departed" scribe William Monahan is reportedly working on a treatment for a sequel to the Martin Scorsese hit.

The trades report that the scribe has even informally talked about the idea with Scorsese. Of course how it would work is anybody's guess considering the body count the last one left behind.

Whilst the original "Infernal Affairs", on which "Departed" borrowed heavily, had both a prequel and a sequel, the latter worked as notably Damon's character still continued on.

This version is expected to follow the foul-mouthed character played by Mark Wahlberg, and introduce a new character which its been suggested that Robert De Niro would play.

There's no indication that Scorsese would direct a sequel although would likely serve as a producer. Warner Bros. hasn't given any sign as to whether it would pursue another installment.

Warners does own the sequel rights to "Infernal Affairs" but Monahan's take could be an entirely original story, in which case it would not fall under that agreement.

Let's have Scorsese win his first Oscar and then we can talk sequel.

That's all the stew for now...

Studios Concede Superbowl Will Be No.1

With most of America gearing up for Sunday's Super Bowl, the film studios probably figured it was a lost cause to have a lot of new releases, trying to compete for attention--I think that was a smart move:

The Messengers (reviews) is a spooky thriller starring Kristen Stewart and Dylan McDermott; Because I Said So (reviews) mother/daughter dramedy with Diane Keaton playing medaling mom to Mandy Moore Gilmore gal Lauren Graham and Piper Perabo; Starting its theatrical run in a limited number of locales is the African-American relationship drama Constellation (reviews)

Ian Mohr and Dave McNary of Variety:

Multiplexes could be chilly for new wide releases this weekend, as Oscar-nominated fare tries to heat up with auds as awards night nears...and don't forget about the Super Bowl.

Only two wide-release studio pics will be bowing: Universal's multigenerational chick pic "Because I Said So," a counterprogramming attempt against Super Bowl Sunday, and Sony's spooky paranormal pic "The Messengers."

Away from the majors, weekend is also a test for specialty unit Picturehouse -- the distrib of Guillermo del Toro's Spanish-language artsy fantasy "Pan's Labyrinth." Picturehouse goes for its widest expansion ever, putting "Pan's" in 1,082 engagements in North America.

Picturehouse said it will move the movie into suburban, commercial theaters and smaller towns.

Warner Bros., meantime, sends its slow-rolling war epic "Letters From Iwo Jima" from 415 to 720 theaters, trying to gain traction from four noms (including best pic and director Clint Eastwood).

So far keeping a low profile, "Iwo Jima" has hit $5.6 million. Its biz was up 38% last weekend.

Period piece "Pan's," meantime, has proved one of the few specialty success stories this season, luring arthouse auds as well as fantasy-loving geeks.

Pic has so far taken in $17.7 million, and is nommed for six Oscars.

Other Oscar-nommed pics looking to pick up further biz will be best pic contenders "The Queen" (Miramax) and "Babel" (Paramount Vantage). Both saw healthy spikes in ticket sales last weekend on the steam of their awards buzz.

But not all expansions of Oscar pics have been clicking so far.

Par last weekend moved its bigscreen musical "Dreamgirls" -- which has eight noms, but is not a best pic contender -- up to 2,785 locations. But the pic's biz dropped about 16%, suggesting it could be hitting a wall.

And Sony Classics took Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" -- which has one nom for lead Penelope Cruz -- to the highest number of Stateside screens ever for the Spanish helmer, 689. But the pic's per-playdate average dipped to $1,655.

Among new releases... "Because I Said So," starring Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore, will roll out on 2,526 screens.

Keaton has become reliable B.O. bait of late playing mothers to wacky broods: Last December's reasonably budgeted holiday pic "The Family Stone" roped in $60 million for Fox.

And 2003's "Something's Gotta Give" nearly cracked $125 million in its domestic theatrical release for Sony.

Moore's biggest pic to date has been 2001's "The Princess Diaries," a $108.2 million pic. Her last project, "American Dreamz," scored just $7.2 million last year.

Rolling to 2,528 theaters as the frame's widest new release, "Messengers" is the latest from Asian horrormeisters Oxide and Danny Pang ("The Eye").

But the newcomers will have stiff competish. Holdovers "The Pursuit of Happyness" -- which has a lead actor nominee in Will Smith -- and comedy "Night at the Museum" will continue to drain some serious coin. And Warners relaunched Martin Scorsese's best pic nominee "The Departed" last weekend as a wide release.

On the specialty circuit, MGM will send the Weinstein Co.'s biopic "Factory Girl" (which has caused quite a stir lately) to three screens. Pic stars Sienna Miller as Andy Warhol cohort Edie Sedgwick.

Article Continues...

Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly says in his Box Office Preview

''Because I Said So'' looks like the top choice of moviegoers not glued to the Colts-Bears game

Somethin' To Crowe About

Actor Russell Crowe (pictured below) is gonna be playing in a very legendary forest for an interesting upcoming project...

Michael Fleming, Diane Garret and Dave McNary have this Variety exclusive:

Universal has nabbed spec script "Nottingham," in a deal that will reunite Russell Crowe with Imagine Entertainment.

Crowe will receive $20 million against 20% to star as the Sheriff of Nottingham in this revisionist version of the Robin Hood story from the creators of "Sleeper Cell."

Scribes Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris will receive seven figures for the script.

Imagine's Brian Grazer will produce the pic, expected to start lensing at the end of the year or early 2008.

William Morris, which reps Crowe and the writers, put together the package.

Deal reps the second big bidding battle U has won in past few days. Last week, the studio landed the rights to a pic about the Fugees, a refugee soccer club (Daily Variety, Jan. 25).

"Nottingham" is based on the premise that Robin Hood was less virtuous and the sheriff more noble than previously depicted. Story also involves a love triangle between Robin Hood, Maid Marion and Nottingham's sheriff.

"He's trying to do the right thing, but he's up against Robin Hood, who's becoming heroic while not necessarily acting in the nicest way," explained Reiff, a history buff.

He and Voris were halfway through the script when they started working on the first season of "Sleeper Cell"; ironically, they closed the deal days after learning Showtime would not be picking up their Emmy-nommed skein for a third season.

"It was a bitter pill, but this is a pretty good antidote," Voris told Daily Variety.

Bidding was very competitive, with New Line and Warner Bros. vying for the project and Sony, New Regency and DreamWorks also expressing interest. Helmers Bryan Singer, Sam Raimi and Jon Turteltaub were attached at other studios.

Crowe has worked with Imagine several times, most recently on "American Gangster," [scheduled] for a Nov. 6 [2007] bow. He previously toplined "Cinderella Man" and "A Beautiful Mind" for Imagine. Crowe also stars in "3:10 to Yuma," an upcoming Lionsgate pic helmed by James Mangold.

Reiff and Voris hadn't written a spec script since 1995.

"We figured that this story was going to be hard to sell as a pitch," Voris said. "We also knew that this would be very castable, since most of the leading men now are either English or Australian." ...

Even though the Robin Hood Legend has had its fair share of film incarnations over the decades, and I have seen most of them, I look forward to seeing how Nottinham turns out. The fresh approach is a good enough and having Crowe cast as the Sheriff is icing on the cake. He has already proved that with the right script behind him (Gladiator) he can do amazing things. I actually think he better suited for these period epics than films that take place in modern times...Witness the reaction to his last flick A Good Year and my point is made.