Forte & Robbins: The "Switch" Is On

Will Forte and Oscar winner Tim Robbins have signed on to replace Ty Burrell and Dennis Quaid in the film adaptation of Elmore Leonard''s 1978 crime novel "The Switch" reports Deadline and  Variety

"Switch" is a prequel to Leonard's Rum Punch which was adapted into Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film "Jackie Brown". John Hawkes and Mos Def play the younger versions of Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie, the characters Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson played in 'Jackie'.

The story takes a slightly different approach to the same premise as the 1986 comedy "Ruthless People". In this the two ex-cons kidnap and ransom the wife (Jennifer Aniston) of a crooked real estate developer (Robbins). The husband refuses to pay the ransom as he sees it as an opportunity to get rid of his wife. The kidnappers then team up with her to get all of her husband’s money.

Forte will play Marshall Taylor, a married country club member who harbors a crush on the wife and spends most of the film in a moral dilemma after witnessing her kidnapping.

Dan Schechter ("Supporting Characters") is adapting the script and will direct.

Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Lee Stollman, Leonard and Michael Siegel are producing.

Production will kick off in Mayand next month.

Twilight Gets Most Razzie Noms

The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation honoring the worst films of the past year have announced their nominations.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 leads the (wolf) pack with 11 nods.

The 33rd annual Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony will be held Saturday, Feb. 23, the day before the Oscars.

Find the complete list of nominees below.

Worst Picture

Battleship
The Oogieloves in Big Balloon Adventure
That's My Boy
A Thousand Words
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II

Worst Director

Sean Anders - That's My Boy
Peter Berg - Battleship
Bill Condon - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II
Tyler Perry - Good Deeds / Madea's Witness Protection
John Putch - Atlas Shrugged: Part II

Worst Actress

Katherine Heigl - One for the Money
Milla Jovovich - Resident Evil: Retribution
Tyler Perry - Madea's Witness Protection
Kristen Stewart - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II / Snow White and the Huntsman
Barbra Streisand - The Guilt Trip

Worst Actor

Nicolas Cage - Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance / Seeking Justice
Eddie Murphy - A Thousand Words
Robert Pattinson - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II
Tyler Perry - Alex Cross / Good Deeds
Adam Sandler - That's My Boy

Worst Supporting Actress

Jessica Biel - Playing For Keeps / Total Recall
Brooklyn Decker - Battleship / What to Expect When You're Expecting
Ashley Greene - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II
Jennifer Lopez - What to Expect When You're Expecting
Rihanna - Battleship

Worst Supporting Actor

David Hasselhoff - Pirannha 3-DD
Taylor Lautner - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II
Liam Neeson - Battleship / Wrath of the Titans
Nick Swardson - That's My Boy
Vanilla Ice - That's My Boy

Worst Screen Ensemble

Battleship
The Oogieloves in Big Balloon Adventure
That's My Boy
The Twilight Saga: Eclipsed Part II
Madea's Witness Protection

Worst Screenplay

Atlas Shrugged Part II
Battleship
That's My Boy
A Thousand Words
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II

Worst Remake, Rip-Off, or Sequel

Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance
Pirannha 3-DD
Red Dawn
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II
Madea's Witness Protection

Worst Screen Couple

Any two cast members from Jersey Shore in The Three Stooges
Mackenzie Foy and Taylor Lautner in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II
Tyler Perry and his drag in Madea's Witness Protection
Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg, Leighton Meester, or Susan Sarandon in That's My Boy

Fey Does Muppets Sequel

Tina Fey has joined the Europe-set Muppets Sequel says THR.

Fey will be playing a Russian gulag prison guard

The part is one of three key human roles in the film--Modern Family star Ty Burrell will play the key role of an Interpol official--Christoph Waltz was originally in talks for that part--Ricky Gervais is playing a character with questionable intentions. There's also likely going to be a number of celebrity cameos.

This would mark the second time that Gervais and Fey have worked together after they worked in The Invention of Lying.

It sounds like this film will take some of its story beats from "The Great Muppet Caper".

The Muppets human star/co-writer Jason Segel, will not be returning for the follow-up, but director James Bobin is coming back. Bobin co-wrote the script with Nicholas Stoller.

David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing the pic.

The production slated to start this winter in London

Reynor Gets "Transformers 4" Role

Jack Reynor has landed the young male lead role in the as yet "Untitled Transformers Sequel" says THR.

The new film folows a high school student, and daughter of Mark Wahlberg's character, and her racecar driver boyfriend--Reynor is expected to be signed for three-picture deal.

Hunter Parrish ("Weeds"), Luke Grimes ("Taken 2"), Landon Liboiron ("Terra Nova"), and Reynor were up for the boyfriend role while Isabelle Cornish Andie MacDowell's real-life daughter Rainey Qualley and Gabriella Wilde  were in the mix to play the daughter.

The story will take place four years after the events of the last film.

Ehren Kruger ("Transformers: Dark of the Moon") is writing the script for the Michael Bay directed fourth film which hits theaters on June 27th, 2014

In December Twitchfilm reported Nicola Peltz and Brenton Thwaites were set to play the two younger lead roles in the sequel--But at the time neither Bay or Paramount Pictures would confirm the casting. And now we know why.

Mendelsohn Doin' Mississippi Grind

Ben Mendelsohn ("Animal Kingdom," "Killing Them Softly") is in talks to play a supporting role in "Half Nelson" filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's indie drama "Mississippi Grind" says Variety.

The story centers on a down-on-his-luck gambler facing crushing debt who teams with a younger gambling addict (Jake Gyllenhaal) in an attempt to change his luck. The two set off on a road trip through the South with visions of winning back what has been lost.

Fleck and Boden will direct from a screenplay they wrote.

John Lesher, Jamie Patricof and Lynette Howell are producing the pic

Meloni On Tap As A "Sin City" Cop Brolin Is Dwight

Christopher Meloni has joined the cast of "Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" as a brutish cop says Deadline.

The characters of Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba) and Marv (Mickey Rourke) will indeed return, Nancy's mini-story will act as a bridge for both the other stories in this film as well as those in the first film-Rosario Dawson is back as well. The stories told in the sequel take place before and after the events in the first film.

Jaime King, who played Goldie and Wendy in Sin City, is officially set to reprise her role as Wendy in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. She will be joined by Jamie Chung, who will be taking over the role of deadly little Miho, previously played by Devon Aoki. While Clive Owen stated last year that he had yet to hear about a return, the trade says he is expected to come back. However, since his character undergoes a radical face change, Josh Brolin is said to be set to play Dwight Dennis Haysbert will play Manute in the film The role was previously played by Michael Clarke Duncan, who unfortunately passed away in September. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is poised to play a smooth talking gambler named Johnny, a role which was originally offered to Johnny Depp.

Meanwhile, the character of Ava -- written in the hopes that Angelina Jolie would do it still needs to be cast.

Robert Rodriguez is co-directing the film with Frank Miller using their adapted screenplay written with William Monahan.

Production is underway and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is set to hit theatres October 4, 2013.

"Undiscovered Gyrl" Gets Going

Christian Slater, Justin Long, Martin Sheen, Robert Patrick and Kimberly Williams-Paisley have joined the cast of Allison Burnett's indie drama "Undiscovered Gyrl" says THR

Based on the book by Bernett the story centers on a teen (Britt Robertson)  who decides to defer college for a year in order to find herself. Driven by a longing to fill a void left by her alcoholic father (Patrick), she enters into relationships with a young film professor (Long), the father of a baby for whom she nannies (Slater), and a rare book dealer with a dark past (Sheen).

Lauren Avinoam, Nicolas Emiliani and Lauren Hogarth are producing the film

The film is currently shooting in Los Angeles.

Pitt As Pontius Pilate?

Brad Pitt is said to be circling the title title role in the Pontius Pilate biopic in development says Deadline.

"Woman On Top" scribe Vera Blasi wrote the spec script which follows Pontius Pilate and his transformation from the sensitive son of a Roman Knight into a ferocious soldier on the political fast track under Emperor Tiberius' rule. Promised a military governorship in Egypt, Pilate is instead assigned to become Judea's prefect at a time when the Roman-occupied Jerusalem was a cauldron of religious tensions. He fell into historical infamy when he had to decide the fate of a 33-year old rabbi by the name of Jesus Christ.

The site reports Pitt is "not committed" yet but could be "very quickly".

The film portrays Pilate as a capable but arrogant soldier who gets in way over his head and ends up making catastrophic decisions. It also reportedly focuses on the history, politics and character motivations rather than the greater theological implications.

Other figures glimpsed in the story include Tiberius, Caligula, John the Baptist, Salome, Caiaphas and Mary Magdalene.

Mark Johnson ("The Notebook") will produce the pic.

Lochhead Takes On "Shadow of the Colossus" Script

"Hanna" scripter Seth Lochhead has been hired to work on the script for the film adaptation of
the Team Ico video game "Shadow Of The Colossus" for the big screen over at Sony Pictures says Heat Vision.

Set in a mystical and forbidden land, the story follows a hero who wants to raise his beloved from the dead. The price though requires him to kill 16 giant creatures known as the Colossi, and along the way he begins to worry he's been tricked.

"Chronicle" director Josh Trank remains attached to direct the project and will also oversee the writing of the script.

Justin Marks penned an earlier draft back when the project was set up in 2009. Kevin Misher is producing.

Nielsen Plays Kevin's Ex In McG's Latest Film

Connie Nielsen will join McG's now untitled darkly comedic action thrilller says Variety.

Once called "Three Days To Kill"--Luc Besson and Adi Hasak wrote the script in which Kevin Costner stars as a Service agent who discovers he’s dying. Before he goes, he attempts to complete a final mission, and reconnect with his estranged daughter (Hailee Steinfeld of "True Grit") He’s also taking an experimental drug that could prolong his life, but causes hallucinatory side effects.

Nielsen will play Costner's ex-wife.

Amber Heard will play Costner's handler,

Besson, Hasak, Ryan Kavanaugh and Virginie Besson-Silla are producing the film.

 The film is currently in production in Paris ahead of a further filming in Serbia.

Romanek Leaves "Cinderella" @ The Ball

Mark Romanek ("Never Let Me Go") has vacated the director's chair on the latest re-telling of the fairy tale "Cinderella" over creative differences says Deadline.

"The Devil Wears Prada" writer Aline Brosh McKenna sold the pitch to Disney back in 2010 which re-imagines the story as it follows a "prince set for a politically arranged marriage, until the evil plan is threatened when the prince meets Cinderella". Chris Weitz penned the final script.

Cate Blanchett was in talks to play the evil stepmother. While Saoirse Ronan ("Atonement"), Alicia Vikander ("Anna Karenina") and Gabriella Wilde ("The Three Musketeers") tested for the lead last year.

Romanek and the studio reportedly "have differing views on how to tell the story." Romanek’s version was a darker vision than the studio wanted.

The same thing happened with 2010's "The Wolfman," and Romanek ended up looking like the smart one for exiting what ended up being a critical and commercial failure.

The search has already started for a new director to keep the film on track to get into production by the summer.

Simon Kinberg will produce the film..

JGL Passes On "Galaxy" Takes "Sin City 2" Role!!

Heat Vision reports that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is poised to join  Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. He will play a smooth talking gambler named Johnny, a role which was originally offered to Johnny Depp.

As if I needed any more incentive to see this film...

The characters of Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba) and Marv (Mickey Rourke) will indeed return, Nancy's mini-story will act as a bridge for both the other stories in this film as well as those in the first film-Rosario Dawson is back as well. The stories told in the sequel take place before and after the events in the first film.

Jaime King, who played Goldie and Wendy in Sin City, is officially set to reprise her role as Wendy in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. She will be joined by Jamie Chung, who will be taking over the role of deadly little Miho, previously played by Devon Aoki. While Clive Owen stated last year that he had yet to hear about a return, the trade says he is expected to come back. However, since his character undergoes a radical face change, another actor is said to be joining him to play Dwight. Dennis Haysbert will play Manute in the film The role was previously played by Michael Clarke Duncan, who unfortunately passed away in September.

Meanwhile, the character of Ava -- written in the hopes that Angelina Jolie would do it still needs to be cast.

Robert Rodriguez is co-directing the film with Frank Miller using their adapted screenplay written with William Monahan.

Production is underway and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is set to hit theatres October 4, 2013.

JGL had recently joined the list of actors circling the role of Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) in James Gunn's Marvel superhero movie "Guardians Of The Galaxy" Doing "Sin City 2" means no Star-Lord

Last November JGL was rumored to play Batman in the "Justice League" film fresh off his turn in The Dark Knight Rises...but that was nixed pretty quickly.

R.I.P. David R. Ellis (1952-2013)

Stuntman turned filmmaker David R. Ellis, has unexpectedly passed away suddenly at the age of 60 says  Deadline  Cause of death is as yet unknown

Ellis cut his teeth on Final Destination 2, his first film in the director's chair. He followed that with Cellular, Snakes on a Plane, Asylum, The Final Destination and Shark Night 3D.

Ellis made his debut as an actor, with a small role in the 1975 movie "The Strongest Man In The World" starring Kurt Russell. But he soon moved into performing as a stuntman and serving as a stunt coordinator, on a diverse number of films including "Scarface," "To Live And Die In L.A.," "Fatal Attraction," "Patriot Games" and others

So many of his films sit in my film collection as entertaing guilty pleasures...

Darabont Rewrites Godzilla Reboot/Legal Trouble?

"The Shawshank Redemption" director Frank Darabont has come onboard
the upcoming "Godzilla"
reboot says Deadline.

 

Darabont has been hired to do a final rewrite of the script

David Callahan, David Goyer Drew Pearce and Max Borenstein have all worked on previous drafts of the screenplay.

The film has been in the pipeline for several years, but picked up steam recently - after a proof of concept trailer screened twice during Comic-Con 2012 and got great reaction. The project will "return the character to its epic roots with a gritty, realistic actioner".

The film will be directed by Gareth Edwards ("Monsters").

Goyer, Borenstein, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni will produce.

Roy Lee, Dan Lin Brian Rogers. Alex Garcia Patricia WhitcherDoug Davison, Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira will serve as executive producers.

The film will get a 3-D release, but it's unclear if it is being shot that way or converted in post production. The big guy returns to theaters on May 16th 2014.

Hold on though, HitFix says Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are now in a legal tussle over the property. Lin and Lee came to Legendary with a Toho rights deal for the iconic movie monster. Now that they have the rights, Legendary apparently wants to drop them. However, the Lin & Lee are not going quietly and a fight and is brewing--this could wind up in the courts.

Will The OSCARS Move Date In 2014?

The changing deadlines and electronic voting problems have caused issues galore in the run up to this year's February 24th Academy Awards telecast, but those issues could be a cakewalk by comparison to those of the 2014 shebang.

 Why?

Because of chatter that the Oscars ceremony in 2014 could be held at least a month earlier than the usual late February air date.

With Super Bowl XLVIII happening on February 2nd weekend, and the Winter Olympic Games locked into the other three Sundays in February, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has three options says Variety.

The first is they could move the event to the Monday after the Super Bowl (February 3rd) or the Olympics (February 24th). The second is what they did during the 2010 Winter Olympics - push back the ceremony a few weeks into early March.

It seems that the third option is the one on the table right now - "prevailing sentiment among insiders is that AMPAS is determined to push its kudofest earlier."

 In fact, there's talk that next year could see the Golden Globes on January 5th and then the Oscars on the 12th.

For that to happen AMPAS members would likely have to finish their nominations voting before Christmas. It would also mean a lot of Oscar-contending films would have to be out on screens in October and November as December releases might miss the cut.

Meantime--this year's Oscar host Seth MacFarlane and the lovely actress Emma Stone will Announce Nominations for this year on Thursday Morning.

Box Office Update: Everything's Bigger In "Texas"

The horror reboot Texas Chainsaw 3D took the top spot this weekend--While the controversial revenge slave western Django Unchained and the first pic in the Hobbit film series--"An Unexpected Journey" battled for #2...

Pamela McClintock of THR:

Lionsgate's Texas Chainsaw 3D exceeded expectations in its debut, grossing $23 million to win the crowded domestic box office race.

Produced and financed by Millennium Films, the seventh installment in the slasher franchise scored one of the better openings for the first full weekend in January, a favorite landing place for horror. On the same weekend last year, The Devil Inside debuted to $33.7 million.

Texas Chainsaw, picking up where Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic horror pic left off, earned a C+ CinemaScore. Normally, a poor grade would spell trouble for a film's playability, but horror films often receive a C.

In an era where moviegoing has fallen off among teenagers and younger adults, Texas Chainsaw was an exception, with 63 percent of the audience under the age of 25. Among this demo, one out of three said a major draw was musical artist Trey Songz, who stars in the film alongside Alexandra Daddario and Dan Yeager.

Texas Chainsaw, costing $20 million to produce, marks another victory for Lionsgate, which crossed $1 billion in domestic ticket sales in 2012, a first.

Pre-release tracking had suggested that holdovers The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Django Unchained would battle it out for No. 1, followed by Les Miserables.

Django, from the Weinstein Co., came in a strong No. 2, falling only 33 percent from last weekend to gross $20.1 million and jump the $100 million mark at the domestic box office. Django, surpassing Les Mis with a cume of $106.4 million, is on track to become Quentin Tarantino's top grossing film in North America. Inglourious Basterds is the current record holder with $120 million in ticket sales.

Peter Jackson's Hobbit placed No. 3 in its fourth weekend, grossing $17.5 million for a domestic total of $263.8 million. The tentpole, from New Line and MGM, has now earned north of $820 million worldwide.

Tom Hooper's Le Mis, opening opposite Django on Christmas Day, also jumped the $100 million mark domestically. The film reached the milestone in 13 days, the fastest for any musical. Combined with international earnings of $81 million, Les Mis has earned $184.6 million worldwide.

Comedy Parental Guidance rounded out the top five domestically, grossing $10.1 million for a domestic cume of $52.8 million. The movie, from 20th Century Fox, continues to benefit from being family friendly and is playing especially well in America's heartland.

Matt Damon-John Krasinski drama Promised Land continued to struggle as it expanded nationwide. From director Gus Van Sant, the movie placed No. 10 with a gross of $4.3 million from 1,675 theaters.

Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty continued to dominate at the specialty box office as it expanded into an additional nine cities, grossing $2.75 million from 60 theaters for a stellar location average of $45,834. Zero Dark Thirty, opening in only New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 19, has now earned $4.5 million.

Zero Dark Thirty has sparked the ire of some lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who maintain the film -- chronicling the government's decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden -- puts too much emphasis on the role torture played in tracking down bin Laden. Last week, the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said it would investigate whether the CIA gave classified information to Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal.

The controversy doesn't appear to be diminishing interest in the film, which expands nationwide Jan. 11. The top five theaters for Zero Dark Thirty included locations in Orange County, Texas and Chicago, and in 29 of the top 30 theaters, the movie was No. 1. Overall, 51 out of 61 were No. 1.

Sony Pictures Classics' Amour continued to play nicely in three theaters in New York and Los Angeles, grossing $63,596 in its third weekend for cume of $315,011 and location average of $21,199, the second-best of the weekend after Zero Dark Thirty.

Summit Entertainment's tsunami drama The Impossible upped its theater count to 572, grossing $2.8 million for a cume of $3.4 million and location average of $4,825.

Starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, the film continues to make headlines overseas, where it has grossed an outstanding $81.2 million. The Impossible opened in the U.K. over the weekend, taking in $6.4 million including previews. That was good enough to put the drama in a close race with Hobbit for No. 1.

The Met: Live in HD's live Saturday broadcast of Les Troyen took in $1.3 million from 800 theaters in North America. An additional 45,000 opera fans saw the live broadcast in 650 theaters in 28 countries.

Now--it is no shock at that there's already Texas sequel talk. In fact, Bloody Disgusting indicates that the producers acquired the rights to make up to six more films after this, meaning 'Chainsaw 3D' is just the start of an entirely new franchise.

Here are the top 10 results for the weekend of Jan. 4-6 at domestic box office:

1. Texas Chainsaw 3D, 1/2,654, Lionsgate, $23 million.

2. Django Unchained, 2/3010, The Weinstein Co., $20.1 million, $106.4 million.

3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 4/3,755, New Line/MGM, $17.5 million, $263.8 million.

4. Les Miserables, 2/2,904, Universal, $16.1 million, $103.6 million.

5. Parental Guidance, 2/3,368, 20th Century Fox, $10.1 million, $52.8 million.

6. Jack Reacher, 3/3,288, Paramount, $9.3 million, $64.8 million.

7. This Is 40, 3/2,931, Universal, $8.6 million, $54.5 million.

8. Lincoln, 9/1,901, Disney/DreamWorks, $5.3 million, $143.9 million.

9. The Guilt Trip, 3/2,312, Paramount, $4.5 million, $31.2 million.

10. Promised Land, 2/1,675, Disney/Pixar, $4.3 million, $4.7 million

Next Up: After a delay followibg the cinema shooting tragedy in Colorado last July...Director Ruben Fleischer's adaptation of  Gangster Squad is released; Michael Tiddes opens A Haunted House in the horror comedy spoof; The British creature feature Storage 24 hits this side of the pond; Chris Colfer gets Struck By Lightning with a limited release and VOD push.

HBO Hears "The Normal Heart" Beat

The Live Feed reports that the film adaptation of Larry Kramer's semi-autobiographical play "The Normal Heart" will go directly to HBO rather than going theattical as planned.

Kramer adapted the script which takes place during the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 80's.

Mark Ruffalo will star as Ned Weeks the gay Jewish founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group who prefers loud and visible action over the quieter, less visible strategies advocated by his friends.

Julia Roberts, will play Emma Brookner, a wheel-chair bound doctor who is one of the only doctors in New York talking the new disease seriously. Alec Baldwin is Weeks’ lawyer brother, who’s having a hard time dealing with his sibling’s sexuality; Jim Parsons has been cast in the role of a Southererner who is a gay activist and part of a gay men’s health crisis group; and Matt Bomer is Felix Turner, a gay fashion journalist who becomes Week’s boyfriend and tragically contracts the disease.

Glee creator and Roberts "Eat Pray Love" helmer Ryan Murphy will call action and produce the film with Brad Pitt.

Production kicks off shortly to premiere on the network next year.

Tisdale Gets "Left Behind"

High School Musical film series co-star Ashley Tisdale has been cast in the first film in a proposed new trilogy of of motion pictures based on Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins's Christian-themed "Left Behind" novel series says Just Jared.

The sixteen book series is set in the aftermath of The Rapture, the Christian event in which that religion's true believers are transported to heaven. What remains of the world is shattered and chaotic, and from these ashes rises a Romanian politician promising to restore stability - a politician who is actually the Antichrist.

Nicolas Cage is set to star for legendary stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong who is going to direct.

Tisdale will play Chloe Steele, daughter of Cage's Ray Steele character. Chloe wanders America looking to find any remaining members of her family.

Chad Michael Murray will play journalist Cameron “Buck” Williams in the movie.

Three faith-based films in the series were released between 2000 and 2005--Starring Kirk Cameron. Made for just $4 million each, the films had initial bursts of business but in the end were both critical and financial flops, since even its fan base had issues with the films since they veered away from the book's plots.

This version increases the budget to $15 million and is expected to be more along the lines of a classic disaster film with the action following survivors in the hours after The Rapture.

Paul Lalonde will produce the action thriller with Michael Walker, and co-write the script with John Patus, who worked on the final entry 2005s Left Behind: World at War.

Production on the first film would kick off this Spring in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Jones & Lang Enlist To Join "The 34th Battalion"

Vinnie Jones and Stephen Lang have joined the cast of the low budget war ensemble "The 34th Battalion" says Deadline.

The film follows the 34th Battalion, the Australian infantry group formed just after the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign of World War I.

The film tracks four friends from the town of Maitland in rural New South Wales who join the group and serve on the Western Front. In their first engagement, they saved the French town of Villers-Bretonneux. They later played key roles in the battle of Amiens and the battle of St Quentin Canal, the first full breach of the Hindenburg Line.

Jones will play the British-born Lt. Colonel who led the battalion. Lang plays a U.S. officer.

Luke Hemsworth, Emilie de Ravin, Charles Mesure, Les Hill , Nick Farnell, Claire van der Boom, Ashley Zukerman, Henry Nixon, Andrew Lees, Vince Colosimo, Tony Bonner and Khan Chittenden also star.

Luke Sparke will direct and co-wrote the script with his father Ian Sparke.

Production kicks off soon

Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters Gets Red Band Peek

Paramount has released a RED BAND trailer of their 3D fantasy-action adventure "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters"

The story picks up on the fairy-tale siblings 15 years after their traumatic gingerbread house incident, which provoked them to become witch bounty hunters.

Jeremy Renner will play Hansel, while Gemma Arterton beat out Noomi Rapace, Diane Kruger and Eva Green for the role of Gretel.

Collider reported that Paramount is "100% planning on releasing Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters as an R-rated film" as the studio tries to see if audiences prefer the more graphic version.

Online folks who claimed to have seen both cuts say the R-rated cut was quite graphic and explicit in its humor and a much more interesting version than the toned down PG-13 version.

Tommy Wirkola ("Dead Snow") drected from a script he co-wrote with “All You Need Is Kill” scribe D.W. Harper

Adam McKay and Will Ferrell produced the pic.

The film is scheduled to open January 11th 2013.

BE WARNED THE FOOTAGE INCLUDES DIALOGUE AND INTENSE IMAGES THAT ARE NOT FOR SUITABLE FOR MINORS....PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK

Rosenbaum Reads For Gunn's "Guardians"

You can add former Smallville bad guy Michael Rosenbaum to the list of actors circling the role of Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) in James Gunn's Marvel superhero movie "Guardians Of The Galaxy"

He tweeted yesterday:

"Read for my pal @JamesGunn GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY for PETER QUILL. What a treat! Thanks Jimmy. @Marvel"

The Guardians of the Galaxy comic book follows a US pilot who ends up in space during a universal conflict, then is forced to go on the run with a band of futuristic alien ex-cons.

The character is an interplanetary policeman and the Guardians leader who is born of a human mother and alien father

A few days ago Joseph Gordon-Levitt joined the Quill casting fray. Jim Sturgess, Zachary Levi ("Chuck")  Joel Edgerton, Jack Huston, Lee Pace and Eddie Redmayne The studio was also said to be interested in Garrett Hedlund, James Marsden and Sullivan Stapleton have been in thick of this as well

Screenwriter Chris McCoy was recently hired to rewrite the Nicole Perlman’s original script.

The film arrives August 1, 2014.

New Evil Dead Remake Trailer "Will Consume You"

Here is the full RED BAND trailer for the upcoming remake of "The Evil Dead" ...And as promised The film looks more intense than any of its predesssesors...This peek is even  more gory than the first RED BAND looksee

Fede Alvarez directs the pic and like the 1981classic, the story centers on five friends who journey up to a remote cabin where they discover the Book of the Dead and unwittingly unleash demonic forces.

Jane Levy plays the lead female role of Mia who is ecovering from a recent overdose, and is in a particularly vulnerable place. Shiloh Fernandez nabbed the male lead. While Lou Taylor Pucci ("Thumbsucker") will play an academic whose intellectual curiosity gets them into trouble. Jessica Lucas will play Mia's best pal who is also a nurse. Elizabeth Blackmore is playing the fiancée of Fernandez's character and is new to the group.

Alvarez, Rodolfo Sayagues, and Diablo Cody worked on the script.

This new version will NOT feature a character called Ash, the lead role played by Bruce Campbell in the original. Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Campbell will produce.

The film is set for an April 12th 2013 release.

BE WARNED THE FOOTAGE INCLUDES  DIALOGUE AND INTENSE IMAGES THAT ARE NOT FOR SUITABLE FOR MINORS....PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK

Box Office Preview: Chain Gangs

As the controversial revenge slave western Django Unchained (reviews) and the first pic in the Hobbit film series--"An Unexpected Journey" (reviews) continue to slug it out post holiday...Texas Chainsaw 3D (reviews) hopes to scare up big bucks as Matt Damon and John Krasinski get into a debate over fracking in "Promised Land" (reviews)--which goes wide after opening in limited release last weekend.

Pamela McClintock Of THR:

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained came in No. 1 at the box office Wednesday for the first time.

Django -- from The Weinstein Co. and starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio -- grossed $4.6 million to unseat New Line and MGM's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which took in $4.4 million for a new domestic total of $242.5 million (Hobbit was expected to jump the $500 million mark internationally Thursday).

Hobbit and Django, earning $82.4 million since its Christmas Day opening, could find themselves in a close race for the top spot at the North American box office this weekend, with each predicted to gross in the $18 million to $20 million range.

Others caution against ruling out Universal's Les Miserables, which took in $3.6 million on Thursday for a domestic total of $84.2 million. The film adaptation of the hit stage musical, with an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe, is expected go gross $16 million to $18 million.

Hollywood is hoping for a final burst of moviegoing as the 2012 year-end holidays officially come to a close. Because New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday, many schools and colleges are off until Monday, and many parents are still off work. However, the box office will have to compete with the first round of the NFL playoffs Saturday and Sunday.

Among the films opening Friday, Texas Chainsaw 3D is projected to come in No. 4 unless the horror movie exceeds prerelease tracking. From Lionsgate, the movie picks up where Tobe Hooper's 1974 slasher classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre left off.

Lionsgate, which is distributing Chainsaw 3D on behalf of Millennium Films and has limited exposure, is predicting an opening in the $15 million range.

After a modest start in limited runs, the Matt Damon-John Krasinski drama Promised Land expands nationwide, upping its theater count from 25 to 1,675. Directed by Gus Van Sant, the Focus Features and Participant Media film has earned $294,000 since its Dec. 28 debut.

From a script by Damon and Krasinski, Promised Land is about a salesman (Damon) for a natural gas company trying to persuade a small town to allow fracking. Krasinski plays a would-be environmentalist, while Frances McDormand plays the salesman's partner.

Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor's The Impossible, about a family struggling to survive the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, makes a more modest expansion this weekend, upping its theater count from 15 to 572. The Summit film has grossed $628,000 since opening Dec. 21.

Among holdovers, 20th Century Fox's family-friendly comedy Parental Guidance should stay high up on the chart. The movie is playing particularly well in Middle America and has grossed $40.7 million to date. The film starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei has been holding steady at No. 4 since its Dec. 25 debut.

Die Hard 5--The Latest Trailer

The full trailer for the action sequel "A Good Day to Die Hard" is here.

The script by Skip Woods takes place primarily in Russia, where hero John McClane (Bruce Willis) must rescue his son Jack (Aussie actor Jai Courtney) taking out terrorists at every turn.

Cole Hauser will play a villain named Collins aiding Sebastian Koch (The Lives of Others) and Russian actress Yuliya Snigir in some way or another. Amaury Nolasco ("Prison Break") will play Willis' friend early in the film. Megalyn Echikunwoke also stars. Mary Elizabeth Winstead will reprise her role as Lucy McClane in a cameo. Winstead played the role in 2007's under-appreciated "Live Free or Die Hard".

Alex Young Michael Fottrell and Stephen J. Eads are producers on the pic.

In this peek the father/son dynamic is front and center. We also see a bit of the bad guys as well

John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, Max Payne) is calling action on the film for a release on February 14th 2013

Atwell won't Be Part Of Cap 2

British actress Hayley Atwell has confirmed to Timeout that she will NOT be reprising her role as Peggy Carter in the upcoming sequel "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".

The story is expected to follow the acclaimed comic storyline The Winter Soldier in which Captain America's (Chris Evans) sidekick Bucky (Sebastian Stan) is resurrected as a brainwashed super-assassin known as the Winter Solider.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead seemingly had "the most traction" for the role of the female lead that follows that Peggy's (played by Atwell in Captain America: The First Avenger) niece Sharon meets Cap. That was pre-holidays and things could have changed since then.

Anthony Mackie is poised to play Harlem crime fighter Falcon, one of mainstream comics' first black superheroes. Falcon, aka. Sam Wilson, can telepathically talk to birds and has a suit that allows him to fly and enhances his strength. Frank Grillo ("The Grey," "Warrior") is set to play baddie Crossbones Scarlett Johansson will also show up as Black Widow in the film. How big a role she'll play is also unknown. Cobie Smulders will reprise her role of Maria Hill. She joins her boss in The Avengers co-star Samuel L. Jackson for the film. Frank Grillo ("The Grey," "Warrior") will play the villain Crossbones in the sequel

Joe Russo and Anthony Russo will direct the sequel, using a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

Production is starting come March in Cleveland.

The sequel will hit theaters April 4, 2014.

JGL Up For Guardians & JLA Rumors

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has joined the list of actors circling the role of Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) in James Gunn's Marvel superhero movie "Guardians Of The Galaxy" says Deadline.

The Guardians of the Galaxy comic book follows a US pilot who ends up in space during a universal conflict, then is forced to go on the run with a band of futuristic alien ex-cons.

The character is an interplanetary policeman and the Guardians leader who is born of a human mother and alien father

At last report--it was said that the role was down to Jim Sturgess, Zachary Levi ("Chuck") and an unnamed third actor. It's not known if JGL was that third actor or was just added to the list.

Marvel reportedly was also testing Joel Edgerton, Jack Huston, Lee Pace and Eddie Redmayne The studio was also said to be interested in Garrett Hedlund, James Marsden and Sullivan Stapleton.

Screenwriter Chris McCoy was recently hired to rewrite the Nicole Perlman’s original script.

The film arrives August 1, 2014.

Last November JGL was rumored to play Batman in the "Justice League" film fresh off his turn in The Dark Knight Rises...but that was nixed pretty quickly.

Speaking of the JL though Cosmic Book News, reportedly have an inside scoop from their source that spills his guts on the roster for the Justice League movie, who will be making a cameo, and some descriptions.

The "Justice League " teams DC Entertainment's most famous heroes (Batman, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, among others)--with the script by "The Gangster Squad" writer Will Beall already being worked on. Getting a director and then a cast is the next order of business.

Said script will reportedly use the storyline by Gerry Conway from Justice League Of America 183-185. The arc sees Darkseid, the oppressive god ruler of the war planet Apokolips, planning the destruction of Earth by blasting it with a weapon that moves Apokolips into Earth’s place.
The storyline has the Justice League teaming up with the Justice Society of America--Does this mean we will we see two teams in one movie? That could be great but is it too ambitious?

The studio is taking the opposite approach to that of DC's main rival Marvel. While Marvel slowly built each hero's backstory in separate film series before getting "The Avengers" on screen, Warners and DC will have their superheroes go into their own movies following their introduction in "Justice League."

It's assumed that Henry Cavill's Superman in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel" will likely be a part of a JL film, but there is no official word that's a sure thing...Would the Ryan Reynolds version of "Green Lantern" be part of the film...? The rumored Armie Hammer for Bats since Warners is planning to keep the Christopher Nolan's Bat-verse separate and apart from its plans for DC Comic films moving forward?..

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD....You have been warned!!!!

Superman is essentially the same character from Man of Steel, and Zack Snyder is consulting regarding the writing of the character.

Batman: The strategist of the group. Batman doesn’t really want to be involved with these super powered beings he considers too powerful. Easily the most complex written.

Wonder Woman: She has only been in man’s world a few short months. The Wonder Woman script Michael Goldenberg is working on will be set before the Justice League movie.

Green Lantern: Will be Ryan Reynold’s character from the Green Lantern movie, but will be freshly written with a more serious tone.

Flash: The most popular hero in civilian eyes who loves media attention, but when called upon is very serious.

Martian Manhunter: Alien who has lived on Earth in secret for over a hundred years who has knowledge of Darkseid and his reign.

Aquaman: Will be the King of Atlantis who has a key role in the film.

There will also be a heavy military presence in the film which in future rewrites could include characters featured in Man of Steel or the Green Lantern neither were included in the first draft.

Alfred Pennyworth (Sir Michael Caine?) is in the film in a minor appearance. Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is also in the film for a cameo.

Darkseid’s Elite will be featured who go up against the Justice League early on in the film

Production on the project is hoped to get underway next year for a Summer 2015 release. The date puts the film in direct competition with "The Avengers 2" which is slated for May 1st 2015

Gyllenhaal's Gonna Meet "Frank"

Maggie Gyllenhaal has joined the comedy Frank which will be directed by Lenny Abrahamson (What Richard Did) says the Albuquerque Business First,

The film follows an aspiring musician named Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), who joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank (Michael Fassbender).

Gyllenhaal's role is not known but a romantic interest for Fassbender iis a safe bet

Peter Straughan and Jon Ronson (The Men Who Stare at Goats) wrote the script that is loosely based around the life of Chris Sievey, an English musician and comedian known for fronting the band The Freshies in the late 1970s and for his comic persona Frank Sidebottom created in 1984.

David Barron, Ed Guiney, Stevie Lee and Andrew Lowe will produce the film

Production kicks off in a few weeks in Albuquerque, New Mexico for a likely late 2013 bow

Watch The Fan Film: Superman: The Golden Child

I would like to call attention to another Superman Fan Film--this one called Superman: The Golden Child!

From its Website:

The Golden Child is an ambitious 22 minute short SUPERMAN fan film, written, directed, and produced by Andrew List. The film is set in present day; it also features many familiar elements that stay true to the legend.

When Lex Luthor (JEREMY CARNRIKE ) puts a plan into action that turns the people of Metropolis against Superman. What will happen when Luthor is in power and the Man of Steel (JOSHUA BOULTINGHOUSE ) is no where in sight?

The film was conceived in March 2011 by Andrew List who has been a Superman fan his entire life, and a professional video/web/graphic artist since 2006, and decided he was going to move forward with creating a live action non-profit fan film. The original script was much longer, but over time and efforts the script evolved into a much shorter script that was satisfying to everyone involved. Shooting began in July 2012 and wrapped up in October 2012.

Sure it was made on a shoestring budget and may have a few structural editing issues. But perfection is not the point here. List's affection for the character is very evident and when it comes to fan films that counts for a lot. Boultinghouse could pass for Supes and alter ego Clark Kent.

Nods to Richard Donner's Superman--there are plenty--including John Williams' iconic music from that era.



Kudos to the cast and crew continuing to "Believe A Man Can Fly"!! Good Job.

You can also find the film on Facebook

Tarantino Chatty About "Killer Crow"

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino says that his next film is like "Inglourious Basterds " and "Django Unchained," an historical revenge fantasy with an exploitation bent.

Tarantino told The Root recently

"I don't know exactly when I'm going to do it, but there's something about this that would suggest a trilogy. My original idea for Inglourious Basterds way back when was that this [would be] a huge story that included the [smaller] story that you saw in the film, but also followed a bunch of black troops, and they had been f**d over by the American military and kind of go apes** they basically -- the way Lt. Aldo Raines (Brad Pitt) and the Basterds are having an "Apache resistance" [where the] black troops go on an Apache warpath and kill a bunch of white soldiers and white officers on a military base and are just making a warpath to Switzerland. So that was always going to be part of it. was going to do it as a miniseries, and that was going to be one of the big storylines. When I decided to try to turn it into a movie, that was a section I had to take out to help tame my material. I have most of that written. It's ready to go; I just have to write the second half of it… It would be [connected to] Inglourious Basterds, too, because Inglourious Basterds are in it, but it is about the soldiers. It would be called Killer Crow or something like that."

Tarantino said the film would be set in Normandy in 1944.