Swift Kicks

Nicolas Cage (Ugh!) has landed himself another comic book flick.

He joins Aaron Johnson (pictured) and Lyndsy Fonseca for Matthew Vaughn's adaptation" of Kick-Ass" says The Hollywood Reporter.

The violent comic by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. centers on a high school dweeb named Dave Lizewski (Johnson) who decides to become a superhero even though he has no athletic ability or coordination. Things change when he eventually runs into real bad guys with real weapons. Fonseca plays the object of the teen's infatuation who believes Dave is gay. Cage is a former cop who wants to bring down a drug lord and has trained his daughter (Chloe Moretz) to be a lethal weapon.

While I thought Ghost Rider was a decent flick...Cage was not the reason it won me over...and I just hope he keeps his over acting to a minimum...

The independently financed project begins production this Fall in London and Toronto.

Supes Gets The "Boot"

Questions regarding the future of the Superman film franchise have been answered..The next film will reboot the series and will not be a direct sequel to Superman Returns...

Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeffrey Robinov told The Wall Street Journal

"'Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to, it didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned. Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009. But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a [previous] Batman and Superman movie at all."

The studio has also shelved plans for both a "Batman vs. Superman" (Thank the Lord!) and "Justice League" films for now...

WB plans to adopt the same model that rival Marvel Studios has - releasing a single film for each character, and then using those movies and their sequels as a spring board for a multi character epic a few years down the line.

Also like Marvel, the aim is for the DC Universe label to supply two of the 6-8 blockbusters per year that Warners releases by 2011. The studio is aiming to release four comic-book films in the next three years.

Unlike Marvel though with its lighter and more fantasy based pics the goal here is the more realistic tone of "The Dark Knight" for all of their heroes...

"We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it" says Robinov.

Official plans should be announced within the next month.



A fresh start for Supes means no Super-kid plot worries...And hey, if it can work for The Incredible Hulk--why not-Superman: Man of Steel?

It does beg the question among others-Will Brandon Routh be in the suit the next time out? Since they are starting anew...

Sorry Charlie

Dave McNary of Variety says SAG leaders reject majors' offer...

And something called UFS may have caused a tiff between a famous father and son in Hollywood.

Martin Sheen has called out leaders of the Screen Actors Guild for exploiting its A-list members' names to gain support for a controversial revision of its voting policy.

The always outspoken Sheen is upset over a group called- Unite for Strength - whose leaders want to impose a stricter work requirement for union members voting on contracts.

Sheen says: "If you're one of the tens of thousands of SAG members who don't work enough or earn enough as an actor, you're in danger of losing one of your fundamental rights as a union member. They've proudly and publicly touted their list of supporters, including the names of very high-profile actor-producers. They and their supporters have signed a petition that would end democracy in the Screen Actors Guild and create a 'class system' between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'."

The actor's son, Charlie Sheen , is among the A-list names who have endorsed the union's proposed voting policy.

Awkward round the dinner table at the Sheen mansion...

Stay Tuned...

Final Summer Vacation

This weekend the cineplex is crowded 5 new flicks as the studios squeeze in as much Summer fun as they can before it's back to school -The Rocker (reviews) opened on Wednesday will do battle with The House Bunny (reviews); Jason Statham leads a Death Race (reviews); Ice Cube leads The Longshots (reviews) out on to the football field...And a sequel hundreds of years in the making--The comedy Hamlet 2 (reviews)



Dave McNary and Pamela McClintock Variety:

With just two weekends left to go, the summer 2008 domestic box office is all but assured of finishing on par with last year’s record-breaking take of $4.16 billion --an unexpected victory for Hollywood and theater owners.

Many see the summer’s strength, led by "The Dark Knight" juggernaut, as a sign that the film biz is benefiting from the lousy economy and high gas prices. Going to the movies is still a cheaper outing than other forms of entertainment, such as sports, theme parks and travel.

Foremost, however, box office observers credit a slate of films that successfully appealed to a cross-section of the moviegoing aud. This weekend should match or do better than the same frame a year ago, with new releases "Death Race" and "The House Bunny" expected to do solid business.

Through Tuesday, the summer B.O. was running dead even with the same period last year at roughly $3.8 billion, even without the franchise titans that paced last year’s haul, "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Shrek" and "Spider-Man."

Summer admissions are down by 3.8%. The cost of an average ticket price is $7.16 vs. $6.88 last year.

Warner Bros.’ "Dark Knight" is unquestionably the reason this summer has performed so well. With a cume of over $477 million, Christopher Nolan’s Batman sequel is the second highest grossing title of all time domestically after "Titanic." Batpic could hit $500 million by the time the Labor Day weekend is over.

On the downside, the summer frame has also had several high-profile misses, including "Speed Racer," "Meet Dave" and "The Love Guru."

Whether summer B.O. revs can exceed $4.16 billion and best 2007 depends upon how well the Labor Day slate performs. (Last year, "Halloween" opened over the long weekend to a hearty $26.4 million.)

Here and now

Universal’s male-skewing actioner "Death Race," toplining Jason Statham, opens in 2,531 runs.

Statham has become something of a late-summer fixture, with the 2006 "Crank" and 2007’s "Transporter 2" opening to $10.4 million and $16.5 million, respectively, over Labor Day weekend (figures don’t include grosses from the Monday holiday).

R-rated "Death Race" is expected to open in the same range. Statham’s "War" opened to $9.8 million in the same weekend last year.

Sony is going after girls and young females with Anna Faris comedy "House Bunny," bowing with 2,714 runs. It could draw men as well, as Faris plays a Playboy bunny who becomes a house mother at a sorority.

Female-driven pics have done good business this summer. "House Bunny" should draw the same crowd that turned out for Warner Bros.’ "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," which posted a five-day opening cume of $18.9 million when bowing earlier this month on a Wednesday. Weekend take was $10.7 million.

MGM and Dimension Films open Ice Cube-Keke Palmer comedy "The Longshots," about a girl who becomes the first female quarterback for a Pop Warner football team. Family laffer bows with 2,089 runs.

There’s two new offbeat comedies in theaters this weekend: specialty pic "Hamlet 2," from Focus Features, and 20th Twentieth Century Fox’s R-rated "The Rocker," starring Rainn Wilson.

Looking to build word of mouth, Focus is opening "Hamlet" in roughly 103 theaters in 58 markets this weekend before going wide next week.

"Rocker" is looking like another disappointment for Fox, which has had a rough summer. Pic didn’t get many laughs as it opened on Wednesday, grossing $577,343 from 2,627 theaters and placing only No. 10 for the day. Project was put together by Fox Atomic when it was a standalone unit.

With R-rated comedies like "Tropic Thunder" still in the market and "Death Race" grabbing male attention, "Rocker" could face a tough road this weekend.

DreamWorks and Paramount’s “Tropic Thunder” heads into its second sesh with a domestic cume of $46.7 million.

In terms of summer market share, Warner holds a narrow lead over Paramount, with $961.8 million in total grosses through Tuesday, according to Rentrak. Par’s summer B.O. revs total $923.8 million.

Universal also has enjoyed a strong summer, ranking No. 3 in terms of market share, with total grosses of $665.3 million through Tuesday. Sony’s up next at $534.3 million. Disney’s summer B.O. revs come to $374.9 million, and Fox’s are $240.3 million.

Market share isn’t the best barometer, however, because it doesn’t reflect profitability.

International biz has racked up a solid summer for the Hollywood studios — though not quite in the same range as last summer, when the third “Pirates of the Caribbean” and the fifth “Harry Potter” both topped $640 million overseas.

Studios held back releases during June due to the Euro Cup tourney, so overall foreign cume for the majors is still lagging the record-setting 2007 pace by a few percentage points.

This weekend, “Dark Knight” should again top the foreign box office as it expands into Germany — its final major market — amid strong holds. Closest competition’s likely to come from U’s “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” which should hit the $200 million foreign mark today.

Of the domestic openers, only “Death Race” is seeing a foreign launch, with U taking the actioner into the fast-burn Asian markets of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Studio’s also taking “Mamma Mia!” into Argentina and Taiwan with over two dozen markets left...

Joshua Rich of EW:

The dog days are here, but Jason Statham should have the muscle to leave box office rivals eating dust

Summer '08 is REALLY going out soft, given the choices for the next couple of weeks

Summer '08 box office ends with Don Cheadle as a Traitor, Vin Diesel fights through Babylon AD, and the aptly titled Disaster Movie spoofs the blockbusters...

Willing Thomas

Thomas Haden Church has joined the indie drama "Don McKay" reports Variety.

The plot focuses on a man haunted by a tragedy that forced him to flee his hometown 25 years earlier. When he returns he soon discovers that his long-lost love is dying -- and then gets caught in a web of confusion, deceit and murder.

Jake Goldberger is directing from his own script.

Considering the picture has a budget of only 5 million getting Church or anyone else for the flick indicates the script must be pretty dang good.

Shooting began last week west of Boston.

Is He Red-y?

During the press tour for Lakeview Terrace, Samuel L. Jackson spoke with IGN about the possibility that he might re-team with his former Jedi director George Lucas for Red Tails

"I just read it like two weeks ago. It's a pretty good script. At one point (Lucas) was asking me if I'd ever want to direct anything. I said, 'I don't know, man. I'm trying to find things.'

'Well, let me send you this thing. Maybe you might want to direct it.'" says Jackson.

Could Jackson see himself in the big chair?

"I don't know. I don't have a year and a half of my life where I wanna stop acting...if I was gonna direct something George would be a great guy to kind of mentor me through that, especially a big ass special effects flying picture. The script's good. I like it."

Simply put--Jackson could absolutely take the reigns from Uncle George....Go for it! It may even turn out better...

Meanwhile "Lakeview" opens September 19th.

Letter Of The Law

Ben Affleck is circling the Mike Judge written and directed comedy Extract" reports Variety.

Affleck plays an ambulance-chasing lawyer in the film, which revolves around a flower extract factory owner (Jason Bateman) who's dealing with workplace problems and a streak of bad luck, including his wife's affair with a gigolo.

Clifton Collins Jr.. is also joining the flick as a factory worker who loses a body part in a freak accident and is now due for a huge lawsuot payday

Mila Kunis and Kristen Wiig have already been cast. Filming starts Monday in Los Angeles.



Affleck makes a nice addition to a cast that's already shaped up very nicely...If the film's as funny as Office Space...

Bending Point

Michael Fassbender is in final negotiations to join the cast of Quentin Tarantino's much ballyhooed "Inglorious Bastards" reports Variety.

The German actor is most well-known for the role of Stelios in "300" and is getting high marks for his role as Irish republican hunger strikerBobby Sands in the upcoming feature "Hunger".

Fassbender is also attached to play the iconic role of Heathcliff in the troubled new adaptation of "Wuthering Heights"

He was great in 300--and I'm glad audiences will be seeing more of him.

Diesel Engine

Chatting with the gang over at ComingSoon.net Vin Diesel says he is directing a 20-minute prequel to Fast and Furious

Diesel will star in the prequel along with Michelle Rodriguez reprising her role as Letty and Sung Kang returns as Han.

Diesel was mum on how the prequel would premiere; it could be on a DVD, online, or maybe even TV...

They did a similar thing with 2 Fast 2 Furious which bridged the gap between the first and 2nd flicks...

The fourth film in the series has fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) continuing his feud with agent Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker). But soon they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must learn to trust each other again if they hope to survive.

Justin Lin-directs "Fast and Furious", opening June 5, 2009.

Ring Fellowship In Tact

The team who wrote The Lord of the Rings film trilogy-Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens are officially set to join director Guillermo del Toro to write the screenplays for the two films based on "The Hobbit" says Variety.

Writing has begun in earnest according to del Toro and The One Ring Production is expected to start by the Fall 2009 in New Zealand.

I am glad the Rings writers are seeing the saga through...

Blood Drive

Moving the release date of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" eight months from November 21st to July 17th 2009, has caused quite the stir among Potter fans.

In fact the uproar has been so loud that Warner Bros. President and Chief Operating Officer Alan Horn has released an official response to all those complaints:

Many of you have written to me to express your disappointment in our moving "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" to Summer 2009.

Please be assured that we share your love for Harry Potter and would certainly never do anything to hurt any of the films. Over the past 10 years, we have nurtured and protected each film, and the integrity of the books upon which they are based, to the best of our ability.

The decision to move "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was not taken lightly, and was never intended to upset our Harry Potter fans. We know you have built this series into what it is, and we thank you for your ongoing enthusiasm and support.

If I may offer a silver lining: there would have been a two-year gap between "Half-Blood Prince" and the much-anticipated first part of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," which opens in November 2010.

So although we have to wait a little longer for "Half-Blood Prince," the wait from that film until "Deathly Hallows" will be less than 18 months. I am sorry to have disappointed you now, but if you hold on a little longer, I believe it will be worth the wait.

Alan Horn
President, Chief Operating Officer
Warner Bros.




The LA Times asks: Did Harry Potter's privates push 'Half Blood Prince'? Star Daniel Radcliffe's adult turn in Equus was announced in January of last year and had virtually no effect on the box office of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I think the studios are just making sure they have a few blockbusters for '09 Plain and simple....

Round Midnight

Problems for Warner Bros. and the film adaptation of Watchmen

Fox is seeking an injunction to block the release of the movie after a Los Angeles court ruled a copyright lawsuit against Warner can go forward reports Variety.

Fox acquired motion picture rights to the "Watchmen" graphic novel in the late 1980s, and even though it relinquished certain rights to the material in 1991 - it held onto the right to distribute the first movie.

Judge Gary A. Feess of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied Warners motion to dismiss the suit in a ruling last week, in essence concluding that Fox could hold some of the rights to the material. A Fox spokesman says that the studio "will be asking the court to enforce Fox's copyright interests and enjoin the release of the Warner Brothers film and any related 'Watchmen' media that violate our copyright interests in that property."

Things are still very early here, but the decision has caused a few jitters at the studio I'm sure.

More about the case and history of the property's film development can be found at Deadline Hollywood Daily.

Fingers crossed here that all will be resolved before the March 6th '09 release date...

Kevin Smith raves about Zack Snyder's rough cut of the" film adaptation that he's seen. And it seems that the character of Captain Metropolis has been cut out of the film.

Let's just hope we get to see the film period...

Where Did He Go?

The future of the "Superman" film franchise remains in doubt folks as suits at Warner Bros. consider what to do next about the direction of the series.

While the mega success of The Dark Knight has everyone at the studio grinning like the Joker , clearly, superhero flicks have been problematic, to say the least....

Take "Justice League: Mortal": DC creative affairs senior VP Gregory Noveck insisted to Variety over the weekend that "We're going to make a Justice League movie, whether it's now or 10 years from now. But we're not going to do it and Warners is not going to do it until we know it's right."

But we know better There's been little progress made over the last several months and while I admire notions of getting it "right" After so much ballyhoo about making it happen--And 10 years might be what it takes. Why announce until you can be a bit more confident?

Back to Supes...While Superman: Man of Steel isn't technically dead, as Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons aptly says the film "remains on severe life support... "Superman Returns". Bryan Singer's film is regarded as a noble misfire with very mixed reactions and only moderate box-office numbers. There's always been talk of sequel, but the question has been more what form will it take.

Anne Thompson, of Variety said on her Blog today that within the WB "they too believe that the last movie didn't break the mold and wound up in some kind of middle limbo."

NO new writers are currently working on the project and the studio doesn't seem to know what they want -a direct sequel, or another reboot

Sources tell Thompson that "It is a priority at the studio to find the right direction and if Bryan Singer is willing to do that, fine, but if he gets in the way, he may not stay on the project....It might be better to start from scratch."

Franklin: "Despite the delays, the general reasons for the delays though seem to be good - the studio is taking time to develop the properties right and is concerned more with their quality than reaching a specific date."

I like Franklin am hopeful that MOS will happen....I want Singer to have another go at it..I am disheartened though that the hero that gave me a love of cinema almost 30 years ago with Superman may be in big sreen "limbo" for a long time...Again.

Life Of Ryan

CHUD posted an interesting casting rumor- Director Sam Raimi wants his "Spider-Manl " co-star James Franco to play the lead role in his relaunch of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan film series.

The source adds though the studio doesn't think Franco is suitable and so they and Raimi are clashing over the casting - to the point that Raimi may walk away.

Raimi became attached to the project back in March when it was indicated that the studio wanted to restart the franchise with a film that didn't use one of Clancy's books and again recast Ryan as a young CIA analyst which they did in 2002's "The Sum of All Fears". with by Ben Affleck in the role

Casting is crucial. And while I thought Affleck did fine...Others resented his turn as Ryan..Sum did as well the as the other films in the series.

Personally, I think Franco is a fine choice...and could do as well as say Ryan Gosling...maybe this guy can give Franco some tips...

In related Raimi news--the helmer is teaming with Tom Cruise to bring a film adaptation of the comic book "Sleeper" says The Hollywood Reporter.

Written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips "Sleeper" centers on an operative whose fusion with an alien artifact makes him impervious to pain and allows him to pass it on to others through skin contact. He is placed undercover in a villainous organization by an intelligence agency and falls for a member of the group, named Miss Misery.

Cruise is loosely attached to star in the adaptation which Raimi would produce and the project could be turned into a possible franchise.

Cruise is attached to several flicks though including the comedy "Food Fight"

Bumpy Road

Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski are in negotiations to pen the script for that live-action film version of the wildly popular children's horror series "Goosebumps" says The Hollywood Reporter.

The "Goosebumps" series created and authored by R. L. Stine. is made up more than 50 books.

The scribe team certainly has an eclectic resume...

Producer Neal H. Moritz has said he likely will cast youngsters for the leads and then include well-known actors in supporting roles like the "Harry Potter" films.

New Lease On Film

New Regency Enterprises has decided to drop the feature film adaptation of classic 80's Japanese anime series "Voltron" putting the progect into turnaround but fear not fans..Relativity Media. is already in negotiations to pick up the property reports Variety:

Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li) wrote the script described as "a post-apocalyptic tale set in New York City and Mexico, where five survivors of an alien attack band together and end up piloting the five lion-shaped robots that combine and form the massive sword-wielding Voltron that helps battle Earth's invaders."

Marks' work got rave reviews but Regency was never able to fully complete negotiations with the original rights holders - putting the film in limbo.

The new version at Relativity plans to shoot the film on a more moderate budget using cost-effective filming techniques. A director should be named by next week.

Just For Laughs

TV actor John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein are rewriting the comedy "Burt Dickenson, Most Powerful Magician on the Planet Earth " says The Hollywood Reporter.

Chad Kultgen's original screenplay follows a big-time Las Vegas illusionist whose preeminence is threatened by a younger "extreme magician."

The pair sold comedy spec "The $40,000 Man" last year, and may also rewrite a family comedy called "Hours of Fun".

Daley (pictured) and Goldstein are fast becoming the kings of the rewrites.

Simon Says...

Simon Pegg told readers of his MySpace page that he WILL NOT be a part of Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Bastards" after all.

"Much to our mutual disappointment, I won't be appearing in QT's forthcoming Inglorious Bastards due to insurmountable scheduling difficulties. We really tried to make it work but in the end, it just was not possible without severe ramifications elsewhere," Pegg says.

"I'm trying to remain upbeat, as Tom Selleck said 'Who the hell is Indiana Jones anyway?."

The Selleck line is killer cause at one point the popular TV actor was up for Indy....

(Meanwhile, AICN reports Samm Levine, will replace David Krumholtz who will not be involved in the film either.)

Moving Pegg says Greg Mottola has signed on to direct him in his next film "Paul" according to

Written and starring Pegg and Nick Frost, the road movie follows two British comic book geeks that get into an adventure across America. Unlike usual, Pegg will be playing the sidekick this time.

David Schwimmer was at one time calling action on the flick...

Finding The Next Class

Chatting with producer Gary Lucchesi the gang at Collider got him to "sing" about the upcoming "Fame" update.

With a budget of around $25-30 million, the film has been scheduled for a September 25th 2009 release.The project is set in the present day and will use all new songs except for the classic title track.

The students the story will all be played by unknowns, but some of the faculty will be bigger names. Casting unknowns is the way to go as far as the kids are concerned. As long as none of the gang from the High School Musical films show up things should be fine.

Filming will begin this November in New York and Los Angeles.

Tone Deaf

Zac sings. Vanessa Hudgens sings. Ashley faints in the latest High School Musical 3: Senior Year trailer...



Efron actually sings the words "Game on" Oh Brother!