Sharbino & Adams Join "Poltergeist" Redux As Cameras Roll

THR says that Touch actress Saxon Sharbino has joined the remake of the 1982 supernatural horror classic "Poltergeist",

Like the older film starring Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams, the story focuses on a family whose house was built on a sacred site and whose daughter is taken by ghosts.  The oeiginal film  was produced and co-scripted by Steven Spielberg (based on his story) and directed by Tobe Hooper. It spawned two sequels, "Poltergeist II: The Other Side" in 1986 and "Poltergeist III" in 1988.

Sam Rockwell would play dad to the Bowen family married to wife Rosemarie DeWitt. Sharbino will play Kendra Bowen, their 16-year-old daughter. The Following's Kyle Catlett is playing her younger brother. 6-year-old Kennedi Clements ("Rogue," "A Family Thanksgiving") will play the key role of Madison

Jared Harris is playing Carrigan, a former academic who now hosts a basic cable TV series called Haunted House Cleaners.  Jane Adams, best known for her work on the cable series Hung, is set to play a parapsychologist called in to help the family find their daughter and identify the supernatural forces at work in their home.

David Lindsay-Abaire is writing the new script from which "City of Ember" and "Monster House" helmer Gil Kenan will direct.

Sam Raimi Nathan Kahane (Juno) and Roy Lee (The Departed) are producing the redux.

Nathan Kahane will exec produce.  

Filming began on Sept. 23 in Toronto, Canada

Michael B. Jordan Hovers Over ID4 Sequels

The Wrap says that Michael B. Jordan is circling Roland Emmerich's upcoming ID Forever Part I and ID Forever Part II.

Jordan has not yet received an offer as yet and neither Fox or Emmerich will comment.

Any official casting announcements aren't expected until later this year.

Jordan is said to be one of several names rising young actors who met with Emmerich. Studio suits are said to want himhim, while Jordan himself is apparently interested.

At last report Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman, were set to reprise their roles as tech whiz David Levinson and Pullman was President Thomas J. Whitmore respectively. Will Smith may be back in the mix to reprise his role as Captain Steven Hiller

Screenwriter James Vanderbilt ("The Amazing Spider-Man," "Zodiac") is currently at work on a polish of Emmerich and Dean Devlin's script for the second film.

The film is currently slated for a July 3rd 2015 release, but could well be pushed back until 2016.

Tarzan Redux Back On As Waltz Eyes Bad Guy Role

Christoph Waltz ("Django Unchained," "Inglourious Basterds") is in talks to join the briefly stalled--now back on director David Yates re-imagining of Edgar Rice Burroughs "Tarzan" at Warner Bros.

"True Blood" star Alexander Skarsgård is attached to play the loin cloth wearing  vine-swinger, while Jessica Chastain had been circling the female lead Jane. Now  Emma Stone and Margot Robbie are being considered for the ape man's gal. Jamie Foxx was being wooed for the third lead role--Civil War veteran and former mercenary George Washington Williams.

Waltz will play bad guy Captain Rom, a Belgian soldier who wants to capture Tarzan in exchange for diamonds.

Adam Cozad penned the most recent script draft.

Jerry Weintraub and Alan Riche will produce the film.

 Production will likely take place next Summer for a 2015 release.

Sherlock Holmes 3: Law Issues Update

Actor Jude Law tells Empire that he has already had a couple of meetings with the suits about Sherlock Holmes 3:

"I hate celebrating anything I've done, but I'm so proud of those films. I think it was Joel Silver who said, 'Take it out of that dusty room and put it on the street'. I think Warners want it, and there's a lot of want from us as a team. We want it to be better than the other two. We want to make sure it's smarter and cleverer, but in the same realm."

Scheduling is the main reason for the hold up on 3. Law, star Robert Downey Jr., and director Guy Ritchie are all busy doing other films:

"It's a slow process. We're all busy. So getting us together to try to nail that has taken a little bit longer than we had hoped."

At last report, "Iron Man 3" scribe Drew Pearce has been charged to write the script.

The first "Sherlock Holmes" was released in 2009 and grossed $524 million globally. on a $90 million budget. The sequel, called "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," followed in 2011 and grossed $544 million at the worldwide box-office

Avengers 2 SDCC Peek & Thor 2 " S.H.I.E.L.D." Peek

Marvel's July Comic-Con tease of writer/director Joss Whedon's superhero team up sequel "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" has hit the net.

While the sequel DOES NOT follow the Age of Ultron comics storyline--in which the big bad Ultron was created by Hank Pym who becomes Ant-Man. We do not know whether James Spader will just voice Ultron, or if he'll have to do some kind of motion-capture as well--This news puts to rest the most popular theory suggesting that Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr,) robot butler J.A.R.V.I.S. (voiced by Paul Bettany) operating system from the Iron Man Films would turn into the villain.

"Kick-Ass 2" star Aaron Taylor-Johnson remains the frontrunner to play Wanda's brother  Quicksilver in the film joining Marvel vets RDJ, Chris Evans Chris Hemsworth Scarlett Johansson Samuel L. Jackson Jeremy Renner Mark Ruffalo, Clark Gregg and Cobie Smulders who are all expected back

The chatter has been confirmed that "Martha Marcy May Marlene" and "Silent House" star Elizabeth Olsen has reportedly become the front runner for the role of Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. Scarlet Witch.

Production is due to begin in February to meet a release date of May 1, 2015.




The promo spot for "Thor: The Dark World" that ran during the Tuesday premiere of
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is here as well.

The sequel is directed by Alan Taylor and on a larger scale than the first film with double the amount of Asgardian characters and the inclusion of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) battling more mythical Norse creatures.

Natalie Portman is back playing Jane. Tom Hiddleston is once again bad boy Loki Kat Dennings will reprise her role as Darcy Lewis, the spunky sidekick to Portman's from the first film and Idris Elba will be reprising the role of Heimdal. Jamie Alexander plays Sif, ‘Chuck’s’ Zachary Levi is lined up to replace Josh Dallas who will not reprise his role as Warriors Three member Frandral Hopkins will be back playing Thor's pops. Christopher Eccleston will play the villain--the character of Malekith The Accursed, is the ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim and has magical abilities including teleportation, energy projection, flight, and shape changing ability. He also has a weakness to iron which cancels out his powers. Eccleston takes over from Mads Mikkelsen who was originally slated to play the part but had to pass due to scheduling issues with the Hannibal TV show.The great Alice Krige ("Star Trek: First Contact," "Silent Hill") will play the Dark Elf queen Alflyse. Richard Brake will play a captain in an elite squad of warriors known as the Einherjar. Clive Russell ("Sherlock Holmes") will play Tyr, Asgard’s god of war and the older brother of Thor.

"Saving Private Ryan" scribe Robert Rodat is said to have performed a re-write of the sequel. First Thor co-writer Don Payne had written the first draft. It was recently revealed that Joss was brought in to help solve a few issues with the screenplay

The sequel hits theaters on November 8th 2013

Driver & Machine Gun Kelly Join Another "Blackbird"

The Wrap reports that Minnie Driver and rapper Machine Gun Kelly have joined the music themed romance drama Blackbird.

The film follows Noni Jean (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), a musician on the verge of superstardom who's buckling under the pressure and on the verge of suicide until her emotional life is turned around by local cop Kaz (Nate Parker). Their parents urge them to put their careers before their relationship, but together they're able to break free from those controlling voices and find their own direction.

Driver will play Noni’s mother and manager, while Kelly  will play Kid Culprit, a rapper on Noni’s label who she collaborates with before releasing her first solo album.

Danny Glover also stars.

Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Secret Life Of Bees) is at the helm using her own script.

Ryan Kavanaugh will produce with Stephanie Allain Bray, and Reggie Rock Bythewood.

Tucker Tooley will executive produce with Matt Alvarez

This project is not to be confused with writer-director David Mamet’s Hitchcock-style thriller “Blackbird" starring Cate Blanchett

Mazzello Charts His Brother's Story In "Undrafted"

Deadline reports that Joseph Mazzello, who played one of the two kids in the original Jurassic Park, will make his directorial debut on the sports drama Undrafted.

Written by Mazzello (pictured) the film is based on the personal story of his brother’s experience as a star college baseball player who, thought scouted, was ultimately never drafted.

Mazzello James Belushi, Chace Crawford Aaron Tveit Matt Barr, Tyler Hoechlin, Manny Montana, Philip Winchester and Billy Gardell star in the film.

 

Eric Fischer and Brianna Lee Johnson are producing while Mazzello and Crawford (pictured) will exec producer

Mazzello commented: “I watched for 15 years as my brother worked tirelessly to make his dream come true only to see it never happen and it was heartbreaking. During that time I saw the love he and his teammates had for each other and for the game that is the heart of our story.”

Production is underway in California

Justin Long Will Sport A "Tusk" For Smith's "F'd Up" Movie

Entertainment Weekly reports that Justin Long will star in--I thought he was retiring Kevin Smith's Tusk.

The film will star Michael Parks as the Victor Frankenstein-esque doctor of the film while Long will play "a guy who turns another guy into a f–king human walrus," Smith tells the mag.

Parks has previously worked with Smith on the 2011 film Red State and Long starred in 2001′s Jeepers Creepers.

"As weird as it is in my head when I talk about it, they finally sent me the costume designs by Robert Kurtzman, and I was like, ‘Holy sh-t, it’s a monster movie, I had no idea.’ I thought I was making a kind of sister thriller to Red State. As soon as I saw the designs, I go, ‘Of course this is a monster movie and he’s Dr. Frankenstein. It was written for Michael Parks, who I loved in Red State. That was one of the best times I ever had my career, sitting on a set, rolling a camera on a true f–king genius, who is pretending to be somebody else and I forgot who the real guy is because his performance is so good,’ explains Smith. ‘I wrote the script around him, so it’s nothing but Michael Parks dialogue porn. Justin Long is the guy in the walrus suit. I needed a guy who has expressive eyes because once you’re in that suit, you’re covered. I reached out to Justin and he wrote back and was like, ‘This is awfully scary but how can we not? Let’s fall down this hole.’ So it’ll be Parks versus Long trying to answer the age-old question, ‘Is man indeed a walrus at heart? It’s a f–ked up movie, dude"

Production begins on October 21st for a 2014 release

Transformers 4 Photo: Things Go Boom!

Director Michael Bay used his official site to post a fresh photo from the set of "Transformers: Age Of Extinction",

And guess what? The helmer will---SHOCKER--blow stuff up in the new action sequel.

The new film follows a high school student, and daughter (Nicola Peltz) of Mark Wahlberg's character, and her race car driver boyfriend--Jack Reynor--who is expected to be signed for three-picture deal.

Stanley Tucci has joined the cast along with a mysterious young actor who hasn't been identified yet. former Frasier star Kelsey Grammer has been cast as the human bad guy---counter intelligence officer Harold Attinger. British actress Sophia Myles ("Moonlight," "Thunderbirds") will play a scientist in the film Comedian-turned-actor T.J. Miller will play Wahlberg's pal in the movie. "Resident Evil: Retribution" co-star Li Bingbing also stars.  Chinese singer/actor Han Geng co-stars. The 29-year-old is a superstar sensation in both his home country – he has 35 millions followers on his Weibo account – and South Korea, where he began his show-business career as a member of the chart-topping pop group Super Junior. Josh Duhamel recently said that they are trying to ensure an appearance for his military hero character, Major Lennox in the film. Titus Welliver appears as well.

Bay has confirmed that the next film is set four years after the events in Chicago as seen in the third film--Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Ehren Kruger wrote the script for the fourth film. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing the film.

Production for Transformers 4 began in June, with location shoots in China scheduled to take place in the fall. The sequel hits theaters on June 27th, 2014.

Ross & Lawrence Reteam For "East Of Eden"

Deadline reports that original Hunger Games director Gary Ross, and star Jennifer Lawrence are poised to reunite for the latest and long planned adaptation of East of Eden.

Based upon author John Steinbeck's classic novel about two brothers who compete for the attention of their farmer father in California around the time of World War I.

Lawrence would play Cathy Ames, the boys’ estranged mother.

Ross will also pen the adapted script as well

Brian Grazer is producing the film.

In 2004 director Ron Howard and writer Paul Attanasio got the ball rolling on making the film only to stall out. And then in 2009, director Tom Hooper and writer Christopher Hampton made a second attempt to no avail

The story was first put on screen in 1955 by the great Elia Kazan starring James Dean and Richard Davalos. It hit the small screen in 1981 as a TV Mini-Series

Jason Segel Gets Into A Sticky Situation

Jason Segel is attached to star in an Untitled Maple Syrup Heist Comedy says Deadline.

The script by "Family Guy" staff writer Chris Sheridan is, based on a daring 2012 heist where $20 million worth of maple syrup was siphoned from 16,000 45-gallon barrels at Quebec's Federation of Maple Syrup Producers. More than 20 people have been arrested in connection with the heist, after investigators found the syrup in a New Brunswick facility. While the heist is still under investigation, it is believed that the syrup was hauled away in some type of tanker truck.

Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) is set to call action,

Barry Josephson. Segel and Gordon will produce the film

Stars Will Come To Philadelphia For “Franny"

“Divergent” star Theo James and Dakota Fanning are set to join the indie drama “Franny" says Deadline.

The story follows a gregarious hedonist (Richard Gere) who finds a renewed sense of purpose by desperately ingratiating himself into the lives of a young couple (Fanning, James).

 Andrew Renzi will call action using his own script

Kevin Turen is set to produce the film.

Production begins October 21st in Philadelphia.

DiCaprio Eyes Producing Edward Snowden Film

Screen Daily reports that actor Leonardo DiCaprio's production company Appian Way is in the lead to nab the film rights to fugitive whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

The Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald broke the original news story in The Guardian newspaper and is now writing a book about Snowden and the NSA. He says "there have been negotiations" with an unnamed company for the rights, but the deal is not closed.

Snowden was a US computer specialist and former Central Intelligence Agency and NSA employee. He disclosed classified details to The Guardian in an effort to expose the actions of the Nsa, the government agency which had been collecting the telephone records of millions of Verizon customers under a top secret court order.

Snowden was subsequently charged with espionage by the US government, prompting him to flee to Hong Kong and then Russia where he has been granted temporary asylum. Shortly after the story's publication, The Guardian had to destroy computer hard drives containing copies of some of the secret files leaked by Snowden after a threat of legal action by the UK Government.

It also being reported that at least one US film executive has met with The Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger to discuss a potential film. Greenwald's new book is due for release in March.

It's unclear what facets of the case the film will cover, or if DiCaprio will star in the pic or just produce.

Watch: "Need For Speed" Peek

A teaser trailer for the film adaptation of Electronic Arts best-selling video game franchise "Need for Speed" has zoomed its way online.

As a rival to the "Fast and Furious" film series, 'Need' has sold over 100 million copies of the eighteen games in the series, making it the most successful racing video game series in the world.

The film is said to be a fast-paced, high-octane film rooted in the tradition of the great car culture films of the '70s.

Aaron Paul Imogen Poots, Dominic Cooper, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malek Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi Michael Keaton and Harrison Gilbertson co star.

The film will focus on street racer Paul, framed for the auto racing accident that takes his best friend's life who joins a New York-to-Los Angeles race to get revenge after his release from prison.

At one point, Taylor Kitsch had reportedly been offered the lead role. Actors Brenton Thwaites and Luke Bracey, both former stars of Aussie soap "Home and Away", were also being tested for roles in film

George and John Gatins are writing the script from which Scott Waugh ("Act of Valor") would call action.

John Gatins and EA will produce the film

The film has a March 14, 2014 release date.

Landon Takes Over As Director Of "Boy Scouts Vs. Zombies"

Christopher Landon ("Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones") will direct "Boy Scouts Vs. Zombies" says Deadline. Landon takes over from the previously linked Etan Cohen.

The story follows a troop that must save a group of scouts on a camping trip who are attacked by a pack of zombies.

Landon will perform a rewrite on the Black List script by Carrie Evans and Emi Mochizuki. 

Todd Garner, Andy Fickman, Betsy Sullenger, and Bryan Brucks will produce the film.

 Production begins in the spring.

"Runaways" Film Shelved Due To "The Avengers"

At first it was put on hold--now the film adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan's sci-fi action comic book  Runaways has been scrapped entirely--thanks to the success of "The Avengers".

The comic follows five Los Angeles teens who form their own fringe super-team when they learn their parents are actually members of a big-time supervillain group called The Pride.

Peter Sollet ("Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist) was set to direct the pic

During a recent segment of The Q&A with Jeff Goldstein podcast (via THR), "Iron Man 3" co-writer Drew Pearce says the film was shelved post-"The Avengers". 

"We were really close to being made, and then this movie started to happen called The Avengers. Oddly, it pulled focus from the unheard-of brand Runaways, and it really did kind of consume the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's there -- maybe it'll be a phase three movie. I really hope so. I'm really proud of it and I think it'll be a brilliant film, but I think it all depends what Kevin Feige,, the president of Marvel, his master plan is. They make two [movies] a year, but that's still at least three years down the line [until they run out of films already in progress]."

"Runaways" was Pearce's first gig at Marvel."Iron Man 3" director Shane Black calls its script one of the better ones currently sitting on a shelf.

Will You Go "Into the Storm"?

New Line Cinema's found-footage natural disaster thriller once called Category Six and then called "Black Sky," has a third title and a release date says THR

"Into the Storm" is set for an August 8th 2014 release.

The script by John Swetnam sees Richard Armitage and Prison Break and The Walking Dead's Sarah Wayne Callies star in the story of a group of high school students caught in a hurricane.

Armitage plays a widowed father who, with the help of storm chasers, tries to rescue his son from the aftermath of a string of tornadoes.

Matt Walsh, Nathan Kress, Arlen Escarpeta, Jeremy Sumpter, Kyle Davis and Jon Reep also star.

Steve Quale ("Final Destination 5") will call the shots--he is also known for his work as James Cameron's visual effects supervisor and second unit director on "Avatar" and "Titanic".

Todd Garner will produce the film.

Photo: Kurt Russell On Fast 7 Set

Vin Diesel used his Facebook page to post the first photo of Kurt Russell working on the sequel Fast & Furious 7. Russell's role is the father of Chad Lindberg's Jesse from the first film. Jesse was shot in a drive-by shooting moments after pleading with Dominic to help protect him.

The 7th film will see Jason Statham's Ian Shaw character out for revenge against Dominic and Brian (Vin Diesel and Paul Walker).

Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson will be back in action as well. "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift" star Lucas Black will reprise his role as Sean Boswell. Universal has plans for the character since Black has in fact signed on for Fast & Furious 8 and 9.

Mixed Martial Arts fighter Ronda Rousey and Thai martial arts superstar and Ong-bak star Tony Jaa will make his American film debut in the next installment of the action film franchise. Nathalie Emmanuel--who starred as Daenery's new servant Missandei in the recently wrapped season of Game of Thrones, plays a "significant" new member of  Diesel and Walker's team. Djimon Hounsou also stars.

Director James Wan is calling action using Chris Morgan's script.

Neal H. Moritz will produce

Production on the action sequel has begun in Atlanta to make a July 11, 2014 release.

Derek Cianfrance Charts Origin Of ESPN

The Wrap reports that "Blue Valentine" and "The Place Beyond the Pines" director Derek Cianfrance will helm a film about the founding of the sports cable network ESPN

The script will be based upon the James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales' 2011 book "Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN". It's is an oral history that chronicles the formation of the cable network and its rise to power. 

The search for a writer to pen the adapted screenplay is on.

"The Social Network" "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "Moneyball" producers Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti are teaming with Jamie Patricof and Lynette Howell on the project

Focus Features picked up the rights to the book after Fox put the movie into turnaround

MOS: Goyer Says Cavill's Superman Can Kill...For Now...

If you read my review of  "Man of Steel"--you know that I had issues with movie on many fronts...But like so many fanboys --it was the ending that really got me where Henry Cavill's Superman kills Michael Shannon's General Zod.

While giving a lecture for BAFTA and the British Film Institute the film's screenwriter David S. Goyer discussed the much debated coda:

"We were pretty sure that was going to be controversial. It's not like we were deluding ourselves, and we weren't just doing it to be cool. We felt, in the case of Zod, we wanted to put the character in an impossible situation and make an impossible choice.

This is one area, and I've written comic books as well and this is where I disagree with some of my fellow comic book writers - 'Superman doesn't kill'. It's a rule that exists outside of the narrative and I just don't believe in rules like that. I believe when you're writing film or television, you can't rely on a crutch or rule that exists outside of the narrative of the film.

So the situation was, Zod says 'I'm not going to stop until you kill me or I kill you.' The reality is no prison on the planet could hold him and in our film Superman can't fly to the moon, and we didn't want to come up with that crutch.

Also our movie was in a way Superman Begins, he's not really Superman until the end of the film. We wanted him to have had that experience of having taken a life and carry that through onto the next films. Because he's Superman and because people idolize him he will have to hold himself to a higher standard."

I still have issues with decision--despite the explanation.

Goyer was asked if he was writing the  "Justice League" movie. His response simply "Might be, can't say."

Goyer is writing Zack Snyder's upcoming Superman/Batman team-up Man of Steel Sequel--due for release on July 17, 2015.