"Special" Ed

As students everywhere are about to head Back to School...

Sony Pictures has picked up Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky's film spec script "Bad Teacher" according to Variety.

The story follows a foul-mouthed, gold-digging seventh-grade teacher who, when dumped by her sugar-daddy of a boyfriend, then turns her attention to a co-worker. Putting her at odds with a rival who happens to be the school's model teacher

With the right casting and director this could be fun.

Eisenberg and Stupnitsky are co-executive producers for TV's The Office and wrote the upcoming Jack Black comedy "Year One".

Vamp Stamp

Director Alex Proyas tells MTV News, as soon as he's finished working on Knowing-starring my "favorite actor" Nicolas Cage (Ugh!)-he is going to work on Dracula Year Zero:

He says the story is "sort of the origin tale that mixes Prince Vlad of Transylvania with [the] sort of [fictionalized legend of] Bram Stoker"

Oh, there will be fangs lots 'o fangs:

"The teeth are really important. I think Frank Langella in the 'Dracula movie that was made in the 70s, I think he didn't want to have teeth in the movie. But, no, I like the teeth. I want to see girls with a lot of teeth."

What won't we see?:

"I think the garlic thing is kind of weird."

"...stakes and teeth...and lots and lots of blood."

I don't care what Proyas does or doesn't do with this---he's the right man for the job...I know he'll do right by the character and mythos...

Set Of Wheels

Explosions and car stunts were the order of the day on the set of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"...The action took place on the Queensway Bridge in Long Beach, CA for 2 days this past week as reported by TF Movie Chronicles.



Optimus Prime's truck incarnation was part of the mayhem...

While Chinese road sign posts were put up in preparation for the movie shoot...



And finally...

Photos of a bruised and beaten Shia LaBeouf can be found right here...

See how it all comes together on the big screen on June 26th, 2009

Go Outback Tonight

Baz Luhrmann's period romance drama "Australia" is the latest flick to be travelin'

Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman-the war movie has moved out of its November 14th release spot pushed back to the November 26th Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

This is the latest ripple in the fall release schedule since "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" having opted out till next year.

When Quantum Of Solace was tilted back a week recently, it was expected that Luhrmann's romantic epic would move to avoid Bond. Opening against 007 in its third week and "Twilight" in its 2nd week the film now has a shot at being #1 during that time--if it's target demo-older women--buy tix and it overcomes a lack of buzz.



It may now have a clear field for that one weekend...But word of mouth/critics positive reaction is key...Without BUZZ just prior to its debut...It doesn't stand a chance regardless of its competition or lack thereof...

House Of Spirits And...?

The folks over at BloodyDisgusting report that Vadim Perelman ("House of Sand and Fog") is apparently the heavy favorite to helm the remake of Poltergeist.

If this turns out to be true Perelman makes an interesting choice considering that up to now his films feature no FX work to speak of...

Stay Tuned...

Imagine

Artist and videographer Sam Taylor-Wood will helm "Nowhere Boy" a biopic about The Beatles singer John Lennon according to The Hollywood Reporter."

Matt Greenhalgh's script will concern Lennon's childhood and journey to music legend.

Lennon was a lonely teenager growing up as his aunt and the mother who gave him up fight for his love.His only escape is music, art and his fateful friendship with Paul McCartney.

Casting has begun and filming is set to take place on location in Lennon's hometown on Liverpool.

Lennon's life story is full of stuff that makes for a great film narrative.

I'll be following this one closely folks

Eye Of The Tiger

ItsJustSomeRandomGuy is back to close out Summer '08 in grand style...

Iron Man is feeling kinda low and so The Dark Knight tries to pump him up... FUNNY!!!



Nice use of a parody...

School Of Rock

Guitar Hero®-The Movie!!!??

Director Brett Ratner wants to bring the popular interactive video game experience to the big screen.

Chatting it up with MTV News, Ratner says "I would love to do a Guitar Hero movie, if Activision would ever let me. I'm trying to convince them".

The plot?

"It could be about a kid from a small town who dreams of being a rock star and he wins the Guitar Hero competition."

I would rhink playing Gitaur Hero is more fun than watching a film about it...

Ratner has video games on the brain 'cause he's attached to direct a film adaptation of "God of War".

Chronic Payne

A full theatrical trailer for Max Payne has hit...Watch Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis in action...



At first blush the film looks better than most based on a video game franchise...The film lands in theaters on October 17th.

Labor And Delivery

Summer '08 goes out with 4 new flicks--and a previous release that goes wide:

Don Cheadle takes the lead as action guy in the Wednesday opener Traitor (reviews); Vin Diesel counters with Babylon AD (reviews) but director Mathieu Kassovitz says don't bother; Disaster Movie (reviews) A great cinema spoof or self-fulfilling prophecy?; Actor/singer Drake Bell goes off to College (reviews) for laughs; And Hamlet 2 (reviews) hopes to fill more seats...



Pamela McClintock of Variety:

There are five new wide releases playing over the long Labor Day weekend -- more than ever before for the holiday -- in a fitting end to a summer that's been full of surprises. As it stands now, total B.O. revenues for the season should come in just behind last summer's record-breaking haul of $4.16 million once Labor Day weekend grosses are tallied...

Don't expect any of the new Labor Day titles -- 20th Century Fox's "Babylon A.D.," Lionsgate's send-up "Disaster Movie," MGM's R-rated laffer "College," Overture's political thriller "Traitor" and Focus Features' quirky comedy "Hamlet 2" -- to rack up big grosses. Most should, however, see solid biz for their respective genres, continuing a summer-long trend of relative prosperity.

For years, the film biz avoided opening movies over Labor Day because it was too close to the fall TV season. That's not the case anymore, however, since TV shows preem throughout the year.

The race for the weekend crown could see a battle between DreamWorks/Paramount holdover "Tropic Thunder" and "Babylon." "Hamlet 2" is off to a wobbly start, having opened wide on Wednesday to $245,813 from 1,530 runs. "Traitor," toplining Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce, grossed a respectable $792,214 as it opened in 2,054 runs on Wednesday. The remaining Labor Day titles open today.

Biggest victor of the summer B.O. is Warner Bros.' Batman sequel "The Dark Knight," which should jump the $500 million mark domestically over the extended Labor Day frame. Through Wednesday, pic's cume was $492.7 million. It's already the second-highest grossing pic of all time after "Titanic" (which earned $600.8 million domestically).

Box office observers didn't think "Dark Knight," directed by Christopher Nolan, could reach such heights, considering its dark and brooding tone. Nolan's "Batman Begins," likewise dark in tone, grossed $205.3 million domestically...

McClintock also gives a history of this Summer's hits and misses in the same article...

Meantime-Foreign box office has solid summer overall...

Joshua Rich of EW:

Vin Diesel's sci-fi flick ''Babylon A.D.'' leads a gaggle of new releases with merely moderate prospects at the Labor Day weekend box office...

It's any body's guess which of these enders if any will land at number one...I'm pulling for Traitor...

Next Week: Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang bring their 1999 flick Bangkok Dangerous to the US--with Nicolas Cage--Ugh!

E For Efron

A 1st look courtesy of EW:

In the drama Me and Orson Welles, debuting Sept. 5 at the The Toronto Film Fest, High School Musical hero Zac Efron may have retired his Wildcats jersey, but not his penchant for puppy love.

''He's falling for this older woman,'' says director Richard Linklater. ''She's taking him for a bit of a ride.''

The object of Efron's affection? Claire Danes: She's a perky production assistant and Efron's an up-and-coming actor working on Welles' famed 1937 staging of Julius Caesar.



Let's face it...Danes can act--Linklater can direct....All eyes will be on Efron as he tries to prove he can act-and thus have a career outside the halls of HSM. Chemistry between he and Danes for the '09 flick--Based upon the book of the same name--is also key....

Strange Going's On

A sequel to the recently released low-budget horror flick "The Strangers" reports Variety.

Bryan Bertino wrote and directed the film and will pen the sequel script, but it's not clear whether he'll helm the sequel.

The original film cost just $9 million and even with very mixed reviews took in over $54 million here in the US.

The film followed a couple terrorised in their remote house by three masked intruders.

Liv Tyler and several of the original villains will return in the project with filming targeted to begin early next year.

Bertino is also attached to direct the thrillers "Black" and "Alone".



Despite having 2 other projects lined up I would be surprised Bertino didn't direct the 2nd flick...

Meanwhile, The Strangers will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray, October 21, 2008.

Face Time

Hollywood writer Aaron Sorkin has revealed on his newly-created Facebook page that he's writing a film about the founders of the popular social networking site.

Launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg as a sophomore studying at Harvard University with best buds Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes .

At first membership was restricted to Harvard students and then expanded to all of the Ivy League schools before going on to open up for all universities and high schools in Canada and the U.S.

Sorkin: "I honestly don't know how this works, which is why I'm here." The film is untitled tight now but will be produced by Scott Rudin.

The site now has more than 100 million users worldwide and is valued at $16 billion dollars.

The story does have a very cinematic feel to it--At the same time though it seems like an odd fit for Sorkin.

Vocal Accords

From live action superhero to animated supervillain...

Robert Downey Jr.. and Tina Fey are in negotiations to lend their voices for characters in the animated feature flick Master Mind according to EW

The film, a satirical send-up of the superhero genre, is the story of a super villain who must find a new motivation after accidentally killing his arch rival, Uberman, in the opening scene of the movie.

Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons wrote the script

Gary Trousdale and Kyle Jefferson will direct

Ben Stiller will co-producing the feature for a November 5th 2010 release.

In Good Company

The great Ron Livingston from Office Space has lined up to star in the independent comedy "The Company Men " reports Variety.

Livingston plays an aging businessman who struggles to save a sinking company.

Co-stars include Steve Buscemi, Steve Zahn and the legendary Martin Landau

Raul Inglis will call the shots from a screenplay he wrote. Shooting begins mid-October in Detroit.

This has the potential to be a lot of fun....

Hot Air

George Clooney will star in the film adaptation of Walter Kirn's book "Up In the Air" according to Variety.

Clooney appears as a heartless HR executive who becomes fixated on earning his millionth frequent flyer mile. Once this small dream is reality, he becomes disconnected with his family and left without a home life.

Jason Reitman ("Juno") will direct the film and shooting will happen early next year.

Ho-hum and yawn on the premise.

Spidey Fights Cancer

Stand Up To Cancer, in conjunction with Sony Pictures, is auctioning off a "Spider-Man 4" set filled with some great stuff on eBay.

The winning bidder receives:

*A visit to the set of Spider-Man 4 for one shooting day.

*A ONE HOUR meet and greet with the cast.

*A walk-on role in the film.

*A Trip to the New York premiere.

*Outfits to wear to the premiere for winner and a guest from top designers.

*The winner and guest will also walk the premiere's red carpet.

Having lost several members of my family to cancer....

What a great idea! And for a great cause...

The offer comes as there's still no official word on who's involved the sequel. The studio has plans for the film to be in theaters by 2011.

The auction though ends September 5th at 7:00 pm US-PDT.

Cruel And Usual

Austin Chick is writing an as-yet- untitled thriller set in The Hamptons according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Described as Cruel Intentions meets A Simple Plan.

The premise is a familiar one:

3 twenty-somethings -- two brothers and a brother's girlfriend -- who, while vacationing in the Hamptons, find a stash of money. Soon the trio get snared in an increasingly complex plan to divide it up. Oh and did I mention they are being cased by folks who want their money back. A love triangle also figures into the tale.

Chick's August got limited play this Summer--Despite a few conventions-with proper casting this project could put him on the map.

Shooting will begin in March on Long Island with casting to be announced shortly.

Better Twice Than Never

Will Sasso and former "Beverly Hills, 90210" co-star Ian Ziering (pictured) will star in the spoof "National Lampoon.'s The Legend of Awesomest Maximus"according to the gang at ShowHype.

As you might have guessed the project pokes fun at flicks like 300, Troy, and Gladiator.

Jeff Kanew directs Jason Burinescu's sctipt.

Wasn't this genre already spoofed in Meet The Spartans earlier this year....? Yikes!

Filming is already underway.

Comedy Is Hard

A Hollywood scribe 2-fer-1:

Christopher B. Landon (Disturbia) wrote and will make his directorial debut on the indie dark comedy "Burning Palms" says Variety.

The flick will weave together 5 stories set in Los Angeles, where no taboo is left unexplored as each character confronts a dark comic fate.

Disrurbia's script was better than your average thriller...I'll be watching for news on this one closely

Production begins the first week of October in Los Angeles.



And:

Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay (Æon Flux) will adapt the Garth Ennis comic "The Boys"according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The comic is about a CIA squad, known informally as "the boys," whose job is to keep watch on the population of superheroes and, if necessary, intimidate or evin eliminate them.

Neal H. Moritz will produce. Manfredi and Hay also adapted the comic "R.I.P.D." which is in development at Universal Pictures.

Before we get too excited about Boys lest we forget that Flux SUCKED in every way including the script..

Something To Say

Hilary Swank will produce and potentially star in an adaptation of Emily Giffin 2005 debut novel "Something Borrowed" says Variety.

The premise has a Manhattan attorney getting involved with her best friend's fiance following her 30th birthday.

This is the 2nd book Swank has optioned in less than a month...She is making sure she has enough work lined up for awhile

Swank and producing partner Molly Smith will develop through their production company. The deal also includes screen rights to Giffin's sequel tome "Something Blue."

The Nightmare Isn't Over

The folks over at Arrow in the Head say that plans are moving forward with a sequel to Rob Zombie's version of "Halloween" without the helmer's involvement.

Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, who circled the "Hellraiser" remake, have confirmed themselves as the co-directors.

Maury tells Rue Morgue Magazine: "Our vision will be done with the utmost respect, with a continuity to Zombie's work. But also a real evolution of the world he set in place."

1981's "Halloween II" was set in a medical clinic Given the end of Zombie's film I doubt this sequel will follow suit.

Those of you that read my review of Zombie's effort, know how I feel about the way it turned out...If the new duo taking over follow the history established a year ago...I wish them luck. And as a devotee of Halloween 1978 I will be watching this one closely.

Deeds Of The Dead

In keeping with the "zombie" theme...

Woody Harrelson has joined the cast of "Zombieland" says Reuters.

The story sees two survivors of a zombie attack who must find a way to put their differences aside to live.

Harrelson will play one of the survivors, named Albequrque.

Ruben Fleischer is directing from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

Harrelson's had an eclectic film career and Zombieland continues that trend. His chemistry with the other survivor is key...

He and Wesley Snipes have worked well before and Snipes has already battled the undead 3 rimes before as Blade

Dis-Mount

Legendary Pictures wants Jayson Rothwell to write the thriller "The Mountain" based on a concept developed in-house reports Variety.

The premise sees a small-town sheriff, newly arrived from the inner city, who assembles a search party to investigate the disappearance of hikers in the Cascade Mountain Range.

The sheriff soon discover that the beautiful, remote wilderness can be just as dangerous as any urban environment.



The idea sounds a lot like Cliffhanger, Vertical Limit and Shoot to Kill.

A Man And A Gun

Former stud from "The O.C." Ben McKenzie has landed the biggest role of his career...starring in a film version of the one-man stage show "Johnny Got His Gun". says The Hollywood Reporter.

Rowan Joseph's anti-war drama is a portrait of a World War I soldier with battlefield injuries that leave him trapped in his own body, unable to communicate with others.

Dalton Trumbo adapted and directed his 1938 novel into a film in 1971 which Bradley Rand Smith adapted into an Off-Broadway project in 1982 starring Jeff Daniels.

This film is an adaptation of that project-No doubt to reflect the Iraq War.

It's no coincidence that the film will premiere Sept. 22 in Austin, Texas followed by runs in California, New York and beyond trying to influence the Presidential election-much like W.

Never watched Ben on TV but is he really that skilled of an actor to pull it off?

Gun's official site has more info.

Home Movies

MTV has news that should pique the interest of those waiting for the release of Twilight on November 21st 2008...

New flashback scenes involving the various Cullen clan are being shot this week according to actor Peter Facinelli who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the flick. says he along with, Robert Pattinson, Nikki Reed and Elizabeth Reaser will be involved in the scenes.

Riddick Richochet

Maybe I should call the blog The Career Of Vin Diesel...

Even though "The Chronicles of Riddick" bombed at the box office 4 years ago, Diesel is still primed on doing further adventures with the character who first appeared in the awesome "Pitch Black ".

He tells MTV News: "David Twohy right now is writing the scripts. The only question is whether we take a page from the The Lord of the Rings guys and try to shoot the two chapters at the same time. There are two more in mind"

"Everyone knows I love the Riddick character and I'm always working on it. It just takes five years to make another one because David Twohy and I are so precious about it...Sooner or later we all end up in the Underverse".



I loved Pitch Black but HATED Chronicles-The character is a total bad ass But unless the team can assure greatness. I say... Forget it...

Death To Babylon

Just days away from the Friday release of his Babylon AD, director Mathieu Kassovitz rips the final product...

He told AMCTV that he didn't have a very good time making the Vin Diesel sci-fi thriller.

"I never had a chance to do one scene the way it was written or the way I wanted it to be. The script wasn't respected. Bad producers, bad partners, it was a terrible experience."

Adding he got involved in the project because he thought:

"The scope of the original book (Babylon Babies by Maurice Georges Dantec) was quite amazing. The author was very much into geopolitics and how the world is going to evolve. He saw that as wars evolve, it won't be just about territories any more, but money-driven politics. As a director it's something that's very attractive to do."

None of that political subtext shows up in the final film - "It's pure violence and stupidity. All the action scenes had a goal: They were supposed to be driven by either a metaphysical point of view or experience for the characters... instead parts of the movie are like a bad episode of 24."

Kassovitz says it's all distributor Fox is fault the film sucks:

"Fox was sending lawyers who were only looking at all the commas and the dots. They made everything difficult from A to Z."

The re-editing of the film by the studio to bring it down to 93 minutes forced him to speak up and out against the movie...

"I should have chosen a studio that has guts. Fox was just trying to get a PG-13 movie. I'm ready to go to war against them, but I can't because they don't give a s--t."

Not having read the book nor seen the finished product I can't comment on the structure or narrative but PG-13 is a major studio's favorite rating-That much is certain....Look at what happened with Kick-Ass Risk taking seems to have gone out of style in Hollywood.



It's pretty bad when a director bad mouth's his own flick---There's always a Director's Cut DVD If the studio forgives Kassovitz for putting the blame on them...

Race Relations

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster are finally all back together in Fast and Furious-the fourth film in the series....

Here's the latest trailer...



The film looks like it could be be a fun piece of Summer fluff....It zooms into theaters on June 5th, 2009.

Silent Yelling

How great is it to be director Kevin Smith right now?

Pretty damn great, I'd say....

First he sees the rough cut of "Watchmen" -now he apparently saw the rough cut of "Star Trek" the other day-without mentioning the reboot by name...Kinda.

I am so jealous....

Smith talking to the host of KROQ FM's Kevin and Bean Show had the following exchange:

Smith: I saw a movie last night that I cannot talk about.

Host: Was it good?

Smith: It was phenomenal.

Host: Any stars, any break out stars, and do they trek?

Smith: The stars absolutely trek in this film. It is fantastic. Anybody who was worried doesn’t need to be worried–about this film I cannot talk about…It was in very capable hands. The director did a phenomenal job–the director and his crew. Top notch cast and the guy that plays the lead is an instant star. That dude is going to be so famous. He is so wonderful. He picked up a role that I would say is pretty challenging for someone to step into the shoes of, because it is a role that has been played before many times by the same guy.

Host: How do you out Shatner, Shatner?

Smith: I don’t know what you are talking about.

Host: I was just saying that as an expression.

Smith: Yes, absolutely, in a world of expressions, I would agree with that…I am so not good with this game, you are going to bury me man.

Host: We had you on before The Dark Knight and I remember asking you if you could direct a movie like Dark Knight and you said ‘hell no’ it was so far out of your sphere…but I bring that up to preface this. Let’s say a franchise like Star Trek, not that you have seen the movie or we are talking about the movie, but we are talking about it for example. That is something that is so dangerous to attempt. Is that the kind of project you would like to do? Would you like to be the guy who gets to do a movie like that?

Smith: I would not like to be the guy. In the case of something like Star Trek, it would take a really insanely talented filmmaker–storyteller. Like in the case of Star Trek,J.J. Abrams. So leave it to the people who are best equipped for it. I am just the guy who should be watching those movies.

Speaking of the Shat...

He's Still Not In The Movie - Final Cut Weeks Away...

Are there still folks wondering about that?

May 8th 2009 can't come soon enough...

Voice Casting

Time for a CG 2-fer-1

First-Kristen Bell (pictured )will voice the lead female role in the CG-animated "Astro Boy" reports Variety.

Based on the classic Anime series ...the story is set in futuristic Metro City, and follows a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist to replace the son he has lost.

Unable to fulfill the grieving father's expectations, Astro sets out on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators. Soon he must return home to save Metro City and reconcile with the man who had rejected him.

Bell joins an already packed cast-including Ugh! Nicolas Cage...

Next up: Michael Keaton and Jodi Benson have joined the voice cast of "Toy Story 3" according to the folks at the IESB.

In this entry, Woody the cowboy (Tom Hanks) Buzz (Tim Allen) and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, leaves for college.

The pair will bring Barbie and Ken to life in the film.

Benson is best known for the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid franchise that began-ulp!- almost 20 years ago... Benson played Tour Guide Barbie and Barbie on Backpack in Toy Story 2.

Keaton lent his voice as Chick Hicks in 2006's "Cars ".

Toy Story 3 opens in theatres on June 18th 2010.

A Former Hobbit Gets Lucky

Sean Astin, Sara Foster (bohr pictured) and Celia Weston have joined the indie comedy "Demoted" according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The flick follows two tire salesmen (Astin, Michael Vartan) who get thier jollies by playing cruel pranks on on a co-worker (David Cross Soon the tables are turned and the victim unexpectedly becomes their boss, he puts the humiliated duo in the secretarial pool

Foster plays the wife of Astin's character, who's tricked into believing he was promoted. Weston will play the head secretary who inspires the best friends to plot their revenge.

James B. Rogers will direct Dan Callahan's screenplay.

Astin's not known for his comedic skill...But at least he gets ro play hubby to Foster...Whoa!

Production begins next month in Michigan.

T-Assault Hali

Helena Bonham Carter has left the set of "Terminator Salvation" to fly back home to Britain after four members of her family were killed in a car crash in South Africa reports FOX News.

Bonham Carter's relatives were on a safari holiday when their minibus spun out of control and flipped over after a tire burst late last week. Helena's cousin Fiona survived with a broken shoulder, but Fiona's son, mother, sister-in-law and stepfather were all killed in a remote area six hours from Johannesburg.

Bonham Carter has been granted an indefinite leave from the film shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to fly back to Britain to comfort her distraught family. Carter plays the small but crucial role of a villain in the new flick.

Handy Man

Shia LaBeouf's hand injury has been written into Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen:



JustJared posted images from the set, showing LaBeouf's character Sam looking very badly burned and bandaged.



That's probably why he was able to return to work sooner than expected...

Meantime-sequel co-screenwriter Roberto Orci chated with TFW2005 about how the film's progress and what to expect:

"The first movie is all about the mystery and reveal of the Transformers as a concept and a species, which means we had to hide them a lot in the first hour. In the second movie, now that everyone believes in the universe, we can jump right into the world of the Transformers. The first movie was meant to be somewhat of a mystery. For the sequel, we need an entirely different structure and paradigm for the movie, and we can't rely on it being the first."

More lighter moments - "We were emulating the style of movie from the old Amblin days, like Back to the Future and Gremlins. Also, comedy makes things more accessible to a larger audience."

On Shia, Orci says "Luckily nothing has to be reshot. Yes, we were on set last week to write it into the movie, not because it's absolutely necessary, but more because we want to make sure Shia's hand is protected for the remainder of the shoot."

The film is going to have about the same runing time and a PG-13 rating as the first, but will have more of a global feel, will be darker, and will incorporate several things they wanted to do in the first film but dropped due to budget limits.

Uh, ok How can you have it both ways with the tone of the pic. Dark or light?

Publicity will begin in November and a teaser trailer will be out before we are out of '08.

They're Baaaack!!!

Yet another film from my teen years is getting a do-over...

Juliet Snowden & Stiles White have been tapped to write the screenplay for the remake of the Tobe Hooper-directed, -Steven Spielberg written 1982 classic "Poltergeist" says The Hollywood Reporter.

The story sees a suburban family terrified by a haunted Indian burial ground inhabited by a bevy of nasty spirits

The original film was hugely popular but also achieved cult status with the so called Poltergeist curse.

The lore surrounding the film series aside, surely the new script will have to have a new hook at the end...A tough act to follow indeed as far as I'm concerned.

Snowden and White have also been involved in the long-in discussion remake of The Birds

Tropical Heat Wave Continues

The Hollywood spoof Tropic Thunder beats Anna Faris as The House Bunny by a "hare"...



Dade Hayes of Variety:

On the strength of a stellar Saturday, "Tropic Thunder" topped the box office chart in its second frame with $16.1 million. That brings the cume for DreamWorks-Paramount’s $90 million-plus action comedy to $65.7 million.

The Ben Stiller-directed laffer played on 3,352 screens.

"Tropic" edged out Sony's female-skewing comedy "The House Bunny," which finished with $15.1 million.

Starring Anna Faris, the femme-centered comedy opened on 2,714 screens.

Universal's "Death Race," initially considered a potential weekend winner, settled for third with $12.3 million.

Featuring Jason Statham and Tyrese Gibson in the remake of the 1975 camp classic, the actioner nabbed a per screen average of $4,855 from 2,532 playdates.

"Bunny" and "Death" fared far better than the weekend's other two wide openers. Dimension/MGM's "The Longshots," which grossed $4.3 million and finished in eighth place, or Fox's "The Rocker," whose meager $2.8 million take left it in 12th place, extending Fox's bumpy run of late.

Warner Bros. owned the No. 4 and 5 spots, with "Dark Knight" reaching $489 million domestically on a $103 million weekend and "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" posting a $5.7 million take.

"Hamlet 2," a pricey Sundance pickup for Focus, did not get off to a roaring start. Playing in 103 runs in advance of a 1,500-run wide break Wednesday, it collected $435,294 or $4,226 per screen.

Overall, it was a soft weekend even by late-August standards, with receipts falling a few percentage points from a year ago, though the summer has been surprisingly healthy. The season tally fell a fraction off the pace of last year's record of $4.16 million, though a diverse product mix and earlier-than-usual Labor Day makes equaling the record a possibility.

Joshua Rich of EW:

Ben Stiller's comedy defeated ''The House Bunny'' at the box office, while ''Death Race'' blew a flat...

A New Journey

The new MacLeod has apparently been found.

Scottish actor Kevin McKidd confirmed during a Dublin radio interview that he's been approached about starring in the "Highlander" remake according to JoBlo.

The original films focused on a secret race of immortals who, over the course of centuries, constantly clash and cut each other's heads off to gain their power.

Summit Entertainment is behind the remake and the producers have previously stated they would include medieval Scotland in their version of the story.

Been a fan of McKidd's since Trainspotting...But his roles in TV's Journeyman and HBO's Rome prove he makes a nice pick as "the one"

Quantum Physics

First it was Harry Potter on the move and now it's James Bond's turn...Quantum Of Solace has a new release date in the U.S.

News broke today that 'Solace' has been delayed a week in the United States, as a result the film is now scheduled to open November 14th.

Folks in Australia and New Zealand will have to wait longer with releases scheduled for November 27th. This means the film will open in the US two weeks after its initial release in the UK and France on October 31st, while Aussies get it four weeks later.

In the US, the reason for the delay was the move of "Harry Potter" out of the Thanksgiving slot, giving the film a better chance at the Thanksgiving box-office where Bond is normally situated.

It's also put 007 up against familiar foes -. "Casino Royale" opened in 2006 but was beaten to the top spot by the CG-animated "Happy Feet" with the voices of Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman

"Solace" is set to compete with Baz Luhrmann's Australia featuring none other than Jackman and Kidman.



The strategy doesn't make much sense from an anti-piracy standpoint. But Okaaaay.....