Ordained

Paul Bettany is in negotiations to star in his 2nd comic book based film in a row- the horror western adaptation of Priest says The Hollywood Reporter.



Set in a world ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampire, the Korean series follows a warrior priest (Bettany) who turns against the church to track down a murderous band of vampires who have kidnapped his niece.

Gerard Butler was originally set to play the lead but obviously, he is out now. Bettany will be re-teaming with his Legion director, Scott Stewart

Cory Goodman (The Brood) wrote the screenplay.

"I knew the moment I saw Stewart's first cut of 'Legion' that Bettany was Priest and so I mentioned it to him immediately," Screen Gems Studios president Clint Culpepper said.

Bettany showed real dark intensity for his role in The Da Vinci Code--He may end up a perfect pick to fight vamps here

Sit A Spell

The Wackness helmer Jonathan Levine is set to direct the irreverent comedy "The Sitter" for according to The Hollywood Reporter.



The story follows a college student, suspended for the semester and living back at home with his single mom. He soon has a night to remember when he gets talked into baby-sitting the eccentric kids next door -- two boys and a wild 8-year-old girl.

Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka wrote the screenplay.

Michael De Luca is producing.

The film obviously takes its cues from the 80's pic Adventures in Babysitting though it's not considered a remake--Still Wackness garnered attention at Sundance... Needs a strong male lead.

Reely Romantic

Drew Barrymore and Justin Long are set to star together in the romantic comedy "Going the Distance" reports THR.

Geoff Latulippe wrote the screenplay that follows a couple trying to maintain a long-distance relationship Finding out along the way it's not as easy as they thought it would be.

Long's character is a script reader, she is a middle school teacher who moves to Chicago.

Nanette Burstein is calling the action.

Barrymore and Long were dating at one point in real life...and both appeared in the recent rom-com He's Just Not That Into You--which certainly means chemistry and a sense of realism...Drew is also rumored to be lending her voice to Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel--which also features Long.

Sucked In

Emily Browning takes over the lead role in director Zack Snyder's next picture, Sucker Punch. " reports Entertainment Weekly.

Based on a story created by Snyder, it follows a girl named Babydoll who is confined to a mental institution by her stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days.

While there, she imagines an alternative reality to hide her from the pain, and in that world, she begins planning her escape, needing to steal five objects to help get her out before she is deflowered by a vile man.

Browning replaces Amanda Seyfried who had to pull out due to her cable commitment. Evan Rachel Wood, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, and Emma Stone also star.

Shooting kicks off in September.

Driver's Ed

Tobey Maguire will produce and potentially star in the race car drama "The Limit" reports THR.



Based on Michael Cannell's upcoming book, "Limit" tells the story of real-life friends and rivals Phil Hill and Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips, two Grand Prix drivers on the Ferrari team, who compete against each other during the 1961 Drivers Championship.

Maguire would play Hill .

Anthony Peckham is attached to write the adapted screenplay

Seabiscuit with wheels and motors

With Blinders On

Kathy Bates is joining Sandra Bullock in the upcoming football dramatic comedy "The Blind Side." says The Hollywood Reporter.



Based on the best-selling book by Michael Lewis, the film tells the true story of football player Michael Oher, projected to be one of the first players selected in this year's NFL. draft.

Bates will play a no-nonsense tutor Bullock hires to help raise Oher, a homeless black teen taken in by Bullock's well-to-do white family.

John Lee Hancock, whose credits include "The Rookie" and "The Alamo," adapted the screenplay and will direct the film .

No one plays "no-nonsense" quite like Bates can...

One Stop Shop

Tony Scott is in negotiiating to direct the action train drama "Unstoppable" reports THR .

The story follows a rail company that tries to stop an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train carrying enough toxic liquids and poisonous gas to wipe out a nearby city.

Mark Bomback penned the script .The project is presently in development so no production schedule has yet been set.

Martin Campbell was previously attached to direct.

Scott is presently in post on "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" remake, another train-themed flick that stars Denzel Washington and John Travolta and opens June 12, 2009.

He's also got The Warriors and Emma's War on his plate.

Silverado

The Weinstein Company wants eclectic director David O. Russell to write and direct an adaptation of Matthew M. Quick's novel "The Silver Linings Playbook" says The Hollywood Reporter



The story follows Pat Peoples, a former high school teacher who, after being released from a four-year stint in a mental institution, moves back in with his mother; he then seeks to remake himself in the hope of reconciling with his ex-wife.

The project is currently casting.

I wonder how many (if any) delays financial or on set disagreements will occur..?

Linc Link

Matthew McConaughey has joined the legal thriller "The Lincoln Lawyer" says Variety.



Based on Michael Connelly's 2005 novel of the same name, the story centers on low-level criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller who finds himself representing a wealthy client with ties to a previous murder case Haller handled.

As far as I'm concerned, McConaughey's finest performance was and still remains as a lawyer in the film A Time to Kill itself a book adaptation..

With proper support--this could serve the guy who rarely wears shirts-very well.

RIP Maurice Jarre (1924-2009)

'Dr. Zhivago' composer dies at 84...

Academy Award-winning composer Maurice Jarre, who scored movies including Doctor Zhivago and "Lawrence of Arabia " among others, died Sunday from cancer in Los Angeles. He was 84.

Jarre enjoyed an illustrious career, working with Hollywood directing legends including John Huston Alfred Hitchcock, (Topaz) and, most notably, David Lean.

Jarre won Oscars in 1963 and 1966 for his collaborations on the Lean movies "Arabia" and "Zhivago".





Fellow French composer Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), who interviewed Jarre last month, said: "Maurice was an immense artist, an incredible symphonist, a magician of the melody and a benevolent human being."

He then mustered a further six Oscar nominations but his third award came once again through a further collaboration with Lean on A Passage to India.

He then swapped orchestral composition to become a pioneer of electronic scoring, working on the music for, among others, "Ghost," "Witness ," "Dead Poets Society" "No Way Out" and "Fatal Attraction". Among his work my personal favorite is School Ties.

His final movie composition was for the 2000 film "I Dreamed of Africa."

Top Floor

Summit Entertainment has picked up Marc Haimes' dark thriller script "Elevator Men" says The Hollywood Reporter.

The story takes a less romanticized look at human-vampire interactions, an anti-"Twilight" if you like which looks at the sinister side of getting close to something dark.

The creatures play diabolical mind games with people, including one that involves an elevator.

Haimes says:

"It's a reaction to all of these stories now -- TV shows and movies -- that play this kind of romantic, fantastical, sexy aspect of getting involved with monsters. This is the dark, sinister version of what really happens when you decide you're going to get close to really bad things"

Mark Gordon, and Josh McLaughlin will produce.

This is actually a smart move on the studio's part--court all of those Vampire fans--who don't think Twilight was for them--like me...

Cries Of Evil

Elaine Hendrix (pictured) and Jordan Matthews. will star in the thriller "Eve" reports Variety.

Brian Metcalf wrote and will direct the story of a woman who tracks down and kills supernatural serial killers.

Hendrix, Metcalf and Karoline Kautz will co-produce.

This team recently wrapped on another supernatural thriller Fading of the Cries with Brad Dourif

Shooting is scheduled to start on Eve next year.

Top Of Her Class

Emma Stone is in negotiations to headline the comedy "Easy A" reports Variety.



Playwright Bert V. Royal wrote the modern, high school-set retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter".

The story centers on a student who sees her life paralleling Scarlet's Hester Prynne after she pretends to be the school slut in hopes that she'll benefit from the notion she's promiscuous.

Will Gluck is directing and shooting gets underway soon.

Did The Summer Blockbuster Season Start Already?

It sure looks that way...

The star-packed voice cast and 3-D CGI animation helped Monsters VS Aliens to a huge win at the box office over the weekend...

Pamela McClintock of Variety:

Signaling the financial advantage of being able to charge several dollars for more a 3-D ticket, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount's "Monsters vs. Aliens" beamed up the best opening of the year in grossing $58.2 million....

Joshua Rich of EW:

The 3-D animated event Monsters vs. Aliens opened in first place, as expected, with a super-solid $58.2 million gross, according to Sunday's estimates from Media by Numbers. Assuming that early figure holds, DreamWorks Animation's movie garnered the year's biggest debut...

Sucked Out

Amanda Seyfried has been forced to drop out of the leading role in Zack Snyder's "Sucker Punch"--touted as "Alice in Wonderland with guns," over her commitment to HBO 's drama "Big Love" reports Entertainment Weekly.

In the 1960's-set, R-rated action fantasy, Seyfried was set to play a young woman who has been committed to an insane asylum and fantasizes about escaping with the help of her fellow inmates.

Due to scheduling, 'Sucker' will be shooting this Fall - around the same time 'Love' is midway through filming its fourth season and HBO won't release her from her commitment.

Evan Rachel Wood, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, and Emma Stone are still set to co-star in the action-thriller due for release next October.

I find it hard to believe that schedules couldn't be accommodated since the studio releasing Sucker also owns the cable net.

From Hero To God

Comics creator Mark Millar (Wanted) had an eight-hour trilogy plan to reboot the "Superman" film franchise looks like it wont be happening.

All I can say is yahoo!

Millar told Slashfilm, this week that not only did the studio nix his pitch premise, but the whole franchise is still very much stalled:

"Warner’s talked to us and a few other writer/ director teams, but things seem to be in stasis right now. As far as I understand, nothing is happening with Superman at the moment and so the director and I are just working on another project. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, no biggie. Kick-Ass taught me that creating your own stuff can be at least as much fun and you don’t have to answer to anyone. It’s the future, baby.”

Personally I thought his plans for Supes were terrible...

Is the director he refers to Matthew Vaughn and the project "American Jesus"an adaptation of Millar's "Chosen"? The news via The Hollywood Reporter.

Movie Munchies

The latest flick bits...

**Anita Briem (pictured) is set to play Dylan Dog's (Brandon Routh) love interest in Dead of Night says STYD.

**In Contention tells us who rounds out the cast of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood

**Ron Howard may adapt the upcoming graphic novel "The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft" reports Variety.

**Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman,, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd and Melina Kanakaredes are set to play various key figures of Greek mythology in Chris Columbus' fantasy adventure "Percy Jackson," says Variety--while The Hollywood Reporter has Alexandra Daddario in the lead young female role .

**Sam Raimi tells Screen Rant that unlike the last 'Spider-Man" flick on which he compromised control with Marvel on the new one he will "be the singular voice that makes the creative choices on the film"

**BloodyD reports that Eric Heisserer has been hired to rewrite Ronald D. Moore's prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing.

**Do yo want to attend the word premiere of Star Trek down under?...

It'll Cost You...

“Although we have a tremendous demand for tickets to this event, we are delighted to be able to make some tickets available to the general public so that they can share in the excitement of this unique World Premiere screening of STAR TREK here in Sydney,” said Mike Selwyn, Managing Director of Paramount Pictures Australia

Wright Moves

Queen Latifah is going to star in the romantic comedy "Just Wright" says Variety.

The modern-day Cinderella tale centers on a female physical therapist who falls in love with a basketball player while helping him recover from a career-threatening injury.

This marks Latifah's second time landing a starring role in a romantic comedy following her role as Georgia Byrd in 2006 "Last Holiday". The Queen will also produce the movie with Shakim Compere and Debra Martin Chase.

"Wright" has actually been making the rounds for some six years at-no big surprise--Disney--before Fox Searchlight nabbed it

The studio is aiming to begin production in late May.

Street People

Orlando Bloom is circling the ensemble drama "Main Street", based on the final screenplay of the recently deceased playwright Horton Foote says The Hollywood Reporter.





The Drama centers on a group of people in a small town in North Carolina whose lives are shaken up when a stranger arrives. Bloom will play a small-town policeman.

Andrew McCarthy, Ellen Burstyn, Patricia Clarkson and Colin Firth also star. The female lead role will played by Amber Tamblyn--according to Variety.

John Doyle directs the flick when shooting kicks off in Durham, North Carolina next month.

No Foolin'

Sean Penn, Jim Carrey and Benicio Del Toro are are linked to become the next incarnation of the classic comedy team The Three Stooges says Variety.



Directors Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly who also wrote the script and are producing, are closing in on deals for the trio to play the the three characters in an upcoming comedy anthology film built around the antics of their characters.

Penn is all set to playLarry Fine, Del Toro is being targeted to play Moe Howard and negotiations are underway to get Carrey to play Curly Howard.

Carrey is said to already be making plans to gain 40 pounds to approximate the physical dimensions of Jerome "Curly" Howard.

Ok while, Carry's presence is a no brain er....Although neither Penn nor Del Toro are complete strangers to comedies, Penn played the iconoclastic surfer Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Del Toro has had fun in both The Usual Suspects and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the pair do not seem to fit the slapstick style of Stooges.

Wait I take that back...Penn can certainly act like one when he's not on set...

Penn is also circling thr drama Cartel.

The Stooge movie is not a biopic but a complete remake,

Filming kicks off in the early Fall for a release sometime in 2010.

MVA=MVP

This weekend Reese Witherspoon leads an all star voice cast in the (3-D) animated Monsters VS Aliens (reviews); The great Virginia Madsen certainly deserves better than The Haunting in Connecticut (reviews) true story or not...And the WWE's John Cena goes 12 Rounds (reviews) in the action thriller...



Pamela McClintock of Variety:

Friday's debut of Paramount and DreamWorks Animation's "Monsters vs. Aliens" ushers in the age of the 3-D tentpole as studios look to entice moviegoers with a new form of entertainment that comes with a heftier ticket price.

Par is taking "Monsters" out in 4,104 locations, including 1,550 3-D sites, marking the widest bow yet for a 3-D title. (The remaining runs are conventional.) In terms of actual prints, film will play on 7,000 screens, 2,000 of them 3-D.

Elsewhere at the B.O., Lionsgate's horror/suspenser "The Haunting in Connecticut" could prove strong counterprogramming. It opens in 2,732 runs.

Frame's other new entry is Fox's "12 Rounds," the first pic from World Wrestling Entertainment's revamped film division. It opens in 2,331.

"Monsters" is sure to be analyzed from all sides considering how much Hollywood has riding on 3-D plus the fact that there still aren't enough 3-D-capable screens. Toon is the first of a handful of big-budget 3-D pics set to open this year, culminating at Christmas with 20th Century Fox's "Avatar," from James Cameron.

The allure of 3-D is that theater owners charge $3-$4 more per ticket. Imax 3-D tickets are roughly $5 more. Until now, studios have only dipped a toe in the 3-D sea (Disney is the exception). The results have been impressive, with 3-D screens doing three and four times the business of a conventional screen.

The biggest worry facing Jeffrey Katzenberg's shop and other studios is the question of how many 3-D screens are enough. Hollywood had counted on there being many more 3-D screens by the time "Monsters" rolled out.

But just as the country's three largest circuits -- AMC, Regal and Cinemark -- were about to get a line of credit to convert hundreds of screens, the economy collapsed. Before that, friction between studios and the three circuits held up the process.

One studio exec said, "The big question is, what comes first, the content or the theaters?"

Additional 3-D screens are going up every week. When Disney opened "Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience 3D" on Feb. 27, there were only 1,271 locations.

"Monsters" actually debuted first in Russia and Ukraine last weekend, playing on both conventional screens and a limited number of 3-D runs. There are roughly 1,500 3-D screens overseas, with the U.K. having the largest concentration at 220, followed by China with 185.

Par is rolling "Monsters" out on a staggered basis overseas to coincide with spring vacations. This weekend, it expands into several smaller markets, including the Czech Republic and the Philippines.

Katzenberg became the highest-profile 3-D ambassador last year when he boldly announced that beginning with "Monsters," all DreamWorks Animation titles would be shot in 3-D. The added cost of shooting a film in 3-D is said to be $15 million.

There are two ways to watch 3-D pics, in regular theaters that have been equipped with digital 3-D screens -- the vast majority of those outfitted by Real D -- and in Imax. "Monsters" will play in 143 Imax locations, the widest Imax launch ever.

At the Bridge theater in L.A., a moviegoer will pay $17.25 to see "Monsters" on the Imax screen, $15.75 to see it in digital 3-D and $12.75 for the 2-D version. At AMC Century City, it's $17 for an Imax ticket, $16 for a digital 3-D theater and $12 for 2-D. In Chicago, it's $15 for Imax, $13.50 for digital 3-D and $10 for 3-D. Among recent 3-D releases, Focus Features' "Coraline" exceeded expectations in grossing $73.4 million to date. Only 44% of the theaters in the first week were 3-D, but they made up 74% of the pic's gross. In week six, 3-D houses made up 80% of the gross.

Lionsgate's "My Bloody Valentine" -- the first horror title employing the new 3-D technology -- was another overachiever, grossing $51.4 million on the strength of its 3-D runs, which supplied 70% of the entire gross.

On Thursday, 3-D outfitter Real D said it has inked a deal with AMC to build an additional 1,500 screens in the U.S. and Canada.

There's no exact film with which to compare "Monsters vs. Aliens" because of the 3-D factor. Fox has had the most success with March toons. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" opened to $68 million in 2006, while "Ice Age" debuted to $46.3 million.

Lionsgate could be looking at a strong performer in "The Haunting in Connecticut," starring Virginia Madsen and Martin Donovan. Pic was produced by Gold Circle Films.

Prospects aren't as bright for "12 Rounds," although the film has a devoted fanbase. Pic stars WWE star John Cena....

EW says that 'Monsters vs. Aliens' set for box office win...

And I tend to agree--

Next Up: Vin Diesel and Paul Walker return to lise on the road in Fast & Furious; Jesse Eisenberg, Bill Hader, and Ryan Reynolds take a ride in Adventureland

Try Try Again

Vanilla Sky co-stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz could reunite on an untitled romantic comedy reports Variety.

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Chris Tucker and Eva Mendes were originally attached to star in the flick-Yikes!

The story has a woman with terrible luck with men see her path intertwined with that of a mysterious handsome man that she meets on a blind date.

Scott Frank is rewriting the script.

James Mangold is attached to direct.

Diaz is also attached to 'Swingles'.

Hopefully this film will turn out better than Sky did.

Mile High Gal

Jessica Lowndes (TV's"90210") lands the lead role in the indie thriller "Altitude"according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Paul Birkett.penned rhe script that has Lowndes playing a rookie airplane pilot whose weekend getaway flight with friends faces a series of unexplained malfunctions.

Marvel Comics artist Kaare Andrews makes his directorial debut on the project..

Lowndes has experience with big screen jolts in The Haunting Of Molly Hartley and Autopsy

She elaborates to STYD: "As I'm taking off, there's a technical malfunction and everything goes wrong. You don't know if there's something wrong with the plane, if there's something out there. It's pretty intense."

Shooting starts in April.

Forever Yours

I Love You, Man's cutie Rashida Jones will star in the comedy "Celeste and Jesse Forever" reports Variety.

Jones, who co-wrote the script with Will McCormack, will play one half of a young divorcing couple who try to maintain their longstanding friendship while pursuing other relationships.

Jones and McCormack have logged a lot of TV hours-- from The Office to In Plain Sight and Brothers & Sisters....

This film sounds like The War of the Roses without the darker edge.

Sister act Suzanne and Jennifer Todd are producing.

Nic Of Time

Nicole Kidman has been cast in Woody Allen's Whatever Works, which startrs filming in London this Summer says THR .

Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, and Freida Pinto also star in the May/December rom com.

Other plot details are not being revealed But Ihave always has a thing foe Kidman--so she makes quite the casr capper...Ihope she fares better here than she did in Bewitched.

The film opens on June 19th of 2010.

"This Is Your Day Of Reckoning"

Here's the TV spot for May 8th's Star Trek relaunch...



The more footage I see of Chris Pine as the younger James T. Kirk the more impressed I become...

Start At The End

ItsJustSomeRandomGuy is back with his latest video

Wolverine compares film notes with Watchmen's The Comedian...

Diggs And The Dog

Taye Diggs has joined the cast of the Dylan Dog live-action film adaptation "Dead Of Night" says the gang at STYD

Diggs will play Night's leader of the vampire villian.

"Superman Returns" stars Brandon Routh and Sam Huntington star as the Louisiana detective and his sidekick who are approached by a woman who claims to have seen her father brutally murdered by a mysterious creature. With his street smarts, his gun, and a set of paranormal weapons, Dylan attempts to restore order both above and below ground.

Kevin Munroe is directing from a screenplay by Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly

Diggs is a very underrated actor--This is a role he can sink his teeth into...(Sorry I couldn't resist).

Filming is currently underway in New Orleans.

Playing To Your Base

Actor Robert Pattinson is sticking to what works for his career...for now...he circles a romantic pic called "Memoirs" says Variety.

Jenny Lumet, who penned "Rachel Getting Married," is gonna to be re-writing Will Fetters' original screenplay that sees two lovers in a new relationship threatened by family tragedies.

Allen Coulter, whose credits include "Hollywoodland," "The Sopranos" and "Damages," is in talks to direct the film.

As I have said often-- films like this rely on chemistry--casting the right female lead is key.

Pattison shot to to fame in Twilight and is currently doing the sequel New Moon

On a related note--THR has the stats for those keeping score...

More than 3 million DVD copies of"Twilight" sold on its first day, ranking the film among the top five best-selling DVD titles of the past two years...

Mad Casting

Two stars of TV's Mad Men are landing some high powered films

Jon Hamm has joined the cast of the indie feature "Howl." reports Variety .

The story deals with the obscenity trial centering on Allen Ginsberg's famed poem and will incorporate a reimagining of Ginsberg reciting the poem through animated sequences.

Hamm will star as defense attorney Jake Ehrlich, whose life was the inspiration for the 50's TV series ""Perry Mason"."

James Franco, Paul Rudd, Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels, Bob Balaban, Treat Williams and Alessandro Nivola also star.

Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman are calling action with filming underway in New York City .

Meantime...

Elisabeth Moss has been cast in the romantic comedy "Did You Hear About the Morgans? says The Hollywood Reporter.

Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. star as an estranged high-powered New York couple who witness a murder and are placed in a witness-protection program in a small Wyoming town.

Moss will play Parker's executive assistant with a controlling and almost obsessive-compulsive personality.

Marc Lawrence will direct from his own as shooting begins in May in New York.

This is the 3rd film that Lawrence has cast Grant in...Two Weeks Notice and Music and Lyrics came before.

Action Packed

Fresh Flick Bits...

**Moviehole says that much of the third act has reportedly been changed of May 22nd's "Terminator: Salvation" with the new ending testing better than the original after online leaks spilled the beans last year...

**Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman will not pen a third Transformers film in that series as they don't want to "risk getting stale and comfortable."

Orci added that he has talked with Leonard Nimoy about providing the voice of the Fallen for the upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen...

"I actually talked to him about it, given the odd coincidence that he is Michael Bay's cousin through marriage, but fan outcry has also put Welker in the running."

Nimoy voiced Galvatron in the original 1986 animated "Transformers: The Movie," while Frank Welker voiced Megatron, Soundwave and Galvatron in the original 1980s animated TV series-via the D.M.Forums

Bay is related Spock! He deserves an award for that...



**Speaking of Trek--. A report on the scoring session of Michael Giacchino's music for the film has been posted and includes a few minutes of audio samples...Trek Movie

**Sylvester Stallone.com says that he tried to get Kurt Russell to appear in his upcoming action ensemble The Expendables. but the actor turned down the offer.

Via Stallone Zone:

"I know that many people on the site have asked for Kurt Russell I asked for him too. Actually, I was taken aback when asked to put the request in a letter and send it to his agent," Sly revealed.

"Subsequently, I was called back by the agent several days later after refusing to send a letter and he said Kurt Russell is not interested in ‘ensemble acting’ at this time"

Ouch! I guess Russell didn't have any fond memories working with Sly on the action team-up Tango & Cash 20 years ago...

Cut Loose And Fancy Free

While promoting his April 17rh comedy "17 Again", one question that Zac Efron kept getting asked by the local press in Sydney was about the status of the long discussed Footloose remake.



It seems Zac won't be kicking off his Sunday shoes after all...

The Wrap reports that he has pulled out of the flick-instead wanting to be known for being more than a "cute song-and-dance man".

A senior member of the production team said Efron told the studio last week that he did not want to do another musical at this point in his career - "People had been working on this project since last July -- we were all shocked."

Paramount has put out an official statement saying that plans for the pic will move ahead with someone else in the lead:

"Footloose is a project we've longed to see re-booted for a new generation. While Zac is no longer attached, we remain excited and committed to the collective brain trust of Kenny Ortega, Neil Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, who will reinvigorate the franchise."

The film was supposed to begin shooting this spring, no word on its new schedule...

While I certainly understand Efron's reason behind the decision--He still may regret the move.

After all Ortega put Efron on the map as a song and dance dude in High School Musical" Besides Footloose is no HSM while still being a brand...

Efron instead may work with his 17 helmer Burr Steers on a new 'Life career' as the caretaker of a cemetery who has weekly meetings with a younger brother whose accidental death he feels was his fault.

The flick is based on former TV morning show producer Ben Sherwood's book The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud...

Happy Time

Academy Award® nominee Anne Hathaway is attached to star as iconic performer Judy Garland in the film and stage adaptations of the biography "Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland,"by Gerald Clarke that The Weinstein Company has optioned both the film and stage rights for says Variety.



"Get Happy," based on hundreds of interviews plus Garland's own unfinished and unpublished autobiography, portrays the dramatic highs and lows of the cultural icon's life-- from her tumultuous early years as a child performer to her tragic last days.

Harvey Weinstein:

"We are thrilled to have the brilliantly talented Anne Hathaway portray stage and screen legend Judy Garland. I have worked with Anne on projects in the past and have known her for many years. She will be a true class act in this challenging role, Gerald Clarke's biography is a fascinating and comprehensive look at Garland's life and is particularly outstanding because of its exclusive details from her own writings. Her story is incredible subject matter for both theatre and film and we look forward to bringing it to audiences."

Given Hathaway's surprise dance moves at the Oscars last month--her willingness to take on more dramatic stuff--and let's face it, the camera loves her, she seems tailor made to play this once in a life time role.

My Best Friends' Wedding

Liv Tyler is set to star in the indie romantic comedy "The Romantics" reports Variety.

The story takes place on the night before a seaside wedding celebration. Seven close friends reunite to watch two of their pals get hitched. Laura (Tyler) is the maid of honor, but she and the bride have had a long rivalry over the groom.

Galt Niederhoffer, who penned the original book, adapted the script and will direct.

Shooting kicks off this Summer on this ho-hum sounding rom-com.

Aware Wolves

Chaske Spencer, Bronson Pelletier, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon and Tyson Houseman are set to play the ensemble Wolf Pack in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" reports Variety.



In the second novel in Stephenie Meyer's popular saga, the wolf pack defends humans against vampires although they have a tribal history intricately entwined with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his family.

The story sees Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).

Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested.

Each member of the wolf pack is of Native decent

Houseman was discovered at an open casting call.

Filming is underway on the sequel with a November 20th release targeted.

White Hot

Just weeks off of Lionsgate announcement that it acquired the rights to the next 2 films from Tyler Perry, marking their eighth and ninth collaboration together....

Taraji P. Henson will be joined by singer Mary J Blige and actor Brian J. White for Perry's next “I Can Do Bad All By Myself.

White (pictured) also landed a role in the Joss Whedon written-Drew Goddard helmed "The Cabin in the Woods" says The Hollywood Reporter.

In "Bad", White will play Randy, the cocky potential romantic interest of Henson's character.

In "Cabin", White will play a character named Truman with Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams all playing the young-people-stranded-in-the-woods,. Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford will play their tormentors.