From A Mambo To A Waltz

Luke Kirby ("Mambo Italiano," "Tell Me You Love Me) has joined the cast of Sarah Polley's dramedy "Take This Waltz" says The Playlist.

The film centers on Margot (Michelle Williams) and Daniel (Seth Rogen). He's a celebrated cookbook writer and she's his needy and neurotic, but happily married wife.

Margot soon finds her life thrown into disarray when she develops an intense and immediate chemistry with Daniel (Kirby), a mysterious and handsome neighbor As a sweltering Toronto summer takes hold, Margot finally gives in to desire and discovers some unsettling truths about herself.

Sarah Silverman also stars as the husband's recovering-alcoholic older sister.

Polley wrote the script and is directing when filming kicks off this July in Toronto.

Inside Out-Fit

Mike Sampson over at JoBlo was lucky enough to get a glimpse of the hero costume that we will see in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Helmer Joe Johnston, previously said that Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) will wear two different costumes in the film. The first, designed by the Army for his initial USO appearances, is the flashy nod to the original design which Rogers hates.

The second is the redesigned battle-ready version that serves as the primary costume for the film which is the one that Mike got to see

First up there's no hood or wings on his head, rather a "more traditional M1 Army helmet though this helmet does come over the eyes to give Cap a traditional "domino mask" look. Still present is the white "A" in the middle of the hat... the blue of the helmet is much more muted than the blue in the comic costume. A thick black strap comes down over the ears and connects under the chin."

The chest isn't spandex but "more of a leather fabric, like something you'd see on one of the X-Men'". Design wise a less prominent white star is there, while "the costume is still split horizontally through the middle with blue on top and red and white stripes on the bottom. But instead of stripes, it's actually just a white base with two red utility straps acting as stripes. These straps affix to a metal loop at the midpoint of the chest and a black strap extends up to the shoulders from that point. His shoulders have pads over them that extend down to about mid-bicep and are attached via a brown strap under the arm. The sleeves are white with a fairly standard brown glove."

The bottom half is blue pants, brown utility boots and an "old school utility belt... made up of brown pockets with a silver buckle."

The shield hews closely to the classic design of red/white/red rings with the white star in a blue circle at the middle.

Sounds fine to me...

Cap comes to theaters in July 22 2011

Rim Shot

Legendary Pictures has bought the sci-fi actioner Pacific Rim from Clash of the Titans remake writer Travis Beacham, based on his 25-page treatment reports The Wrap.

The story is set on a future Earth under attack from malevolent creatures, so the people of the world must band together and use highly advanced technology to thwart the growing menace.

Legendary is rushing forward to have the film ready as a Summer 2013 tentpole pic.

Beacham is one busy writer--with scripts for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea The Black Hole and Clash of the Titans 2 on his plate as well

Push Back

2 more flicks are being delayed
Jack the Giant Killer
Bryan Singer’s pic has pushed back filming from later this Summer to February next year, a delay due to "concerns about the visual effects" reports Heat Vision.
Singer plans to pre-viz the entire film and use of elaborate filming technology to render the effects-heavy fantasy feature.
The film is a fantasy adventure, which is set in motion when a princess is kidnapped, threatening a long-standing peace between men and giants. A young farmer is given an opportunity to lead a dangerous expedition to the giants’ kingdom in hope of rescuing her.
Singer was set to start shooting this summer in England but not anymore. He has been meeting young actors such as Aaron Johnson (“Kick-Ass”) and Andrew Garfield about taking the lead role



Life of Pi

Ang Lee's 3D adaptation of Yann Martel's beloved novel about a boy stranded on a boat with a tiger, hyena, zebra and orangutan for 227 days after a shipwreck which was coming together to shoot this Summer, has hit a financial snag
The Los Angeles Times reports that the studio is unwilling to cough up the $70 million required to finance the film. Despite the rather economical amount, there's big concerns over the film's marketability.
The other issue of course is with much of the film set at sea, the film will be a major water shoot. Projects of that kind almost always exceed their budget estimates.

Hobbit Loses del Toro!

Wow! Guillermo del Toro has dropped out of directing either The Hobbit: Part 1 or The Hobbit: Part 2-- but will continue to co-write the screenplays says The One Ring.

Out of respect to the legions of loyal fans, both Guillermo and Peter Jackson wanted to break the news.

They are both committed to protecting The Hobbit and will do everything in their power to ensure the films are everything that the fans want them to be.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life”, says del Toro.

“After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures... I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wlsh the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director”.

“We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave the Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we understand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reasons beyond anyone’s control – has compromised his commitment to other long term projects”, says Executive Producer Jackson.

“The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years. Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him. Guillermo’s strong vision is engrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA”...

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's money woes aside the pics are still scheduled for release in Dec 2012 and Dec 2013.

Wow!

Who will or should take his place in the big chair? Stay Tuned...

Sex & Prince Sink In US; Prince Owns The World

Box Office Update: Monday Final- Persia' bests 'Sex' but 'Shrek' wins weekend

As the long holiday weekend rolls on Shrek The Final Chapter proves to much for the gals of Sex And The City 2 and Jake Gyllenhaal's pecs in Prince of Persia: Sands Of Time at the box office...




Prince may have finished 3rd in the US as of Sunday But he's king everywhere else...

Frank Segers of THR:

Powerful opening launches in a handful of key overseas markets on the Memorial Day weekend propelled " Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" to the No. 1 spot on the foreign-theatrical circuit.

The Disney film drew $59 million from 7,100 screens in 47 territories for an early international cume of $87.5 million. Taking second place on the weekend was " Sex and the City 2," which opened on the foreign circuit with $27.6 million from 3,700 screens in 17 markets.

But back in the U.S., "Sex" and "Prince" finished second and third behind "Shrek Forever After," which shook off the competition during a slow Memorial Day weekend stateside. After Saturday, "Shrek" collected $43.3 million, stronger than "Sex" ($32.1 million) and "Prince" ($30.2 million).

In "Prince's" second week on the foreign circuit, the Jerry Bruckheimer production finished No. 1 in at least 40 of its 47 markets and helped drive Disney's 2010 foreign boxoffice revenues past the $1-billion for the 16th consecutive year.

It was the fastest that Disney has ever reached that benchmark. The studio joins Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox in 2010's $1-billion foreign b.o. club, confirming that this year on the overseas circuit is exceptionally strong.

"Shrek" finished third wordwide, which opened in six markets including Turkey. Overall weekend tally was $18.5 million from 1,685 venues in 15 territories.

Nicole Sperling of EW:

'Sex and the City 2' and 'Prince of Persia' can't stop 'Shrek'

I thought for sure either one of the new releases would own the top spot--With one more day of tix to be counted..The Ogre and pals seempoised to win again...

Next Up: It's one crowded weekend at the cineplex as Jonah Hill tries to Get Him to the Greek; Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl are a couple of psycho Killers; Owen Wilson is the voice of Marmaduke; While Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley get the heebie jeebies in Splice

Song For A Stark-end Theater

ItsJustSomeRandomGuy returns with a catchy little tune sung by Iron Man about Marvel's grand plans and DC Comics trouble getting to the cinematic table--

Hilarious and soooo true!!

Song In The Key Of Sex

In honor of the release of Sex And The City 2 Goldentusk finally returns with a new music video....

RIP Dennis Hopper (1936-2010)

Actor Dennis Hopper has died at the age of 74 from complications due to Prostate Cancer.

Having first appeared in a number of 1950s television shows, including "Medic" "Cheyenne" and "Sugarfoot" he quickly made the leap to the big screen

His first film role was in Johnny Guitar, which was quickly followed by roles in Rebel Without a Cause and, Giant both with James Dean and then Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Hopper was usually cast as a villain in westerns such as True Grit and Hang 'Em High. However, in early 1969, Hopper, fellow actor Peter Fonda and writer Terry Southern, wrote a counterculture road movie script and managed to scrape together $400,000 in financial backing. Hopper directed the low-budget film, titled Easy Rider, starring Fonda, Hopper and a young Jack Nicholson. The film was a phenomenal box-office success, appealing to the anti-establishment youth culture of the times. It changed the Hollywood landscape almost overnight and the major studios all jumped onto the anti-establishment bandwagon, pumping out low-budget films about rebellious hippies, bikers, draft dodgers and pot smokers.

Hopper's next directorial effort, The Last Movie, was a critical and financial failure, and he has admitted that during the 1970s he was seriously abusing various substances, both legal and illegal, which led to a downturn in the quality of his work.

He appeared in a sparse collection of European-produced films over the next eight years, before cropping up in a memorable performance as a pot-smoking photographer alongside Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen in Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now

He also received acclaim for his work in both acting and direction for Out of the Blue in 1980

He was superb in Rumble Fish co-starred in the tepid spy thriller The Osterman Weekend, played a groovy school teacher in My Science Project, was a despicable and deranged drug dealer in River's Edge and, most memorably, played opposite Gene Hackman in the great basketball drama Hoosiers. As foul-mouthed Frank Booth in the eerie and erotic David Lynch film Blue Velvet he certainly put his unique stamp on the role

Hopper returned to film directing in the late 1980s and was at the helm of the controversial gang film Colors , which was well received by both critics and audiences.

He was back in front of the cameras for roles in the vid-game pic Super Mario Bros., got on the wrong side of gangster Christopher Walken in True Romance, led police officer Keanu Reeves and bus passenger Sandra Bullock on a deadly ride in Speed and challenged gill-man Kevin Costner for world supremacy in the cluker Waterworld

The enigmatic Hopper will appear in 2010's The Last Film Festival and will be heard in Alpha and Omega

Rumble Fish Speed Easy Rider Colors and Hoosiers are examples of great cinema because of Hopper--A true Icon Is Gone...

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Dagger Of The Mind

Sigourney Weaver has signed on to star in the new thriller from filmmaker Rodrigo Cortés called Red Lights reports Bloody Disgusting.

The story follows a para-psychologist who attempts to debunk a very reputable psychic who has just returned to the limelight after three decades.

Cortes, who directed the upcoming Ryan Reynolds thriller ""Buried" opening in September, says the film deals with "how the brain does not give a true picture of reality".

Sounds a bit like Christopher Nolan's July 16th pic Inception does it not? Thematically at least

Tank Top

Teen star Miley Cyrus to play "Tank Girl" in new film?

Showbiz Spy reports that the 17-year-old singer/actress is "now in talks" to star in a new film adaptation of the British comic character.

A source tells the site "This would be a new big-budget take on 'Tank Girl'. Miley wants to establish herself in movies and Tank Girl could be the perfect franchise for her."

The punk-influenced comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin follows the surreal and often absurd adventures of a young tank-driving woman and her mutant kangaroo boyfriend. With a bounty on her head and a penchant for random acts of sex, drug use and violence, the girl who sets out on a series of misadventures.

The property was previously adapted in 1995 into a cult film starring Lori Petty and Naomi Watts which flopped.

Cyrus says "I don't have the feeling that people are taking me seriously, simply because I'm so young. I hope that's going to change."

Creators Hewlett and Martin have been vocally unhappy with the previous film over the years and are unlikely to move forward on another film adaptation unless they have major creative control.

Shell Shake Up

Deadline reports that Platinum Dunes honchos Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, will produce the next live-action film version of TMNT

Galen Walker and Scott Mednick will co-produce the pic

The producers will begin meetings with writers in the next few weeks to discuss script.

The move sees Dunes who up until now has dealt almost exclusively in horror remakes take a different path

From The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror to the recent Friday the 13th and the month old A Nightmare On Elm Street redo--they were running out of horror icons

Writing On The Run

British writer Drew Pearce will co-write the screenplay for the film adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan's sci-fi action comic book Runaways reports Deadline.

Vaughan cracked out an earlier draft of the script about children of supervillains who try to use their evil powers for heroic purposes.

Pearce is best known for creating the UK comedy series "No Heroics" (See the trailer here) about a bar where superheroes hang around between efforts to save the world.

Peter Sollet ("Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist) is directing the film.

There's no word as yet when production will kick off.

Agent For Hire

Wayne Kramer (Running Scared) is apparently in talks to direct the film adaptation of the video game Kane & Lynch says Latino Review.

Kyle Ward adapted the script which follows the mercenary Adam 'Kane' Marcus (Bruce Willis) and aggressive, schizophrenic killer James Lynch (Jamie Foxx) teaming to retrieve a dangerous device as ransom payment to retrieve Kane's kidnapped wife and daughter.

Stunt-coordinator turned director Simon Crane was originally attached to call the shots but has apparently since departed the project.

F. Gary Gray ("The Italian Job") was then offered the pic but passed on it earlier this week.

Adrian Askarieh, David Willis and Daniel Alter are producing. Filming kicks off in August.

Heroic Actions

After years stuck in development hell Warner Bros.may finally be ready to rev up to make the comic book pic The Flash says Heat Vision Blog

At last report Greg Berlanti (writer of the Green Lantern movie) was set to direct the speedster's story on the big screen.

Speaking to investors, studio chairman and CEO Barry Meyer revealed that they were “nearing” a greenlight on the flick for a possible 2012 debut.

Meyer also spoke about their other superhero properties. He repeated that Christopher Nolan’s Batman 3 was set for July 20, 2012 with David Goyer rumored to be writing it with Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight).

And then there's that the new Superman movie—produced by Nolan and written by Goyer (Batman Begins) and rumored to be called Superman: Man of Steel —saying it was scheduled for the 2012 holiday season. Even as Superman lawsuits rage on....

Meyer also revealed that the studio was had films for Wonder Woman, Aquaman , in development as well.

Is it just me or do the WB and DC Comics suits like to update us on their film slate without really saying anything new?

--Except that they are close to green lighting everything

Ghost Face Stalks Nancy Drew!

Emma Roberts has joined the horror sequel Scream 4 says Entertainment Weekly

The 19-year-old actress who is best known for her role in "Nancy Drew" told the mag:

"I'm so excited to be part of this ground-breaking franchise. It's the perfect opportunity for me to do something completely different than I've ever done before."

It is still unclear what role she will take on, but it is said that she could play Jill Prescott, a cousin to Neve Campbell's Sidney. (Wasn't Ashley Greene up for that role?)

"Scream", director/producer Wes Craven said, "I'm absolutely delighted that Emma will be joining the cast of 'Scream 4.' " He added, "Her talent, beauty and range will add immensely to the sophistication, intensity and fun of the 'Scream' franchise as it returns to the screen once more."

Screenwriter Kevin Williamson, franchise stars Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette welcome newbies Hayden Panettiere ("Heroes") Lake Bell and Rory Culkin.

Filming targets a July start date in Michigan for an April 15, 2011 release

Dekker Ready To Dance?

After losing both Zac Efron and helmer Kenny Ortega,then getting Chace Crawford-who skipped out due to schedule conflict just as.Craig Brewer was set to call action....The troubled Footloose remake may finally get going again

The LA Times reports that actor Thomas Dekker may fill those "Sunday shoes"

Brewer reworked Susannah Grant's script

Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer starred in the 1984 original, which told the story of a rebellious outsider who moves to a new town where music and dancing are banned and proceeds to shake everything up.

Dekker is OK I suppose but until I have evidence that filming is kicking off in the Summer-I'm not believing it

Sex And The Prince

This weekend Can a buffed up Jake Gyllenhaal break the video game film adaptation curse with Prince of Persia: Sands Of Time (reviews)? And the gals-- Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon, are back--in Sex and the City 2 (reviews)..




Carl DiOrio of THR:

Warner Bros. is hoping its latest Memorial Day tryst with female moviegoers is as satisfying as the one two years ago.

The studio unspools "Sex and the City 2" on Thursday ahead of the four-day U.S. holiday weekend. The original adaptation of corporate kin HBO's one-time series bowed on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend in 2008 with $57 million en route to wooing $152.6 million domestically.

Opening-weekend comparisons will be difficult, with "Sex 2" scooping some boxoffice cream off the top Thursday. But prerelease interest and advance ticketing again are high -- Warners estimated $2 million in presales by Wednesday -- and the ensemble romancer should ring up more than $60 million during its first five days.

Unlike some big-screen adaptations of U.S. television shows, the New Line-produced "Sex" also was popular overseas, registering $262.6 million in foreign coin. So Warners has scheduled a big simultaneous opening for the sequel this weekend in the U.K. and 19 other international territories.

"The pent-up demand was out of sight for the first picture," Warners domestic distribution president Dan Fellman said. "The second one is tracking very closely to the first, but the original was so front-loaded that it's hard to say what we can do."

Reconvening the franchise's gal-pal posse for the R-rated sequel are Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. Multihyphenate Michael Patrick King again directs.

Meanwhile, though its nearly all-female fan base might suggest a counterprogramming play during the lucrative holiday frame, "Sex 2" looks likely to leave another tentpole in the dust. On Friday, Disney debuts the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced adventure fantasy "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," with tracking data suggesting a four-day bow north of $35 million.

Rated PG-13, "Persia" casts Jake Gyllenhaal in the title role, with Gemma Arterton ("Clash of the Titans") playing the mysterious princess to his rogue prince. Co-stars in the video game adaptation and putative franchise-starter include Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina.

Disney opened "Persia" in many markets the previous weekend to maximize pre-World Cup playtime and will add most others this session.

Most notably among this weekend's domestic holdovers, "Shrek Forever After" from DreamWorks Animation and Paramount will seek a solid sophomore session after its disappointing bow. The frame's extra day should limit the family comedy's weekend-over-weekend drop, with a 40% decline reaping $42 million through Monday and perhaps the session's silver medal, barring an outsized opening by "Persia."

"Whatever the rankings this weekend, the public is being served by three completely different kinds of movies," Disney distribution boss Chuck Viane said. "That's definitely in the interest of our moviegoing public."...

Read More...

Nicole Sperling of EW says 'Sex and the City' princesses to overtake 'Prince of Persia'

But--Even as 'Sex' sequel nabs $3 mil in midnight coin--The Los Angeles Times knows that Critics (really) hated 'Sex and the City 2' -- will that stop you ...‎?

Upper Classman

James McAvoy has been cast in Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class, says the Heat Vision Blog.

McAvoy plays the younger version of Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart in the X-Men film series)

The comic book prequel explores Xavier and Magneto in their early years as friends working together "to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known" before the rift that led to the conflict between Magneto's Brotherhood and Xavier's X-Men.

Jane Goldman has been hired to rework the screenplay.

Bryan Singer Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg, will produce the pic.

Ironically McAvoy had been a top choice among fans to play the young Magneto in -Men Origins: Magneto which is still in the pipeline

Filming will start in London this summer for a release date set for June 3, 2011.

Showing Some Skin

A film version of the British teenage drama series Skins is headed our way reports The BBC.

The series follows a group of teens in their final two years of pre-College who are trying to grow up and find love and happiness despite questionable parenting and teachers who more want to be friends (and lovers) rather than authority figures.

The show deals very frankly with teen sex and drug use, and has starred the likes of Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Nicholas Hoult ("About a Boy") and Jack O'Connell ("Eden Lake").

The show is also known for completely changing its entire cast every two seasons to follow a new batch of kids.

The involvement of Skins writer Jack Thorne and series creator Bryan Elsley have been confirmed, as have director Charles Martin and producer Chris Clough.

Casting may include several of the cast members from the first two seasons along with some fresh faces.

The pic will shoot on location in Bristol and the Isle of Man starting in September for a release in mid-2011.

A fifth season of the UK show is about to head into production while an American remake is in development at MTV.

Tomb Raiders

Bruce Willis is in talks to star in the prison escape drama The Tomb, reports Deadline.

Written by Miles Chapman and rewritten by Jason Keller sees Willis as Ray Breslin, a world-famous structural engineer and security expert who designs escape-proof prisons.He soon finds himself framed and incarcerated in a master prison he designed and must find a way to escape and track down the person responsible.

Antoine Fuqua (Shooter, Training Day) s circling to potentially direct the pic.

Robbie Brenner and Mark Canton are producing.

The studio wants to fast track this one but as Willis preps for Kane & Lynch later this year that may prove tough.

Creamy Or Crunchy?

Tim Blake Nelson has signed on to the Rob Minkoff-directed indie bank heist comedy "Flypaper" reports Variety.

The story follows an incompetent but inseparable team of thieves who score an inside tip to crack a bank ATM and end up using too much C4.

Nelson plays a character named Peanut Butter

Jon Lucas & Scott Moore ("The Hangover") wrote the script.

Peter Safran, Mark Damon and Patrick Dempsey will produce the pic

Filming will take place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

With Child?

Mariah Carey has dropped out of Tyler Perry's next film For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf" reports US Magazine.

"She is not doing the movie because her doctor advised her not to. More than that I cannot comment further" her rep told the pop news mag, further giving credence to pregnancy rumors

Filming is set to begin next month on the adaptation of Ntozake Shange's 1975 play.

All Things To All People

Usual funny man Steve Carell leads the list o star in a biopic about songwriter Dennis Lambert, says Vulture.

Lambert was one of the top songwriters of pop music from the late 60's on into the mid 80's, working with such famous bands as The Four Tops and The Commodores

In 1972 his attempt to become a recording artist flopped when his debut album Bags and Things was virtually ignored upon release. Yet - a single from the album, "Of All the Things", became a massive hit in the Philippines and is still played at Filipino weddings even today.

Lambert was always asked to perform there but he declined until 2007 where he played five dates and managed to sell out a Valentine's Day concert at Araneta Coliseum

His son filmed the still unreleased docu Of All the Things about the tour and the studio is in negotiations for the rights to that as well.

Bosses Day

Jason Sudeikis joins the comedy "Horrible Bosses" says Risky Business.

Based on Michael Markowitz's spec script the black comedy revolves around three frustrated friends who conspire to murder each other's bosses with unexpected and rather calamitous results. The three bosses include a master manipulator, a sexually aggressive dentist (Jennifer Aniston) and the weaselly Colin Farrell.

Sudeikis will play one of the three friends, a ladies man who gets a rude awakening when his boss dies and he is replaced.

Charlie Day, and Jason Bateman play the other two.

Jamie Foxx plays a con artist who dishes out advice on how to pull off the murders.

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley rewrote the script, while Seth Gordon is on tap to call action.

Brett Ratner and Jay Stern are producing that pic.

Flirty

Cary Elwes has joined the untitled Ivan Reitman comedy (previously titled "F**kbuddies.") reports Variety.

The film tries to answer he question of whether two long-term friends (Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman) can experience a purely sexual relationship without falling in love.

Elwes plays a physician who works with Portman's character and develops a flirtatious relationship.

Elizabeth Meriwether wrote the script..

Greta Gerwig, Kevin Kline, Ophelia Lovibond, Ben Lawson, Olivia Thirlby, Jake M. Johnson, Lake Bell also star.

Reitman will produce alongside Jeffrey Clifford and Joe Medjuck. A January 7th 2011 release is planned...with filming underway

Et Tu Burr

Burr Steers ("Igby Goes Down," 17 Again) is set to direct "Emperor: Young Caesar", the first in a proposed historical drama film trilogy based on the life of Julius Caesar reports Deadline New York .

Based on Conn Iggulden's best-selling "Emperor" book series--The Gates of Rome The Death of Kings The Field of Swords The Gods of War,with a 5th on the way-- the first film will revolve around the rise of a young Julius and his childhood friend Brutus (Cicero) who grew to adulthood in Rome two millennia ago as the Republic began to fall apart and political war was being played out in the senate.

Later books in the series deal with Caesar's battles in North Africa, Greece, Spain, Gaul and Britain, the civil war with his old ally Pompey, his encounters with Cleopatra and his assassination.

William Broyles and Stephen Harrigan penned the adaptation while Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton are producing. the pic.

Since Steers and Zac Efron have already made 2 films together... might this be their third?

Rinsch Runs To Logan

Carl Rinsch is set to helm a new version of sci-fi classic Logan's Run says Heat Vision.

William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson wrote the original 1967 novel (and its two subsequent sequels Logan's World and Logan's Search, ) set in a utopian future where anyone over the age of 30 is mandatorily euthanized in order to maintain a balance over the consumption of resources. The story follows Logan 5, a 'Sandman' who serves as an enforcer who pursues those who try escaping as they approach their 30th birthday, and ultimately ends up on the run himself.

Made into a 1976 cult film classic starring Michael York ("The Three Musketeers"), Jenny Agutter ("Walkabout") and Farrah Fawcett ("Charlie's Angels"),

The remake has attracted potential directors such as Bryan Singer, Robert Schwentke, James McTeigue and Joseph Kosinski during its long stall in development.

Rinsch was slated to make his feature directorial debut on the upcoming Untitled Alien Prequel but stepped aside when Ridley Scott secided that he wanted to take it over. He recently helmed a sci-fi short film, entitled "The Gift", that studios wanted to adapt into a feature but couldn't due to rights issues.

Susan Downey and Navid McIlhargey will executive produce the new film under the supervision of Dan Lin.

Web-Heads

The Heat Vision Blog reports that actors Jamie Bell, Alden Ehrenreich, Frank Dillane, Andrew Garfield and Josh Hutcherson are the final five actors on the list to play Spider-Man for Marc Webb's as yet Untitled Spider-Man Reboot

Alvin Sargent (Spider-Man 3) is currently in the middle of re-writing James Vanderbilt’s (Zodiac) script, which is said to be “a more gritty, contemporary redo of the series”

Collider has some of the stats on the contenders

Jamie Bell, 24

Bell got his start in the inspirational dance flick Billy Elliott. Recent appearances include King Kong and Jumper. He’ll soon be seen in the high-profile The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson.

Alden Ehrenreich, 20

A relative newcomer to the scene. Steven Spielberg discovered the actor when a funny video Ehrenreich taped aired at a bat mitzvah the renowned director attended (so cool). His most notable role is in Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro.

Frank Dillane, 19

Another newbie. He was the kid who creepily (but forcefully) portrayed a young Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Recall that Summit cherrypicked Robert Pattinson from the Harry Potter franchise for Twilight, though admittedly he was playing the charming Cedric Diggory rather than a pint-sized He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Andrew Garfield, 27

Garfield paid his dues on British television. Last year, he had a role in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Garfield also has the David Fincher stamp of approval, as the director cast him as a co-founder of Facebook in this fall’s The Social Network

Josh Hutcherson, 18

Hutcherson made the Hollywood rounds as a child actor over the last eight years, with roles in fantasy/sci-fi fare like Zathura, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. And hey, he’s the only one on the list actually young enough to theoretically attend high school.

Of the young guys on the list--Bell and Hutcherson are the most well known (to me any way) Josh may be busy anyway even if he doesn't get the super hero role

Garfield--A 27 year old High Schooler--you might as well put Tobey Maguire back in the suit....

I say go with an unknown-leaving either Ehrenreich, or Dillane.

Stay Tuned....

The Killer Inside Me

John Cusack will star in Jack, for Brad Anderson ("Transsiberian," "The Machinist") accoeding to Bloody Disgusting.

David Venable's script follows a serial killer (Cusack) who gets amnesia and can't remember any of the lives he has taken. As a romance blooms with a doctor, his true memories start to resurface and he must decide whether to keep his new life or return to his true nature.

Michel Litvak, David Lancaster, Alexandra Milchan and Marc Sternberg will produce the pic

Cusack can do both charming and Dark--Good casting

Filming kicks off August 30th.

Play Things

Game and toy manufacturer Hasbro plans to make a team up film based on its various merchandise

Pajiba says the pic would be called "Hasbro Factory", a film described as "Night at the Museum'-esque--- the project is currently out to writers.

Makes some sense, a film like this allows the company to exploit the lesser-known peoducts of the company that don't warrant full films themselves.

The film joins a long list of game/toy-to-film adaptations in development including Battleship, Micronauts, Risk Stretch Armstrong, Ouija Candy Land and Clue

Smart Moves?

Kevin Macdonald's Romans battle epic The Eagle of the Ninth has been pushed back five months from September 24th to February 25th 2011 reports UGO

Meaning the Channing Tatum-led film will have essentially two weekends to itself and is probably aiming to replicate the success of "Shutter Island" which did solid business in late February this year. It also puts plenty of breathing room between it and Neil Marshall’s quite similar "Centurion" coming in late August

Meanwhile CBS Films has pushed back "Beastly", its tween retelling of the he "Beauty and the Beast" story, from July 30th to an undisclosed date. The reasoning for the delay is just plain weird

In a Facebook update, the studio suggests the delay is due to Zac Efron's fantasy-drama Charlie St. Cloud recently moving up to that date. Efron and "Beastly" leading lady Vanessa Hudgens' were the stars of the High School Musical film series a fan base which will make up a substantial portion of both film's audiences.

Posting - "We've been hearing from fans, so we know that having both Zac and Vanessa's movies opening on the same day could be a real dilemma for people, so we are moving Beastly."

It's a shame they moved Beastly...would have been interesting to see which of pair would have come out om top going head to head...Cloud looks like the better pic just the same