Bag Of Tricks

Some truly scary industry bits start off this latest post--Happy Halloween folks...!!

-Producer Mark Canton has optioned the film rights to soap actor-turned-novelist Ryan Brown's recently published zombie tale "Play Dead" says Variety.

-Dennis Iliadis ("The Last House on the Left" remake) is in negotiations to direct the horror film "The Demonologists" according to The Los Angeles Times.

-Several high profile genre directors have signed on for the thriller spoof and potential franchise starter "Paris I'll Kill You" says The Hollywood Reporter.

-It appears that Tom Hardy and Angelina Jolie are out of Snow White and the Huntsman  The Wrap recently reported that Johnny Depp was being offered the lead role as Hardy has opted out to focus on his role in "The Dark Knight Rises" instead when it begins production in April. And then, Just Jared reported that Jolie had passed on the project and Charlize Theron is now said to be under consideration for the evil queen role. Whatever the case production is geared up to begin in January.

--Ed Harris joins the crime thriller "Man on a Ledge" according to a press release.

--David Mirkin ("The Simpsons Movie," "Heartbreakers") will write, produce and direct a film adaptation of Richard Branson's memoir Losing My Virginity reports Variety.

-- John Carpenter will direct a film adaptation of the comic "Darkchylde" reports STYD.

--The first set photos of Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried on the set of I'm.mortal  are up at Just Jared.

--Swedish actress The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo star, Noomi Rapace will star with her ex-husband in an English-language biopic about the colourful Swedish boxer Boss Hogberg reports The Los Angeles Times.

--"Ridley Scott has reportedly just completed meetings with actresses for the lead role in his  Untitled Alien Prequel #1  and wants the above mentioned Rapace Studio suits will be heavily involved in making the  decision and may want someone with more box-office clout says Deadline

- Directors Colin and Greg Strause are planning ahead and have already finished a 45-page outline for a sequel to November 12th's "Skyline"--if the low-budget alien invasion film does even moderately well, the sequel will get the go ahead says Film School Rejects

Dicey Situation

The Halloween battle between Saw 3-D and Paranormal Activity 2 saw Jigsaw take revenge....

THR Sraff:

Saw 3D cut through the competition at the weekend box office, taking in $24.2 million since opening Friday, to nab the No. 1 spot in North America.

Although the seventh and reportedly final installment in the horror movie franchise had the series' third-lowest opening, it nevertheless managed to knock Paranormal Activity 2, which earned $16.5 million on the weekend, to No. 2.

Summit Entertainment's RED held at No. 3 with $10.8 million, followed by Jackass 3D at No. 4 with $8.4 million.

The Matt Damon starrer Hereafter rounds out the top five with $6.3 million...

John Young of  EW

Moviegoers were kind (or bloodthirsty) enough to provide the Saw franchise one last hurrah..

Might This Mean SAW VIII Won't Be Far Off? No doubt the weekend gross for Saw 7 was given a 3-D bounce...

Next Up:Things get crowded--Will Ferrell Brad Pitt and Tina Fey bring their voices to Megamind; Robert Downey Jr. tries to make it home for his wife's (Michelle Monaghan) Due Date; James Franco tries to survive Danny Boyle's 127 Hours; And Tyler Perry brings along For Colored Girls

Thriller Dilller [Updated]

Just In Time For Halloween...

A bidding war  begun this week for a $50 million 3-D horror film based on the Michael Jackson's classic music video "Thriller" reports Deadline.

So far GK Films has the edge

Story details are being kept secret, though it will look into the folklore of the song and involve the hometown of classic horror actor Vincent Price whose distinctive voice narrates part of the song.

Kenny Ortega (This Is It) directs from a screenplay by  Jeremy Garelick ("The Break-Up").

Interesting Choice For A Writer...

Not so fast on that 'Thriller' movie, says director Kenny Ortega 

Jigsaw Serenade

Goldentusk offers up a musical tribute to the Saw franchise as only he can...

Form & Function

Coming off the announcement that I am stepping back a bit from the blog--For the time being most news on TLR will come in bunches of bits much like Cinema Stew...Dig In...

--Jack Black, Matt Dillon, Renee Zellwegger and Rachel McAdams are all circling the romantic dramedy "You Are Here" from "Mad Men" producer Matthew Weiner reports Pajiba.

--Michael Mann wants to make a film about the events leading to the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 reports The Financial Times and Deadline.

--Hilary Duff has joined the romantic comedy "She Wants Me". The actress and singer will play an A-list actress who the lead character Sam, portrayed by "The Rocker" star Josh Gad, finds himself in a quandary with when she wants a role written for his girlfriend Sammy (Kristen Ruhlin) reports Variety.

--Kevin and  Dan Hageman ("Hotel Transylvania") have sold a Looney Tunes-inspired film pitch says Heat Vision. The film is centered around the fictional ACME warehouse, the manufacturer of  everything used by many of the Looney Tunes characters.

--Mark Wahlberg is now in negotiations to play the lead human role in Seth MacFarlane’s feature directorial debut/CGI hybrid "Ted" says Deadline.

- James Franco wants to helm a biopic of poet/Life Savers creator Clarence Crane reports Showbiz 411.

--17-year-old newcomer Suraj Sharma has been cast in the lead role of the film adaptation of Yann Martel's Booker Prize-winning book " Life of Pi" says Variety.

--Jennifer Chambers Lynch ("Surveillance") will helm the thriller "Visibility" says Variety. Allan Loeb wrote the script specifically for Lynch.

--Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck and Judd Hirsch have all joined the cast of director Brett Ratner‘s action comedy Tower Heist says The Hollywood Reporter.

--Peter Segal ("Get Smart") will call  action on the boxing movie "Grudge Match" says Deadline.

--Darren Aronofsky will direct an adaptation of Max Barry's unfinished work "Machine Man" according to Heat Vision.

-Marlon Wayans will play the lead role in the indie comedy "Twinkle, Twinkle" reports The Wrap

--Tom Hardy is circling "Snow White and the Huntsman" opposite perhaps Angelina Jolie The Playlist. ports

--In an official press release from Fox  the studio has announced that James Cameron has agreed to make the two-planned "Avatar" sequels as his next films.

--Noted actor Richard Griffith has been cast as George II of Great Britain in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides says Digital Spy

--Zach Galifianakis will shoot for several days on The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made
E Online says

--Robert Zemeckis says that his planned 3--D motion capture film adaptation of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine is moving ahead with filming to take place around April next year via Moviefone

-Pierre Morel (Taken), Sylvain White (The Losers), and Scott Stewart (Priest) are in contention to direct the film adaptation of the board game "Ouija" reports Deadline.

--Marianne Jean-Baptiste is playing an assassin in "Precious" scribe Geoffrey Fletcher's s directorial debut " Violet & Daisy accordining to Black Voices.

--Wesley Snipes will star in and produce The Expendables-like martial arts comedy "Master Daddy" reports Variety.

-Simon West ("Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," "Con Air") is in talks to direct the action thriller "Medallion" says 24 Frames. The story follows a father who has a few hours to locate his daughter who has been kidnapped and locked in the trunk of an unidentified New York City cab.David Guggenheim ("Safe House") wrote the script Clive Owen and Nicolas Cage have been mentioned for the lead

--The great Angela Lansbury has joined "Mr. Popper's Penguins" says Variety. Based upon Richard & Florence Atwater's beloved 1938 children's book It follows Mr. Popper (Jim Carrey), a house painter whose dreams of Arctic exploration prompt him to write letters to real explorers. One of them sends him a penguin, which he keeps in the icebox.Before he knows it, the painter has a litter of twelve beaked birds. They eat voraciously, leading him to form Popper's Performing Penguins, a stage act that goes on tour and creates mayhem at every stop

--An offer is out to Tom Cruise to play a supporting role in the movie version of the hit Broadway musical "Rock of Ages" reports Deadline.

--Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill and Frances O'Connor will headline the Australian psychological thriller "The Hunter" for director Daniel Nettheim says The Hollywood Reporter.

-- Ryan Gosling is confirmed for the political drama based on Beau Willimon's Broadway play  "Farragut North"--now called Ides Of March--reports Deadline.. George Clooney co-wrote the script and will both direct and produce the feature which he has independently financed.

Bat & Supes Perspectives

Once again The Los Angeles Times spoke with director Christopher Nolan who felt the need to justify why he is not gonna shoot The Dark Knight Rises in 3-D.

"We want the look and feel of the film to be faithful to what has come before in the films. There was a large canvas and operatic sweep to “The Dark Knight” and we want to make a film that will carry on with that look and feel" he says.

Nolan promises that he and cinematographer Wally Pfister will instead use more IMAX in the next one - "We’re looking to do something technologically that’s never been done before. Our ambitions are to make a great movie."

He sees the pic as the closing chapter of a trilogy - "our ambition for the third movie is to complete a story that has begun. This is not starting over, this is not rebooting. We’re finishing something, and keeping a consistency with what’s come before has real value."

Bravo!!

Meantime current Bat-composer - Hans-Zimmer chatted with NBC San Diego and said that he and Nolan will begin discussing ideas for the film next week, and his work on the film starts earlier than most - "I'll start long before he starts shooting."

Zimmer is also working on the Nolan-produced Superman: Man of Steel and says that he WILL NOT be reusing John Williams legendary theme, but will try and do something as resonate and iconic with the music that also sounds familiar...

While I understand the need for a fresh perspective music wise for Supes--The new theme's debut means the end of an era that can not be matched no matter Zimmer's talent

Games Of Death

Ir's do or die at the cineplex this Halloween weekend as Jigsaw's "final act"-- Saw 3D (reviews) goes head to head with last week's winner Paranormal Activity 2

Carl DiOrio of THR

Rival studios are staying out of the way of the extra-dimensional buzz saw of "Saw 3D" this weekend.

Lionsgate has released a new "Saw" pic just before Halloween each year since 2004, but the marketplace draw of "Saw" films has been on the wane for a few years.

A franchise-best bow was achieved in 2006, when "Saw III" debuted with $33.6 million and fetched a total $80.3 million in U.S. and Canadian coin. The film series' top theatrical run came a year earlier, with "Saw II" collecting $87 domestically after bowing with $31 million.

"Saw VI" unspooled last October with a disappointing $14.1 million and rang up $27.9 million overall domestically. But execs figure the franchise riches will return with the first 3D installment, which also is described as the final chapter in the horror series.

Meanwhile, Paramount's haunted house pic "Paranormal Activity 2" -- last weekend's No. 1 movie with a $40.7 million opening -- is expected to post a big decline in its sophomore session. But even a 60% drop would yield $16 million for the frame and likely the weekend's silver medal.

It will bear watching whether the similarly targeted "Paranormal 2" impacts opening grosses for "Saw 3D."

"In a perfect world, it would be great if there was no direct competition," Lionsgate executive vp distribution David Spitz said. "But 'Saw 3D' is tracking really well, and we think it's going to have a good weekend."

The session's sole wide opener, "Saw 3D" will play in more than 2,100 3D locations and almost 2,808 total theaters. Midnight performances alone in most locations should contribute single-digit millions, with "Saw 3D" expected to reach north of $20 million through Sunday.

The most expensive production in the torture franchise, production costs on "Saw 3D" are estimated at less than $20 million.

John Young of EW asks Can 'Saw 3D' silence 'Paranormal Activity 2'?

Changing Protocol

Tom Cruise revealed the name of Mission: Impossible IV at the Doha Film Festival Thursday: Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol via THR

"One of the things I always wanted for the franchise was for it not to have a number afterwards," Cruise said. "I’ve never done sequels to films and I never thought of these films as sequels. Paramount has done a great job in coming up with a title, so it’s not going to be MI2, 3, 4: It’s going to be Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol."

Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, Josh Holloway, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Vladimir Mashkov and Michael Nyqvist co-star

The pic directed by Brad Bird is due in theaters on Dec. 16, 2011.

Patriot Pecs Pics

The new issue of EW offers up an exclusive first look at "Captain America: The First Avenger," including shots of Chris Evans in the suit...

And Out Of It....

The article is worth the read for the fanboys...

Joe Johnston (The Wolfman) calls action as this posts

The new movie also stars Sebastian Stan (Bucky) and Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter). Stanley Tucci as Abraham Erskine and Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull

It is scheduled to hit theaters on July 22nd, 2011

Making A Play For JJ

Mad Men star John Slattery is apparently first in line for the role of The Daily Bugle's gruff editor J. Jonah Jameson for Marc Webb's Untitled Spider-Man Reboot says What's Playing

Sam Elliott is also on the list to play the role

Both Slattery and Elliott have previously worked with Marvel on other projects---"Iron Man 2" and "Ghost Rider" respectively.

J.K. Simmons played the character in the three previous Sam Raimi-directed films

JK as JJ will be hard to beat He was pitch perfect

The new film has Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) battling the Lizard (Rhys Ifan) with love Gwen (Emma Stone)

There's a screenplay by James Vanderbilt.

Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin will produce as production starts in December and will be released in theaters nationwide in 3-D on July 3, 2012

Cowl Bells

Christopher Nolan told The Los Angeles Times that his third Batman film will be called “The Dark Knight Rises”.

Liking the title!

While he won't reveal the villain of the film, Nolan confirms that "it won’t be the Riddler."

He also says the studio has agreed that the film should "resist the current 3-D craze" and instead use "high-definition approaches and IMAX cameras".

Yahoo! No 3-Deeee! Financially the pic won't need it anyway most likely

In terms of other characters, Nolan says "We’ll use many of the same characters as we have all along, and we’ll be introducing some new ones."

Moviehole said that Nolan had reportedly been meeting with actresses all week to find the female lead--some speculated for Catwoman. The interview with LAT completely ignores that little nugget...

Indy And The Raiders Of Cinema

According to BlueSkyDisney,George Lucas plans to convert all four of the Indiana Jones films into 3D, starting with Raiders of the Lost Ark

The site has no other news regarding the re-releases, but claims that Lucasfilm will make an official announcement in November.

This is not really a shock to anyone is it? Lucas jumped the 3-D shark already

No Wrath This Time

Badass is reporting from an insider that the much-talked about Khan Noonien Singh will NOT appear in the as yet Untitled Star Trek Sequel. But another classic character from The Original Star Trek TV Series will show up.

The source says that the film's story has now been settled, and "won't focus on a traditional villain type at all", but that it will feature a character (or characters) from Star Trek's first season.

The question of whom was met with "Hahahaha!", but said Source did say that, "It's definitely a character that will make fans of The Original Series excited. Think along the lines of Harcourt Harry Mudd or Trelane  or Gary Mitchell or the Talosians or the  Horta... Actually it's one of those that I named."

Kirk fights Gary Mitchell In TOS

I still say make all the classic Trek references you want--but the filmmakers would be wise to steer clear of doing a straight up retread--or making any of those mentioned here the film's focal point

Sunrise In Napa

Francis Ford Coppola is quietly directing his next feature the horror tinged thriller Twixt Now and Sunrise, now shooting in Napa on his property reports Deadline.

Val Kilmer, Elle Fanning and Bruce Dern.star in the pic The project is based on a short story by the filmmaker Kilmer plays a horror novelist.

Coppola apparently sought out Kilmer for the role in the independently financed feature.

Coppola 's done the horror genre twice before in his career, when he directed “Dementia 13”, and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”.

Space Holder

After weeks of casting ins ans outs Sandra Bullock will indeed play the female lead  in the Alfonso Cuaron's sci-fi epic Gravity.

Now, Deadline reports that previously cast Robert Downey Jr may have to drop out of the project thanks to the time it took to cast Bullock

In the pic Bullock and Downey are astronauts from an orbital space station who're out in a shuttle conducting repairs when an exploded asteroid wipes out the station. She is determined to find her way back to Earth and her daughter

If Downey were to exit it would be a blow but not necessarily a fatal one since the role is very much a supporting character and requires an actor to do only three weeks worth of work

The studio suits have denied claims Downey will leave the project, saying they hope to work out any scheduling problems, while Bullock wants to keep RDJ in orbit on the film.as well

Cuaron will direct and co-wrote the script with his son Jonás

Danger Drone

Tony Scott told the gang at HitFix that he's already begun researching material for a Top Gun.sequel taking it into an unexpected direction...

Scott says "I don't want to do a remake. I don't want to do a reinvention. I want to do a new movie  A lot of it would be about the way fighter pilots have become more obsolete in the post-Cold War environment thanks to remote-controlled unmanned drones".

"It's a whole different world now. These computer geeks -- these kids play war games in a trailer in Fallon, Nevada and if we ever went to war or were in the Middle East or the Far East or wherever it is, these guys can actually fly drones. They are unmanned aircraft. They operate them and then they party all night"

Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie is said to be writing the new sequel

Original producer Jerry Bruckheimer is back in the same capacity While Tom Cruise may return as Maverick in a supporting role

Ready To Press Pause?

Five years ago today TLR popped into existence with a post called Why Here? Why Now?...It's hard to believe folks...

...Whether you've been here from the start or are a relative newbie--I hope  you have enjoyed my efforts to chronicle the film industry. I ask for your indulgence while I single out a bunch of folks who have meant great things to the blog over the last half of a decade

My buddy Joe for suggesting I take on the blogosphere in the first place...The Cast And Crew of my movie from a decade ago--MD for all things above & beyond on Crossroads (hope you are doing well), BT (no one handles a wet nap quite the way you do) MZ ("You Want Me To Really Hit Him?") Mrs D (and The Mr) for taking part and making me feel welcome every time I took up space in your home MF--for solving more than one problem and of course my Sar-Bear--Making me proud to be your FDU; Ditto for Allison K who read me every day; Professorial writer William N. Stape who keeps telling me how good the blog is; Matt K over at capesonfilm who sends shout outs about my stuff constantly....Mucho Thanks--My followers on Twitter @TheLastReel; My Facebook pals Eileen & Richard S....Dan P for telling me once that I should be working at Entertainment Weekly; Chuck B and His film students; My Dad and Mom Just Cuz I can... love you! .....Team Spontaneous (Jason Mayer And Deven Lobascio) Good Luck Boys as you move forward...And finally the cast/crew of 1978's Superman....

And now for that BIG ANNOUNCEMENT--After today I'm stepping back from a lot of multi-posting daily on TLR.Been looking for peeps to take over the blog since May; While I don't want to see it end entirely....Been feeling meh on the blog for quite some time--If I can't give you my readers--my Best--it's time for a change.

Any interested party can contact me about writing here via thelastreel@comcast.net--I would stick around to oversee things and provide content now and then--If no one is found soon...I would then leave things dormant until I was ready to return full time (Next Year??)

Sorry if I have disappointed some of you--but I have to do this and the 5th B-day seemed like a good time...I will still be sending out movie news via Twitter as well--but TLR Facebook is done as of today.

Thanks for your loyalty and understanding over this decision--TLR WILL RETURN Full Time Soon...

Positive Norms

Paranormal Activity 2 has no problem scaring up big box office--Breaking records over the weekend...

The Hollywood Reporter Staff:

Paramount's 'Paranormal Activity 2' scared up $41.5 mil to take the weekend box office's No. 1 spot as the studio's 'Jackass 3D' earned another $21.6 mil but dropped to No. 2.

Clint Eastwood-directed 'Hereafter' lands at No. 4 with $12 mil...

Read More

John Young of EW

The screaming you hear is merely the sound of Paramount Pictures celebrating...

And Speaking of Celebrating TLR Turns 5 Tomorrow--Which Includes A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

Next Up: Find out if the Saw franchise is really ending with Saw 3D...

Shoppers Guide

Meryl Streep Sandra Bullock and Oprah Winfrey are all attached to star in an untitled comedy says Variety.

The story is set around the world of a Home Shopping-type network and "follows the characters as they make their way through the maze of mania that surrounds marketing, marriages and the media."

Sex and The City's guru Michael Patrick King will write and direct the pic.

"Virgins Can Die Now"

Finally got the chance to post the latest trailer for Wes Craven's Scream 4--out on April 15 2011

Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Nico Tortorella, Anthony Anderson, and Marielle Jaffe star Written by film series mastermind Kevin Williamson



Got a bit nostalgic for Ghostface after seeing this...Hoping this new one will kick start the genre like Scream did in '96--it needs it

Once Frost Bitten

Before you read Jason Mayer's review of Frozen I wanted to publicly apologize to him for taking so long to post this but it's been...shall we say an interesting time for me professionally and personally....causing me to push back putting this up---SORRY Jay!

I was fortunate enough to catch the movie, FROZEN, in its limited release. Went opening night, February 2nd 2010. The best part of it all was that the crazy blizzard we had this past year in New Jersey, started that night. Go in the theater at 8sh come out around 10 and the beginning of all the snow was coming down, hard. Made FROZEN, that much better.

The movie centers around two best friends and a girlfriend. Joe (Shawn Ashmore), Dan (Kevin Zegers), and Parker (Emma Bell). The three friends snowboard at a discounted price at a ski lodge on Sunday. They go down the hill numerous times before taking a break and we find out that Joe is a little bothered that Dan’s girlfriend, Parker, came along. A lot of dialogue going on throughout this movie. 

The friends continue to go snowboarding down the hill. As night falls, the friends beg to go down one more time. They get on the ski lift and mistakenly someone believes there was no one else on the ski lift. He shuts down the system to go home. 

The three friends are now stuck on the ski lift, debating what to do to survive, when they know the ski resort doesn’t re-open until that Friday.

Now this movie is probably one of the tensest movies I’ve seen in a long time. 

Writer/director Adam Green always delivers with a job well done. First Hatchet,  Spiral producing  Grace, and now with Frozen..

The Frozen disc- came equipped with a commentary from the director and the 2 main actors. Also comes with three featurettes which I’m a total fan of as an aspiring filmmaker. The featurettes are very well put together. There are also three deleted scenes

I’m not a critic nor a reviewer but all I have to say is, with the winter season coming up, please go out and buy this movie. Check it out, rent it, do whatever you need to do besides illegally downloading the flick, to catch your eyes on this tense movie. 

-JM

Love how Jay says he's "not a reviewer" and yet he keeps wanting to write for me... I also saw the pic and loved it as well....Just purchased the Blu-Ray as a matter of fact...

Middle Earthers

Casting has hit a fever pitch for  The Hobbit: Part 1 and Part 2 now that the labor dispute has ended

News (via TheOneRing) finally confirms that Martin Freeman will play Bilbo Baggins.

                          L to R): Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, Rob Kazinsky

Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, Rob Kazinsky, Graham McTavish, John Callen, Stephen Hunter Mark Hadlow and Peter Hambleton — all of whom will take part playing the Company of Dwarves.were announced as well

In the film Oakenshield is the leader of the Company of Dwarves which sets off to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a thieving dragon..

Further casting is expected to be announced shortly.

Total Sum

Colin Farrell.is the top choice to star inn the remake of the 1990 sci-fi actioner "Total Recall" says Heat Vision.

Based on Philip K. Dick’s short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale"--as a re-conceived present day version of the story.

 Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender are also considered top contenders, but no offers are officially out to anyone as yet.

Len Wiseman of “Underworld” and “Live Free or Die Hard” fame will direct here from a script by Kurt Wimmer.

Neal Moritz will produce and filming is expected to begin sometime in March.

This would be Farell's second time headlining a remake--having just wrapped on the  Fright Night redo

Hung Out To Dry?

Mel Gibson is being replaced by Liam Neeson in The Hangover 2, reports Reuters.

Gibson was due to cameo in the pic...

During interview actor Zach Galifianakis said "I'm in a deep protest right now with a movie I'm working on, up in arms about something. But I can't get the guys to (listen)...I'm not making any leeway. It has something to do with a movie I'm working on, yeah."

Many have speculated since then that the actor was referring to Gibson's involvement in this film, certainly other unnamed individuals on set were not happy about the casting

Helmer Todd Phillips had planned to scrub the cameo altogether, saying in an official statement

"I thought Mel would have been great in the movie and I had the full backing of Jeff Robinov.and his team. But I realize filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew."

Instead he seems to have convinced Neeson to come onboard and the actor will do a one day shoot for the role in a scene no longer than a few minutes.

I'm no fan of Mel but  but no one had an issue with starring with convicted rapist Mike Tyson in The Hangover A bit strange

Staying Active

After an unscheduled hiatus last weekend TLR's Weekend Box Office Preview returns...

Matt Damon and director Clint Eastwood explore what happens after we die in the Hereafter (reviews): And Baby goes for ride in his crib for Paranormal Activity 2 (reviews)

Carl DiOrio of THR:


Box-office expectations have levitated for the second installment in Paramount's low-budget Paranormal Activity franchise.


Production costs on Paranormal Activity 2 also rose from the $15,000 in pocket change and candy wrappers spent to produce its predecessor. Paramount shelled out a whopping $1 million-plus to produce the prequel to last year's sleeper hit that grossed $108 million.


Unspooling in more than 3,000 domestic locations, Paranormal 2 looks likely to conjure $18 million-$22 million through Sunday. That should be plenty to justify marketing costs of $25 million or so, with foreign grosses and ancillary revenue also likely to be substantial.


Like the original, the R-rated prequel is expected to play mostly to younger crowds and skew a bit female. Unlike the first pic, Paranormal 2 is expected to do most of its business during its opening weekend, which will be padded by screenings at midnight Thursday in most locations.


"You have to go after it like a regular movie and build your marketing on that basis," Paramount executive vp distribution Don Harris said. "So I think it's mostly about the opening weekend."


Paranormal Activity creeped into the marketplace with just $77,873 from 12 theaters during its low-profile launch in September 2009. Within three weeks of that Internet-hyped limited bow, the micro-budgeted franchise-starter had widened to 760 theaters and $33 million in cumulative coin amid broadening buzz among more mainstream moviegoers.


The first Paranormal also copped $85.4 million in foreign lucre. Paranormal 2 bows this week in 21 international territories.


As for whether it can open at No. 1, its main competition is a holdover from ... Paramount....

John Young of EW 

Paramount Pictures will likely be trick-or-treating early this year, as the studio is expected to snag the top two spots at the box office over the weekend with its horror sequel Paranormal Activity 2 and the surprisingly potent Jackass 3D

Staying In A Relationship

Dakota Fanning in negotiations to join the supernatural thriller "If I Stay"  reports Variety.

Based author Gayle Forman 's young adult novel the story revolves around a gifted musician (Fanning), and her boyfriend, a rising indie rock star.

Mulling the choice between her art and her relationship, things get tougher when a fatal car accident leaves her stuck considering the choice between life and death.

Shauna Cross adapts the book into a  script

Brazilian director Heitor Dhalia (À Deriva )replaces original director Catherine Hardwicke who took on Red Riding Hood instead 

Will She Have Blue Skin?

James Cameron is is keen on making a Cleopatra movie in 3-D with Angelina Jolie still attached to star says The New York Times.

"I’ve been talking to [the suits] about it, but no decisions have been made" 

Cameron adds - "It sounds hot, doesn’t it? I mean, Angelina Jolie and Cleopatra? To me, that’s like a slam dunk. Whether I wind up doing it or not, I think it’s going to be a great project."

What about those  Avatar sequels?

"Our plan right now is to do two and three as a single large production and release them a year apart," Cameron said. "In order to do that, we have to refine our technical processes beyond the end of where we were finishing Avatar one a year ago. We need to future-proof ourselves out five or six years to the end of the third film."

Getting Chummy

Dimension Films is primed for "Piranha 3DD", a sequel to this past Summer's surprise hit "Piranha 3-D" reports Deadline.

Saw 3-D writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan will pen the pic while John Gulager (Feast) would helm

The story is supposed to take place in Thailand at an epic party event that attracts almost a quarter of a million partygoers each year.

The writers are expected to turn in a draft next month and could include a few survivors from the first film. The goal is to get the film out by next August.

Catch The Replay

Ben Affleck is the latest name who may bring the late Ken Grimwood's fantasy novel Replay to the big screen as his next directorial effort says The Hollywood Reporter.

The story centers on a 45-year-old man who has a fatal heart attack trying to prevent the murder of a jogger in New York's Central Park. He awakens to find himself and the jogger stuck in a loop - replaying his life from age 18 in Brooklyn to dying, along with the jogger, at 45. Together their pair try to break the cycle of their repeating lives

Affleck has met suits for the project, but no official offer is out.

The pic has spent over two decades in development hell with the likes of Peter Hyams and Richard Lagravenese hoping to adapt the book. Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts were once attached to star as well..

Jason Smilovic (Lucky Number Slevin) wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay

Saturday Night Sandy

Sandra Bullock will reunite with The Proposal director Anne Fletcher for an untitled contemporary drama reports THR

The Wedding Planner writers Pamela Falk and Michael Ellis wrote the contemporary-set pic said to be a cross between the 1978 Paul Mazursky film An Unmarried Woman and Saturday Night Fever

What an interesting hybrid of films to pair up for its premise....

Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot are producing while Bullock will also executive produce.

Sandy proved with The Blind Side (a great pic--If you haven't seen it yet) she can lead a drama

Such An Ass

Given that Jackass 3D pulled in a record-breaking $50.4 million for its opening weekend,a fourth film compiled from leftovers of the third reports The L.A. Times.

Johnny Knoxville says that the guys shot so much material for "Jackass 3D" that there's easily enough to make a sequel - “We shot two movies' worth of footage. We have so many bits that we never even turned in to , Paramount because we were so swamped with ideas — funny stuff. The bits were just coming out of us left and right"

Originally the plan was to release the extras online and on disc in a few months, much like what was done with Jackass 2.5

But with this entry nearly doubling that of Jackass Number Two the studio will make a decision over the next few days about whether to do a quickie follow-up theatrical release.

Director Jeff Tremaine stated that there are currently no plans to shoot more footage but it's likely to come into play just the same

Head Banger Is Mortal

The Big Bang Theory star Johnny Galecki joins Andrew Niccol's latest untitled sci-fi flick says Deadline.

Previously titled "I'm.mortal", the story is set in a society where people engineered to stop ageing at 25-years-old and time has become the currency of the realm. The wealthy are practically immortal while the majority of the populous struggles to bank what extra time they can.

The pic follows a ghetto rebel (Justin Timberlake) wrongly accused of murder who is forced to go into hiding with a beautiful and rich hostage (Amanda Seyfried). They soon begin a steamy romance.

Galecki plays the best friend of Timberlake's character.

Cillian Murphy Olivia Wilde, Collins Pennie Vincent Kartheiser also star.

Niccol ("Gattaca," "S1m0ne") directs from a script he wrote

Eric Newman and Marc Abraham will produce the Logan's Run-like film

The Third Comeback

Mel Gibson is joining "The Hangover 2" in a cameo ala Tom Cruise in "Tropic Thunder" or Mike Tyson in The Hangover says Page Six.

The story follows the guys (Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha) who head out on a trip to Thailand with a dangerous stop in Bangkok where they encounter Gibson's character.

A source says "It's a done deal. Mel will make a cameo as a tattoo artist. Filming is taking place on the Warner Bros. lot, where a Bangkok set has been built, and Mel is expected to film his role in two weeks. Then the production moves to Thailand at the end of October."

Much like Tyson in the first film it's hoped the role will help repair the image of the troubled star.

Not really a Gibby fan anymore folks....

Foxy Kids

Megan Fox has joined the cast of Jennifer Westfeldt's ("Kissing Jessica Stein") new flick Friends With Kids says The Hollywood Reporter.

The film concerns a pair of thirty-something best friends who observe the toll that having kids has taken on the couples they know and resolve to bypass that stress by having a child and then date other people.

Westfeldt and Adam Scott play the lead couple, Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig  co star as another

Fox will play a girl who Scott's character begins to date.

Westfeldt, wrote the script and will produce alongside her partner Hamm.

Mike Nichols and Jake Kasdan will be executive producing the pic.

Alien Anecdotes

First he took on Rise of the Apes....

Now James Franco, may take on another famous sci-fi franchise....Both he and Anne Hathaway are on the the list of potential candidates to star in  Ridley Scott’s Alien Prequel #1 and Alien Prequel #2  reports Bloody Disgusting.

Both Hathaway and Franco have expressed an interest in appearing in the films but aren't formally inked

Natalie Portma "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" star Noomi Rapace Carey Mulligan and Abbie Cornish have all been rumoured to be under consideration for the project in the past month.

"Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof  re-wrote Jon Spaihts first script which the studio seemingly loved as it avoids adding any further expensive set pieces and effects-heavy action sequences, and allows the film to be kept at a PG-13 rating but will still "be as violent" as the original 1979 Alien

Meantime out doing promotion for the Alien Anthology Blu-ray set out next week, past franchise star Sigourney Weaver told Screen Junkies. she has no interest in being on screen in the new films, but would like to be involved in a different way

“Certainly not as an actor but if they needed help with the story, I could probably help them. I have a good sense of what people appreciate in the series and what they don’t care about. So I hope they’ll ask me"

Hmmm

ABC news (via THR)  says Weaver and Robert De Niro may join director Rodrigo Cortés’ next thriller Red Lights.

Weaver will would play Margaret Matheson, a para-psychologist, who attempts to debunk De Niro’s character, a famous psychic.

Brave Exit

Making herstory? Not quite....

Cartoon Brew reports that director Brenda Chapman has left the Disney and Pixar flick "Brave," for unspecified reasons.

"Up" storyboard artist Mark Andrews has taken over directorial duties on the pic.

Previously titled "Bear and The Bow", the story focuses on medieval Scottish princess Merida (Reese Witherspoon) who is a wild girl alienated from her family. After a fight with her mother, she makes a reckless choice that has serious consequences to her father's kingdom and all their lives.

Billy Connolly   Emma Thompson and Julie Walters also star. Chapman was to be the first female director to helm a feature length project for Pixar,

The film is still expected in theaters by 2012

A Whole New "Man"?

Out doing promotion abroad for Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole in Europe, filmmaker Zack Snyder has spoken about early plans for Superman: Man of Steel... to be overseen by producer Christopher Nolan

Asked if it would be shot in 3-D, Snyder tells Digital Spy it's "really just too early to tell".

His fave Supes on film thus far was the Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve incarnation but he won't be a slave to Superman-ala Bryan Singer's Superman Returns, "It's hard not to like it, it's so awesome but I don't think this will have anything to do with any of those."

Could we see another origin film?

Filmsactu (via Bleeding Cool) "As I have already explained, the film will focus on the early days of Superman, so there will be no links with the other films. This is not a remake then."

Snyder says "although I still cannot talk about the script, I can assure you that this new Superman will not be based on any comic book in particular."

Let's face it...MOS will probably be in 3-D....The notion of starting over really is not a bad thing folks

Chatter is that Snyder may reconsider his position on not using Brandon Routh....Giving BR another shot isn't a bad thing either...

Off The Grid

Hi all!

Computer issues caused the updates on TLR to be delayed A LOT since Thursday Working hard to catch up! Thanks for your patience!

There's still 2 more of my favorite posts from the blog archive to place in the stand alone pages section....And the Birthday Post on Monday!

And then Jay Mayer's review of Adam Green's intense thriller Frozen now available on disc...will post before Halloween

After that I will outline some BIG changes coming to TLR...You may want to stay tuned for that as well...It's a doozy of an announcement....

The Lizard Slithers

Though cast earlier this week,Welsh actor Rhys Ifans will play the Lizard in the upcoming Untitled Spider-Man Reboot according to The Wrap

In the comics, Dr. Curt Connors is a Florida surgeon who lost an arm during a stint in the army. Returning to civilian life as a research technologist, he tried to re-grow his amputated arm using an experiment in reptilian limb regeneration. The procedure worked but eventually turned him into The Lizard.

Dylan Baker played the role of Connors in the previous Sam Raimi--directed films--as Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) physics professor, but of course never got the chance to appear as the transformed version of the character.

There were rumors that  Venom would be the bad guy--the character is not going to show up at all,

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone star

The web head swings back onto the screen in 3D on July 3, 2012. The new film will begin production in early December directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad will produce the film.

Can't "Hardy" Wait!

Deadline reports that director Christopher Nolan will reunite with his Inception co-star Tom Hardy for the as yet Untitled Batman 3!

Details about his potential role are still being kept a secret-- is he up for a villain role?

This reunion with Nolan news comes less than a week after his other film project "Mad Max: Fury Road" was hit with another delay.

Chris and his brother Jonathan Nolan wrote the script--so that at least we know should Hardy play a bad guy it will not be underwritten the way his part was in "Star Trek: Nemesis"

Meantime Inception hits disc on December 7th via Collider

Gotta Wear Shades

Out doing promotion for next year's prequel to John Carpenter's " The Thing producer  Eric Newman (The Last Exorcism) told  io9 that a remake of another Carpenter flick may is on the way This time it's " They Live".

"We've talked about 'They Live.' And we've been developing something sort of in the 'They Live' space. I'm hoping that's something we can get into next year. We're hoping next summer. It would be a great movie to make".

The original 1988 sci-fi satire cult feature followed a construction worker (Roddy Piper) who discovers sunglasses that let him see aliens walking among us and controlling humanity. 

One big change said alien-revealing sunglasses - "It might be something different than sunglasses... we're kind of exploring different versions of what is that thing that allows you to see".

There's no Sunglasses?! Does that mean contacts? 

The script is currently being written by D.B. Weiss, who is also writing segments of the upcoming cable fantasy series Game of Thrones