Smurf-tastic!

Box Office Update: 'Cowboys & Aliens' Pulls Narrowly Ahead of 'Smurfs'

The weekend actually saw assumed winner Cowboys & Aliens get Smurfed by The Smurfs in a TIE!!  And rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love settles for 5th place...

Pamela McClintock of THR:

In one of the biggest box office upsets in recent memory, Sony’s 3D kids pic The Smurfs tied with DreamWorks/Universal’s Cowboys & Aliens for No. 1 in North America, with each pic estimating a $36.2 million opening. The winner won’t be decided until Monday morning.

Heading into the weekend, Cowboys held a wide lead over the competition in tracking, with Universal predicting a debut close to $45 million. The disappointing launch means the film—directed by Jon Favreau and costing $163 million to produce after rebates—will need especially strong legs.

Smurfs, costing $110 million to make, was only expected to open in the $25 million to $30 million range. The movie’s standout performance is a sizeable victory for Sony Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, which partnered on the CGI/live-action hybrid, as well as for Sony chairman-CEO Michael Lynton, who picked up the project out of turnaround from Paramount.

Steve Carell-Ryan Gosling comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, the weekend’s other new entry, placed No. 5. The PG-13 comedy opened to a solid $19.3 million, largely on the strength of older females. Slightly more than 70% of the audience was over the age of 25, while 64% were females.

Cowboys, starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, played even older, likely explaining why the film underperformed. It also wasn’t helped by a B CinemaScore (Smurfs received an A-; Crazy Stupid Love, a B+). Of those turning out for Cowboys, 75% were over the age of 25—and 39% over the age of 50.

Playing older was always a risk, considering the film is a blend of two genres: Westerns, which skew older, and sci-fi.

Cowboys couldn’t have better pedigree. Stacey Snider and Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks oversaw production and co-financed the $163 million pic with Universal and Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment also produced the film.

The film’s financial success will depend upon good legs and a top performance overseas, where it is rolling out slowly.

Smurfs cost $110 million to produce, and is the latest entry in the CGI/live-action market. The pic received an A- CinemaScore, and A among moviegoers under the age of 18.

“This was a unique and fresh concept, and Universal was always committed full-board to the project,” Universal president of domestic distribution Nikki Rocco said.

The movie’s financial risk was spread out, with DreamWorks putting up 50% of the budget, and Universal and Relativity each putting up 25%.

Cowboys hasn’t begun rolling out overseas, where it will need to be a strong performer. Generally speaking, high-concept films can do big business at the international box office.

One reason cited for Smurfs’ surprising strength is the nostalgia factor.

Based on the comic books and wildly popular 1980s television show, Smurfs stars was directed by Raja Gosnell, and star Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays and Hank Azaria. The voice cast is led by Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry and Anton Yelchin.

“There was a of smurf love going lot on. And there’s no doubt a nostalgic pull,” said Sony president of worldwide distribution Rory Bruer.

While the 3D toon received an A- CinemaScore overall, moviegoers under the age of 18 gave it an A. Of those buying tickets, 65% were families, while 35% were general moviegoers. Within the family demo, 40% were parents of kids under the age of 12. The 3D market also was relatively strong for the film, with 45% of the grosses coming from 3D theaters...

John Young of EW

It's a tie! 'Cowboys & Aliens' and 'The Smurfs' both open to $36.2 mil

Next Up: James Franco and Freida Pinto witness Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes; While Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman go out of body in yet another R-rated summer '11 comedy The Change-Up.

The Mighty Gets Writer

Paramount Pictures has hired Iron Man 3 writer Drew Pearce to adapt the DC Comics title The Mighty for the big screen says Variety

The series created by Peter Tomasi and Keith Champagne follows: "Alpha One - America's first and only Super Hero who is supported by Section Omega, an entire police force devoted to assisting him in his quest for justice. Lt. Gabriel Cole has worked his way up the ranks of Section Omega and his connection to Alpha One reaches back to his own tragic childhood and an accident nobody could have survived. But when murder strikes at the top of the organization, the case falls into his lap..."

Chris Bender Jc Spink and Jake Weiner will produce The Mighty film for Paramount.

Meta Hulk

Have you been curious about how Mark Ruffalo's version of The Hulk will look in May 4th's "The Avengers"?

Marvel President Kevin Feige talked to Hero Complex about that and explained how the design differs from the way the character was rendered for  those Eric Bana and Ed Norton incarnations..

Feige says "He’ll be about the same size he was in 'The Incredible Hulk' [9 feet tall] or maybe a little bit smaller. His muscles won’t be quite as cut. We figure he’s been the Hulk now for a few years and his physique is changing. He’s not as cut or as ripped as he was in 'The Incredible Hulk.' The most important thing is that face. As you can already see in that concept painting, it is — more than any Hulk that’s ever been done in live action — a Hulk that let’s you see the actor in there. You will be able to see Ruffalo in there."

Feige admits the previous approach avoided portraying Hulk's face like the actor-a decision that he and the company "came to question".

Feige says "we did a few designs that put Ruffalo into it, and we immediately saw how much more you feel for the creature. When you keep that connection going between Banner and the Hulk and you have characters around him trying to reach Banner inside."

Hemsworth Talks Branagh & Thor 2

"Thor" star Chris Hemsworth told The L.A. Times that he's "really disappointed" that first film director Kenneth Branagh has opted not to take the helm on the sequel Thor 2

“Ken built that character, and everything I know about the Thor world I learned while shoulder-to-shoulder with Ken… As long as he’s happy, that’s the thing"

Branagh was invited back to call action for the follow up since the first pic has grossed nearly half a billion dollars worldwide, and he seemed ready to do just that. However it now seems the rush to get the film out by Summer 2013 lead to his exit

Hemsworth adds "I learned so much from Ken while we built [the first film], so at least I had that time with someone like that. The start of anything creative is the most important period in a way. That’s when the most can go wrong, and Ken made sure we got it right.”

The first film hits disc September 13th

Adapting To New Ideas

Friday night bytes

-The team behind "Gnomeo & Juliet" are coming back together for the live-action and CG-animated combo feature "Will Gallows and the Snake Bellied Troll" says Deadline.

-Terry Gilliam is working on a script adaptation of Paul Auster's 1994 novel "Mr. Vertigo" reports The Los Angeles Times.

-Framelight Prods. and Arcana Studios are set to co-produce film adaptations of the graphic novels "El Arsenal" and "Frozen Wasteland" says Variety.

-Universal Pictures has picked up John Mann and Jon Gunn's script pitch for a new live-action adaptation of "The Nutcracker" reports Heat Vision.

-Green Hat Films has picked up the film rights to Guy Lawson's Rolling Stone article "Arms and the Dudes" reports Variety. The story follows two stoners, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan. The two made 85 deliveries before federal agents raided their Miami Beach offices in 2007. The pic is being developed as a potential directing vehicle for "The Hangover" films Todd Phillips.

-Neil Burger ("Limitless") is in talks to direct a new take on classic Depression Era outlaws Bonnie and Clyde for Kamala Films reports Deadline. The film will be based on Jeff Guinn's 2010 book "Go Down Together" which gives us a less romanticized version of the duo than seen in the classic 1967 film with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.

-David Fincher iwill executive produce a biopic about famed photographer Dorothea Lange says Variety. Despite contracting polio at age seven and being left with a permanent limp, Lange went on to become an acclaimed American photojournalist best known for her work in the 30's. Her poignant images humanised the tragic consequences of the Great Depression. Her work had a major influence on documentary photography and inspired John Steinbeck to write the classic novel "The Grapes of Wrath".

-First there was Stanley Kubrick's famous 1960 epic film. Now there's the popular cable series with a new season on the way Film producer Graham King and his GK Films are developing a new feature film incarnation  about Spartacus, the rebel leader who took on the Roman Empire reports Variety.

-Summit Entertainment has scored screen rights to John Huddy's 2008 non-fiction book "Storming Las Vegas" reports Deadline. The story follows Jose Vigoa, a Cuban-born commando veteran of the Soviet army who found his way to Vegas in the 1990s at a time when the town was trying to become squeaky clean. Vigoa and his crew then embarked on a violent 16-month crime wave targeting some prominent casinos while a veteran Vegas police officer was tasked with both tracking him down and burying any potential media stories. Antoine Fuqua may direct,

-"The Green Hornet" star Jay Chou stars in Dante Lam's already in the can action thriller "The Viral Factor" says The Hollywood ReporterChou and Nicholas Tse play estranged brothers on opposite sides of the law, who reunite in their bid to thwart a villain’s plan to spread a fatal virus around the world. The film will be released in late January.

-Canadian commercials and short filmmaker Trevor Cawood ("Terminus") is in negotiations to direct the feature thriller "The Karma Coalition" says The Hollywood Reporter. Shawn Christensen's script centers on a professor who learns his wife, who died five years ago, might still be alive. He battles wits with a corrupt detective, in the process suffering the consequences of discovering the secret organization responsible for faking her death.

-Rob Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious," "XXX") has signed on to direct the $100 million Korean War tale "1950" va a  Press Release The story will chronicle New York Herald Tribune correspondent Marguerite Higgins' journey across the Korean peninsula with a platoon of marines. The journey ended with the mass evacuation of nearly 200,000 South Korean civilians as the Chinese and North Korean armies moved in. Shooting aims to kick off in May ahead of a Spring 2013 release. Rachel Long and Brian Pittman penned the script while Brett Donowho, Sean Lee and John Han will produce..

-Fox Searchlight has optioned "Easy A" scribe Bert Royal's comedy spec script "A Thousand Words or Less" reports Variety. The story revolves around a national essay competition that sends three ambitious teenagers into a sexy game of one-upmanship. Royal is also attached to make his directorial debut while Shailene Woodley may star. Michelle Manning and Dana Jackson will produce.

The Bat Rises In Pittsburgh

A news conference was held this week to mark the start of a Pittsburgh shoot for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises

Both director Nolan and actor Christian Bale  were there to confirm that shooting around the city will take place from Wednesdays to Sundays over the next few weeks to try and minimise disruption.

Nolan said the architecture and scale of the city were a big factor in the city's selection. Bale was sporting long hair and a beard.



Anne Hathaway,Tom Hardy Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Pence,Alon Aboutboul and Nestor Carbonell star along with return of the trilogy's ensemble cast such as Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine

Matthew ModineTom Conti 11-year-old actress Joey King Daniel Sunjata, Diego Klattenhoff Christopher Judge and Burn Gorman take on secondary roles

Nolan calls action on the DKR from a screenplay he wrote with bro Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Nolan and David S. Goyer

Filming is underway at Rock Airport according to On Location Vacations.

Shooting is due to continue in and around the city through August.

The sequel is set to hit theaters on July 20th, 2012

Lovelace Bio Goes Wilde?

The ever beauty Olivia Wilde is not officialy signed on but is said to be considering starring the indie biopic Lovelace says E! Online.

Merritt Johnson is adapting Eric Danville's biography about Linda Boreman's rise to fame as iconic porn star Linda Lovelace of 1972's "Deep Throat," and her subsequent transformation into feminist, anti-porn activist Linda Marchiano

Wilde would play Linda Lovelace

Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman are calling action

The film is told through the perspective of three interviewers at various stages of her life.

James Franco was being considered to play pornographer Chuck Traynor at one point

Laura Rister, Jim Young and Heidi Jo Markel will produce the film

The film is not to be confused with Matthew Wilder's Lovelace biopic "Inferno" which previously had Lindsay Lohan attached until she was replaced by Malin Akerman.

Kazinski Joins; Dafoe Around The Rim

Young Brit soap star Robert Kazinsky is in while Willem Dafoe is in early talks to join Guillermo del Toro's alien-invasion thriller Pacific Rim, reports Variety.

The story is set in 2025, twelve years into a war against alien creatures who reside in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 

Kazinsky would play a member of the team trying to defeat the invaders. Dafoe is being eyed as a rogue scientist with expertise on alien creatures.

Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi Max Martini.also star in GdT-directed 2013 release

Travis Beacham penned the screenplay

Thomas Tull Jon Jashni, del Toro. and Callum Greene will produce.

Production is expected to get underway this fall.

Avenger Teaser Tease

It has been a week since "Captain America" came out...It's been nearly two weeks since the bootleg copy of "The Avengers." teaser trailer made it online. Yet there was still no sign of an HD  version until late yesterday.

Horray!!!

Yahoo Movies posted a clip showcasing the last thirty seconds of "Captain America:". In the process we see a few quick seconds from "The Avengers" teaser.

While there's still no word when we might see the full version Here is the juicy clip:



Robert Downey Jr Jeremy Renner, Cobie Smulders Chris Hemsworth Mark Ruffalo Chris Evans Samuel L. Jackson anf Amanda Righetti star in the May 4, 2012 release written and helmed by Joss Whedon

Bacon Ready To Let It RIPD As Another Bad Guy

Kevin Bacon is in final negotiations to play the villain inthe supernatural comedy R.I.P.D says Variety.

The story sees Ryan Reynolds play a young cop murdered in the line of duty who agrees to enlist in the 'Rest In Peace Department', a police force of ghosts, for the chance to catch his killer (Bacon). The action follows a regular day in the life while on the beat

Jodie Foster plays Proctor, the boss of Reynolds and Jeff Bridges undead cops.

Neal Moritz will produce the film that takes it's cues from comic by Peter Lenkov

Robert Schwentke ("Flightplan" Red) is still supposed to direct the film from a script by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi.

Production is slated to begin shortly to make a June 28, 2013 release date.

Bacon now has experience playing comic book based baddies having done so in X-Men First Class

Patrick Will Replace Cranston In "Squad"

Robert Patrick has closed a deal to replace Bryan Cranston in the period police saga "The Gangster Squad" says Variety

Based on a series of LA Times articles, the true story tale follows a secret "off the record" police task force in the 1940 who pursued high-profile gangster Mickey Cohen a member of the so-called Jewish Mob

Patrick will portray Max Kennard, a laconic LAPD officer from Texas who enforces the law ambitiously. Cranston bowed out over scheduling issues. Patrick makes a fine choice for the part

Will Beall, a former LAPD officer who patrolled South Central and wrote the novel L.A. Rex penned the script.

Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling Michael Peña Josh Brolin Holt McCallany Giovanni Ribisi and Anthony Mackie also star. Emma Stone might play a woman caught between Gosling's good cop character and Penn's character

Dan Lin and Kevin McCormick are producing the film Shooting kicks off this Fall

Criss Hearts Inogene

Darren Criss of TV's Glee has joined the cast of Kristen Wiig's new film Imogene says Vulture.

In the story Wiig plays a moderately successful New York playwright who stages a fake suicide attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend, only to end up forced into the custody of her gambling-addict mother (Annette Bening).

Criss will play a young love interest for Wiig in the pic

Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini ("American Splendor") will direct the picture from a script by Michelle Morgan.

The project is being produced by Celine Rattray Trudie Styler Alix Madigan, and Steve Golin,

Wiig and Morgan will executve produce

Shooting starts in late summer.

3 (Gay) Men & A Baby?

Worst Idea Ever?

Adam Sandler likes the idea of remaking classic 80's comedy"Three Men and a Baby" says Movieweb

The original pic followed three bachelors who become the protective guardians of an infant .

The twist this time though?

The trio would be polyamorous gay couple (all three are in the same relationship) to be played by Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider 

Sandler got the inspiration from an episode of MTV's True Life. He would produce and make a cameo as well

Spade, Rock and Schneider may also contribute to the screenplay.

A remake has been knocked around for a few years - one with Zac Efron and Justin Long attached-- the other a sequel to the previous two films called Three Men And A Bride, bringing back stars Steve Guttenberg, Tom Selleck and Ted Danson for the movie.

Summer Blues

This weekend director Jon Favreau returns to the summer fray as he mixes genres with Cowboys & Aliens (reviews): The Smurfs (reviews) go from 2-D cartoon and hit the reel world: And Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling and the great Emma Stone discover Crazy, Stupid, Love (reviews)

Pamela McClintock of THR

It’s an understatement to say there’s something for everyone at the domestic box office this weekend, especially if you live on either coast.

Three films open nationwide: big-budget tentpole Cowboys & Aliens, PG-13 comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love and 3D kids pic The Smurfs. Ten independent films open in limited runs in New York or L.A., including Attack the Block, The Devil's Double, The Future and The Guard.

Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens, starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, is widely expected to win the weekend with an opening north of $40 million. DreamWorks and Universal are partners on the Western/sci-fi hybrid, which cost $163 million to make after tax rebates.

Stacey Snider and Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks oversaw production on the movie, with Spielberg serving as executive producer. Favreau has been promoting the movie 24/7, including a barrage of events at Comic-Con last weekend, and guest directing an edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live this week.

Universal is releasing Cowboys in North America, while Paramount is distributing the movie overseas. DreamWorks, Universal and Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media financed the pic.

Comparisons are difficult, considering Cowboys’ unique marriage of genres. Earlier this summer, Paramount’s original pic Super 8, directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Spielberg opened to $35.5 million, although that movie cost far less to make.

Cowboys is tracking best among males, although interest has picked up among older women in recent days. Males over 25 are the strongest demo, followed by their younger brethren, according to tracking. The film is receiving mixed reviews overall.

Conversely, Warner Bros.' Crazy Love --- pairing Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling -- should play best to female audiences. Also starring Emma Stone and Julianne Moore, the film is expected to open in the high teens.

Box office observers will be watching closely to see whether the impressive winning streak of R-rated comedies this summer will extend to a PG-13 comedy. Some box office observers believe Crazy Love movie has a shot at crossing $20 million in its opening weekend.

In Crazy Love, Carell’s character, facing divorce, becomes the wingman to a 30-plus player (Gosling). Soon however, the player finds himself unexpectedly falling in love, while Carell’s character discovers it’s not so easy to change his ways.

Sony’s The Smurfs is the latest CGI/live-action hybrid to hit the big screen. Costing $110 million to produce, the kids pic should gross in the mid-$20 million range.

Based on the comic books and wildly popular 1980s television show, The Smurfs stars Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays and Hank Azaria. The voice cast is led by Jonathan Winters, Kate Perry and Anton Yelchin.

Sony believes the kids movie will have strong legs throughout August.

There's also several strong holdovers, including Paramount and Marvel Studios' Captain America: The First Avenger, which opened to $65.1 million last weekend and could beat Smurfs for No. 2...

John Young of EW

 'Cowboys & Aliens' takes aim at 'The Smurfs' invasion

Hunger Hunks

The latest issue of EW features the first look at Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games film adaptation.

The story involves a young love triangle playing out against a dystopian future where North America has been divided into twelve oppressed districts, each of which is forced to send tribute in the form of a boy and a girl to compete in a televised battle to the death once a year

Jennifer Lawrence plays heroine Katniss Elizabeth Banks will play Effie Trinket; Wes Bentley is Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane; Woody Harrelson is drunk, yet endearing mentor Haymitch: Stanley Tucci will play the ebullient and relentlessly upbeat Flickerman, host of the Games; Donald Sutherland has been cast as President Snow Amandla Stenberg and Dayo Okeniyi are set to play the characters of Rue and Thresh; Jack Quaid and Leven Rambin play District 1 tributes Marvel and Glimmer; Willow Shields will play Prim Everdeen; Paula Malcomson is Mama Everdeen; Ian Nelson and Kalia Prescott are playng Tributes from District 3. Ashton Moio and Kara Petersen are playing tributes from District 6. While Samuel Tan and Makenzie Lintz occupy District 8; Sam Ly and Leigha Hancock appear as District 7 Tributes; Imanol Vepez-Frias and Annie Thurman inhabit District 9; Jeremy Marinas and Dakota Hood are playing the District 10 Tributes.; Latarsha Rose and Brooke Bundy will play Portia and Octavia; Lenny Kravitz will play the role of Cinna and Toby Jones is legendary arenas announcer Claudius Templesmith. Amber Chaney will play the Avox girl, Kimiko Gelman and Nelson Ascencio are Venia and Flavius respectively,

Author Suzanne Collins adapted her novel series into script form which Billy Ray has re-written. Gary Ross calls action. Shooting is underway

The first film is due out March 23rd, 2012

Pesci Sues Over Gotti As Biopic May Nab Cooper

The mafia biopic GOTTI: In The Shadow Of My Father hit yet another snag today with actor Joe Pesci filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles against the film's producer says The International Business times.

Pesci claims he was offered the role of Gotti Sr right-hand man Angelo Ruggiero and a $3 million payday, to do so he he gained 30 pounds for the role and Fiore promoted the movie with him. Then apparently the company offered Pesci $1 million and a lesser role.

The Defense states that "Before we had a deal, Mr. Pesci walked away".

Stay Tuned...

John Gotti who took over the powerful Gambino crime family in the 70's, was convicted in 1992 of committing thirteen murders. The film will explore that through the eyes of his son John A. Gotti Jr.

John Travolta stars as Gotti Sr.

Al Pacino will play Gambino crime family underboss Aniello Dellacroce, an associate and mentor to John Gotti Sr. Lindsay Lohan will play Kim Gotti,, the wife of Jr Gotti Travolta's real-life wife, Kelly Preston. will play his on screen wife Victoria Gotti 

Leo Rossi wrote the inititial screenplay and then director Barry Levinson brought his "Bugsy" collaborator James Toback along to rework the script for "Gotti." The revisions will put more emphasis on Gotti's relationship with Dellacroce.

Meanwhile, Showbiz 411 says that English actor Dominic Cooper may join the film playing John Gotti Jr., The studio wanted to nab James Franco to play the younger Gotti.

The project begins shooting January 3rd.

Shawkat Does A Double

Alia Shawkat has joined the cast of two films today says Variety.

First up is the Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' rom-com "He Loves Me" and the the indie drama "The Brass Teapot"

The film's story centers on a novelist (Paul Dano) whose loneliness has caused a serious case of writer’s block. He conjures up his dream girl, who comes to life to be his girlfriend.

In 'Loves', Shawkat will play Mabel, a cute hipster who has a crush on Dano's character and is obsessed with one of his literary creations.

Zoe Kazan (who also wrote the script), Toni Trucks Steve Coogan, Chris Messina Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas also star.

Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa will produce the film with production underway.
Meanwhile 'Brass' follows a broke young couple who steal a brass teapot that produces cash whenever someone feels pain.

Shawkat will play Louise, a friend of Juno Temple's character.

Ramaa Mosley is directing 'Brass' from a script the helmer wrote with Tim Macy

James Graves is producing the pic

Wright Joins 21 And Over

Sarah Wright will play the female lead in the R-rated teen comedy 21 and Over says Variety.

Skylar Astin and Miles Teller play two hard-partying childhood friends, who drag their perpetually anxious straight-arrow buddy (Justin Chon) out to celebrate his 21st birthday the night before an all-important med school interview. The antics “involves being hunted by a mean sorority and a juiced up male cheerleader.”

Wright will play Nicole, a free-spirited brunette who falls for Astin's character despite the fact that she's dating that afornentioned steroid-using male cheerleader.

The film marks the directorial debut of The Hangover scribes Scott Moore and Jon Lucas

Ryan Kavanaugh will produce

Production is slated to start in August for a 2012 bow

Horn Gets A Shift At The End Of Watch

Cody Horn has joined the cast of in David Ayer's drama End of Watch says The Hollywood Reporter.

The story follows the longtime partnership of two LAPD officers (Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena) as they confront marriage, love, fatherhood and the harsh realities of the Los Angeles streets.

Horn will play a policewoman partner opposite America Ferrera who was also just added to the filmm

Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez play the wives of Gyllenhaal and Pena's officers

Ayer will direct the movie from his own script

Production is expected to begin sometime this summer for a 2013 bow

2 More In A Trance Over Boyle's Next

Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson have joined the cast of in Danny Boyle’s new thriller Trance says Deadline.

The film is a remake of Joe Ahearne’s 2001 British TV movie of the same name. James McAvoywould play Simon, an arthouse employee who teams up with a gang of criminals to steal some valuable artwork. Although successful in their scheme, a blow to the head gives Simon amnesia and he is unable to remember where the art is hidden.Unable to trust him and suspecting foul play, Simon’s fellow conspirator (Cassel) enlists a hypnotist to try and uncover the asset.

Dawson plays a woman who has an unusual relationship with both men.

Boyle and Christian Colson will produce .

The thriller is scheduled to shoot in London this September,with Boyle taking a break after he moves to focus on directing the opening ceremonies of the London 2012 Summer Olympics. He'll then resume editing and post-production late next year for a release in March 2013.

Spielberg Elects Lee Pace For Lincoln

Lee Pace has joined the cast of the biopic Lincoln says Deadline

Daniel Day-Lewis will play Abraham Lincoln, in the Steven Spielberg directed pic. While Academy Award winner Sally Field will star as Mary Todd Lincoln, wife to the 16th President of the United States

Pace plays opportunistic New York City mayor Fernando Wood who was a prominent early supporter of the Confederate cause. The mayor kept frequent correspondence with President Lincoln

The great cast for this epic biopic also includes Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, David Strathairn John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson Bruce McGill Joseph Cross David Costabile, Byron Jennings, Dakin Matthews, Boris McGiver, Gloria Reuben, Jeremy Strong,  Walton Goggins and David Warshofsky

Based on the best-selling book, Team of Rivals: by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, the screenplay was penned by award winning writer Tony Kushner,

The long gestating film that once had Liam Neeson playing Lincoln will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Spielberg.

Shooting will begin this fall in Virginia with a fall 2012 release date being eyed

Weaver Joins Stoker

Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver has joined the cast of Chan-wook Park's thriller "Stoker" says Deadline.

The film follows a teen who is mourning the death of her father and has to deal with an eccentric uncle who shows up unexpectedly.

Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska and British actor Matthew Goode co star,

Former "Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller wrote the script under the pseudonym Ted Foulke .

Ridley Scott and Tony Scott and Michael Costigan are producing

Switch It Up

Watch the NEW RED BAND theatrical trailer for the August 5th body switching comedy The Change-Up.

Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman play best friends who envy their alternative lifestyles and wish one drunken night out together, to switch their lives Soon they wake up in opposite bodies...

Directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) from a script by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore--Olivia Wilde, Leslie Mann, Alan Arkin, Mircea Monroe, Tj Hassan and Sydney Rouviere co star.

CAUTION! THIS TRAILER CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE AND IS NOT SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!



Taking into account the previous previous Red Band trailer for the pic--Have we just seen the the movie's best bits?

Joe 2 Takes Trek 2 Date; Abrams Ready To Helm Space Sequel?

No syrprise G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes is being moved up from its original August 10th 2012 release date to June 29th--a slot once held for the ever delayed as yet Untitled Star Trek Sequel says THR

Channing Tatum will reprise his role as Duke in the sequel, and Byung-hun Lee is scheduled to return as well. French actress Elodie Yung will play a ninja member of the Joe squad named Jinx Adrianne Palicki will play the female lead in the film as Lady Jaye/Alison R. Hart-Burnett. She is the Joe Team’s covert operations specialist Ray Stevenson will play the villain. Joe Mazzello is set to play the role of Mouse  Rapper/actor RZA AKA Robert Diggs amd D.J. Cotrona are cicling roles as well.

Jon Chu calls the shots on the film from a Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick script .The film is being produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura.

Production starts on the film later this summer in Louisiana.

Meantime Deadline New York says  that JJ Abrams is FINALLY ready to commit to directing Trek 2. Abrams has just returned from vacation and is hunkering down with writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof to work on the Trek script and beginning prep for a Trek sequel that will likely begin production in January and either be dated for release for the fourth quarter of 2012 or summer 2013. Abrams hasn't formally committed and hasn't approved a script yet...

Trek 2 Better Not SUCK!!

Zemeckis "Seas" Monsters In Sights

Robert Zemeckis is in talks to direct the live action/CG hybrid "Here There Be Monsters" says The Wrap.

The story takes the true story of the American Revolutionary War.naval hero John Paul Jones, and throws sea monsters in the mix - meaning this is a fantasy film more than true biopic

Brian Helgeland has been hired to write the script based on a concept by Thomas Tull who will also be producing the film with Jon Jashni, Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman.»

All Is Quiet For Leder

Mimi Leder direct a new film adaptation of  Erich Maria Remarque's classic novel "All Quiet on the Western Front" says Risky Biz Blog.

The story explores the physical and emotional effects of trench warfare on a 19-year-old German soldier and his friends in uniform.

Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell wrote the adapted screenplay and will produce the new film

Shooting will begin sometime next year

The book was previously adapted for the big screen in 1930 under director Lewis Milestone which won a Best Picture Oscar.

Cage & Cusack Are Frozen

Nicolas Cage and John Cusack are in talks to star the real life thriller "The Frozen Ground" says Variety.

The story centers on the investigation of  Robert Hansen (Cusack), a respected family man who systematically abducted some two dozen women and flew them into the Alaskan wilderness where he released and then hunted them. Cage would play the Alaska State Trooper who cracked the case after finding one of Hansen's victims alive on the street. Hansen was arrested in 1983 and is currently serving a 461 year sentence in prison.

Relative newbie Scott Walker will make his feature directorial debut from his own screenplay

Randall Emmett, George Furla, Mark Ordesky and Jane Fleming are producing the picture

Production is set to begin October 10th in Anchorage, Alaska

Will Bateman Meet The Millers?

Jason Bateman is in negotiations to headline.the pot comedy We're the Millers says Variety.

The film is about a marijuana dealer who -- on his 30th birthday -- recruits a faux family so he can get out of the business after making one last score by smuggling 1,400 pounds of pot from Mexico.

Rawson Marshall Thurber ("Dodgeball") is attached to direct from a Steve Faber and Bob Fisher penned script.

Will Arnett and Steve Buscemi have previously been linked to the project in the past

No production date has been set.

Lost Symbol Loses Howard As Director

Ron Howard will NOT be directing the film adaptation of author Dan Brown's latest Robert Langdon novel The Lost Symbol reports Deadline.

A source tells the site that “Ron told [studio suits] Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton that he was not going to be directing Dan Brown’s novels anymore. He just didn’t want to do that thing over and over, the same character and the same stories.”

Howard directed both the 2003 movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code that made $758 million worldwide, and the follow-up film Angels & Demons (which Brown had actually written first) made a considerably lower $486 million.

Howard says he would still like to produce the film and will help find the  new director.

At last report The Lost Symbol movie was being adapted by Oscar-nominated writer Steven Knight

There's no word whether series star Tom Hanks will reprise his role as Langdon either --who, in this latest tale, is summoned to Washington to decode the symbols of the Freemasons.

Meh The books were sooo much better than the filns anyway--losing Howard is no biggie as far as I'm concerned

"More Celebrities There Than In Rehab"

A teaser trailer for director Garry Marshall's forthcoming star-packed rom-com New Year's Eve has dropped

A sequel of sorts to last year's fluffy Valentine's Day the ensemble pic follows various characters preparing for the New Year holiday. The storylines will overlap and features major stars working at discount rates.

Singer Bon Jovi, Seth Meyers Til Schweiger Halle Berry Jessica Biel Josh Duhamel Ice Cube Ryan Seacrest Abigail Breslin, Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Sofia Vergara star.



Katherine Fugate penned the screenplay.

The Ball Drops On December 9th 2011