Super Bowl XLIX: Divergent TV Ad

The following TV spot will air during the Super Bowl XLIX pre-game festivities for Insurgent, the sequel to the Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate film Divergent.

The action is set in a society divided into five factions that each represent a particular virtue: honesty, selflessness, bravery, peacefulness and intelligence. Once a year, sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. It's then a teenage boy and girl set out to rebel against the system and discover a growing conflict that threatens to unravel this seemingly perfect society.

Shailene Woodley is back playing Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the dystopian ruins of a futuristic Chicago while on the run with Four (Theo James) and hunted by the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite (Kate Winslet).

Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Jai Courtney and Zoe Kravitz are also returning while Octavia Spencer will play Johanna, the leader of the Amity faction. Suki Waterhouse plays Marlene, a member of the Dauntless faction. Jonny Weston's character deets are unknown. Naomi Watts has signed on for the next three installments of the film series in the key role of Evelyn, the leader of the Factionless whose role grows as the series goes along. “Lost” and Hawaii Five-0 actor Daniel Dae Kim will play Jack Kang, a Candor representative who briefly houses members of the Dauntless faction not allied with the Erudite. The one time Parenthood guest star Rosa Salazar is Lynn.  She is one of the Dauntless-born initiates, and, in books, is described as beautiful and sports a shaved head. Dance Academy TV star Keiynan Lonsdale is playing Uriah an initiate like Tris who grows closer to her as the stakes get higher. The character did appear in the first novel but  he did not pop up in the film adaptation."Chef” actor Emjay Anthony will portray Hector--The Dauntless-born brother of the Shauna and Lynn characters.

Divergent director Neil Burger (“Limitless”) opted NOT to return to call action on the follow-up--due to the compressed production schedule for the film series. The first has grossed over $252 million worldwide since the movie’s March 21 2014 release.

Robert Schwentke directed the film that adapts the 2nd novel in author Veronica Roth's young adult novel series using a screenplay by Brian Duffield and Akiva Goldsman.

Douglas Wick Lucy Fisher and Pouya Shabazian will produce the film.

Todd Lieberman David Hoberman Neil Burger and Barry Waldman are the executive producers.

Production took place in Atlanta The sequel will hit theaters on March 20th.

The last book will be split in 2--Allegiant: Part 1 and Allegiant: Part 2, are slated for release on March 18, 2016, and March 24, 2017, respectively. Schwentke has inked a deal to direct the third film in the series "Allegiant Part 1".

That story sees Tris and Four venture into the world outside of the fence and are taken into protective custody by a mysterious agency known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.

"Descender" Comic Book Will Become A Movie

Sony Pictures has acquired feature film rights to Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's upcoming comic book series "Descender" says Heat Vision.

Described as a space opera full of mystery and adventure, the story follows a lifelike artificial boy named TIM-21 who, along with his rag-tag group of unlikely companions, is looking for home. The trouble is, he holds the secrets deep in his machine DNA to the origin of robots that have decimated entire planets - making him the most-wanted robot in the universe.

Josh Bratman will produce the pic while Lemire and Nguyen are attached to executive produce.

Andrew Mogel & Jarrad Paul Chart Vegas Film

"The D Train" directors Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul are set to helm a film adaptation of the Wired magazine article "Finding a Vegas Poker Bug Made These Guys Rich" says Variety.

Written by Kevin Poulsen, the story follows two hackers who found a glitch in video poker machines that allowed them to net nearly $1 million in cash. They could use a sequence of buttons to essentially "cash out". They were eventually arrested in 2009, though what they were doing wasn't technically cheating.

Mogel and Paul will also produce the film.

Jonah Hill will executive produce.

Nick Cannon Charts "Three Little Words"

Variety reports that "America's Got Talent" host Nick Cannon will call action on the romantic comedy indie "Three Little Words".

The story follows a group of people that must navigate various romantic relationships while trying to summon the courage to say "I love you".

Allison Burnett wrote the script.

Mike Karz and William Bindley are producing the film.

Jamie Foxx & Michelle Monaghan Share A "Sleepless Night"

Jamie Foxx and Michelle Monaghan will star in the action-thriller "Sleepless Night" says THR.

The film is a remake of Frédéric Jardin's 2011 French film "Nuit Blanche" where Foxx would play a seemingly corrupt Las Vegas cop Vincent Downs who races to save his son's life, when gangsters kidnap him for a shipment of cocaine that Downs stole from them, all while Internal Affairs officer Jennifer Bryant (Monaghan) is investigating him.

Baran bo Odar is set to direct the film from an adapted script by Andrea Berloff

Roy Lee and Adam Stone will produce the pic.

Cameras Roll On "The Trust"

Heat Vision reports that production is underway in Las Vegas on the crime thriller "The Trust". 

Elijah Wood and Nicolas Cage are set to play two crooked cops who discover a hidden safe while working in the evidence unit of a police department. The duo's desire for the contents of the safe puts them into a deadly web of corruption and fighting for their lives.

Benjamin Brewer and Adam Hirsch co-wrote the script

Benjamin and Alex Brewer are calling action on the pic.

Braxton Pope and Molly Hassell are producing here.

Cast Set For Franco's "In Dubious Battle"

Selena Gomez, Vincent D'Onofrio, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Bryan Cranston and Danny McBride have all signed on to star in the film adaptation of author John Steinbeck's 1936 novel "In Dubious Battle" says THR.

Set in a fictionalized valley in California, the story explores themes Steinbeck continued to develop: group behavior, social injustice, man’s inhumanity to man. A labor conflict between migrant apple pickers and the local growers’ association is the backdrop against which Jim Nolan (James Franco) becomes involved in the labor movement and rapidly matures as he learns what it means to do organizational fieldwork

There are no details about which characters the other actors will play

Matt Rager ("As I Lay Dying") is writing the adapted screenplay from which Franco's going to direct.

Andrea Iervolino Lady Monika Bacardi Scott Reed, Vince Jolivette, Ron Singer and Iris Torres are producing the film.

Principal photography starts in March.

Peter Berg Takes Over "Deepwater Horizon" Movie

Peter Berg will reportedly replace Jc Chandor as director of the true life film "Deepwater Horizon" reports Deadline.

The story deals with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill which became the second largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. The film charts what happened behind-the-scenes in the 48 hours leading up to and the day of the disaster. It also details the acts of heroism that followed in trying to rescue men in the water, stories not known to the general public.

Berg's "Lone Survivor" star Mark Wahlberg would play the No. 2 manager on the rig in the film.

Matthew Sand wrote the initial script that is based on The New York Times article. Matthew Michael Carnahan wrote the most recent script draft. Ric Roman Waugh was poised to talks to direct the film at one point.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian are producing.

Berg is expected to be locked down shortly--the project has every intention of starting principal photography in April in order to its September 2016 release date.

"Terminator: Genisys"--Big Game Spot, Poster & Big Fight

Here is a brand new teaser poster and the TV spot that will air during Super Bowl XLIX for the sequel reboot Terminator: Genisys.

Jai Courtney has won the role of Kyle Reese. The Good Day to Die Hard star beat out Boyd Holbrook his nearest competitor who is to have tested twice--while Sam Reid, Wilson Bethel, and newcomer, Thomas Cocquerel were also contenders for the role of Reese. All 5 actors tested for the role. Seemingly, both Nicholas Hoult and Garrett Hedlund were studio favorites but have declined to enter negotiations for the role.

Australian actor Jason Clarke ("Zero Dark Thirty," "White House Down") is set to play the role of John Connor in the upcoming reboot. Hedlund Tom Hardy and ironically Holbrook ("The Host") were said to be up for John as well. Emilia Clarke is set to play a young Sarah Connor in the film. She beat out Brie Larson for the role. Former "Spider-Man" scene stealer J.K. Simmons will play a weary and alcoholic detective who has followed a bizarre case involving Sarah Connor and robots for more than three decades starting in 1984 and the events depicted in The Terminator. Dayo Okeniyi (The Hunger Games) has signed on to play the part of  Danny Dyson--the son of Miles Dyson, played by Joe Morton in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" who designed the neural-net processor that would lead to the creation of Skynet.

The final major piece of casting--Former Doctor Who star Matt Smith's role is said to have a strong connection to John Connor, and will grow in the second and third films.

Arnold Schwarzenegger will return while cohorts Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn have been rumored to be involved as well.

Byung-hun Lee, Michael Gladis and Sandrine Holt co-star. Lee's role, "promises to be a doozy." Bodybuilder and actor Aaron V. Williamson has reportedly signed on to play a younger T-800 

The film is the first of a proposed new trilogy that will diverge from the established timeline of the previous films. Yet, certain key moments from the franchise will be featured but in a very different way.

New details came out earlier this week regarding one of the key scenes in the film--the face-off between Schwarzenegger’s older Terminator and his CG-assisted 1984 incarnation at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

The sequence could be seen in the trailer that dropped last month--now a report over at The Terminator Fans indicates that Skydance has ordered additional CG elements for the scene, wanting to make the fight 'more brutal' with both combatants sustaining heavy damage. Rather than reshoots, computer effects will be used for both versions of Arnie.

Their source says "The battle will be better than the T-800 and T-1000 from T-2. The ground will break on the wrestling fight." They also describe one of the moves: "The young digitally enhanced T-800 is doing a forward lunge double fist punch and/or crushing the aged T-800’s face, with both its knuckles pile-driving into the real Arnold Schwarzenegger’s metal skull, like something out of a wrestling match."

END SPOILERS

The film starts out in 2029 with the war against Skynet raging. Like James Cameron's first film, John sends Kyle Reese back to 1984 to save his mother Sarah from the Terminator before she gives birth to John. That's when he finds this new Sarah.

Drew McWeeney at Hitfix discusses the time travel component of the new film and revealed that this new Terminator overlaps with events in the original 1984 classic ala "Back to the Future". In one scene we see Arnie's older "Terminator" walking into one of the iconic early scenes from the first film after his younger counterpart has left.

Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier wrote the script from which "Thor: The Dark World" director Alan Taylor called action. Clarke has experience working with Taylor on the cable drama "Game of Thrones". She also has a six degrees connection to the franchise: Clarke's Thrones co-star Lena Headey played Sarah Connor in the TV series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles".

David Ellison produced the film with his sister Megan Ellison that is set to hit theaters on July 1, 2015.

Momoa On "Aquaman" & Is Karl Urban The Bad Guy?

Now that we know that Jason Momoa is confirmed as the star of the stand-alone "Aquaman" movie he has been able to talk about the role-- He will make his debut as the character in Zack Snyder's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice".

On the stump promoting his Sundance Channel TV series "The Red Road ," the Hawaiian-born actor says he's proud he gets to play the character and a lot of that ties back to his own heritage. He tells The Daily Beast:

"I've had to bust ass to be in this industry. A lot of things are very black and white. Aquaman is especially cool because being a Kanaka Maoli-being Hawaiian-our Gods are Kanaloa and Maui, and the Earth is 71 percent water, so I get to represent that. And I'm someone who gets to represent all the islanders, not some blond-haired superhero. It's cool that there's a brown-skinned superhero."

Momoa also says he's glad he is now starring in a movie that his young children will finally get to watch.

"It's awesome as an actor to know what your future is going to be because I have children and I've busted my ass to put food on the table. It's awesome knowing that I'm going to be in Justice League because my son is the biggest Batman fan and my daughter loves Wonder Woman. It'll be cool for them to see me in something because they're not going to be watching Game of Thrones or The Red Road anytime soon, but now they can see Daddy kicking ass in IMAX."

Last week  Latino Review reported that Noam Murro (300: Rise of an Empire) is reportedly a directorial candidate for the Aquaman  movie. He seemingly joins "Take Shelter" and "Mud" helmer Jeff Nichols on the shortlist for the job

LR also broke the news that "Star Trek" reboot star Karl Urban is eyed for a supporting role in the film that may be the villain (Ocean Master perhaps?). Urban's involvement depends upon his "Star Trek 3" commitments.

Last August we found out that 300 scribe Kurt Johnstad and "Gangster Squad" writer Will Beall have been hired to pen separate scripts for the solo "Aquaman" movie. The studio wants to then combine them getting the best version from the two works.

 Momoa's contract is for just four movies--this would likely include  Snyder's "Dawn of Justice" the "Aquaman" film, The Justice League Part One and "Justice League Part Two" which suggests that you're highly unlikely to see him cameo as Arthur Curry in any other DC Entertainment films.

Momoa has been linked to Warner Bros' upcoming DC Entertainment plans for a long time but he's been suggested for numerous other roles like Doomsday or Metallo alien hero Martian Manhunter who also happens to like Oreo Cookies. The imposing actor has been asked about the talk several times but always denied that he's up for a role. Momoa has said if he hadn't landed the Aquaman role he wanted to play Lobo

Created in the 1940s, Aquaman is a founding member of the Justice League who can control the sea and is the king of Atlantis. Alan Ritchson played the character in several episodes of Smallville while Justin Hartley played the seven seas hero in a 2006 TV pilot that never aired.

The DOJ release was delayed a full 10 months for a number of reasons. As a result, the original release date of July 17th 2015 was no longer. The studio then targeted a May 6th 2016 release. They quickly inserted the fantasy Pan into that original slot. The sequel was to go head to head with "Captain America 3" ...Nobody thought that the comic book pics would ultimately share the date--Sure enough DOJ blinked--and will now open on March 25th 2016.

The solo Aquaman comes to theaters July 27th, 2018.

Ezra Miller Talks About "The Flash" Movie

 Last year Warner Bros announced their long term plans that included 10 DC Movies, 3 Lego Movies, 3 'Harry Potter' Spinoffs--At the same time we also learned that Ezra Miller will play The Flash for a solo film due in 2018.

The "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" and "We Need To Talk About Kevin" star spoke with HitFix about his multi-film deal saying that he has embraced the long term job security that his deal provides:

"I'm going to say I feel really happy about it in one way because the idea of actually having a steady job in my life is actually incredibly comforting. It's something I didn't necessarily think I would ever have. And then of course, there are the moments when responsibility-dodging, adolescent-me is like, 'No, I don't want to' [laughs]. [But] that's a very small part. At this point, it's a diminishing voice. Every time I think about that reality, it makes me extremely happy. I'm really stoked and I would do it for forty years. That contract could have said anything."

The story centers on Barry Allen, a man with super speed and super-fast reflexes.

We already know that the DC Cinematic Universe will NOT co-exist with the TV heroics of The CW's hit show (Watch an extended trailer) starring Grant Gustin. Thus the studio recasting for its big screen plans.

 MTV caught up with Miller, who was with “The Stanford Prison Experiment.” co-stars Billy Crudup and Michael Angarano, and he told the the story of how he won the role:

" I get this call and I’m thinking, ‘This is really weird.’ [My agent] says, ‘I have Zack Snyder on the phone, and he wants to talk to you about this DC Universe thing.’ And so [Snyder] got on the phone, and he’s just gung ho. He’s in it. He’s completely involved. And he starts talking about how I’m going to play The Flash. And I was just in this state of shock and disbelief."

Box-Office Preview: Cinema Versus The Big Game

Can any of these wide releases or Super Bowl XLIX slow down the juggernaut that is the Clint Eastwood-directed biopic "American Sniper" (reviews)?

Director Dean Israelite's found footage time travel film Project Almanac (reviews) finally hits after a loooong delay.

The film is Chronicle meets The Butterfly Effect meets Frequency follows a teen who after seeing an older version of himself at his own 7th birthday, discovers plans his father was working on to build a time machine and he and his pals decide to build it. Soon after putting the thing together they learn that after so many jumps in time, things are "spiraling out of control" and they have to go back in time to fix it.

The thriller "The Loft" (reviews) is a remake of the 2008 Dutch flick the story follows five married friends who decide to rent a loft together where they can bring their mistresses. When the body of an unknown woman is found there, they realize that they don't know each other as well as they thought.

Karl Urban James Marsden Wentworth Miller and Eric Stonestreet star for original director Erik Van Looy using an adapted screenplay by Wesley Strick (the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake) based on Bart De Pauw's screenplay for the original.

In "Black or White," (reviews) Kevin Costner plays Elliot who's raised his granddaughter Eloise (Jillian Estell) her entire life. After Elliot's wife dies, Eloise's other grandmother Rowena, played by Octavia Spencer, makes a play for shared custody of Eloise.

This family drama is the latest effort from Mike Binder ("Reign Over Me," "The Upside of Anger").

Pamela McClintock of THR:

Clint Eastwood's American Sniper is set to rule at the Super Bowl weekend box office, easily trouncing three new films braving a launch despite the NFL championship game: Project Almanac, Black or White and The Loft.

Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper as Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, is expected to earn at least $35 million in its third weekend, pushing its domestic total to $250 million. And on Thursday or Friday, the Oscar-nominated film will eclipse Saving Private Ryan ($216.5 million) to become the No. 1 war-themed film of all time in North America, not accounting for inflation. (Sniper's domestic total through Wednesday was $213.4 million).

Theater attendance takes a big hit on Super Bowl Sunday, so it's no surprise that no high-profile titles are opening this weekend. Indeed, both Project Almanac and The Loft open after long delays.

Project Almanac, a found-footage thriller produced by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes, is expected to fare the best of the trio with a modest debut in the $10 million to $12 million range from more than 2,800 theaters. Paramount Insurge is releasing the $12 million film, which also launches in select foreign markets.

Project Almanac follows a brilliant high school student and his friends as they uncover blueprints for a mysterious device that allows them to time travel. Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Sam Lerner, Allen Evangelista and Virginia Gardner star. It was originally set to open a year ago, but Bay wanted to tinker with the movie.

Black or White, filmmaker Mike Binder's racially charged drama starring Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer, should follow with a debut in the $6 million to $9 million range from 1,700 theaters. Relativity acquired U.S. rights to the movie after its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival and is releasing the film in association with IM Global and Sunlight Productions.

When no studio would make the $9 million film, Costner invested some of his own money in Black or White, which chronicles a bitter custody fight that ensues when a child's African-American grandmother (Spencer) insists that the child be raised by her son, the girl's father, and not by Costner's character, her maternal grandfather. Veteran indie player Cassian Elwes is among the film's executive producers.

The Loft, director Erik Van Looy's English-language remake of his 2008 Dutch film, may have trouble getting to $5 million. From Dark Castle Entertainment, the thriller was originally supposed to be distributed by Warner Bros. per its deal with Joel Silver's Dark Castle, but it moved to Universal when Silver pacted with that studio.

However, Open Road films subsequently announced it would release The Loft after Universal pulled the movie from its August 2014 release. The $14 million title, about a group of men who share a loft used for illicit affairs, stars James Marsden and Karl Urban, while Matthias Schoenaerts reprises his role from the original film. It rolls out in 1,800 locations.

Jay Roach Will Train "Mad Dogs"

Jay Roach is set to direct the film adaptation of author James Grady's novel "Mad Dogs" says Variety.

 The story follows five of the best spies of the Central Intelligence Agency whose work has left them shattered and locked away in a secret insane asylum. When they're framed for the murder of their psychiatrist they go on the run, on the hunt for a mole within the organisation, and struggle to find their own sanity in the process.

Wes Jones wrote the adapted action/comedy script

Dan Lin ("The Lego Movie") will produce the film.

Abbey Lee Pegged For "The Neon Demon" Role

Australian supermodel Abbey Lee is wanted to co-star in the upcoming horror film "The Neon Demon" says Deadline.

"Drive" and "Only God Forgives" director Nicolas Winding Refn will call the shots.

At one point the film was titled "I Walk with the Dead" back when Polly Stenham was attached to write the script-now the trade said that Mary Laws, a first-time screenwriter out of Yale University co-wrote the script with Refn

The inspiration for the flick came about because--“One morning I woke and realized I was both surrounded and dominated by women. Strangely, a sudden urge was planted in me to make a horror film about vicious beauty,” Refn says

Lee is negotiating to play the role of Sarah, the cool ringleader of a maniacal group of models.

Elle Fanning will also star as an aspiring model who gets caught up in all of the mayhem

Production is slated to begin in Los Angeles at the end of March.

Lee has also filmed roles in George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" and Alex Proyas' "Gods Of Egypt".

"Wick" Duo Chart "Cowboy Ninja Viking"

"John Wick" helmers David Leitch and Chad Stahelski are in early talks to co-direct the film adaptation of AJ Lieberman's graphic novel "Cowboy Ninja Viking" reports Variety.

The story revolves around an assassin ("Guardians of the Galaxy" star Chris Pratt) with dissociative identity disorder who possess the skills of a cowboy, a ninja, and a Viking, and works for a secret government program.  He escapes and uses his skills to track down the billionaire who masterminded the program.

Pratt has reportedly met with Leitch and Stahelski and has given his stamp of approval with an offer now out to the duo.

"Zombieland" writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese wrote an adapted screenplay for Disney which the suits deemed 'too edgy'. Universal Pictures has now acquired that script and hopes it will be a potential franchise launcher for them.

The most recent script draft indicates that when the character switches personalities, he will physically manifest onscreen as three different people. To other characters in the film though, he still just looks like Pratt's character.

 Marc Forster ("Quantum of Solace," "Monster's Ball") was tipped to direct here but moved on .

Wernick, Reese, Guymon Casady, Ben Forkner, Mark Gordon and Bryan Zuriff will produce the pic.

Karl Urban Steps Into "Pete's Dragon" Redux Role

"Star Trek" reboot star Karl Urban has joined the cast of the remake of the Disney family classic Pete's Dragon says The Wrap. His role has not been revealed yet. Urban will replace former Dexter star Michael C. Hall who was forced to exit the film due to a scheduling conflict.

The new incarnation follows Pete (Oakes Fegley) whose parents died in car crash. He has been subsequently raised by the dragon named Elliot in a forest now threatened by loggers.

Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard will play a park ranger who finds Pete and is a bit skeptical when he tells her about his parental circumstances. Pete befriends a mill owner's young daughter (Oona Laurence).

Robert Redford will play a local who tells tall-tales involving dragons that no one believes.

 Wes Bentley ("The Hunger Games," "Interstellar") also stars.

The original 1977 film combined an animated dragon character with a live-action cast including Sean Marshall, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons and Shelley Winters.

"Ain't Them Bodies Saints" director David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks were hired last year to write the adapted script, from which Lowery will direct. The update reinvents the core of the original concept but won't feature songs. While the dragon in the original was traditionally animated, in the remake he will be a CG animated creation

Jim Whitaker will produce the update.

Production is underway and runs through April.

"The 5th Wave" Gets Early Peek

One year out from its release--a really vague announcement trailer has been released via Twitter for the sci-fi thriller "The 5th Wave".

Based on author Rick Yancey's novel series, the story follows 16-year-old Cassie (Chloë Grace Moretz) as one of the last humans on earth after four devastating waves of alien attacks, and she’s determined to get her little brother Sammy ( Zackary Arthur) back.

Nick Robinson ("Jurassic World") plays Ben Parish, a.k.a. “Zombie", who Cassie previously had a crush on in school, but is now a ruthless paramilitary leader with numerous alien kills under his belt. Robinson beat out Tye Sheridan ("Mud") and newcomer Mitchell Hope for the role.

Ron Livingston will play Cassie's Dad, Oliver. He's an important part of Cassie's life, and tries his best to protect her during the deadly alien attacks.

Newcomer Alex Roe (“The Calling") has also joined the cast as Evan, who may hold the key to defeating the extraterrestrial scourge. Ray Donovan star Liev Schreiber will play Vosch, a high-ranking military official.

Former Sons of Anarchy star Maggie Siff will play Cassie and Sammy's mother, Lisa, who suffers terribly when the third wave releases a plague on Earth. Hart of Dixie co-star Talitha Bateman will play Teacup, a young girl who is also in the child army where Sammy is being held.

Filmmaker J Blakeson ("The Disappearance Of Alice Creed") will direct using Susannah Grant's adapted script.

Tobey Maguire, Graham King, Tim Headington, Denis O'Sullivan and Matt Plouffe are producing.

 The studio hopes the pic will serve as a potential franchise launcher.
 
Sony Pictures will release the film on January 29th 2016.

The countdown begins. #The5thWaveIsComing #36Five #5thWaveMovie https://t.co/H0oFzNg97U
— The 5th Wave (@5thWaveMovie) January 29, 2015

Ted 2 Trailer #1: "We Need A Donor"

Universal just released the first peek for the comedy sequel Ted 2.

Ted saw Seth MacFarlane co-writing, directing and lending his voice as adult talking yet still cuddly bear, with Mark Wahlberg starring as his human buddy John Bennett.

Morgan Freeman will play an iconic civil rights lawyer who comes into the picture when Ted needs to resolve some legal issues. MacFarlane was reportedly said to be looking for a high-profile actor to play what has been deemed a fun role, and showed interest in Freeman from the start.

 A Million Ways To Die In The West star Amanda Seyfried is set to play the female lead this time out. Mila Kunis the female lead in the first film is only expected to reprise her role as Lori in a “tiny appearance”, if at all.The change is due to a creative decision on behalf of MacFarlane and co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild and not some falling out between the "Family Guy" creator and one time Oscar host and Kunis....Jessica Barth is set to reprise her role as teddy bear Ted's girlfriend/cashier co-worker Tami-Lynn. William Shatner will cameo as himself and will be appearing at a superhero fan convention to answer questions about his role in "T.J. Hooker," and will grow quickly annoyed as fans keep asking him about "Star Trek".

Dennis Haysbert is also slated to make a "fun cameo" in the film. Details of his appearance are not known-- as are Mad Men's John Slattery and Liam Neeson. No role specifics here either.

I gotta say I was quite skeptical that the team could up with something that could work here once the novelty of the talking Ted played out in the first film. The premise of the new film seems Bear-able and could be fun--if done right--we shall see...

"Ted 2" hits cinemas on June 26th.

Raja Gosnell Charts "The Secret"

Raja Gosnell is set to the direct the film adaptation of author Rhonda Byrne's best-selling book "The Secret" says THR.

The self-help book sold upwards of 28 million copies and suggests that the power of positive thinking can change peoples' lives for the better.

The film narrative will center on a hard-working, young widowed mother whose life is upended by the arrival of a mysterious stranger. As he shares his philosophy with her and her three children, they find both self-fulfillment and love.

Playwright Bekah Brunstetter wrote the adapted script for the film.

Robert Cort is producing the pic.

Production is aiming to kick off in May.

Final Poster: "Insurgent"

The final official poster for Insurgent, the sequel to the Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate film Divergent is here.

The action is set in a society divided into five factions that each represent a particular virtue: honesty, selflessness, bravery, peacefulness and intelligence. Once a year, sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. It's then a teenage boy and girl set out to rebel against the system and discover a growing conflict that threatens to unravel this seemingly perfect society.

Shailene Woodley is back playing Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the dystopian ruins of a futuristic Chicago while on the run with Four (Theo James) and hunted by the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite (Kate Winslet).

Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Jai Courtney and Zoe Kravitz are also returning while Octavia Spencer will play Johanna, the leader of the Amity faction. Suki Waterhouse plays Marlene, a member of the Dauntless faction. Jonny Weston's character deets are unknown. Naomi Watts has signed on for the next three installments of the film series in the key role of Evelyn, the leader of the Factionless whose role grows as the series goes along. “Lost” and Hawaii Five-0 actor Daniel Dae Kim will play Jack Kang, a Candor representative who briefly houses members of the Dauntless faction not allied with the Erudite. The one time Parenthood guest star Rosa Salazar is Lynn.  She is one of the Dauntless-born initiates, and, in books, is described as beautiful and sports a shaved head. Dance Academy TV star Keiynan Lonsdale is playing Uriah an initiate like Tris who grows closer to her as the stakes get higher. The character did appear in the first novel but  he did not pop up in the film adaptation."Chef” actor Emjay Anthony will portray Hector--The Dauntless-born brother of the Shauna and Lynn characters.

Divergent director Neil Burger (“Limitless”) opted NOT to return to call action on the follow-up--due to the compressed production schedule for the film series. The first has grossed over $252 million worldwide since the movie’s March 21 2014 release.

Robert Schwentke directed the film that adapts the 2nd novel in author Veronica Roth's young adult novel series using a screenplay by Brian Duffield and Akiva Goldsman.

Douglas Wick Lucy Fisher and Pouya Shabazian will produce the film.

Todd Lieberman David Hoberman Neil Burger and Barry Waldman are the executive producers.

Production took place in Atlanta The sequel will hit theaters on March 20th

The last book will be split in 2--Allegiant: Part 1 and Allegiant: Part 2, are slated for release on March 18, 2016, and March 24, 2017, respectively. Schwentke has inked a deal to direct the third film in the series "Allegiant Part 1".

That story sees Tris and Four venture into the world outside of the fence and are taken into protective custody by a mysterious agency known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.

Matthew McConaughey Could Be "Born To Run"

Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey is attached to star in a film adaptation of author Christopher McDougall's best-selling novel "Born to Run" says Deadline.

The story centers on an award-winning journalist who teams up with an injury-plagued runner on a journey to the deadly Copper Canyons in Mexico. Their aim is to discover the secrets of the Tarahumara Indians, tribesman who can run hundreds of miles without rest or sustaining injuries.
The journalist soon prepares to take part in a fifty-mile race through Tarahumara country against the tribe and a number of American runners, including an ultra-marathoner, a young surfer and another barefoot running prodigy.

Matthew Michael Carnahan ("World War Z") wrote the adapted screenplay.

Mickey Liddell, Deborah Jelin Newmyer and Lorenzo di Bonaventura are producing the film.

The book spent almost four years at the top of the best-seller list and helped kick start the 'barefoot-style' running shoe industry

Kevin Spacey Will Be One Cool Cat In "Nine Lives"

Kevin Spacey is set to star in "Nine Lives" says The Wrap.

In the high concept comedy Spacey will play a workaholic businessman who suffers a horrific accident that leaves his mind trapped inside the body of his family's cat.

Barry Sonnenfeld's set to call action using a script written by Dan Antoniazzi and Ben Shiffrin.
 
No producers or production schedule have been announced at this yet,

Brad Pitt Works With Wife On "Africa"

Brad Pitt is in talks to star in his wife Angelina Jolie's next directorial gig "Africa" says The Wrap.

The film centers on paleo-archaeologist Richard Leakey who set out to stop the African ivory poachers whose practices nearly put the noble elephant on a path to extinction.

 Oscar winner Eric Roth is writing the screenplay,

David Ellison Jolie, Dana Goldberg and Jon Peters will produce.

The pic reunites Jolie with cinematographer Roger Deakins after the pair did the biopic Unbroken

 As for the star powered couple they just worked together on "By The Sea"

Penelope Cruz & Diane Kruger Will Meet "This Man..."

Penelope Cruz and Diane Kruger are in final talks to star in the drama "This Man, This Woman" says Deadline.

The story follows an estranged man, Matt Heller, and a woman, Martha Parks (Cruz) who encounter each other by chance on a plane and relive memories of their turbulent romantic relationship.

Kruger will play Kirsty Sachs, a talk show host who has an affair with Heller and changes the course of his whirlwind relationship with Parks.

The male lead is expected to be cast very soon.

 Frederic Raphael ("Eyes Wide Shut") penned the script from which Isabel Coixet's calling action

Robert Ogden Barnum, Mike Lobell and Nadine de Barros will produce.

Shree Crooks Is “Stephanie"

Anna Torv ("Fringe") and Shree Crooks ("Extant") are set to join  the horror thriller “Stephanie" says The Wrap.

The story follows Stephanie (Shree), a young girl abandoned by her parents in their remote home where a dark supernatural force looms in the background. When her mother (Torv) and father (Captain America: The Winter Soldier co-star Frank Grillo) return to claim her, the malevolent power spins out of control with Stephanie at the center.

 Akiva Goldsman is directing from a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, which landed on The Blood List in 2012 as one of the top un-produced horror screenplays.

Jason Blum, Matt Kaplan, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Adrienne Biddle are producing the pic.

There's no word on when production will begin.

TEASER POSTER: Ted 2

Universal just dropped the first poster for the comedy sequel Ted 2. The adult but humorous one sheet comes just ahead of the first trailer which will go online tomorrow at 9am US-PST.

Ted saw Seth MacFarlane co-writing, directing and lending his voice as adult talking yet still cuddly bear, with Mark Wahlberg starring as his human buddy John Bennett.

Morgan Freeman will play an iconic civil rights lawyer who comes into the picture when Ted needs to resolve some legal issues. MacFarlane was reportedly said to be looking for a high-profile actor to play what has been deemed a fun role, and showed interest in Freeman from the start.

 A Million Ways To Die In The West star Amanda Seyfried is set to play the female lead this time out. Mila Kunis the female lead in the first film is only expected to reprise her role as Lori in a “tiny appearance”, if at all.The change is due to a creative decision on behalf of MacFarlane and co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild and not some falling out between the "Family Guy" creator and one time Oscar host and Kunis....Jessica Barth is set to reprise her role as teddy bear Ted's girlfriend/cashier co-worker Tami-Lynn. William Shatner will cameo as himself and will be appearing at a superhero fan convention to answer questions about his role in "T.J. Hooker," and will grow quickly annoyed as fans keep asking him about "Star Trek".

Dennis Haysbert is also slated to make a "fun cameo" in the film. Details of his appearance are not known- as are Mad Men's John Slattery and Liam Neeson. No role specifics here either.

"Ted 2" hits cinemas on June 26th.

Paul Feig Announces Ghostbusters Reboot Leads

Director Paul Feig used Twitter to reveal that "Bridesmaids" co-stars Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy as well as  Saturday Night Live cast mates Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon are in early talks for the Ghostbusters reboot at Sony Pictures.

Hitfix has character breakdowns for the leads that include an academic on track for tenure at Columbia University, an author who is more into the "pop parapsychology" of things, said author's ghost hunting partner, and a Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee who comes across the main ghost.

Other characters include a creepy mechanical genius, and a professional debunker of the supernatural - the role that original cast member Bill Murray is wanted for. 

We know that Katie Dippold (The Heat, Parks and Recreation), and Feig, will overhaul the script for the new "Ghostbusters"

The Lego Movie" helmers Phil Lord and Chris Miller were eyed for the gig but could not ink a deal. Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II director Ivan Reitman skipped out on calling action for the film in the Spring after the passing of co-star Harold Ramis...

Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg penned the original script .

Production is slated to kick off this summer in New York City and is targeting a July 22nd 2016 release date..