-Val Kilmer and his "Real Genius" co-star Jon Gries are re-teaming for "Deep in the Heart", a feature film about a real-life alcoholic who reinvents himself as a multimillionaire businessman who puts hundreds of kids through college via charitable donations says The Hollywood Reporter.Gries stars as Richard Wallrath, a Texas entrepreneur who is the biggest all-time individual donor to that state's 4-H and Future Farmers of America organizations.Kilmer plays a character known only as "The Bearded Man" who he resides in Wallrath's mind as a "Christ-like figure" to help him on his path to recovery.
-"Slumdog Millionaire" and "Miral" star Freida Pinto has scored the female lead opposite Riz Ahmed (”Four Lions”) in Michael Winterbottom‘s "Trishna" reports The Playlist. A modern-day retelling of Thomas Hardy‘s classic novel “Tess of the d’Urbervilles”, the film's setting has been relocated to India and will follow the tragic relationship between Jay and Trishna—the son of a property developer, and the daughter of an auto rickshaw owner.
Catherine Keener and John Malkovich are attached to reunite in Jesse Peretz's family drama "What's This S%^@ Called Love?" reports The Los Angeles Times. Set in Cambridge, Massachusettes during the 1980s, the story follows a teenage boy who's contemplating coming out. But in a twist, his ultra-progressive family actually wants to celebrate the boy's newfound sexuality, while all the boy wants is to be left alone. Keener and Malkovich would play the parents
-Werner Herzog might helm the Naomi Watts-led period biopic "Queen of the Desert" reports Vulture.
-Julia Roberts has begun negotiations to play the Evil Queen in that third "Snow White" project, the Tarsem Singh-directed 3D adaptation "The Brothers Grimm: Snow White" reports Vulture.
-Cameron Diaz is attached to star in the Joel and Ethan Coen-scripted remake of 1966 British caper comedy "Gambit" for Crime Scene Pictures reports Reuters.
-Mike Newell is in advanced negotiations to direct a new film adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic “Great Expectations” says Screen Daily. The story follows the orphan Pip, writing about his life and attempting to become a gentleman along the way. David Nicholls adapted the script. Over a dozen film and TV adaptations have been made of the story This is looking likely to be Newell's next project with shooting to kick off further into the year.
-First rumored last Fall, it has now been confirmed that Kevin Macdonald is doing "Marley", a new documentary about the Jamaican reggae pioneer from Tuff Gong says The Los Angeles Times.
-Oscar-nominated composer Alan Menken, who has wrote many of the Oscar nominated songs for Disney animated classics like "Beauty and the Beast," "The Little Mermaid" "Aladdin" and recently "Tangled", will create songs for the USO show scenes foe "Captain America: The First Avenger"
-Mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer purchaced a space adventure pitch from former "Prometheus" scribe Jon Spaihts says Variety. Plot details are being kept under wraps
Alex Pettyfer Jeff Bridges, and Jennifer Lawrence will officially star in "The Seventh Son", based on Joseph Delaney's young adult novel series "The Last Apprentice" (aka. "The Wardstone Chronicles")
-Oscar-nominated composer Alan Menken, who has wrote many of the Oscar nominated songs for Disney animated classics like "Beauty and the Beast," "The Little Mermaid" "Aladdin" and recently "Tangled", will create songs for the USO show scenes foe "Captain America: The First Avenger"
-Mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer purchaced a space adventure pitch from former "Prometheus" scribe Jon Spaihts says Variety. Plot details are being kept under wraps
Alex Pettyfer Jeff Bridges, and Jennifer Lawrence will officially star in "The Seventh Son", based on Joseph Delaney's young adult novel series "The Last Apprentice" (aka. "The Wardstone Chronicles")
-Platinum Studios, Producer Andrew Lazar and Top Cow Productions are teaming to adapt Matt Hawkins' five-issue 2005 comic "Vice" into a live action feature film reports Deadline.The story follows a group of hard-core teen felons who join the FBI's Critical Response Unit as a way to clear their records. A combination of bad attitudes and formidable powers make them as dangerous as those they pursue.
-Terry Rossio, one of the co-writers of the previous three "Pirates of the Caribbean" films and the upcoming fourth one, has signed a deal to write a fifth film in the series reports Variety. Along with this series, Rossio and his partner Ted Elliott have penned such efforts as the original "Shrek," "The Mask of Zorro" and "Aladdin". Elliott oddly enough isn't signed on yet .No director is yet signed for a fifth 'Pirates', but actor Johnny Depp tells EW that there have already been discussions about a fifth film and he'd be up for it - "As long as we can put all the puzzle pieces together, I would most definitely consider it".
-Film VS Book One plot point in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two" will experience a significant change from the original J.K. Rowling novel says HPANA
-Heat Vision reports that ICM has signed to represent toy company Wham-O for representation and will now "look to package Wham-O’s unique products for movies, television, music and online content", much like they did with Atari.So what products are we talking about here? Only Wham-O's most iconic toys from the past six decades including the Frisbee, Hula Hoops, Slip 'N Slide, Hacky Sack and Boogie boards
-Summit Entertainment has picked up the screen rights to Kenneth Oppel's upcoming action adventure novel "This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein" says Deadline. Acting as a prequel to the Mary Shelley classic follows young Victor Frankenstein and his attempt to save his gravely ill twin brother Konrad. An alchemist sends Victor and his best friend Elizabeth on a quest to find three rare ingredients needed to create a fabled serum that will give the drinker perpetual health. The book hits shelves this Summer
-"Little Britain" comedian Matt Lucas has signed on to star in the comedy “Small Apartments” to be directed by Jonas Åkerlund ("Spun," "The Horsemen") reports Coming Soon. Based on the book by Chris Millis, the darkly comic story has Lucas playing Franklin Franklin, a simple man who dreams of Switzerland and lives in an apartment complex with a pothead, a busybody, and frequent parcels of fingernail clippings from his brother. Oh, and his landlord turns up dead on the floor of his kitchen. Shooting is expected to kick off in March.
-Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan have been hired to pen and possibly direct the film adaptation of John Gray, Ph.D.'s Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus reports Variety. They most recently scripted the Amy Adams-Matthew Goode romantic comedy Leap Year, the Patrick Dempsey romantic comedy Made of Honor, and the Ben Affleck-James Gandolfini comedy Surviving Christmas.
-A film and TV adaptation version of the children’s book series "Choose Your Own Adventure" is being developed says The Hollywood Reporter. First released in 1979, there are more than 185 titles in the Adventure series with more than 250 million books in print. Ray Montgomery was the original author.Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Daniel Crown will produce. No word on which story would be, though it'll likely tie-in with publisher Chooseco's plans to re-launch the line.
-Filmmaker Kevin Smith has confirmed to Bleeding Cool that he plans on tweaking his new horror picture "Red State" before he goes on his rolling roadshow tour with it starting in March. The film itself received mixed reviews at its debut at Sundance, one common criticism being the length of a sermon by Michael Parks' character than runs a full twenty minutes. That will likely be one of the things subject to some trimming. Here's Smith: "The movie that I showed the cast and crew screening at wrap, two days after we wrapped, I showed them the whole movie, that’s the movie I pretty much showed at Sundance with end credits attached to it… I loved the movie, we knew what we were doing in terms of editing it, it was a beautiful running time and stuff… and then we go to Sundance and I sit in the back and for the first time I get to watch it with 1200 people who have no involvement with the movie, no involvement with me…So I’m sitting there going “Okay, there’s something I thought would work, didn’t play with the audience”, “Something I thought would get a nice reaction just kinda laid there”, Boy, that played way bigger than I ever thought it would, maybe we should shape something around there” and just found some time to take out… if I had to guess I’m saying five to ten minutes somewhere in there.And John [Gordon, producer] fought me on it. John was just like ”Why bother dude, we’re our own bosses, nobody’s telling you to take it out”, like back in the old days Harvey would be “I love it! Take ten minutes out,” no direction at all, just take the time out, so John’s like “We don’t have to do that now, we don’t have to really cut the movie at all” and I said “Yeah, but I’m a filmmaker first and foremost, dude, and I want the movie to play as gangbusters as possible” and if the length of Parks’ speech is making anybody remotely go “Maybe that speech is a little long”… I want them to love Parks as much as I do, so for me, right, I’m an editor, you kill your babies every step of the way as an editor"
-More photos and a video of a stuntman in the Spider-Man costume shooting scenes for the reboot in Los Angeles.
-New set photos of Oliver Platt, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence and Rose Byrne shooting X-Men: First Class.
-Movie theater chain Regal Entertainment Group has announced plans to double the number of screens in its theaters that can play 3-D movies. They currently have 1,500 3D screens across the entire chain.
-Shawn Levy says his robot boxing film "Real Steel" will be a "heartfelt, romantic and nuanced movie"...which is "far more like “The Champ“ than it is “RoboCop”".
-An offer is out to Nicolas Cage to star in Michele Soavi's "Treasure of Pompeii". Said to have a Goonies-esque tone, the story follows "some boys’ adventures in Pompeii, the dead Roman city, while searching for a hidden treasure." Production is slated to kick off in April...
-A tweet that Robin Williams might play Dr. Hugo Strange in "The Dark Knight Rises" is NOT TRUE
-Abbie Cornish) has joined the cast of Bruce Beresford's "Whisperings and Lies" reports Bleeding Cool.Previously titled "Rhapsody", the biopic explores the life of composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, and the love triangle he had with his wife Natalia Satina and his muse/singing protege Nina Koshetz.
- Deadline reports that several additional films about Wiki-Leaks founder Julian Assange are on the way to join the four previously announced projects
Stew will have its regular format (more links and photos) for its next posting For now I hope You enjoy the game!
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