Owen Wilson Up For Role In Hess Comedy

Deadline reports that Owen Wilson will join an as yet untitled action comedy.

Previously titled "Loomis Fargo"-- Based on the real life 1997 theft of an armored car in North Carolina, Jim Carrey would star as the ex-military leader of a band of Southern armored car guards who pull off a huge heist of $17 million.

"Up All Night" creator Emily Spivey wrote the original draft of the script which numerous writers have taken a crack at it including Danny McBride and Jody Hill.

Jared Hess ("Napoleon Dynamite") is directing the project while Lorne Michaels and John Goldwyn are producing the film.

Capra & Lakin Are Back On "Mars"

Francis Capra and Christine Lakin will reprise their roles of Eli "Weevil" Navarro and Susan Knight respectively in the upcoming "Veronica Mars" movie says Screen Daily and THR. While Capra's character appeared in all 64 episodes of the series. Lakin's role was a one-off guest spot from the first season

Star Kristen Bell Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls. Chris Lowell as Veronica’s ex Stosh Piznarski and  Percy Daggs III, who played Veronica's best bud Wallace Fennel are all back as well..

The highly successful "Veronica Mars" Kickstarter movie push got the ball rolling with series creator Rob Thomas receiving a total of $5.7 million from 91,585 backers - almost three times their original goal.

Thomas writes the script and will direct the feature-- "Life has taken Veronica away from Neptune. In the years since spoiling Keith's chances to be reelected sheriff, Veronica hasn't taken a case. But something big is about to bring her back home and back to her calling - which just happens to be around her ten year high school reunion."

"The movie is outlined, but frankly, I needed to know how we were doing to figure out how to model the script and how to write it. There are very specific things that are going to be affected by what our budget is," Thomas told The Hollywood Reporter in mid-March.

Filming begins in a week and gets distribution via Warner Bros. A Comic-Con panel for the pic is also expected to happen in July.

Grainger Is Cinderella Step-Sister #1

Holliday Grainger ("The Borgias") will play one of the beautiful but mean stepsisters in the latest re-telling of the fairy tale "Cinderella" says The Wrap.

"The Devil Wears Prada" writer Aline Brosh McKenna sold the pitch to Disney back in 2010 which re-imagines the story as it follows a "prince set for a politically arranged marriage, until the evil plan is threatened when the prince meets Cinderella". Chris Weitz penned the final script.

Downton Abbey's Lily James was cast as Cinderella after a lengthy search Emma Watson was linked to the role for less than a week in March While Saoirse Ronan ("Atonement"), Alicia Vikander ("Anna Karenina") Imogen Poots and Gabriella Wilde ("The Three Musketeers") tested for the lead last year. Bella Heathcote ("Dark Shadows"), Margot Robbie ("Pan Am").

"Game of Thrones" co-star Richard Madden has won the male lead role of Prince Charming

Cate Blanchett was in talks to play the evil stepmother.

Mark Romanek ("Never Let Me Go") vacated the director's chair last year when he and the studio reportedly over "differing views on how to tell the story." Romanek’s version was a darker vision than the studio wanted. The same thing happened with 2010's "The Wolfman," and Romanek ended up looking like the smart one for exiting what ended up being a critical and commercial failure.

Kenneth Branagh is now calling action on the film.

Simon Kinberg will produce.

Production hopes to begin this fall for a potential 2014 release.

Marcel Takes Over "Little Mermaid" Script

Deadline is reporting that Kelly Marcel is all but set to do a script re-write of Joe Wright's upcoming live-action adaptation of  author Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Little Mermaid".

Abi Morgan ("Shame") previously worked on the script.

Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will produce this version of the story,

Marcel won high praise for her script "Saving Mr. Banks" that deals with Walt Disney's 14 year attempt to persuade Australian author P. L. Travers to sell him the film rights to her Mary Poppins stories. She's also adapting E L James erotic book "Fifty Shades of Grey" for the big scree.

Helms Rides Along In "Stretch"

THR reports that Ed Helms is in talks to join the Joe Carnahan comedy thriller "Stretch.

Patrick Wilson stars as a down-on-his luck limo driver trying to pay back a debt when his next passenger turns out to be a nut job (Chris Pine) selling his ledger of criminal associates to the highest bidder.

Helms will play a fellow chauffeur at Stretch’s company, the ideal driver who is a ghost and shows up as Wilson’s conscience.

Jason Blum is set to produce the pic.

Production begins this Summer.

The "Man Of Steel" And Me

Unlike "Star Trek Into Darkness" I will NOT be able to see Zack Snyder's reboot "Man Of Steel" on opening weekend--Two High School Graduations and a friend's wedding happily take priority over Superman's return to the big screen. I hope that I get to see the film within the first week of release. You can bet that as soon as I see the film I will be posting my review...

You may recall that back in December of last year--I foreshadowed some changes for TLR once Trek 2 and MOS were in theaters....To that end I will announce specifics when it's appropriate...All will revealed soon...I promise.

Once my life away from TLR calms down a bit I will covering the slasher-comedy Teachers' Day as well...

In the meantime I need your help to spread the word about TLR! You and your pals follow me @TheLastReel on Twitter and like the Facebook page! Thanks in advance!

Now on to the industry news.

Until next time.

Leo DiCaprio Will Rule As "Rasputin"

Leonardo DiCaprio is being eyed to play the mad monk in the biopic "Rasputin" says Deadline,

The Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin who became an advisor to the Imperial family the Romanov's in the early 20th century.  Rasputin's influence, partly due to his ability to treat the hemophilia of Tsar Nicholas II's son, grew to the point that rivals tried several times to kill him--he succeeded in 1916).

Jason Hall's script new take on the man adds more dimensions than previously seen in films featuring the character. This includes how the death of his brother affected him, and the kindness of which he was capable.

Kevin McCormick, Jennifer Davisson Killoran and Peter Morgan will produce.

Vaughn Takes Out A "Term Life" Policy

Vince Vaughn and "Couples Retreat" director Peter Billingsley are set to adapt the graphic novel "Term Life" for the big screen as an action comedy says THR.

The nonlinear story centers on a low-life whom everybody wants dead. In a rare act of selflessness, the man takes out a million-dollar policy to benefit his estranged daughter. Soon after, he realizes it doesn’t take effect for three weeks so he must survive that long in order for it to take effect.

Billingsley will direct, while Vaughn will star in and produce the film with his wife Victoria Vaughn..

Gibson Circles "Expendables 3" Big Bad

Showbiz 411 indicates that Mel Gibson is going to play the bad guy in the action sequel The Expendables 3. Lionsgate is not confirming the casting as yet.

Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, Nicolas Cage and Milla Jovovich are all said to be in "advanced negotiations" to join the film.

Also on producer Avi Lerner's initial wish-list  were Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford.

Sylvester Stallone and most of his pals from the last two flicks in the series will be back in the line up.

The movie will be directed by Patrick Hughes (Red Hill), and it's scheduled to start production in August

There's also an all-female riff on the premise in the works as well Katee Sackhoff ("Battlestar Galactica")  and former MMA fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano ("Haywire") are set to star.

Duhamel Pulls Till's "Strings"

Variety reports that Josh Duhamel has joined the indie drama "Strings".

The story follows a talented DJ (Lucas Till) who sets out to find himself on a trip to his father’s house in North Dakota. Along the way, he meets a girl who will change his life.

Duhamel will play an army veteran and counselor who treats Till's character.

Maria Bello and Tom Everett Scott also star.

Oscar Torres wrote the script from which Daniel Duran will direct.

Duran Torres and Danny Rodriguez will produce the pic.

Production is underway.

Box Office Update: The Purge Doubles The Internship

The micro horror film The Purge took the top spot at the box office this weekend..."Fast & Furious 6" fell to second place.While the Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson comedy The Internship opened in 4th place...Yikes!!

Pamela McClintock of THR:

Universal and Jason Blum's microbudgeted thriller The Purge had no trouble scaring off The Internship as it grossed a stunning $36.4 million -- double the opening of the Google comedy.

The Purge, starring Ethan Hawke and Game of Thrones' Lena Headey, wasn't Universal's only victory of the weekend. Fast & Furious 6 claimed the No. 2 spot as it grossed $19.8 million in its third weekend to race past the $200 million mark domestically.

Directed by Shawn Levy, The Internship placed No. 4 behind Now You See Me as it opened to a muted $18.1 million, despite reuniting Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson for the first time since Wedding Crashers in 2005.

That's slightly better than expected, but 20th Century Fox and New Regency, which split the $58 million budget, had hoped for much more when embarking on the comedy. Many reviewers have skewered The Internship -- starring Vaughn and Wilson as washed-up salesmen who become interns at Google -- for being an advertisement for the giant tech company. Audiences were more generous, giving the PG-13 entry a B+ CinemaScore.

The marks Levy's worst opening in a decade (in 2003, Fox comedy Just Married debuted to $17.5 million). And it will come nowhere near to Wedding Crashers, which debuted to $33.9 million, ushering in a new era or prosperity for R-rated comedies. Levy and Vaughn, who produced and co-wrote The Internship, worked closely with Google throughout the process of making the film.

Fox president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson countered that the comedy received great scores.

"Well above-average ratings and definite recommends echo our test scores. This playability should ensure a great multiple as moviegoers continue to discover a gem of a comedy," he said.

From writer-director James DeMonaco, The Purge -- costing a mere $3 million to make and already making its budget back -- is set in a future where one night a year all crime is legal. The film received a C CinemaScore, not unusual for the genre.

Heading into the weekend, The Purge -- Hawke's biggest opening in North America -- was tracking to open south of $20 million, but a strong turnout among younger female moviegoers and Hispanics led to the movie vastly overperforming.

"We didn't expect anything near this result," Universal president of domestic distribution Nikki Rocco. "The social media campaign really paid off, as well as the traditional campaign."
Hispanics -- the most avid moviegoers in the U.S. -- made up 33 percent of those buying tickets to The Purge, while those under the age of 25 made up 56 percent. The pic skewed female (56 percent).

The Purge is the first title to be released through Universal's partnership with Blum, the producer behind the Paranormal Activity franchise and Insidious. Blum produced the movie with Michael Bay, Sebastien K. LeMercier and Bay's colleagues at Platinum Dunes, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller.

Fox's 3D animated family film Epic placed No. 5 in its third weekend, grossing $12.1 million for a domestic cume of $84.2 million.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness, continuing to enjoy an enviable hold, also jumped the $200 million mark in North America, grossing $11.7 million in its fourth weekend for a total of $200.1 million. Overseas, the film grossed $17.6 million for the weekend for an international haul of $176.4 million -- 40 percent ahead of Star Trek. Into Darkness' worldwide cume is $376.4 million.

Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing soared at the specialty box office, grossing $183,400 from five theaters in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco for a location average of $36,680, a victory for the filmmaker and Roadside Attractions. The black-and-white film, a festival darling, broke the house record at the Lincoln Center Film Society's theater on Saturday night with $15,027.

Next Up: On Wednesday a gaggle full of celebrities party like This Is The End and Superman Returns in Zack Snyder's reboot "Man Of Steel"...

J.J. Abrams Getting Into "Star Wars" Mode

With  the sequel "Star Trek Into Darkness" now in release director  J.J. Abrams is just starting to

focus on "Star Wars: Episode VII".

 

 

"We are, most likely, if all goes as planned, going to be moving to London at the end of the year for the Star Wars movie," Abrams said Saturday at the Produced By Conference.
.
"It is so massive and so important to people," he said. "I think the key to moving forward on something like this is honoring but not revering what came before."

Abrams said the move to London would be quite an inconvenience for his wife and children.

"When you're 13 and 14, it's like, f--k that, I don't care what the movie is," he joked.

Oscar winner Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3," "Little Miss Sunshine") is writing the script for the “Star Wars: Episode VII. The script is said to include Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo in their later years. No official word yet if Mark Hamill could be tempted to return as Luke Skywalker but he is interested... Carrie Fisher had all but confirmed that she would be back in the role of Princess Leia--but then her rep told CNN that she 'was joking'  Harrison Ford is also interested..."

Franchise creator George Lucas told Bloomberg Businessweek that he begun talks with original stars to have them return to for its new films -- before he had even begun the process of the ultimately $2 billion deal between Disney/Lucasfilm.

"We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison—or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation. So I called them to say, ‘Look, this is what’s going on. Maybe I’m not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them... I won’t say whether the negotiations were successful or not."

Fellow Original castmates Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Daniels say that they are keen on returning to that "galaxy far, far, away".

Writers Lawrence Kasdan ("The Empire Strikes Back," "Raiders of the Lost Ark") and Simon Kinberg ("Sherlock Holmes," "X-Men: Days of Future Past") have reportedly closed deals to pen the final two installments of the new "Star Wars" trilogy. Kasdan and Kinberg are also indeed developing stand alone Star Wars features.

Kasdan and Kinberg would also join the projects as producers with Kathleen Kennedy.

More from Produced By: Abrams on Film's Future and his Love Hate Relationship With Tech and Endless Production Choices and When High Res Can Be too Much

Lowell Promises To Go "Full Frontal" In Veronica Mars Movie

Two more familiar faces have officially joined the "Veronica Mars" movie.

Chris Lowell is back to play Veronica’s ex Stosh Piznarski and so is Percy Daggs III, who played Veronica's best bud Wallace Fennel, according to Deadline.

Lowell made an entertaining video about his return:



Star Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls are also confirmed for the movie

The highly successful "Veronica Mars" Kickstarter movie push got the ball rolling with series creator Rob Thomas receiving a total of $5.7 million from 91,585 backers - almost three times their original goal.

Thomas writes the script and will direct the feature-- "Life has taken Veronica away from Neptune. In the years since spoiling Keith's chances to be reelected sheriff, Veronica hasn't taken a case. But something big is about to bring her back home and back to her calling - which just happens to be around her ten year high school reunion."

"The movie is outlined, but frankly, I needed to know how we were doing to figure out how to model the script and how to write it. There are very specific things that are going to be affected by what our budget is," Thomas told The Hollywood Reporter in mid-March.

The film is on track to go into production this Summer and get distribution via Warner Bros. A Comic-Con panel for the pic is also expected to happen in July.

Photo Day: X-Men Sequel And Cap 2

Fangirl has posted a bunch of spy photos of  Michael Fassbender and Nicholas Hoult in his new Beast make-up confronting one another on the set of X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Most of “X-Men: First Class” cast is set to reprise their roles, including James McAvoy (Professor X), and Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique). Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert) recently confirmed that she is NOT in this film...

The original trilogy stars Sir Ian McKellen Sir Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman are already poised to return again as well. Anna Paquin (Rogue), Ellen Page (Kitty Pride) and Shawn Ashmore (Iceman)Halle Berry (Storm) While it was hoped that James Marsden (Cyclops) would be back. It seems Alan Cumming.(Nightcrawler) will not return.

Daniel Cudmore is returning as Colossus and BooBoo Stewart is also in the film--character as yet unknown. Chinese actress Fan Bingbing has joined the film--as Blink, a mutant with the power of teleportation. American Horror Story favorite Evan Peters will portray Quicksilver French actor Omar Sy and Adan Canto also star. Speculation is that Peter Dinklage plays Bolivar Trask. He  created the Sentinels--mutant-hunting robots. Or is the Game of Thrones actor instead playing bad guy Apocalypse...

Director Bryan Singer penned the treatment and produced 'First Class' which was helmed by Matthew Vaughn. Now, their roles will be completely reversed for this sequel with Singer helming the film while Vaughn wrote the treatment and will produce with Lauren Shuler Donner and writer Simon Kinberg.

The sequel is based on a -2 issue story arc in the 'X-Men' comics published in 1981. Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes) is on board to pen the screenplay which will include New Mutants. Magneto and his relationship with Charles X. Xavier will be front and center as well.

Production on the sequel is well underway "X-Men: Days Of Future Past" hits screens July 18th 2

Meanwhile The Daily Mail. has pics of two old friends turned foes having it out on the set of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The story follows the acclaimed comic storyline The Winter Soldier in which Captain America's (Chris Evans) sidekick Bucky (Sebastian Stan) is resurrected as a brainwashed super-assassin known as the Winter Solider. The tale also follows that Peggy's (played by Hayley Atwell in Captain America: The First Avenger) niece Sharon (Revenge star Emily VanCamp) meets Cap.

Anthony Mackie is poised to play Harlem crime fighter Falcon, one of mainstream comics' first black superheroes. Falcon, aka. Sam Wilson, can telepathically talk to birds and has a suit that allows him to fly and enhances his strength. Scarlett Johansson will also show up as Black Widow in the film. How big a role she'll play is also unknown. Cobie Smulders will reprise her role of Maria Hill. She joins her boss in The Avengers co-star Samuel L. Jackson for the film. Frank Grillo ("The Grey," "Warrior") will play the villain Crossbones in the sequel. Toby Jones, has confirmed to Hey U Guys that he will reprise the role of the villain Armin Zola. Maximiliano Hernández said via Twitter that he will reprise his "Avengers" role of Agent Jasper Sitwell in the sequel. Robert Redford (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) has entered talks for a senior leadership role in S.H.I.E.L.D. UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre will play villain Batroc the Leaper, an infamous mercenary in the Cap mythology.

Joe Russo and Anthony Russo are directing the sequel, using a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

The sequel will hit theaters April 4, 2014.

Johnson Might Wear Quicksilver Suit In "The Avengers 2"

Has Joss Whedon found his Quicksilver for "The Avengers 2"? Perhaps...

The Wrap suggests that Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is best-known for his role in another superhero movie, "Kick-Ass" is the frontrunner for the role.

Last month, Whedon confirmed that both Quicksilver (a.k.a. Pietro Maximoff) and his sister Scarlet Scarlet Witch (a.k.a. Wanda Maximoff) will be a part of the team up sequel. Meantime we already know that  American Horror Story favorite Evan Peters will portray Quicksilver in director Bryan Singer's "X-Men: Days of Future Past

Quicksilver possesses the gift of superhuman speed, while his sister Scarlet Witch can control the power of probability.

Marvel and 20th Century Fox share the rights to these characters, whose father is Magneto from the X-Men film series.

The Avengers 2 starts production early next year. Days Of Futures Past is filming now for release next July. Johnson can be seen in Kick-Ass 2 in August,

Witherspoon & Vergara Will "Mess With Texas"

Reese Witherspoon and Modern Family star Sofia Vergara are teaming up for the film Don't Mess With Texas says Deadline.

The story follows a cop and a prisoner on the run from a gang of crooked cops.

Universal Pictures won a bidding war for the comedy spec script from screenwriters John Quaintance and David Feeney .

Witherspoon Bruna Papandrea and Dana Fox will produce the pic.

Production looks to get going next March

Waltz Will Solve "True Crimes"

THR reports that Christoph Waltz is set to star in the thriller True Crime.

The film will adapt The New Yorker 2008 article by David Grann about the mysterious case of Krystian Bala a Polish writer who was convicted of murder. A cold case for years, the murder was described as the perfect crime. Bala was never a suspect, but he published a novel that described a murder that was strikingly similar to the one that had baffled local police for years.

Waltz is playing Polish police officer Jacek Wroblewski, who re-opens the case and is sucked into an underworld of sex rings and drugs.

The tone of the film is being compared to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Roman Polanski is a potential candidate to direct the film.

Brett Ratner, John Cheng and David Gerson are producing the pic

Affleck & Timberlake Go All In For "Runner, Runner" Peek

Here's your first look at the online gambling thriller "Runner, Runner".

 

 

In the film Justin Timberlake stars as a Princeton University student who gets pulled into the world of online gambling in order to help bankroll his expensive education. After he loses money he flies to Costa Rica hoping to reclaim his losses from the site's billionaire owner (Ben Affleck) and ends up becoming the corrupt CEO's right-hand man.

Broadway actor Michael Esper will play a tattooed man who is immersed in online gaming and works as an affiliate for the poker company at the center of the story.

Anthony Mackie is to play an FBI agent who has spent years trying to bring down Affleck's character and sees Timberlake as a way in. Project X co-star Oliver Cooper will play an Ivy League computer nerd who gets hired along with Timberlake's character. Gemma Arterton plays JT's love interest. Ben Schwartz will play Timberlake’s friend.

Brad Furman ("The Lincoln Lawyer") will direct from a script by "Rounders" scribes Brian Koppelman and David Levien.

Koppelman, Levien, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher and Scott Steindorff will produce the pic.

The pic is set to hit screens on September 27th 2013.



This looks pretty much like it's gonna be a by the numbers outing with some over the top cheesiness sprinkled on top for good measure,,,JT and Ben deserve better.

Denzel Takes "Shovel Ready" Job

Deadline reports that Denzel Washington is in early talks to star in "Shovel Ready".

The story is an adaptation of journalist Adam Sternbergh's debut novel. Set in a bombed-out, near future New York City where most of the population escapes reality by tapping into a digital fantasy world, a contract killer is hired to kill the daughter of a powerful, maniacal evangelist. Ultimately, the killer becomes the girl’s protector.

Erwin Stoff will produce the pic.

Tom Hardy Is "The Outsider"

Tom Hardy will star in the independently financed English-language gritty action thriller "The Outsider" says Variety.

The script by Andrew Baldwin follows a POW in Osaka during World War II who stays on after the war. He works his way through the rituals and hardships to become the rare outsider who gains membership in the Yakuza crime unit.

Takashi Miike is in talks to direct the film that at one point last year had Safe House helmer Daniel Espinosa poised to call action.

John Linson, Art Linson, Joel Silver, Andrew Rona and Steve Richards will produce.

Production kicks off in Japan early next year.

Hot Tub 2: Jacobs Jumps In & Chase Returns

Chevy Chase will return and Gillian Jacobs has joined the comedy sequel Hot Tub Time Machine 2 says Deadline.

The 2010 origimal film follows four men, bored and unhappy with their lives, who travel back in time via a hot tub to a fateful night during their teen aged years in the 1980s.

While co-stars Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke are set to reprise their roles for the follow-up, lead star John Cusack is not involved. Adam Scott will play an entirely new lead in the film, whose plot details are being kept under wraps.

Jacobs will play the female lead in the film opposite Scott. While Chase will most likely reunite with his former  Community co-hort Jacobs playing the Tub repair guy

The original film's director Steve Pink worked on the script and would call the shots.

The first film made $50 million from a $36 million budget, but became a major hit on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD.

Irwin Goes For "Interstellar"

Veteran character actor Bill Irwin ("Rachel Getting Married," "Lady in the Water") is set to star in Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" says The Wrap.

The film has been around since 2006, when Steven Spielberg was attached to direct--the younger Nolan came on board to write the screenplay in 2007. As late as 2010, the idea was still in play for those two to collaborate.

The premise springs from "a scientific theory by Kip S. Thorne, a Caltech physicist and expert on relativity. His theory that says wormholes exist and can be used for time travel intrigued Spielberg, who attended a Caltech workshop on the subject with Thorne and other scientists."

Irwin's role is being kept under wraps for now.

Matthew McConaughey Jessica Chastain Michael Caine and Anne Hathaway also star.

The script was penned by Chris and his younger brother Jonathan Nolan

The film will follow a group of scientists who travel through a wormhole into another dimension.

Christopher Nolan Emma Thomas and Lynda Obst will produce the pic. Jordan Goldberg is executive producing.

The pic already has a set release date of November 7, 2014

Sheridan And Dever Share "Grass Stains"

Tye Sheridan and Kaitlyn Dever are in talks to star in the coming-of-age indie drama "Grass Stains" says THR.

Sheridan will play a teen finding his first love (Dever). When a prank goes awry and causes the death of his girlfriend’s older brother, the boy must balance his secret guilt with his feelings for the girl.

Kyle Wilamowski directs from his own screenplay.

Matt Perniciaro, Kevin Mann, Rachel Miller, Steve Olivera and Michael Sherman are producing.

Production begins in North Carolina later this month.

Leo Hopes For "The Ever After"

Deadline reports that Melissa Leo ("Olympus Has Fallen") has joined the relationship drama "The Ever After".

Mark Webber ("The End of Love") and Teresa Palmer ("Warm Bodies") co-wrote and star in the film that explores the depths of marriage.

Rosario Dawson, rapper Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi, Phoebe Tonkin and Jaime King are also in talks to join the film.

Leo plays a mystical individual who has a profound impact on Webber and Palmer’s character’s relationship.

Filming started in February in Australia and will continue in Los Angeles and New York through July and August.

Short Film R'Ha Goes Full Length

"Star Wars" film producer Rick McCallum and "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" producer Steve Tzirlin are teaming up for the new project "R'Ha" says Heat Vision

The high-concept movie will be a feature length of the recent short film by Kaleb Lechowski who is attached to direct this version.

The story follows an alien species trying to defend a cluster of solar systems from a menacing attack. There are no humans whatsoever in the film.

The original UK "Life on Mars" creator Matthew Graham is tipped to write the adapted screenplay.

Raymond Brothers and Scott Glassgold will also produce.

The goal is to make it as a European film, using VFX facilities from all over Central and Eastern Europe and Asia--Making a large scale film on a reasonable budget.

Watch the original short:

Box Office Preview: Maybe They Should Work For Bing

Just because popular comedy duo Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson land The Internship (reviews) at Google in their new film does not mean it is as good as Wedding Crashers...Still could it really get beat by The Purge (reviews)? Oh The Horror!!! Can the high concept film bring down 2 time champ "Fast & Furious 6"?

---Box Office Milestone: 'Fast & Furious 6' Passes $500 Million Worldwide
---'Man of Steel' Tracking Strong, But How Strong?

Pamela McClintock of THR:

Shawn Levy and Vince Vaughn's The Internship -- their love letter to Google -- may only debut in the $15 million range in a major disappointment for Levy, 20th Century Fox and New Regency.

The spoils are instead likely to go to Universal's high-concept home invasion movie The Purge. The $3 million thriller could cross $20 million in its domestic debut and topple fellow Universal title Fast & Furious 6 from the top perch.

There were high hopes for The Internship, which reunites Vaughn and Owen Wilson for the first time since Wedding Crashers eight years ago. That film ushered in a new era of prosperity for R-rated comedies and grossed a record-breaking $285.2 million worldwide. Unlike Wedding Crashers, The Internship is rated PG-13.

Tracking has been abysmally soft for The Internship, despite strong test scores, insiders say. Fox and New Regency co-financed the $58 million film, a passion project for Vaughn and Levy.

From a script Vaughn wrote with The Watch's Jared Stern, The Internship follows two washed-up salesmen who decide to finally embrace the digital age by doing internships at Google. The story is set at Google's headquarters in Silicon Valley, also the site of press junkets for the film. Levy and Vaughn worked closely with Google throughout the process.

The comedy has received poor reviews, with numerous critics noting that the film feels like a promo for Google. Rose Byrne, Max Minghella, JoAnna Garcia and John Goodman also star.

Levy enjoys favored status at Fox because of the blockbuster Night at the Museum franchise. He also directed Date Night for the studio.

The Purge marks the first title to be released via Universal's partnership with Jason Blum, the producer behind such hits as the Paranormal Activity franchise and Insidious. Blum produced the $3 million film with Michael Bay, Sebastien K. LeMercier and Bay's colleagues at Platinum Dunes, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller.

Written and directed by James DeMonaco, The Purge stars Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. Set in a future America where any crime is sanctioned for one night a year, the story revolves around a peaceful family who must fight off vicious attackers invading their home.

New offerings at the specialty box office include Joss Whedon's high-profile film Much Ado About Nothing. Roadside Attractions opens the black-and-white film in five theaters.

Also opening in a limited run is Entertainment One's drama Wish You Were Here, starring Joel Edgerton and Teresa Palmer.

Joss On RDJ And "Avengers 2"

Doing the promo push for his take Much Ado About Nothing  writer/director Joss Whedon tells The Daily Beast that he can not imagine making "The Avengers 2" without the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark:

"He is Iron Man. He is Iron Man in the way that Sean Connery was James Bond. I have no intention of making 'Avengers 2' without him, nor do I think I’ll be called upon to do that. I don’t think it’s in my interest, Marvel's interest, or his interest, and I think everything will be fine. But I know that this is Hollywood and you roll with things. You have to be ready for the unexpected."

Talks are still underway between Marvel and RDJ to return...Stay Tuned....

Johnson Wooed By "The Other Woman"

THR reports that Don Johnson is in final talks to join the comedy "The Other Woman".

The story centers on a scorned woman (Cameron Diaz) who teams up with her boyfriend's wife (Leslie Mann) to get revenge on their man (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), when it is learned he is seeing yet another woman (Kate Upton).

Johnson will play Diaz's Dad, a charmer who dates women half his age.

Singer Nicki Minaj will make her acting debut here playing Diaz's outspoken assistant, who is on her third marriage. Chicago Fire co star Taylor Kinney also stars

Nick Cassavetes will call action using Melissa Stack's script.

Julie Yorn will produce the film.

 Production is currently under way in New York City.

Wasikowska Replaces Stone In "Crimson Peak"

Mia Wasikowska is in talks to step into the role Emma Stone was originally attached to play in the gothic horror film "Crimson Peak" says The Wrap. Stone was forced to vacate the role over a scheduling issue.

Guillermo del Toro and Lucinda Coxon  (The Heart of Me, The Eternal Not) are rewriting the original script by del Toro and Matthew Robbins that is described as a classic ghost story with a modern twist. It will center on a woman (Wasikowska) who suspects her husband is hiding something,

Charlie Hunnam, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jessica Chastain also star.

del Toro will also direct the pic with cameras set to roll early next year

Spidey 2: SPOILER PICS-Does Gwen...?

New spy photos from the set of director Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 seem to suggest that the classic story The Night Gwen Stacy Died will be worked into an already jammed-packed film narrative....

To wit:

 

Andrew Garfield will return as Peter Parker and Emma Stone is gonna reprise her role as Gwen Stacy. And you can see that Stone's outfit clearly matches the clothes Gwen wears in the fateful comic

For the record Stone endorsed the idea last August when The Amazing Spider-Man was still in theaters...

Shailene Woodley has won the role of Mary Jane Watson, the perennial red-headed love interest of Pater Parker in the Spidey comics. The role was previously played by Kirsten Dunst in director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy. Dane DeHaan ("Chronicle") has won the role of Harry Osborn Osborn of course is Peter Parker's best friend and eventual enemy who was played by James Franco previously. Jamie Foxx will be playing bad guy Electro. Paul Giamatti plays the villain, the Rhino Chris Cooper has been cast as Norman Osborn--who eventually becomes Spidey's number one foe--The Green Goblin--The character was played previously by Willem Dafoe Felicity Jones (Like Crazy), has an undisclosed role in the film. Former Office star B.J. Novak has an unspecified role in the film.

Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner are writing the script based on a previous draft by James Vanderbilt.

Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach will produce.

The new film is now in production to meet its May 2nd 2014 release date.

"Man Of Steel": Already Makes $$ & Nokia's Peek

Made for around $225 million, it seems that unlike Superman Returns in 2006 Warner Bros. won't have to wait long for Zack Snyder's "Man Of Steel" to turn a profit.

Advertising Age and THR report that the studio has already recouped almost three-quarters of that budget more than a week before it opens at the box-office. With the help of around one hundred global promotional partners, the film has chalked up a collective $170 million in product placement and promotional support deals.

That number tops the seventy promotional partners "The Lorax" had early last year, and the $150 million that "The Dark Knight Rises" made from its collective promotional support.

Even more international partners are expected to sign on before the film's U.S. launch next Friday, while the eventual DVD/Blu-ray release of "Man of Steel" is also expected to nab the studio a few more later this year.

Of course the production budget is only part of the cost, the marketing and promotional budget of a film this size is considerable.  Still MOS is on pace to be one of the most profitable blockbusters released this season.

One such promotional partner Nokia has sponsored the release of an exclusive trailer for the film that boasts a lot of fresh footage



MOS stars Henry Cavill Amy Adams Michael Shannon playing General Zod Kevin Costner Diane Lane Antje Traue Christopher Meloni Harry Lennix Laurence Fishburne Russell Crowe and Ayelet Zurer. Emmy-winning actor Richard Schiff will play Dr. Hamilton. Cooper Timberline and Dylan Sprayberry both play young Clark Kent at various ages in the film. Jadin Gould is a young Lana Lang.

Bradley Cooper was said to be in talks to make a cameo appearance as Lex Luthor as a set-up for sequels. But that's not been confirmed. The folks at AICN claimed that Mackenzie Gray who played a Luthor clone during the final season of ‘Smallville’ will play "an ambitious, ego driven and cold version of Luthor." Now we learned that he in fact plays Jax-Ur. In the comic books, Jax-Ur has had a couple of different storylines in the past. Most often he is known as a criminal scientist who destroyed Krypton’s moon

David S. Goyer wrote the first screenplay draft based on a story he concocted with Christopher Nolan. His bro Jonah Nolan taking a crack at the task as well Kurt Johnstad did rewrites

Charles Roven, Emma Thomas Deborah Snyder, and Nolan are producers on the film