The Hollywood Reporter says Thomas Jane has been tapped as the lead in HBO's hourlong pilot "Hung."
The dark comedy pilot, directed by Oscar winner Alexander Payne, centers on Ray (Jane), a well-endowed struggling middle-age high school basketball coach who figures out a way to use his best asset.
The pilot is executive produced by Dmitry Lipkin, Colette Burson, Payne and Blueprint Entertainment's Michael Rosenberg, John Morayniss and Noreen Halpern.
Friday, August 1, 2008
De Niro Joining Gibson in Edge of Darkness
Robert De Niro is near a deal to join Mel Gibson in Edge of Darkness, the Martin Campbell-directed feature for Graham King's GK Films, reports Variety.
Gibson stars as Thomas Craven, a straitlaced homicide detective for the Boston Police Dept. and single father, whose 24-year old daughter is murdered on the steps of his home. The cop assumes he was the target, but his investigation leads in another direction and uncovers his daughter's secret life, a corporate cover-up and government collusion.
De Niro will play an operative sent to clean up the evidence.
Written by William Monahan, the drama is an adaptation of a 1985 BAFTA-winning six-hour BBC miniseries that Campbell also directed.
Shooting begins this month in Massachusetts.
Gibson stars as Thomas Craven, a straitlaced homicide detective for the Boston Police Dept. and single father, whose 24-year old daughter is murdered on the steps of his home. The cop assumes he was the target, but his investigation leads in another direction and uncovers his daughter's secret life, a corporate cover-up and government collusion.
De Niro will play an operative sent to clean up the evidence.
Written by William Monahan, the drama is an adaptation of a 1985 BAFTA-winning six-hour BBC miniseries that Campbell also directed.
Shooting begins this month in Massachusetts.
Cage and Carpenter Team for Scared Straight
Nicolas Cage and director John Carpenter are in final negotiations to team up for a prison thriller titled Scared Straight, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Nu Image/Millennium Films would finance the film and is in negotiations with Contrafilm's Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson along with Randall Emmett and George Furla to produce. Avi Lerner also would produce.
"Straight" follows a troubled youth who's sent to prison off the Scared Straight crime-prevention program, which imprisons delinquent teens for a short period in the hopes of deterring them from a life of crime. While the teen is there, a riot breaks out and the prisoners take him hostage. A lifer, played by Cage, is forced to help the young man out.
Joe Gazzam wrote the original spec script, which was rewritten by Ron Brinkerhoff. Noah Rosen is executive producing as is Rob Cohen, who was attached to direct at one point.
An October start is being eyed.
Nu Image/Millennium Films would finance the film and is in negotiations with Contrafilm's Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson along with Randall Emmett and George Furla to produce. Avi Lerner also would produce.
"Straight" follows a troubled youth who's sent to prison off the Scared Straight crime-prevention program, which imprisons delinquent teens for a short period in the hopes of deterring them from a life of crime. While the teen is there, a riot breaks out and the prisoners take him hostage. A lifer, played by Cage, is forced to help the young man out.
Joe Gazzam wrote the original spec script, which was rewritten by Ron Brinkerhoff. Noah Rosen is executive producing as is Rob Cohen, who was attached to direct at one point.
An October start is being eyed.
Brosnan Talks Thomas Crown Sequel
Pierce Brosnan talked briefly to the USA Today about The Thomas Crown Affair 2, which will be directed by Paul Verhoeven (Starship Troopers, Basic Instinct).
The new caper is partly based on 1964's Topkapi. "We are just using a sliver of that," he says, including the same setting, Istanbul. This time, his billionaire thief is after a rare diamond instead of paintings.
While Rene Russo will not return, a female co-star has yet to be named. Angelina Jolie is considered in the running. "This is a different affair," Brosnan says.
The new caper is partly based on 1964's Topkapi. "We are just using a sliver of that," he says, including the same setting, Istanbul. This time, his billionaire thief is after a rare diamond instead of paintings.
While Rene Russo will not return, a female co-star has yet to be named. Angelina Jolie is considered in the running. "This is a different affair," Brosnan says.
Universal Pictures Loads 2 Guns
Universal Pictures has picked up the rights to graphic novel "2 Guns" from Boom! Studios, says The Hollywood Reporter. Marc Platt will produce the crime thriller via his Marc Platt Productions along with Boom! co-founders Andrew Cosby and Ross Richie. It's the third time the parties are teaming up.
"Guns," written by Steven Grant with art by Mat Santolouco, follows a DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who are unwittingly investigating each other and who steal mob money for the good guys. They realize later that the mob actually got them to steal $50 million from the CIA.
The project is targeted to be a throwback to classic '80s buddy cop movies in the vein of "Lethal Weapon" and "48 HRS.," but with a modern spin.
"Guns," written by Steven Grant with art by Mat Santolouco, follows a DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who are unwittingly investigating each other and who steal mob money for the good guys. They realize later that the mob actually got them to steal $50 million from the CIA.
The project is targeted to be a throwback to classic '80s buddy cop movies in the vein of "Lethal Weapon" and "48 HRS.," but with a modern spin.
Panic At The Disco, Dashboard To 'Rock' On Tour
Panic At The Disco and Dashboard Confessional will anchor the first "Rock Band"-branded tour this fall, which will offer local fans the chance to play the video game on stage in each market. Plain White T's and the Cab are also on the bill.
The tour begins Oct. 5 in San Diego and will play arenas through Nov. 14 in Houston. Details about the on-stage "Rock Band" competitions will be forthcoming on the event's Web site.
All the acts on the trek will be spotlighted in a downloadable content bundle for "Rock Band 2" in the fall. The new game hits stores in September.
Panic At The Disco is touring in support of its second album, "Pretty. Odd," which has sold 323,000 copies in the U.S. since its March release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
As previously reported, Dashboard Confessional will release its next album this fall via Vagrant, and Plain White T's' "Big Bad World" is due Sept. 23 via Hollywood.
The tour begins Oct. 5 in San Diego and will play arenas through Nov. 14 in Houston. Details about the on-stage "Rock Band" competitions will be forthcoming on the event's Web site.
All the acts on the trek will be spotlighted in a downloadable content bundle for "Rock Band 2" in the fall. The new game hits stores in September.
Panic At The Disco is touring in support of its second album, "Pretty. Odd," which has sold 323,000 copies in the U.S. since its March release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
As previously reported, Dashboard Confessional will release its next album this fall via Vagrant, and Plain White T's' "Big Bad World" is due Sept. 23 via Hollywood.
Evans introduced after agreeing to three-year, $7.5M deal
Maurice Evans could have taken the road to higher pay with a European team, but decided to keep his roots grounded with the Atlanta Hawks.
"I had to scratch and claw my way into this league," he said on Thursday. "People from all over the world come to play in the [NBA]. This is a chance to really impact this situation."
The 6-foot-5 Evans signed with the Hawks in hope of replacing reliable sixth-man Josh Childress, who surprisingly bolted for Greece. Evans accepted a three-year deal reportedly for about $7.5 million earlier in the week.
Some would consider Evans to be a downgrade from the younger Childress, a first-round draft pick who averaged in double figures each of his first four seasons. He also scored 11.8 points per game to help the Hawks reach the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
Similar to Childress, Evans can play from either the guard or forward position. But they have different offensive skills. Childress is more of an inside scorer, while Evans favors the perimeter.
Hawks general manager Rick Sund believes Evans can help the team's need for a physical defender and a shooter from 3-point range. In Orlando, Evans shot nearly 49 percent overall and just under 40 percent from beyond the arc.
He started 47 times for the Magic and averaged a career-high 9.3 points last season.
"We didn't have a physical defender at first," Sund said. "He might not be like Bruce Bowens, but he can go in and play tough 'D' like he did for his past teams.
"The only person who really shot 3s was Mike Bibby. This team last year hardly took any 3s. With Maurice, that should change a little."
The Hawks targeted Evans after Childress stunned the team by signing with powerhouse Olympiakos. Childress, a restricted free agent, received a three-year contract worth at least $20 million after taxes.
Evans, who has played in 34 playoff games, should add more experience to a team with only two players -- Joe Johnson and Bibby -- who have reached the second round of the postseason.
"I just want to fit in," Evans said. "With the Eastern Conference getting stronger, I know I can make an impact here."
Evans, who scored a career-best 27 points in an April 15 victory at Atlanta, was impressed with how the Hawks forced the eventual champion Celtics to seven playoff games last season.
"They didn't back down and took Boston to the wire," he said. "It looked like they ran out of gas in the last game. They just were missing an ingredient. Me as a player watching, I was like, 'Man, I wish I was there.'"
Regardless of his role, Evans just wants to bring the tools that helped him fit in with five other teams.
"I'm an Iron Man," he said. "If you want someone to defend, I can do that. If they need outside shooting, I can do that. Whenever they need me, I'm just going to get to work."
"I had to scratch and claw my way into this league," he said on Thursday. "People from all over the world come to play in the [NBA]. This is a chance to really impact this situation."
The 6-foot-5 Evans signed with the Hawks in hope of replacing reliable sixth-man Josh Childress, who surprisingly bolted for Greece. Evans accepted a three-year deal reportedly for about $7.5 million earlier in the week.
Some would consider Evans to be a downgrade from the younger Childress, a first-round draft pick who averaged in double figures each of his first four seasons. He also scored 11.8 points per game to help the Hawks reach the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
Similar to Childress, Evans can play from either the guard or forward position. But they have different offensive skills. Childress is more of an inside scorer, while Evans favors the perimeter.
Hawks general manager Rick Sund believes Evans can help the team's need for a physical defender and a shooter from 3-point range. In Orlando, Evans shot nearly 49 percent overall and just under 40 percent from beyond the arc.
He started 47 times for the Magic and averaged a career-high 9.3 points last season.
"We didn't have a physical defender at first," Sund said. "He might not be like Bruce Bowens, but he can go in and play tough 'D' like he did for his past teams.
"The only person who really shot 3s was Mike Bibby. This team last year hardly took any 3s. With Maurice, that should change a little."
The Hawks targeted Evans after Childress stunned the team by signing with powerhouse Olympiakos. Childress, a restricted free agent, received a three-year contract worth at least $20 million after taxes.
Evans, who has played in 34 playoff games, should add more experience to a team with only two players -- Joe Johnson and Bibby -- who have reached the second round of the postseason.
"I just want to fit in," Evans said. "With the Eastern Conference getting stronger, I know I can make an impact here."
Evans, who scored a career-best 27 points in an April 15 victory at Atlanta, was impressed with how the Hawks forced the eventual champion Celtics to seven playoff games last season.
"They didn't back down and took Boston to the wire," he said. "It looked like they ran out of gas in the last game. They just were missing an ingredient. Me as a player watching, I was like, 'Man, I wish I was there.'"
Regardless of his role, Evans just wants to bring the tools that helped him fit in with five other teams.
"I'm an Iron Man," he said. "If you want someone to defend, I can do that. If they need outside shooting, I can do that. Whenever they need me, I'm just going to get to work."
Bulls sign Deng to long-term contract extension
The Chicago Bulls drafted their point guard of the future last month and now they've locked up their best player, signing versatile forward Luol Deng to a long-term extension.
"Obviously we're incredibly happy to get Luol signed," general manager John Paxson said at a news conference Thursday announcing the six-year contract. "It's the type of thing that gives him security and gives us the direction we're going to go here in the future."
The team did not release financial details of the deal, first announced Wednesday, but several news outlets have reported it is worth $71 million in guaranteed money and up to $80 million.
The 23-year-old Deng, named a captain last season, said he welcomes any added pressure.
"This brings a lot of responsibilities," he said. "Those are responsibilities I'm looking forward to, on and off the court. I take basketball very seriously and I look forward to putting the team on my shoulders."
The Bulls had a major setback last season, dropping from the playoffs to the draft lottery. Coach Scott Skiles was fired in midseason and their highest-paid player, Ben Wallace, was shipped to Cleveland.
Deng and guard Ben Gordon both turned down extensions before the season and some blamed the team's downward spiral on the uncertainty over the players' futures.
But this summer has looked brighter. The Bulls improbably landed the No. 1 pick in the draft and took local star Derrick Rose, a fast-paced guard out of Memphis. And after some initial stumbling, they got a new, young coach in former NBA guard Vinny Del Negro.
The first-time coach has met with Deng to discuss his potential.
"Luol is not only a terrific player, but he's a great person," Del Negro said. "I think he has room for improvement and is going to be a big cornerstone of what we do and what this franchise is going to do for a long time."
Although Deng wound up getting more money, Gordon's future with the team looks murkier than ever. If they can't work out an extension, Gordon could sign a one-year tender offer and become an unrestricted free agent after next season. Or the Bulls could ship him out in a sign-and-trade deal.
Deng had said he wanted a deal before he went to England in August to help the national team qualify for next year's European basketball championships.
"Getting this done and getting him settled was obviously a priority for us," Paxson said. "We got it done before he headed off to Great Britain to play. It's just a good day for the Bulls."
Originally drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the first round in 2004, the Bulls acquired Deng's rights in a draft-night deal.
Deng averaged 17.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in his fourth season with the Bulls, playing just 63 games as the team finished a disappointing 33-49.
Skiles was fired on Christmas Eve and his replacement, assistant Jim Boylan, never gained a foothold with a seemingly distracted squad.
"Last year was tough," Deng said. "I'm excited for the season and I know all my teammates are too. What happened last season was something we don't want to go through again.
"There are guys already in here working hard and trying to turn it around" he said.
"Obviously we're incredibly happy to get Luol signed," general manager John Paxson said at a news conference Thursday announcing the six-year contract. "It's the type of thing that gives him security and gives us the direction we're going to go here in the future."
The team did not release financial details of the deal, first announced Wednesday, but several news outlets have reported it is worth $71 million in guaranteed money and up to $80 million.
The 23-year-old Deng, named a captain last season, said he welcomes any added pressure.
"This brings a lot of responsibilities," he said. "Those are responsibilities I'm looking forward to, on and off the court. I take basketball very seriously and I look forward to putting the team on my shoulders."
The Bulls had a major setback last season, dropping from the playoffs to the draft lottery. Coach Scott Skiles was fired in midseason and their highest-paid player, Ben Wallace, was shipped to Cleveland.
Deng and guard Ben Gordon both turned down extensions before the season and some blamed the team's downward spiral on the uncertainty over the players' futures.
But this summer has looked brighter. The Bulls improbably landed the No. 1 pick in the draft and took local star Derrick Rose, a fast-paced guard out of Memphis. And after some initial stumbling, they got a new, young coach in former NBA guard Vinny Del Negro.
The first-time coach has met with Deng to discuss his potential.
"Luol is not only a terrific player, but he's a great person," Del Negro said. "I think he has room for improvement and is going to be a big cornerstone of what we do and what this franchise is going to do for a long time."
Although Deng wound up getting more money, Gordon's future with the team looks murkier than ever. If they can't work out an extension, Gordon could sign a one-year tender offer and become an unrestricted free agent after next season. Or the Bulls could ship him out in a sign-and-trade deal.
Deng had said he wanted a deal before he went to England in August to help the national team qualify for next year's European basketball championships.
"Getting this done and getting him settled was obviously a priority for us," Paxson said. "We got it done before he headed off to Great Britain to play. It's just a good day for the Bulls."
Originally drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the first round in 2004, the Bulls acquired Deng's rights in a draft-night deal.
Deng averaged 17.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in his fourth season with the Bulls, playing just 63 games as the team finished a disappointing 33-49.
Skiles was fired on Christmas Eve and his replacement, assistant Jim Boylan, never gained a foothold with a seemingly distracted squad.
"Last year was tough," Deng said. "I'm excited for the season and I know all my teammates are too. What happened last season was something we don't want to go through again.
"There are guys already in here working hard and trying to turn it around" he said.
Mike Myers Penning Austin Powers 4
Mike Myers has been developing a fourth "Austin Powers" movie for quite a while now. In May of 2007, he said:
"We're developing a fourth [movie], entirely from Dr. Evil's point of view. That is part of what I've been doing in the last little while."
Now, Deadline Hollywood Daily has a few more details on which direction Myers is going:
I'm told that Mike Myers has started writing Austin Powers 4 which will be a homage to his father. "It's very personal with a father and son theme loosely based on his own life," an insider tells me. As Myers has previously said, this fourth installment of the super spy spoof movie series will focus on Austin's arch-villain Dr. Evil, who was based on Blofeld of the Bond films. But what hasn't been known is that the AP4 plot is really about Dr. Evil and his son (introduced already as Scott Evil, played by Seth Green).
The site adds that Myers is co-writing again with Michael McCullers, who collaborated with Myers on the second and third installments.
"We're developing a fourth [movie], entirely from Dr. Evil's point of view. That is part of what I've been doing in the last little while."
Now, Deadline Hollywood Daily has a few more details on which direction Myers is going:
I'm told that Mike Myers has started writing Austin Powers 4 which will be a homage to his father. "It's very personal with a father and son theme loosely based on his own life," an insider tells me. As Myers has previously said, this fourth installment of the super spy spoof movie series will focus on Austin's arch-villain Dr. Evil, who was based on Blofeld of the Bond films. But what hasn't been known is that the AP4 plot is really about Dr. Evil and his son (introduced already as Scott Evil, played by Seth Green).
The site adds that Myers is co-writing again with Michael McCullers, who collaborated with Myers on the second and third installments.
Sony Eyeing Spider-Man Spinoff
Sony is moving forward with Venom, a potential "Spider-Man" spinoff, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The trade says the studio is developing the project, based on the villain who appeared in Spider-Man 3 and is hoping the character could serve as an antidote to the aging "Spider-Man" franchise in the way that Fox has used Wolverine to add longevity to its "X-Men" franchise.
The studio had commissioned a draft of the script from Jacob Estes (Mean Creek), but the studio is considering going in a different direction from Estes' script and is seeking writers for a new draft.
Casting also is no simple matter. Topher Grace played the character in the film, but agents have been eyeing the role for their clients, as Sony is not yet convinced the actor can carry a tentpole picture.
The Hollywood Reporter adds that neither Sony nor Marvel would comment for the story.
Sony is also still developing a fourth "Spider-Man" film for 2011.
The trade says the studio is developing the project, based on the villain who appeared in Spider-Man 3 and is hoping the character could serve as an antidote to the aging "Spider-Man" franchise in the way that Fox has used Wolverine to add longevity to its "X-Men" franchise.
The studio had commissioned a draft of the script from Jacob Estes (Mean Creek), but the studio is considering going in a different direction from Estes' script and is seeking writers for a new draft.
Casting also is no simple matter. Topher Grace played the character in the film, but agents have been eyeing the role for their clients, as Sony is not yet convinced the actor can carry a tentpole picture.
The Hollywood Reporter adds that neither Sony nor Marvel would comment for the story.
Sony is also still developing a fourth "Spider-Man" film for 2011.
Prince of Persia Pushed Back a Year
Walt Disney Pictures has moved the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time out of its June 19, 2009 release date spot (which would have been a week before Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is opening) and has pushed it back almost a year to May 28, 2010, which is the week after Shrek Goes Fourth is scheduled and a week before Marvel Studios' Thor.
With Memorial Day being observed on May 31, 2010, the movie would have a four day opening, unless it debuts earlier in the week.
The Mike Newell-directed video game adaptation stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsley. Gyllenhaal will play Dastan, a young prince in sixth century Persia who must join forces with Tamina (Arterton), a feisty and exotic princess, to prevent a villainous nobleman from possessing the Sands of Time, a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.
With Memorial Day being observed on May 31, 2010, the movie would have a four day opening, unless it debuts earlier in the week.
The Mike Newell-directed video game adaptation stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsley. Gyllenhaal will play Dastan, a young prince in sixth century Persia who must join forces with Tamina (Arterton), a feisty and exotic princess, to prevent a villainous nobleman from possessing the Sands of Time, a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.
Howard Stern Remaking Rock 'n' Roll High School
Shockjock Howard Stern is producing, along with Larry Levinson, a remake of the 1979 pic, Rock 'n' Roll High School. Alex Winter (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure) has been hired to write the script, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie was about a group of rebellious students who, with the help of punk rock band the Ramones, thwarted a repressive, rock-music-hating principal.
Stern is now partnered on two films with Levinson. They also are working on a remake of the raunchy Bob Clark-directed 1982 comedy Porky's that could start production in the fall.
The movie was about a group of rebellious students who, with the help of punk rock band the Ramones, thwarted a repressive, rock-music-hating principal.
Stern is now partnered on two films with Levinson. They also are working on a remake of the raunchy Bob Clark-directed 1982 comedy Porky's that could start production in the fall.
Wahlberg's New HBO Guy Crew Knows How to Make It
Look out, Vinny Chase: HBO just green lit a comedy pilot from Mark Wahlberg and co. about a group of twentysomething guy-pals trying to make it in New York City. The new pilot, How to Make It in America, is the latest collaboration from Entourage exec producers Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson, and promises to feature a somewhat more enterprising group of guys than their L.A. counterparts.
According to the Reporter, a third Entourage exec producer is also signed on for the right-coast pilot, which bolsters my hope that we get more fun-loving guys in a meta-series about modern New York life. Of course, fun-loving guys with dimples, curly hair and megawatt grins wouldn't hurt either — nor would stellar cameos, a killer soundtrack and lots of in-jokes.
According to the Reporter, a third Entourage exec producer is also signed on for the right-coast pilot, which bolsters my hope that we get more fun-loving guys in a meta-series about modern New York life. Of course, fun-loving guys with dimples, curly hair and megawatt grins wouldn't hurt either — nor would stellar cameos, a killer soundtrack and lots of in-jokes.
Josh Lucas Has Possible Side Effects
Josh Lucas has been cast in the lead role of "Possible Side Effects," a one-hour pilot for Showtime written, directed and executive produced by Tim Robbins.
Variety says Lucas will play Max Hunt, who presides over a family-run pharmaceutical business.
Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Daniel Thomas and Bill Finkelstein are also executive producing.
Production is set to begin in New York City sometime in the fall.
Variety says Lucas will play Max Hunt, who presides over a family-run pharmaceutical business.
Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Daniel Thomas and Bill Finkelstein are also executive producing.
Production is set to begin in New York City sometime in the fall.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
August 2008 Movie Releases
August 1
- America the Beautiful (limited)
- Frozen River (limited)
- In Search of a Midnight Kiss (limited)
- Midnight Meat Train (limited)
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor***
- Sixty Six (limited)
- Swing Vote
August 6
- Bottle Shock (limited)
- Patti Smith: Dream of Life (NY)
- Pineapple Express***
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
August 8
- Beautiful Losers (NY; LA release: Aug. 29)
- Beer For My Horses (limited)
- Elegy (limited)
- Fly Me to the Moon
- Hell Ride (limited)
- The Perfect Game
- Red (limited)
August 13
- Tropic Thunder***
August 15
- Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer (limited)
- Bachna Ae Haseeno (limited)
- Henry Poole is Here (limited)*
- Mirrors
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona
August 20
- The Rocker*
August 22
- Death Race***
- Hamlet 2 (limited; wide: Aug. 29)
- The House Bunny
- I Served the King of England (limited)
August 27
- Traitor
August 29
- Babylon A.D.***
- College
- Disaster Movie
- Goal! II: Living the Dream (limited)
- Sukiyaki Western Django (limited)
- Year of the Fish (limited)
AUGUST 1
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Director: Rob Cohen
Stars: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures
The Plot: In the Far East, trouble-seeking father-and-son duo Rick (Fraser) and Alex O'Connell (Ford) unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin (Li) -- a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard (Yeoh) centuries ago.
THE BUZZ: We never thought we'd see Stephen Sommers as an artiste, but when you replace him with Rob Cohen, he starts looking a little like Coppola, don't you think? Even with Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh on board, this feels like one expensive pay-per-view flick (okay, okay, the first trailer looks cool). Rachel Weisz weisz-ly dropped out, leaving poor Maria Bello to replace her. We hope Ms. History of Violence gets a nice down payment and a call from David Cronenberg soon. As for Mr. Fraser -- doesn't he have a sitcom deal yet? His summer of love up on the big screen can't last.
Swing Vote
Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Stars: Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The Plot: When Bud Johnson (Costner) goes to cast his vote for the next U.S. president, a glitch affects his ballot, and protocol allows him to make up his mind at his own discretion. With the entire nation focused on his every move -- and, of course, his pending decision -- will the admittedly lazy Bud make an informed choice?
THE BUZZ: Kevin Costner recruits his famous friends for an aww-gee gander at the American political landscape which dramatically changed during the 2004 Presidential election, and moved into unprecedented territory this year. I don't need an Oscar winner to tune me up for November, though I think Swing State's trailer offers warm, fuzzy feelings which are pretty welcome. Less perplexing but definitely shocking is the notion that Disney cloned Abigail Breslin and cast her double in this movie.
The Midnight Meat Train
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Stars: Vinnie Jones, Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb (Full Cast)
Studio: Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment
The Plot: A photographer (Cooper) hunts down a serial killer (Jones) who preys upon travelers in the subways of New York City.
THE BUZZ: At MMT's Comic-Con preview last year, we learned that Mr. Barker came up with this story (and, clearly, its title) while under the influence of a pot brownie. No joke. Poor Leslie Bibb, in girlfriend mode here, tried in earnest to keep the momentum going from there, but even the stoniest stoners began to walk out of the conference hall after gleaning all they needed to know about this one: Mahogany, the name of Jones's character, ain't looking to be anywhere near as iconic as Candyman or Hellraiser. In fact, as MMT's unveiling date finally draws near, Lionsgate is considering a major-cities only release to be quickly followed up by the DVD push.
Frozen River [limited]
Director: Courtney Hunt
Stars: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
The Plot: A struggling single mom (Leo) reluctantly partners with a Mohawk Indian woman (Upham) to make money from running illegal immigrants across from Quebec into the U.S. While both women swear each trip will be their last, one particular run leads to an unexpected confrontation ...
THE BUZZ: An immigration drama set north of the U.S. something you don't see everyday, but curious as to why this Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning chiller is being released in the middle of summer, especially as distributor Sony Pictures Classics must be busy turning The Wackness into an indie summer hit.
In Search of a Midnight Kiss [NYC]
Director: Alex Holdridge
Stars: Scoot McNairy, Sara Simmonds (Full Cast)
Studio: IFC First Take
The Plot: Broke and alone on New Year's Eve, Wilson (McNairy) just wants to spend the rest of a very bad year in bed. But, when his best friend convinces him to post a personal ad, he meets a woman (Simmonds) bent on finding the right guy to be with at midnight.
THE BUZZ: Releasing a Manhattan-set romance is a smart move this season, and filmmaker Alex Holdridge's black-and-white confection looks to conjure up a sense of contemporary innocence that could be a Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist for us slightly older folks. (Note to said older folks: If you watch the trailer and are reminded of 90s-era indie films that's because executive producer Anne Walker-McBay has had Richard Linklater's back since Slacker.)
AUGUST 6
Pineapple Express
Director: David Gordon Green
Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures
The Plot: After mega-stoner Dale Denton (Rogen) witnesses a corrupt cop commit a murder, he and his dealer (Franco) hit the road in an attempt to outrun the squad of police officers who want them dead.
THE BUZZ: M.I.A.'s incredible single "Paper Planes" is one of the many amazing components of P.E.'s redband trailer, an instant Internet phenomenon and the first testament we have to the rather brilliant bag of talent that is director David Gordon Green (making his big-studio debut), co-stars Seth Rogen (who co-wrote/exec-produced with his crony Evan Goldberg) and James Franco (taking a much-needed comedic turn), and producer Judd Apatow (who can safely put Walk Hard behind him). Add hottie Amber Heard, Bill Hader (who we think is playing a cop ... again), Gary Cole, and Rosie Perez to the mix, trim the leaves and stems, and keep the marketing on high until August, and you have Superbad's raunchier big brother ...
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Director: Sanaa Hamri
Stars: America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
The Plot: Best friends Lena (Bledel), Carmen (Ferrera), Bridget (Lively) and Tibby (Tamblyn) -- all of whom are having different experiences during their first year of college -- reunite in a Grecian seaside town in order to locate their missing pair of magical jeans.
THE BUZZ: Hardcore fans will want to know this sequel is actually an adaptation of the fourth book in the amazingly popular series, not the second. And if you're wondering how the producers got Rory Gilmore, Joan of Arcadia, Gossip Girl and Ugly Betty to reteam, the answer's simple -- contractual requirements. The Emmy-bound Ferrera was none too pleased, we hear, and we can't imagine the rest relish playing youthful college freshmen; only Lively is age-appropriate, and she has a new CW series to focus on. Still, Sanaa Hamri, of the wildly underappreciated rom-com Something New, is at the helm, giving all those Trav-Pants-ers a glimmer of hope.
Bottle Shock
Director: Randall Miller
Stars: Chris Pine, Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman (Full Cast)
Studio: Freestyle Releasing
The Plot: Paris, 1976: A struggling California vineyard enters a blind wine-tasting test, hoping to pull off a surprise win in the typically French-dominated competition.
THE BUZZ: I wonder for how much longer Randall Miller (Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School) will remain a truly independent filmmaker, since he is one of the better mainstream storytellers working without a major-studio connection. Perhaps Bottle Shock's predicted success holds the answer to his future endeavors. This Sundance hit (in a year where that festival failed to generate many buzz-worthy movies) should generate word-of-mouthfeel due to Miller's ability to deftly handle ensemble casts (supporting BS players include Rachael Taylor, Freddy RodrÃguez, and Eliza Dushku) and to build anticipation. Don't expect to be surprised by this one, but there should be an effective antidote to every comic-book adaptation and shoot-em-up we see during the summer ...
AUGUST 8
Hell Ride [limited]
Director: Larry Bishop
Stars: Larry Bishop, Dennis Hopper, Michael Madsen (Full Cast)
Studio: Dimension Films
The Plot: Pistolero (Bishop), leader of the Victors biker gang, looks to exact his revenge on the Six-Six-Sixers, a band of bikers led by the infamous Billy Wings (Jones) who recently offed a Victor in cold blood.
THE BUZZ: While Harvey Weinstein tropes from runway to international runway, somewhere along the line he forgot about a spectacular failure called Grindhouse. As much as we love Larry Bishop's voyeuristic biker fantasies, whoever put the gears in motion for this one is clearly out of touch with the multitude of ways in which a cult movie can be re-routed around a theatrical release. Some writers loved the ride, but more of them know that QT could comb through his collection and put his stamp on a dozen better exploitation flicks than this one. And at least a quarter of them probably star Michael Madsen. Here's the redband trailer, in which Madsen appears to shoot up his residence from Kill Bill.
The Perfect Game
Director: William Dear
Stars: Clifton Collins Jr., Cheech Marin, Moises Arias (Full Cast)
Studio: Lionsgate
The Plot: In 1957, a baseball team from Monterrey, Mexico looks poised to become the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series.
THE BUZZ: William Dear's sports drama was called up from the minor leagues by Lionsgate for an August release which, if targeted right, could be one of those surprise successes that reaches the top 10 in its debut. Head over to the official site to learn more about this true story, and to watch the production's version of a teaser trailer, which is more like a 7-1/2 minute demo reel people create when they are looking to finance their indie movie-making dreams.
Elegy [limited]
Director: Isabel Coixet
Stars: Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz (Full Cast)
Studio: Red Envelope Entertainment
The Plot: Renown professor David Kepesh (Kingsley) finds his life thrown into disarray by Consuela Castillo (Cruz), a well-mannered student who awakens her teacher's sense of sexual possessiveness.
THE BUZZ: We've never read the Phillip Roth novel, though we understand while Kingsley's life falls apart in the wake of his affair with Cruz, she returns years after the events with a whopper of a revelation. But with Isabel Coixet (My Life Without Me) directing a Nicholas Meyer (The Human Stain) screenplay, this feels like way too much psychodrama for us ... We'd rather: (1) celebrate the fact that the film finally got a release date; (2) watch Kingsley smoke marijuana in The Wackness this summer; (3) look at photos of Cruz in, like, every issue of Vanity Fair.
AUGUST 13
Tropic Thunder
Director: Ben Stiller
Stars: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. (Full Cast)
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution
The Plot: While shooting a big-budget war movie, a group of actors (Stiller, Black, Downey Jr., and others) are forced to become soldiers in a real-life conflict.
THE BUZZ: Want to get people to forget about Owen Wilson dropping out of this project? Easy, just put the formerly troubled Robert Downey Jr. in some potentially controversial make up and litter the Net with your kinda-awesome-but-not-quite-there-yet trailer. And then? Sprinkle a Tom Cruise cameo on top and layer a now-standard red-band trailer on top and you have some late-summer hotness kicking up. It's great to see Stiller back behind the cameras, gunning for a hard R rating, and assembling an epic cast of characters (and production budget) that few actor-directors can fetch. We wish those Epic Movie dudes would aim this high.
AUGUST 15
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Director: Dave Filoni
Stars: (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
The Plot: Filling the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, this animated tale chronicles the on-going intragalactic battle involving the Jedis of the Republic and the battle droids of the Trade Federation.
THE BUZZ: Could this be the Droids movie we never waited for? Truly, die-hard SW fans are ignoring this movie and focusing on the "Clone Wars" tv show, which IMDb TV editor Melanie McFarland previews in her awesome blog which you should read ...
Mirrors
Director: Alexandre Aja
Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
The Plot: An ex-cop (Sutherland) and his family are the target of a evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.
THE BUZZ: This unspeakable evil found a crack in Fox's summer schedule, and while I think Alexandre Aja's latest assault on the senses might come and go faster than an episode of "24," the movie's best bet for traction with late-season audiences might be this boundary-pushing red-band trailer. Click on it only if you want to see Amy Smart pull apart her face.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem (Full Cast)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The Plot: Two girlfriends (Hall and Johansson) on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter (Bardem), fully unaware that his ex-wife (Cruz), with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.
THE BUZZ: Hey, did you hear that Woody Allen has made a fun, breezy, holiday postcard of a movie, one in which Rebecca Hall reunites with her Prestige castmate, then outperforms her? That's the report from Cannes; however, all those stories you heard about a ménage a trois here and a sex scene between Scarlett J. and Penélope C. there turn out to be less frothy than for what you would hope (and, I have to say, more innocent than anything Allen would imagine privately). Though, as you would expect, Cruz owns the movie upon her entrance, one who eviscerates the Americans before bursting into tears, eyeliner streaming down her beautiful face ...
Henry Poole Is Here [limited]
Director: Mark Pellington
Stars: Luke Wilson, , George Lopez (Full Cast)
Studio: Overture Films
The Plot: Henry Poole (Wilson) abandons his fiancée and family business to spend what he believes are his remaining days alone ... until the discovery of a "miracle" by a nosy neighbor ruptures his solitude and restores his faith in life.
THE BUZZ: Mark Pellington is excellent at making TV programs (The United States of Poetry, Cold Case) and decent when creating music videos (Pearl Jam and a host of other rockerz), but when it comes to his movies (Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies), perhaps he needs more time perfecting his craft. Well good luck with Henry, an underdog comedy-drama hybrid starring was-I-ever-truly-a-movie-star Luke Wilson that yawned it's way through Sundance earlier this year, with most reviewers citing Pellington's heavy-handed handling of the themes of faith and redemption. And the trailer reveals yet another shameless attempt to Abigail Breslinize everything.
Fly Me to the Moon
Director: Ben Stassen
Stars: Trevor Gagnon, Philip Bolden, David Gore (Full Cast)
Studio: K2 Communications
The Plot: Three houseflies get launched into outer space when they sneak aboard Apollo 11's historical lunar mission.
THE BUZZ: Flushed Away in space? This latest 3D offering hails from Europe where it was considered quite the success story…in Belgium. Getting a Desperate Housewife and an Apollo astronaut to ride along could help its chances to blast off Stateside. As for the buzz on Buzz? Anyone who gets away with punching a guy could only benefit from a cutesy cartoon to soften his image.
AUGUST 20
The Rocker
Director: Peter Cattaneo
Stars: Rainn Wilson, Josh Gad (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
The Plot: Two decades after he was kicked out of his famous rock 'n' roll group, Robert 'Fish' Fishman (Wilson), an over-the-hill drummer, pounces on a second chance at coercing his way into a garage band fronted by his newphew (Gad).
THE BUZZ: Before seeing this movie's awesome trailer, I thought the concept would best be served by a digital short starring Andy Samberg. But then? Said trailer arrived, and I noticed the screenplay was co-written by one of the creative minds behind The Larry Sanders Show (Maya Forbes) and one of Wes Anderson's cronies (Wallace Wolodarsky). Maybe August isn't the summer dumping ground it used to be.
AUGUST 22
Hamlet 2 [limited]
Director: Andrew Fleming
Stars: Steve Coogan, Elisabeth Shue, Catherine Keener (Full Cast)
Studio:
The Plot: High school drama teacher Dana Marschz (Coogan) looks to bring his Shakesperian sequel to the stage despite the obstacles in his path -- namely, a classroom full of disinterested students, potential budget cuts, and his own lack of talent.
THE BUZZ: One of few buzz-generating films at Sundance earlier this year, H2 grabbed headlines for its pricey acquisition and warmly received reviews. Having seen the film, I can assert that it's worth seeing as another example of Coogan's ability to rise above any material he's handed, but its by-the-numbers story arc and surprisingly unfunny songs (seeing that "South Park"'s Pam Brady is the co-writer) certainly don't add up to anything all that memorable. Coogan pushes the envelope; sadly, he's mostly alone in the endeavor, except for a ballsy turn by Elisabeth Shue, playing an alternate-future version of herself. However, something tells us this could be a hit with the younger generation.
Death Race
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Stars: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures
The Plot: Former NASCAR champ Jensen Ames (Statham) is framed for the murder of his wife, and subsequently sent to a notorious prison overseen by a warden (Allen) who has created the country's most popular sport: a kill-or-be-killed car race in which her inmates compete for their freedom.
THE BUZZ: Whoa, the Transporter faces off against Jason Bourne's oppressor? One good thing is: since this is set in a Paul W. S. Anderson universe, Jason Statham and Joan Allen will probably make out at some point. Here's another: At least Sly Stallone didn't lobby to star in this re-envisioning of his 1975 cult action flick. First Showing has a first look (actually, they just reprinted Empire Magazine's photospread) at the action, which we imagine Anderson is envisioning as a potential franchise. And check out the curiously sexy trailer, complete with a sequence that makes me realize how Anderson is getting to make his proposed Spy Hunter movie after all ...
The House Bunny
Director: Fred Wolf
Stars: Anna Faris (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures
The Plot: A Playboy bunny (Faris) who was recently booted from the mansion winds up becoming the new house mother for a sorority in jeopardy.
THE BUZZ: Can you plagiarize yourself? That's the question that screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith seem to be positing with this comedy, which lifts so much from Legally Blonde that we wouldn't be surprised if Bruiser the dog made an appearance. This is even so much like LB that we bet it's the talented star who makes it watchable. And while we love Faris to pieces, and are glad she's getting the lead roles these days.... something a little different wouldn't hurt on the resume!
And total US Weekly babe alert: "American Idol"'s Katharine McPhee and celeb progeny Rumer Willis too?! OMG -- where do we pick up the free L'Oreal make-up bags?
The Longshots
Director: Fred Durst
Stars: Ice Cube, Keke Palmer (Full Cast)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The Plot: Eleven-year-old Jasmine Plummer (KeKe Palmer) looks to become the first female to play in the Pop Warner football tournament in its 56-year history.
THE BUZZ: Fred Durst directs Ice Cube in a family comedy? That's fine, but Durst better never don a red ballcap and chinos again, and Ice Cube is fully aware that his street cred is long gone. So let's turn our attention to KeKe Palmer, the endearing star of Akkelah and the Bee who takes center stage here and is -- wait for this -- attached to portray Roxanne Shante, the legendary disser/rapper in the indie Vapors. Suddenly she's more bad-ass than her co-star and her director combined. Here's the trailer, which looks perfectly harmless and all, but still makes me wonder if girls will be attracted to this story.
AUGUST 29
Disaster Movie
Director: Jason Friedberg Aaron Seltzer
Stars: Carmen Electra, Vanessa Minnillo, Nicole Parker (Full Cast)
Studio: Lions Gate Entertainment
The Plot: Over the course of one evening, an unsuspecting group of twenty-somethings find themselves bombarded by a series of natural disasters and catastrophic events.
THE BUZZ: Hey, who ordered a second project from the Date Movie guys? I certainly didn't, and I thought Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer's diminishing spoof returns (Date remains their most successful endeavor) might have reached their end with Meet the Spartans. Alas, the sophomoric-comedy duo have managed to churn out another 2008 mid-level hit that will probably double its investment after two weeks in general release. And I have to give them some sort of credit for making Carmen Electra a genuine movie star ... right? Take that, Nicole Kidman!
Babylon A.D.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Stars: Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
The Plot: Veteran-turned-mercenary Thoorop (Diesel) takes a high-risk assignment where he must escort a woman out of Russia. His client, however, is carrying a synthetic virus -- one that could bring about the end of humankind. Making his mission extra-difficult is the cult that has designs on what rests inside the young woman's body.
THE BUZZ: Dudes, random casting abounds for Vin Diesel's return to the sci-fi genre. But if it wasn't for this Michelle Yeoh fansite, we'd know next to nothing about the project -- except that it sounds like a low-brow companion piece to Children of Men. And we mean that as a compliment. The best buzz we've heard about the project? District B13 star David Belle has choreographed parkour fight scenes for both Diesel and Yeoh! And the worst? Uncooperative weather and powerplays between Diesel and director Mathieu Kassovitz have caused a production delay, sending producer Ilan Goldman (the man behind the two Crimson Rivers movies) on the hunt for snowy locales and replacements for several vital crew slots. Diesel's manager, meanwhile, apparently had to go coax Kassovitz back from a reported nervous breakdown. Seriously! And while this level of drama used results in a hot pile of celluloid garbage, the teaser trailer is looking hot. We can even overlook the Kronos Quartet composition that no one should ever have used after Requiem for a Dream ...
Traitor
Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Stars: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, David Clark (Full Cast)
Studio: Overture Films
The Plot: FBI agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) heads up a conspiracy investigation which initially susses out a prime suspect: Samir Horn (Cheadle), a former special ops officer with strong ties to Afghan rebels in the Middle East. As Clayton chases Horn around the world, however, a tangled web of contradictory evidence is revealed.
THE BUZZ: Five fine actors guide this conspiracy thriller from The Day After Tomorrow writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff into theaters at the end of the summer-movie season. Oddly enough, Steve Martin came up with this premise back in 2002, when he was working on Bringing Down the House with producer David Hoberman, and even though it reminds me of Lennie James's character's arc on "Jericho," one interesting thing to chart here is the rise of Overture Films, the distributor that turned The Visitor into a hit this year and has optioned a handful of original screenplays for 2009/2010.
College
Director: Deb Hagan
Stars: Drake Bell, Kevin Covais, Andrew Caldwell (Full Cast)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The Plot: A wild weekend is in store for three high school seniors who visit a local college campus as prospective freshmen.
THE BUZZ: They took the word right off of Blutarsky's sweatshirt, and then they made (what we expect will be) an unmemorable, Superbad-lite comedy for Generation YouTube. The only person who might benefit from this road trip is star Drake Bell, who is beginning to dirty-up his Nickelodeon sheen. Short-film director Deb Hagan (Pee Shy) makes her feature debut, which gives us an idea: why not make this a story about three females instead of males? As Amy Poehler has said, all you need to do is change the names from female to male, and you've resolved the issue of how to write comedy for women.
- America the Beautiful (limited)
- Frozen River (limited)
- In Search of a Midnight Kiss (limited)
- Midnight Meat Train (limited)
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor***
- Sixty Six (limited)
- Swing Vote
August 6
- Bottle Shock (limited)
- Patti Smith: Dream of Life (NY)
- Pineapple Express***
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
August 8
- Beautiful Losers (NY; LA release: Aug. 29)
- Beer For My Horses (limited)
- Elegy (limited)
- Fly Me to the Moon
- Hell Ride (limited)
- The Perfect Game
- Red (limited)
August 13
- Tropic Thunder***
August 15
- Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer (limited)
- Bachna Ae Haseeno (limited)
- Henry Poole is Here (limited)*
- Mirrors
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona
August 20
- The Rocker*
August 22
- Death Race***
- Hamlet 2 (limited; wide: Aug. 29)
- The House Bunny
- I Served the King of England (limited)
August 27
- Traitor
August 29
- Babylon A.D.***
- College
- Disaster Movie
- Goal! II: Living the Dream (limited)
- Sukiyaki Western Django (limited)
- Year of the Fish (limited)
AUGUST 1
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Director: Rob Cohen
Stars: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures
The Plot: In the Far East, trouble-seeking father-and-son duo Rick (Fraser) and Alex O'Connell (Ford) unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin (Li) -- a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard (Yeoh) centuries ago.
THE BUZZ: We never thought we'd see Stephen Sommers as an artiste, but when you replace him with Rob Cohen, he starts looking a little like Coppola, don't you think? Even with Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh on board, this feels like one expensive pay-per-view flick (okay, okay, the first trailer looks cool). Rachel Weisz weisz-ly dropped out, leaving poor Maria Bello to replace her. We hope Ms. History of Violence gets a nice down payment and a call from David Cronenberg soon. As for Mr. Fraser -- doesn't he have a sitcom deal yet? His summer of love up on the big screen can't last.
Swing Vote
Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Stars: Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The Plot: When Bud Johnson (Costner) goes to cast his vote for the next U.S. president, a glitch affects his ballot, and protocol allows him to make up his mind at his own discretion. With the entire nation focused on his every move -- and, of course, his pending decision -- will the admittedly lazy Bud make an informed choice?
THE BUZZ: Kevin Costner recruits his famous friends for an aww-gee gander at the American political landscape which dramatically changed during the 2004 Presidential election, and moved into unprecedented territory this year. I don't need an Oscar winner to tune me up for November, though I think Swing State's trailer offers warm, fuzzy feelings which are pretty welcome. Less perplexing but definitely shocking is the notion that Disney cloned Abigail Breslin and cast her double in this movie.
The Midnight Meat Train
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Stars: Vinnie Jones, Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb (Full Cast)
Studio: Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment
The Plot: A photographer (Cooper) hunts down a serial killer (Jones) who preys upon travelers in the subways of New York City.
THE BUZZ: At MMT's Comic-Con preview last year, we learned that Mr. Barker came up with this story (and, clearly, its title) while under the influence of a pot brownie. No joke. Poor Leslie Bibb, in girlfriend mode here, tried in earnest to keep the momentum going from there, but even the stoniest stoners began to walk out of the conference hall after gleaning all they needed to know about this one: Mahogany, the name of Jones's character, ain't looking to be anywhere near as iconic as Candyman or Hellraiser. In fact, as MMT's unveiling date finally draws near, Lionsgate is considering a major-cities only release to be quickly followed up by the DVD push.
Frozen River [limited]
Director: Courtney Hunt
Stars: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
The Plot: A struggling single mom (Leo) reluctantly partners with a Mohawk Indian woman (Upham) to make money from running illegal immigrants across from Quebec into the U.S. While both women swear each trip will be their last, one particular run leads to an unexpected confrontation ...
THE BUZZ: An immigration drama set north of the U.S. something you don't see everyday, but curious as to why this Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning chiller is being released in the middle of summer, especially as distributor Sony Pictures Classics must be busy turning The Wackness into an indie summer hit.
In Search of a Midnight Kiss [NYC]
Director: Alex Holdridge
Stars: Scoot McNairy, Sara Simmonds (Full Cast)
Studio: IFC First Take
The Plot: Broke and alone on New Year's Eve, Wilson (McNairy) just wants to spend the rest of a very bad year in bed. But, when his best friend convinces him to post a personal ad, he meets a woman (Simmonds) bent on finding the right guy to be with at midnight.
THE BUZZ: Releasing a Manhattan-set romance is a smart move this season, and filmmaker Alex Holdridge's black-and-white confection looks to conjure up a sense of contemporary innocence that could be a Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist for us slightly older folks. (Note to said older folks: If you watch the trailer and are reminded of 90s-era indie films that's because executive producer Anne Walker-McBay has had Richard Linklater's back since Slacker.)
AUGUST 6
Pineapple Express
Director: David Gordon Green
Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures
The Plot: After mega-stoner Dale Denton (Rogen) witnesses a corrupt cop commit a murder, he and his dealer (Franco) hit the road in an attempt to outrun the squad of police officers who want them dead.
THE BUZZ: M.I.A.'s incredible single "Paper Planes" is one of the many amazing components of P.E.'s redband trailer, an instant Internet phenomenon and the first testament we have to the rather brilliant bag of talent that is director David Gordon Green (making his big-studio debut), co-stars Seth Rogen (who co-wrote/exec-produced with his crony Evan Goldberg) and James Franco (taking a much-needed comedic turn), and producer Judd Apatow (who can safely put Walk Hard behind him). Add hottie Amber Heard, Bill Hader (who we think is playing a cop ... again), Gary Cole, and Rosie Perez to the mix, trim the leaves and stems, and keep the marketing on high until August, and you have Superbad's raunchier big brother ...
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Director: Sanaa Hamri
Stars: America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
The Plot: Best friends Lena (Bledel), Carmen (Ferrera), Bridget (Lively) and Tibby (Tamblyn) -- all of whom are having different experiences during their first year of college -- reunite in a Grecian seaside town in order to locate their missing pair of magical jeans.
THE BUZZ: Hardcore fans will want to know this sequel is actually an adaptation of the fourth book in the amazingly popular series, not the second. And if you're wondering how the producers got Rory Gilmore, Joan of Arcadia, Gossip Girl and Ugly Betty to reteam, the answer's simple -- contractual requirements. The Emmy-bound Ferrera was none too pleased, we hear, and we can't imagine the rest relish playing youthful college freshmen; only Lively is age-appropriate, and she has a new CW series to focus on. Still, Sanaa Hamri, of the wildly underappreciated rom-com Something New, is at the helm, giving all those Trav-Pants-ers a glimmer of hope.
Bottle Shock
Director: Randall Miller
Stars: Chris Pine, Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman (Full Cast)
Studio: Freestyle Releasing
The Plot: Paris, 1976: A struggling California vineyard enters a blind wine-tasting test, hoping to pull off a surprise win in the typically French-dominated competition.
THE BUZZ: I wonder for how much longer Randall Miller (Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School) will remain a truly independent filmmaker, since he is one of the better mainstream storytellers working without a major-studio connection. Perhaps Bottle Shock's predicted success holds the answer to his future endeavors. This Sundance hit (in a year where that festival failed to generate many buzz-worthy movies) should generate word-of-mouthfeel due to Miller's ability to deftly handle ensemble casts (supporting BS players include Rachael Taylor, Freddy RodrÃguez, and Eliza Dushku) and to build anticipation. Don't expect to be surprised by this one, but there should be an effective antidote to every comic-book adaptation and shoot-em-up we see during the summer ...
AUGUST 8
Hell Ride [limited]
Director: Larry Bishop
Stars: Larry Bishop, Dennis Hopper, Michael Madsen (Full Cast)
Studio: Dimension Films
The Plot: Pistolero (Bishop), leader of the Victors biker gang, looks to exact his revenge on the Six-Six-Sixers, a band of bikers led by the infamous Billy Wings (Jones) who recently offed a Victor in cold blood.
THE BUZZ: While Harvey Weinstein tropes from runway to international runway, somewhere along the line he forgot about a spectacular failure called Grindhouse. As much as we love Larry Bishop's voyeuristic biker fantasies, whoever put the gears in motion for this one is clearly out of touch with the multitude of ways in which a cult movie can be re-routed around a theatrical release. Some writers loved the ride, but more of them know that QT could comb through his collection and put his stamp on a dozen better exploitation flicks than this one. And at least a quarter of them probably star Michael Madsen. Here's the redband trailer, in which Madsen appears to shoot up his residence from Kill Bill.
The Perfect Game
Director: William Dear
Stars: Clifton Collins Jr., Cheech Marin, Moises Arias (Full Cast)
Studio: Lionsgate
The Plot: In 1957, a baseball team from Monterrey, Mexico looks poised to become the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series.
THE BUZZ: William Dear's sports drama was called up from the minor leagues by Lionsgate for an August release which, if targeted right, could be one of those surprise successes that reaches the top 10 in its debut. Head over to the official site to learn more about this true story, and to watch the production's version of a teaser trailer, which is more like a 7-1/2 minute demo reel people create when they are looking to finance their indie movie-making dreams.
Elegy [limited]
Director: Isabel Coixet
Stars: Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz (Full Cast)
Studio: Red Envelope Entertainment
The Plot: Renown professor David Kepesh (Kingsley) finds his life thrown into disarray by Consuela Castillo (Cruz), a well-mannered student who awakens her teacher's sense of sexual possessiveness.
THE BUZZ: We've never read the Phillip Roth novel, though we understand while Kingsley's life falls apart in the wake of his affair with Cruz, she returns years after the events with a whopper of a revelation. But with Isabel Coixet (My Life Without Me) directing a Nicholas Meyer (The Human Stain) screenplay, this feels like way too much psychodrama for us ... We'd rather: (1) celebrate the fact that the film finally got a release date; (2) watch Kingsley smoke marijuana in The Wackness this summer; (3) look at photos of Cruz in, like, every issue of Vanity Fair.
AUGUST 13
Tropic Thunder
Director: Ben Stiller
Stars: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. (Full Cast)
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution
The Plot: While shooting a big-budget war movie, a group of actors (Stiller, Black, Downey Jr., and others) are forced to become soldiers in a real-life conflict.
THE BUZZ: Want to get people to forget about Owen Wilson dropping out of this project? Easy, just put the formerly troubled Robert Downey Jr. in some potentially controversial make up and litter the Net with your kinda-awesome-but-not-quite-there-yet trailer. And then? Sprinkle a Tom Cruise cameo on top and layer a now-standard red-band trailer on top and you have some late-summer hotness kicking up. It's great to see Stiller back behind the cameras, gunning for a hard R rating, and assembling an epic cast of characters (and production budget) that few actor-directors can fetch. We wish those Epic Movie dudes would aim this high.
AUGUST 15
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Director: Dave Filoni
Stars: (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
The Plot: Filling the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, this animated tale chronicles the on-going intragalactic battle involving the Jedis of the Republic and the battle droids of the Trade Federation.
THE BUZZ: Could this be the Droids movie we never waited for? Truly, die-hard SW fans are ignoring this movie and focusing on the "Clone Wars" tv show, which IMDb TV editor Melanie McFarland previews in her awesome blog which you should read ...
Mirrors
Director: Alexandre Aja
Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
The Plot: An ex-cop (Sutherland) and his family are the target of a evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.
THE BUZZ: This unspeakable evil found a crack in Fox's summer schedule, and while I think Alexandre Aja's latest assault on the senses might come and go faster than an episode of "24," the movie's best bet for traction with late-season audiences might be this boundary-pushing red-band trailer. Click on it only if you want to see Amy Smart pull apart her face.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem (Full Cast)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The Plot: Two girlfriends (Hall and Johansson) on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter (Bardem), fully unaware that his ex-wife (Cruz), with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.
THE BUZZ: Hey, did you hear that Woody Allen has made a fun, breezy, holiday postcard of a movie, one in which Rebecca Hall reunites with her Prestige castmate, then outperforms her? That's the report from Cannes; however, all those stories you heard about a ménage a trois here and a sex scene between Scarlett J. and Penélope C. there turn out to be less frothy than for what you would hope (and, I have to say, more innocent than anything Allen would imagine privately). Though, as you would expect, Cruz owns the movie upon her entrance, one who eviscerates the Americans before bursting into tears, eyeliner streaming down her beautiful face ...
Henry Poole Is Here [limited]
Director: Mark Pellington
Stars: Luke Wilson, , George Lopez (Full Cast)
Studio: Overture Films
The Plot: Henry Poole (Wilson) abandons his fiancée and family business to spend what he believes are his remaining days alone ... until the discovery of a "miracle" by a nosy neighbor ruptures his solitude and restores his faith in life.
THE BUZZ: Mark Pellington is excellent at making TV programs (The United States of Poetry, Cold Case) and decent when creating music videos (Pearl Jam and a host of other rockerz), but when it comes to his movies (Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies), perhaps he needs more time perfecting his craft. Well good luck with Henry, an underdog comedy-drama hybrid starring was-I-ever-truly-a-movie-star Luke Wilson that yawned it's way through Sundance earlier this year, with most reviewers citing Pellington's heavy-handed handling of the themes of faith and redemption. And the trailer reveals yet another shameless attempt to Abigail Breslinize everything.
Fly Me to the Moon
Director: Ben Stassen
Stars: Trevor Gagnon, Philip Bolden, David Gore (Full Cast)
Studio: K2 Communications
The Plot: Three houseflies get launched into outer space when they sneak aboard Apollo 11's historical lunar mission.
THE BUZZ: Flushed Away in space? This latest 3D offering hails from Europe where it was considered quite the success story…in Belgium. Getting a Desperate Housewife and an Apollo astronaut to ride along could help its chances to blast off Stateside. As for the buzz on Buzz? Anyone who gets away with punching a guy could only benefit from a cutesy cartoon to soften his image.
AUGUST 20
The Rocker
Director: Peter Cattaneo
Stars: Rainn Wilson, Josh Gad (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
The Plot: Two decades after he was kicked out of his famous rock 'n' roll group, Robert 'Fish' Fishman (Wilson), an over-the-hill drummer, pounces on a second chance at coercing his way into a garage band fronted by his newphew (Gad).
THE BUZZ: Before seeing this movie's awesome trailer, I thought the concept would best be served by a digital short starring Andy Samberg. But then? Said trailer arrived, and I noticed the screenplay was co-written by one of the creative minds behind The Larry Sanders Show (Maya Forbes) and one of Wes Anderson's cronies (Wallace Wolodarsky). Maybe August isn't the summer dumping ground it used to be.
AUGUST 22
Hamlet 2 [limited]
Director: Andrew Fleming
Stars: Steve Coogan, Elisabeth Shue, Catherine Keener (Full Cast)
Studio:
The Plot: High school drama teacher Dana Marschz (Coogan) looks to bring his Shakesperian sequel to the stage despite the obstacles in his path -- namely, a classroom full of disinterested students, potential budget cuts, and his own lack of talent.
THE BUZZ: One of few buzz-generating films at Sundance earlier this year, H2 grabbed headlines for its pricey acquisition and warmly received reviews. Having seen the film, I can assert that it's worth seeing as another example of Coogan's ability to rise above any material he's handed, but its by-the-numbers story arc and surprisingly unfunny songs (seeing that "South Park"'s Pam Brady is the co-writer) certainly don't add up to anything all that memorable. Coogan pushes the envelope; sadly, he's mostly alone in the endeavor, except for a ballsy turn by Elisabeth Shue, playing an alternate-future version of herself. However, something tells us this could be a hit with the younger generation.
Death Race
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Stars: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures
The Plot: Former NASCAR champ Jensen Ames (Statham) is framed for the murder of his wife, and subsequently sent to a notorious prison overseen by a warden (Allen) who has created the country's most popular sport: a kill-or-be-killed car race in which her inmates compete for their freedom.
THE BUZZ: Whoa, the Transporter faces off against Jason Bourne's oppressor? One good thing is: since this is set in a Paul W. S. Anderson universe, Jason Statham and Joan Allen will probably make out at some point. Here's another: At least Sly Stallone didn't lobby to star in this re-envisioning of his 1975 cult action flick. First Showing has a first look (actually, they just reprinted Empire Magazine's photospread) at the action, which we imagine Anderson is envisioning as a potential franchise. And check out the curiously sexy trailer, complete with a sequence that makes me realize how Anderson is getting to make his proposed Spy Hunter movie after all ...
The House Bunny
Director: Fred Wolf
Stars: Anna Faris (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures
The Plot: A Playboy bunny (Faris) who was recently booted from the mansion winds up becoming the new house mother for a sorority in jeopardy.
THE BUZZ: Can you plagiarize yourself? That's the question that screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith seem to be positing with this comedy, which lifts so much from Legally Blonde that we wouldn't be surprised if Bruiser the dog made an appearance. This is even so much like LB that we bet it's the talented star who makes it watchable. And while we love Faris to pieces, and are glad she's getting the lead roles these days.... something a little different wouldn't hurt on the resume!
And total US Weekly babe alert: "American Idol"'s Katharine McPhee and celeb progeny Rumer Willis too?! OMG -- where do we pick up the free L'Oreal make-up bags?
The Longshots
Director: Fred Durst
Stars: Ice Cube, Keke Palmer (Full Cast)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The Plot: Eleven-year-old Jasmine Plummer (KeKe Palmer) looks to become the first female to play in the Pop Warner football tournament in its 56-year history.
THE BUZZ: Fred Durst directs Ice Cube in a family comedy? That's fine, but Durst better never don a red ballcap and chinos again, and Ice Cube is fully aware that his street cred is long gone. So let's turn our attention to KeKe Palmer, the endearing star of Akkelah and the Bee who takes center stage here and is -- wait for this -- attached to portray Roxanne Shante, the legendary disser/rapper in the indie Vapors. Suddenly she's more bad-ass than her co-star and her director combined. Here's the trailer, which looks perfectly harmless and all, but still makes me wonder if girls will be attracted to this story.
AUGUST 29
Disaster Movie
Director: Jason Friedberg Aaron Seltzer
Stars: Carmen Electra, Vanessa Minnillo, Nicole Parker (Full Cast)
Studio: Lions Gate Entertainment
The Plot: Over the course of one evening, an unsuspecting group of twenty-somethings find themselves bombarded by a series of natural disasters and catastrophic events.
THE BUZZ: Hey, who ordered a second project from the Date Movie guys? I certainly didn't, and I thought Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer's diminishing spoof returns (Date remains their most successful endeavor) might have reached their end with Meet the Spartans. Alas, the sophomoric-comedy duo have managed to churn out another 2008 mid-level hit that will probably double its investment after two weeks in general release. And I have to give them some sort of credit for making Carmen Electra a genuine movie star ... right? Take that, Nicole Kidman!
Babylon A.D.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Stars: Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
The Plot: Veteran-turned-mercenary Thoorop (Diesel) takes a high-risk assignment where he must escort a woman out of Russia. His client, however, is carrying a synthetic virus -- one that could bring about the end of humankind. Making his mission extra-difficult is the cult that has designs on what rests inside the young woman's body.
THE BUZZ: Dudes, random casting abounds for Vin Diesel's return to the sci-fi genre. But if it wasn't for this Michelle Yeoh fansite, we'd know next to nothing about the project -- except that it sounds like a low-brow companion piece to Children of Men. And we mean that as a compliment. The best buzz we've heard about the project? District B13 star David Belle has choreographed parkour fight scenes for both Diesel and Yeoh! And the worst? Uncooperative weather and powerplays between Diesel and director Mathieu Kassovitz have caused a production delay, sending producer Ilan Goldman (the man behind the two Crimson Rivers movies) on the hunt for snowy locales and replacements for several vital crew slots. Diesel's manager, meanwhile, apparently had to go coax Kassovitz back from a reported nervous breakdown. Seriously! And while this level of drama used results in a hot pile of celluloid garbage, the teaser trailer is looking hot. We can even overlook the Kronos Quartet composition that no one should ever have used after Requiem for a Dream ...
Traitor
Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Stars: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, David Clark (Full Cast)
Studio: Overture Films
The Plot: FBI agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) heads up a conspiracy investigation which initially susses out a prime suspect: Samir Horn (Cheadle), a former special ops officer with strong ties to Afghan rebels in the Middle East. As Clayton chases Horn around the world, however, a tangled web of contradictory evidence is revealed.
THE BUZZ: Five fine actors guide this conspiracy thriller from The Day After Tomorrow writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff into theaters at the end of the summer-movie season. Oddly enough, Steve Martin came up with this premise back in 2002, when he was working on Bringing Down the House with producer David Hoberman, and even though it reminds me of Lennie James's character's arc on "Jericho," one interesting thing to chart here is the rise of Overture Films, the distributor that turned The Visitor into a hit this year and has optioned a handful of original screenplays for 2009/2010.
College
Director: Deb Hagan
Stars: Drake Bell, Kevin Covais, Andrew Caldwell (Full Cast)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The Plot: A wild weekend is in store for three high school seniors who visit a local college campus as prospective freshmen.
THE BUZZ: They took the word right off of Blutarsky's sweatshirt, and then they made (what we expect will be) an unmemorable, Superbad-lite comedy for Generation YouTube. The only person who might benefit from this road trip is star Drake Bell, who is beginning to dirty-up his Nickelodeon sheen. Short-film director Deb Hagan (Pee Shy) makes her feature debut, which gives us an idea: why not make this a story about three females instead of males? As Amy Poehler has said, all you need to do is change the names from female to male, and you've resolved the issue of how to write comedy for women.
Marvin the Martian Feature in the Works
Variety says Warner Bros. is developing a Marvin the Martian feature at Alcon Entertainment, with principals Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove producing along with Steve Crystal.
The project will blend live action and CGI.
Marvin was created by Chuck Jones and made his first appearance in a Looney Tunes cartoon in 1948. The character was often intent on blowing up the Earth, only to be foiled by Bugs Bunny.
Crystal, a former Warner executive with a first-look deal at Alcon through his Charlie Co. banner, developed the pitch as a Christmas story, with Marvin coming to Earth to destroy Christmas but being prevented from doing so when he's trapped in a gift box. Alcon’s out to writers and directors.
The project will blend live action and CGI.
Marvin was created by Chuck Jones and made his first appearance in a Looney Tunes cartoon in 1948. The character was often intent on blowing up the Earth, only to be foiled by Bugs Bunny.
Crystal, a former Warner executive with a first-look deal at Alcon through his Charlie Co. banner, developed the pitch as a Christmas story, with Marvin coming to Earth to destroy Christmas but being prevented from doing so when he's trapped in a gift box. Alcon’s out to writers and directors.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Keys, White Team for Quantum of Solace Theme Song
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the highly anticipated 22nd James Bond adventure Quantum of Solace, announced today that multi-Grammy Award-winning and platinum selling recording artists Jack White of the rock band The White Stripes, and Alicia Keys, have recorded the theme song for the film, which will be released worldwide this November.
Their song, written and produced by Jack White, and titled "Another Way to Die," will be the first duet in Bond soundtrack history. In addition to writing the song, Jack White is also featured as the drummer on this track.
The soundtrack to Quantum of Solace will be released by J Records on October 28, 2008.
Their song, written and produced by Jack White, and titled "Another Way to Die," will be the first duet in Bond soundtrack history. In addition to writing the song, Jack White is also featured as the drummer on this track.
The soundtrack to Quantum of Solace will be released by J Records on October 28, 2008.
The Killers Are Putting Finishing Touches On Sam's Town Follow-Up
Label sources confirm that the album, produced by Stuart Price, is tentatively slated for November.
We can't promise that it'll be "one of the best albums in the past 20 years," feature a duet with Lou Reed or inspire a whole new round of rather petty feuds between guys wearing eyeliner, but we can tell you that the Killers are hard at work on the follow-up to 2006's Sam's Town, and that the album is tentatively scheduled to hit stores in November.
That's according to a pair of sources with the band's label, Island Records, who told MTV News that Brandon Flowers and company are currently holed up in their brand-new Las Vegas studio (not the plush Studio at the Palms, where they recorded Sam's), putting the finishing touches on the as-yet-untitled album.
The sources added that Stuart Price — a.k.a. Jacques Lu Cont/ Madonna's musical cohort/ the guy who did that really excellent remix of the Killers' "Mr. Brightside" — is producing the disc, something that bassist Mark Stoermer alluded to last year when talking to MTV News about the album, which was in its fledgling stages.
"We've got some new songs, but there's a long way to go before they're ready for an album," Stoermer said at the time. "So far, they're different than Sam's Town, but nothing that we write surprises me. Some are a bit stripped down for us — whatever that means. Some have the vibe of [Jacques Lu Cont's] 'Thin White Duke Remix' of 'Mr. Brightside.' We talk about what we want for the album, but inevitably, it always gets away from us."
According to Island, there are no song titles available at the moment, though in a June interview with Q magazine, Flowers mentioned a track called "Tidal Wave," which he described as "a pop song in the vein of 'Drive-In Saturday' by David Bowie. It's also a bit like 'I Drove All Night' by Roy Orbison."
Fueling all this new-album hype is a "fan-club only" show the Killers have just announced, set to take place Tuesday night (July 29) at New York's Highline Ballroom. A source at Island said that the band will use the set to test out some material from the forthcoming record.
When do we stop producing things that are not consumed as much as they once were? Should the market and consumers be the judges of this?
We can't promise that it'll be "one of the best albums in the past 20 years," feature a duet with Lou Reed or inspire a whole new round of rather petty feuds between guys wearing eyeliner, but we can tell you that the Killers are hard at work on the follow-up to 2006's Sam's Town, and that the album is tentatively scheduled to hit stores in November.
That's according to a pair of sources with the band's label, Island Records, who told MTV News that Brandon Flowers and company are currently holed up in their brand-new Las Vegas studio (not the plush Studio at the Palms, where they recorded Sam's), putting the finishing touches on the as-yet-untitled album.
The sources added that Stuart Price — a.k.a. Jacques Lu Cont/ Madonna's musical cohort/ the guy who did that really excellent remix of the Killers' "Mr. Brightside" — is producing the disc, something that bassist Mark Stoermer alluded to last year when talking to MTV News about the album, which was in its fledgling stages.
"We've got some new songs, but there's a long way to go before they're ready for an album," Stoermer said at the time. "So far, they're different than Sam's Town, but nothing that we write surprises me. Some are a bit stripped down for us — whatever that means. Some have the vibe of [Jacques Lu Cont's] 'Thin White Duke Remix' of 'Mr. Brightside.' We talk about what we want for the album, but inevitably, it always gets away from us."
According to Island, there are no song titles available at the moment, though in a June interview with Q magazine, Flowers mentioned a track called "Tidal Wave," which he described as "a pop song in the vein of 'Drive-In Saturday' by David Bowie. It's also a bit like 'I Drove All Night' by Roy Orbison."
Fueling all this new-album hype is a "fan-club only" show the Killers have just announced, set to take place Tuesday night (July 29) at New York's Highline Ballroom. A source at Island said that the band will use the set to test out some material from the forthcoming record.
When do we stop producing things that are not consumed as much as they once were? Should the market and consumers be the judges of this?
Dumars: Brown agrees to two-year deal with Pistons
Kwame Brown's search for another fresh start is taking him back to the Eastern Conference.
The center and the Detroit Pistons agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract Monday night. Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars confirmed the deal to The Associated Press late Monday.
The contract is likely to be signed Tuesday and will include a player option for Brown to return to free agency after completing one season according to agent Mark Bartelstein, who told ESPN.com of the agreement earlier Monday.
It remains to be seen whether the Pistons will be able to make the splashy trade that Dumars vowed to consider after Detroit's loss to Boston in the Eastern Conference finals. But this signing is bold in its own way for the Pistons. They will be hoping that Brown can finally start to find a foothold in Detroit after another recent top-three pick who has significantly underachieved -- 2003's No. 2 overall selection Darko Milicic -- lasted only 2½ seasons with the Pistons before being dealt to Orlando in 2006.
The Pistons, though, can counter with multiple success stories -- most notably Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace -- when it comes to working with former top-five draft picks who endured problematic starts in their careers. Detroit will try to make Brown its latest reclamation project, figuring that his size, athleticism and relative youth are still too enticing to pass up, especially on a short-term commitment.
Brown earned nearly $9.1 million last season in the final year of his previous three-year deal, which the 26-year-old received in the summer of 2005 in a sign-and-trade from Washington to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Brown's expiring salary was the chief chip that the Lakers used to convince the Memphis Grizzlies to send Pau Gasol to L.A. on Feb. 1 in a trade that earned the Grizzlies widespread criticism. Memphis essentially settled for the salary-cap relief created by Brown's expected departure, two late first-round picks, young point guard Javaris Crittenton and the rights to Gasol's brother Marc. The Grizzlies subsequently signed Marc Gasol earlier this month after his breakout season in the Spanish League and used one of the first-round picks last month to acquire the rights to No. 28 overall selection Darrell Arthur of Kansas.
Brown played in only 15 games with the Grizzlies after the trade, averaging just 3.5 points and 3.8 minutes in just under 14 minutes per game. He returns to the East after spending his first four seasons as a pro in Washington, having been drafted by then-Wizards president Michael Jordan.
There were reports in the past week suggesting that Brown was a candidate to re-sign with the Lakers, with longtime Lakers coach/consultant Tex Winter telling noted Lakers historian Roland Lazenby that coach Phil Jackson "has always liked Kwame" and has "always felt that defensively he's pretty good." Yet sources say that Brown never seriously considered a reunion with the Lakers after a tumultuous stint in which he absorbed plenty of public criticism from Jackson.
In his seven pro seasons, Brown has averaged just 7.5 points and 5.7 rebounds, posting his best season in 2003-04 by averaging 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Wizards. Brown has likewise been plagued by various injuries, appearing in 42 games or less in three of the past four seasons.
The center and the Detroit Pistons agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract Monday night. Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars confirmed the deal to The Associated Press late Monday.
The contract is likely to be signed Tuesday and will include a player option for Brown to return to free agency after completing one season according to agent Mark Bartelstein, who told ESPN.com of the agreement earlier Monday.
It remains to be seen whether the Pistons will be able to make the splashy trade that Dumars vowed to consider after Detroit's loss to Boston in the Eastern Conference finals. But this signing is bold in its own way for the Pistons. They will be hoping that Brown can finally start to find a foothold in Detroit after another recent top-three pick who has significantly underachieved -- 2003's No. 2 overall selection Darko Milicic -- lasted only 2½ seasons with the Pistons before being dealt to Orlando in 2006.
The Pistons, though, can counter with multiple success stories -- most notably Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace -- when it comes to working with former top-five draft picks who endured problematic starts in their careers. Detroit will try to make Brown its latest reclamation project, figuring that his size, athleticism and relative youth are still too enticing to pass up, especially on a short-term commitment.
Brown earned nearly $9.1 million last season in the final year of his previous three-year deal, which the 26-year-old received in the summer of 2005 in a sign-and-trade from Washington to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Brown's expiring salary was the chief chip that the Lakers used to convince the Memphis Grizzlies to send Pau Gasol to L.A. on Feb. 1 in a trade that earned the Grizzlies widespread criticism. Memphis essentially settled for the salary-cap relief created by Brown's expected departure, two late first-round picks, young point guard Javaris Crittenton and the rights to Gasol's brother Marc. The Grizzlies subsequently signed Marc Gasol earlier this month after his breakout season in the Spanish League and used one of the first-round picks last month to acquire the rights to No. 28 overall selection Darrell Arthur of Kansas.
Brown played in only 15 games with the Grizzlies after the trade, averaging just 3.5 points and 3.8 minutes in just under 14 minutes per game. He returns to the East after spending his first four seasons as a pro in Washington, having been drafted by then-Wizards president Michael Jordan.
There were reports in the past week suggesting that Brown was a candidate to re-sign with the Lakers, with longtime Lakers coach/consultant Tex Winter telling noted Lakers historian Roland Lazenby that coach Phil Jackson "has always liked Kwame" and has "always felt that defensively he's pretty good." Yet sources say that Brown never seriously considered a reunion with the Lakers after a tumultuous stint in which he absorbed plenty of public criticism from Jackson.
In his seven pro seasons, Brown has averaged just 7.5 points and 5.7 rebounds, posting his best season in 2003-04 by averaging 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Wizards. Brown has likewise been plagued by various injuries, appearing in 42 games or less in three of the past four seasons.
Jacks Mannequin Announces Pre-Release EP
Jack’s Mannequin, led by singer-keyboardist Andrew McMahon, will release its second album, entitled The Glass Passenger, on September 30th, 2008 on Sire/Warner Bros. Records.
Co-produced by McMahon and Jim Wirt (Incubus, Hoobastank), The Glass Passenger is the follow-up to the band’s debut Everything in Transit, which was released in August 2005 and debuted at No. 37 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
Like that album, The Glass Passenger was written and recorded over the course of nearly two years with McMahon going into the studio whenever inspiration struck. As a result, McMahon describes the album as “a bizarre balance between present and past. I was trying to use the music to sort through and reconcile with the adversity of my past.”
While The Glass Passenger is essentially autobiographical, the album is not meant to serve as a direct description of McMahon’s life. “My past is my past and a lot of this record is about that,” he says “but it’s also about trying to write myself out of it. This is a record about trying to get well. It’s about getting out from underneath something. I want people to receive the music for what it is and not have to contextualize it against my own personal battle.”
Jack’s Mannequin, which McMahon formed in 2004 with guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Jonathan Sullivan, and drummer Jay McMillan in Orange County, CA, has been busy touring this year, including an appearance at the Bamboozle Festival in May. They have performed a series of acoustic shows on this year’s Vans Warped Tour, and will hit the road with Paramore on July 28th.
To tide fans over, the band will release an iTunes exclusive EP titled "Ghost Over Ground" on August 5, 2008 featuring new music from "The Glass Passenger" as well as unreleased live material from the past album.
For more on Jack’s Mannequin, including the latest news, photos, tour dates, and McMahon’s blog, please visit the band’s official website www.jacksmannequin.com or MySpace page: www.myspace.com/jacksmannequin
Co-produced by McMahon and Jim Wirt (Incubus, Hoobastank), The Glass Passenger is the follow-up to the band’s debut Everything in Transit, which was released in August 2005 and debuted at No. 37 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
Like that album, The Glass Passenger was written and recorded over the course of nearly two years with McMahon going into the studio whenever inspiration struck. As a result, McMahon describes the album as “a bizarre balance between present and past. I was trying to use the music to sort through and reconcile with the adversity of my past.”
While The Glass Passenger is essentially autobiographical, the album is not meant to serve as a direct description of McMahon’s life. “My past is my past and a lot of this record is about that,” he says “but it’s also about trying to write myself out of it. This is a record about trying to get well. It’s about getting out from underneath something. I want people to receive the music for what it is and not have to contextualize it against my own personal battle.”
Jack’s Mannequin, which McMahon formed in 2004 with guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Jonathan Sullivan, and drummer Jay McMillan in Orange County, CA, has been busy touring this year, including an appearance at the Bamboozle Festival in May. They have performed a series of acoustic shows on this year’s Vans Warped Tour, and will hit the road with Paramore on July 28th.
To tide fans over, the band will release an iTunes exclusive EP titled "Ghost Over Ground" on August 5, 2008 featuring new music from "The Glass Passenger" as well as unreleased live material from the past album.
For more on Jack’s Mannequin, including the latest news, photos, tour dates, and McMahon’s blog, please visit the band’s official website www.jacksmannequin.com or MySpace page: www.myspace.com/jacksmannequin
Monday, July 28, 2008
George Lucas on a Fifth Indiana Jones
With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull having earned a massive $743.7 million worldwide (#27 on the all-time worldwide list), The Sunday Times asked George Lucas if he, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford would be up for a fifth film:
"We were hoping for box-office figures like that, which is, ultimately, with inflation, what the others have done, within 10%," Lucas explains. "So, we squeaked up there. Really, though, it was a challenge getting the story together and getting everybody to agree on it. Indiana Jones only becomes complicated when you have another two people saying 'I want it this way' and 'I want it that way', whereas, when I first did Jones, I just said, 'We'll do it this way' — and that was much easier. But now I have to accommodate everybody, because they are all big, successful guys, too, so it's a little hard on a practical level.
"If I can come up with another idea that they like, we'll do another. Really, with the last one, Steven wasn't that enthusiastic. I was trying to persuade him. But now Steve is more amenable to doing another one. Yet we still have the issues about the direction we'd like to take. I'm in the future; Steven's in the past. He's trying to drag it back to the way they were, I'm trying to push it to a whole different place. So, still we have a sort of tension. This recent one came out of that. It's kind of a hybrid of our own two ideas, so we'll see where we are able to take the next one."
One suggestion? A shorter title!
"We were hoping for box-office figures like that, which is, ultimately, with inflation, what the others have done, within 10%," Lucas explains. "So, we squeaked up there. Really, though, it was a challenge getting the story together and getting everybody to agree on it. Indiana Jones only becomes complicated when you have another two people saying 'I want it this way' and 'I want it that way', whereas, when I first did Jones, I just said, 'We'll do it this way' — and that was much easier. But now I have to accommodate everybody, because they are all big, successful guys, too, so it's a little hard on a practical level.
"If I can come up with another idea that they like, we'll do another. Really, with the last one, Steven wasn't that enthusiastic. I was trying to persuade him. But now Steve is more amenable to doing another one. Yet we still have the issues about the direction we'd like to take. I'm in the future; Steven's in the past. He's trying to drag it back to the way they were, I'm trying to push it to a whole different place. So, still we have a sort of tension. This recent one came out of that. It's kind of a hybrid of our own two ideas, so we'll see where we are able to take the next one."
One suggestion? A shorter title!
The Dark Knight Reaches a Record $314.2M in 10 Days!
The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Be sure to check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office.
Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark Knight earned an estimated $75.6 million from 4,366 theaters in its second weekend, surpassing Shrek 2's $72.2 million for biggest second weekend ever. Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins follow-up has reached $314.2 million in just 10 days, another record. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest held the previous record in the amount of days it took to cross the $300 million mark - it needed 16 days to do so. On Monday, The Dark Knight will surpass Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to become the biggest movie of 2008 domestically. It is already up to #23 on the all-time domestic blockbuster list and has a good shot at surpassing Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope's $460.998 million (not counting inflation) to become the second-biggest domestic earner of all-time, trailing only Titanic's $600.788 million. The Dark Knight, budgeted at $185 million, stars Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.
Columbia Pictures' Step Brothers opened in second place with a strong $30 million from 3,094 theaters. The Adam McKay-directed comedy, starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen, averaged $9,696 per theater. The movie cost about $65 million to make.
Universal Pictures' Mamma Mia! dropped one spot to third and lost only 35.6% in ticket sales from its first weekend. The musical, carrying a budget of $52 million, added $17.9 million and has pushed its total to $62.7 million in two weeks.
20th Century Fox's The X-Files: I Want to Believe failed to pull in moviegoers its first weekend as it collected just $10.2 million from 3,185 theaters, according to estimates. The Chris Carter-directed film, starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Xzibit, Amanda Peet and Billy Connolly, averaged $3,202 per location. One thing going for it is that it had a budget of just $30 million, making the risk for the studio minimal.
Warner Bros./New Line's Journey to the Center of the Earth rounded out the top five with $9.4 million and has earned $60.2 million in three weeks. The family adventure was made for $60 million.
Columbia Pictures' Hancock took in $8.2 million in its fourth weekend in sixth place, sending the $150 million Will Smith superhero film over the $200 million mark with $206.4 million.
In seventh, Disney/Pixar's WALL•E earned $6.3 million and has collected $195 million after five weeks. The animated film cost the studio $180 million to make.
Eighth place belonged to Universal's Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which made $4.9 million in its third weekend for a total of $65.9 million, followed by Fox's Space Chimps in ninth which made $4.4 million and has earned $16 million in two weeks.
Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark Knight earned an estimated $75.6 million from 4,366 theaters in its second weekend, surpassing Shrek 2's $72.2 million for biggest second weekend ever. Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins follow-up has reached $314.2 million in just 10 days, another record. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest held the previous record in the amount of days it took to cross the $300 million mark - it needed 16 days to do so. On Monday, The Dark Knight will surpass Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to become the biggest movie of 2008 domestically. It is already up to #23 on the all-time domestic blockbuster list and has a good shot at surpassing Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope's $460.998 million (not counting inflation) to become the second-biggest domestic earner of all-time, trailing only Titanic's $600.788 million. The Dark Knight, budgeted at $185 million, stars Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.
Columbia Pictures' Step Brothers opened in second place with a strong $30 million from 3,094 theaters. The Adam McKay-directed comedy, starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen, averaged $9,696 per theater. The movie cost about $65 million to make.
Universal Pictures' Mamma Mia! dropped one spot to third and lost only 35.6% in ticket sales from its first weekend. The musical, carrying a budget of $52 million, added $17.9 million and has pushed its total to $62.7 million in two weeks.
20th Century Fox's The X-Files: I Want to Believe failed to pull in moviegoers its first weekend as it collected just $10.2 million from 3,185 theaters, according to estimates. The Chris Carter-directed film, starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Xzibit, Amanda Peet and Billy Connolly, averaged $3,202 per location. One thing going for it is that it had a budget of just $30 million, making the risk for the studio minimal.
Warner Bros./New Line's Journey to the Center of the Earth rounded out the top five with $9.4 million and has earned $60.2 million in three weeks. The family adventure was made for $60 million.
Columbia Pictures' Hancock took in $8.2 million in its fourth weekend in sixth place, sending the $150 million Will Smith superhero film over the $200 million mark with $206.4 million.
In seventh, Disney/Pixar's WALL•E earned $6.3 million and has collected $195 million after five weeks. The animated film cost the studio $180 million to make.
Eighth place belonged to Universal's Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which made $4.9 million in its third weekend for a total of $65.9 million, followed by Fox's Space Chimps in ninth which made $4.4 million and has earned $16 million in two weeks.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
SDCC EXCL: Francis Lawrence Confirms Legend Prequel
Last year, Will Smith starred in an update of Richard Matheson's future shock novel I Am Novel, which became the second-biggest non-sequel of 2007, and ever since then, there's been a lot of rumors and speculation and curiosity whether Warner Bros. would try to do some kind of prequel or sequel to it. (Note: If you haven't seen it or read the book, the next sentence will probably spoil both.) A prequel would be the most obvious because it would mean that Will Smith could return as Dr. Robert Neville, and we'd be able to see more of the time in between the virus being unleashed in New York and where the first movie picks up the story.
Francis Lawrence was at Comic-Con International to talk about the new NBC series "Kings" for which he directed the pilot and the first couple of episodes, and we had a chance to ask him a few questions about the rumor about a prequel, which he confirmed he would definitely be involved with. "Yes, yes, absolutely, we're actually trying to crack that. We're trying to figure out some ideas for it, but yes, it would be a prequel." He did confirm that Will Smith, who's done a couple of sequels in his career, would definitely be into doing more with the character.
The pilot for "Kings" has a lot of great aerial shots of New York City, which is doubling for the city of Shiloh, and talking about that lead to us talking about how it was portrayed in Legend. "Akiva and I really wanted to do 'Legend' in New York, because it's such an iconic city and it's just more striking to see it abandoned than Los Angeles, 'cause honestly, parts of Los Angeles can look abandoned in the middle of the day."
We asked him whether he'd have go through the same things in creating an abandoned New York as he did for I Am Legend and whether it would be easier for a prequel, having already figured out how to do it. "Well, even as we went through them with the movie itself, it got easier. The first time you got out there and shut down 6th Avenue, it's like, 'How are we going to do this day after day after day?' but by the end, it's just like you know how to do it. You got the P.A.'s who know how to shut it down, how to let the traffic through in between set-ups and you just sort of get the routine down, so that's not the issue."
That led directly into Lawrence sharing some interesting ideas that might go into making the proposed prequel: "In the prequel, it's slightly different because it's earlier. We were three years later so we did a lot of research into the way nature would have sort of overtaken the city, with the cracks in the streets and the weeds, so if it's just back earlier, it'll be slightly different so the approach will be different. We're not positive of the time of the year, because if you go in winter, you can do some entirely different kinds of things."
As far as getting Richard Matheson's blessing on this prequel, Lawrence commented, "I'm sure we'll definitely keep him involved in the prequel just in terms of updating him and inviting him to read the script and see what he has to say. Matheson was very happy (with the first movie). It was a great moment when we showed him the movie. He had read the script and I invited him when we were done to see the movie and he brought his family, and I called him when we were on the international junket in Japan and I was really nervous, because it's an adaptation and it's different, and he knew along the way, it's Richard Matheson. He really loved it and I had this great letter from him about it."
As far as some of the other things on Lawrence's slate, he told us, "There's something on my IMDb page called 'Eddie Dickens and the Awful End,' which is not happening. That was an animated project that I was going to do alongside with 'Legend' and that we sort of decided with the studio not to do. Then there's a Disney thing called 'Snow and the 7' that I'm still working on which is a modern retelling of the Snow White story." He said that it would be a family movie in the sense of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. "It's in that kind of a vein. It's 19th Century China, a British girl is discovering who she really is, and it's a great action-adventure story. That one's a ways away but we got this great writer in and we're working on the script. This great world and great ideas."
Francis Lawrence was at Comic-Con International to talk about the new NBC series "Kings" for which he directed the pilot and the first couple of episodes, and we had a chance to ask him a few questions about the rumor about a prequel, which he confirmed he would definitely be involved with. "Yes, yes, absolutely, we're actually trying to crack that. We're trying to figure out some ideas for it, but yes, it would be a prequel." He did confirm that Will Smith, who's done a couple of sequels in his career, would definitely be into doing more with the character.
The pilot for "Kings" has a lot of great aerial shots of New York City, which is doubling for the city of Shiloh, and talking about that lead to us talking about how it was portrayed in Legend. "Akiva and I really wanted to do 'Legend' in New York, because it's such an iconic city and it's just more striking to see it abandoned than Los Angeles, 'cause honestly, parts of Los Angeles can look abandoned in the middle of the day."
We asked him whether he'd have go through the same things in creating an abandoned New York as he did for I Am Legend and whether it would be easier for a prequel, having already figured out how to do it. "Well, even as we went through them with the movie itself, it got easier. The first time you got out there and shut down 6th Avenue, it's like, 'How are we going to do this day after day after day?' but by the end, it's just like you know how to do it. You got the P.A.'s who know how to shut it down, how to let the traffic through in between set-ups and you just sort of get the routine down, so that's not the issue."
That led directly into Lawrence sharing some interesting ideas that might go into making the proposed prequel: "In the prequel, it's slightly different because it's earlier. We were three years later so we did a lot of research into the way nature would have sort of overtaken the city, with the cracks in the streets and the weeds, so if it's just back earlier, it'll be slightly different so the approach will be different. We're not positive of the time of the year, because if you go in winter, you can do some entirely different kinds of things."
As far as getting Richard Matheson's blessing on this prequel, Lawrence commented, "I'm sure we'll definitely keep him involved in the prequel just in terms of updating him and inviting him to read the script and see what he has to say. Matheson was very happy (with the first movie). It was a great moment when we showed him the movie. He had read the script and I invited him when we were done to see the movie and he brought his family, and I called him when we were on the international junket in Japan and I was really nervous, because it's an adaptation and it's different, and he knew along the way, it's Richard Matheson. He really loved it and I had this great letter from him about it."
As far as some of the other things on Lawrence's slate, he told us, "There's something on my IMDb page called 'Eddie Dickens and the Awful End,' which is not happening. That was an animated project that I was going to do alongside with 'Legend' and that we sort of decided with the studio not to do. Then there's a Disney thing called 'Snow and the 7' that I'm still working on which is a modern retelling of the Snow White story." He said that it would be a family movie in the sense of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. "It's in that kind of a vein. It's 19th Century China, a British girl is discovering who she really is, and it's a great action-adventure story. That one's a ways away but we got this great writer in and we're working on the script. This great world and great ideas."
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