Marc Guggenheim Offers An Update On ‘Green Lantern’ Film

Last month, we posted some fanboy-friendly information about the script for the “Green Lantern” film, written by Marc Guggenheim, Michael Green and Greg Berlanti, who is also directing the film. COMICON recently spoke with Guggenheim about how the film is progressing, and received an update of sorts on the ring-bearing hero’s big-screen debut. 

“I will tell you it features Hal Jordan and is an incredibly faithful rendition of the character,” said Guggenheim, who played it very, very safe with his status report, remarking that he had “sworn a blood oath of secrecy” regarding the film. 

As for the timeline on the script, Guggenheim told COMICON that the trio charged with bringing Hal Jordan and his willpower-fueled ring to theaters is currently “doing a rewrite for the studio with Greg [Berlanti] and Michael [Green].” 

“We’ll turn that in next week,” said Guggenheim. “We just keep moving forward.”

Thursday Ratings: Bigger Brother, Hot Flashpoint and More

Thursday's ratings highlights: 

• The penultimate installment of Big Brother 10 delivered 7.93 million total viewers, a week-to-week gain of 24 percent. 

• An audience of 5.37 million squeezed Hole in the Wall into their schedule, a slight improvement on the gamer's most recent sneak peek. 

• Kitchen Nightmares' regular time-period premiere ruled the 9 pm demos and trailed only a CSI repeat in total viewers (with 6.14 million). 

• Flashpoint, long-benched by this convention and that one, returned to an audience of 8.55 million — an 18 percent increase over its previous outing and a series high.

Gordon Ramsay’s Cooking Up More for Fox

We're going to be seeing a lot more of Gordon Ramsay in the next few years on Fox. 

The brash and brutally honest Brit has signed a deal with Fox for two more seasons of Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. The deal also includes a blind commitment for a third series and a live cooking show special, reports Variety. 

What's the bleep-happy chef's take on his new deal? He's thrilled because "they let me be me — that's the key to our success." 

Ramsey's new series, which is based on the British show Man Camp, is like a boot camp for men, whose "ladies are slightly concerned about how feminine they're becoming." 

No doubt this tough cookie will whip these men into shape faster than he can say, "Shut up, you donkey!" 

Have we had too much Ramsay in the kitchen? Or are you psyched for his third show?

Wednesday Ratings: Is Bones Still Crackin'? How Many Got Disturb'd?

America's Got Talent's seemingly endless season continued on Wednesday with another night-topping 11.74 million total viewers. Bones, however, won the 8 o'clock hour in the 18-49 demo, and delivered 8.91 million viewers (dipping 800 thou from its premiere). Top Model gained 350K, hitting 3.84 mil. 

At 9 pm/ET, the season premiere of 'Til Death did 6.36 mil, while lead-out Do Not Disturb debuted to 4.88 mil. (Both Fox sitcoms trailed AGT and a Criminal Minds repeat.) A 90210 repeat reaped 2.29 mil.

Kevin Smith wants Seth Rogen As Superhero

Director and comic-book writer Kevin Smith told SCI FI Wire that he wants Seth Rogen to star in a superhero movie he's developing, an original science fiction visual-effects extravaganza. 

"First, I'm going to do a 180 turn and do a horror movie called Red State," Smith said in an interview Sept. 7 at the Toronto International Film Festival. "It's going to be a total horror-political-psychological movie without a funny line in it. Then I'm going to do the science fiction superhero movie. It's going to be an original superhero that I've created. It's stewing right now. I want to do it, though, and, God willing, it will star Seth Rogen." 

Rogen is the star of Smith's next movie, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, in which a group of characters decide to make a Star Wars porn spoof called Star Whores. 

Smith said he was delighted with the Toronto audience's reaction to the film's debut and added that the movie tested well in Kansas City before a mainstream American audience. 

Smith (Clerks, Dogma) has also written comic books for Marvel and DC. "I haven't written a comic book for about three years, but I am going to write a Batman soon," he added. 

Some websites connected the dots to a project that Smith has been referring to for a few years as Ranger Danger. I contacted Smith to get clarification and here is what he said: 

1. “I don’t think I’ve ever called it a ’sci-fi superhero movie’; I’ve always referred it a ’space comedy’.”
2. Smith also confirmed that the space film and Ranger Danger are two entirely different projects. 

So there you have it. The only other detail we know is that at Comic Con he said that the film “will test [his] abilities as a visual filmmaker.”

Kanye West arrested after scuffle at airport

Police say rapper smashed photographer’s $10,000 camera at LAX 

Police say they have arrested Kanye West at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of vandalism after an altercation with a photographer. 

An airport spokesman says police also arrested West’s bodyguard shortly before 8 a.m. on Thursday.

Airport spokesman Marshall Lowe says early reports are that West got into an altercation with a commercial photographer and a camera valued at more than $10,000 was broken. 

The celebrity Web site TMZ.com is reporting that West smashed the camera of a photographer in the American Airlines terminal at LAX. TMZ says one of its photographers began videotaping the scene and the bodyguard stopped him and asked for the camera. The bodyguard then grabbed the video camera and threw it to the ground. 

The incident happened before West and his bodyguard, who was not identified, cleared a security screening at the airport. 

Lowe says police are continuing to interview witnesses and West may be booked later Thursday morning.

McQuarrie's First TV Series, Persons Unknown!

Fox TV Studios is gearing up production on "Persons Unknown," the first TV series from Oscar winner Christopher McQuarrie, says The Hollywood Reporter. 

FtvS has partnered with Mexican media giant Televisa to make 13 episodes of "Persons," which will start filming Oct. 27 in Mexico for the U.S. marketplace. Additionally, Televisa will air "Persons" in Mexico, and FtvS also is negotiating with a leading Italian broadcaster. 

"Persons" is executive produced by The Usual Suspects writer McQuarrie, his wife and producing partner Heather McQuarrie and the series' showrunner Remi Aubuchon. 

"Persons" is a mystery drama about seven strangers -- four of them played by Alan Ruck, Chadwick Boseman, Gerald Kyd and Kate Lang Johnson -- who wake up in a deserted town with no recollection of how they got there, only to realize that they are watched by omnipresent security cameras and that there is no escape. To survive, they must come together to solve the puzzle of their lives. 

Decors for the fictional town are being built in Ajusco near Mexico City, where "Persons" will be filmed.

Tuesday Ratings: Fringe Benefits from the Best Demos; 90210 Loses Zip

See what a tiny bit of promotion and publicity can do? The Tuesday premiere of J.J. Abrams' Fringe averaged 9 million viewers over its 90-minute premiere, trailing America's Got Talent in total audience but besting all comers in the 18-49 demographic. Fringe represents Fox's highest-rated drama series debut in two years (excluding those that followed sports or American Idol). 

Fox will re-air the Fringe pilot Sunday at 8 pm, preceded by sneak peeks at the film The Day The Earth Stood Still and the TV-movie prequel 24: Redemption. 

Big Brother (6.97 million) gained 470,000 week-to-week, but lagged just behind ABC's Wipeout (7.1 million) in the 8 pm time slot. 

Elsewhere, 90210 lost some of its zip, delivering 3.31 million viewers — or 67 percent of its debut audience. The CW's Privileged subsequently opened at 9 pm to 2.93 million, shedding 11 percent of its lead-in.

Zack and Miri Red Band Movie Trailer

The official red band movie trailer for Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno has been released online. If there was any more that required a red band movie trailer, it is Zack and Miri. We get the big reveal of the porno movie within the movie, Star Whores, the genius that is The Office’s Craig Robinson, the amazing evolving cinematography of David Klein (who woulda thought the same guy shot Clerks?!) and Traci Lord’s secret talent. 

The film premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival next week, but I might’ve gotten a chance to see the film a little while back. The only thing I will say is the first 30 minutes of Zack and Miri has more laughs per minute than any of Smith’s films thus far. As always, please leave your opinion in the comments below! 

Zack and Miri Make a Porno hits theaters on October 31st 2008.

More X-Men Spin-Offs, New Daredevil Film?

In an article at Variety talking about Fox's not-so-hot summer, the trade touches on some possible projects the studio is in talks about: 

Though Fox has no plans for a major overhaul, the studio has scheduled a strategy meeting to assess the status of its superheroes, a group sorely missed this summer. On the agenda, Fox will mull the possibility of more "X-Men" spinoffs, including a young-X-Men project as well as "Deadpool," based on a character played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine." The studio is even considering reviving the "Daredevil" property.

Wes Anderson to Write My Best Friend

Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have set Wes Anderson to write My Best Friend, a remake of the 2006 Patrice Leconte-directed French comedy Mon meilleur ami. Variety says Anderson is also eyeing the project as a directing vehicle.

Brian Grazer and Agnes Mentre will produce. Rosalie Swedlin will be executive producer. 

The French film starred Daniel Auteuil as a cranky antiques dealer who learns at a dinner with his closest acquaintances that none of them really like him because of his harsh manner and selfishness. When his business partner bets him a valuable vase that he can't produce a best friend, the dealer tries to get an amiable cab driver to pose as his buddy. 

Anderson just completed directing an animated adaptation of Roald Dahl novel The Fantastic Mr. Fox with 20th Century Fox Animation.

Depp and Verbinski Reteam on Rango

Johnny Depp will reunite with "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy director Gore Verbinski on Rango, an animated film that Paramount will finance and distribute. 

Variety says the studio has slotted the film for a March 2011 release. 

Depp will voice the lead character, a household pet that goes on an adventure to discover its true self. 

John Logan (The Aviator) has written the script from an idea hatched by Verbinski. Verbinski will work with Industrial Light & Magic on the animation. 

The trade adds that the CG Rango will be Paramount's most ambitious star-driven entry into animation. 

Depp is set to start working on the film in January. Verbinski will direct the project as he continues to develop an adaptation of the Take-Two video game BioShock for Universal.

Retailers Listing Kanye Disc For December

Although there's been no confirmation from Def Jam, Kanye West's new album will be titled "808's & Heartbreak" and will be released Dec. 16, according to listings on Amazon.com and Target.com. 

West unveiled the new track "Love Lockdown" Sunday to close the MTV Video Music Awards. He also performed it last night during a surprise set at a New York showcase for his label, G.O.O.D. Music, which features Consequence, Big Sean, Kid Cudi and GLC. 

The new album quickly follows 2007's "Graduation," which has sold 2.2 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. 

West is off the road until Oct. 22, when he begins a month-long international tour in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He's also working on the production side on Jay-Z's next album, "Blueprint III," expected before the end of the year.

Philip Seymour Hoffman Not Interested in Playing The Penguin in Our Batman 3

Yesterday was a semi-significant day in movie blogger history, comparative to the invention of the “Who Farted?” t-shirt. When TDK actor and beloved old geezer, Michael Caine, told MTV that a Warner Bros. exec had mentioned Johnny Depp for The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Penguin in Batman 3, the borderline fan-fic sequel (hence the title), enlightened bloggers posted, podcasted, Twittered, filmed and pissed in snow diatribes like: “Enough!” “We have standards!” “This is bullshit, don’t get me started on Big Willie for Capt!” “I’m not going to mention it, but I am mentioning it, clever, innit?” Fitting that MTV then decided to ask Senor Hoffman what the deal is at the TIFF (not at the tres ghetto VMAs)… 

“No one has talked to me about it ever — never,” replied Hoffman. “It happened, like, five years ago, too. It was a rumor back then and it’s still a rumor. [laughs] It’s just in the press. It’s funny.” 

Ha. But wait. Depp has said that while the villain rumor is categorically unfounded The Riddler would be “fun.” How about a little fun? 

“I don’t know. I think I’m more interested in seeing someone else do it. I don’t know if I’d be a good Penguin to be quite honest. [laughs]”

Peter Laird Responds To ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Movie Rumors; Confirms Deal For Live-Action/CGI Hybrid Is ‘Close’

Earlier this month, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” co-creator Kevin Eastman created significant buzz when he posted on his website that talks were underway for a new live-action film featuring the comic book characters he created alongside Peter Laird back in 1983. 

The post was removed a short time later after “Turtles” writer Steve Murphy labeled it as “complete nonsense,” and Eastman offered up an apology to various industry peers for sharing information about the project. The beans had already been spilled, however, and though Eastman had sold his rights to the TMNT property back to Laird and Mirage Studios back in 2000, his connection to the property still generated significant speculation about the future of TMNT on the big screen. 

So, in order to get the skinny on exactly what TMNT’s owners have planned for the Turtles, Splash Page spoke with the owner of the property and the Turtles’ main man, co-creator Peter Laird, about the live-action movie rumors, his thoughts on the recent CGI “TMNT” film and what TMNT fans can expect to see when (and if) the Turtles return to theaters. 

MTV: Peter, there was a lot of buzz recently when Kevin Eastman posted on his website that there have been trips out to Northampton to talk with you, as well as [original "TMNT" director"] Steve Barron, about a potential live-action “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” film. How serious are these talks? 

Peter Laird: I have to say that I don’t know why Kevin was talking about something with which he has no involvement. The blurb he put on his website was very inaccurate. He has not been involved with any meetings in Northampton, nor any others related to a new “TMNT” movie, as far as I know. That being said, I can confirm that we have had several meetings with very interested people, and I think we are pretty close to making a deal. As owner of the TMNT property, I want to be the first to announce it at a time of my choosing (hopefully soon). 

MTV: Why another live-action TMNT film, and why now? 

PL: As it stands now, there is no intention of doing another live-action film like the first three, with actors and stuntmen in actual Turtle suits, contrary to what was said by Kevin. We have pretty much decided that the next “TMNT” movie should be what we’ve been calling a “hybrid” — that is to say, live-action humans and sets combined with very realistic CGI Turtles (and possibly some other CGI characters). 

MTV: If the hybrid “TMNT” film moves forward, what type of story is it going to tell? Will it be an origin story or something in continuity with one of the other TMNT properties? 

PL: The storyline for this new “hybrid” movie has not been settled on yet. We’re still batting some different ideas around. The sky’s the limit. My preference would be a story which fits into TMNT movie continuity in some way. But nothing has been decided. 

MTV: What characters (outside of the Turtles, of course) are most likely to end up in a live-action film like this? Will Shredder be involved? 

PL: Given that we have yet to settle on a story for this new hybrid movie, I don’t really know which characters will appear in it. It would be fun to do something with the Shredder, but I am also excited about the possibility of creating some new characters for the movie. 

MTV: Are there any actors who come to mind when thinking about potential characters in the film? 

PL: I really liked the way Elias Koteas and Judith Hoag brought Casey and April to life in the first live-action movie — they each did a fantastic job. Unfortunately, I think they might be a little too old to play these characters now (even if they wanted to, and I have no idea if they would). However, I think Chris Evans and Sarah Michelle Gellar did wonderful work voicing the Casey and April characters in the recent CGI “TMNT” movie, and I think it would be really cool if we could get them to reprise those roles, but this time “in the flesh.” I think that might be the first time something like that has happened. 

MTV: It’s been mentioned that the director of the original live-action film, Steve Barron. might return to the franchise for the next film. Why the interest in him rather than someone new? 

PL: I have tremendous respect for Steve Barron and for the fantastic directing job he did on the first live-action “TMNT” movie. He saved that movie, basically. We’ve spoken to him a few times, and I would be very pleased if he ended up directing the next “TMNT” movie. That being said, I am pretty sure that right now no offer has been made or accepted. Again, I have to stress that we are still in the very beginning stages of this process. 

MTV: What did you think of the CGI “TMNT” film? 

PL: I would say that I am 95-percent happy with it. I think Kevin Munroe accomplished pretty much everything he set out to do, and told the story that we had come up with very well. The animation was just beautiful, and I have to commend, once more, all the people who worked to make it so. There are a few things I would have changed, and there were a few bits that got left out that I think could have made it better, but that’s just me being picky. I will say this: As much as I loved what Jim Henson and his crew accomplished with those rubber suits in the first “TMNT” live-action movie, I believe that CGI — especially now that it has reached the incredible level it has these days — is the way to go to realize fantastic creatures like the Turtles. The expressions the animators were able to get on the Turtles in this last movie were simply amazing. 

MTV: What elements of the original live-action film worked the best, in your mind? 

PL: Speaking solely of the first movie, I would say that for its time, the Turtle suits worked beautifully. I mean, we really could not, at that time, have asked for more. And Steve Barron was able to very cleverly work in the themes of family that made that first movie so much more than just a bunch of characters ninja-fighting. And he made the thing LOOK great. The lighting in that movie is, in my opinion, top notch. 

MTV: Which elements of the original live-action film do you think could benefit from another treatment? 

PL: I don’t think the first film needs to be remade, if that’s what you mean. But I would love to see a “Director’s Cut” or special edition of that movie, with some things that were cut out put back in. And although I think it HIGHLY unlikely, I would love to see the first film given a “digital touch-up,” if you will. By that I mean it would be very cool to go through it very carefully and digitally tweak all of the mistakes and goofs — for example, scenes where you can see an actor’s face inside a Turtle’s open mouth, wires hanging off the shell of a Turtle, and so forth.

Here’s one that always bugged me: As Leonardo is exiting April’s apartment, one of his sword hilts rubs against the wall… and it BENDS like rubber (which, in fact, it was, being a “stunt sword”). And taking it a step further, it would be fantastic to utilize digital technology to go back in and tweak and enhance the expressions on the animatronic faces of the Turtles, which in some scenes just don’t work too well.

Exclusive: Kevin Smith's Update on Red State

As the Toronto Film Festival wound down its first weekend, filmmaker Kevin Smith showed up with his new movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno, starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as a couple of life-long friends who decide to make a porno movie in order to pay their rent. 

ComingSoon.net had a chance to talk to Smith about the movie and before the interview wrapped, we asked Smith about the progress of Red State, his planned horror movie about a group of misfits who end up encountering fundamentalists in the heart of the country. We asked whether he might start shooting on that soon, to which he replied, "I hope so. We're still looking for some cash for it 'cause it's not a really commercial film at all. It's very bleak and very dark, and there's no one to root for in the movie, so it's a real film festival type of film, but it's not the kind of movie you can take into multiplexes and do a bunch of business with unless it becomes a water cooler type of movie where people start talking about it. So we've had trouble finding financing for it, but hopefully that'll come together soon. Script's all done. We want to make it for like $5 million in the Midwest and do it with a bunch of unknowns and see what happens. So I mean none of those things add up to people rushing to you with a check. No one's rushing to give us money for it." 

Since Smith has never made a horror film, many horror fans who are also fans of Smith's will be expecting something like we haven't seen before and something truly shocking, since he's probably built up a lot of ideas of what he'd want to do in a horror movie. "It is definitely a 180 from everything else we've done including 'Zack and Miri' but at the same time, it's not like a splatter film, it's not like slasher balls-to-the-wall gore, it's more unsettling and disturbing type of horror," he explained when asked about the direction he plans on taking things in his first horror outing.

Max Payne Producer on a Duke Nukem Movie

Max Payne producer Scott Faye has revealed to kotaku.com that he is planning to bring another maverick video game star to the big screen: Duke Nukem. 

Faye is collaborating with publisher 3D Relms' Scott Miller on the project, and said: "I'm working diligently at making a Duke Nukem movie scenario that will live up to the character and its import in the videogame world... as is the case with all of my game adaptations, I'd rather not make the movie than make a poor adaptation." 

The gun-toting, bleach-blonde antihero has been causing carnage on a variety of gaming platforms since his 2-D, PC debut back in 1991, with two next-gen console offerings in now the making, as well as the long-delayed PC update Duke Nukem 4Ever. 

Faye, who runs production company Depth Entertainment, said he hopes to compliment these with "a Duke film scenario that will compel a studio to finance a feature version... Certainly, there's a large audience that knows and loves this character." 

He went on: "We're expanding Duke's 'storyverse' in a very significant major way without abandoning or negating any element that's being used to introduce Duke to the next-gen platforms." 

With Max Payne due out this October, the producer also had this to say about possible sequels. "What more do you need to hear than Mark say he'd be interested in doing a sequel." 

He went on: "I would imagine if the film is successful that there'd be a sincere desire to do a sequel. There have been no conversations about what the scenario would be, or whether we'd look at the Max Payne 2 game. Hopefully, this film will find an audience."

VH1 Launches New Hip-Hop Themed Shows

In anticipation of its upcoming fifth annual "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" telecast, VH1 will premiere two new original hip-hop themed programs. "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs" and "VH1 Rock Doc: NWA: The World's Most Dangerous Group" will air Sept. 29 and Oct. 3, respectively. 

"100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs" is a five-part series that will count down the best hip-hop songs of all time, revealing the story behind each hit and updating viewers on what the respective artists are doing today. It will also feature original interviews and archival performances by Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Run DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, Outkast, Eminem and Grandmaster Flash, to list a few. 

Written and directed by Mark Ford, "VH1 Rock Doc: NWA: The World's Most Dangerous Group" takes a look back at the history of the famed L.A. rap outfit. The documentary will be narrated by comedian Chris Rock and will feature interviews with Ice Cube, MC Ren, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, Eazy-E's widow Tomica Woods-Wright, Ice T and director John Singleton, among others. 

The shows will be part of VH1's on-air path towards the "VH1 Hip-Hop Honors," which airs Oct. 6. This year's honorees include Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Slick Rick, Naughty By Nature and Too Short. Big Boi, Biz Markie, Bun B, DJ Kaos, Ghostface Killah, Kid Rock, MC Lyte, Lil' Jon, Lil' Wayne, Q-Tip, Scarface, Wyclef Jean, Cheech and Chong and Sanaa Lathan will make guest appearances.

‘DARK KNIGHT’ EXCLUSIVE: Michael Caine Says Johnny Depp Is The Riddler, Philip Seymour Hoffman Is The Penguin

It’s one of the biggest — and most hotly debated — questions in fandom…which actors (and characters) will director Christopher Nolan enlist as a villain for his third “Batman” film? Rumors have abounded since the release of “The Dark Knight,” and Nolan has remained fiercely tight-lipped. But now, has one of his main players revealed some of the biggest casting news of the decade? 

In an interview with MTV News conducted just hours ago at the Toronto Film Festival, Michael Caine — there to promote “Is There Anybody There?” — seemed to confirm rumors that the next installment of the “Batman” film franchise will feature two very well-known names playing the roles of The Riddler and the Bumbershoot Bandit, The Penguin. “They’ve already got them in mind,” said Caine, when asked who he’d like to see take up arms against the Caped Crusader. “It’s Johnny Depp as The Riddler. And The Penguin is Philip Seymour Hoffman. I read it in the paper.” 

So Caine is like the rest of us, reading gossip in the tabloids, right? Except for one thing…according to the actor, he confirmed the news through the studio itself. 

“When Christopher [Nolan] said we were going to do ‘The Dark Knight’ next, I didn’t what that meant in Batman terms,” related Caine, who plays Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. “I said, ‘What’s the story?’ and he said The Joker. I said, ‘Oh, s–t! How are you going to top Jack [Nicholson]?’ He said, ‘Well, I’ve cast Heath Ledger. And I went ‘Ha! I couldn’t top Jack, but if anyone could, maybe Heath could.’ And he did. 

“I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, ‘Are we going to make another one?’ They said yeah. I said, ‘How the hell are we going to top Heath? And he says ‘I’ll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.’ I said, ‘S–t, they’ve done it again!’” [Laughs] 

While rumors of Depp and Hoffman have been hot topics around the upcoming film for quite some time, this is the first instance of one of the film’s stars speaking about the news, as well as Caine citing an albeit unnamed WB executive. 

Meanwhile, when asked if he’s spoken to Nolan about the news or the next installment’s script, Caine made mention of Nolan’s vacation, and hinted that, “No. He’s gone. He’ll come back with a script sometime.”

Rumor: Will Smith Offered Captain America

Not much to go on, but during an interview with MTV, actor Derek Luke (Miracle at St. Anna) said that “[Marvel] offered Will Smith Captain America” and added that “it just shows you how times have changed.” Other actors recently rumored for the Marvel character include Matthew McConaughey (thankfully, not happening) and Brad Pitt (who’s also been mentioned for Thor). 

Entitled The First Avenger: Captain America and set for a May 6th, 2011 release—just weeks before The Avengers—Marvel Studios President of Production, Kevin Feige, confirmed over the summer that the film will be a WWII period epic. On a recent /Filmcast, I was the only one who thought this movie would not underperform at the box office, believing it possessed similar potential to Iron Man. And compared to Superman—a character that’s even more alien in the context of today’s blockbusters and trendy manchild masculinity—Captain America seems like a smarter cinematic outlet to address the current political climate and state of the nation for a wide audience. 

As for Smith in the role, I think it could work. He has the iconic stature down, and is generally seen as an all-American everyman a la Tom Hanks. Of course, this is where I’m supposed to blabber on about race and if it would be accepted by the mainstream, but personally, I think it’s lame and pointless to do so. “It just shows you how times have changed.” Maybe if you’re 30+, but I disagree with that statement per casting a film like this. I grew up watching this dude on TV after school (I’m not doing the theme song, don’t worry). Smith is one of the most successful actors of all time, why would he not be up for the part? Because it’s not Black Panther or a Green Lantern or Blade or an alcoholic superhero who flies? Laughable.

Sam Raimi Approves 3D Evil Dead The Musical: The Movie

When we reported Friday that Sam Raimi would return for Spider-Man 4 and possibly 5, there was speculation that his new Evil Dead film would once again be brushed aside. Not so. Well, sort of. According to Screen Daily, Raimi has given the okay for a 3D theatrical movie based on Evil Dead: The Musical, to be co-directed by the musical’s original director, Christopher Bond, and choreographer, Hinton Battle. Bond would like to begin filming next spring with members of the original cast, though the filmmakers will need to address “serious rights issues.” 

In the past, Slashfilm readers who have attended the off-Broadway production, which began in 2004 in Toronto, seem to dig it. The 3D aspect will presumably serve in for the play’s notorious “splatter zone,” in which the first three rows are drenched in a substance that currently eludes me. Of course, the general fanboy response to this announcement will be, “Bummer, I wanted Bruce back as Ash for a fourth go…and Spider-Man 3 was emo garbage.” I agree. The play is said to utilize storylines, flourishes and characters from all three Evil Dead films while taking creative license. Raimi has not updated on Evil Dead 4 since teasing in July that he’d be working on a script with his brother Ivan Raimi.

Fox Searchlight Acquires The Wrestler

Fox Searchlight Pictures President Peter Rice today announced that the company has acquired US rights to the riveting drama The Wrestler, which had its North American premiere last night at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Golden Lion at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. Directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Rob Siegel, The Wrestler stars Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. The film was produced by Scott Franklin and Darren Aronofsky thru Protozoa Pictures. Vincent Maraval, Agnes Mentre and Jennifer Roth served as executive producers and Mark Heyman co-produced. The film is scheduled to be released in December 2008. 

Said Fox Searchlight Pictures President Peter Rice, "Darren Aronofsky has created an unbelievably electrifying and compelling tale with tour de force performances. We are delighted to be releasing this brilliantly executed film and thank Wild Bunch for choosing Searchlight." 

Added Darren Aronofsky, "I've known Peter Rice for many, many years and am excited and honored to finally get a chance to collaborate with him and his team." 

Said Vincent Maraval "We are delighted to have closed the deal with Fox Searchlight which we believe is the best distributor for this movie." 

Back in the late '80s, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey. 

Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life -- trying to reconnect with his daughter, and strikes up a blossoming romance with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei). Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy "The Ram" back into his world of wrestling. 

Director Darren Aronofsky presents a powerful portrait of a battered dreamer, who despite himself and the odds stacked against him, lives to be a hero once again in the only place he considers home inside the ring.

Production Begins on the Coens' A Serious Man

Production began on Monday on location in Minnesota on A Serious Man, for Focus Features and Working Title Films. Joel and Ethan Coen, Academy Award winners for No Country for Old Men and Fargo, are writing, producing, and directing the film. Working Title co-chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are executive-producing the film with Robert Graf, who has worked on the Coens' last six features in various producing capacities. 

The director of photography on A Serious Man is seven-time Academy Award nominee Roger Deakins, who is marking his tenth feature collaboration with the Coens. Mary Zophres is the film's costume designer, marking her ninth feature collaboration with the Coens. Jess Gonchor is the production designer, marking his third feature collaboration with the Coens. 

A Serious Man is the story of an ordinary man's search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and F-Troop is on TV. It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous colleagues, Sy Ableman, who seems to her a more substantial person than the feckless Larry. Larry's unemployable brother Arthur is sleeping on the couch, his son Danny is a discipline problem and a shirker at Hebrew school, and his daughter Sarah is filching money from his wallet in order to save up for a nose job. While his wife and Sy Ableman blithely make new domestic arrangements, and his brother becomes more and more of a burden, an anonymous hostile letter-writer is trying to sabotage Larry's chances for tenure at the university. Also, a graduate student seems to be trying to bribe him for a passing grade while at the same time threatening to sue him for defamation. Plus, the beautiful woman next door torments him by sunbathing nude. Struggling for equilibrium, Larry seeks advice from three different rabbis. Can anyone help him cope with his afflictions and become a righteous person – a mensch – a serious man? 

Tony Award nominee Michael Stuhlbarg (whose films include The Grey Zone) stars as Larry; Fred Melamed (Suspect) plays Sy; Richard Kind (The Visitor) portrays Arthur; and Minnesota actors Aaron Wolf, Sari Wagner, and Jessica McManus are cast as Danny, Judith, and Sarah, respectively. 

The Coens' comedy thriller Burn After Reading, also from Focus Features and Working Title Films, world-premiered last month as the opening-night film of the 2008 Venice International Film Festival; made its North American premiere last week at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival; and will be released by Focus nationwide on Friday, September 12th. The film stars George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, and Brad Pitt.

Mancini and Kirschner on the Child's Play Remake

ShockTillYouDrop.com talked exclusively to Don Mancini and David Kirschner about Tuesday's release of Child's Play: Chucky's 20th Birthday Edition on DVD and naturally, talk turned to the remake that is in the works. Here's a clip: 

Mancini: Naturally, I don't want to say too much. A lot of the Chuck mythology was reworked by David and Tom Holland - specifically the voodoo aspect but also the specific detail of Chucky being possessed by the soul of a serial killer, which is distinct from my script where he was the living embodiment of the kid's Id. All of the stuff in the movie is such an intrinsic part of the mythology I think it would be misguided to stray from that too far. We have ways and ideas of making that darker. Darker, we believe, than the original movie.

Val Kilmer to Star in Fake Identity

Val Kilmer will topline crime thriller Fake Identity for Nu Image/Millennium Films, with Zvia Dimbort and Boaz Davidson producing, reports Variety.

The film is directed by Dennis Dimster-Denk and written by Dimster-Denk and Dimbort. "Fake" will begin filming Sept. 30 at the company's Nu Boyana Film Center in Sofia, Bulgaria. 

The story centers on an American doctor working in Chechnya whose life takes a deadly turn when he helps a mysterious woman escape from her would-be assailant.

Will Smith Gets Epic with “The Last Pharaoh”

It seems that everybody is getting their turn at historical epics these days, and now Will Smith is going to have his chance with The Last Pharaoh.  Working with a script by Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace, Smith is set to play the Nubian pharaoh Taharqa—who is most famous for defending ancient Egypt against invasions by the Assyrian king Esarhaddon. The film will apparently focus on this conflict. 

The Last Pharaoh was initially announced back in March with a script by Carl Franklin (Out of Time, Devil in a Blue Dress), but obviously things went awry. Franklin’s screenwriting history is fairly thin, and the closest he’s come to an epic film is directing an episode of Rome, so the film is probably better off in the hands of Wallace. 

While inconsistent (Wallace also wrote The Man in the Iron Mask, and Pearl Harbor), he has at least proven he knows what makes a good epic screenplay. As for Smith, I can’t quite picture him in a massive historical epic—but then again maybe that’s just because he’s not Orlando Bloom. 

My excitement for this film will rest primarily on who they choose to direct. Honestly, I’m a bit burned out on the genre—and I fear general audiences may be as well—after the recent failures of Troy and Alexander. I loved the Kingdom of Heaven director’s cut, but the version most audiences saw in theaters was still somewhat weak. 300 sort of brought audiences back to the genre, but obviously it can’t justifiably be compared to realistic epics. I just hope whoever they choose to direct this film can do something beyond more of the same.

Harold Ramis on Ghostbusters 3

Last week, it was announced that "The Office" co-executive producers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky were hired by Columbia Pictures to write a script for Ghostbusters 3, but the question remained whether Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson will be back. 

Chicago Tribune's Pop Machine received an e-mail from Ramis explaining the situation: 

"yes, columbia is developing a script for GB3 with my [Year One] writing partners, gene stupnitsky and lee eisenberg. judd apatow is co-producing [Year One] and has made several other films for sony, so of course the studio is hoping to tap into some of the same acting talent. aykroyd, ivan reitman and i are consulting at this point, and according to dan, bill murray is willing to be involved on some level. he did record his dialogue for the new ghostbusters video game, as did danny and i, and ernie hudson. the concept is that the old ghostbusters would appear in the film in some mentor capacity.

Yoo Talks New Jason in Friday the 13th

Actor Aaron Yoo is no stranger to the horror genre having starred in DreamWorks' 2007 hit thriller Disturbia with Shia LaBeouf, but next year, he's one of the young stars going back to basics when he stars in Platinum Dunes' relaunch of the classic slasher franchise Friday the 13th. 

In Toronto for the premiere of his new movie Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Yoo told ShockTillYouDrop.com a few things about the upcoming remake. 

"I think the biggest difference is that Jason is fast, and he's realistic," he began. "It's not the kind of horror movie where stalk slowly, run fast and somebody catches up, there's none of the teleportation thing (from past movies)...the basic storyline idea of Jason is the same, and he's got this 2 and a half foot machete." 

Along with John Carpenter's Halloween, the original Friday the 13th, released 28 years ago, created some of the horror cliches that have been diligently followed in so many other teen horror movies, including most of the previous Jason Voorhees movies where we know exactly who's going to die. We wondered if the same was going to be true for Yoo's character, who presumably plays the funny guy who never survives a slasher flick. (And there's a fairly big SPOILER WARNING in his response.) 

"There are horror conventions that are there because they work. Like when my characters goes to this toolshed by himself, you know what's going to happen, that's partially the point. I spent 14 hours covered, covered, covered in fake blood and that is the worst situation you could ever be in...it's the grossest. But yeah, from what I'm hearing and what we were trying to do, is that it might be one of the most well-made horror movies that you'll see. I'm hearing really, really good things about it. We're calling it 'F13' and I don't know if that will actually wind up being a tagline for it, but I know our Platinum Dunes guys, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, they did Texas Chainsaw Massacre, they told me this is the best movie they've made." 

Considering the raging debates that have surrounded movies like Zack Snyder's remake of Dawn of the Dead in terms of "slow zombies" vs. "fast zombies", we wondered whether the same sort of debat...es might surround the new movie. "I don't know what kind of stuff it's going to start. I've always loved horror movies and they took a piece to Comic Con, and it just struck me how crazy and rabidpeople who love horror movies, it's a really big obsession," Yoo said. 

Friday the 13th will open Friday, February 13, 2009.

Michael Caine is Harry Brown

Michael Caine is set to star in Marv Films' contemporary British crime thriller Harry Brown. 

Caine plays an elderly former serviceman drawn to vigilantism while living in a run-down 'burb rife with gangs, guns and drugs. 

The topical film, which stars Emily Mortimer as a policewoman, is directed by Daniel Barber, who was Oscar nominated for short The Tonto Women. 

Harry Brown. is produced by Marv's Matthew Vaughn and Kris Thykier, and Keith Bell (The Descent), who brought the project to Marv. Gary Young, who worked with Bell on The Tournament, wrote the script.

Bangkok Dangerous Tops Weak Box Office

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office. 

Lionsgate's action-thriller Bangkok Dangerous, starring Nicolas Cage, only needed $7.8 million to top the weakest box office weekend in seven years. Based on the Pang brothers' Hong Kong film of the same name, the movie averaged just $2,943 in 2,650 theaters. It cost about $45 million to make. The last time a box office champ opened lower was when David Spade's Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star earned $6.7 million during the weekend of Sept. 5-7, 2003. Overall, Bangkok Dangerous' figure is the 9th lowest grossing No. 1 of all time at North American theaters. 

After three weekends at the top, DreamWorks' hit Tropic Thunder added $7.5 million in its fourth weekend in second place to reach a total of $96.8 million. The Ben Stiller comedy, co-starring Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr., was made for $92 million. 

Sony comedy The House Bunny climbed a spot from fourth to third and earned $5.9 million its third weekend. The Anna Faris comedy was made for just $25 million and has earned a total of $36.99 million so far. 

In fourth, Warner Bros. juggernaut The Dark Knight collected another $5.7 million to push its eight-week total to a massive $512.2 million, trailing only Titanic's $600.8 million on the all-time domestic blockbuster chart. Internationally, the Christopher Nolan-directed film added $11.8 million to lift its foreign total to $437.2 million. The worldwide gross has hit $949.4 million, good for 7th place on the all-time worldwide blockbuster list. 

Overture Films' Traitor, starring Don Cheadle, remained in the fifth spot with another $4.7 million and a total of $17.7 million after two weeks. The thriller was produced for $22 million. 

Also, 20th Century Fox's Babylon A.D. tumbled the most of the top 12, dropping four spots to sixth place. The Vin Diesel-starrer earned $4 million its second weekend for a total of $17.2 million compared to its budget of $70 million.

The total weekend box office gross reached just $66 million, the lowest figure since the $59.5 million reported for the weekend of Sept. 21, 2001.

Brand New Music Video: The Cab - I'll Run

The Cab's video for 'I'll Run' from their album, Whisper War - in stores now on Decaydance / Fueled By Ramen.