- Principal photography is underway on the next Indiana Jones film, the one about the City of Gods. To celebrate, the official site has posted a video clip of Shia LaBeouf talking about his love for the series, which you can download directly. On a similar note, I thought I had a good source to check out the 'Jim Broadbent in Indiana Jones' story AintItCool ran, but so far, no reply...
- ComingSoon believe that Tim Burton is off of Ripley's Believe It or Not! and a new director is being sought for the project. This is the damage wrought by a Steve Oedekerk script, I believe. Expect the Tom Shadyac announcement soon. And I'm only half kidding.
- Freaks and Geeks writer John Francis Daley has co-written The $40,000 Man with Jonathan Goldstein, and now New Line have purchased it. The weak-sounding spoof reimagines the Six Million Dollar Man on a much lower budget. After inflation is taken into account, this is one heck of a scale-down. In fact, I'd have thought any surgery performed at that sort of cost would be life threatening.
- Michael Buckley's The Sisters Grimm books are to be films. Film one will combine books one, two and three which is likely to make for bumpy structure (and disappointing box office, if Lemony Snicket is a credible witness). The plot involves female descendants of the famous Brothers on a quest to find their missing parents.
- Brad Bird seems keen on an Incredibles sequel. That makes eight hundred and twenty nine million and one of us.
- Matt O'Neil's spec script Bull Rush has been picked up by Newmarket Films. The title is an awful pun, seeing as the film is about a hedge-fund dabbler getting involved in exciting, adrenalising games of street football.
- Eddie Izzard, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy have all joined the cast of Valkyrie. Superb.
- Todd Phillips and Jack Black are developing Man-Witch at Warners. The comedy (yeah, really - it's a comedy) revolves around a school teacher who joins a coven and finds he's the only guy. That's the Todd Phi... er, sorry Jack Black role. Silly me. Phillips, of course, is set to direct. The script should virtually write itself, but Jay Reiss is picking up the pen to help it along.
- Variety's Liz Smith is hyping Aline and Wolfe, the script about...er... Aline and Wolfe. Aline Bernstein and Tom Wolfe. She offers an 'Iris meets A Beautiful Mind' comparision. One out of two ain't great.
- In the same paragraph, she mentions Madonna directing the short Filth and Wisdom, but comments that Madge isn't acting in it. All of my info states that, actually, she is.
- Beyond Wild Hogs 2 and Old Dogs 1, what beckons Walt Becker? Mild Frogs 3? Nope - something called My Samurai about an American businessman who helps out a homeless Japanese gentlemen only for this vagrant to reveal he is the last in a long line of Samurai and pledge his eternal loyalty to the businessman. Tim Allen as the businessman?
- Tyrese Gibson seems to believe his Luke Cage engagement is coming, and fast.
- Italian State Attorneys are investigating The Da Vinci Code on the grounds that it might be proven 'religiously obscene'. Church and state, eh? What a wonderful combination.
- Silvio Berlusconi is planning to write a screenplay.
- Elijah Kelley has had talks about playing Sammy Davis Jr., and now he's talking about those talks. Just about.
- J T Petty has given a good Burrowers interview. Sounds like Faces of Death may have stalled, however.
- Shinya Tsukamoto's Nightmare Detective is to get a sequel.
- John Waters has spoken out in defence of John Travolta's casting in Hairspray (as well as generally praising the film overall). Previously, Travolta had been knocked in the press, essentially for being a scientologist taking on a 'gay' role. The argument revolves around three contentions: that scientology is a homophobic religion; that prejudice on value of religion is suitable whereas on value of sexuality is not; that a drag role is a 'gay role'.
- The Gold-label full-series Twin Peaks box set seems to be on the cards for late October.
- British animators came out on top at Annecy.
- Salim and Mara Brock Akil like to keep it in the family. After collaborating on CW's Girlfriends, they've now set up a feature with the Weinsteins' condescendingly named 'urban' project sidebar, 'Our Stories Films'. The film is about a woman jilted at the altar who becomes a kind of detective to help other women ensure their partners won't be doing the dirty on them.
- As well as pimping Halo branded tat, Fox's merchandising army are also out to exploit Walden Media properties... but the Narnia films, for example, don't come under this agreement, being based at Disney.
- A sequel to The Host is on the fast track. Expect a completely different roll of credits.
