Sony Classics picks up Atom Egoyan’s ‘Adoration’
May 7, 2008
Sony Pictures Classics has picked up domestic and select international rights to Atom Egoyan’s “Adoration.” Pic, starring Rachel Blanchard, Scott Speedman, Arsinee Khanjian and Devon Bostick, will preem in Competition at Cannes on May 22. Release plans are to platform with a bow in the fourth quarter of this year. - From Variety
James Brolin gets ‘Nailed’ by David O. Russell
May 7, 2008
James Brolin is replacing James Caan in David O. Russell’s “Nailed,” with Kirstie Alley and Olivia Crocicchia also boarding the politically charged rom-com. Caan departed the film three weeks ago, in large part because of a spat with Russell about the proper way for his politico character to choke on a cookie. Brolin can turn to his son Josh for advice: The younger Brolin will portray George W. Bush choking on a pretzel in a scene from Oliver Stone’s upcoming biopic. - From THR
Lionsgate moves up Frank Miller’s The Spirit
May 7, 2008
Lionsgate has decided to move the release date of Frank Miller’s adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit up from January 16th next year to Christmas Day (December 25th 2008). Apparently Lionsgate’s president Tom Ortenberg decided to change the release date after he saw the reaction to the film’s teaser trailer at the New York Comic Con. And I’m sure Paramount’s decision to move Star Trek from that date to Summer 2009 (May 8th) had nothing to do with this decision. - From /Film
Picturehouse’s fate at Warner Bros. is cloudy
May 6, 2008
Goodbye, “Pan’s Labyrinth”? That’s the question hanging over Indiewood, as Warner Bros. contemplates the future of Picturehouse, the stalwart independent division of New Line that in its three years of existence helped introduce Americans to unique foreign flavors, winning three Oscars for Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical dream of Franco’s Spain in “Pan’s” and another Oscar this year for Marion Cotillard’s performance as Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose.” - From LATimes
Disney profits up 21% in 2nd quarter
May 6, 2008
Strong growth in the movie studio propelled Disney to a strong second quarter, with operating profit up 21% and revenue gaining 10% over the year-ago period. Studio entertainment profit soared 61% to $377 million due to the marketing and distribution expenses for March 2007 release “Meet the Robinsons” as well as the surprise B.O. showing for the studio’s “Hannah Montana” pic. - From Variety
Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay together again?
May 6, 2008
It may happen at HBO, on a Warner Bros. TV drama series project loosely based on the 2006 docu “Cocaine Cowboys.”
If a deal comes together, series would revolve around the drug trade in Miami in the 1980s. Instead of the flash of Crockett and Tubbs, skein would focus on the cutthroat world of drug dealers and the Colombian cocaine kingpins who set up shop in the once-sleepy Florida city. Bruckheimer and Bay, who collaborated on a string of blockbusters in the 1990s including “Bad Boys,” “The Rock” and “Armageddon,” would serve as exec producers.
- From Variety
Universal picks up ‘Knights Templar’
May 6, 2008
Universal has picked up the mantle of “The Knights Templar,” acquiring a spec script by Adam Torchia and Justin Stanley, for filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov and Marc Platt to produce. The script, a period actioner, revolves around the Knights Templar, who fresh from the Crusades fend off an invading vampire army seeking to destroy the Holy Grail.
From THR
Miramax, NetFlix team up for a ‘Reprise’
May 4, 2008
Miramax Films and Netflix’s Red Envelope Entertainment have nabbed U.S. rights to executive producer Scott Rudin’s drama “Reprise.”
Red Envelope also joined Samuel Goldwyn Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group this week to acquire U.S. rights to Lakeshore Entertainment’s drama “Elegy,” starring Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley.
Joachim Trier’s “Reprise” centers on the longtime friendship between two young, aspiring novelists (Anders Danielsen and Espen Klouman Hoiner) and the many dramatic twists and turns in their lives. The film won the Discovery Award at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.
- From THR
Hollywood actors and studios extend labor talks again
May 3, 2008
The Screen Actors Guild and major Hollywood studios said on Friday they had agreed to extend their contract talks again, this time on a day-by-day basis, with the aim of closing a deal by next Tuesday.
The announcement, coming as the parties neared a previous self-imposed deadline, revived hopes they could avoid renewed labor unrest in an entertainment industry still recovering from a 100-day screenwriters strike that ended in February.
The current three-year SAG contract covering 120,000 film and TV actors expires on June 30. But the union is under strong pressure to reach an early settlement in order to dispel strike jitters that continue to disrupt the film industry.
Via Reuters
Regency books ‘Dangerous Days’
May 3, 2008
New Regency has preemptively scooped up bestselling author James Patterson’s upcoming young-adult novel “The Dangerous Days of Daniel X.” “Daniel X,” which is set to hit shelves in July, will be the first book in a series for which Regency also acquired the rights. A graphic novel will follow in the fourth quarter.
Described as an action adventure, “Daniel X” chronicles the adventures of a conflicted yet extraordinary teen who yearns to discover secrets about himself and his family as he battles alien outlaws who threaten life on Earth.
From Variety
Nicole Kidman is Dusty Springfield
May 2, 2008
Nicole Kidman is tuning up for a film based on the life of British pop singer Dusty Springfield for Fox 2000. Kidman will produce and star in the project, which will reunite the actress with scribe Michael Cunningham, who penned the novel “The Hours.” Cunningham is currently writing the Springfield screenplay.
Kidman is producing the untitled project through her Fox-based Blossom Films banner. Kidman’s Blossom Films partner Per Saari will serve in some producing capacity.
Universal is developing its own Dusty Springfield biopic with Kristin Chenoweth attached to star. That project is being written and directed by Jessica Sharzer. Madonna also flirted with a smallscreen project based on the singer.
Via Variety
Rick Yune leads Ninja Assassin
May 2, 2008
Rick Yune has been cast as the antagonist in “Ninja Assassin,” the Wachowskis-produced action film James McTeigue is directing for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. Joel Silver is producing via Dark Castle, while Grant Hill is producing.
Also boarding the production are Naomie Harris as the female lead and Ben Miles.
The martial arts extravaganza stars Korean actor-singer Rain, who also appears in the siblings’ “Speed Racer,” as a man brought up in an orphanage functioning as a ninja farm. The man turns his back on his tradition to make his way in the modern world, which brings him into conflict with a ninja (Yune) from the clan.
Via THR
‘Badass’ comedy spec to New Line
May 2, 2008
New Line has made its first purchase since being downsized, plunking down $500,000 against $1 million for “Dan Mintner: Badass for Hire,” a comedy spec script by Chad Kultgen.
Contrafilm’s Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson are producing along with Mason Novick.
“It’s a homage to ‘Cobra,’ ‘Predator,’ ‘Missing in Action,’ ” Flynn said. “The baddest dude in the world in supertight jeans, chewing on a matchstick, stuck in the ’80s but kicking ass in the present day.”
Via THR
‘Simpsons’ director signs for ‘Pet’
May 1, 2008
David Silverman, who most recently helmed “The Simpsons Movie,” has signed on to develop and direct “The Pet,” a live-action sci-fi family comedy for Disney. Scott Rudin and Craig Perry are producing.
The project, written by Matt Lieberman, centers on an everyday guy who becomes the pet of a group of aliens.
Via THR
The latest Plan B for Brad Pitt
April 30, 2008
Paramount Pictures and Plan B have acquired pic rights to the David Sheff memoir “Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction” and the Nic Sheff memoir “Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines.”
Studio and producer will use the recently published books to frame a movie about drug addiction from the perspective of a young meth addict and the father who finds himself helpless to stop his son’s downward spiral.
Both Sheff books were published in February and became bestsellers. Houghton Mifflin’s “Beautiful Boy” is being sold in Starbucks locations around the country as part of the Starbucks Select book series. The movie will be produced in association with Starbucks.
Before Plan B, the production shingle run by Brad Pitt, moved from Warner Bros. to Paramount, the company acquired the James Frey memoir “A Million Little Pieces,” a fast-tracked project that stalled after Frey acknowledged that he significantly embellished his story of addiction and recovery. WB and Plan B are still developing that project in conjunction with Warner Independent Pictures.
Via Variety
Phillip Noyce wants ‘Money’
April 29, 2008
Phillip Noyce is in negotiations to direct “The Art of Making Money,” a DreamWorks project about a notorious counterfeiter who printed more than $10 million in fake bills.
The DreamWorks project centers on Art Williams, the alias of an audacious Chicago counterfeiter who printed fake $100 bills using cutting-edge techniques and continued to do so even after he had been caught by the FBI. Last year, he was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
The project is based on Jason Kersten’s 2005 profile of Williams in Rolling Stone, with Kersten and Williams also under contract to write a book about the counterfeiter’s colorful life.
Via THR
Steven Soderbergh has a ‘Girlfriend’
April 29, 2008
Steven Soderbergh will direct “The Girlfriend Experience,” a feature that focuses on the world of prostitution from the vantage point of a $10,000-a-night call girl.
Brian Koppelman and David Levien will write; the pair hatched the project when they and Soderbergh were working on “Ocean’s Thirteen.”
Pic will be financed by 2929 Entertainment partners Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner through their HDNet label. It will become the second film — after “Bubble” — in the six-picture pact they made for Soderbergh to direct low-budget films that get distributed simultaneously in theatrical, on cable TV and on DVD.
Via Variety
Universal options ‘Resurrection’
April 28, 2008
Universal has optioned “Resurrection,” an Oni Press comic book series written by “Eli Stone” co-creator Marc Guggenheim.
Universal-based Scott Stuber is producing the project along with Eric Gitter of Closed on Mondays Entertainment, the producing arm of Oni Press.
“Resurrection” begins where most other alien invasion movies end, centering on a group of survivors trying to take back control of the planet after an apocalyptic invasion.
The comic, illustrated by Dave Dumeer, was first published in October. The third issue in the series was just released.
Via HR
Warner Independent equips ‘Arsonist’
April 28, 2008
Warner Independent Pictures has signed “House” executive producers Garrett Lerner and Russel Friend to adapt Brock Clarke’s best-seller “An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England.”
The dark comedy from John Wells Prods. centers on Sam Pulsifer, a man who accidentally burns down Emily Dickinson’s home and kills two people in the process. After 10 years in prison and a series of personal and professional disasters, he returns home to live with his parents, only to discover that he’s suspected in a series of nearby fires at historical landmarks. He attempts to find the real criminal and uncovers some family secrets as the mystery unfolds.
Via HR
J.J. Abrams is Hot for Teacher
April 28, 2008
Branching out from his recent sci-fi/action oeuvre, Abrams has picked up the spec script HOT FOR TEACHER to produce at Paramount. The film is described as a SUPERBAD-like comedy that follows a high school senior who makes it his mission to have sex with his teacher before he graduates.
‘Simpsons’ duo draw ‘Up’ new show
April 27, 2008
“The Simpsons” vets Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein have been named exec producers on Fox’s animated laffer “Sit Down, Shut Up.”
As part of the deal, Oakley and Weinstein have also secured a blind script commitment at Sony Pictures Television, which is behind the show.
Addition of Oakley and Weinstein to the toon’s team is a good sign that a series order is in the offing; Fox had planned to decide on the show’s fate after a table read, which took place earlier this month. Net, however, hasn’t confirmed a pickup.
Oakley and Weinstein will add plenty of animated comedy experience to “Sit Down, Shut Up,” which was initially set up by “Arrested Development” creator Mitch Hurwitz (who also wrote the first script) and his producing partners, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum.
Via Variety
Shit Movies vie for box office. And they wonder why no one goes to the movies anymore….
April 25, 2008
Universal’s “Baby Mama” and New Line/Warner Bros.’ “Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay” will vie for the loudest laugh when opening at the domestic box office today in what’s shaping up to be a battle of the sexes at the multiplexes. The other new wide release of the weekend — the final frame before the summer box office officially starts — is New Regency’s thriller “Deception,” which isn’t supposed to make much of a dent despite the star billing of Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor and Michelle Williams. Fox opens the pic in 2,001 locations.
Apatow Blue-light Special
April 24, 2008
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” helmer Nick Stoller is reteaming with Judd Apatow and Universal Pictures for the comedy “Get Him to the Greek,” with Jonah Hill and Russell Brand attached to star.
Stoller has been tapped to write and direct the laffer, which centers on a fresh-out-of-college insurance adjuster (Hill) who is hired to accompany an out-of-control rock star (Brand) from London to a gig at L.A.’s Greek Theater.
Hill and Brand played supporting roles in U’s “Sarah Marshall”; Stoller made his feature directing debut on the pic. “During the table read on ‘Sarah Marshall,’ Jonah and Russell had such a great chemistry,” said Stoller, who described “Greek” as a very dirty take on “Almost Famous.” “Even though they are such different actors with different styles, I thought there could be a great buddy comedy there.”
Via Variety
Anonymous CAA Agent responds to DeNiro’s Departure
April 20, 2008
1. Why did Bobby leave us?
They promised they could turn back time.
They promised they could get him 20m a picture.
They promised they could get a release for his “Something happened,” a Barry Levinson show biz pic that’s has no market, and Mark Cuban lost a fortune on.
They promised they could get him the $1m production fee on every picture he does, that he and his partner put their names on, and do nothing to earn.
They promised they could convince Hollywood that they should still pay that 1m vig on top of his acting fees.
They promised him they’d find a respectable release for the Pacino picture he did last summer, that basically stars two 65 year old guys as detectives - while the audience is under 35, and has no interest in seeing.
As I said, they promised him they could turn back time, and make him 50 again, and relevant, and hot, and interesting to today’s movie going audience.
And they probably promised that they’d find a way to erase the memory of all of America about the number of god-awful paycheck films he did during the past ten years.
DeNiro had a choice ten or so years ago. He could either go the Nicholson route - very selective, very particular, protect the brand - or go out sending himself up in tripe like Analyze this, which made money but turned him into that “old psycho guy.”
And he could of concentrated on quality stuff, but instead wanted to keep funding his little empire in New York.
A year ago, Bobby came to us complaining that he was losing a fortune underwriting the film festival every year, and wanted us to find bigger corporate sponsors.
We tried, but the stumbling block was always the same thing: The corporations all thought that the Tribeca film festival was a not-for-profit organization, sponsored by the city. But when they got under the hood, they found out that it was all for the greater glory of Bobby and Jane and her husband, and the corporate stuff shied away from it. Bobby held us responsible for his own greed, his own avarice, and his own megalomania.
And it’s just like the studios now ask us: Why should we pay this guy- who doesn’t open a movie - the payoff to his production company, just so he can add his name as a producer.
Sure, there’s more; he thought we should have delivered an Oscar for his paint-drying slow 3 hour Good Shepherd. But we couldn’t.
And finally, if really want to understand why now, why today, look at the review today in Variety for the Pacino “86 Minutes” stinker. It’s directed by Jon Avnet, (a career ending review), who just happens to be the director of Bobby’s next movie. (With Pacino.)
Bobby blames everybody but himself for the way he’s squandered his career, and refused lots of quality pictures because they wouldn’t give him producer credit.
Good luck in the Hotel Business, pal.
Comment by A CAA Agent < April 9, 2008 @ 10:54 pm
Crack 2. Because you demanded it.
April 20, 2008
Lakeshore Entertainment has found its leading lady and villain for sequel “Crank 2: High Voltage,” starring Jason Statham as hit man Chev Chelios.
Amy Smart will reprise her role as Chelios’ girlfriend and Clifton Collins Jr. will play his nemesis.
Bai Ling also is joining the cast, along with Dwight Yoakam and Efren Ramirez, who are both returning from the original.
In “Crank 2,” Chelios faces a mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.
Via Variety