2012: The TV Show (Groan)
Want to watch the end of the world from the comfort of your living room?
A television series based on apocalyptic film 2012 (opening Nov. 13) is in the works, according to director/producer Roland Emmerich’s interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Deemed 2013 (how original), the show will follow “what happens after the disaster,” Emmerich told the magazine, and “will focus on a group of people who survived…maybe they were on a piece of land that was spared.” Sounds like yet another sci-fi mystery. Does Lost ring a bell?
2012 executive producer Mark Gordon, who already works on TV shows Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, will allegedly be attached to the series. And the word in Hollywood is that Gordon is already in talks with ABC to develop the disaster drama.
Danny Boyle Announces New Film: 127 Hours
From a traumatic tale of poverty in Slumdog Millionaire, Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle is now taking on the shocking story of a DIY amputee mountain climber in 127 Hours.
Harrowing films seem to be his thing.
Aron Ralston was climbing in 2003 when a boulder when a boulder dislodged, crushing his right forearm and pinning it against the canyon wall. He eventually ran out of water and survived for five days on his own urine. After cutting off his already-dead arm, Ralston rappelled down a 65-foot sheer wall and hiked out of the canyon in the hot midday sun. That is good stuff.
Boyle has already written a treatment for the film. His Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beaufoy is in talks to write the script, whilst Slumdog producer Christian Colson is set to produce 127 Hours. It’s beginning to look like a Slumdog reunion.
The film will go into production next year, and Fox Searchlight will be targeting a late 2010 release. The film will be Boyle’s fifth collaboration with Fox Searchlight, following Slumdog Millionaire, Sunshine, 28 Days Later and Millions.
The Hangover Star Signs For Puss In Boots
Who better to play a round and abnormally fragile character than Zack Galifianakis?
Comedy genius and Hangover star Galifianakis is in negotiations to voice Humpty Dumpty in Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The screenplay, written by Tom Wheeler and Chris Miller, will tell the story about the events leading up to the feline assassin’s first meeting with Shrek in the second film. Antonio Banderas will return as Puss and Salam Hayek will be voicing his love interest.
Puss in Boots is out November 4, 2011 in the US and December 16, 2011 here in the UK.
Anthony Hopkins Cast As Hemingway
Richard Nixon. Pablo Picasso. And now it is Ernest Hemingway for Anthony Hopkins.
Variety reports that the biopic veteran will star in Andy Garcia’s latest drama, Hemingway and Fuentes. The film chronicles the two decades that Hemingway spent in Cuba fishing with his best friend, Gregorio Fuentes. His time spent there inspired the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1952 novel, The Old Man and The Sea.
Annette Bening will play the author’s third wife, Mary Welsh Hemingway. Garcia will play Fuentes, as well as produce/direct from a script he wrote with Hilary Hemingway, granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway. He has been working on this project since the ‘70s, when he began speaking with Hemingway’s giant marlin-seekers.
Currently cast as Odin in the mighty Thor, Hemingway will be Hopkins’ immediate next role.
Twilight: “I’m a Lesbian” Says Kristen Stewart
After a furious outburst from Kristen Stewart in which the Twilight star gets very angry when asked about her supposed off-screen romance with co-star Robert Pattinson, we’ve never been so convinced that the pair are in fact a couple.
When Entertainment Weekly asked the 19 year-old about their relationship, she kicked off royally.
“I probably would’ve answered it if people hadn’t made such a big deal about it,” she said. “But I’m not going to give the fiending an answer. I know that people are really funny about ‘Well, you chose to be an actor, why don’t you just f**ing give your whole life away?! Can I have your firstborn child?’”
When Pattinson tried to placate the situation, she interrupted him to continue her rant.
“I’ve thought about this a lot,” she said. “There’s no answer that’s not going to tip you one way or the other. Think about every hypothetical situation: ‘Okay, we are. We aren’t. I’m a lesbian.’ I’m just trying to keep something,” she said. “If people started asking me if I was dating Taylor, I’d be like ‘F— off!’ I would answer the exact same way.”
“Me too,” said Pattinson after glancing at Lautner.
Sony Buys Film Rights To Risk Board Game
After enjoying great success with Transformers and the shocking GI Joe, Sony have decided to take the next logical step – and make a film based on the Risk board game.
Whatever next? Monopoly the movie? Backgammon the TV series? It’s just a damn shame that someone already made a film called Mousetrap…
After acquiring the rights from game-creator Hasbro, the film seems set for production.
Columbia Pictures president Doug Belgrad told The Hollywood Reporter: “Hasbro has already seen tremendous success with Transformers and GI Joe and audiences have shown a great desire for films that bring to life everything that has made these franchise properties stand the test of time.
“The strategic thinking and the tactical gambles that players must take in the game are what make Risk a classic, thoroughly engaging game. Those elements translated into an action-packed, thrilling story are what will make this a uniquely exciting movie.”
For those who have not had the pleasure of playing, Risk is a game in which players vie to conquer the world with armies of plastic men – and it usually goes on forever.
Helen Mirren To Star In Comic Adap ‘Red’
The Queen is giving up the crown to become an assassin.
Variety reports that Oscar-winner Helen Mirren has signed on to join Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman in Summit Entertainment’s adaptation of the Wildstorm/DC Comics Red.
The original miniseries follows a former black-ops agent (Willis) who must come out of retirement at the appeal of CIA director (Freeman) to thwart off the more high-tech, younger contenders. He turns to old associate Mirren for help.
Red will be pitched at the American Film Market. Filming has already begun in Toronto and Louisiana. The studio’s expected release date is November 19, 2010.
Dempsey In (Yet) Another Romantic Comedy
Now that he has recovered from Made of Honour, McDreamy is allegedly ready to take on another romantic-ish comedy.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Patrick Demsey will be producing and starring in an as-yet untitled film by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (The Hangover), and directed by Paul McGuigan.
The plot centers on a man caught in the middle of two different robberies at the same bank whilst struggling to protect the secret love of his life, one of the financial institution’s teller. Should be interesting, or not.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” star is currently working on an ensemble comedy, Valentine’s Day, directed by Garry Marshall, to be released in February through Warner Bros. Shooting for this one begins in April.
Martin and Baldwin To Host Oscars
The Oscars is pulling out all the stops this year.
In what appears to be yet another effort in boosting ratings, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will share hosting duties at the 82nd Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said yesterday.
The idea is not a new one. The pairing of Douglas Fairbanks and William DeMille helmed the inaugural Oscar ceremony in 1929. And the most recent case of multiple hosts came in 1987 with Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan.
Oscar veteran Martin has hosted the show twice before, in 2001 and 2003. This gig is a first though for Baldwin, known for his role on Comedy Central’s 30 Rock and nominated in 2003 for his supporting role in The Cooler.
Banking on the comedic duo, telecast plans of the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony are set for March 7, 2010.
Joss Whedon Makes Hilarious Bid For Terminator Rights
Despite losing its way hopelessly in recent years, when rights for The Terminator franchise went up for sale recently, there was a fair bit of media attention.
Unfortunately for those studio bosses desperately trying to cash-in on an aging cash-cow, the undeserved publicity generated over the sale could very soon be over-shadowed by one director’s spoof offer.
Joss Whedon (the man responsible for Buffy and Dollhouse among other things) has written a spectacularly amusing open letter to the owners of the franchise offering them £10,000 for the film rights.
And it had us in stitches…
“I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up,” he writes. “This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a cheque TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.”
Some of his proposals for upcoming features included:
“Terminator… of the Rings! … he’s a cyborg and he doesn’t give a s#&% about the ring — it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he’s doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it.”
“Can you say… musical? Well don’t. Even I know that’s an awful idea.”
“More porn. John Connor never told Kyle Reese this, but his main objective in going to the past was to get some. What if there’s a lot of future-babies that have to be made? Cue wah-wah pedal guitar — and dollar signs!”
And for Batman fans…
“Christian Bale’s John Connor will get a throat lozenge. This will also help his Batwork (ten grand for that franchise too, btw.)”
As Whedon notes in his concluding paragraph, “I really believe the Terminator franchise has only begun to plumb the depths of questioning the human condition during awesome stunts, and I’d like to shepherd it through the next phase. The money is there, but more importantly, the heart is there. But more importantly, money.”
Think they’ll accept his offer? Fingers crossed…
