Sony Prepares To Pick Up Doctor Parnassus

VARIETY: 'Parnassus' finds Stateside buyer

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The Walking Dead: Coming To AMC?

VARIETY: Frank Darabont circles zombies
AMC attacks comic series adaptation - By CYNTHIA LITTLETON Posted: Tue., Aug. 11, 2009, 8:00pm PT

AMC is venturing into zombie-drama territory with multi-hyphenate Frank Darabont.

Cabler is close to finalizing one of the richest development deals ever with Darabont to write and direct a series adaptation of the Image Comics graphic novel series "The Walking Dead," penned by Robert Kirkman. Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Motion Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion are also on board to exec produce.

Project is set among a group of zombie survivors of an apocalypse who are led by a police officer, Rick Grimes, in search of a safe place to live. Numerous editions of the "Walking Dead" graphic novels have been published since 2003.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

John Hughes, 1950 - 2009

VARIETY: Director John Hughes dies at 59 - by Pat Saperstein

"John Hughes, who captured the zeitgeist of 1980s teen life as writer-director of The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles and produced and scripted family hits such as Home Alone, died Thursday of a heart attack in Manhattan while taking a walk. He was 59.

After an impressive string of hits -- Home Alone is one of the top-grossing live-action comedies of all time -- Hughes, who never won a major show business award, stopped directing in 1991 and virtually retired from filmmaking a few years later, working on his farm in northern Illinois."

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Siegel Heirs Lose Latest Superman Lawsuit

VARIETY: Warner Bros. wins 'Superman' case
Siegel heirs can only pursue DC Comics profits
By DAVE MCNARY - Posted: Wed., Jul. 8, 2009, 7:15pm PT

Warner Bros. and DC Comics have won a favorable ruling in the suit filed by the heirs of "Superman" co-creator Jerome Siegel.

In a decision announced Wednesday, U.S. Judge District Court Judge Stephen G. Larson found that the license fees the studio paid to corporate sibling DC Comics didn't represent "sweetheart" deals as they weren't below fair market value. That means the heirs will be able seek profits only from DC Comics -- which earned $13.6 million from Warner Bros. for the 2006 release of "Superman Returns" -- rather than from Warner Bros. as well.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Superman ©DC Comics.

Article excerpt ©REI.

Micheal Jackson Dies At 50

VARIETY: Michael Jackson Dies - King of Pop suffered heart attack in Los Angeles
by Pat Saperstein - 2:09 pm PT

Michael Jackson, the worldwide pop sensation was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon. He was 50.

According to reports on the Los Angeles Times' web site, Jackson was rushed midday Thursday from his home to a Los Angeles hospital, where he could not be revived.

Jackson was attempting a comeback after years of tabloid headlines, most notably his trial and acquittal on child molestation charges. He had been scheduled to perform 50 sell-out concerts at London's 02 arena from next week to March 2010.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Ground Control To Major Tom (Mason)

VARIETY: Tom Hanks circles 'Major' toy story
Universal developing live-action 'Matt Mason'
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Tue., Mar. 24, 2009, 8:00pm PT

Universal will develop "Major Matt Mason," a live-action feature based on the vintage Mattel action figure. Pic will be developed as a star vehicle for Tom Hanks, and Graham Yost will write the script.

Playtone partners Hanks and Gary Goetzman will produce.

The toy line originated in 1966; Mason led an astronaut team that worked on the moon and lived in a space station. The toy was a hit in the buildup to the first manned moon mission. Mattel retired the line in the 1970s.
To read the rest of the article, click here.

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"Apollo 13" and "From The Earth To The Moon" covered this terrain, but hey, if I could do more astronaut movies, I would too!

Production Begins On Secret Of The Unicorn

VARIETY: Bell, Craig to star in 'Tintin'
Steven Spielberg sets cast for trilogy
By TATIANA SIEGEL - Posted: Mon., Jan. 26, 2009, 3:45pm PT

Steven Spielberg has set his cast for "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn," the first installment in the 3-D motion-capture trilogy that Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment are co-financing.

"Billy Elliot" thesp Jamie Bell will star as the titular character, an intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure. Daniel Craig will co-star as the nefarious Red Rackham.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

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Refresh my memory here. Is "Secret of the Unicorn" a title of one of the original books, or is "Red Rackham's Treasure" being adapted under a different title?

Another Tom & Jerry Movie On The Way

VARIETY: Tom and Jerry head to the bigscreen
Warner Bros. playing cat and mouse game
By MARC GRASER - Posted: Wed., Jan. 21, 2009, 9:00pm PT

Warner Bros. is turning to Tom and Jerry to create its own "Alvin and the Chipmunks"-like family franchise.

Plans are to bring the constantly warring cat and mouse to life as CG characters that run around in live-action settings.

Studio-based Dan Lin, currently producing the upcoming "Sherlock Holmes" and exec producer on "Terminator: Salvation," will adapt the classic Hanna-Barbera property as an origin story that reveals how Tom and Jerry first meet and form their rivalry before getting lost in Chicago and reluctantly working together during an arduous journey home.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Watchmen Legal Wrinkles Ironed Out

VARIETY: WB, Fox make deal for 'Watchmen'
Warner to open superhero film March 6
By MICHAEL FLEMING, DAVE MCNARY
Posted: Thurs., Jan. 15, 2009, 7:33pm PT

Warner Bros. and Fox have settled their very public battle over "Watchmen." A deal has been hammered out that that gives WB some face-saving points, but which gives Fox the equivalent of a movie star’s gross participation.

Warner Bros. gets the right to open its superhero pic on March 6 as planned, and Fox's logo will not be on the film, sources said.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Remake OTD: The Bad Lieutenant

"Nicolas Cage will star in an updated version of 1992's 'The Bad Lieutenant' with Werner Herzog directing, Edward R. Pressman producing and Avi Lerner's Nu Image/Millenium Films financing.

Project, also called 'The Bad Lieutenant,' is due to be announced at Cannes. Production will start in late summer.

The original pic, also produced by Pressman, starred Harvey Keitel and was directed by Abel Ferrara from a screenplay by Ferrara and Zoe Lund. That pic received an NC-17 rating with the depraved title character heavily involved in drugs, gambling, sex and stealing while a New York police officer."

To read the rest of Dave McNary's Variety article, click here.

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Well, you know, there's a franchise there.

Fraggle Movie Moves Forward

"The Weinstein Co. will turn the Jim Henson series 'Fraggle Rock' into a live-action musical feature.

Cory Edwards, who directed the animated 'Hoodwinked!' for TWC, will helm the picture and write the screenplay. The Jim Henson Co. will produce and TWC will distribute.

Just like the series, the film will be populated by a mix of human characters and Fraggle Rock puppets. TWC co-chair Harvey Weinstein, who has been steering his company more aggressively into the family film arena, made the marriage with Lisa Henson, who runs JHC with her co-CEO brother, Brian Henson."

If you want to read the rest of Michael Fleming's Variety article, click here.

Chris Wedge Throws Hat In Live-Action Ring

"Ice Age" helmer Chris Wedge has signed on to direct Brian Selznick's magic-themed children's novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" for Graham King's GK Films, Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil and Warner Bros.

"The Aviator" scribe John Logan has been tapped to pen the adaptation.

King and Infinitum Nihil's Christi Dembrowski will produce the live-action film, which centers on an orphaned boy who secretly lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station and looks after the clocks. He gets caught up in a mystery adventure when he attempts to repair a mechanical man.

To read more of Tatiana Siegel's Variety article, click here.

Del Toro To Direct Hobbit Films

"In a major step forward on 'The Hobbit,' Guillermo del Toro has signed on to direct the New Line-MGM tentpole and its sequel.

The widely expected announcement -- which had been rumored for several weeks -- came Thursday afternoon jointly from exec producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, New Line president Toby Emmerich, and Mary Parent, newly named chief of MGM’s Worldwide Motion Picture Group.

Del Toro’s moving to New Zealand for the next four years to work with Jackson and his Wingnut and Weta production teams. He’ll direct the two films back to back, with the sequel dealing with the 60-year period between 'The Hobbit' and 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' the first of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy."

To read the rest of Dave McNary's Variety article, click here.

Remake OTD: Wuthering Heights

"Natalie Portman is attached as the lead in a new film version of 'Wuthering Heights.'

Olivia Hetreed ('Girl With a Pearl Earring') wrote the script.

The most recent bigscreen adaptation of Emily Bronte's classic matched Ralph Fiennes with Juliette Binoche, but the Goldwyn release grossed just $624,643 in 1989."

Read the rest of Dade Hayes' Variety article here.

Remake OTD: Stanno Tutti Bene/Everybody's Fine

"Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell are set to star in the Kirk Jones-directed 'Everybody's Fine.'

The remake of the Giuseppe Tornatore film 'Stanno Tutti Bene' was written by Jones. He came aboard when the redo was first set up by Hollywood Gang Prods. and Cecchi Gori USA (Daily Variety, March 16, 2006).

De Niro will play a widower who realizes that his deceased wife was his only connection to his children. He decides on a whim to take a road trip to reconnect with each of his grown kids, discovering that their lives are far from perfect."

To read the rest of Micheal Fleming's article, click here.

Remake OTD: Short Circuit

"Dimension Films is rewiring 'Short Circuit,' acquiring rights to remake the 1986 film.

S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock, who created the characters and wrote both 'Short Circuit' films, have been hired to write the remake. David Foster and Ryan E. Heppe will produce with John Hyde."

Read the rest of the article here.

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Wow, the eighties are back with a vengeance! I guess 'Saturn 3' will be next.

Remake OTD: Dune

VARIETY: Berg to direct 'Dune' for Paramount
Misher producing adaptation of sci-fi novel
By TATIANA SIEGEL - Posted: Mon., Mar. 17, 2008, 9:00pm PT

Peter Berg is attached to direct a bigscreen adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel "Dune" for Paramount Pictures.

Kevin Misher, who spent the past year obtaining the book rights from the Herbert estate, will produce via his Par-based shingle.

Herbert's 1965 novel is a sweeping, futuristic tale set on the remote desert planet Arrakis, which produces the interstellar empire's sole source of the spice Melange -- used for distant space travel. An empirewide power struggle ensues over the control of the spice. Berg would be the latest helmer to take a crack at the property, which spawned a 1984 David Lynch film as well as a 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries starring William Hurt.

The project is out to writers, with the producers looking for a faithful adaptation of the Hugo- and Nebula Award-winning book. The filmmakers consider its theme of finite ecological resources particularly timely.

New Amsterdam's Richard Rubenstein, who produced Sci Fi's "Dune" and sequel "Children of Dune," is also producing alongside Sarah Aubrey of Film 44, Berg's production banner. John Harrison and Mike Messina exec produce.

Paramount envisions the project as a tentpole film.

Berg and Misher enjoy strong ties dating back to Misher's executive days at Universal Pictures. Misher also produced Berg's second directorial outing, "The Rundown."

Actor-turned-helmer Berg most recently directed the upcoming Will Smith starrer "Hancock." His directing credits include "The Kingdom" and "Friday Night Lights."

Remake OTD: Heavy Metal

VARIETY: Paramount puts pedal to 'Metal'
Fincher tests 'Heavy'
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Thurs., Mar. 13, 2008, 8:30pm PT

Paramount Pictures will make an animated film inspired by the '70s sci-fi fantasy magazine Heavy Metal, with director David Fincher spearheading the project.

"Heavy Metal" will be stamped by the erotic and violent storylines and images that remain the trademark of a magazine that debuted in the U.S. in 1977. The mag introduced the works of American artists and writers such as Robert Silverberg, Harlan Ellison and H.R. Giger.

The film will consist of eight or nine individual animated segments, each of which will be directed by a different helmer.

Fincher will direct one of the segments; Kevin Eastman, the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" co-creator who is now owner and publisher of Heavy Metal, will direct another. So will Tim Miller, whose Blur Studios will handle the animation for what is being conceived as an R-rated, adult-themed feature.

Fincher, Eastman and Miller will produce the film. The studio will lock in the other directors shortly. The mag previously spawned a 1981 animated feature and 2000 sequel.

Fincher, who directed "Zodiac" for Par, recently wrapped the Brad Pitt-Cate Blanchett starrer "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which Par releases Dec. 19. Fincher recently became attached to direct Paramount's adaptation of the Charles Burns graphic novel "Black Hole" and is also developing "Torso" and "The Killer" for the studio.

Miller is writing, directing and producing a feature-length version of "Rockfish." Blur has also been responsible for animating such videogames as "Transformers: The Game," based on the hit pic from DreamWorks and Paramount.

New Line Merges With Warner Brothers

VARIETY.COM: Warner Bros. gobbles up New Line
Company ends 40-year run as indie studio
By VARIETY STAFF - Posted: Thurs., Feb. 28, 2008, 1:22pm PT

New Line’s 40-year run as an independent studio ended Thursday when Time Warner said it would fold the company into Warner Bros. New Line will become a unit of Warners, maintaining separate development, production, marketing, distribution and business affairs operations.

Co-toppers Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne are ankling but are in talks to continue some business relationship with Warners.

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I've been told that Warners bought New Line (Turner Entertainment) in 1996, so I'm not sure what folding the studio into Warners' film division will mean.

Remake OTD: Akira

VARIETY: WB takes franchise turn with 'Akira'
Studio to adapt graphic novel
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Wed., Feb. 20, 2008, 12:59pm PT

Warner Bros. will turn anime artist Katsuhiro Otomo's six-volume graphic novel "Akira" into two live-action feature films, the first of which is being fast tracked for release in summer 2009. Legendary will co-finance with WB.

Each feature will be based on three of the books in Otomo's series. The story takes place in New Manhattan, a metropolis that was rebuilt after being destroyed 31 years earlier. Otomo will exec produce the films.

Graphic novel was first adapted for the bigscreen in 1988 as a popular animated film which Otomo directed.

Studio has closed a seven-figure rights acquisition deal with manga publisher Kodansha and has set Ruairi Robinson to direct a script by Gary Whitta ("Book of Eli"). Andrew Lazar's Mad Chance will produce with Appian Way's Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson.

WB had the "Akira" rights several years ago only to let them lapse and then recapture them in a spirited bidding battle.

Robinson, an Irish helmer who has been Oscar nominated for his short film and commercials work, is making his feature debut.

The project was brought in by exec veep Greg Silverman, who has supervised "300" and "Batman Begins."

Lazar is producer on the WB comedy "Get Smart," and he's about to start production on the Jim Carrey starrer "I Love You Phillip Morris" for EuropaCorp.

Appian Way is producing the John Cusack starrer "The Factory" for WB and Dark Castle.

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This could be interesting, from a story perspective. The original is cool, but kind of degenerates into a lot of screaming and effects animation at the end. The challenge will be to clarify the story without damaging it. One of these days, I should try reading the entire graphic novel. I bought a lot of the re-laid out/re-colored version that Epic Comics did back in the day, but I don't know if they finished it.

Trek Now An '09 Release

VARIETY: 'Star Trek' pushed back to 2009
Paramount shuffles major releases
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK
Posted: Wed., Feb. 13, 2008, 5:43pm PT

Paramount is pushing back the release of J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" from Dec. 25 to May 8, 2009, saying the pic's gross potential is greater as a summer tentpole.

Move was part of a major reshuffling to the studio's release calendar, as well as to DreamWorks' release sked. A second key change: DreamWorks' 2008 Ben Stiller summer comedy "Tropic Thunder" is moving from July 11 to Aug. 15.

That's likely to mean that another film will take "Tropic's" old spot on July 11, particularly since there is such a dearth of broad comedies in the May-July stretch.

Like Par, many of the majors are likely to revisit their release skeds in the wake of the writers' strike as they try to balance out their 2008 and 2009 calendars.

"Star Trek" has no competition in its new slot -- at least not so far, although it opens one week after 20th Century Fox bows "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and one week before Sony is slated to bow sequel "Angels and Demons."

Paramount also dated two titles. Martin Scorsese's Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer "Shutter Island" will be released Oct. 2, 2009.

An untitled comedy produced by Marlon and Shawn Wayans will be released on Feb. 9, 2009. Their brother Damon Wayans is directing from a script the three co-wrote with two other family members. Par is keeping the logline under wraps.

Here are the other release changes to Par's sked:

* Eddie Murphy family pic "Nowhereland" is moving from Sept. 26, 2008, to June 12, 2009.

* Renee Zellweger horror-thriller "Case 39" is moving from Aug. 22, 2008, to April 10, 2009.

* David Fincher's Brad Pitt starrer "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is moving from Nov. 26, 2008, to Dec. 19, 2008.

In addition to the new date for "Tropic Thunder," DreamWorks and Par announced that Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet "Revolutionary Road" will be distributed by Par Vantage, and not the studio proper.

Bond 22 Titlers Get All Brainy, Somber

VARIETY: New Bond film unveils title
'Quantum of Solace' shooting at Pinewood
By ALI JAAFAR - Posted: Thurs., Jan. 24, 2008, 7:22am PT

The new James Bond film is to be called “Quantum of Solace,” producers announced Thursday at Blighty’s Pinewood Studios.

The title comes from a short story published as part of a collection by Bond creator Ian Fleming in 1960.

Pic, previously known simply as “Bond 22,” follows on directly from “Casino Royale” with Daniel Craig reprising the role of British super spy and embarking on a revenge mission following his betrayal by Vesper Lynd — Eva Green’s ill-fated character in the previous film — that takes him to Austria, Italy and South America.

As previously announced, Gallic thesp Mathieu Amalric (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”) plays Bond nemesis Dominic Greene, a ruthless businessman and member of a shadowy org. seeking to control large portions of the world’s natural resources.

Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko plays Bond girl Camille, who leads the Martini-shaking spy to Greene, while Brit actress Gemma Arterton (“St Trinian’s”) will play MI6 Agent Fields.

Marc Forster helms Craig in his second outing as Bond.

Returning from “Casino Royale” are Dame Judi Dench as M, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter and Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis.

Pic started lensing at Pinewood earlier this month.

Producers are Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of Eon Prods., Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM.

Sony Pictures Releasing Intl. is releasing pic worldwide on Nov. 7.

Setbacks For Justice League Movie

VARIETY: Warner pulls plug on 'Justice League'
Cast options lapse; spring start scrapped
By DIANE GARRETT, MICHAEL FLEMING, DIANE GARRETT
Posted: Wed., Jan. 16, 2008, 5:22pm PT

"Justice League" is no longer moving faster than a speeding bullet.

Warner Bros. let the options lapse on the young cast that director George Miller chose to play DC superhero staples. The studio, which had set Tuesday as its greenlight deadline for the pic, confirmed Wednesday the project is on indefinite hold.

Project now most likely won't get under way until late summer or fall at the earliest.

Cast members were informed late Tuesday their options would not be exercised, but they were also assured the studio is determined to make the film with them in it. But before that can happen, there are several problems to be resolved.

The studio's reasons included not getting the official response it needed on tax breaks from shooting in Australia. And while WB execs like the script they got from Kieran and Michele Mulroney, it would benefit from a little more work, something that isn't possible because of the writers' strike.

Some were surprised the studio didn't exercise cast options anyway. The deals gave WB the flexibility to exercise the deals immediately, or in July, and the actors will be making salaries in the low six-figure range. While Adam Brody, cast as the Flash, has a track record, most of the cast comprises such newcomers as Armie Hammer Jr., who plays Batman, and Megan Gale, who will play Wonder Woman.

The studio risks losing them to other film jobs. But it is likely most if not all the cast will make sure to be available starting late summer and fall, just in case. That's because of the starmaking potential of "Justice League."

Studio had set this week as the deadline to greenlight the superhero tentpole, which it was racing to get into production for 2009 release. That was always considered a dicey proposition, particularly when the writers went on strike, and because the film needs to be completed before the SAG deal expires in June.

With "Justice League" on indefinite hold, the studio has a superhero gap on its 2009 slate; status of the next "Superman" pic is also uncertain.

And So It Goes

VARIETY: Singleton hunts for 'A-Team' team
Fox in early talks with director on remake
By TATIANA SIEGEL - Posted: Sun., Dec. 16, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Director John Singleton is gearing up to direct a bigscreen version of 1980s TV series "The A-Team" and talking about the casting possibilities all over town.

Twentieth Century Fox is in early talks with the helmer to resuscitate the gang, but the studio said no deal is in place, and the project is not envisioned as a pre-SAG/DGA strike affair.

Ice Cube, who starred in Singleton's debut, "Boyz N the Hood," has been rumored as a potential B.A. Baracas (played by Mr. T in the NBC series), but Fox denied that possibility.

Latest incarnation, penned by Jayson Rothwell, revolves around a group of Iraq vets wanted by the U.S. military for a crime they didn't commit. Their adventures combine helping the innocent while running from the law. Story has been given a modern twist by involving oil tycoons and laser technology.

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Nothing says 'modern' to me like lasers and oil barons.

Hammer Walks Among Us

VARIETY: Hammer comes back from dead
Film to be released via MySpace
By ARCHIE THOMAS - Posted: Thurs., Dec. 13, 2007, 8:02am PT

LONDON — The recently revived Hammer Films will produce its first feature in three decades and distribute it via social networking site MySpace’s web TV arm.

Legendary Brit production company Hammer built its name on a string of genre pics released in the 1950s and 1960s under the Hammer House of Horror label.

The new pic “Beyond the Rave” will be released in 20-minute online webisodes on MySpace TV and then be made available in its entirety on DVD to buy or download.

The youth-skewed vampire story set in England’s underground rave party scene follows a hedonistic soldier in his quest to track down his missing girlfriend in the last 24 hours before he flies to Iraq.

Cast includes Sadie Frost (“Bram Stoker’s Dracula”), Jamie Dornan (“Marie-Antoinette”), Nora-Jane Noone (“The Descent”) and Tamer Hassan (“Layer Cake”).

Matthias Hoene directs. Ben Grass and Tom Grass of Pure Grass Films produce for Hammer.

“ ‘Beyond the Rave’ was inspired by Tom and my own experiences of raves: the great highs, and the demons that can lurk in the dark before dawn,” said Ben Grass.

Hammer’s latest resurrection came in May when it was bought a consortium led by Dutch producer John de Mol.

Remake OTD: Hellraiser

VARIETY: French duo to remake 'Hellraiser'
Clive Barker to produce for Dimension
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Posted: Mon., Oct. 15, 2007, 5:38pm PT

French filmmakers Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo have scared up the job of writing and directing a remake of Clive Barker's 1987 horror film "Hellraiser" for Dimension Films. Barker will produce.

Dimension, which scored a hit with a redo of "Halloween," has the same hopes for "Hellraiser," the film that hatched a franchise around the pasty-faced Pinhead.

The original film revolved around a couple who move into an old house inhabited by the man's eviscerated half-brother, who escaped hellish torture from the Cenobites but returned shorn of his skin. The Cenobites, who are triggered by a Rubik's Cube-like puzzle device that unlocks the gates of hell, would like another meeting with the man.

Maury and Bustillo most recently directed the French fright film "Inside," released last summer in France.

"Julien and Alex showed their incredible creative talent on 'Inside,' and I'm excited to have them at the helm, working with Clive Barker, to create a fresh, suspenseful and scary reimagining of the classic tale," said Weinstein Co. co-chairman Bob Weinstein.

TWC picked up distribution rights to "Inside," a thriller about a pregnant woman who loses her boyfriend in a car crash and is subsequently haunted violently by a mysterious woman.

Richard Kelly's Next Film

VARIETY: Frank Langella to star in Kelly's 'Box'
Actor joins Cameron Diaz in horror film - By DIANE GARRETT
Posted: Thurs., Oct. 11, 2007, 2:42pm PT

Frank Langella will star with Cameron Diaz in "The Box," a horror film to be directed by "Donnie Darko" helmer Richard Kelly.

The $30 million production is being bankrolled by Media Rights Capital.

Langella will play a stranger who presents a mysterious box to a woman.

Kelly wrote the script based on Richard Matheson short story "Button, Button" He is producing with Sean McKittrick of his Darko Entertainment shingle. Ted Hamm will be exec producer.

Pic starts shooting mid-November (Daily Variety, June 29). By then Langella will have wrapped the film version of "Frost/Nixon" for Imagine and director Ron Howard.

Langella won the Tony award for his work in "Frost/Nixon" on Broadway. In November, Roadside Attractions will release Langella's "Starting Out in the Evening" which played at Sundance and Toronto.

MRC, which pays star salaries along with partial copyright ownership that gives talent a DVD windfall, also bankrolled "Babel" and Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno."

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Hmm. I thought this story was made into a post-Serling "Twilight Zone" episode at one point. We'll see, I guess.

Universal Decides To Spend 100,000 Times More On Land Of The Lost Episode Than Kroffts Originally Did

VARIETY: Universal OK's 'Land of the Lost'
Will Ferrell comedy to cost $100 million
By DIANE GARRETT, MICHAEL FLEMING
Posted: Tue., Oct. 9, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Universal is pushing the button on "Land of the Lost" for a March start.

Decision to greenlight the Will Ferrell project surprised observers, who are aware that U had a rough ride with its $160 million comedy "Evan Almighty." Studio sources suggest the budget of "Land of the Lost," described as an event comedy, was recalibrated from $125 million to $100 million in order to earn its start date.

Brad Silberling will helm the bigscreen adaptation of Sid & Marty Krofft's children's skein of the same name. Jimmy Miller is producing along with the Kroffts; Julie Wixson-Darmody and Daniel Lupi exec produce.

Decision to move ahead effectively removes Ferrell from availability for other pre-strike projects on the cusp, such as "Himelfarb" for Warner Bros. The comedian has been attached to "Land of the Lost" for several years. Miller reps Ferrell and the Kroffts, who have long tried to get a bigscreen adaptation of their show made.

Adaptation by Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas revolves around a disgraced paleontologist, his assistant and a macho tour guide who find themselves in a strange world inhabited by dinosaurs, monkey people and reptilian Sleestaks.

Donna Langley spearheaded the effort to obtain rights from the Kroffts, who also produced and created smallscreen skeins such as "H.R. Pufnstuf," "Lidsville" and "Donny and Marie."

Batman, Others Get 'Happy Feet'

VARIETY: George Miller to lead 'Justice League'
WB moves ahead with bigscreen adaptation - By DIANE GARRETT
Posted: Thurs., Sep. 20, 2007, 1:12pm PT

Warner Bros. is moving aggressively ahead with the bigscreen adaptation of DC Comics' "Justice League of America," with George Miller aboard to direct.

Project, which is in the initial phases of casting, is a pre-strike priority for the studio, which needs a superhero tentpole for 2009.

Still, making all the pieces fit has been complicated by overlapping superhero projects in the pipeline, since "Justice League" features a pantheon of superheroes including Superman and Batman.

Batman and Superman are active properties for the studio, though the next installment in the "Superman" franchise has taken a backseat to "Justice League" in part because Warners is so keen on the "Justice League" script by Kieran and Michele Mulroney.

Beyond the Caped Crusader and Man of Steel, "Justice League" will likely feature Wonder Woman, the Flash and Aquaman. The Green Lantern is also featured in the comicbook.

Several sources close to the project said that Christian Bale, star of the revived "Batman" film franchise, and Brandon Routh, star of Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns," would probably not appear in the movie.

Helmer Christopher Nolan, current steward of the "Batman" franchise for the studio, would prefer that Warners delay "Justice League" until after he finishes "Batman" projects in development; Bale has also let his uneasiness about "Justice League" be known.

To work around these issues, the studio explored making "Justice League" as an animated film or with motion capture, but all indications are that the pic will be an f/x-driven live-actioner.

Project is so complicated -- and casting-dependent -- that even those deeply involved are holding their breath until production begins.

"They're working very hard to get it to happen," said one party close to the project. "But there are so many characters, it's complicated."

It was for this very reason that many believed Warners would move ahead first with a follow-up to Singer's "Superman Returns." Singer, however, is busy with Tom Cruise starrer "Valkyrie."

Miller has a warm relationship with Warners. He last helmed "Happy Feet," which generated $379 million in worldwide box office for the studio.

This project could give the studio a launching pad for future Wonder Woman and the Flash pics. The studio has been developing bigscreen adaptations of both DC properties.

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You know how tough it's been to give all the members of the X-Men worthy subplots and screen time? Multiply that tenfold.

Remakes OTD: The Stepfather, Prom Night

VARIETY: McCormick to direct 'Stepfather'
Screen Gems to remake horror film - By TATIANA SIEGEL
Posted: Mon., Sep. 10, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Nelson McCormick has signed on to direct Screen Gems' remake of "The Stepfather."

Story centers on a teenage boy who discovers his new stepfather is a serial killer who has murdered multiple families. Script by Joe Cardone takes a modern spin on the 1987 thriller of the same name that starred Terry O'Quinn.

Greg Mooradian and Mark Morgan of Maverick Films are producing "Stepfather."

McCormick recently wrapped production of Screen Gems' "Prom Night," which stars Brittany Snow, Idris Elba and Johnathon Schaech and opens April 11.

Remake OTD: The Illustrated Man

VARIETY: Zack Snyder to direct 'Illustrated'
Filmmaker also producing redo for Warners By DIANE GARRETT - Posted: Tue., Aug. 28, 2007, 5:32pm PT

Warner Bros. has tattooed Zack Snyder's name on its redo of "The Illustrated Man."

The helmer, busy prepping "Watchmen" for the studio, is attached to direct and produce the remake based on Ray Bradbury's collection of short stories by the same name. "Watchmen" scribe Alex Tse will tackle the screenplay.

The collection, first published in 1951, is narrated by a mysterious man with living tattoos that predict the future. Rod Steiger starred in the title role for the 1969 bigscreen adaptation, distributed by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts; Claire Bloom co-starred.

Di Novi Pictures and Snyder's shingle, Cruel and Unusual Films, are producing the remake. Denise Di Novi, and Deborah Snyder, the helmer's wife and producing partner, are also producing, along with Frank Darabont. Cruel and Unusual's Wesley Coller and Di Novi's Alison Greenspan are exec producing.

Snyder and his wife signed a first-look deal with the studio in the wake of his success with "300" (Daily Variety, Jan. 30). They are producing "Illustrated Man" through Cruel and Unusual.

Di Novi's shingle has produced numerous films at the studio under its production deal, including "Nights in Rodanthe."

That Sticky Stuff At The Bottom Of Your Toy Box Will Probably Be A Movie Soon

VARIETY: Hollywood's toy ploy
He-Man, Voltron, Bratz slated for adaptation
By MARC GRASER - Posted: Fri., Jun. 8, 2007, 5:27pm PT

In this summer's "Transformers," a truckload of Furby dolls gets blown sky-high by one of the film's giant robots.

It's meant as a sight gag, set up by toymaker Hasbro, which introduced the chatty little creatures, as well as the Transformers line, to the masses.

But Hollywood is hardly treating toys as a joke these days.

The next few years will see everything from He-Man to G.I. Joe to possibly Monopoly show up on the bigscreen. As the film biz runs out of original ideas, nothing, it seems, is too much of a stretch.

In the last two decades, Hollywood has gone through several crazes: U.S. adaptations of French comedies, remakes of vintage pics, film versions of old TV series, and adaptations of videogames and comicbooks. Now studios and high-profile producers are buying up rights to dolls, action figures and games, hoping their lasting popularity can prop up the next studio tentpoles.

As the thinking goes, the instant recognition of popular toys can only help an opening weekend. But everyone involved is also nervous. Studios are banking millions on just a brand name, while toymakers are risking their crown jewels to work in an entirely new format, knowing that a bomb can cut into their sales.

Toy sensations of the 1980s such as He-Man and Voltron are aiming to tap into a wave of nostalgia for the Reagan decade. The generation who grew up with these toys are now in positions of power in Hollywood, and the hope is that that same age-group, a key moviegoing demo, will embrace the bigscreen adaptations.

Given the success of the recent "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie ($91.3 million worldwide) and the buzz around "Transformers," there are high hopes for producers and studios.

Consider some projects in development:

* Warner Bros. is mulling a CGI-animated film version of "Thundercats," produced by Paula Weinstein ("Blood Diamond"), about a group of feline-looking warriors who have names like Lion-O, Panthro and Tygra.

* Warners and Joel Silver recently announced plans to make Mattel's "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" as a live-action feature in the vein of "300." (The toy character, loosely modeled on "Conan the Barbarian," was first turned into a film in 1987.)

* Paramount has "G.I. Joe" in the works with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (who's also behind "Transformers"). The Hasbro character was spun off as "Action Man" outside the U.S., and the film would team up both characters.

* For girls, there's the "Bratz" movie that Lionsgate will release in August, and "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Mystery," from HBO Films and Picturehouse, starring Abigail Breslin. The latter's based on Mattel's American Girl dolls.

* Avi Arad, who is producing "Bratz," is also behind a live-action movie version of the black-and-white animatronic robot "Robosapien," from Wow Wee Ltd. A former toy designer, Arad will also create a new robot that will appear in the film and on store shelves. Crystal Sky Pictures is producing.

* Mark Gordon has his own giant robot movie with "Voltron" that Justin Marks ("He-Man") is penning.

The toys worked because they weren't just things to play with. They were big businesses, backed by Saturday morning cartoons and comicbooks that generated interest around the properties and were essentially commercials to drive sales, much to the dismay of children's television advocates.

As a result, the toys became popular consumer brands. Brands that are now turning companies like Hasbro and Mattel into the next Marvel -- at least, that's the hope of William Morris.

After snagging the toymaker away from CAA as a client (WMA reps director Michael Bay, producer Tom DeSanto and General Motors, whose vehicles play many of the robots), the agency last week announced plans to turn the toymaker's more popular products, including Candy Land, Clue and Trivial Pursuit into movies and TV shows with its roster of talent attached.

For example, it envisions the company's Ouija board as the basis of a horror movie, and has even tossed around the idea of a Monopoly movie helmed by Ridley Scott.

With production and marketing budgets escalating, studios are looking for all the help they can get to open their pics. One solution is established brands. DreamWorks and Par's "Transformers" essentially sells itself (to kids and adults who grew up with the property) just based on the toy's name and awareness.

Hasbro has released an entirely new "Transformers" toy line around the release of the film, flooding stores like Wal-Mart, Target and Toys R Us with redesigns of its robot characters based on what's seen on the bigscreen. And it's covering all the bases: There's even a Mr. Potato Head Transformer.

For the toymakers, a hit movie could significantly boost sales. Conversely, if any of these adaptations stumble, toy sales could seriously be hurt; franchises are still considered fragile enough among fickle kids to take a tumble. Toy companies are clearly risking their biggest moneymakers on movies just to make more coin.

"They need to be very selective in who they do business with," warns producer Tom DeSanto, behind DreamWorks and Paramount's "Transformers," and exec producer of the first two "X-Men" films. "They need to get people who understand the property. This is their livelihood. If it bombs, it will damage the value of their bread and butter."

The box office is littered with failed vidgame or comicbook pics. The same could certainly happen with toy-based films. Past efforts, like a 1985 film version of the boardgame "Clue," flopped.

To try to prevent that from happening, Hasbro certainly kept a close eye on "Transformers" throughout the filmmaking, with Hasbro chief operating officer Brian Goldner serving as executive producer.

"We wanted to be very involved," Goldner says. "These are our brands. They have great meaning for us as a company and have stood the test of time. It's about igniting the passion of the fans as well as new generations of kids and collectors, for our brands are really beloved and played with the world over."

Goldner worked closely with Michael Bay, exec producer Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks on all aspects of the film's creative development, marketing and promotions, and is managing merchandising in conjunction with the release of the film.

"We think there is a tremendous upside in the movie, and taking the brand to the next level and exposing the idea behind Transformers, which is the 'more than meets the eye' concept to a new generation of adults and kids," Goldner says. "It celebrates what they were at the very core."

If it didn't, it could have been a situation like Mattel and "He-Man." The company has long held off on another "He-Man" movie after the '87 live-action version, starring Dolph Lundgren, wound up too campy. For example, Mattel nixed John Woo's plans for a redo.

While toy marketers continue to produce animated series and direct-to-DVD movies for everything from Barbie and Strawberry Shortcake to Rainbow Brite and Care Bears (Fox will release a new animated film in theaters later this year), the companies have mostly been cautious about doing anything bigger.

Producers say companies like Hasbro and Mattel protect their properties like gold, as they should, but that zeal makes them increasingly more difficult to deal with.

One runaway hit, however, could easily loosen their grip.

"The studios need to bring people on board who might not be on some writers list or directors list that makes the studio feel comfortable, but understands the spirit of why these stories work," DeSanto says.

In other words, it takes a lot of passion toward these playthings. Those involved see them as much more than toys; they see them as, well, almost human.

DeSanto is one of those people: He owns more than 30,000 comic books. So is Arad, who put Marvel's comicbook characters like Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four in movie theaters. He's now turning his attention back to the toy biz.

"The toy industry is my first love," he said when announcing the Robosapien project. "Robosapien has intrigued me since he was introduced. He has all the right elements to make a family feature film, with the ability to touch people on an emotional level."

While studios are aggressively snatching up rights to toys, they haven't been quick to greenlight the film versions. Until recently, it's been tough for execs (other than junior execs or assistants) to see '80s toy icons as anything more than something sold on eBay.

"It wasn't their generation," says DeSanto, who had a tough time setting up "Transformers" at a studio. "The decisionmakers have had a hard time wrapping their heads around it," just as they have with videogame adaptations and some comicbooks.

One major reason is obvious: There's not much to adapt. These are toys, not toy stories.

Mattel first set up a "Hot Wheels" movie at Sony in 2003, with McG once attached to direct. That project has since broken down. It just proved too difficult a project to adapt. (Maybe it was the orange track.)

"There are a lot of properties that don't resonate today," DeSanto says. "The key really is finding out what the story is and if people still care about those characters. If they don't, Hollywood will go down the road making a lot of movies that don't speak to anyone other than the people that grew up with the cartoon or the toy. If you don't do them right, you will have a giant bonfire of money burning in front of the studio."

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I don't even remember seeing the Furby gag. Did you?

Remake/Sequel/Re-Imagining/Fool's Errand OTD: The Wizard Of Oz

VARIETY: Warners, McFarlane return to 'Oz'
Olson to write revisionist take on Baum books
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Tue., Aug. 21, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Todd McFarlane will bring his own take on 'The Wizard of Oz' to the bigscreen.
Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures are teaming on "Oz," a revisionist take on the L. Frank Baum books that hatched "The Wizard of Oz."

Project was acquired based on an idea by Todd McFarlane that was fleshed out and pitched by Josh Olson ("A History of Violence").

Olson will write and McFarlane will produce with Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk. Rick Benattar ("Shoot ’Em Up") is exec producer.

Conversations with McFarlane and Olson make it clear that they are still working out the tone of the film. They have plenty to work with. WB has owned the rights to the original "The Wizard of Oz" since buying Ted Turner’s empire, whose assets included the film and other plum titles in the MGM library. There are also 15 novels in the Oz series written by Baum, most in the public domain.

McFarlane has a vision of Oz that is a dark, edgy and muscular PG-13, without a singing Munchkin in sight. That was clear with a toy line he launched several years ago that featured a buxom Dorothy and Toto reimagined as an oversized snarling warthog. Olson has something a little tamer, and PG, in mind.

"I saw those toys, and Dorothy as some bondage queen isn’t something I want to do," Olson told Daily Variety. "The appealing thing about the Baum books to me is how wildly imaginative they are. There are crazy characters from amazing places. I want this to be ‘Harry Potter’ dark, not ‘Seven’ dark."

Both McFarlane and Olson are on the same page when it comes to the promise of marrying the Baum story with benefits of visual effects advancements.

"My pitch was ‘How do we get people who went to ‘Lord of the Rings’ to embrace this?’ " McFarlane said. "I want to create (an interpretation) that has a 2007 wow factor. You’ve still got Dorothy trapped in an odd place, but she’s much closer to the Ripley from ‘Alien’ than a helpless singing girl."

Olson was keeping plot specifics to himself but said the film will be closer to a sequel than a remake.

"We still want to take advantage of the first film, which might be the most beloved of all time, and rely on its place in your cultural memory to bubble beneath the surface," Olson said. "A lot of the plot is mine, but the characters are all Baum."

McFarlane, a former Marvel Comics animator who created "Spawn," is working on several producing projects, such as Paramount’s "The Torso," which has David Fincher attached to direct. McFarlane is producing with Bill Mechanic and Don Murphy.

Olson is repped by WMA, McFarlane by ICM.

Fire At Cinecitta

VARIETY: 'Rome' burns in Cinecitta blaze
Studio plays down reports of damage
By NICK VIVARELLI - Posted: Fri., Aug. 10, 2007, 7:23am PT

ROME -- Flames blazed overnight on Rome's Cinecitta Studios backlot, where a swath of the monumental set of HBO's completed "Rome" skein burned down but few other damages were caused, leaving the sprawling facility's sound stages, film archives, and other sets intact.

"The studios are safe, sound, and in good shape, except for a corner of the backlot where the fire broke out," Cinecitta Studios deputy director Maurizio Sperandini told Daily Variety.

The Cinecitta exec said the fire broke out near the "Rome" set -- which HBO vacated in January -- between 10 and 10.30 p.m. on Thursday night and lasted for under three hours, thanks to prompt intervention by firefighters who stamped out the flames with powerful fire trucks known as Super Dragons, sent over from nearby Leonardo da Vinci and Ciampino airports.

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit in an equipment shed on the compound. Officials are ruling out arson.

Flames quickly spread to the area known as the "suburra," the ancient Roman red-light district on the "Rome" set which is considered among the largest open-air sets ever constructed. It comprises a partial recreation of the Roman Forum, with temples, thermal baths, bordellos, and public buildings, all made using fiberglass panels, and other materials, some of which are highly flammable.

According to Italian press reports the flames reached as high as 40 meters (133 feet) and burned down an area of 3,000 square meters, or 32,000 square feet.

Downplaying the damage, Sperandini said the scale of the fire had "been a bit exaggerated by early press reports."

The large complex founded by Benito Mussolini in 1937 -- and known as Hollywood on the Tiber in its 1950s heyday when "Ben Hur" and "Quo Vadis" shot there -- spreads out over 600,000 square meters (717,000 square yards) and comprises 22 soundstages, including the legendary Studio 5, where Federico Fellini worked.

Besides "Rome" recent Hollywood productions at Cinecitta include Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic" and "Exorcist: The Beginning."

On the artier front, Abel Ferrara last year shot his screwball comedy "Go Go Tales" there.

Sperandini said the BBC is on site preparing to shoot its revived sci-fier "Doctor Who" at Cinecitta in September.

From Layer Cake To Stardust To Thor

VARIETY: Matthew Vaughn to direct 'Thor'
Marvel aiming for pre-strike start in winter
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Thurs., Aug. 9, 2007, 7:30pm PT

Marvel Studios is setting Matthew Vaughn to direct "Thor," based on the Marvel Comics character. Marvel is aiming for a pre-strike production start this winter.

Mark Protosevich ("I Am Legend") did the adaptation of the comicbook franchise that launched in 1962. Thor is a blonde-tressed, hammer-wielding hero who's sent to Earth to protect mankind.

Vaughn's deal is closing just as Paramount releases the Vaughn-directed "Stardust" today. The Neil Gaiman novel adaptation stars Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer.

"Thor" marks Vaughn's second effort at a superhero pic. He was attached to direct "X-Men 3" before bowing out for personal reasons. Vaughn, who produced the Guy Ritchie-directed films "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch," made his directing debut with the Daniel Craig starrer "Layer Cake."

Marvel Studios will likely finance "Thor" using its $500 million credit facility through Merrill Lynch. Marvel has used that fund to finance both Edward Norton starrer "The Incredible Hulk," which Universal releases June 13, and "Iron Man," the Robert Downey Jr. starrer that Paramount will open on May 2.

About Fucking Time Dept.

VARIETY: WB sends 'Jonny Quest' to bigscreen
Mazeau to adapt Hanna-Barbera series
By MARC GRASER - Posted: Tue., Aug. 7, 2007, 7:30pm PT

Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alter, who have the vidgame-based "Hitman" bowing in October from Fox, will produce the live-action adaptation of the popular 1960s animated TV series from Hanna-Barbera, with Dan Mazeau penning the script.

Series revolved around a young boy who travels the world with his scientist father, adopted brother from India, Bandit the bulldog, and a government agent assigned to protect them as they go on their adventures investigating scientific mysteries.

The show, which is owned by Warner Bros. Animation, aired during primetime on ABC in 1964, lasting only one season. It was updated in the late '80s and '90s as "The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest" on the Cartoon Network. Property's also been spun off as a comic book from DC.

Askarieh, a longtime fan of the series, is hoping to turn the property into a family-friendly adventure franchise -- something the studio is clearly looking for now that "Harry Potter" is winding down.

Mazeau recently sold his fantasy adventure spec "Land of Lost Things" to Paramount Pictures' Nickelodeon Films, with Arnold and Anne Kopelson producing.

Warner Bros. execs Dan Lin and Matt Reilly will oversee "Jonny Quest" at the studio, which is lensing another film version of an iconic '60s TV series, "Speed Racer."

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Oh, who am I kidding? Even though I've been waiting for this forever, there's no way such an anachronistic show could be updated without losing the horribly inappropriate flavor that I ashamedly love.

I think they should just expand the "Turu the Terrible" episode to feature length. It has everything - an ex-nazi in a wheelchair excavating a secret jungle diamond mine with his pet pterodactyl! Plus jet packs and bazookas! I mean, C'MON!!

Remake OTD: Anthony Zimmer

VARIETY: Hallstrom to direct French remake
Helmer signs first-look deal with Regency TV
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Wed., Jul. 25, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Lasse Hallstrom is set to direct "Anthony Zimmer," a remake of the 2005 French film. Spyglass is financing and has set an early 2008 production start in Europe.

Hallstrom also has made a first-look production deal with Regency Television to develop programming he'll exec produce and direct. Deal comes after Hallstrom directed the Regency pilot "New Amsterdam," which will debut on Fox's fall schedule.

"Anthony Zimmer" will be Hallstrom's next feature assignment. Pic will be produced by Spyglass' Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and Jonathan Glickman. Leslie Holleran, Hallstrom's longtime producing partner, is expected to join as a producer.

Scripted by Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park"), thriller concerns an American tourist who finds his life in danger when a female Interpol agent uses him as a dupe to flush out an elusive criminal with whom she once had an affair.

Original pic was written and directed by Jerome Salle. Spyglass and Canal Plus co-financed development and will produce the remake together. Spyglass, which this summer opens "Underdog," "Rush Hour 3" and "Balls of Fury," just wrapped the Katherine Heigl starrer "27 Dresses" and just started production on Universal's Greg Kinnear starrer "Flash of Genius," directed by Marc Abraham.

"New Amsterdam" marked Hallstrom's first TV job in America, but Regency Television president Robin Schwartz said it won't be his last.

"I sent him the script on a whim, and it turned out he'd done TV in Sweden and many commercials, and he just elevated the pilot," she said. "We might bring a concept to him, early on, and he will bring us ideas he has that fit better as a series than a feature."

Regency also has a deal with screenwriter Allan Loeb, who co-wrote and is an exec producer on "New Amsterdam."

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Wow! We're down to three years between the original and the remake now. Do I hear a year? Do I hear six months? Going once, going twice...

Aardman's Upcoming Films

VARIETY: Aardman reveals new slate
Smith to oversee lineup
By ARCHIE THOMAS

LONDON -- Two months after announcing a three-year first-look deal with Sony Pictures, Aardman Features has unveiled a diverse slate of projects.

Lineup will be supervised by creative director Sarah Smith, who has been upped from head of development to the new role.

After stints as executive producer at the BBC and a string of comedy hits as a freelancer, Smith joined Aardman last year. Her impact on the claymation specialist has been immediate -- she has signed up a fleet of highly rated scribes for the Bristol-based animation powerhouse.

Smith has signed writers Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah ("Life on Mars") to work with director Steve Box on comedy heist "The Cat Burglars." The film about milk thieving stray cats will be in Aardman's trademark stop-frame claymation and combine the comedy action of Nick Park and Box's "Wallace and Gromit" feature with the cool styling of "Ocean's Eleven," Aardman claims. Box promises auds something altogether fresh -- "family friendly Tarantino."

Aardman co-founder Peter Lord returns to the director's chair for the first time since "Chicken Run" in 2000 with a comedy adventure based on the "Pirates" series of books penned by Gideon Defoe. Lord, Defoe and writers Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil, whose credits include the sitcom "Hyperdrive" and animation series "Slacker Cats," are working on the screenplay.

Also signed up to Aardman by Smith is Peter Baynham, one of the writers on "Borat," who is developing "Operation Rudolph," an actioner set on Christmas night. The Christmas movie shows the North Pole operation as an exhilarating ultra high-tech military procedure on a massive scale, revealing how Santa and his huge army of combat elves get round the whole world in one night.

Additionally, Nick Park is developing a new project. Details are not yet released but it is not another "Wallace and Gromit," according to an Aardman spokesperson.

"I'm passionate about matching the brilliance of Aardman's filmmakers with the very best talent in British comedy screenwriting," commented Smith. "This is an interesting time in the animation industry -- while there is clearly still a big appetite among cinemagoers for great animated films, there is a feeling of sameness about much of the product coming out of the industry at present, in terms of their stories. I think there's a great opportunity to excite audiences by raising the stakes in terms of the quality, intelligence and variety of the stories our animated films tell and the genres they inhabit."

Todd McCarthy: Cohens On Comeback Trail

VARIETY REVIEW: 'No Country for Old Men' (excerpt)
By TODD MCCARTHY
Posted: Fri., May 18, 2007, 5:19pm PT

"A scorching blast of tense genre filmmaking shot through with rich veins of melancholy, down-home philosophy and dark, dark humor, 'No Country for Old Men' reps a superior match of source material and filmmaking talent. Cormac McCarthy's bracing and brilliant novel is gold for the Coen brothers, who have handled it respectfully but not slavishly, using its built-in cinematic values while cutting for brevity and infusing it with their own touch. Result is one of the their very best films, a bloody classic of its type destined for acclaim and potentially robust B.O. returns upon release later in the year."

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SWEET. I can't wait!
If you like, you can read the rest of the review by clicking on the link - I don't want to spoil anything!

Tim Roth Versus The Incredible Hulk

VARIETY: Roth cast as 'Hulk' villain
Actor to play Abomination
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Wed., May 9, 2007, 10:43am PT

"The Incredible Hulk" will be matched against the oversized adversary Abomination, and Tim Roth will play the villain's alter ego, Emil Blonsky.

Roth joins Edward Norton and Liv Tyler in the Louis Leterrier-directed drama, which is being financed by Marvel Studios and distributed by Universal Pictures on June 13, 2008.

While Roth's deal is still being negotiated, he becomes the latest piece in a reinvention of a franchise, following the self-serious Ang Lee-directed "Hulk."

Blonsky is a KGB agent who deliberately exposes himself to the gamma rays that caused Bruce Banner to morph into the Hulk. Blonsky has upped the dosage, making him larger and stronger than the Hulk, but unable to change back to human form. He blames Banner for his problem, and makes his best efforts to destroy the Hulk.

"The Incredible Hulk" is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Marvel's Feige. Jim Van Wyck, David Maisel, Ari Arad and Stan Lee are exec producing. Zak Penn wrote the script.

Roth stars this fall in "Youth Without Youth," the Francis Ford Coppola-directed drama for Sony Pictures Classics. He also stars with Naomi Watts in "Funny Games" for Warner Independent Pictures.

Merchandising History

VARIETY GALLERY: 'Star Wars' toys
Size matters not for vintage figures
By DAVID LEWIS
Posted: Fri., May 4, 2007, 5:33pm PT

Nearly as famous as the films themselves, vintage "Star Wars" figures have a following of their own, and helped revolutionize the action figure industry into the thriving business it is today.

Conventional wisdom of the mid-'70s saw movies (even those aimed at kids) as a merchandising gamble, and Fox and Lucasfilm had trouble finding a suitor when it came to toy manufacturers, but Kenner Products took a chance. When the film debuted in May 1977, it became an instant surprise hit. As "Star Wars" fever swept the world, fans clamored for any paraphernalia relating to the film. Except for some cheapie games and puzzles, Kenner was unable to deliver toys in time for Christmas that year.

Early bird

In the meantime, Kenner offered a strange alternative: It presold a set of four figures (Luke, Leia, Chewie and R2) in an empty box dubbed the "Early Bird Certificate Package." Kids and collectors could purchase the box, which they could later exchange for the four figures. The ploy worked, and Kenner sold out of its "Early Bird" run. Fan anticipation was further sated soon after, when the first 20 figures were released.

Size matters not

Eschewing the larger size of such successful figure lines as Hasbro's 12" G.I. Joe and Mego's various 8" figures, Kenner opted to sculpt the "Star Wars" figures at 3¾" tall. While the size didn't allow for great detail, it lowered the price of each toy, and quickly became the industry standard. Chief among the converted was Hasbro, whose hugely successful 1982 relaunch of G.I. Joe stood at 3¾".

Variations

In addition to a number of small production variations, the first wave of "Star Wars" figures contained a number of oddities. The initial pressings of Luke, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi came with what came to be known as "double-telescoping" lightsabers, which could be extended to nearly twice their original length. These figures are now extremely rare. Also, the Imperial officer figure originally known as the "Death Squad Commander" was later renamed the less sinister "Star Destroyer Commander."

Fett fete

The 21st figure of the initial line was the as-yet-unseen-on-film Boba Fett. Destined to become a fan favorite, Fett had been shown only in a brief animated clip on 1978's "Star Wars Holiday Special." The Fett figure was initially slated to include a "rocket-firing" feature, but Kenner scrapped the idea over safety concerns. While the rocket-firing Fett never made it to production, various prototypes made their way into the public, and they typically fetch a bounty numbering in the thousands on eBay.

'Power' is on

1980's "Empire Strikes Back" and 1983's "Return of the Jedi," each yielded new figure lines, yet after "Jedi" left theaters, excitement for the toys began to wane. Kenner introduced a new line, dubbed "The Power of the Force" which re-issued the old figures with new packaging. The POTF line also offered 15 new figures, mostly featuring briefly-seen background players like Amanaman, Barada and the elderly Anakin Skywalker, whose ghostly image appears in the last scene of "Jedi."

Tooning in

In 1983, Kenner produced two other "Star Wars"-related lines, based on the animated spinoffs "Droids" and "Ewoks." The "Droids" line provided for one of toy collecting's strangest occurrences. A second line of figures failed to make it past the prototype stage, but somehow a mold of the portly minor character Vlix made it to Brazil, where it was produced several years later. Now considered the Holy Grail of toy collecting, the little-known character commands obscene amounts of money on the secondary market.

Happy Birthday, Star Wars!

VARIETY: 'Star Wars' 30th anniversary
How Lucas, ILM redefined business-as-usual
By PAUL CULLUM
Posted: Fri., May 4, 2007, 5:45pm PT

In the official souvenir program for "Star Wars," George Lucas says of his most famous creation: "It's always been what you might call a good idea in search of a story." One that 30 years later, the industry seems to have taken to heart.

"George never set out to reform or change Hollywood," says Steve Sansweet, Lucasfilm's official "Star Wars" ambassador. "He has invested in what he thought was necessary to make the kind of movies that he wanted to make."

Lucas arguably created the concept of the summer blockbuster by targeting Memorial Day weekend as the optimum release window -- an honor Sansweet is loath to claim.

But Lucas was clearly the first to see the latent value in merchandising, a profit stream so obscure that Fox Studios, which legendarily released the film on just 32 screens, allowed him to take 40% of it in exchange for a reduced salary. Forbes Magazine estimates earnings for all "Star Wars"-related products at $20 billion. Sansweet will only confirm the figure of $12 billion in worldwide merchandise sales, which he calls "the big number," plus more than 100 million copies of various "Star Wars" videos sold, but he notes that merchandising went from a $5 billion annual business in 1976 to $60 billion within a decade, largely on the film's example.

Jeff Walker, a freelance marketing liaison between studios and fan conventions, credits Lucasfilm's Charles Lippincott with pioneering the marketing of genre pictures to their core audiences. "He's the guy who took 'Star Wars' out to the conventions," Walker says. "He did slideshows at 'Star Trek' and comicbook and science-fiction conventions the year before it came out, and really revolutionized this whole approach of going directly to the fans -- where essentially those three audiences converged."

Walker credits "Star Wars" with launching the '70s-'80s boom in science-fiction films, and credits the merchandising with tiding the fans over during the three years between each of the first three installments. But arguably, the whole notion of extended franchises, fanbase marketing and ancillary licensing -- the comicbooks, novelizations, et al that within the subculture are known as the "expanded universe" -- would not be possible without Lucas' unprecedented dedication to creating new technology.

One who knows that dedication firsthand is Richard Edlund, a key figure at the inception of Industrial Light & Magic, the Lucasfilm division created in 1975 to meet the series' special effects needs. Today a major visual effects supervisor himself, he hailed from a background in photography, robotics and motion control, and was recruited by effects team leader John Dykstra.

"John was a real evangelist," says Edlund, "and got the ear of ("Star Wars" producer) Gary Kurtz, who was really the unsung hero of ILM. Gary is a gearhead, and he understood that this lugubrious process we had to build was the only way to do it." He credits his team with perfecting motion-control repeatable robotic photography and the mastery of the bluescreen process, with its ability to composite multiple images, among other innovations.

"Basically, we would paint ourselves into a corner, and then we would have to invent ourselves out of it," he says. "Every day we were doing something that hadn't been done before."

"Star Wars" also initiated what later evolved into animatics -- creating crude, sometimes multiplane animations as placeholders and previsualizations of more complex effects shots still to be realized. It was the first film to screen in Dolby stereo (a special Dolby mix was created for participating theaters), which allowed the film to use sound for the first time as a spatial component, and for subfrequencies to augment traditional sound effects. Sound designer Ben Burtt also garnered a Special Achievement Oscar for his unique sound textures. This led directly to THX, Lucasfilm's own sound calibration division, as well as TAP, the Theater Alignment Program, whereby filmgoers could report technical inconsistencies back to the parent company -- in effect providing quality control for individual theaters.

The company's EditDroid digital editing technology was eventually sold to Avid as a basis of that company's system, and its SoundDroid innovation represents the first digital sound mixing capability. The team that eventually became Pixar was imported en masse from New York and kept on payroll as an open-ended experiment.

As Internet film maven Harry Knowles says of Lucas: "He was a one-man research-and-development arm for the technology of the film industry."

That's not to mention the renewed interest in Joseph Campbell or the revival in movie soundtrack sales or what we know today as "fan fiction." Nor does it include the "Star Wars" missile defense system, "the evil empire," "the Force," "the dark side" and all the other ready-made political tropes and working metaphors that have impacted the culture at large.

Perhaps Sid Ganis, who joined Lucasfilm in 1979 and is currently head of the Motion Picture Academy, offers the film's ultimate legacy. "I can tell you I have a 4-year-old grandson named Isaac who has not seen 'Star Wars' and does not know that I was a member of the team from 'Empire' on. But he knows the characters by name, he wears a Darth Vader cape, and he goes to the library and gets kids books about 'Star Wars.'

"So 'Star Wars' is in his life because it's in the culture. The merchandising exists, but it's not being pounded into the psyche of kids. It doesn't have to be. They know it."