Jun 07 2008
This week in movie news:
A brief round up of some big movie news this week:
Sam Raimi is at work on Spiderman 4, though it is unclear in what capacity he will be involved. He has said that he would like to be asked to direct it, but has not as of yet been asked. He seemed reluctant to comment on the return of Dunst and Maguire, saying that he could not see recasting their roles. Currently James Vanderbilt is at work on the screenplay.
Furthermore, Moviehole is reporting that many cast members (possibly including Maguire) have already signed on for the fourth installment.
Seth Rogan’s Green Hornet project has gotten the green light this week. The Apatow factory comedian will be writing and starring in the film. No word yet on the casting of Kato, though it is heavily rumored that the studio wants Stephen Chow in the role. The film has been slated for a release in June of 2010.
Italian director Dino Risi has passed away this weekend. Among his most famous works were Poor Girl, Pretty Girl and The Easy Life. He also received two Oscar nominations for his 1947 Scent of a Woman. Risi was born in 1916 and was at his peak during the post-war years of Italian Neo-Realism.
Recent reports and an interview in Eclipse magazine indicate that Ridley Scott is beginning production on an adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. No official word yet, but all the clues are there.
It appears that director Adam McKay and comedian Will Ferrell are at work on Anchorman 2. And it will include a starring spot for Steve Carell.
Leonardo DiCaprio appears to have landed the lead role in Atari. A feature film about the famous video game pioneer. This makes the project slightly more interesting, raising it from the level of pulling nose hairs to watching golf.
It has been confirmed that Jon Brion is scoring the new Will Ferrell vehicle Step Brothers. Which gives the film a slight amount of credibility, at least the score won’t be as bad as most Ferrell films.
Ben Kingsley is reportedly joining the cast of the videogame adaptation of Prince of Persia. The film will also star Jake Gyllenhaal and is being directed by Potter vet Mike Newell.
Ain’t it Cool News is reporting that Josh Zetumer is at the top of the list to pen Peter Berg’s remake of Dune. Heh, “mount the worm,” that’s good.
Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison is branching out into Scary Madison, a new production outfit that is set to co-produce a new genre thriller that sounds as interesting as Atari.
F. Gary Gray has gotten the green light on his Marvin Gaye biopic, slated for a late 2009 release.
The trailer for the new Coen Brothers film Burn After Reading has been released this week. (I think it looks fantastic, though I’ve been wrong with them before, ahem, Ladykillers, ahem, Intolerable Cruelty). You can find it for free in the iTunes store.
That’s all for now. More ridiculous news than intriguing news, but so it goes.
