All in News

After a successful release of the big screen adaptation of author Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Columbia Pictures started work on the second book in the series. Angels and Demons will hit theaters May 15 starring Tom Hanks and now Variety reports that Columbia is already looking forward to start adapting the third book The Lost Symbol. Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol won't be published until September this year, but sources say the manuscript has been completed. Since Sony has rights to the Robert Langdon character, they will get first crack at negotiating a deal on the new title. After the worldwide success of the first film, Sony should do whatever it takes to secure the third book. It's too early to tell if Tom Hanks will make it back

The fourth and final film in the popular Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, is in the early planning stages, reports TheWrap.com. The second film in the series, New Moon, is currently shooting in Vancouver and is scheduled to be released in Fall 2009 after an accelerated post-production. The third film, Eclipse, will begin production in late summer this year.

With the rate Summit Entertainment is turning these films it's no surprise to hear rumors of the fourth in the series. Summit spokesman Paul Pflug, however, gave no comment and an anonymous executive denied any production plans.

Fans of the series will have to take comfort in getting at least the first three Twilight films and wait to see what happens with Breaking Dawn.

Source: TheWrap.com

Focus Features joined Sofia Coppola to make Lost in Translation, and now they'll do it again with Somewhere. But she's decided on Stephen Dorff instead of someone like Bill Murray ... I just don't see it. Here's the press release. NEW YORK, April 16, 2009 – Reuniting with the film company with which she made the Academy Award-winning hit Lost in Translation, writer/director Sofia Coppola will make her next movie, Somewhere, with Focus Features. Somewhere will star Stephen Dorff (soon to be seen in Public Enemies) and Elle Fanning (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Focus CEO James Schamus made the announcement today.

Ms. Coppola is also reteamed with Pathé, which will have rights to the film in France, Benelux, and Switzerland; and Tohokushinsa, which will hold rights to the film in Japan

Great Scott! Will Zac Efron just leave the 80's alone? Speaking to Teen Hollywood, the High School Musical and 17 Again star was all jazzed up about playing the role made classic by Michael J. Fox. Much of his enthusiasm seems to come from his childhood, as he told the website: "Growing up, my favorite thing was to go into the car and play Back to the Future. I would pretend I was Marty McFly."

On top of this, Efron even has his own DeLorean, which was reportedly given to him by his grandfather.

As concerned as I may be, I'm also confused. Did this mean Efron used to play with the car radio or obtain plutonium illegally?

For the record, there has indeed been talk of another Back to the Future - but

Hopefully this isn't another con from the Bluth family. The heavily-anticipated film adaptation of the cult TV series has just gotten a small update from one of its key players, actor Will Arnett. For those unfamiliar with the show, Arnett plays a struggling magician who is a member of the uber dysfunctional Bluth Family. The show (and later the film), includes actors like Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia De Rossi and David Cross.

Speaking to MTV News, Arnett offered a few words on the status of the project. He said: "There's no script as of right now, but it's something that Mitch [Hurwitz] is actively working on and getting ready for, and we're hoping to start shooting by the end of the year. I know that's one of the goals. There are a

Filmmaker McG is in talks to direct and produce a big screen adaptation of the Broadway rock musical "Spring Awakening." The story of "Spring Awakening" is set in 19th-century Germany and follows a group of teens as they discover their sexuality and deal with sensitive topics like abortion, rape and suicide. Writer Steven Slater and rocker Duncan Sheik based the musical on an 1891 German play.

According to The Hollywood Reporter McG, who is wrapping up directing Terminator Salvation, fits well with the project. He got his start in the music business as a songwriter and video director and has maintained a finger on the teen pulse by producing shows like "The O.C." and "Chuck". Is there anything he can't do?

Source: Hollywoodreporter.com

Variety reports that Mark Wahlberg and James Franco have signed on for supporting roles behind Steve Carell and Tina Fey in the upcoming comedy Date Night. Director and producer Shawn Levy had a goal of filling all the supporting roles for Date Night "with formidable actors." Levy mentioned, "People just kept saying yes." He followed by saying, "I think people just really wanted to work with Tina and Steve." Those that also said yes include, Leighton Meester, Common, Taraji P. Henson and Kristen Wiig.

The comedy revolves around a married couple (Carell and Fey) who find themselves in trouble after their regular Date Night goes horribly wrong.

I'm looking forward seeing this film on my date night when it releases in 2010.

Source: Variety

Michael Sheen stood toe to toe with The Queen, brought an icy Frost against Nixon and is now going to show a whole bunch of vampires a New Moon. The 40-year-old actor is set to play the role of Aro in the next film from the Twilight series. Aro is the leader of a vampire clan called the Volturi.

Michael Sheen has previous experience in the vampire/werewolf Underworld, as he played the pivotal character of Lucian in that trilogy.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, New Moon director Chris Weitz said he "aggressively pursued" Sheen. Weitz said, "Michael's role is so important because he's the head of all vampires." Weitz then described the character of Aro has "a very gracious and friendly vampire, but beneath that he is a tremendous threat."

What do you think

Usually, ratings for films are revealed through trailers or posters. However, the way that the rating for Terminator Salvation has been revealed could probably actually cause the apocalypse. Thanks to Pizza Hut, the world now knows that the fourth Terminator movie will be rated PG-13. Don't believe me? Love to mix your pizza with death and destruction?

Click here: Pizza Hut Ad  

In the bottom left corner of the page, make note of that tiny rating box. PG-13.

This comes as somewhat unsettling considering the general story of the film (a war between robots and humans that will likely involve tons of explosive greatness). Also, at Comic-Con last year, director McG was heard saying that he was under no pressure for a PG-13 rating. However, it appears that a long-battled for scene

"Would you ask Tom Petty that?" That's the question posed to Jian Ghomeshi on Canadian public radio on by actor Billy Bob Thornton. Thornton clearly didn't want to do the interview and it appeared to be simply because the host introduced Thornton as an actor, and not band member with his current group The Boxmasters.

I interviewed Thornton when he was making the rounds for The Astronaut Farmer, while the movie was forgettable, he wasn't. I mainly spoke about his swagger, and the fact that he was flirting non-stop with Virginia Madsen. I liked the guy, but probably because he wasn't an arse

Looks like I'm not the only one tired of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Director Gore Verbinski, who helmed all three films of the series so far, has said that he will not return for a fourth. Variety is reporting that he has told this news to Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. There's no word on who shall take his place, or how it will affect the film's tentative 2010 release date.

He said: "I had a fantastic time bringing 'Pirates' to life, and I am eternally grateful to Jerry [Bruckheimer], Johnny [Depp] and the rest of the creative and production team. I'm looking forward to all of us crossing paths again in the future." By no means has Verbinski walked off the career plank - in fact, he's currently involved in three

Hannah Montana fans have a very slim chance at seeing the pop icon this opening weekend. Walt Disney Pictures announced that Miley Cyrus will be flying across the country trying to get people excited about her film. Disney did the same thing with Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience. Are you noticing a trend with this TV stars turned pop stars turned movie stars? Their movie titles are the most basic descriptions possible. It's like saying Transformers - Robots that Change into Vehicles and Fight Other Vehicles.

Anyway, here's the press release ...

BURBANK, Calif. (April 7, 2009) – Miley Cyrus, star of Walt Disney Pictures’ “Hannah Montana The Movie,” announced exclusively on Disney.com today that she will be surprising unsuspecting audiences during her film’s opening weekend

According to Variety, Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have acquired the screen rights to Doug Stanton's book Horse Soldiers. The book will be published by Scribner in May. The story revolves around a brave group of special forces and CIA operatives who secretly enter Afghanistan on horseback following the 9/11 attacks. Against all odds, the group helps Afghan fighters capture the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in an effort to bring down the Taliban.

Bruckheimer, who has experience with fact-based war projects (Black Hawk Down and Pearl Harbor), will produce the film.

It sounds interesting, let's hope it's more Black Hawk Down and less Pearl Harbor.

Souce: Variety

Variety reports Diane Keaton and Jeff Goldblum have just been signed to star with Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams in Paramount's upcoming comedy Morning Glory. The screenplay was written by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) and focuses on an aspiring news producer (McAdams) as she tries to control feuding anchors (Ford and Keaton) in order to save a morning news show. Goldblum will round out the cast as McAdams' boss. Roger Michell will be directing as filming begins next month in New York.

I'm a big Harrison Ford fan, but usually that's just for his action roles. I do appreciate his subtle comedy though, so I'm willing to give this one a chance.

Source: Variety

Now this is the type of casting we can only dream about. The A Nightmare On Elm Street remake has a new Freddy - Jackie Earle Haley. Variety is reporting that the Watchmen star is signed up to play the iconic horror villain for the remake from Platinum Dunes.

Last year, New Line studios decided to reboot its famous horror franchise that started with A Nightmare on Elm Street and was last heard about in Freddy Vs. Jason. Before that teeny Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was the studio's most lucrative series of films.

Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller are set to produce A Nightmare On Elm Street, with John Rickard co-producing. The film is set to start shooting next month in Chicago with Samuel Bayer directing a script written

Noah Baumbach made one of my favorite rewatchable films ever ... Kicking and Screaming. And no, I'm not talking about the Will Ferrell flick. So, because of that, I will always watch anything Baumbach does, even Mr. Jealousy and Highball. Now comes word Baumbach is joining forces with Stiller.

Here's the press release from Focus Features ... Production began last week in Los Angeles on the untitled film starring Ben Stiller for writer/director Noah Baumbach, an Academy Award nominee for his original screenplay of The Squid and the Whale (which he also directed). Scott Rudin, an Academy Award winner as producer of No Country for Old Men, and Jennifer Jason Leigh are producing the movie, to which Focus Features holds worldwide rights. Focus CEO James Schamus made the announcement today.

Mr. Baumbach has

The NW Film Center along with the Institute for Judaic Studies brings you the 17th Annual Portland Jewish Film Festival. The big film this year might just be another chance to see Waltz with Bashir on the big screen. Some feel this was the best animated film of 2008 ... yes, even better than Wall-E. Others think it was the top documentary.

Here's a complete list of films ... each is single admission.

APRIL 16 THUR 7 PM MAX, MINSKY AND ME GERMANY 2007 DIRECTOR: ANNA JUSTICE Nelly, a precocious 12-year-old, lives in Berlin with her German Christian dad and American Jewish mom, who is very eager for Nelly to crack down on her bat mitzvah studies. But her twin obsessions—astronomy and her distant fantasy heartthrob, 16-year-old Edouard, Prince of Luxembourg and fellow stargazer—occupy all of her

This project is about a different type of "highness." James Franco has signed on to act alongside Foot Fist Way's Danny McBride in "Your Highness," a medieval-fantasy comedy to be directed by David Gordon Green (all three of them worked on Pineapple Express.

The script was written by McBride and frequent collaborator Ben Best. According to Variety, it's a comedy about two princes from medieval times. When an evil wizard puts a spell on their father and kidnaps the older prince's fiancee, they must go on a journey to save their family and their kingdom.

Scott Stuber is going to be the producer of the film from Universal Studios, which is set to start shooting on July 20 in Belfast. Jon Mone, Mark Huffam, and Danny McBride are going to executive produce.

Thinking back

Not surprisingly, Sacha Baron Cohen's new film Bruno has been given an NC-17 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America. Similar to Borat, Bruno will have the famous comedian pretending to be a certain character while he interviews people from and about the fashion world. This time, Baron Cohen plays a gay fashionista from Austria.

Universal Pictures, the studio behind the film, is still aiming for an R-rating. Apparently, the ratings board did not like a certain amount of "sexual sequences" in the film. Necessary cuts are being made, and the deleted material will likely be seen on the film's DVD release.

The film is still set to release on July 10th.

If you are unfamiliar with Bruno, I recommend you look up some of his (not safe for work) moments from "Da

Variety reports that Drew Barrymore has signed on to star opposite Justin Long in New Line's romantic comedy Going the Distance. The duo recently starred together, as part of the ensemble cast, in the successful film He's Just Not That Into You. Geoff LaTulippe wrote the screenplay for Going the Distance which revolves around a young couple as they deal with a long distance relationship. The film will be directed by Nanette Burnstein and is being produced by Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot.

Barrymore and Long have dated in real life, which could add some depth to their on-screen characters. On a more personal note, as someone who has been through a long distance relationship, I can see the huge comedic potential in the situation.

Source: Variety