Stephen Sommers Will Not Direct 'G.I. Joe 2'

Despite reports to the contraryfive months ago,Stephen Sommersis not returning to direct the sequel toG.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Paramount offered“no comment.”

TheLA Timesheard the news from two separate agents who were contacted about their clients directing the Hasbro toy movie follow-up. No word on who those filmmakers might have been, though just about anyone would be a step up from Sommers.

During post-production for the original, there were rumors of contention between Sommers and the studio, which were quickly, typically denied by Paramount flacks. But the evidence was in the messy finished product, essentially a montage of shoddy CGI and flashy action sequences where the characters played with their own high-tech toys.

The movie was met with generally unfavorable reviews (34% on RottenTomatoes) prompting Sommers to open his trap and spew nonsense about film criticism. “I don’t think the mainstream critics are relevant here, they have criticized themselves into irrelevancy,”he saidshortly after the release, while the film’s TV advertisements quoted those critics who enjoyed it.

Nevertheless, the movie made just over $300 million worldwide, so a sequel is inevitable. The principal actors are contractually obligated to return, andZombielandwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wrote a draft last year.

Meanwhile, Sommers is still attached to aTarzanremake and recently adapted Dean Koontz’sOdd Thomashimself, which he hopes to direct.

Source

Robert Pattinson Joins 'Cosmopolis'

In a bizarre turn of events,The Twilight Sagastar Robert Pattinson hassigned to replaceColin Farrell as the lead in David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, the adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel/commentary on capitalism.

Pattinson will play Eric Packer, a 28-year-old multibillionaire asset manager traveling in his custom-made stretch limousine across town to get a haircut.  His rolling office is lined with monitors, tickers, and various other by-the-minute devices, which allows Packer to bet heavily (his impossibly large fortune) against the yen on a crawling, chaotic trip through the city.  Along the way Packer stops to meet his brand new wife (Marion Cotillard was attached), several mistresses, and the funeral of a Sufi rap artist he listens to in his private elevator.

Paul Giamatti has been rumored as Packer’s stalker, an embittered 40-something man who used to work for the wunderkind.  But, again, this was when Farrell was attached as the lead and he’s now headlining Len Wiseman’s big-budget remake ofTotal Recall.

This unorthodox, high-minded project will mark Pattinson’s first film role after completing the Twilight saga, which he’s currently filming with co-stars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, and is sure to baffle his ardent fans, particularly the younger crowd. The philosophical language alone, which Cronenberg lifts neatly from DeLillo’s pages, will soar right over their heads. As someone who detested Cronenberg’s adapted script, I’m wondering if it may be more fulfilling to witness the reaction of a die-hard RPattz fan than watch as nothing much happens to his Eric Packer character.

The 24-year-old actor has been distancing himself from the brooding vampire Edward with a variety of vastly different roles, including his starring part inWater for Elephants. Role like these and his upcoming film Bel Amishow an admirable strategy of longevity over box office busters, but Pattinson has been widely criticized for his actual acting ability, especially in Little AshesandRemember Me. While I applaud his career choices, I’m not sure Pattinson has shown he’s capable of carrying a movie on his own. Will Cronenberg be the one to draw that performance from him?

Source:Deadline

Source

McG to Direct 'Ouija' Board Movie

The director of such movies asTerminator SalvationandCharlie’s Angelswas on the shortlist of names vying for the big-budget flick, according toDeadline, along with Breck Eisner (The Crazies), Sylvian White (The Losers), Scott Stewart (Priest), and, briefly, Pierre Morel (Taken).

Ouijawill not take the expect supernatural horror angle— strange consider Michael Bay’s horror house Platinum Dunes is producing— but will follow a more Indiana Jones type journey to discovery. Of what, we’re not quite sure yet. But I’m hoping the arrow points more towards Indy and less to its imitators, likeThe Mummy(admittedly the first was fun) or the National Treasurefranchise. Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (Tron: Legacy) wrote the script, which doesn’t inspire much confidence really.

Universal and Hasbro formed a six year pact inFebruary 2008to produce at least four films from the toy company’s extensive shelves. Peter Berg’sBattleshipwill be the first out of the gate and the early frontrunner for the 2012 Razzies. McG’s film will be next, already scheduled for November 9, 2012. Then probably Rob Letterman’s Stretch Armstrongstarring Taylor Lautner, which sadly is real and not a Twilight fan’s dream casting.

McG recently completed work on the comedyThis Means Warwith Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hardy, and Chris Pine, which we’re actually excited about with such a great cast. Can McG make us care about a Ouija Board movie?

Source

Writers Guild Names Their 2011 Nominations

The Writers Guild of America has announced their nominations for the best screenplays of 2010. Like theProducers Guild nominations, these specialized lists are typically an excellent bellwether for Oscar enthusiasts (or gamblers). However, it’s important to note that critically acclaimed films likeToy Story 3,The King’s Speech, Winter’s Bone,Never Let Me Go,Biutiful, andHow to Train Your Dragonwere deemed ineligible by the guild for various reasons.

I’m surprised to see a nod forThe Social Network, not because it’s not a brilliant piece of work by Aaron Sorkin, but because he gave the guild a solid drubbing at a recentround table discussionwith a few other notable screenwriters. It’s also strange to seeI Love You Phillip Morrisreceiving any kind of awards consideration, especially in an extremely competitive year of great screenplays.

The WGA winners will be announced February 5, 2011 during simultaneous ceremonies in both New York and Los Angeles. Both the“Original Screenplay” and“Adapted Screenplay” categories have matched the Academy Awards 11 out of the last 16 years.

Original Screenplay

Black Swan, Screenplay by Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin; Story by Andres Heinz; Fox Searchlight
The Fighter, Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy& Eric Johnson; Story by Keith Dorrington& Paul Tamasy& Eric Johnson; Paramount Pictures
Inception, Written by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros.
The Kids Are All Right, Written by Lisa Cholodenko& Stuart Blumberg; Focus Features
Please Give, Written by Nicole Holofcener; Sony Pictures Classics

Adapted Screenplay

127 Hours, Screenplay by Danny Boyle& Simon Beaufoy; Based on the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston; Fox Searchlight
I Love You Phillip Morris, Written by John Requa& Glenn Ficarra; Based on the book by Steven McVicker; Roadside Attractions
The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich; Sony Pictures
The Town, Screenplay by Peter Craig and Ben Affleck& Aaron Stockard; Based on the novel Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan; Warner Bros.
True Grit, Screenplay by Joel Coen& Ethan Coen; Based on the novel by Charles Portis; Paramount Pictures

Documentary Screenplay

Enemies of the People, Written, Directed, Filmed and Produced by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath; International Film Circuit
Freedom Riders, Written, Produced and Directed by Stanley Nelson; International Film Circuit
Gasland, Written and Directed by Josh Fox; HBO Documentary Films and International WOW Company
Inside Job, Produced, Written and Directed by Charles Ferguson; Co-written by Chad Beck, Adam Bolt; Sony Pictures Classics
The Two Escobars, Written by Michael Zimbalist, Jeff Zimbalist; ESPN Films
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)?, Written and Directed by John Scheinfeld; Lorber Films

Source

Trailer, Poster for Terrence Malick's 'The Tree of Life'

Fox Searchlight has bestowed upon us the trailer for Terrence Malick’sThe Tree of Life, an early promotion for the May 27, 2011 release as much as it’s a beautiful array of stunning, breathtaking imagery. Brad PittandJessica Chastainplay the parents of an 11-year-old, Jack, who grows into an adult (Sean Penn) still coping with the relationships of his youth.

Just watch it below and see for yourself (or in HD atApplefor the full effect):

Official synopsis:

From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950’s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world,seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

Source

George Clooney Replaces Robert Downey Jr. in 'Gravity'

George Clooneyis set to star alongsideSandra Bullockin Alfonso Cuaron’sGravity, a 3D outer space survival story preparing to shoot in Spring 2011. Clooney replacesRobert Downey Jr.who left the projectlast monthdue to scheduling conflicts.

Clooney will play a veteran spacewalker and the leader of a team of astronauts repairing the Hubble telescope when they are bombarded by orbiting debris.  Bullock is set as Ryan Stone, a technician on her first mission who braves the emptiness to find a way back to Earth.

I was sorry to see Downey jettisoned, but Clooney exudes a similar enough charm and movie star quality that the production shouldn’t miss a single beat. It’s a testament to the project’s quality that Cuaron was able to find another A-lister so quickly that wanted to be a part of this ambitious film, especially for a supporting role like this.  For a movie already plagued with casting delays, Clooney’s“Hail Mary” hiring, according toTHR, was the kind of quick turnout needed to keep everything on track.

Written by Cuaron and his son Jonas, the $80 million film will reportedly open on an uninterrupted, 20-minute opening shot— like the continuous shot in Cuaron’sChildren of Men— and contain roughly 60% CGI to simulate the infinite space.

Meanwhile, Clooney is lining up a stellar cast forIdes of March, his adaptation of the play Farragut North that he will direct next year. Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, and Marisa Tomei are on board.

Source

McG, Breck Eisner Vying for 'Ouija' Board Movie

Universal is still trying to pin a director to its adaptation of the Ouija Board, the supernatural Hasbro toy only“played” at teenage sleepovers now inexplicably being turned into an family-friendly adventure.

McG (Terminator Salvation) and Breck Eisner (The Crazies) both pitched their visions to studio execs recently, according toTHR, who are expected to make their decision over Hollywood’s holiday break. The studio has already heard from and passed on Sylvian White (The Losers), Pierre Morel (Taken), Scott Stewart (Priest), and John Moore (The Omen).

The writers,Tron: Legacyscribes Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, compared their take to Indiana Jones and its imitators, likeThe Mummyand the ironically-titled National Treasure.

Neither director is particularly well-suited for this tentpole-type mainstream entertainment, especially since Eisner directed the forgettable Saharanot long ago. McG’s Terminator and Charlie’s Angels films don’t inspire confidence either. Ultimately, we’re not expecting much from whoever Universal chooses, given the script’s one-dimensional origins written by the weakest link(s) of the reborn Tron franchise. ”Stop moving the arrow!” ”I’m not moving it!” Pause for dramatic effect. Aaaand… scene.

The silver lining isOuijawill hit theatersafterPeter Berg’s Battleship; another Hasbro property becoming a movie and another imitating a previous blockbuster (in this case,Independence Day) in hopes of replicating its success. It certainly has the campy characters down.  Once you stack all the Hasbro movies together (Transformers, G.I. Joe, Battleship, Ridley Scott’sill-advisedMonopoly), a Ouija Board movie doesn’t seem so bad.

Universal has already set a November 9, 2012 release, so a director announcement is expected soon.

Source