Details on Hailee Steinfeld's 'Sleeping Beauty'

A little overa year ago, no one knew whoHailee Steinfeldwas. Plucked from obscurity after an exhaustive search through over 15,000 young girls, now 14-year-old Steinfeld is the critically-acclaimed breakout star of the latest Coen brothers film,True Grit, with an Oscar nomination to prove it.

Naturally, the offers came. Paramount closed a deal in February to work with Steinfeld again onForgotten, a novel adaptation about London Lane, a teen girl whose memory is erased every night. When she awakes each morning, her past is a blank slate but she’s able to“remember” her future and the relationships that shape her life, except for a mysterious boy that doesn’t factor into her visions of the future, just as she’s plagued by disturbing flashbacks.

Now Steinfeld is attached to another project, one that nestles squarely into Hollywood’s newest fascination: fairy tales.

The young starlet is attached toThe Sleeping Beauty, a spec script written by Lindsay Devlin that re-imagines the classic story of the slumbering princess.Deadlinereports the package is being shopped around to studios, who have become enamored with re-tellings since Tim Burton’s billion-dollarAlice in Wonderland. Curious why Steinfeld would attach herself as a lead that might spend screen time counting sheep, I read Devlin’s script.

In Devlin’s undated draft, Princess Rosamond is introduced as an infant, a blessing to her father, the King, and his beautiful wife, the Queen-Consort. Until the arrival of Settyana, the King’s scorned step-daughter who possesses unspeakable powers of black magic. As revenge for her father’s transgressions, she curses Rosamond to“die by a prick to the finger by her eighteenth birthday.” The curse is hastily reduced to a 100-year sleep by a magical ally, but the damage has been done.

For nearly eighteen years, Rosamond is sheltered from harm by the King’s royal mandate, though she develops a lasting relationship with Eston, a humble gardener. When the inevitable occurs, Rosamond is plunged into a mystical dreamworld of fantastic creatures, including a soaring gryphon, a rhino/sloth creature, an imp helper, and a horde of ice trolls.

In the dreamworld, Rosamond wanders the darkened land searching for clues to free her from the curse, much like the bizarreAlice in Wonderlandor, more accurately, Ridley Scott’sLegend. On the surface, Eston journeys into Settyana’s enchanted realm to rescue the princess and save the kingdom from her nefarious plot to overthrow the King.

While tonally uneven— a youthful focus with an unflinching attitude towards death— Devlin’s script is well-paced and true to its source material (with a few twists of its own), a rather engrossing outing for a screenwriter with no produced credits. I’m already jaded with fairy tale updates, but an imaginative filmmaker could certainly spin this into a memorable re-telling, particularly with such a capable lead in Miss Hailee Steinfeld.

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Lily Collins Lands Singh's 'Snow White' Lead

22-year-old rising star Lily Collins has landed the lead inSnow White, the fairy tale re-imagining that already signed Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, and director Tarsem Singh.

Who, you might ask? Collins is the daughter of former Genesis frontman Phil Collins and a supporting actress in WB’s unexpected hitThe Blind Side. Since then she booked a role opposite teen sensation Taylor Lautner inAbductionand a part in the long-delayed vampire hunter movie, Priest.  Saoirse Ronan wasreportedly“in talks” for the role last week (when Hammer boarded the project), but Singh was smitten with Collins’ dark, distinctive eyebrows, he joked toThePlaylistat WonderCon this past weekend.

I suppose this means that Collins is also automatically the feature film rival ofKristen Stewart, who is set to play the princess in Universal’sSnow White and the Huntsmanscheduled for a release six months later. But the mental image of Collins and Stewart duking it out for Snow White supremacy seems infinitely more entertaining than either of their two fairy tale re-tellings.  Is there any chance we can lobby to combine the two and turn it into a Snow White cage match?  Sure, it’s notentirelyfaithful to the source material, but neither is turning the king into a dragon.

Both“re-imaginings” borrow heavily from the familiar story of Snow White, including evil queens, witchcraft, talking mirrors, seven dwarves, and handsome princes, but Singh’s 3D film (formerly titledThe Brothers Grimm: Snow White) hews closest to the version already told by Disney nearly 75 years ago. Snow White communes with animals and performs her chores as a humble servant while her evil step-mother (Roberts) mismanages the kingdom into poverty. The arrival of Prince Andrew Alcott (Hammer), who is being forced to select a suitable wife, sets up a chance encounter with the lovely Snow White and her inevitable rivalry with the Queen as they both vie for his affection (and riches).

Singh’sSnow Whiteis set for June 29, 2012 and Rupert Sander’sSnow White and the Huntsmanwill hit on December 21, 2012.

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Sean Hayes and Will Sasso are Stooges

Sean Hayes, best known for his role on“Will and Grace,” andWill Sasso, formerly of“MadTV,” have been cast as Larry and Curly (respectively) in the Farrelly brothers’ oft-delayedThe Three Stooges.

Deadlinereports Hayes showed during readings he has the ability to“play a lovable simpleton,” which sounds more like a backhanded compliment than a resounding endorsement of his comedic chops.

Bobby and Peter Farrelly have been attempting to revive the slapstick trio at 20th Century Fox for over twelve years for a fresh set of three 27-minute episodes, rather than a biopic or documentary based on the beloved comedy act.

The choice for Moe has not been announced, though a confirmation is expected soon as production begins this month. Hank Azariahas been mentioned for the part.

It seems a cast is finally coming together for their passion project, but these new additions are a noticeable step down from an earlier incarnation that boasted Sean Penn as Larry, Jim Carrey as Curly, and Benicio del Toro as Moe.  But Penn took aleave of absencefrom acting for a short time and cancelled his involvement in various projects, including the Stooges. Carrey was even reportedly packing on pounds to be Curly, but soon backed out.

I have no doubt that the Farrelly brothers are planning a loving tribute to their comedy heroes, but this movie (and its dimming stars) seem destined for the bargain bin at a local discount store, not a multiplex. Plus, it’s important to keep in mind, that this isn’t the Farrelly brothers we remember fromDumb and Dumber, even if its title is often invoked in connection with the Stooges. This is the Farrelly duo that dropped off a decade ago and has since produced mediocre movies likeHall PassandThe Heartbreak Kid.

A revival of’30s and’40s Vaudeville was always a tough sell, especially with its unorthodox segmentation into three episodes. Hayes and Sasso don’t inspire much confidence.

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Bryan Cranston to Play 'Total Recall' Villain

Emmy winning actor and“Breaking Bad” starBryan Cranstonhas joined the cast of Len Wiseman’sTotal Recall, Sony’s remake of the science fiction thriller, opposite Colin Farrell.

In the updated version of Philip K. Dick’s“We Can Remember It for You Wholesale,” Farrell plays Douglas Quaid, an“unremarkable” factory worker that activates robot soldiers in a dystopian future Earth. The bots are controlled by a ruthless dictator named Vilos Cohaagen (Cranston), the leader of Euromerica secretly weakening the rival nation-state of New Shanghai for an invasion and hostile takeover.

The two civilizations are linked by a massive transit system called the China Fall, which operates like a sophisticated rollercoaster that plunges through the Earth’s core and emerges on the other side. In other words, the plot never involves the planet Mars, like the original movie by Paul Verhoeven.

After Quaid takes a trip to an illegal mind-altering facility, he discovers that he may actually be the disguised Hauser, an operative considered to be“public enemy number one” after he betrayed Cohaagen’s totalitarian government and joined the underground Resistance.  Only, due to suppressed memories and a few leftover clues, Quaid isn’t sure which side he is spying for anymore and, more importantly, who to trust.

Cranston was locked as Cohaagen last week while Wiseman narrows his choices to play Lori and Melinda, the two opposing women in Quaid’s mind-bending reality. Inglourious Basterdsactress Diane Kruger andSuperman Returns‘ Kate Bosworth were reportedly vying for the role of Lori, his wife, originally played by a young Sharon Stone. Several names, including Eva Mendes, Paula Patton, Jessica Biel and Eva Green, were up for the part of Melinda, his former(?) lover in the Resistance. Rachel Ticotin played the role in 1990.

Written by Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium) and revised by James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Mark Bomback (Unstoppable), the story is intentionally grittier than Verhoeven’s take on the short story, rooted in a future where minds and facial features can be resculpted and the paranoia and confusion that results. Plus, it won’t include early’90s hokum and the overly demonstrative expressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sadly, I think the woman with three breasts has been written out of the remake.

Sources: Deadline,The Hollywood Reporter

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Details on Tom Arnold's 'True Lies 2' Pipe Dream

In thesummer of 2009, comedy actorTom Arnolddid an interview with the New York Times where he boldly claimed not only wasTrue Lies 2happening, but it was scheduled to shoot in 14 months,“the day after Arnold Schwarzengger stops being governor of California.” The comment was eventually dismissed as probably another of Arnold’s not-particularly-funny jokes, especially when Schwarzenegger left office and didn’t immediately start flying Harrier jets again.

Instead, Schwarzenegger saidthis monthhe’s considering somewhere in the vicinity of 15 different projects, including a fourthTerminator, a WWII drama calledWith Wings as Eagles, and possiblyThe Expendables 2, once Sly Stallonefinds a writer and director. But no mention of a sequel to James Cameron’sTrue Lies.

Yet, somehow, Tom Arnold still has it in his head they’re doingTrue Lies 2together. That, or Arnold is being downright hilarious again. Arnold toldMovieWeb,“We have both read the script. There is a script that James Cameron and a guy named Jeff Eastin, who created the TV show“White Collar,” wrote. It is really great. Jim can’t direct it. But he can produce it. We hope it gets done. We have a few fun things we want to do. I am supposed to remain cool about this. For me, it would be a lot of fun to work with the guys again.”

First, Tom Arnold is referring to a draft ofTrue Lies 2written at leastelevenyears ago. After a legal battle involving the original film and Universal Pictures that ended in 1998 (source: AICN), Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment began discussing the possibility of a sequel and hearing pitches from outside writers. This brought Eastin into the fold, who, at the time, had sold a few spec scripts that got him noticed in the business.  His script was commissioned and then ultimately shelved circa 2001.

Secondly, Cameron said,“There are no plans for a True Lies 2″ inAugust 2009before explicitly adding,“Since September 11, I’ve never felt comfortable generating laughs with nuke-toting Islamic fundamentalist terrorists. True Lies, even though it has a cautionary thread underneath the pratfalls, is in a strange way a product of a more innocent time.”

Thirdly, Lightstorm Entertainment is producing a True Lies TV series that ABC picked up inSeptember 2010. However, there has been no official word on its development since (other than false rumors of John Cena starring).  Around the announcement he wasdirecting Avatar 2and 3, Cameron said he is not personally involved with the potential show.

Though, curiously, Schwarzeneggerrecently hintedat his involvement with an“international TV series,” but full details won’t be public until a press conference on April 4.

Finally and most importantly, the Eastin script is not“great.” It’s horrendous. Helen Tasker, played byJamie Lee Curtisin the original, is not only a full-blown agent in the sequel, but she somehow ascended the ranks past her husband and his buffoonish sidekick, Albert Gibson (Arnold). This leaves Harry (Schwarzenegger) holding an adopted infant in a wacky role/gender reversal that actually references 1994’s Junior.

It’s pages of wordy exposition and cringe-worthy banter that only gets worse as Harry and Gibson team up to test Helen’s new authority, including a hoax about the KFC recipe. I can’t imagine anyone seriously considering using that script for anything but kindling, and that’s coming from someone fully aware that a Magic 8 Ball movie is in development somewhere.

Arnold, who just landed a spot on the ABC pilot“Other People’s Kids,” could very well be pranking members of the press again. Perhaps he’s taking us on some sort of wild, Joaquin Phoenix-inspired trip where he quietly laughs to himself at the media circus. Maybe he said it for headlines, hoping for a career revival.  Maybe he’s simply delusional.

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Universal Hires 'Kung Fu Panda' Writers for 'Candy Land' Movie

It has beenover two yearssince Universal signedEnchanteddirector Kevin Lima to helm a live-action visit to Hasbro’s Candy Land and, unfortunately, the project has resurfaced with the hire of two writers.

Jonathan AibelandGlenn Berger, who wrote both Kung Fu Panda movies for DreamWorks Animation, are the latest screenwriters to board the movie, the third and fourth thus far in this protracted process.

TheHollywood Reportersays the studio is envisioning an epic, live-action adventure and speculates it could involve the game’s quest to find the lost king of Candy Land.

The project is one of four movies Universal agreed to as part of a six-year contract with Hasbro signed inFebruary 2008. This includes the laughable, big budget adaptation ofBattleshipcoming in 2012 under the direction of Peter Berg that involves a fleet of naval warships battling an alien invasion. The script reads like a hokier version ofIndependence Day(especially“pegs” that explode on the ship’s deck) with a host of cliche characters (Taylor Kitsch’s loose cannon and Rihanna’s badass female officer). But with at least $200 million sunk into this endeavor, this is either going to be the nextTransformers— which isn’t exactly the high water mark of cinema— or a colossal financial failure.

There’s also an epic, untitledOuija Board moviein the works directed by McG and produced by Michael Bay; aStretch Armstrongflick eventually happening with Taylor Lautner and director Rob Letterman; and a long delayed but sadly not dead take on the classic game Monopolywith Ridley Scott attached to direct.

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'Green Lantern' WonderCon Footage Looks Slick

In November, a lackluster first look at Warner Bros’Green Lanternin thefirst theatrical trailerwas met with a resounding“meh” and questions about Ryan Reynold’s entirely CGI suit. At the time, I wrote there seemed to be“something missing,” namely the epic scale and excitement most expected from a summer tentpole that involves alien worlds and intergalactic warriors.

This week, studio execs were running interference on the growing concerns, citing a“learning curve” with visual effects and 3D as the cause for a delay in fresh marketing materials.

Then the Green Lanternfilmmakers took the stage at WonderCon on Friday to assuage another audience and showcase a new look at thereportedly$250 million movie. With Reynolds, his lovely co-starBlake Lively, and DC Comics’ chief creative officer Geoff Johns on stage, the studio unveiled a 9-minute sizzle reel that“wowed” the crowd and, perhaps, reversed some of the growing skepticism.

Luckily, you can watch four minutes of it right here (or onApple.com):

Some context: The first character introduced is Sinestro (played byMark Strong), a leader of the police force known as the Green Lantern Corps. The“unprecedented danger” is Parallax, the massive yellow creature that kills Abin Sur (the purple alien played byTemuera Morrison). Abin Sur crash lands on Earth and passes his powers to the most worthy person, Hal Jordan (Reynolds). Upon speaking the oath, Jordan inherits the ring’s powers and is whisked away to the planet Oa, where he’s trained by Tomar Re (Geoffrey Rush), Kilowog (Michael Clarke Duncan?), and Sinestro. The mustachioed creep shown sporadically is Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgard), the Earthly villain of the movie who develops telepathic and telekinetic abilities.

Spoiler side note: Speculation is that Sinestro will also be attacked, or get infected by, Parallax and become the powerful yellow-tinged supervillain of the comics, setting up a showdown of hero and mentor for the inevitableGreen Lantern 2.

What do you think?

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