Step Brothers

Directed by: Adam McKay
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Adam Scott, Mary Steenburgen, Kathryn Hahn
Synopsis: Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are middle-aged, overgrown boys who become step brothers when their parents get married.

American Teen

Directed by: Nanette Burstein
Starring: Hannah Bailey, Colin Clemens, Geoff Haase, Megan Krizmanich, Mitch Reinholt, Jake Tusing, Ali Wikalinska
Synopsis: Documentary following the lives of four very different teenagers
in a small Indiana town through their senior year of high school.

Source: IMDb

Tis the season for Hollywood to destroy cult classics and popular films from the 80s. A Beverly Hill Cop sequel is in the works, Robocop remake is confirmed, and a Point Break sequel is rumored. Today MTV announced they will be doing a remake of the 1975 cult classic THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.

Lou Adler, the original executive producer, teamed up with Fox Television Studios to take on the remake. Adler stated, “I’d like to see it shown a year from this coming Halloween, but that’s up to MTV.”

They will be sticking to the original screenplay, but the upgrade may include new music not from the original. No release date has be confirmed.

Source Variety

It looks like Tim Burton and Disney have finally discovered their Alice for the big-budget screen adaptation of Lewis Caroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland after a long search. They are in final talks with regular on HBO’s In Treatment and Australian actress Mia Wasikowska.

Linda Woolverton is writing the script for the film, which will be produced by Burton’s longtime contributor Richard Zanuck, former Disney chairman Joe Roth, and Jennifer and Suzanne Todd. The film will be overseen by Disney creative executive Jason Reed.

Principal photography on Alice in Wonderland is scheduled to begin in November. It will be filmed using performance-capture and live-action footage.

For those of you who live under a rock of some sort, the classic novel that centers around young Alice, who one sunny afternoon follows a White Rabbit, who disappears down a nearby rabbit hole. Quickly following him, she tumbles into the burrow - and enters the merry, topsy-turvy world of Wonderland, which is comprised of bizarre characters like The Mad Hatter, a cheshire cat, two twins named Tweedledee and Tweedledum, a smoking caterpillar, the Queen of Hearts, and her army of cards.

Source: SciFiWire

A few years back, some footage was shown at ShoWest of 3-D transformation test runs for Star Wars - Episode IV (the source believes) and it was said that the results were “breathtaking.” Star Wars 3-D projects were recently mentioned again in an announcement by In-Three, which was the company who put together the footage for ShoWest.

Well, it looks like it’s really happening now. DreamWorks Animations CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg stated on Tuesday that George Lucas is indeed moving forward on transferring all six of the Star Wars episodes into the 3-D format. He stated that Lucas has the technical resources to pull it off and is very excited about it. Katzenberg had this to say about the project:

“He isn’t going to put a product out, I think, that isn’t anything other than first rate.”

Source: Coming Soon

Cinematic legend Sir Ian McKellen has confirmed that he is once again going to be playing the wizard Gandalf in Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of The Hobbit. Although he hasn’t formally signed the contract on the dotted line, he seems to be very happy with the idea of returning to the world of Middle Earth. He had this to say about reprising his role and working with a new director:

“Well, I haven’t had the contract yet but it’s everyone’s intention that I play Gandalf so yes, I will be returning to the role. Although it’s not until 2010, I’m very much excited about returning…if you’re not going to have Peter Jackson, who else can handle the job? To get an international film-maker of his (del Toro) standing who adores the original trilogy, well I don’t think you could possibly find a better replacement. I think the look will be very much as it was, Weta is still involved, it’s still the same workshops, the same designers, I’ll be there, Andy Serkis (now confirmed to return as Gollum) will be there and Peter Jackson will still be around - not that he’ll interfere too much - so it’ll seem like the old family is getting back together again.”

Source: Empire

New Line has taken it’s first step toward bringing Freddy Krueger back to the big-screen. Veteran scriptwriter Wesley Strick (Arachnophobia, Cape Fear, Mission: Impossible 2) has been hired by the the Warner Bros division to pen the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Wes Craven wrote and directed the original, which was released in 1984. The film introduced Freddy Krueger (played by Robert Englund), who became one of the most popular villains in movie history. It’s unexpected success created a franchise that helped turn New Line into a serious industry player in the mid-1980s.

The original movie revolved around Krueger, a serial child killer murdered who returns with a burned face and razor glove to terrorize teens in their dreams.

The new version will keep the setting in high school, but will have more of a dark tone and deal with Krueger and the psychology of nightmares a little deeper. The plan is to have the film ready for the 25th Anniversary of the original.

The company is being overseen by Richard Brener, Walter Hamada, and Dave Neustadter.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Brutal Massacre: A Comedy

Written by: Written by: Stevan Mena
Directed by: Stevan Mena
Starring: David Naughton, Brian O’Halloran, Ellen Sandweiss, Ken Foree, Gunnar Hansen
Synopsis: This mockumentary stars David Naughton as a beleaguered horror director who sets out to make the movie that will put him back on the A list! Unfortunately for him, a quirky crew and penchant for mishaps don’t make anything easier in this hilarious satire of low-budget filmmaking.

There is a rumor floating around that Tom Cruise and partners are tossing around the idea of a sequel to the 80’s classic Top Gun. According to “insiders” (whatever that means), here’s the general concept of the sequel:

“The idea is Maverick is at the Top Gun school as an instructor — and this time it is he who has to deal with a cocky new female pilot.”

I have to say that I agree with Merrick over at Ain’t It Cool News - this would be a really cool husband / wife vehicle for Cruise and Katie Holmes. She could play the cocky new female pilot. Here’s to hoping Tony Scott will come back to direct it. They should release it on a double bill with Beverly Hills Cop 4 and Flashdance: The Next Generation.

Source: The UK Sun

Universal Pictures has hooked us up with passes to THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR in Dallas! The screening is on Tuesday, July 29. Since it’s so damn hot outside, we decided that all you need to do to get a pass is e-mail me (chase@gordonandthewhale.com) with your mailing address by NO LATER than 5pm this Friday, July 25 and we’ll send you one pass admitting you and a guest (NO PURCHASE NECESSARY). Passes are limited, as I only have 50, so the first 50 people to email me asking for a pass will get them. Also, remember, seats are not guaranteed, admission is based on a first-come, first-served basis. See ya soon!

In a move that most people will find comforting after the reaction to his latest film, The Happening, Shyamalan will not direct the films, but act as producer. This marks the first time he will produce a movie that he didn’t helm and write. Shyamalan will pick the writers and directors after he has created the stories and ideas for the project. MRC will be financing and setting the films up with distribution. Ashwin Rajan has been hired by MRC to oversee development of the film projects. He is a veteran UTA agent and the cousin of Shyamalan.

Shyamalan has stated:

“Filmmakers have always been my inspiration. Working with the next wave of innovative filmmakers will teach me many things that I can bring to my own writing/directing and give my stories the opportunity to be brought to the screen in a stunning way.”

The ownership of the copyrights and artistic control will be retained by Shyamalan and MRC. New MRC prexy Tory Metzger believes that Shyamalan will be very involved in the running of The Night Chronicles. He will also have a copyright ownership stake.

Metzger had this to say about the Shyamalan and the partnership:

“These films will be based on ideas in keeping with what has made Night so successful, and has made him unique to his time.”

The MRC was attracted to the director because of his record of generating more movie ideas than he can make, since he writes, directs, produces and often acts in the films he works on. The other reason they liked the idea of working with him is because he has a good record of keeping his films on budget.

Shyamalan is directing a live-action version of Nickelodeon’s The Last Airbender next. Paramount has scheduled the film to be released on July 2nd, 2010.

Source: The Deadbolt

Karen Janszen will be adapting Ingrid Law’s young-adult book Savvy for Walden Media. Janszen adapted the Nicholas Sparks book A Walk to Remember for Warner Bros. Her most recent credits include Gracie for Picturehouse and Duma for Warners.

The publishing division of Walden has partnered up with Penguin Young Readers Group to publish the novel.

Law’s first novel, which revolves around a Midwestern family with superpowers, is getting rave reviews. The author had been living in a trailer up until now.

Savvy will most likely be distributed through 20th Century Fox and marketed by Fox Walden, just like all the other Walden films being developed.

Source: Variety

This is no joke. According to CNN, The Dark Knight star Christian Bale was arrested Tuesday over the allegations that he assaulted his mother and sister on Sunday, one day before the European premiere of THE DARK KNIGHT. Police spokesman have neither confirmed or denied Bale is locked up, only that “A 34-year-old man attended a central London police station this morning by appointment and was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault.” Way to go.

A day after Richard Roeper said he was leaving the program At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper, Roger Ebert says that he will no longer be a part of the show he helped make popular along with the late film critic, Gene Siskel.

Roeper’s departure is the result of him and Disney-ABC Domestic Television not being able to reach a deal for a contract extension. However, Ebert leaving the show is less on the voluntary side, as Disney-ABC Domestic Television told him they wanted to the take movie review program “in a new direction”.

There is no word yet on who will be appearing on At the Movies in the future.

Source: Variety

Winners:
Tim McClure
Mary Lollar
Jude Sutton

The talented Oscar nominated actor Djimon Hounsou who tends to play wise secondary characters has just signed a deal with Dynamite Entertainment to star as Thulsa Doom in a upcoming film about the wicked sorcecer.

Thulsa Doom is one of the central villains from the Marvel KULL THE CONQUER comics. Although, Doom is probably best remembered in the mainstream as Conan’s snake-morphing villain in CONAN THE BARBIAN, in which the character was portrayed James Earl Jones.

Currently, no studio is partenered with the project.

Source: Variety

A poster has went up online for Jim Carrey’s new film Yes Man. This is Carrey’s attempt at trying to get back to what he does best - act like a goofball and entertain us with his spastic comedic ways.

The film centers on Carl Allen, a man who signs up for a self-help program based on one simple principle: say yes to everything…and anything. At first, unleashing the power of “yes” transforms Carl’s life in amazing and unexpected ways, but he soon discovers that opening up his life to endless possibilities can have its drawbacks.

Yes Man is directed by Peyton Reed (The Break-Up, Down with Love, Bring It On) from a screenplay by Nicholas Stoller (Fun with Dick and Jane), Jarrad Paul (Stargate SG-1), and Andrew Mogel. The screenplay was adapted from the book written by Danny Wallace and published in July of 2005. It also stars Zooey Deschanel, Danny Masterson, and Terence Stamp.

The movie is set to hit theaters on December 19th.

Source: JoBlo

As expected, THE DARK KNIGHT reigned as king this weekend. Not only did it come it at number one opening in 4,366 theaters, but it also broke the box office records for midnight showings ($18M), opening day ($66M), and opening weekend ($155M)! Spidey ain’t got shit on this. And Heath Ledger better get an oscar for his portrayal of The Joker. Hands down, the best movie villain I have ever seen on screen. Rusty said it best,

“Jacks like your first girlfriend; you think she’s perfect in every way. Then you’re in your 20s and meet the love of your life. That’s Heath”

I’m going total fan boy on this post. Nothing else will be written because nobody cares how well MAMMA MIA! or SPACE CHIMPS did. Go see THE DARK KNIGHT and see how brilliant Heath Ledger’s performance was. Rest in peace dude, you will be missed.

Results (June 27- June 29):

Source Box Office Mojo

Last week I got the chance to sit down and talk with Rainn Wilson about his upcoming film, THE ROCKER. Not gonna lie, I was pretty damn nervous. I mean, I’ve watched the US version of The Office since day one, got my mother addicted to it, and some close friends and I would get drunk and watch season’s one and two over and over. I made it through the interview and was lucky enough to get a song sung to me about me, by the funny Rainn Wilson. Enjoy!

Edited by Nathan Davis, of Dallas, TX

THE DARK KNIGHT just continues to keep breaking records. Now it has officially surpassed SPIDERMAN 3 in the biggest opening day gross. It is estimated that the film pulled in around $66.2 million on Friday. This includes the money from the midnight showings as well. It’s looking like THE DARK KNIGHT is going to give SPIDERMAN’s second outing a run for it’s money this weekend, possibly beating out SPIDERMAN 2’s opening weekend record of $151.1 million. One rival studio of Warners projected that the film will probably do in the realm of $154 million this weekend.

Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily