Reese Witherspoon Is A ‘Pharm Girl’

Source: THR

Reese Witherspoon is set to produce and attached to star in Universal’s Pharm Girl, an aspirational comedy centering on one woman’s odyssey through the drug industry. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Bad Santa) are writing the screenplay and in talks to direct. The project centers on a woman (Witherspoon) who gets a job at a pharma powerhouse but begins to see the underbelly of the industry as she rises through the company’s ranks. Witherspoon, who recently signed onto the new James L. Brooks picture, is also prepping to other features to produce via her Type A banner; thriller Bell Witch, and romantic comedy Around the World in 80 Dates, both at Universal.

Tony Gilroy Rewrites ‘Red Dawn’

Source: Latino Review

El Mayimbe at Latino Review reports that Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, Duplicity) was brought on board to rewrite the upcoming Red Dawn remake currently casting. Dan Bradley, the director of the remake, was the 2nd unit director of the Jason Bourne films which Gilroy penned so this makes sense. Gilroy delivered a 107 page draft dated 06-01-09, while the remake was originally penned by Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmore and based on the 1984 Cold War-era film co-written and directed by John Milius. This is actually starting to shape up into a project I’m interested in.

Trailers: ‘Cold Souls’

Source: Apple

Apple has just premiered the trailer for Paul Giamatti’s upcoming film Cold Souls, written and directed by Sophia Barthes. The film also stars Emily Watson, David Straitham, Kathryn Winnick, and Lauren Ambrose. Described as a metaphysical comedy, in the film souls can be extracted and traded as commodities. Also check out this really cool poster.

While agonizing over his interpretation of Uncle Vanya and paralyzed with anxiety, Giamatti stumbles upon a solution via a New Yorker article about a high-tech company promising to alleviate suffering by deep-freezing souls. He enlists their services, intending to reinstate his soul once he survives the performance. But complications ensue when a mysterious, soul-trafficking mule borrows Giamatti’s stored soul for an ambitious, but unfortunately talentless, soap-opera actress. Rendered soulless, he is left with no choice but to follow the trail back to St. Petersburg.

Trailers: ‘Zombieland’

Source: Apple

Here’s the trailer for Zombieland, which can almost be seen as a sequel of sorts for young star Jesse Eisenberg who was last seen in Greg Mottola’s Adventureland. This movie is the reason Woody Harrelson allegedly fought some photographer he said he mistook for a zombie when the man harrassed Harrelson and his daughter in the airport.

Columbus (Eisenberg) has made a habit of running from what scares him. Tallahassee (Harrelson) doesn’t have fears. If he did, he’d kick their ever-living ass. In a world overrun by zombies, these two are perfectly evolved survivors. But now, they’re about to stare down the most terrifying prospect of all: each other. The film also stars Emma Stone (Superbad), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Amber Heard (The Stepfather), Mila Kunis, and Bill Murray. It was directed by Ruben Fleischer from a script by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.

Trailers: ‘2012’

Source: Yahoo

Here’s the trailer for Roland Emmerich’s latest ode to worldwide destruction, 2012, based on the Mayan belief that the world will end on December 21, 2012. As you can see below, the world doesn’t really end. At least not for two hours and some change. In that time, we’ll see famous landmarks destroyed by meteor showers, John Cusack drive a car out the back of a plane into the snow, and the White House crushed by a toppling aircraft carrier engulfed in a wave some 30-stories tall.

The film was directed by Roland Emmerich from a script by Emmerich, Harald Kloser, and Thomas Wander. It stars an ensemble cast that includes John Cusack, Danny Glover, Amanda Peet, Thomas McCarthy, Woody Harrelson, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Stills: ‘Avatar The Game’

Source: Official Site

Here’s a few more stills from the upcoming Avatar game. The official site went live, but houses nothing more than the three stills below, James Cameron talking about the game, and a link to pre-order your copy which ships out 11-24-09. If you missed any of our coverage, find the previous article here.

The game, developed by Ubisoft, will be released this December to coincide with the release of the film.

Frank Marshall Confirms Work On ‘Indy 5’

Source: Twitter

Yesterday Shia LeBeouf, in an interview with BBC News let it slip that Steven Speilberg had “cracked the story for Indy 5” which would continue the partnership that is Speilberg/LeBeouf, currently on their fourth film together. Frank Marshall confirmed today via his Twitter account that “The story for Indy 5 is progressing. It’s still in the research phase.” Ah, Twitter. Changing the world everyday.

And there you have it.

Fanboys everywhere are either crying their eyes out at the possibility of another LeBeouf co-starring Indy adventure or weeping in ecstacy at the further adventures of Indiana Jones. I’ve never seen a single Indiana Jones film all the way through, but friends of mine — and I’m talking about people who became archaeology majors because of this film — really didn’t like Crystal Skull all that much, and particulary loathed LeBeouf. Time will tell.

Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne Plan 9 Films

Source: Variety

Bob Shaye and longtime partner Michael Lynne, former moguls of the now absorbed New Line Cinema, have assembled a formidable slate of films through their new Unique Features production company. “Running a company with 650 people has its own excitement and thrill, but the reason you are doing it is to create quality content, and it is hard to feel close to that at the top of a big organization,” Shaye said. Lynne described the transition as “strangely exhilarating. Instead of patting a bunch of people on the shoulder for making movies for us, we are now doing it ourselves.”

Shaye and Lynne have 11 projects in development. They are as follows:

High In The Clouds
Animated feature “High in the Clouds” is an adaptation of a children’s book written by Paul McCartney, Geoff Dunbar and Philip Ardagh about a squirrel’s quest to find an animal sanctuary. The film will be directed by Rob Minkoff and adapted by Caroline Thompson. Paul McCartney will score the film.

7th Son
Warner Bros. has committed to develop “7th Son,” a drama based on a trio of graphic novels by J.C. Hutchins. Seven strangers, assembled after the assassination of the U.S. president, each realize they are the same man, with the same memories. Originally published as a digital download, the first novel, “Descent,” is being released in the fall by St. Martin’s Press. Justin Britt-Gibson is writing the script.

Alt-Delete
WB is also aboard “Alt-Delete,” a sci-fi comedy scripted by Tim Kelleher and Danny Zuker in which two guys working for a vidgame publishing company come to realize they are avatars in a larger game.

Thieves Of Baghdad
Warners will also develop “Thieves of Baghdad,” a 10th century family adventure steeped in the world of the Arabian Nights, with Cole Haddon writing the script. Shaye said he sparked to Haddon’s take on the original collection of folk tales “One Thousand and One Nights,” which is in the public domain. It is a film that weaves Sinbad, Ali Baba, flying carpets, sword fights and genies in urns.

The Birth Mother
Unique has made a Screen Gems deal for “The Birth Mother,” a Jack Olsen-scripted thriller about a couple whose marriage is threatened when their surrogate falls in love with the husband and becomes obsessed with keeping the baby.

City Of Angels
The Unique partners have reteamed with “Wag the Dog” director Barry Levinson for the “City of Angels” feature. Larry Gelbart will turn his original book into a script, and composer Marc Shaiman is attached to serve as music director, augmenting the original music by the late Cy Coleman. David Zippel, who wrote the lyrics for the original stage production, is back with the pic. Unique is producing with PicturePlay Films. “Barry brought it to us, and the story of a writer of classic film noir detective stories, with the same actor playing both the writer and detective … is as great an idea for the screen as it was the for the stage,” Shaye said.

Untitled Bart Scott Project
Shaye and Lynne have joined forces with journalist Gay Talese on a sports feature based on the formative years of Bart Scott, the Baltimore Ravens linebacker who just signed with the New York Jets at $48 million for six years. Talese sparked to the story of Scott’s upbringing in a tough area of Detroit. Talese “is at least going to join us to write an extended treatment, and then we’ll find a writer to fill it out,” Lynne said.

The Moral Instruments
“The Mortal Instruments” is a bestselling young-adult fantasy trilogy by Cassandra Clare (three more volumes are in the works) about a young girl who inherited an ability to see and interact with a clan of supernatural spirits.

Even
“Even” is an Andrew Grant novel published last month about an undercover Royal Navy intelligence operative who goes on the run after being framed for murder.

Steven Conrad To Update ‘Karate Kid’ Script

Source: Risky Biz Blog

Columbia Pictures has brought aboard Steven Conrad (The Pursuit Of Happyness, The Weather Man) to work on the script for their upcoming remake of The Karate Kid. The script was previously penned by newcome Chris Murphy, but Conrad has a working relationship with two of the film’s producers, James Lassiter and Will Smith. The pic moves from Japanese themes and a California setting to Beijing where, according to reports, Jaden Smith’s character has just moved with his single mother and finds himself the target of bullies before turning to Jackie Chan’s character as a mentor. Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) has been confirmed as playing Smith’s mother which we reported here two weeks ago in the film directed by Harald Zwart (Agent Cody Banks, The Pink Panther 2). Think of it this way; it’ll suck so bad it’ll never tarnish the original.

Phillip Noyce To Direct ‘Mixed Blood’

Source: THR

Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, The Saint) is set to direct Samuel Jackson in a tale that centers on an American fugitive trying to protect his family who’s drawn into a world of murderers, kidnappers and corrupt cops in South Africa. Jackson would play a good detective who goes by the moniker of Disaster Zondi. Kelly Masterson (Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead) is penning the adaptation of Roger Smith’s novel. Noyce is currently directing Angelina Jolie in the Kurt Wimmer-penned Salt.