Four Join ‘Father Of Invention’

Source: THR

Craig Robinson (Zack And Miri Make A Porno), Heather Graham (The Hangover), Johnny Knoxville (Jackass), and Camilla Belle (Push) have been cast opposite Kevin Spacey in Father Of Invention, an ensemble comedy that Spacey is independently producing via his Trigger Street banner. Story follows a humble inventor-turned-egomaniacal billionaire (Spacey) who spends eight years in prison when one of his inventions goes awry. Upon release, he is seeks to rebuild his reputation and fortune but finds that easier than salvaging his relationship with his family.

Robinson will play the husband of the former billionaire’s ex-wife who now lives in his house and drives his car and helps Spacey get back on his feet after he gets out of prison. Belle will play his daughter, a social worker hesitant to trust her father, while Graham is her lesbian roommate who sleeps with the father. Knoxville will play a store manager who hires Spacey’s character after his prison stint. Trent Cooper is directing from a script he wrote with producer Jonathan Krane and Nichole Beatty. Production begins this week in New Orleans.

Daniel Craig Builds ‘Dream House’

Source: THR

Daniel Craig (Quantum Of Solace, Defiance) is in early talks to star in Dream House, a psychological thriller set up at Morgan Creek to be directed by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In America). Scripted by David Loucka script, Craig would play a man who moves his family to an idyllic small town, only to find his house haunted by its former inhabitants, who were murdered there. Sources close to the project stress that the two sides have not reached a deal. Craig’s name recently surfaced in connection with The Eagle Of The Ninth, a period pic for Focus Features being helmed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King Of Scotland).

Meghan Markle Joins ‘Fringe’

Source: THR

Meghan Markle has joined the cast of Fringe as a recurring character. Set to return for a second season in the fall, Markle will play an attractive, brash and quick-witted junior FBI agent. Markle got her start as a model holding cases on stupid NBC gameshow, Deal Or No Deal. I really hope this isn’t who they decided to replace Kirk Acevedo with. All that stuff about servicing the cast they have seems like a load of shit if you ask me. The series, from J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, stars cyborg Anna Torv (cos that’s the only way she could be this emotionless, right?!) as FBI special agent Olivia Dunham, who investigates paranormal phenomena with the help of Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son Peter (Joshua Jackson).

Katherine Heigl In The ‘Know’

Source: THR

Katherine Heigl is set to star in Life As We Know It, for Everwood creator Greg Berlanti. The story centers on two single people who suddenly become caregivers to an orphaned girl after the parents, their mutual best friends, are killed in an accident. The project, written by Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson, was originally set up by Josephson at Revolution in 2001 then moved to Fox 2000. Gold Circle picked it up, began packaging it, eventually catching Warner Bros. eye. No start date is set, but “Life” is expected to be fast-tracked.  Heigl is exec producing with her mother, manager Nancy Heigl, though not through the duo’s Abishag outfit.

Tidbits: June 23, 2009

Blood Simple
Zhang Yimou has started shooting a remake of the Coen brothers’ debut, Blood Simple. San Qiang Pai An Jing Qi (“The Stunning Case Of The Three Gun Shots“) recently began production. Details on the remake are being kept under wraps, but the thriller-comedy stars Chinese actor Sun Honglei, comedian Xiao Shenyang and actress Yan Ni. Blood Simple was about a Texas bar owner who hires a private detective to kill his wife and her lover. The 1984 movie starring Frances McDormand won the Grand Jury Prize for best film at the United States Film Festival — the predecessor to the Sundance Film Festival — helping establish Joel and Ethan Coen’s reputations. [Source: THR]

Burlesque
Cher is set to return to the screen for the first time in more than a decade in a contemporary musical for Screen Gems. Christina Aguilera will play an ambitious small-town Iowa girl with a big voice who comes of age in a neo-burlesque club on Sunset Boulevard that’s run by Tess (Cher), a former dancer who struggles to keep the club open and gives the young girl a chance to shine. “She brings a soulfulness and gravitas to this character that will ground the story,” Chris Culpepper, president of Screen Gems said. “The only person who was more excited than I am is Christina.” Steven Antin will direct from a script he wrote that was revised by Susannah Grant (Erin Brokovich, The Soloist). [Source: Variety]

Frank
Kevin Lima (Enchanted) has been tapped to direct romantic comedy Frank, a reimagining of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein story. The film centers on a teenage prodigy who’s on the cutting edge of cell research in medical school and is encouraged by her guidance counselor to take a break from the lab and make some friends. After several unsuccessful attempts at socializing with her peers, she decides to use her scientific prowess and piece together a friend out of the med school’s instructional cadavers. The project is currently out to writers. Lima is also working on a remake of  The Incredible Mr. Limpet. [Source: Variety]

Ghostbusters 3
Sigourney Weaver confirms that she will not be in Ghostbusters 3. “No, I don’t expect to have anything to do with it, although I wish them well. I just did a benefit with Bill and we love working together, but I think they’re trying to create something new completely with the Ghostbusters. “I hope my little son Oscar [from Ghostbusters II] is a Ghostbuster!” [Source: Digital Spy]

Smallville
British actor Callum Blue (Dead Like Me, Rome) has joined the cast of Smallville, portraying General Zod in a role previously made famous by Terrence Stamp. Supervillain General Zod from the DC Comics books was introduced in 1980 feature “Superman II.” [Source: THR]

The Special Relationship
Peter Morgan has pulled out as director of the HBO Films/BBC Films movie The Special Relationship. Richard Loncraine has come on board to direct the project, written by Morgan, who will remain “integrally involved in every aspect of the production” in his role as a writer/executive producer. The cast, crew and filming schedule for “Special Relationship,” which has been greenlighted for production, remain intact. Dennis Quaid is on board to play President Clinton, Michael Sheen as Prime Minister Blair, Julianne Moore as Hillary Clinton and Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair. [Source: THR]

The Testament
After a decade of saying no, John Grisham has made a movie deal for his 1999 bestselling novel about a billionaire defies his greedy relatives and leaves his $11 billion fortune to a mysterious illegitimate daughter doing charity work in the Brazilian wetlands. A down-and-out lawyer helps her battle her relatives over the fortune. [Source: Variety]

Untitled Zac Efron Thriller
Zac Efron has signed to star in an untitled thriller for Mandate Pictures, which is being written by Leslie Dixon. The plot is being kept under wraps but it is described as “a sexy thriller.” Efron will act as executive producer with Mandate’s Nathan Kahane. [Source: THR]

Kathryn Hahn Lines Up Two Projects

Source: THR

Kathryn Hahn (Step Brothers, Anchorman) recently landed in a role in the upcoming James L. Brooks comedy, which was last seen adding Jack Nicholson to it’s roster. In the Brooks comedy, she’ll play the assistant to Paul Rudd’s lead role. She’s also developing a half hour pilot with husband, Ethan Sandler at Sony Pictures Television as a potential starring vehicle for Hahn.

Benicio Del Toro Cameos In Sophia Coppola’s ‘Somewhere’

Source: Movieline

Moveline has confirmed rumors that Benicio Del Toro was tipped for an unspecified role in Sophia Coppola’s third film, Somewhere. Pop band Rooney, of which Coppola’s cousin is lead singer, recently blogged that some of its members would be appearing in the film along with Del Toro.

Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, and Jackass stuntman Chris Pontius star in the film which follows Dorff as a bad-boy actor holed up in the famous Chateau Marmont who gets a reality check when he’s unexpectedly visited by his daughter (Fanning). Del Toro’s role involves a brief run-in with Dorff’s actor at the historic hotel, but that role is exactly that — brief, nothing more than a cameo. He is currently awaiting the release of his delayed passion project The Wolf Man later this year.

Massive Tidbits Update: June 19, 2009

Note: I fell behind a bit the past few days, so here’s a massive roundup to get reasonably caught up.

Boo-U
Dreamworks Animation is pushing forward with their “super secret ghost project“, competing for a fourth-quarter 2012 release slot. Referred to internally as Boo U., the story centers on a ghost who is bad at his job and must return to ghost school. The film recently picked up writer Jon Vitti (The Simpsons Movie). It’s kinda sad, because this is a project that would inspire all sorts of possibilities if it were being made at Pixar. Another ghost-centric film, referred to as Freakers, is being written by Joe Syracuse & Lisa Addario (Surf’s Up) centers on a ghost story told from the ghosts’ point of view, in their world. [Source: THR]

Bounty Hunter
Jason Sudeikis (SNL, 30 Rock) has been cast in the Columbia comedy opposite Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. The movie centers on Milo (Butler), a bounty hunter hired to track down his ex-wife, Casidy (Aniston), who has skipped out on bail. Sudeikis will play Stewart, a work friend of Casidy’s who falsely believes he is her boyfriend and takes off after her when she goes on the run. Andy Tennant (Fool’s Gold) directs from a script by Sarah Thorp (Twisted). [Source: THR]

Bride Of Frankenstein
Neil Burger (The Illusionist) is in talks to resurrect the Bride Of Frankenstein for Universal. Burger would pen the script with writing partner Dirk Wittenborn. The sequel continued the story of Frankenstein’s monster who persuades Dr. Frankenstein to create a mate. The doctor is successful, but the Bride (who is not a central character) winds up rejecting the monster at the end of the movie. About five years ago, American Splendor scribes Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini were attached to write, setting the  picture in contemporary New York, with a young woman dying and then unnaturally brought back to life. Burger’s version is expected to differ significantly from that concept. [Source: Risky Biz Blog]

The Experiment
Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, Elijah Wood and Cam Gigandet will star in a remake of the German psychological thriller Das Experiment. The original centered centered on a group of ordinary men recruited to take on the roles of guards and prisoners as part of a research study and examined how the effects of assigned roles, power and control affected the participants. Brody will portray the de facto leader of the prisoners while Whitaker will play a guard who’s corrupted by the power he’s given. Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring writing and directing with filming set to begin in Iowa next month. [Source: Variety]

Footloose
Dancing With the Stars‘ Julianne Hough will be make the transition to acting in the upcoming remake of Paramount’s 1984 classic. The dancer, singer and choreographer will join Chace Crawford (who recently replaced Zac Efron), assuming her scheduling works for the March shoot. The original told the story of a rebellious outsider who moves to a new town where music and dancing are banned and proceeds to shake everything up. Kenny Ortega (High School Musical) directs, while the latest draft was written by Susannah Grant (The Soloist). [Source: THR]

Inception
Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi feature has officially begun shooting in Tokyo. The film which stars Leonard DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt among others has a rumored budget of $150+ million. The story, which is being extremely quiet, is “a sci-fi thriller set within the architecture of the mind.” [Source: /Film]

The Invisible Man
David Goyer updated ShockTilYouDrop on the status of his version of the HG Wells classic. “I’ve since finished a draft and I’m in the midst of revisions for it right now,” he says. “Universal seems pretty high on it. So, they’re just breathing down my neck to get the revisions done. It’s a movie they’d like to make.” Universal also has The Wolfman coming to theaters this November, so the success of these two movies will most likely influence whether other classic monster franchies are revived. [Source: ShockTilYouDrop]

Just Wright
Rapper-turned-actor Common (Smokin Aces, Terminator: Salvation) has been cast opposite Queen Latifah in a romantic sports comedy directed by Sanaa Hamri. Scripted by Michael Elliott, film concerns a sports trainer who finds herself falling in love with a professional basketball player while rehabilitating him from a career-threatening injury. Paula Patton (Deja Vu, Precious) was also recently cast. [Source: Variety]

The Last Song
Greg Kinnear and Kelly Preston have been cast as Miley Cyrus’ parents in Disney’s adaptation of the upcoming Nicholas Sparks novel. The story centers on a rebellious teenager (Cyrus) who is forced to spend the summer with her estranged father (Kinnear), a former Juilliard professor and concert pianist. [Source: THR]

Money Never Sleeps
British actress Carey Mulligan (Pride & Prejudice) has been cast as Gordon Gecko’s daughter, Winnie, in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street sequel. Winnie Gecko is the fiancee of Jacob (Shia LaBeouf), and hasn’t spoken to her father Gordon in 11 years while he was away in prison since she blames her father for the suicide of her brother Rudy. Taking place 21 years after the events in Wall Street and set in the world of hedge fund managers around election time, Gordon Gecko agrees to help Jacob get his revenge against a hedge fund manager as long as Jacob helps restore and mend Gordon’s relationship with Winnie. Winnie works for a senator in Washington, DC. [Source: Latino Review]

Once Upon A Time…
Mike Mitchell (Shrek Forever After) is set to direct MGM’s live-action fantasy, based on a script Charlie Vignola, Kevin Marcus and Bradley Marcus. The story has Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty married to their handsome princes, the Charming brothers, and planning to live happily ever after — only to see their spouses go missing. The sisters-in-law set out to save their husbands and the fairy tale kingdom. An MGM rep said the studio does not have to license Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty from the Walt Disney Co. because the characters are in the public domain. [Source: Variety]

Teen Wolf
A remake of Michael J. Fox starrer Teen Wolf is in early development, because apparently Hollywood has given up and we should all get used to this. Warner Bros snagged the rights five or six years ago and are currently out to writers, looking for a fresh reinterpretation of Rod Daniels’ 1985 hit. The studio isn’t sure ”which way they’re going to go.” [Source: Moviehole]

The Secret History Of Tom Trueheart
Framelight Productions and David Uslan set to produce and adapt the children’s book trilogy into a series of feature films. The series follows a young boy and his older brothers in the Land of Stories. Production on a first live-action pic, based on the 2007 book, is aimed for a mid-2010 start on a planned $60 million budget. Framelight’s Jeffrey D. Erb and Robert L. Robinson Jr. will join Uslan in producing the film, with the series’ British author, Ian Beck, on board as exec producer. A screenwriter will be hired shortly. [Source: THR]

Tron 2
A pretty intensive, spoiler-filled early script review for Tron 2 has gone up over at CC2K. [Source: CC2K]

Trophy Boys
Josh Sugarman is setting eye on a group of young writers as a way of examining Generation Y in the narrative film as his feature directorial debut that has begun shooting in New York. Ryan Eggold (90210) plays a self-righteous twentysomething, with David Gallagher (7th Heaven) playing a friend who collaborates with him on a script. Tahyna Tozzi (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) plays a love interest for both. The film’s title describes members of a generation, coddled by their parents, that grow up with an overestimated sense of self-worth. Sugarman co-wrote the screenplay with Brandon Yankowitz. [Source: THR]

Unbreakable 2
M. Night Shyamalan is apparently still keen on doing a sequel to Unbreakable. “I don’t know where all the parties are in the world. Sam [Jackson] is like ‘Mr. Comic Book’ now. And Bruce, I don’t know what he’s up to. I don’t know where Disney’s at in their head and what kind of movies they’re up for making. But yeah, I love that movie.” Would Disney ever want to work with Shyamalan again after that entire Lady In The Water fiasco? [Source: MTV]

Untitled Facebook Status Project
Lisa Hamilton Day, a former exec at Dreamworks and friend of Christy Fletcher’s, wryly posted last week: “Lisa Hamilton Day’s Pomeranian raided Chinese takeout bag overnight, opened and ate a fortune cookie. Her fortune: You have strong spiritual powers, and you should develop them.” Fletcher, who runs a New York lit agency was thoroughly amused by the comment and immediately saw a story in it. Now Fletcher’s teamed up with Howie Sanders on a tween series about Charlotte, the Pomeranian, who uses her newfound superpowers to save her owner’s home after said owner loses her job and is forced to contemplate moving in with her folks, in a deal that would entail selling the Facebook update and optioning the dog’s life rights. Sigh. Seriously, I didn’t even make that up. [Source: Dark Horizons]

Wanted 2
Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Day Watch) is ready to start prep on a sequel to the Mark Millar adaptation. “In July we will start preparation for the film. I think in the late autumn or winter shooting will be performed, in America, India, and Russia,” Mr. Bekmambetov said to RIA Novosti. The film promises to bring back Angelina Jolie’s character, who was victim to the most awesome homicide/suicide ever filmed, aswell as introducing new characters. [Source: RIC]

Brian Austin Green Is Metallo

Source: TV Guide

Brian Austin Green, he of 90210 fame and longtime boyfriend of the hottest girl breathing, Megan Fox, will be joining the cast of Smallville for it’s ninth season. I stopped watching this show after the first season. I couldn’t handle all the back and forth Clark/Lana/Chloe/Lex garbage, so I won’t even pretend to know what’s going on. Green was last seen on The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which was cancelled after two seasons, but this time around he’ll be playing Daily Reporter journalist/cyborg, John Corben. Green will appear as the kryptonite-powered villain in at least the first two episodes of Season 9, which airs Friday, Sept. 25th.I honestly can’t remember this many 90210 cast members having jobs since, well, 90210.

G4’s Olivia Munn In ‘Iron Man 2’

Source: /Film

Olivia Munn, co-host of G4’s Attack Of The Show and one of the hottest women to ever hold a videogame controller, was recently cast in Jon Favreau’s currently shooting Iron Man 2. /Film speculated that Munn may have been playing a reporter in the film, but via her Twitter account she denied that rumor. “Slashfilm took a guess at my role in Iron Man 2 and I am not playing a reporter. But that’s all i can say. :)” I bet we’ll start hearing more details at next month’s Comic-Con and, hopefully, maybe a bit of footage.