Cinematical

• Fincher Battles Paramount; Del Toro, Snyder Among 'Heavy Metal' Directors
  

  Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Paramount, Sony, RumorMonger, Distribution

  We all know that David Fincher is an uncompromising director (and why shouldn't he be? The guy is one of the best working today). But, even if you don't like the man, you have to admire someone who is truly willing to put his money where his mouth is. In an interview unearthed by The Playlist, Heavy Metal publisher (and Fincher's collaborator on the Metalreboot), Kevin Eastman, confirmed that the reason for the project's move from Paramount to Sony was not because of problems with the sex and violence...
  



• What of Anne Hathaway's Missing 'Passengers'?
  

  Filed under: Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Sony, RumorMonger, Distribution, Trailers and Clips, Posters

  For quite some time, the supernatural thriller Passengers -- starring Anne Hathaway as a grief counselor working with survivors of a plane crash (among them, Patrick Wilson) who begin to vanish -- had been quietly set on opening this Friday, September 5th.

  However, as the date neared without any sign of a poster, a trailer, anything, I began rooting around the IMDb message boards and was about to post a Spanish-language trailer, complete with accompanying amateur translation, when along came a legit trailer (by way of Reelz...
  




• Count Bryce Dallas Howard In for 'Spiderman 4'
  

  Filed under: Action, Casting, Sony, RumorMonger, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

  I feel like I have this long checklist of cast and crew that we're slowly crossing off for this theoretical film. Now, you can put Bryce Dallas Howard on the "would sign tomorrow" list, thanks to MTV. "I would love to be apart of any continuation of the franchise. But, I also really understand that there's so many different story lines that the fans are really excited to see, and the studio, and the producers, and the filmmakers really need to appease everyone," the actress said. "Whether or not Gwen Stacy comes back,...
  



• 'Aeon Flux' Scribes Sign for 'The Boys'
  

  Filed under: Action, Deals, Sony, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek

  I can't help but feel bad for Garth Ennis because it seems like lately, the guy can't catch a break. It was bad enough that the long-awaited adaption of his controversial series Preacher was shelved at HBO; but this is just adding insult to injury. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Columbia Pictures has hired Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay to adapt Ennis' anti-superhero comic, The Boys. Back in February, Elisabeth gave us the heads up that Columbia had picked up the property in the 'spirit' of looking for some titles that could give Watchmen...
  



• Aaron Sorkin, Scott Rudin Working on Facebook Movie?
  

  Filed under: Deals, Sony, RumorMonger, Scripts

  Call me skeptical, but I'm willing to sustain myself entirely on a diet of my own words if writer Aaron Sorkin and producer Scott Rudin can actually manage to make something entertaining out of a film about the formation of social networking site Facebook and the success of its founders, as Variety reports they are working on over at Sony.

  Honestly, what can an Oscar-winning producer and an oft-acclaimed scribe do with a rags-to-riches arc and the sight of two guys tapping away at computers and taking meetings? Sure, at least Sorkin and Rudin are two talented guys in their...
  




• 'Office' Writers Sell 'Bad Teacher' Spec to Sony
  

  Filed under: Comedy, Deals, Sony, Scripts

  When two guys with a dozen episodes of The Office and an upcoming Judd Apatow project between them (that'd be next summer's biblical comedy Year One), I'd be willing to see what else they've got up their combined sleeve. For Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, that sleeve is home to Bad Teacher, the spec script that Columbia just picked up.

  According to Variety, the story concerns "a foul-mouthed, gold-digging seventh-grade teacher who's dumped by her sugar-daddy boyfriend and turns her attention toward a colleague. That pits her against a rival who happens to be the school's model...
  




• Latest James Bond Flick Bumped Back a Week
  

  Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Thrillers, Sony, Universal, RumorMonger, Distribution, 20th Century Fox, Family Films, Dreamworks, James Bond, Harry Potter, Remakes and Sequels, Nicole Kidman

  In what appears to be part of a most thorough campaign to botch Entertainment Weekly's Fall Movie Preview, a recent press release wholly admits that the North American opening of the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, back from November 7th to the 14th marks an effort to capitalize on last week's sudden Harry Potter shift.

  Although...
  




• Horror Remake Outrage: 'Candyman' Going White?
  

  Filed under: Horror, Sony, RumorMonger, Remakes and Sequels

  Of all the freakin' horror remake outrages, this one might take the cake. Candyman, the freakishly original 'Chicago projects urban legend' flick based on a Clive Barker story, might be remade by Sony with a Caucasian in the title role, according to Shock Til You Drop. The site says that Sony and the unidentified rights holder are in "early talks," with one idea being to change Candyman's skin color from black to white.

  I know this is not confirmed, and many stupid ideas are undoubtedly floated in early conversations, but this is wrong on so many levels I'm left...
  




• Joel Silver Screens 'RocknRolla' For Competing Studios
  

  Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, Awards, Casting, Deals, New Releases, Lionsgate Films, Sony, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Distribution, Movie Marketing

  As far as hustling movie producer archetypes go, I tend to prefer Joel Silver over Harvey Weinstein. Sure, Weinstein played a role in some of the great American independent films from the last decade of the twentieth century, but Silver's production credits have more spice to them -- The Matrix, Predator,48 Hrs. -- hinting at the zany force behind...
  



• 'Dracula Year Zero' Writers Sign for 'Flash Gordon' Update
  

  Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Sony, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

  Usually when a harebrained idea like remaking Flash Gordon starts to make the rounds, you can usually count on it being at least a few years down the line -- but I guess today I'm just not that lucky. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless have now signed to pen the update of the classic sci-fi tale with Sahara director Breck Eisner at the helm. Eisner signed to direct last May, and with the addition of the screenwriting duo, it could mean...