Daily Entertainment News for the Week of April 25th-29th

[FH]

Will Ferrell Travels to Land of the Lost
Source: ComingSoon!

Will Ferrell is attached to star in the comedy Land of the Lost, based on the 1974-77 television series of the same name for Universal Pictures, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Adam McKay, a former Saturday Night Live writer who directed Ferrell in Anchorman, is attached to direct, with Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas signing on to adapt the screenplay.

The series revolved around forest ranger Rick Marshall and his children, Will and Holly, who are caught in a time vortex while rafting on the Colorado River and transported to a mysterious world populated by dinosaurs.

Ferrell will next be seen in Universal's comedy Kicking & Screaming and will star opposite Nicole Kidman in this summer's Bewitched. He is playing Franz Liebkind in the film version of Mel Brooks' Broadway hit The Producers for Universal.

[FH]

A New Face Gets Lost
Source: ComingSoon!
TV Guide has the scoop on which actress will be introduced in hot ABC show Lost during the finale next month.

Turns out there was a movie star on board Oceanic Flight 815 when it crashed last fall. Michelle Rodriguez (Girlfight, Resident Evil, S.W.A.T.) will be introduced in the flashback-heavy season finale next month as a fellow passenger who befriends Matthew Fox's Jack prior to takeoff.

New episodes will start again on May 4th with the 2-hour finale on May 18th.

[FH]

David Fincher on a Se7en sequel
Source: Moviehole

What was an April Fools Day gag a couple of weeks back was actually closer to fact than most of the other fluff doing the rounds on the 1st.

I'm Waxing on a sequel to thriller-chriller "Se7en", which director David Fincher tells Total Film has actually been presented to him.

"I read a script two or three years ago that they wanted to make the sequel to Se7en. It didn't make a lot of sense to me. They wanted Morgan to have become clairvoyant in some way and that was the way he was now solving serial-killer cases! And I was like, 'Well, that's handy!' Its the kind of high concept you worry about. So I dont know that there is going to be a sequel. I do know that they have to call me if they're going to do it..."

I'd say leave it alone. Unless you can come up with something just as goose-bumpy as that first number, second servings don't deserve to be dished up.

[FH]

Lucas on Indiana Jones 4 and Willow 2
Source: Moviehole

The official portal of wookies, wicket and Wedge has uploaded the transcript for George Lucas's appearance/chat at Celebration III.

While they had him (and right-hand man Rick McCallum) on the spot, the lads were asked where Indiana Jones has got to.

"As a matter of fact, I just received the new script two days ago. I have yet to read it," McCallum said. "I'd like to be able to read it this weekend. I'll be talking to Steven [Spielberg] on Monday, and then we'll figure out what we're going to do. So, it's definitely in the works."

Apparently Spielberg has one more film to do before turning his attention to "Indiana Jones 4".
As for rumours that Harrison Ford's going to be recast due to age - that's as nonsensical as a lightglobe-clear lightsaber, he says.

Talking of sequels, George Lucas also touched upon a potential sequel or TV series spin-off of 80's fantasty fave, "Willow".

"I was actually just talking to Warwick Davis backstage, and we were communing on the possibility, wouldn't it be wonderful to someday do a Willow TV series. I can't say that we'll do that, but, [Lucasfilm] is moving into television, and a lot of ideas are popping up."

[FH]

No throne for King Conan anytime soon
Source: Moviehole

Looks like Conan won't be sword-swinging again anytime soon.

According to the barbarian's creator, John Milius, the long-planned "King Conan" - set to star either original star Arnold Schwarzenegger or rumoured replacement Triple H - is on hold.

"King Conan is pretty well on hold", he tells G4TV. "Warner Brothers decided they’re going to do their own version of whatever they want to do with Conan. They’ve sort of put it in deep, deep freeze. I don’t know. You’ll have to talk to Warner Brothers and ask them what their wisdom is. They’ll probably do an animated, kid-friendly Conan."

"King Conan : Crown of Iron", originally set to go into production this year, is the third film in the "Conan" movie series.

[FH]

'Rayden' the archives for Mortal Kombat sequel storyline
Source: Moviehole

The Unofficial Mortal Kombat 3 Movie Page has stumbled upon a possible synopsis of the next sequel :

"It seems that since the halt of Shao Kahn's invasion, stopping the merger between realms, Earth Realm's balance with the universe has been restored. But it is unclear the future of the tournament thus far. For there are many enemies still burning with hatred, possessing an unquenchable thirst for revenge. And since Kahn's invasion was not prophesized by the Elder Gods, the future of the tournament is unclear. For now our planet remains a precious gateway between realms, inhabited not by gods or sorcerers, but only by humans. Will Earth Realm be challenged again, or taken? And by whom? Sorcerers, corrupt ninja clans, or powerful being from a distant realm? One thing is certain, now that Rayden is an Elder God, it is up to me to watch over Earth Realm and lead our fighters against whomever they may face, in Mortal Kombat. Fujin - God of Wind, Protector of Earth Realm".

No word on just how old this synopsis is though.

"Mortal Kombat : Devastation", essentially skipping over the events of the second film, reunites the cast of the original - Christopher Lambert as Rayden, Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage, Robin Shou as Liu Kang, Chris Casamassa as Scorpion with Talisa Soto and Sandra Hess in talks to reprise their roles as Kitana and Sonya Blade, respectively.

There have been a number of directors rumoured to be helming said sequel, including Mink, Russell Mulcahy and George P.Cosmatos.

It regrettably won't be Cosmatos. Sadly, the "Rambo" and "Tombstone" director passed away a couple of days ago.

Cosmatos, who had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, died in Victoria, Canada.

[FH]

Radha headed to Silent Hill
Source; Moviehole

Radha Mitchell ("Pitch Black", "Man On Fire") is heading off to "Silent Hill" for Director Christophe Gans ("Brotherhood Of The Wolf"), based on the script by Roger Avary, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Hill" centres around a young woman Rose, and her search for her daughter through a very creepy and seemingly abandoned town.
It of course, is based on the Konami video game, widely acclaimed as being one of the scariest video games ever.

[FH]

"Interpreter" Translates to No. 1
Source: E!Online

America has voted at the box office: Ashton Kutcher can keep his pants on.

The That '70s Show goofball, who vowed to do a Calvin Klein underwear ad should his latest oeuvre, A Lot Like Love, top the movie charts in its debut weekend, will remain fully clothed now that the romantic comedy got punk'd, coming in fourth with just $7.7 million.


Debuting in first was the Nicole Kidman-Sean Penn United Nations-based thriller, The Interpreter. The film, the first for director Sydney Pollack, had a strong showing, with $22.8 million over an otherwise sluggish weekend.

According to initial studio estimates released Sunday, the overall box office was down for the ninth consecutive week. The top 12 films tallied just $83.4 million, per Exhibitor Relations, down slightly from the same time last year.

The Interpreter stars Kidman as a U.N. translator who overhears an assassination plot and recruits federal agent Penn to help her. The PG-13 Universal release garnered mediocre-to-good reviews (registering a 63 percent "fresh" rating at the review round-up site RottenTomatoes.com) and averaged $8,270 at 2,758 theaters, the top per-site average among wide-release films, attracting a largely older demo of 35 and overs.

By comparison, the weekend's other top newcomer, Kutcher's A Lot Like Love, failed to hit the $10 million mark and will now struggle to recoup its $30 million production budget at the box office. (Fortunately for Kutcher's accountants, his other big movie this season, Guess Who, continues to do well, adding another $3.5 million to its coffers in week five for a total of nearly $63 million). The Disney release, which got a general thumbs-down from critics, averaged just $3,094 at 2,502 sites.

That was barely more than Stephen Chow's martial-arts mayhem movie Kung Fu Hustle. Sony Pictures Classics' Hong Kong import, already a bona fide hit on the art-house circuit, expanded to 2,503 sites and averaged $2,915 per for a weekend take of $7.3 million in fifth place.

One other film was dumped into theaters this weekend, Anthony Anderson's kidnap-themed comedy King's Ransom. The New Line entry wasn't even screened for critics and failed to abduct much at the megaplex, finishing in 10th place with $2.3 million.

The limited-release documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room tallied the weekend's top per-screen average: $25,000 at three sites for an estimated total of $75,000, according to boxofficemojo.com.

Meanwhile, the soccer film The Game of Their Lives opened in 64 theaters, averaging $2,968 for a three-day score of $190,000.

Last week's chart-topper, The Amityville Horror was down a slot to number two with $14.2 million, a relatively modest drop of just 39 percent. The haunted house remake has a two-week total of $43.8 million. Also holding up was Sahara, now in third place with $9 million--a drop of just 31 percent from the previous weekend. The action-adventure flick has $48.9 million in three weeks.

Here's a rundown of the top 10 weekend films based on estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations; the final grosses will be released Monday:

1. The Interpreter, $22.8 million
2. The Amityville Horror, $14.2 million
3. Sahara, $9 million
4. A Lot Like Love, $7.7 million
5. Kung Fu Hustle, $7.3 million
6. Fever Pitch, $5.5 million
7. Sin City, $3.7 million
8. Guess Who, $3.5 million
9. Robots, $3.3 million
10. King's Ransom, $2.4 million

[FH]

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Image Gallery

[Plstrcast]

Originally Posted by FH

Will Ferrell Travels to Land of the Lost
Source: ComingSoon!

Will Ferrell is attached to star in the comedy Land of the Lost, based on the 1974-77 television series of the same name for Universal Pictures, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Adam McKay, a former Saturday Night Live writer who directed Ferrell in Anchorman, is attached to direct, with Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas signing on to adapt the screenplay.

The series revolved around forest ranger Rick Marshall and his children, Will and Holly, who are caught in a time vortex while rafting on the Colorado River and transported to a mysterious world populated by dinosaurs.

Ferrell will next be seen in Universal's comedy Kicking & Screaming and will star opposite Nicole Kidman in this summer's Bewitched. He is playing Franz Liebkind in the film version of Mel Brooks' Broadway hit The Producers for Universal.

Thats pretty funny concidering Will played Marshall Willnholly in Dogma

[FH]

The Birds Take Flight Again
Source: ComingSoon!

Universal is planning on remaking Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 horror classic The Birds with Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes in talks to produce with Peter Guber through his Mandalay Pictures banner.

The Hollywood Reporter says the new version would be based on the short story by Daphne Du Maurier, to which Universal owns the rights and which inspired Hitchcock's movie. Tippi Hedren starred in the original thriller about increasingly vicious birds that terrorize a small town.

Universal has previously remade Hitchcock's Psycho with director Gus Van Sant in 1998. A Strangers on a Train redo is also in the works at Warner Bros. Pictures, which released A Perfect Murder - based on the play that inspired Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder - in 1998.

Platinum Dunes has released succesful remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror, and is working on a new version of The Hitcher.

[FH]

David Duchovny Discovers a Secret
Source: ComingSoon!

David Duchovny (House of D) will topline The Secret, directed by French movie star Vincent Perez in Montreal.

Based on a Japanese novel by Keigo Higashino that was turned into a film, Himitsu in 1999, the thriller is about a man whose life changes suddenly after the bus carrying his wife and daughter goes off a cliff. The wife dies at the hospital, but the daughter lives. When she regains consciousness, she appears to be possessed by the dead wife.

Lili Taylor (The Haunting) has been cast as his wife, and Olivia J. Thirlby is making her screen debut playing the daughter. French producer Luc Besson co-produces the movie with Virginie Silla.

[FH]

Lucas to Guest-Star on The O.C.
Source: ComingSoon!

Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith writer/director George Lucas will guest-star as himself on The O.C. on Thursday, May 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

During the episode, Summer makes Zach and Seth decide which one of them is going to take her to Harbor High's "The O.Sea" prom. But, after George Lucas expresses interest in Seth's graphic novel, Seth is forced to make the most difficult decision of his life -- take Summer to the prom or have dinner with George Lucas.

Lucas' third and final prequel hits theaters 7 days after the episode airs.

[FH]

Madonna eyeing Puss
Source: Moviehole

Madonna will reunite with her "Evita" co-star Antonio Banderas for "Puss in Boots", a spin-off of "Shrek 2".

The film sees Banderas reprising his role as the tailed attack-machine, a character that first popped up in the abovementioned sequel to "Shrek".

"Madonna fancied doing something completely different and this sounded like so much fun. She is a fan of Shrek and thought Antonio was the best thing about the sequel", an insider tells The Sun.

The insider continues, "She has two young children and sees how much they love the films. Madonna is also friends with Mike Myers and respects him. He told her Puss would be a hit and she trusts his judgement."

Ed Decter and John Strauss wrote the film, set to go into production later this year.

[FH]

Dead Things Remake in the Works
Source: Cinescape

Director-producer Bob "Porky's" Clark and Victor Solnicki have teamed up to produce a slate of films with budgets ranging from $10 million to $40 million. Included will be a remake of Clark's 1973 film CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS.

Clark has written the new script for the zombie horror film which is budgeted at $12 million. The film will shoot in British Columbia.