weekly movie news

FH · 10-07-2003, 05:09 AM

Teri Polo on the Meet the Parents Sequel Source: illest urban Tuesday, October 7, 2003

'illest urban' writes in with news on the anticipated Meet the Parents sequel...

I was watching Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight, in which Teri Polo was a guest, and when Jimmy mentioned how much he enjoyed Meet The Parents, Teri slipped that there are plans for a sequel, to be titled "Meet The Fokkers." She said that they are scheduled to begin filming in the spring and that she had some contribution to a scene that is currently in the script at which point she is introduced to Greg's parents, Mr. & Ms. Fokker and his Grandmother, "Mother Fokker."

FH · 10-07-2003, 05:11 AM

Cool New Official Image From The Punisher Source: Matt Monday, October 6, 2003

'Matt' scanned a great new official image from The Punisher that appeared in the latest issue of TIME magazine. You can check out the picture here and what follows is the article...

When THOMAS JANE talks about The Punisher, a comic-book movie that opens next summer, you get the sense he's not talking about the no-dessert kind of punishment. Jane plays Frank Castle, a moody, haunted ex-Marine, now superhero, whose wife was killed by a Mafia boss (played by John Travolta). Hence his penchant for the punitive. The actor spent nine months working with Navy SEALs on "hand-to-hand combat, edged-weapon fighting, Japanese martial arts, Israeli martial arts, Filipino martial arts..." Jane ticks them off on his now deadly fingers. "The training has been incredibly intensive." Is he devoted to his craft? Or just compensating for having a girl's name?

FH · 10-07-2003, 05:27 AM

Whether it gets off the ground or not is a matter in itself, but just the fact that there’s a third “Fletch” movie floating about, one which would star Chevy Chase – especially now, with Kevin Smith planning his “Fletch Won” without Chase – is rather intriguing. Talking on the FletchWon message boards, screenwriter said she’s written a direct sequel to “Fletch Lives” [1989] and hopes something will come off it. “True. I'm the author of "Fletch Returns" the sequel to "Fletch Lives" which will hopefully star all of the original cast including cameos of Gail Stanwyck, Becky Culpepper and everyones favorite....Ted Underhill. "Fletch Returns" is currently in the hands of Creative Artists Agency. I don't know if they'll read it or shred it. I'd like to get it directly in the hands of Chevy Chase. Can anyone help me?”. Here’s the synopsis : Short synopsis: Irwin M. Fletcher's retirement gets postponed when Frank Walker is kidnapped by none other than Al Qaeda terrorists. It is up to Fletch, using his many disguises to find the kidnappers and not get himself killed. In the end, he has one heck of a story to print. The script includes the typical Fletch-isms only Chevy Chase can bring to the character. Sound interesting?

FH · 10-08-2003, 02:57 AM

Farrelly Bros. Eyeing Del Toro for Three Stooges? Source: The Boston Herald, IGN Filmforce Tuesday, October 7, 2003

Last week it was announced that Peter and Bobby Farrelly's revisiting of the Three Stooges films had been officially greenlit at Warner Bros. The Three Stooges is expected to start shooting early next year for a summer 2005 release. The new movie will be an adventure that revolves around the Stooges characters originated by Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Jerome "Curly" Howard in the classic Columbia Picture films.

Now, The Boston Herald has potential casting news for the film.

And speaking of the Farrellys, we told you months ago that Peter and Bobby are working on a big screen homage to the "Three Stooges." But did you know the silly sibs pine for Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro to play either Moe, Larry or Curly in the flick they're writing for Warner Bros.? Who knew Benicio was a regular laugh riot? Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk...

FH · 10-08-2003, 02:59 AM

Batman: Intimidation Game Casting Rumor Source: Jimmy the Gent Tuesday, October 7, 2003

'Jimmy the Gent' sent in this rumor about Batman: Intimidation Game...

Friend of mine works at Shepperton Studios (set building) and just called me at work today to say John Malkovich and Dennis Quaid are in Batman: Intimidation Game- Ra's Al Ghul and Gordon respectively I thought. My source is reliable- he told me about Bale before it got out as he saw him around the studios too.

FH · 10-09-2003, 02:56 AM

Terminator 4: 'BotBot' has some interesting stuff on another sequel with someone else at mind now Arnie's the Governor - "There have been meetings to talk about a T4 recently. T3 wasn't a smash - but it made enough to get the gang fluttering over it's potential as a new franchise. Not surprisingly, the latest is that it might be without Arnold. He apparently has said that he could do a cameo toward the start or end of the film, but his other commitments would make it near impossible for him to headline it. There's talk of bringing in another big name to headline it, Arnold's apparently suggested Dwayne Johnson. Arnold did a cameo in Dwayne's latest flick - and has put in a good word for the wrestler cum action star. I know they want to get Linda Hamilton back for a bizarre dream sequence. I think she'll come around - if only because Jon Mostow's not directing. I predict it'll happen for Summer 2005 against Bat and Indy over at P'mount. A rock/T4 might just work".

FH · 10-09-2003, 03:12 AM

This tidbit of Hollywood insider news comes from a longtime and frequent contributor to Coming Attractions who's always been privy to development news before it hits the trades. Our pal returned to fill us in on an exciting new development taking place with the long-in-development movie version of Isaac Asimov's FOUNDATION novel. It looks like fans who have been waiting years to see Asimov's future world unfold on the big screen might have finally gotten a break...

Our source spills the news that Twentieth Century Fox has just hired a screenwriter to adapt Asimov's FOUNDATION as one long script, with the most likely decision to split the screenplay into two separate movies, tentatively proposed as being FOUNDATION and SECOND FOUNDATION. The writer that got the job is Jeff Vintar who's latest work just happens to be I, ROBOT, another Asimov story currently being turned into a movie starring Will Smith.

For those unfamiliar with the premise of FOUNDATION, the book series is considered to be one of the epic tales spun by one of the grandmasters of science fiction rivaling Frank Herbert's DUNE series. FOUNDATION is the story of Hari Seldon, a future scholar who invents a new branch of predictive analysis called "psycho-history". Seldon's psycho-history is a mathematical science that can predict the future actions of large numbers of people, and as such he is able to predict that the current galactic government will fall into chaos and disrepair in a few short centuries. Absolutely certain that civilization will dissolve, Seldon sets about to create a grand plan to preserve the knowledge and technology of humanity. Unfortunately Seldon's attempt at salvation is thrown into jeopardy by the appearance of The Mule, a deformed mutant who intends to take over the galaxy and who cannot possibly have been foreseen by Seldon or psycho-history. Can Seldon still manage to ensure humanity will have a future?

Our source tells us that the powers that be at Fox want Vintar's FOUNDATION scripts to be "a very faithful adaptation of one of the great classics of sci-fi." We're also told that ELIZABETH and THE FOUR FEATHERS director Shekhar Kapur, who was at one time attached to the project, still remains interested in making the film. The producer of FOUNDATION is Vince Gerardis; Gerardis is also involved in the screen adaptation of Greg Bear's apocalyptic sci-fi thriller THE FORGE OF GOD.

However, there's a prior commitment that Vintar must first complete before starting to write the two FOUNDATION scripts for Fox, and that's also an exclusive scoop: the writer has been tapped to adapt the Vertigo comic book Y: THE LAST MAN for New Line Cinema. David Goyer, the screenwriter of all three BLADE films as well as director on the now-filming BLADE: TRINITY, is a producer on the Y movie.

FH · 10-09-2003, 03:15 AM

Director/writer M. Night Shyamalan (whose next film has now offically changed titles from THE WOODS to THE VILLAGE) is thinking about making a film based on Yann Martel's LIFE OF PI novel. The project is set up with Fox 2000, and if Shyamalan does make PI his next film after THE VILLAGE, it will end his streak making movies for Walt Disney Pictures.

LIFE OF PI has a curious storyline. It's about a 16-year-old boy named Pi Petal, the son of a zookeeper. When the family decides to move from their hometown in India to Canada, they emigrate on a ocean freighter. A tragic accident that sinks the vessel results in Pi floating adrift in a 26-foot lifeboat with his unlikely companions being a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, a seasick orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Needless to say, not all the animals get along with each other. Soon it's survival of the fittest and Pi and one of the beasts have to find a way to survive alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

If a deal can be struck between the director and Fox 2000, Shyamalan will adapt Martel's novel, direct the movie and also be a producer on the project.

FH · 10-09-2003, 03:47 AM

Superman/Catwoman: 'Turncoat' is back yet again with more on two of Warners superhero films in development: "You've probably seen the Catwoman costume. I'm told that the first pic released was a shot from the near end of the film, and throughout most of the film Halle will look more like the Michelle Pfieffer version. The costume will be upgraded as they say. You might also want to know that Halle might be trying to get out of the sequel clause....hmmm". What about the man of steel? "Superman is no closer to production but apparently every agent in town is sending in their recuits for a look in. Scott Speedman, who was on the WB's Felicity, is slowly becoming a favourite. He's been in a couple of times, and his "Underworld" gig might have him got him through the front door. The studio wants someone who'll attract young gals, so maybe he's it? Changes from week to week though".

FH · 10-09-2003, 03:49 AM

Star Wars: Episode III (SPOILERS): "Revenge of the Sith" is the latest rumoured subtitle according to TheForce.Net, whilst the same site also has an excellent spoiler report about Palpatine. Basic breakdown of it though is that: "In a makeup test, they had Ian McDiarmid looking just like the Emperor we know from the Classics, complete with yellow eyes and terrible crevaces of deep facial features. In one shot he's kind of gritting his teeth looking right at the camera. There are dark rings of red and brown under and around his eyes, and his lips are pursed and cracked. His face doesn't just look weathered, it looks plain evil. His black cloak is over his head in this first test shot...Why does Sidious look like this? He always did. Palpatine is his disguise/alternate persona he adopted to get himself into political power. He isn't able to maintain the disguise while using his powers and you'll see him flash to his Sidious look earlier in the film until he does the official "unveiling".

FH · 10-09-2003, 05:57 AM

Salma Hayek in James Cameron's Diver Biopic? Source: Univision, Latino Review Thursday, October 9, 2003

According to Univision, Salma Hayek will star in James Cameron's love story between freediver Francisco "Pipin" Ferreras and wife Audrey Mestre at 20th Century Fox for a 2005 release.

Hayek would play Mestre who, after learning the extreme sport of freediving under the tutelage of her Cuban-born husband and breaking his record, died last year as she tried to better her world mark of descending 557.7 feet while holding a single breath of air in her lungs.

Producer/director Cameron will film the upcoming October 12 attempt by Ferreras to match his wife's world record in Cabo San Lucas, the site where the Cuban diver first met the French-born aspiring marine biologist and taught her to dive.

FH · 10-09-2003, 05:58 AM

Kuchuck and Weiner on I Saw What You Did Remake Source: The Hollywood Reporter Thursday, October 9, 2003

Warner Bros. Pictures-based Dark Castle Entertainment has hired writing pair Danny Kuchuck and John Weiner to script a remake of the William Castle horror film I Saw What You Did.

Released in 1965, the film starred Joan Crawford, John Ireland, Sara Lane, Andi Garrett and Leif Erickson in the story of two teenagers (Lane and Garrett) who make a series of prank phone calls to strangers, whispering 'I saw what you did, and I know who you are.' In the film, the fun stops when they randomly ring a man (Ireland) who has just murdered his wife.

Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute the fast-tracked project.

FH · 10-10-2003, 02:51 AM

Martin Campbell Confirms He's Directing Zorro 2 Source: Latino Review Thursday, October 9, 2003

Beyond Borders director Martin Campbell confirmed to Latino Review that he will indeed return in the director's chair for The Mask of Zorro 2.

"We're going to be doing The Mask of Zorro 2. Antonio (Banderas) is already on board," he said about the follow-up to the action hit which starred Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

FH · 10-10-2003, 05:28 AM

King Conan: Crown of Iron Lives! Source: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith Friday, October 10, 2003

Columnists Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith report that writer/director John Milius definitely plans to go forward with King Conan: Crown of Iron without the newly-elected California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"This could be John's best script ever," says a source about the Conan the Barbarian follow-up. There's a challenging Conan role and it contains five significant female roles.

Someone close to the project says there will be advantages about going with another actor. It'll be cheaper to make, no studio interference, it'll be possible to shoot in exotic locales for which Arnold wouldn't get insurance from the studio, and less CGI.

FH · 10-10-2003, 05:32 AM

JACK BLACK Says He's The Best Person To Play OZZY OSBOURNE In Upcoming Biopic - Oct. 10, 2003

Michael Starr of the New York Post reports that Jack Black is angling to star in the big-screen Ozzy Osbourne biopic — and he's not shy about wanting the job. "He's been a huge influence on me," Black tells Ozzy's wife, Sharon, on today's "Sharon Osbourne Show".

"[Ozzy] was a hero of mine as a kid and I have to say, I've been tracking the Ozzy film. . . ." Black then tells Sharon that it would be a "bad call" to cast Colin Farrell in the role. "If anyone's Ozzy, I'm Ozzy," he says.