weekly movie news

[FH]

Pullman, DuVall & Mapother Hold a Grudge
Source: The Hollywood Reporter Sunday, January 25, 2004

Bill Pullman, Clea DuVall and William Mapother have joined Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr and KaDee Strickland in helmer Takashi Shimizu's The Grudge, the English-language remake of Ju-on produced by Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures for Columbia Pictures. Shooting starts in Tokyo later this month.

The film centers on a curse that befalls someone who dies in the grip of a powerful rage. Those who encounter this murderous supernatural curse die, and a new one is born -- passed like a virus from victim to victim.

DuVall and Mapother play a husband and wife living in Tokyo who unwittingly encounter the violent curse of their home's previous owner. Pullman plays an English professor.

[FH]

New Line's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won big tonight at the Golden Globe Awards, collecting a total of four awards for Best Drama, Best Director (Peter Jackson), Best Original Score (Howard Shore) and Best Original Song ("Into the West"). Lost in Translation won three awards including Best Picture (Comedy or Musical), Best Comedy or Musical Actor (Bill Murray) and Screenplay (Sofia Coppola).

Sean Penn received the Best Actor (Drama) award for Mystic River and Charlize Theron won for Best Actress (Drama) for Monster. Diane Keaton won the Best Comedy or Musical Actress award for Something's Gotta Give.

In the TV field, 24 was awarded Best Drama and The Office got Best Comedy or Musical. HBO's Angels in America also received five awards.

[FH]

McGee's Oz Optioned by Bruckheimer & Disney
Source: The Hollywood Reporter Sunday, January 25, 2004

Video game creator American McGee, who most recently brought a twisted retelling of "Alice in Wonderland" to gamers, has turned his imagination on The Wizard of Oz, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Walt Disney Pictures have optioned the movie rights already, and other media deals are either signed or pending. There's no time frame for the first film of what will be a trilogy, McGee said, but screenwriters Kevin and Dan Hageman are attached.

McGee said games, books and other projects featuring his unique vision of "Oz" also are being developed.

[FH]

Star Wars: Episode III Has the Longest Duel Ever Source
: TheForce.net Sunday, January 25, 2004

TheForce.net reports that, according to an interview in UK's Times magazine with stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, the light saber duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode III will be the longest fight ever in a film.

I got the Jedi style from all the great sword styles. Only about 12 people on Earth know it and can read the moves off the page. But I invented it, so I can beat them all, though Hayden Christiansen, who plays Darth Vader, is the toughest. The skill is mostly balance and having your feet in the right place. In the next film, Ewan [McGregor] has more than 1,000 moves, which are more complicated to learn than dialogue. The climactic fight scene is, at 12 minutes, the longest fight scene in cinema history.

In related news, on Friday, leaked behind-the-scenes footage from "Episode III" hit the Web and we've received numerous e-mails from fans who had nothing but positive things to say about it. TFN says that the footage came from a meeting between Target executives and the marketing team from Lucasfilm. A lot of the duel mentioned above is shown in the footage and while we can't link to it here, you can browse around to see how you can get a copy.

[FH]

Creative Light Doing New Jekyll Adaptation
Source: Variety Monday, January 26, 2004

Creative Light Entertainment CEO Scott Zakarin will helm a contemporary feature retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" novella to begin principal photography in L.A. today, says Variety.

Jekyll, also written by Zakarin, stars Matt Keeslar (The Last Days of Disco) in the title role, along with Jonathan Silverman, Siena Goines (Judging Amy), Desmond Askew (Go), Abigail Spencer (All My Children) and John Rubenstein (21 Grams).

Distribution has not been lined up for the film as yet, though production and distribution company Creative Light has a first-look deal with Miramax, which is releasing the company's most recent production, Mark Hamill's mocudocumentary Comic Book: The Movie, on DVD this Tuesday.

His script for the film, has Jekyll as a computer scientist who collaborates with his female lab assistant to create a powerful computer program that transforms him into a lustful and violent alternate personality that jeopardizes his marriage and friendships.

[FH]

Tim Roth Jumps into Dark Water
Source: Variety Monday, January 26, 2004

Tim Roth is set to join Jennifer Connelly, Pete Postlethwaite and John C. Reilly in Dark Water, the Disney remake of the hit Japanese film being directed by Walter Salles.

The film revolves around a mother and daughter who escape a custody battle by retreating to a run-down apartment building. There, they are haunted by the ghost of a former resident. Roth will play the mother's attorney, an odd lawyer who works out of his car.

The original movie was directed by Hideo Nakata. Rafael Yglesias wrote the script the new script.

[FH]

Sandler, Rock & Dogg Score The Longest Yard
Source: Variety Monday, January 26, 2004

Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Snoop Dogg will topline an updated remake of the 1974 Burt Reynolds drama-comedy, The Longest Yard, with Paramount and Sony co-financing and filming expected to begin in June. Variety says the studios will split the pot with Paramount handling domestic distribution and Sony taking foreign.

The Longest Yard had been set up last summer by Paramount at Sandler's Sony-based Happy Madison Productions and MTV. At that point, Sandler was not planning to star but came on board after reading Sheldon Turner's script.

Rock has been offered the "Caretaker" role and Dogg has been asked to play a member of the team. Producers plan to sign a variety of rap stars, and current and former NFL players will round out the cast.

Sandler is currently working on Spanglish and had been expected to move next to Click, a Sony-Revolution comedy. But his commitment to The Longest Yard means filming on Click will wait until after "Yard" is completed.

The original film featured Reynolds as retired pro football quarterback Paul Crewe, who is sent to prison and forced by a sadistic warden to lead a team of inmates against a team of guards.

[FH]

Is Darren Aronofsky's Fountain Flowing Again?
Source: Coming Soon! Monday, January 26, 2004

Actress Ellen Burstyn spilled an interesting bit of news last night while being interviewed by Joan Rivers during the arrivals show on E!. Burstyn said her next project would be writer/director Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain, with filming to begin this Fall.

The sci-fi film is the journey of one man in the present as well as both 500 years in the past and into the future. Among the issues it tackles are love, death and immortality.

Last we heard, Warner Bros. auctioned a set and props in August some time after the project stalled when Brad Pitt dropped out to film Troy instead. The auction included a 10-story-high Aztec temple built for Pitt and Inca costumes that would have been worn by Cate Blanchett.

[FH]

Scott Weiland has been ordered to return to a live-in drug detoxification center in California after leaving early. The 36-year-old Stone Temple Pilots/Velvet Revolver singer was ordered to report to the facility in October after pleading no contest to possession of heroin. A California Superior Court judge learned Friday that he had walked out or was discharged after only a month and ordered him to return.

Weiland reported back to the facility Friday afternoon. He is eligible for release in July but must participate in a six-month follow-up program. If he leaves the center again or tests positive for drugs, prosecutors will seek a warrant for his arrest, according to a district attorney spokesperson.

Weiland was jailed in 1999 for violating probation on a previous drug arrest and failing to complete a rehabilitation program.

In a separate case, Weiland has pled innocent on a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence, stemming from an October arrest in Hollywood. He is due back in court Feb. 5 on that case.

[FH]

Here are the Golden Globes winners

Two wildly different epics, HBO's ''Angels in America'' and ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' reigned over the 61st annual Golden Globes. ''Angels'' nabbed five prizes, including best miniseries and acting awards for Al Pacino and Meryl Streep (who won last year for ''Adaptation''), while ''Rings'' won best drama, best director (Peter Jackson), and two music prizes. ''Lost in Translation'' also had a big night, winning best comedy, along with an acting prize for Bill Murray and a screenwriting nod for director Sofia Coppola. ''Mystic River,'' meanwhile, scored acting awards for Tim Robbins and Sean Penn (who didn't show up). And the BBC America comedy series ''The Office'' picked up a surprise two wins.

Here are the winners:

Best Motion Picture Drama
''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''

Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
''Lost in Translation''

Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
Sean Penn, ''Mystic River''

Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
Charlize Theron, ''Monster''

Best Director
Peter Jackson, ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''

Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Bill Murray, ''Lost in Translation''

Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Diane Keaton, ''Something's Gotta Give''

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Tim Robbins, ''Mystic River''

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Renée Zellweger, ''Cold Mountain''

Best Screenplay
Sofia Coppola, ''Lost In Translation''

Best Original Score
''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''

Best Original Song
''Into The West,'' ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (music and lyrics by Howard Shore, Fran Walsh, Annie Lennox)

Best Foreign-Language Film
''Osama'' (Afghanistan)

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series
Sarah Jessica Parker, ''Sex and the City''

Best Actor in a TV Drama Series
Anthony LaPaglia, ''Without a Trace''

Best Actress in a TV Drama Series
Frances Conroy, ''Six Feet Under''

Best Musical or Comedy TV Series
''The Office''

Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series
Ricky Gervais, ''The Office''

Best Drama TV Series
''24''

Best Miniseries or TV Movie
''Angels in America''

Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Al Pacino, ''Angels in America''

Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Meryl Streep, ''Angels in America''

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie
Jeffrey Wright, ''Angels in America''

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie
Mary-Louise Parker, ''Angels in America''

(Posted:01/23/04)

[FH]

Selleck packs a "Magnum"
Posted: Monday Jan. 26, 2004 11:50pm (Au-EST)

Author: Garth Franklin
Source: www.darkhorizons.com



'Whit' has some interesting new speculation in regards to the recently announced movie version in the works of the classic 80's series:

"A guy I know, Mike McCullers, has just got the job to pen the new film version of the TV series Magnum PI. Long story short, I ran into Mike at the premiere of "Scary Movie 3" here in the UK last week. Brian Grazer is going to make the film at his production company.

Mike's on the first draft of the film version (the story will start from scratch, a'la the pilot episode of the series, with how Magnum becomes to work for Robin Masters and Higgins should it be without Selleck, otherwise it will kick off with Magnum on a mission in Taiwan - which is more the case now, he says).

There's not much to tell, but the studio has been suggesting big names for the lead role and the producers and writers have suggested they stick with tom selleck, just make the character of magnum older.

Mike says it looks like they may have won. No Clooney. No Travolta. No other name A-Lister. Everyone's agreeing that Selleck is Magnum, and audiences probably wouldn't respond if he wasn't. Good news I thought".

[FH]

Marcus Nispel Takes a Turn at Paramount
Source: Variety Tuesday, January 27, 2004

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre helmer Marcus Nispel will direct Turn for Radar Pictures at Paramount.

Based on a Japanese film by the same name, Turn is a supernatural thriller about a woman who slips into a coma after an accident and finds upon waking that she is in a parallel reality -- a completely empty city, where she is forced to relive the same day over and over again.

The film is being dubbed the horror version of Groundhog Day. Paramount will handle domestic distribution and Focus International will handle foreign rights.

The Japanese original is more of a love story than a thriller, but Fernley Phillips' new screenplay ups the horror ante. Nispel will focus on Turn after helming Diane Lane in Need, also at Paramount.

[FH]

Remake of Assault on Precinct 13 Starts in April
Source: Production Weekly Monday, January 26, 2004

According to Production Weekly, filming on the updated version of John Carpenter's cult classic Assault on Precinct 13 is scheduled to begin early April in Toronto.

Inspired by Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo, the 1976 original took place in an isolated, nearly abandoned Los Angeles police station, in which officers, staff and prisoners are forced to negotiate a partnership when a vengeful street gang lays siege to the building.

Jean-Francois Richet will direct the new version scripted by James DeMonaco. It transports the story to the present day, in a police precinct made obsolete by the industrialization of its surroundings.

Focus Features will distribute the film domestically.

[FH]

Conceptual Artwork Starts for Namor
Source: Comics Continuum Monday, January 26, 2004

Comics Continuum spoke to Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige who said that conceptual artwork for Namor has begun for a potential 2006 release by Universal Pictures. David Self ("Road to Perdition") is writing the script.

"Namor, that's a big one," Feige told The Continuum during its recent visit to the Marvel Studios offices. "We just got a new draft of the script in. The script is so spectacular and there are so many great things in it, we just wanted to have a conceptual artist come in and start doing some early renders.

Hit the link above for more of the interview. Feige added that Marvel has six potential 2005 releases, including Elektra, Deathlok, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Iron Man and Luke Cage.

[FH]

Oscar nominations

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Johnny Depp - PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
Ben Kingsley - HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
Jude Law - COLD MOUNTAIN
Bill Murray - LOST IN TRANSLATION
Sean Penn - MYSTIC RIVER

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alec Baldwin - THE COOLER
Benicio Del Toro - 21 GRAMS
Djimon Hounsou - IN AMERICA
Tim Robbins - MYSTIC RIVER
Ken Watanabe - THE LAST SAMURAI

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Keisha Castle-Hughes - WHALE RIDER
Diane Keaton - SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
Samantha Morton - IN AMERICA
Charlize Theron - MONSTER
Naomi Watts - 21 GRAMS

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Shohreh Aghdashloo - HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
Patricia Clarkson - PIECES OF APRIL
Marcia Gay Harden - MYSTIC RIVER
Holly Hunter - THIRTEEN
Renée Zellweger - COLD MOUNTAIN

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
BROTHER BEAR
FINDING NEMO
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE

ART DIRECTION
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
THE LAST SAMURAI
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
SEABISCUIT

CINEMATOGRAPHY
CITY OF GOD
COLD MOUNTAIN
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
SEABISCUIT

COSTUME DESIGN
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
THE LAST SAMURAI
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
SEABISCUIT

DIRECTING
CITY OF GOD
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
LOST IN TRANSLATION
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
MYSTIC RIVER

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BALSEROS
CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS
THE FOG OF WAR
MY ARCHITECT
THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
ASYLUM
CHERNOBYL HEART
FERRY TALES

FILM EDITING
CITY OF GOD
COLD MOUNTAIN
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
SEABISCUIT

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS
EVIL
THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI
TWIN SISTERS
ŽELARY

MAKEUP
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL

MUSIC (SCORE)
BIG FISH
COLD MOUNTAIN
FINDING NEMO
HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING

MUSIC (SONG)
"Into the West" - THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
"A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" - A MIGHTY WIND
"Scarlet Tide" - COLD MOUNTAIN
"The Triplets of Belleville" - THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE
"You Will Be My Ain True Love" - COLD MOUNTAIN

BEST PICTURE
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
LOST IN TRANSLATION
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
MYSTIC RIVER
SEABISCUIT

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
BOUNDIN'
DESTINO
GONE NUTTY
HARVIE KRUMPET
NIBBLES

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
DIE ROTE JACKE (The Red Jacket)
MOST (The Bridge)
SQUASH
(A) TORZIJA ([A] Torsion)
TWO SOLDIERS

SOUND
THE LAST SAMURAI
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
SEABISCUIT

SOUND EDITING
FINDING NEMO
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL

VISUAL EFFECTS
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
AMERICAN SPLENDOR
CITY OF GOD
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
MYSTIC RIVER
SEABISCUIT

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS
FINDING NEMO
IN AMERICA
LOST IN TRANSLATION