February 1, 2012

Justin Timberlake will continue his successful reinvention as a Hollywood star with a role in the upcoming Clint Eastwood drama Trouble with the Curve.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Timberlake joins Amy Adams in the baseball story which will be directed by Eastwood’s longtime producing partner Robert Lorenz.

In the story of an aging baseball scout (Eastwood) who embarks on a road trip with his lawyer daughter (Adams), Timberlake will play a Yankees scout who tries to woo not only players, but perhaps Adams as well.

Before he gets to work on Curve, however, Timberlake is set to star in the Coen Brothers upcoming folk music drama Inside Llewyn Davis. In the past year the former pop star has become a bonafide movie star, appearing in the sci-fi thriller In Time, the raunchy comedy Bad Teacher and the romantic comedy Friends With Benefits.

Not bad for a former boy-band member who just turned 31-years-of-age earlier this week.

Shooting on Trouble with the Curve is set to start in Atlanta this March.

(Photo by PR Photos)

Report a Typo or Correction. Thank you.

February 1, 2012

Will Adam Sandler be making a trip to Candy Land?

That’s the (sugar) buzz as The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Sandler and his Happy Madison production company are in talks to bring the live-action adaptation of the popular kid’s game from Universal to Sony, so that the Sand-man can star in it.

Word is Sandler wants Enchanted director Kevin Lima to helm the picture based on a script that Sandler co-wrote with pal Robert Smigel.

Four years ago game-maker Hasbro signed a deal with Universal to produce at least four movies based on their games. Now the deal is ending with only one picture, the upcoming Peter Berg sci-fi adventure flick Battleship coming out of it.

Sandler sees potential in Candy Land, however, with Columbia Pictures (a division of Sony) president Doug Belgrad telling THR the movie will charm fans of the original game.

“Candy Land is more than just a game,” Belgrad says. “It is a brand that children, parents and grandparents know and love. The world of Candy Land offers an extraordinary canvas upon which to create a fantastical, live-action family adventure film with a larger than life part for Adam. We are thrilled to partner with Hasbro and Happy Madison on this project.”

(Photo by PR Photos)

Report a Typo or Correction. Thank you.

February 1, 2012

Hugo is gearing up to be a big award-winner this season, and if director Martin Scorsese has his way everyone involved in the film will be recognized for its success – even Blackie the dog.

Scorsese was apparently upset that the doberman, who plays a major role in his beloved new family picture, wasn’t nominated for Best Dog In A Theatrical Film at the inaugural Golden Collar Awards.

This prompted the Oscar-winner to pen an open letter to the Los Angeles Times, complaining of the oversight and urging organizers at Dog News Daily to reconsider their nominations.

In his letter, Scorsese argues that Blackie may have been overlooked because she plays a villain in the film.

“We all have fond memories of Rin Tin Tin and Lassie, the big stars, the heroes, but what about the antiheroes?” Scorsese writes. “We have learned to accept the human antihero, but when it comes to dogs, I guess we still have a long way to go.

“I’m proud of Blackie, who laid it on the line and dared to risk the sympathy of her audience.”

Golden Collar organizers released a statement saying that if Blackie could obtain 500 nominations via Facebook they would reconsider and soon were flooded with noms.

Alan Siskind, CEO of Dog News Daily, has now indicated on their website that Blackie will be recognized for her work. “Due to the outpouring of love and support from around the world from fans of Mr. Scorsese… Blackie’s name has been added to the Best Dog in a Theatrical Film category as the sixth and final nominee in that category.”

Blackie joins Uggie – receiver of two nods, one for The Artist and one for Water for Elephants – Arthur from Beginners, Denver from 50/50 and Hummer from Young Adult.

The first annual Golden Collar Awards will take place February 13 in Los Angeles.

(Photo by PR Photos)

Report a Typo or Correction. Thank you.

February 1, 2012

Taylor Swift is out and British ingenue Samantha Barks is in as Eponine in the upcoming big screen adaptation of the Broadway smash Les Miserables.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Barks has plenty of experience in the role, having played Eponine in London’s stage production of Les Mis in 2010 and again at the 2011 Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert.

Rumours had circulated for months that country music superstar Swift was the front-runner for the part, having already beaten out such stars as Glee’s Lea Michele, Evan Rachel Wood and Scarlett Johansson.

Those rumours turned out to be premature, however, as Les Mis producer Cameron Mackintosh revealed the surprise hire at the curtain call of Barks’s current show, a Manchester production of Oliver!

21-year-old Barks, who first became famous on the British TV talent search I’d Do Anything, joins a cast that includes Russell Crowe as Inspector Javier, Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean and Anne Hathaway as Fantine.

The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper is shooting the picture that’s set to land on screens everywhere December 7, 2012.

(Photo by PR Photos)

Report a Typo or Correction. Thank you.

February 1, 2012

Not just anyone can make a Batmobile.

That’s the ruling of a California judge who says the design of Batman’s car is copyrightable.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, DC Comics – which is owned by Warner Bros. – sued Gotham Garage owner Mark Towles, alleging he was illegally making and marketing imitation Batmobiles.

Towles had argued that you can’t copyright a design like the Batmobile, as the Copyright Act  doesn’t apply to “useful articles.”

U.S. District Judge Ronald Lew disagreed, explaining that Towles “ignores the exception to the ‘useful article’ rule, which grants copyright protection to nonfunctional, artistic elements of an automobile design that can be physically or conceptually separated from the automobile.”

That means Judge Lew figured what makes the Batmobile truly unique are its cool aesthetic design elements, not anything the car can actually do.

THR reports that the original Batmobile, appearing back in 1940 in Detective Comics #35, was a red 1936 Cord 810 sedan without any bat-related designs.

It wasn’t until later that the car took on its familiar shape, black shell and various bat-related insignias.

Super Hero Hype revealed last summer that in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Dark Knight Rises, the Caped Crusader will be cruising town in a new Batmobile that’s essentially a sleeker version of the Bat-Tumbler the hero revealed in The Dark Knight.

(Photo by PR Photos)

Report a Typo or Correction. Thank you.

January 31, 2012

Twilight hottie Taylor Lautner will not be stretching his acting talents to portray a rubber toy.

Empire reports that plans to bring Stretch Armstrong to the big screen have taken a turn, with Universal dumping the project and Relativity Media scooping it right back up.

The biggest change in plans, however, is that Lautner – famous for playing bad boy Jacob in the blockbuster sparkly vampire franchise – seems to have left the project as well.

In 2010 it was reported that Lautner was all set to play a live-action version of the toy hero who made his debut back in the 1970s.

In a statement, Relativity co-president Tucker Tooley says the studio is still excited about the Stretch Armstrong project, even without Lautner’s involvement.

“We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Hasbro, a company whose global reach and ability to innovate has made them immensely successful in the arena of brand re-imagination – as evidenced by their legacy of creating such franchises as Transformers and G.I. Joe,” said Tooley. “We look forward to bringing Stretch Armstrong to audiences worldwide.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lautner will instead be stepping away from the world of blockbusters for his next project, an independent film by acclaimed art film hero Gus Van Sant based on a nonfiction article found in the pages of The New Yorker.

(Photo by PR Photos)

Report a Typo or Correction. Thank you.

January 31, 2012

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been banned in India.

David Fincher’s Oscar-nominated adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best-selling novel won’t reach India’s theatres after Fincher refused to cut the film’s explicit sex and rape scenes.

The Wrap reports that India’s Central Board of Film Certification wanted five scenes cut from the film, including two sex scenes between stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara and another scene in which Mara’s Lisbeth Salander is violently raped by another character.

Fincher said ‘no’ to the cuts and now Sony has scrapped plans to release the picture in the country.

“Sony Pictures will not be releasing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in India,” reads a statement from Sony’s India HQ. “The censor board has judged the film unsuitable for public viewing in its unaltered form and, while we are committed to maintaining and protecting the vision of the director, we will, as always, respect the guidelines set by the board.”

Though a bit of a box office disappointment, Dragon Tattoo has still raked in nearly $200 million at the global box office before a general release in Asia.

Deadline reports that, though the numbers are lower than what the studio had hoped for, Sony is still planning on moving forward with production on the film’s sequels, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest.

Word is screenwriter Steve Zaillian has reportedly already penned a script for Girl Who Played With Fire and is busy working away on a script for Hornets’ Nest.

(Photo by PR Photos)

Report a Typo or Correction. Thank you.

January 31, 2012

The classic Oscar-winning British film Chariots of Fire is headed to the stage.

Entertainment Weekly reports that the 1981 drama about two runners, one Christian, one Jewish, preparing for the 1924 Olympics, will be adapted for the theatre just in time for London’s hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The stage play version of Hugh Hudson’s film will be produced by London’s Hampstead Theatre and directed by Hampstead’s artistic director Edward Hall.

“I am delighted to announce a new season of major theatrical events for Hampstead Theatre which reflects our ambition to give memorable evenings in the theater in what promises to be a memorable year for us all,” Hall said in a statement regarding the theatre’s upcoming year.

The film’s unforgettable theme song by composer Vangelis will be featured in the show, along with new music by Tony Award-winning Sunday in the Park With George orchestrator Jason Carr.

Chariots of Fire caused a sensation upon its original release, winning Best Picture at the 1981 Academy Awards.

The British Film Institute ranks the picture as the 19th greatest British film of all time.

(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Report a Typo or Correction. Thank you.

January 31, 2012

Hip-hop legend Ice-T has sold his first documentary at the Sundance film festival.

Thompson on Hollywood reports that Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap has been picked up for international distribution by Indomina.

The film features the legendary rapper talking to other notable figures in the game such as Chuck D, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Afrika Bambaataa, Ice Cube and Kanye West, discussing the history and importance of hip-hop as a musical genre.

“The Art of Rap is a perfect fit for Indomina – a masterfully crafted, superbly riveting and star studded film about rap that only Ice-T could deliver,” says Indomina’s Jasbinder Singh Mann.

In a recent interview with Movieline, Ice revealed that having his film premiere at Sundance had been his goal from the beginning.

“When you think about it, I’m an indie artist; I started out making hardcore records, so I wanted to make something that was raw,” Ice-T told the site. “I said, I know Sundance is artsy but if I can get accepted there, then I’m on the right track.

“So when the movie came on and people started cheering and laughing and bobbing their heads, it was like oh my god – we got it! It’s kind of like not a normal documentary, it’s like a performance experience, an intimate concerts with a lot of the artists that people love. I was just happy.”

(Photo by PR Photos)

Report a Typo or Correction. Thank you.

January 31, 2012

The younger versions of the X-Men will be back in full force for a follow-up to the 2011 superhero smash X-Men: First Class.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Fox has signed deals with director Matthew Vaughn and with the film’s cast of mutants for a sequel to the hit, which travelled back to the 1960s to reveal the early days of the super squad.

That the studio would be keen to bring back stars Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence and the rest isn’t surprising given that First Class managed to revive the X-Men franchise following the critical disappointment of X-Men 3: The Last Stand.

X-Men: First Class grossed over $353.6 million at the international box office.

THR notes that the cast’s star power will have upped considerably by the time a First Class sequel hits theatres, given Fassbender’s quick rise up the Hollywood star ladder, Byrne’s notoriety from her role in Bridesmaids and Lawrence’s upcoming star turn in the highly anticipated sci-fi flick The Hunger Games.

No start date for production on the First Class sequel has been announced just yet.

(Photo by PR Photos)

Report a Typo or Correction. Thank you.