Movies

Dignity Film Finance Calls On “The God of Driving”

Dignity Film Finance announced that they have bought the rights to the 2011 book “The God of Driving: How I Overcame Fear and Put Myself in the Driver’s Seat (with the Help of a Good and Mysterious Man),” by Amy Fine Collins. Sue Kramer will write the script and direct. Here’s how Amazon describes the...
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Dennis Lehane to Adapt “Travis McGee” for DiCaprio

Here’s a tiny bit of progress on a project that’s been kicking around forever. Deadline  says that Dennis Lehane will write the script for “Travis McGee,” an adaptation of the 1964 John D.MacDonald novel “The Deep Blue Good-by.” That was the introduction to Travis McGee, who became the star of many more novels by MacDonald....
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Zac Efron Turns “Narc”

There’s nothing Hollywood likes better than a movie that can be summed up in a phrase. Not a sentence–a phrase. Deadline  reports that Fox is developing “Narc,” a “based on a true story” crime drama that they’re describing as a “college Donnie Brasco.” They plan for Zac Efron to star. Here’s where the teen/early twenties...
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Liam Hemsworth To Star in “Aurora Rising”

I’ll be so sorry when the Cannes Film Festival ends. Casting news sounds so much more exciting when you can frame it as “a deal announced at Cannes,” or “news from the Croisette,” or “we hear from the South of France.” But let’s enjoy it while we can. Deadline reports, via Cannes,  Liam Hemsworth will...
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Christian Borle Joins Michael Mann Cyber Thriller

Interesting casting, but mostly because of what it shows about how a career can develop. Deadline  reports that Christian Borle has joined the cast of Michael Mann’s untitled “cyber thriller” (“cyber” is a word that feels very old-fashioned, very ’90s, doesn’t it?). We know nothing about the plot, because movie plots are matters of national...
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“Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance” Remake Planned

If you were one of the people who screamed in pain when you heard that Park Chan-wook’s “Old Boy” was being remade by Hollywood, well, then you’ll no doubt be just as unhappy to hear that an English language remake of another of his films, “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance,” is now also in the works....
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Sam Claflin Joins “Posh”

You can judge a book or movie by its title. For example, a movie named “Posh” probably will not involve a lot of slopping around in mud in cold, drizzly climates. I would think that would be an attraction for actors, and perhaps it was one of the things that persuaded Sam Claflin to sign...
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Li Bingbing Joins “Transformers 4″

The Hollywood Reporter announces that Li Bingbing has joined the cast of “Transformers 4.” The casting of the Chinese actress is part of Paramount’s efforts to qualify the film as a Chinese-American co-production, which will make it easier to release in the country which is one of the biggest sources of box office earnings in...
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Art House Box Office: “Frances Ha” Gets Last Laugh

Okay, I’m really misusing the phrase “gets the last laugh” in the title of this post. You use that when someone or something, in this case, that has been underestimated proves everyone wrong, and “Frances Ha,” the new movie from indie darlings Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, has hardly been underestimated since its festival debut...
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Weekend Box Office: “Star Trek Into Darkness” Very Good, Not Awesome

Here’s what we have so far: 1. Star Trek Into Darkness (Skydance/Paramount) Week 1 [3,868 Theaters] Friday $22.0M, Weekend $66.2M, Cume $75.5M 2. Iron Man 3 (Marvel/Disney) Week 3 [Runs 4,237] Friday $9.6M, Weekend $35.0M, Cume $337.0M 3. The Great Gatsby (Warner Bros) Week 2 [Runs 3,550] Friday $7.6M, Weekend $24.4M (-51%), Cume $91.2M As...
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Antonio Banderas Joins Chilean Miner Story “The 33″

Cannes Casting! Deadline reports another deal from the South of France–Antonio Banderas has joined the cast of “The 33,” story of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 69 days in 2010. Banderas will play Mario Sepulveda, who got the nickname Super Mario for his energetic response when emerging from the mine. Martin...
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More “Vampire Academy” Casting: Hyland, Byrne, others

The adaptation of Richelle Mead’s “Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters” is filling out its ranks. The latest additions, according to Deadline, are Sarah Hyland, of TV’s “Modern Family,” and Gabriel Byrne, of, well, decades of lots of things. “Vampire Academy,” as you may have guessed, involves a school with vampires and humans and their complicated relationships...
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Joss Whedon Confirms Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, And, Of Course, Iron Man

It’s been no secret that more Avengers will be added to “The Avengers 2,” and rumors have suggested that those additions will be Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Well, guess what? We have a rumor that has turned out to be true! The man himself, Joss Whedon, told IGN  that they will indeed be the...
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Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenaerts Will Try To Go “Far From the Madding Crowd”

Another Cannes project announcement. Deadline  brings word that Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenaerts will star in an adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s 1874 novel “Far From the Madding Crowd.” Thomas Vinterberg will direct; this will be the Danish director’s English language debut. The novel details the adventures and misadventures of Bathsheba Everdine, a willful beauty and...
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Rumor Alert! Christopher Nolan To Direct Bond 24?

Okay, first be warned this is really a rumor, with the source being the not so reliable The Daily Mail. Nevertheless, I’ll mention that the tabloid says that James Bond franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have “approached” Christopher Nolan about directing the next Bond movie. So why report a rumor from a...
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