March 2006
Collin Friesen has been hired to rewrite "Man in Uniform" for New Line Cinema. Kevin James is top-lining the film. Bob Cooper (Landscape Entertainment) is producing. The comedy is about an Average Joe whose life changes when he finds a cop’s missing uniform. Michael Galvin and Peter Speakman wrote original drafts of the script. Richard Brener and Cale Boyter are shepherding the project for the studio. Endeavor, Principato-Young and attorney Rob Szymanski represent Friesen. Props! 3/2
Gael Garcia Bernal is developing an adaptation of an episode of the television series "Ruta 32” as his freshman directorial effort and starring vehicle. The script was written by Kyzza Terrazas. The drama will deal with the different classes in Mexican society. Bernal will also produce the film with Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz (Canana Films). Also cast are Camila Sodi, Luz Cipriota and Tenoch Huerta. Focus Films will handle distribution in the U.S. 3/2
Paramount Pictures has picked up Zach Braff’s remake of the 2002 Danish film "Open Hearts." Braff is scheduled to write, direct, produce and star. The romantic drama focuses on the entanglement experienced by two couples involved in a car crash. CAA, Entertainment and attorneys Ken Richman and Steve Warren represent the multi-hyphenate. 3/2
Infinity Media has announced that it will produce "Mike the Bike," a bio of the Mike Hailwood, a British champion motorcycle rider in the 60s and 70s who is crippled by a devastating crash. The script was written by Paul Pender. Michael Ohoven is producing the picture. 3/2
Walt Disney Pictures has hired Mark Friedman to pen the script for the untitled Angelo Brooks project. The film will be based on real events in Baltimore, where a cop took over the debate team of a run-down inner city school and coached the disadvantaged students to victory. David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman (Mandeville Films) are producing the film. 3/2
Newbie Mikey Wigart has sold his script "Shiver" to Dimension Films. Michael Cuesta is attached to direct and produce. The horror thriller is based on true events and is set in Minnesota, where a group of New Years Eve partiers fall prey to a maniacal doctor when they become stranded in a blizzard. 3/2
Working Title has cast Steve Coogan, Jim Broadbent and Timothy Dalton in “Hot Fuzz,” a satire about a London cop demoted to working in a small British town. The comedy was written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. They are also directing and top-lining the project, respectively. Nira Park, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are producing. Natascha Wharton is executive producing. 3/2
Darius Films has hired Allan Moyle to direct "Weirdsville," a dark comedy about teen slackers whose friend overdoses on drugs. When they go to bury him in an abandoned drive-in, they discover a cult amidst a satanic ritual. The script was written by Willem Wennekers. Scott Speedman, Wes Bentley and Taryn Manning are attached to star. Screen Media will distribute in the U.S., and ThinkFilm will do the same in Canada. Nicholas Tabarrok is producing. 3/2
John Cusack has signed on to produce and star in "Grace Is Gone," an independent drama about a man who takes his two daughters on a road trip after his wife is killed in Iraq. The script was written by James C. Strouse, who will also direct. Grace Loh is also producing, along with Gail Niederhoffer, Daniela Taplin Lundbergh and Celine Rattray (Plum Pictures). Reagan Silber, Bruce Lunsford, Ed Hart and Paul Bernstein are executive producing. Marilyn Haft and Roberta Burrows are co-producing. Cusack and Strouse are represented by WMA. 3/2
The Weinstein Co. and producer Tom Lassally are developing a film based on the NY Times articles written by Warren St. John which exposed the celebrated HIV-infected hustler-turned-author J.T. Leroy to be nothing but a hoax. Leroy supposedly wrote the edgy novels "Sarah" and "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things," drawing from “his” experiences as a transvestite teen hooker. However, the articles recently revealed that “Leroy” and “Leroy’s work” was fabricated by Laura Albert, a writer and musician, while the “Leroy” who made public appearances was a young woman whose real name is Savannah Knoop. Captain Mauzner wrote the script. Jesse Peretz is attached to direct. The film is being packaged by UTA. Michael Cole and Kelly Carmichael are shepherding the project for TWC. 3/2
Mark Burton has sold his spec "They Came from Upstairs" to 20th Century Fox for a reported $1.75 million against $2.25 million. Barry Josephson is producing the project, which is described as "Home Alone" meets "Gremlins. Lisa Ellzey is overseeing the film for the studio, while Bridget Humphreys is doing the same for Josephson Entertainment. WMA, Berlin & Associates and attorney Joel McKuin represent Burton. 3/3
Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures have announced the production of “Saw III.” Darren Lynn Bousman is once again helming the franchise picture. The script was written by Leigh Whannell from a story he developed with James Wan. The film will be produced by Mark Burg and Oren Koules. 3/3
Michael Seitzman has been hired by Warner Bros. Pictures to write an adaptation of the novel "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell. Brad Pitt is producing, along with Nick Wechsler (Industry Entertainment) and Cynthia Pett-Dante (Brillstein-Grey). Pitt might also star in the film. The sci-fi film is about a priest and a crew of astronauts who become friends with one alien race, inadvertently triggering the rancor of another, thus starting a horrible war on the extraterrestrial planet. Courtney Valenti is shepherding the project for WB. 3/3
Ben Magid has sold his pitch “Pan” to New Line Cinema, with manager Brooklyn Weaver (Energy Entertainment) producing. The story flips the classic kid’s tale by making it a horror film with Peter Pan as the villain being tracked by a cop named Hook. Toby Emmerich and Jeff Katz (my boy!) are shepherding the project for the studio, while Jake Wagner is doing the same for Energy Entertainment. 3/6
Director Matthew Vaughn has cast Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller and Charlie Cox to star in the fantasy film "Stardust" for Paramount Pictures. The project is based on a novel by Neil Gaiman and was adapted for the screen by Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman. The story focuses on an adventurer whose boon is to fetch a falling star for his beloved, but first he must battle a pirate and an evil witch. Vaughn is also producing with Lorenzo di Bonaventura for Paramount Pictures. Also producing are Michael Dreyer and Gaiman, while Stephen Marks and Peter Morton are going to executive produce. Co-financing the film are MARV Films and Ingenious Film Partners. Brad Weston and Dan Levine are shepherding the project for Paramount. ICM and manager Michael Aglion represent Danes. CAA represents De Niro, Pfeiffer and Cox. Endeavor represents Miller. Peters, Fraser & Dunlop also represent Cox and Miller. 3/7
Philip Seymour Hoffman will join Laura Linney in "The Savages." Tamara Jenkins wrote the script and is directing the comedic drama for Fox Searchlight Pictures. It’s about a brother and sister who must care for the sickly father who never took care of them. Ted Hope and Anne Carey (This Is That) are producing the film, along with Fred and Erica Westheimer. Executive producing are Jim Burke (Ad Hominem), Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor. Claudia Lewis and Joshua Deighton are overseeing the project for the studio. Paradigm and attorney Robert Marshall represent Hoffman. ICM, Brillstein-Grey and attorney Kevin Yorn represent Linney. 3/7
Jack Black, Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh have all signed on to star in an untitled film being directed by Noah Baumbach. Scott Rudin is producing for Paramount Classics. The synopsis is so vague that it doesn’t bear repeating. 3/7
Spyglass Entertainment has hired Matt Johnson to write "Baja 1000." The action adventure is about a father and son team who participate in the annual Baja 1000 off-road race in Mexico. Producing the film are Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and Jonathan Glickman. Sal Fish is executive producing, while June Seley-Kimmel is serving as co-producer. Ivan Oyco is overseeing the films for Spyglass. UTA, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and attorney Adam Kaller represent Johnson. 3/7
Sony BMG Film and Nuyorican Prods have signed Alejandro Chomski to direct "Reggaeton." Jennifer Lopez is producing. 3/7
Scott Marshall Smith has sold his comedy pitch "Once and Future King" to Universal. Gary Foster (Krasnoff Foster Prods.) is producing. The film, inspired by true events, revolves around an Australian farmer who discovers that he’s the rightful heir to the British throne. Rikki Lea Bestall is co-producing the project. Jon Gordon and Erik Baiers are shepherding the project for the studio. 3/7
Paramount Pictures has snapped up the film rights to "The Year of Yes: A Memoir" by Maria Dahvana Headley. Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen are producing. The book is a comedy about a woman who decides to accept all proposals from men who ask her out on dates. Marc Evan is overseeing the project for the studio. 3/7
Richard Regen has been hired by The Weinstein Co. to adapt “Panic,” a novel by Jeff Abbott. Richard Shepherd is attached to direct. The espionage thriller is about a documentary filmmaker who finds out that his parents were spies after his mother has been murders and his father has been kidnapped. Michael Cole and Eric Robinson are overseeing the film for TWC. 3/7
Dimension Films has snapped up the film rights to “Cell,” Stephen King’s latest novel. The deal is for $1 million against seven-figures, with extra bumps along the way. Eli Roth has been attached to direct. The book is about the entire cell phone-using population turning into killer zombies. Roth, Mike Fleiss and Chris Briggs are producing. Roth has expressed interest in writing the script. Matt Stein, Richard Saperstein and Brendan Dennen are shepherding the project for the studio. The book and Roth are represented by CAA. 3/8
Director Todd Phillips has signed on to direct Zach Helm’s comedy "The Disassociate" for Warner Bros. Pictures. The script is about a guy who thinks he’s crazy when he starts getting postcards from God. Lindsay Doran is producing with Phillips. 3/8
Paramount Pictures has bought the comedy pitch "Me & Olivia" from Ed Solomon for $1 million. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing. The story is about a man who deals with his occupational woes by entering the imaginary world created by his kinder-aged daughter. Solomon will write the script with Chris Matheson. Brad Weston and Dan Levine are overseeing the project for the studio. WMA and attorney Michael Gendler represent Solomon. Above the Line Agency and attorney Shep Rosenman represent Matheson. 3/8
Woody Allen has announced the production start to his next film “Scoop.” Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum and Gareth Wiley are producing, while exective producing are Vincent Maraval, Benjamin Waisbren and Daniel Wuhrmann. Virtual Films and Wild Bunch are financing the project. 3/8
Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson have sold their pitch “Minutemen” to Sony, with Neal Moritz (Original Films) and Ori Marmur producing. Camp and Thompson are also executive producing. The price tag was high six figures against low seven figures. The action film is about the population of a small town that defends America against foreign invaders. Sam Dickerson is shepherding the project for the studio. 3/8
New Line Cinema and Blighty Entertainment have bought the film rights to the novel “The Wedding Officer” by Anthony Capella. The book is a romantic comedy set in Naples during WWII and is about a young British officer who screens Italian girls who want to marry his fellow countrymen. 3/8
Avenue Pictures and Sandbar Pictures have cast Simon Baker in the dark comedy “Sex and Death 101." Dan Waters has written the script and is directing the film about a man who gets an e-mail that lists all the women with whom he’s had sex, plus all the men with whom those women will have sex in the future. Cary Brokaw is producing with Lizzie Friedman and Greg Little. Aaron Craig Geller is executive producing. ICM and Untitled Entertainment represent Baker. 3/8
20th Century Fox and Walden Media have hired Vadim Perelman to rewrite and direct the film adaptation of the novel “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. The book is about a teenager who lives in a serene, utopic world which has no memory of humanity’s violent past. The protagonist is traumatized when he’s chosen to become the Giver, whose role is to retain all human emotions. Todd Alcott wrote the previous drafts. Jeff Bridges and Neil Koenigsberg (AsIs Prods.) are producing, along with Orly Wiseman and Nikki Silver (On Screen Entertainment). Debbie Liebling is overseeing the project for Fox, while Alex Schwartz and Evan Turner are doing the same for Walden. CAA and the Firm represent Perelman.
Paramount Pictures has hired Roger Avery and Neil Gaiman to pen the horror romance "Black Hole." The project is being produced by MTV Films, Plan B and Kevin Messick. Alexandre Aja is attached to direct the film based on the critically-acclaimed graphic novel by Charles Burn. The story revolves around high school students who get infected by a sexually transmitted disease called the "teen plague" or "the bug." 3/8
Miramax has cast Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino and Matthew Goode to the crime thriller "The Lookout." Scott Frank wrote the script and is directing. The film is about a disabled custodian who becomes entangled in a bank heist scheme. Walter Parkes, Laurence Mark, Roger Birnbaum and Gary Barber are producing the project. 3/8
Warner Bros. has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the upcoming CG version of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Kevin Munroe wrote the script and is directing the film. The Weinstein Co. is releasing the film overseas. Thomas K. Gray and Galen Walker (Imagi Animation Studios) are producing. 3/8
Red Bone Films is in final talks to cast Mos Def and Sophie Okonedo in the drama "Stringbean and Marcus." The period film revolves around the romance between two ex-Black Panther members. First-timer Tanya Hamilton is set to direct, from a script she wrote. Sean Costello, Jen Roskind and Samara Koffler are producing the project. ICM and Markham and Froggatt Ltd. represent Okonedo. Brookside Artists Management represents Mos Def. 3/9
Neil Crawford has sold his pitch “King Tut” to Paramount Pictures. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura is producing the action/adventure film that’s loosely based on the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter. Brad Weston and Dan Levine are shepherding the project for the studio. 3/9
The Jim Henson Company has acquired the film rights to the fantasy novels "Varjak Paw" and "The Outlaw Varjak Paw," both written by SF Said. Dave McKean is slated to direct and co-write the script with the novelist. The former is about a kitten that discovers that he belongs to a long line of magical martial arts-practicing felines. Lisa Henson is producing the animated film, while Said and McKean will executive produce. Jason Lust is overseeing the project for Henson. 3/9
Multi-hyphenate Til Schweiger has announced that he will star in and produce (Barefoot Films) "Blaze." Reto Salimbeni wrote the script and will direct the film about a guy who finds out that he unknowingly provided an alibi for a co-worker who committed rape. Also in the cast are Michael Clarke Duncan, Lauren Lee Smith, Stefanie von Pfetten, Eric Roberts and Ned Bellamy. Also producing are Universal Pictures Germany and Manifesto Films. 3/9
Dimension Films has cast John Cusack in the horror film “1408.” The film is based on a Stephen King short story about a skeptic who discovers that supernatural terrors do exist when he investigates the “supposedly” haunted Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. Richard Saperstein and Matthew Stein are shepherding the film for the studio. 3/9
Bobby Smith Jr. has sold his pitch "Lift Every Voice" to New Line Cinema. He will write the script about an idealistic young pastor who steers New Jersey youths from trouble on the street by forming a gospel choir. Smith’s manager Holly Davis-Carter (Releve Entertainment) is producing. Lindsay Hughes is executive producing. Mark Ordesky and Kathy Busby are shepherding the project for the studio. 3/9
Emmett/Furla Films has hired Jon Avnet to direct and produce (Brooklyn Films) “Second World.” Written by Scott King, the action thriller is about a female assassin who must save the world from a viral pandemic by teaming up with the virus’ creator – her target. Randall Emmett and George Furla are producing with Avnet. Millennium Films is distributing and financing the project. 3/9
Focus Features has announced the production of two films. Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin (Blue Print Pictures) are producing the first titled "In Bruges.” The film was written by and will be directed by Martin McDonagh. It's about an assassin. The second is an adaptation of Norman Lewis' best-selling autobiography "Naples '44: A World War II Diary of Occupied Italy." The script was penned by Ben Hopkins and tells the tale of Lewis’ experiences as a WWII British intelligence officer in Italy. Francesca Barra is producing. 3/10
The Weinstein Co. has acquired the stage and film rights to Wang Du Lu’s five book martial arts series "Crane -- Iron Pentalogy." They include "Crane Frightens KunLun," "Precious Sword," "Golden Hairpin," "Sword Spirit, Pearl Light," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Iron Knight, Silver Vase." TWC is wooing original “Crouching Tiger” director Ang Lee and producer Bill Kong to help develop the projects (although “Crouching Tiger” will not be remade as a feature, just as a stage musical). The deal was negotiated by William Morris China and Fangda Partners. 3/10
Lexi Alexander is directing "A House Divided" for Odd Lot Entertainment from a script he wrote. The film is about a man who decides to embrace his Jewish heritage, so his upset wife decides to pursue evangelical Christianity in retaliation. Alexander (Iron Prods.) will also produce with partner Stefan Haller. Deborah Del Prete and Gigi Pritzker are executive producing, and Linda McDonough will co-produce. 3/10
Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche and Dane Cook have been cast by Touchstone Pictures in "Dan in Real Life." The film is being directed by Peter Hedges from a script written by Pierce Gardner. Jon Shestack is producing the romantic comedy about an advice columnist whose life becomes a mess when he falls in love with his younger brother’s girlfriend. Brad Epstein is shepherding the project for the studio. 3/10
Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase and Shido Nakamura have been cast in the Japanese-language "Red Sun, Black Sand." Clint Eastwood is directing the drama that bookends the director’s other Iwo Jima war film "Flags of Our Fathers." “Red Sun” will tell Japan’s side of that pivotal WWII conflict. Iris Yamashita wrote the script, collaborating on the story with Paul Haggis. Haggis wrote the adaptation of James Bradley's book “Flags,” with the film version starring Ryan Phillipe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Jamie Bell, Barry Pepper and Paul Walker. “Red Sun” is about the travails of real-life Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. Eastwood is producing the films with Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz, while Paul Haggis is executive producing. Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks has partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures, with the formers distributing the films domestically, and the latter doing the same overseas. 3/10
In a seven-figure deal, writer Scott Rosenberg has been hired to contemporize “The Dirty Dozen,” collaborating with writing/producing partners Andre Nemec and Josh Appelbaum. Like the 1967 original, the new version will be about twelve convicted soldier who are drafted for a suicide war mission. Joel Silver and Susan Downey are producing for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures. Bruce Berman (Village Roadshow) and Steve Richards are executive producing. Lynn Harris is shepherding the project for the studio, Navid McIlhargey is doing the same for Silver Pictures and Dana Goldberg for Village Roadshow. 3/13
The Weinstein Co. has cast Laura Linney and Scarlett Johansson in "The Nanny Diaries." The film has been adapted for the screen by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini from the book by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. The story is about a young woman from the New Jersey suburbs who infiltrates New York’s upper-crust when she’s hired to become a nanny. Richard Gladstein (FilmColony) is producing, while Dany Wolf is executive producing. Michael Cole and Kelly Carmichael are shepherding the project for TWC. 3/13
Paul Haggis has been tapped by Columbia Pictures to direct and produce "Against All Enemies," developing the script with writer James Vanderbilt. The film is based on Richard A. Clarke’s memoirs and shows an insider’s look at the Bush cabinet’s tactics against Al Qaida. It was published by Free Press in 2004. John Calley is producing the film, with Len Sherman executive producing. Larry Becsey will also serve as a producer. Doug Belgrad and Rachel O'Connor are overseeing the film for the studio. CAA, Becsey and attorneys Peter Dekom and Wayne Alexander represent Haggis. 3/13
Prelude Features has hired Bruce Beresford to direct a biopic of the Russian classical composer Sergei Rachmaninoff titled "Rhapsody." Frederick Muller (Prelude) is producing, while Edward R. Pressman, Floyd Bradley and Timothy Prager are executive producing. Prager also wrote the screenplay. 3/13
DreamWorks has cast Shia LaBeouf in the thriller "Disturbia." D.J. Caruso is directing. The script was written by Christopher Landon about a teenager who’s under house arrest and is unable to stop a neighbor who he believes is a serial killer. Montecito Picture Co. and Jackie Marcus are producing the film. Carl Ellsworth did rewrites of initial drafts of Landon’s spec script. 3/13
20th Century Fox has tapped Adrian Lyne to direct "Two Minutes to Midnight." Sheldon Turner wrote the thriller about a divorce lawyer who is given two choices: he must commit suicide or his wife will be killed by kidnappers. Jennifer Klein (Apartment 3B Prods.) is producing, while Hutch Parker and Peter Kang are overseeing the project for the studio. 3/13
William Monahan has been hired by Warner Bros. to adapt “Penetration” from the book written by David Ignatius. Ridley Scott is directing the film, as well as producing with Donald De Line. The spy thriller is about a CIA officer who teams up with a Jordanian counter-terrorist agent. Lynn Harris is overseeing the project for the studio, while Michael Costigan is doing the same for Scott Free. 3/13
Guillermo Arriaga (La Neta Films/Naco Films) is producing the adaptation of his own book "El bufalo de noche" ("The Night Buffalo"), along with the film’s star Diego Luna. Venezuelan newbie Jorge Hernandez is directing the film. The drama, which will be in the vein of "21 Grams" and "Amores Perros," is about a mentally ill man who commits suicide after his best friend steals his girlfriend away from him. Enrique Lopez is executive producing. 3/13
Producer Danny Bigel has acquired the feature rights to novel "Play Dates" by Leslie Carroll. Set in New York, the film is about a young mother in her twenties who not only finds herself suddenly divorced from her cheating husband, but also discovers that her six-year old son is more socially active than she is. The project is out to writers. 3/13
The Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox have made offers to Jennifer Lopez, Luke Wilson, John Travolta and Shirley MacLaine to star in the big screen send-up of the hit Eighties soap opera “Dallas.” Robert Luketic is going to direct the film. The screenplay, written by Robert Harling and Sacha Gervasi, revolves around the scandalous romantic and business exploits of the Ewing oil clan. 3/14
Ice Cube has signed on to star in and to produce the film version of another TV show “Welcome Back, Kotter.” Tom Brady is in final negotiations to write and direct the comedy effort. Andrew Lazar and Matt Alvarez are also producing. Like the series, the feature will be about a teacher who returns to the ‘hood to motivate and educate teens who are as he was – hopeless, underprivileged and rebellious. Dimension Films is financing and will distribute the feature. Richard Saperstein, Matthew Stein and Alex Franklin are overseeing the project for the studio. WMA and Firm represent Ice Cube. 3/14
Benicio Del Toro has signed on to star in and produce Universal Pictures’ new version of the classic “The Wolf Man.” Andrew Kevin Walker is writing the screenplay. Scott Stuber, Rick Yorn and Mary Parent are also producing. The film will be set during Victorian times and will follow the original’s plot, with an American who goes to England and gets bitten by a werewolf. Donna Langley and Peter Cramer are overseeing the project for Universal. 3/15
Dan Shere has sold his spec comedy script "We Are Family" to Twentieth Century Fox. Ralph Winter is producing. The story is about a white collar guy who hires actors to play his family because he is too embarrassed to introduce his fiancée to his real parents and siblings. Susana Zepeda is shepherding the project for Winter's production company, while Debbie Liebling will be doing the same for Fox. Noah Rosen (Circle of Confusion) is executive producing. 3/15
Channing Gibson has been hired by New Line to write a Western adaptation of the Japanese horror film “Infection.” The project is being produced by Roy Lee (natch) and Doug Davison (Vertigo Entertainment) and Takashige Ichise. The story is about a hospital staff that discovers that the deadly disease they're battling is supernatural in nature. Jeff Katz and George Waud are shepherding the film for New Line. 3/15
Anna Faris, John Krasinski, John Cho and Jane Lynch have been cast in the stoner comedy "Smiley Face." The project is being directed by Gregg Araki. The film's producers are Henry Winterstern and Kevin Turen (First Look Studios), as well as Steve Golin and Alix Madigan (Anonymous Content). Written by newbie Dylan Haggerty, the story is about an aspiring actress' day of foibles caused by her roommate’s pot brownies. 3/15
Anonymous Content and New Line Cinema have announced that they are producing a feature containing a number of short films with themes and stories inspired by the music of Kanye West. Six writers and about a dozen directors will create a series of shorts about American life with the rapper’s music as their inspiration. George C. Wolfe will executive produce and oversee the whole project creatively, with Richard Brown and Steve Golin producing. G. Roberson is also executive producing. Toby Emmerich, Kent Alterman and Michele Weiss are shepherding the project for New Line. CAA and Roberson represent West. 3/18
Ronald Harwood has been hired by Paramount Pictures to write a film that explores last year’s education controversy about whether or not intelligent design can be taught in public schools as an alternative to evolution. Lynda Obst is producing. 3/15
Nigel Cole has been hired to direct a film adaptation of the teen book "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole" by Sue Townsend. The script was written by Bradley Wood. The story revolves around a British teenage boy who tries to find sanity as an escape from his dysfunctional, blue collar family. Brett Forbes and Patrick Rizzotti (Fortress Entertainment), Alison Owen (Ruby Films) and Diana Leszczynski are producing. 3/15
John Stockwell has been tapped to write and direct "Kid Cannabis" by HBO Films. The story, cobbled together from articles by Rolling Stone editor Mark Binelli ("Kid Cannabis: How a Chubby Pizza-Delivery Boy from Idaho Became a Drug Kingpin") and Kevin Taylor ("Dreaming in Green"), is about white suburban teens from Idaho who went from minimum wage slaves to becoming multi-million dollar drug kingpins. Stockwell is also producing with Nicole Rocklin. 3/16
Michael Caine and Demi Moore have been cast in "Flawless." The caper film, which will be directed by Michael Radford, is set in 60s London and is about a janitor and a female American executive who want to “stick it to the man” by stealing from their employer. Michael Pierce and Mark Williams are producing the film, while Stephen Margolis (Future Films) is executive producing. Pierce/Williams Entertainment is co-financing with Future Films. 3/16
Lionsgate has snapped up the rights to "Daddy's Little Girl" which Tyler Perry will write and direct. Reuben Cannon and Perry will produce the dramedy love story between a janitor/single father and a “bougie” female black attorney. WMA and attorney Matt Johnson represent Perry. 3/16
MGM has cast William Hurt to star with Kevin Costner in "Mr. Brooks." Bruce Evans is directing the psychological thriller about one man trying to maintain control, while his counterpart is reveling in killing and chaos. Evan co-wrote the script with Raynold Gideon. Costner, Gideon and Jim Wilson are producing. 3/16
Sahara Lotti has sold her spec "Dear God, It's Me Rod" to 20th Century Fox. She also signed a blind script deal with the studio. Andrew Gunn is producing the family comedy about a teenager who wishes for a different, more “normal” family, but ultimately misses the dysfunction of the family he already had. 3/16
Lauren Graham and John Goodman have been cast to star in "Evan Almighty" with Steve Carrell and Morgan Freeman. In the sequel to “Bruce Almighty,” which is going to be directed by Tom Shadyac and was written by Steve Oedekerk, is about an anchorman-turned-politician who is commanded by God to build an ark. 3/16
Kirk Jones has been hired to pen and to direct "Everybody's Fine," the American adaptation of "Stanno tutti bene," which was originally directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. The story focuses on a man whose wife has died, so he sets off on a road trip so he can reconnect with his grown children. Hollywood Gang and Cecchi Gori USA is co-financing the development of the film. Gianni Nunnari and Vittorio Cecchi Gori are producing. Craig Flores and Nathalie Peter-Contesse are executive producing. 3/16
Lisa and Eric Rice have optioned their script "The Heart of Man" to Mandalay Integrated Media Entertainment (M.I.M.E.) and Prelude Pictures. The film focuses on John Newton, the 18th century abolitionist and composer of the song “Amazing Grace.” Newton himself was enslaved twice – first by the British Navy, then by regular slavers. He escaped from both and campaigned to end slavery. 3/16
Director Catherine Hardwicke has cast Keisha Castle-Hughes in New Line Cinema's "Nativity." Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are producing the film about the trials and tribulations endured by Mary and Joseph when their son Jesus was born. Mike Rich penned the screenplay. Toby Emmerich, Cale Boyter and Michael Disco are shepherding the project for the studio. 3/17
Ne-Yo, Columbus Short, Brian White and Meagan Good have been cast in Screen Gems’ "Stompin.” The hip hop film was written by Rob Adetuyi and is being directed by Sylvain White. The project is about a young man who goes from the urban jungle to a college where he becomes involved in the world of black fraternity ‘stepshow’ competitions. Will Packer (Rainforest Films) is producing. 3/17
The Weinstein Co. has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to "Bobby." Written, directed and produced by Emilio Estevez, the film shows the impact that Robert F. Kennedy’s murder had on the lives of those who witnessed the assassination. 3/17
Julia Roberts is in final talks to star in the film adaptation of the book "Daniel Isn't Talking" by Marti Leimbach. Stephen Chbosky is writing the script, which tells the story of the problems endured by a family when they find out that one of their children is autistic. Karen Rosenfelt is producing the film for Fox 2000. Maria Faillace is shepherding the project for the studio. 3/17
David Hayter has been hired to pen the movie version of the novel “Black Monday.” The book by Bob Reiss is about a federal agent who discovers that the world’s oil supply is being threatened by a mysterious virus. He races against time to avert global catastrophe. Tom Jacobson is producing the film for Paramount Pictures. 3/17
Universal Pictures has optioned the film rights to the novel “Drive” by James Sallis. Marc Platt will produce and Hugh Jackman is attached to star. Jackman is also producing with John Palermo (Seed Prods.). The project is out to writers. The action/adventure is about a Hollywood stunt-driver who’s targeted for death when it’s discovered that he hires himself out as a wheelman during heists. Adam Siegel and Jared LeBoff are overseeing the project for the production company, while Jon Gordon and Jeff Kirschenbaum are doing the same for the studio. APA represents the author. 3/17
Newbie Scott Milam has sold his thriller spec script “Wichita” to Dimension Films/The Weinstein Co. Darren Lynn Bousman is attached to direct the film about eight people whose lives are shattered after a horrific crime has been committed. Marc Burg and Oren Koules will produce the project. Richard Saperstein, Matthew Stein and Alex Franklin will shepherd the project for the studio. 3/17
Newbies Chris Ferrence and Dan Parada have sold their spec "Disappearance of Trout" to New Line Cinema. David Kirschner and Corey Sienega are producing the film about a dying old town that’s saved by a 13-year old boy who mysteriously disappeared two decades ago, but has reappeared unaged. Mark Kaufman is shepherding the project for the studio. 3/20
Scott Rudin and Lorenzo di Bonaventura are teaming up to produce the film version of the upcoming children’s novel "Stoneheart" by Charlie Fletcher. The book, the first of a trilogy, is about a night in England when statues – like chimeras and soldiers – come to life to do battle. Alli Shearmur is supervising for Paramount Pictures. 3/20
Charles Eastman has been tapped to adapt the novel "Desperadoes" by Ron Hansen. The book is about the Dalton Gang’s moll Eugenia Moore, who would either help the bandits rob trains or create diversions for them. Monte Hellman is attached to direct. Joyce Wethington (Jammee Rose Prods.) is producing. Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorcese are executive producing. 3/20
Millionaire Michael Gleissner has announced the production of the thriller "Irreversi," which Gleissner will direct and also produce (Bigfoot Entertainment). Kacy Andrews, Lisa Schachet, and Eliot Tong are also producing. The film is about the turmoil caused between a man and his wife when they experience sudden wealth. The film will be shot mostly in Southeast Asia, and have two versions – one in English, another in Chinese. 3/20
Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Evan Ross and Scott Reeves have all been cast in “PDR” for Lionsgate. The film tells the true story of troubled urban youths who are transformed into swimming champions by Jim Ellis. The script was written by Michael Gozzard and Kevin M. Smith. Sunu Gonera is directing. 3/21
Dean DeBlois has sold his thriller “The Lighthouse” to Touchstone Pictures. Andrew Gunn is producing the film, which is about an electrician whose life unravels when he encounters a duo of mysterious brothers who operate a lighthouse in a secluded location. WMA represents the writer. 3/21
Newbie Jamie Moss has sold his spec script “Last Man Home” to Universal Pictures. Set in Iraq just days before the current U.S. invasion, the film is about an American soldier and his platoon as they search for the soldier’s brother, who became M.I.A. during the first Gulf War. Brian Grazer and Tom Lassally are producing, with Ron Howard directing. Donna Langley and Dylan Clark are shepherding the project for the studio, while David Bernardi will do the same for Imagine Entertainment. 3/21
Sam Jackson and Josh Hartnett are teaming up for “Resurrecting the Champ.” The script was initially drafted by Allison Burnett, but was polished by Rod Lurie, who will also direct the film. The story is based on a series of LA Times articles by reporter J.R. Moehringer in which the young reporter erroneously thinks that a homeless man he has met is a former prize fighter. It turns out the reporter war wrong. Bob Yari, Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brad Fischer and Marc Frydman are all producing. 3/21
Documentarian Dana Adam Shapiro has sold the film rights to his novel “The Every Boy” to Paramount Pictures. Shapiro will also write the movie version and direct the film. The project is about a deceased teenager who left behind a journal that reveals the strange perspective he had and quirky life he lived. Plan B is producing. 3/21
Michael Barker, Matthew Weitzman and Chris McKenna have sold their comedy pitch “The Refs” to New Line Cinema. The trio will write the script about neglected and abused NFL referees who plot to influence the Super Bowl results for ill-gotten gains. Peter Segal is attached to direct. He will also produce with Michael Ewing. 3/22
Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie have sold their spec “Waketime” to Infinity Media. The supernatural thriller centers on a paranoid guy who thinks that he will die soon from a curse that has plagued his family for generations. JC Spink, Chris Bender and Darby Parker are producing, while Jake Weiner and Charlie Gogolak are executive producing. 3/22
David Elliot and Paul Lovett have been hired by Universal Pictures to pen the film version of the TV series "It Takes a Thief." Will Smith is attached to the project as its star and producer. The film is about a professional cat burglar who's forced by the CIA to steal for the government. Also producing are James Lassiter, Kevin Misher, John Davis and Joe Singer. 3/22
Universal Pictures has nabbed the film rights to the novel “The Stars My Destination” by Alfred Bester. The sci-fi tale centers on a marooned astronaut who becomes consumed with thoughts of rage and revenge after his S.O.S. is disregarded by a passing spaceship. In plotting his payback, he discovers secrets that could affect human history. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Raymond Wagner are producing. 3/22
Comedian Lord Baltimore has set up his comedy script "Trophy" to Cinamour Entertainment. The comedy focuses on a country music scout who scours the South in search of a gifted, but reclusive musician named Scarecrow who is reputed to be the Devil's offspring. By doing so, the scout hopes to revive his flagging career by having Scarecrow win a $2 million recording contract in an annual talent competition. Glen Hartford is producing. 3/22
Molly Shannon has been cast in the oxymoronic ‘New’ Paramount Classics’ "Year of the Dog," which was written and will be directed by Mike White. The film is about an optimistic administrative assistant whose life changes after her dog, her sole companion, dies. Amy Israel and Matt Brodlie are shepherding the project for the studio. ICM, Framework Entertainment and attorney Steve Warren represent the actress. 3/22
Robert Luketic is in final talks to direct "21" for Columbia Pictures. Based on Ben Mezrich's best-seller "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions," the film is about a group of guys who beat casino odds by using complex mathematic calculations. 3/22
Nina Colman has sold her script "All's Fare in Love" to Bristol Bay Prods. Inspired by a true character, the romantic comedy is about a matchmaking NY cab driver who realizes that he has fallen for one of his female passengers. Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot (Offspring Entertainment) are producing. 3/23
Sahara Lotti has sold her pitch "Back Magick" to 20th Century Fox. Sahara will write the script. The comedy is about a guy whose life is upended when the wishes he made as an unpopular kid during an eclipse abruptly start coming true. Shawn Levy and Tom McNulty (21 Laps Entertainment) are producing. 3/23
Austin Winsberg has sold his untitled romantic comedy pitch to New Line. The story is under wraps. Charles Roven and Alex Gartner (Mosaic Media) are producing. 3/23
Newbie Rob Davis has sold his spec script "Razorwire" to Kisha Imani Cameron (Completion Films). The urban horror film is about drug dealers who go to war with vampires disguised as cops who frame them for murder. Music video director Little X is attached to direct. 3/24
John August has been hired to polish "Bob the Musical" by Touchstone Pictures. The musical comedy is about an Average Joe whose life is turned upside down when the people around him magically start singing their inner feelings to him. Marc Shaiman is writing the book, while Chris Bender, JC Spink, Beau Flynn, and Tripp Vinson are producing. 3/24
Steve Zaillian has been rehired to polish “American Gangster” in a seven-figure deal by Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment. He wrote preliminary drafts, but was himself re-written by Terry George because his earlier vision would have been too expensive to shoot. The script is about a drug lord who smuggles heroin into the U.S. inside the bodies of American soldiers killed in Vietnam. Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are set to star, while Ridley Scott is set to direct. Brian Grazer is producing. 3/24
Jeff Lowell has sold his script "How I Met My New Boyfriend's Dead Fiance" to Gold Circle Films. Lowell is also set to direct the film. Two guesses of what the film is about. Paul Brooks is shepherding the project for the company. 3/24
Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Ned Beatty, Moritz Bleibtreu, Willem Dafoe and Lily Tomlin have all been cast in "The Walker." The film centers on a middle aged male escort. Paul Schrader is directing the film. Deepak Nayar is producing'. Ingenious Media, Isle of Man, Parseghian Planco and Willi Baer are financing. 3/24
Samuel L. Jackson, Lewis Black, Mo'Nique, Jason Alexander, James Belushi, Jason Biggs, Dane Cook, Harvey Fierstein, Tracy Morgan, Whoopi Goldberg, Gilbert Gottfried, Norm Macdonald, Carlos Mencia, Alyson Hannigan, Jamie Kennedy, Jon Lovitz, Adam Duritz, John Stamos and Dave Coulier (the guy Alanis Morissette allegedly went down on in the theater) are all lending their voice talents to "Farce of the Penguins," a send-up of last year’s documentary hit "March of the Penguins." More specifically, the film is about one penguin’s journey to find love, while his chums are just out to get laid. Bob Saget wrote the script and will directed and produce the film. Also producing is David Permut. Steve Longi and Elliot Rosenblatt co-producing. Thinkfilm and Two Angels Prods. are financing the project. 3/24
Belgian Erik Van Looy has been hired to direct "Dream House" by Universal Pictures. The supernatural thriller was written by David Loucka and is about a family that moves into a seemingly idyllic country house that turns out to be...haunted. Ehren Kruger and Daniel Bobker are producing the film. Stokely Chaffin is executive producing. 3/24
David Bourla has sold his script “Push” to Icon Prods. and Infinity Features. The sci-fi thriller is set in China and is about Americans with telekinesis and E.S.P. who are being hunted by a U.S. intelligence agency. 3/24
Don Handfield has sold his script "Touchback" to Morgan Creek. The drama is about a 20-something man who hits his head and re-awakens to find out that he’s back in high school, a week before the big game in which he shattered his leg and ended his sports career as a star football player. David Nutter is attached to direct. Jim Robinson and Nick Osborne are producing, as are Trever Engelson (Underground Films) and Basil Iwanyk (Thunder Road). David Robinson and Guy McElwaine are executive producing. 3/27
Mark Perez has sold his spec “Cellmates” to Regency Enterprises. Perez will also direct the comedy, which centers on two buddies whose day of reckoning comes when a hardened inmate with whom they made a deal for protection while they were in prison gets released. The producers are David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman (Mandeville Films), and Jason Filardi and Brian Lutz. 3/27
John Malkovich and Thomas Jane have been cast in “The Mutant Chronicles.” The film is based on a popular role-playing game and is about a group of humans in the 23rd century who battle “NecroMutants” (zombie mutants). The sci-fi actioner is being produced by Edward R. Pressman, Tim Dennison, Stephen Belafonte and Peter La Terriere. Alessandro Camon, Peter Sederowsky, Fred Malmberg, Steve Christian and Charles Finch are executive producing. Isle of Man Film, Ltd. is co-financing the project. 3/27
New Line Cinema has hired Frank Coraci to develop and direct "Hawaiian Dick." The supernatural thriller is based on a comic book by B. Clay Moore and Steven Griffin. The script was written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Set in Hawaii in 1953, the film is about a private eye who investigates the murder of a girl who won’t say dead. 3/27
Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Mykelti Williamson and Mark Boone Junior have all been cast in “Vice.” The indie cop thriller was written and will be directed by Raul Sanchez Inglis. The story focuses on cops who become the target of suspicion when drugs go missing from the evidence impound. Arcview Entertainment is financing the project. Matthew Robert Kelly is producing, while Graham Taylor, Michael Raven and Michael Tan are executive producing. 3/27
Ellen Barkin has been cast in “Ocean’s Thirteen” by Warner Bros. Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones are not returning. All the guys are back, however. This installment was written by Brian Koppelman and David Levin. Jerry Weintraub, George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh are producing the project. Soderbergh is continuing his directing duties. Village Roadshow is co-financing. 3/27
Endgame Entertainment has announced the beginning of principal photography on the horror-thriller “Solstice.” Dan Myrick wrote and is directing the film, which stars Elisabeth Harnois, Shawn Ashmore and Tyler Hoechlin. The story revolves around a group that experiences terror when it gathers at a boathouse on a lake after one of the friends’ siblings commits suicide. James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo are producing. 3/27
Mindy Kaling has sold her untitled sorority pitch for six-figures to Fox Filmed Entertainment’s new youth-oriented genre division (the label’s first deal). The comedy is reported to be like a female version of "Revenge of the Nerds" and "Animal House." The project will be produced by Howard Klein (3 Arts Management). Lawrence Grey and Jeff Arkuss will shepherd the film for the division. WMA and 3 Arts represent the writer/actor (she’s Paul Rudd’s ex-girlfriend in “The 40-Year Old Virgin.” Props to the Asian sistah!). 3/28
Comedian Demetri Martin has sold his pitch “Will” to DreamWorks. In the comedy, people’s lives are destined by celestial beings, but the protagonist’s destiny is disrupted when his celestial being quits on him – thus, he has to make his own destiny. 3/28
Simon Kinberg has been tapped to write an untitled female-driven spy thriller by Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox. Nicole Kidman will star and produce the project (Blueprint Films), along with Laurence Mark and Jonathan King. The plot is being kept secret, but it’s said to be in the vein of “The Bourne Identity.” Sanford Panitch is shepherding the project for the production company, while Hutch Parker is doing the same for the studio. CAA and attorney Karl Austen represent Kinberg. CAA and attorney Alan Wertheimer represent Kidman. 3/28
Universal has attached Tom Hanks to star in and to produce “How Starbucks Saved My Life,” a film adaptation of the book by Michael Gates Gill. Gus Van Sant is in talks to helm the project. Also producing is Gary Goetzman. The film centers on a middle aged executive who falls on financial and personal hard times, gets a job at Starbucks where he befriends a young guy, and learns how to appreciate life again. CAA represents the author and Hanks. WMA represents Van Sant. 3/28
Columbia is in talks to cast Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox in “Vantage Point.” The script was written by Barry Levy and is a “Rashomon”-type take on a presidential assassination plot told from five different perspectives. Pete Davis is also in negotiations to direct. 3/28
Stephen Hauser has sold his spec “The Mistaken” to Davis Entertainment in a six-figure deal (from their discretionary fund, no less). Like “The Fugitive” and “The Bourne Identity,” the action-thriller is about an American man who goes on the run after he is mistaken as a terrorist. Fox is circling the project. ICM, manager Britton Rizzio and attorney Rick Genow represent the writer. 3/29
Steven Gary Banks and Claudia Grazioso have been hired by Universal Pictures to polish “Beautiful Asian Brides.” The comedy centers on a man who disguises himself as a mail-order bride after being wrongly accused of murder. Lucy Liu is attached to star. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are producing. 3/29
George C. Wolfe has been attached to direct "Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story." The boxing movie is based on the documentary of the same name. Columbia Pictures and Paramount Pictures are financing production, development. 3/29
Andrea Lavinthal and Jessica Rozler have sold the film rights to their how-to book "The Hookup Handbook: A Single Girl's Guide to Living It Up." The Weinstein Co./Dimension Films is developing the project as a comedy. 3/29
Crescent City Pictures has announced that Gil Cates Jr. will be directing “Deal,” a poker movie starring Burt Reynolds and Bret Harrison. Michael Arata is producing. 3/29
2 Sticks Prods. has cast Tara Reid in the comedy "7-10 Split." Also starring is Ross Patterson, who wrote the script for the bowling movie. Tommy Reid (Tara’s brother) is directing the film. 3/29
Brent Forrester has sold his comedy pitch "Big Wave" to 20th Century Fox. The film is about a surfer (considered the greatest until a wipeout traumatized him) who comes out of retirement and enters a competition to help some elderly surfers from losing their home. Emmett and Brendan Malloy will direct, while Ben Stiller will star and produce. Also producing is Stuart Cornfeld. Debbie Liebling is managing the project for the studio. 3/30
Robert Kanigel has sold the film rights to his biography "The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan" to Edward R. Pressman Film Corp. The film is about Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar, the self-taught genius who went from the poverty of India, rose to the ivory towers of Cambridge University and helped advance mathematics with his radical ideas. Edward Pressman, Sofia Sondervan and Jim Young (Animus Films) are producing. 3/30
Shia LaBeouf is in talks with DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures to star in "Transformers," the live-action version of the animated series about the Autobots and the Decepticons. The actor will play a teenager whose first car turns out to be an Autobot. The script was written by John Rogers, then polished by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Michael Bay is directing. Don Murphy (Angry Films), Tom DeSanto and Lorenzo di Bonaventura are producing, with Steven Spielberg and Brian Goldner (Hasbro) executive producing. Adam Goodman is shepherding the project for the studio. Endeavor and the Beverly Hecht Agency, John Crosby Management and attorney Matthew Saver represent LaBeouf. 3/30
New Line Cinema has bought the film rights to the suspense-thriller "Land of the Living" by Nicci French. The book centers on a young woman whose psyche is gripped by the terrifying memory of when she was kept prisoner by a menacing figure shrouded in darkness as he described the gruesome and sadistic details of acts he committed to his prior victims. James Ellroy will pen the adaptation. Alexandra Milchan is producing, while Joel Gotler is executive producing. 3/30
Ron Bass has been hired by Stone Village to adapt the book “True Believer” by Nicholas Sparks. The story centers on a skeptical journalist who starts believing in the supernatural when he falls for the granddaughter of a clairvoyant. Scott Steindorff and Robin Greenspun are producing.
Also on Stone Village’s plate: a remake of the 1955 caper film “Rififi.” Bo Goldman is contemporizing the story, with Al Pacino starring and Walt Becker directing. The tale is about a thief who comes out of retirement after his wife leaves him. His target: a jewelry store. Steindorff is also producing, while Scott Lastaiti is co-producing. 3/31
New Line Cinema is remaking the Spanish dark crime comedy "Torrente." Mike Bender and Doug Chernack are writing the script about a corrupt, selfish, alcoholic and generally unlikable cop who still manages to fight crime. The project is being produced by Benderspink, while the original film’s Andres Vicente Gomez is executive producing. 3/31
Walt Disney Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment have cast Peter Dinklage in “Underdog,” the live-action version of the animated series. The 60s cartoon was about an ordinary canine named Shoeshine Boy who turned into a rhyming superdog. Adam Rifkin, Joe Piscatella and Craig Williams all took turns on the script. Frederik Du Chau is directing. 3/31
Robin Williams and Mandy Moore have been cast by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow in "License to Wed." The romantic comedy set in L.A. and Mexico centers on a groom-to-be who fails a two-week premarital class and has to re-woo his fiancée. Ken Kwapis is helming the project. 3/31
Mark Walden has sold the film rights to his book “H.I.V.E.” to Paramount Pictures. Lynda Obst will produce the young adult superhero film about a high school that trains villainous teens. 3/31
Gael Garcia Bernal is developing an adaptation of an episode of the television series "Ruta 32” as his freshman directorial effort and starring vehicle. The script was written by Kyzza Terrazas. The drama will deal with the different classes in Mexican society. Bernal will also produce the film with Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz (Canana Films). Also cast are Camila Sodi, Luz Cipriota and Tenoch Huerta. Focus Films will handle distribution in the U.S. 3/2
Paramount Pictures has picked up Zach Braff’s remake of the 2002 Danish film "Open Hearts." Braff is scheduled to write, direct, produce and star. The romantic drama focuses on the entanglement experienced by two couples involved in a car crash. CAA, Entertainment and attorneys Ken Richman and Steve Warren represent the multi-hyphenate. 3/2
Infinity Media has announced that it will produce "Mike the Bike," a bio of the Mike Hailwood, a British champion motorcycle rider in the 60s and 70s who is crippled by a devastating crash. The script was written by Paul Pender. Michael Ohoven is producing the picture. 3/2
Walt Disney Pictures has hired Mark Friedman to pen the script for the untitled Angelo Brooks project. The film will be based on real events in Baltimore, where a cop took over the debate team of a run-down inner city school and coached the disadvantaged students to victory. David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman (Mandeville Films) are producing the film. 3/2
Newbie Mikey Wigart has sold his script "Shiver" to Dimension Films. Michael Cuesta is attached to direct and produce. The horror thriller is based on true events and is set in Minnesota, where a group of New Years Eve partiers fall prey to a maniacal doctor when they become stranded in a blizzard. 3/2
Working Title has cast Steve Coogan, Jim Broadbent and Timothy Dalton in “Hot Fuzz,” a satire about a London cop demoted to working in a small British town. The comedy was written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. They are also directing and top-lining the project, respectively. Nira Park, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are producing. Natascha Wharton is executive producing. 3/2
Darius Films has hired Allan Moyle to direct "Weirdsville," a dark comedy about teen slackers whose friend overdoses on drugs. When they go to bury him in an abandoned drive-in, they discover a cult amidst a satanic ritual. The script was written by Willem Wennekers. Scott Speedman, Wes Bentley and Taryn Manning are attached to star. Screen Media will distribute in the U.S., and ThinkFilm will do the same in Canada. Nicholas Tabarrok is producing. 3/2
John Cusack has signed on to produce and star in "Grace Is Gone," an independent drama about a man who takes his two daughters on a road trip after his wife is killed in Iraq. The script was written by James C. Strouse, who will also direct. Grace Loh is also producing, along with Gail Niederhoffer, Daniela Taplin Lundbergh and Celine Rattray (Plum Pictures). Reagan Silber, Bruce Lunsford, Ed Hart and Paul Bernstein are executive producing. Marilyn Haft and Roberta Burrows are co-producing. Cusack and Strouse are represented by WMA. 3/2
The Weinstein Co. and producer Tom Lassally are developing a film based on the NY Times articles written by Warren St. John which exposed the celebrated HIV-infected hustler-turned-author J.T. Leroy to be nothing but a hoax. Leroy supposedly wrote the edgy novels "Sarah" and "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things," drawing from “his” experiences as a transvestite teen hooker. However, the articles recently revealed that “Leroy” and “Leroy’s work” was fabricated by Laura Albert, a writer and musician, while the “Leroy” who made public appearances was a young woman whose real name is Savannah Knoop. Captain Mauzner wrote the script. Jesse Peretz is attached to direct. The film is being packaged by UTA. Michael Cole and Kelly Carmichael are shepherding the project for TWC. 3/2
Mark Burton has sold his spec "They Came from Upstairs" to 20th Century Fox for a reported $1.75 million against $2.25 million. Barry Josephson is producing the project, which is described as "Home Alone" meets "Gremlins. Lisa Ellzey is overseeing the film for the studio, while Bridget Humphreys is doing the same for Josephson Entertainment. WMA, Berlin & Associates and attorney Joel McKuin represent Burton. 3/3
Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures have announced the production of “Saw III.” Darren Lynn Bousman is once again helming the franchise picture. The script was written by Leigh Whannell from a story he developed with James Wan. The film will be produced by Mark Burg and Oren Koules. 3/3
Michael Seitzman has been hired by Warner Bros. Pictures to write an adaptation of the novel "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell. Brad Pitt is producing, along with Nick Wechsler (Industry Entertainment) and Cynthia Pett-Dante (Brillstein-Grey). Pitt might also star in the film. The sci-fi film is about a priest and a crew of astronauts who become friends with one alien race, inadvertently triggering the rancor of another, thus starting a horrible war on the extraterrestrial planet. Courtney Valenti is shepherding the project for WB. 3/3
Ben Magid has sold his pitch “Pan” to New Line Cinema, with manager Brooklyn Weaver (Energy Entertainment) producing. The story flips the classic kid’s tale by making it a horror film with Peter Pan as the villain being tracked by a cop named Hook. Toby Emmerich and Jeff Katz (my boy!) are shepherding the project for the studio, while Jake Wagner is doing the same for Energy Entertainment. 3/6
Director Matthew Vaughn has cast Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller and Charlie Cox to star in the fantasy film "Stardust" for Paramount Pictures. The project is based on a novel by Neil Gaiman and was adapted for the screen by Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman. The story focuses on an adventurer whose boon is to fetch a falling star for his beloved, but first he must battle a pirate and an evil witch. Vaughn is also producing with Lorenzo di Bonaventura for Paramount Pictures. Also producing are Michael Dreyer and Gaiman, while Stephen Marks and Peter Morton are going to executive produce. Co-financing the film are MARV Films and Ingenious Film Partners. Brad Weston and Dan Levine are shepherding the project for Paramount. ICM and manager Michael Aglion represent Danes. CAA represents De Niro, Pfeiffer and Cox. Endeavor represents Miller. Peters, Fraser & Dunlop also represent Cox and Miller. 3/7
Philip Seymour Hoffman will join Laura Linney in "The Savages." Tamara Jenkins wrote the script and is directing the comedic drama for Fox Searchlight Pictures. It’s about a brother and sister who must care for the sickly father who never took care of them. Ted Hope and Anne Carey (This Is That) are producing the film, along with Fred and Erica Westheimer. Executive producing are Jim Burke (Ad Hominem), Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor. Claudia Lewis and Joshua Deighton are overseeing the project for the studio. Paradigm and attorney Robert Marshall represent Hoffman. ICM, Brillstein-Grey and attorney Kevin Yorn represent Linney. 3/7
Jack Black, Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh have all signed on to star in an untitled film being directed by Noah Baumbach. Scott Rudin is producing for Paramount Classics. The synopsis is so vague that it doesn’t bear repeating. 3/7
Spyglass Entertainment has hired Matt Johnson to write "Baja 1000." The action adventure is about a father and son team who participate in the annual Baja 1000 off-road race in Mexico. Producing the film are Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and Jonathan Glickman. Sal Fish is executive producing, while June Seley-Kimmel is serving as co-producer. Ivan Oyco is overseeing the films for Spyglass. UTA, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and attorney Adam Kaller represent Johnson. 3/7
Sony BMG Film and Nuyorican Prods have signed Alejandro Chomski to direct "Reggaeton." Jennifer Lopez is producing. 3/7
Scott Marshall Smith has sold his comedy pitch "Once and Future King" to Universal. Gary Foster (Krasnoff Foster Prods.) is producing. The film, inspired by true events, revolves around an Australian farmer who discovers that he’s the rightful heir to the British throne. Rikki Lea Bestall is co-producing the project. Jon Gordon and Erik Baiers are shepherding the project for the studio. 3/7
Paramount Pictures has snapped up the film rights to "The Year of Yes: A Memoir" by Maria Dahvana Headley. Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen are producing. The book is a comedy about a woman who decides to accept all proposals from men who ask her out on dates. Marc Evan is overseeing the project for the studio. 3/7
Richard Regen has been hired by The Weinstein Co. to adapt “Panic,” a novel by Jeff Abbott. Richard Shepherd is attached to direct. The espionage thriller is about a documentary filmmaker who finds out that his parents were spies after his mother has been murders and his father has been kidnapped. Michael Cole and Eric Robinson are overseeing the film for TWC. 3/7
Dimension Films has snapped up the film rights to “Cell,” Stephen King’s latest novel. The deal is for $1 million against seven-figures, with extra bumps along the way. Eli Roth has been attached to direct. The book is about the entire cell phone-using population turning into killer zombies. Roth, Mike Fleiss and Chris Briggs are producing. Roth has expressed interest in writing the script. Matt Stein, Richard Saperstein and Brendan Dennen are shepherding the project for the studio. The book and Roth are represented by CAA. 3/8
Director Todd Phillips has signed on to direct Zach Helm’s comedy "The Disassociate" for Warner Bros. Pictures. The script is about a guy who thinks he’s crazy when he starts getting postcards from God. Lindsay Doran is producing with Phillips. 3/8
Paramount Pictures has bought the comedy pitch "Me & Olivia" from Ed Solomon for $1 million. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing. The story is about a man who deals with his occupational woes by entering the imaginary world created by his kinder-aged daughter. Solomon will write the script with Chris Matheson. Brad Weston and Dan Levine are overseeing the project for the studio. WMA and attorney Michael Gendler represent Solomon. Above the Line Agency and attorney Shep Rosenman represent Matheson. 3/8
Woody Allen has announced the production start to his next film “Scoop.” Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum and Gareth Wiley are producing, while exective producing are Vincent Maraval, Benjamin Waisbren and Daniel Wuhrmann. Virtual Films and Wild Bunch are financing the project. 3/8
Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson have sold their pitch “Minutemen” to Sony, with Neal Moritz (Original Films) and Ori Marmur producing. Camp and Thompson are also executive producing. The price tag was high six figures against low seven figures. The action film is about the population of a small town that defends America against foreign invaders. Sam Dickerson is shepherding the project for the studio. 3/8
New Line Cinema and Blighty Entertainment have bought the film rights to the novel “The Wedding Officer” by Anthony Capella. The book is a romantic comedy set in Naples during WWII and is about a young British officer who screens Italian girls who want to marry his fellow countrymen. 3/8
Avenue Pictures and Sandbar Pictures have cast Simon Baker in the dark comedy “Sex and Death 101." Dan Waters has written the script and is directing the film about a man who gets an e-mail that lists all the women with whom he’s had sex, plus all the men with whom those women will have sex in the future. Cary Brokaw is producing with Lizzie Friedman and Greg Little. Aaron Craig Geller is executive producing. ICM and Untitled Entertainment represent Baker. 3/8
20th Century Fox and Walden Media have hired Vadim Perelman to rewrite and direct the film adaptation of the novel “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. The book is about a teenager who lives in a serene, utopic world which has no memory of humanity’s violent past. The protagonist is traumatized when he’s chosen to become the Giver, whose role is to retain all human emotions. Todd Alcott wrote the previous drafts. Jeff Bridges and Neil Koenigsberg (AsIs Prods.) are producing, along with Orly Wiseman and Nikki Silver (On Screen Entertainment). Debbie Liebling is overseeing the project for Fox, while Alex Schwartz and Evan Turner are doing the same for Walden. CAA and the Firm represent Perelman.
Paramount Pictures has hired Roger Avery and Neil Gaiman to pen the horror romance "Black Hole." The project is being produced by MTV Films, Plan B and Kevin Messick. Alexandre Aja is attached to direct the film based on the critically-acclaimed graphic novel by Charles Burn. The story revolves around high school students who get infected by a sexually transmitted disease called the "teen plague" or "the bug." 3/8
Miramax has cast Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino and Matthew Goode to the crime thriller "The Lookout." Scott Frank wrote the script and is directing. The film is about a disabled custodian who becomes entangled in a bank heist scheme. Walter Parkes, Laurence Mark, Roger Birnbaum and Gary Barber are producing the project. 3/8
Warner Bros. has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the upcoming CG version of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Kevin Munroe wrote the script and is directing the film. The Weinstein Co. is releasing the film overseas. Thomas K. Gray and Galen Walker (Imagi Animation Studios) are producing. 3/8
Red Bone Films is in final talks to cast Mos Def and Sophie Okonedo in the drama "Stringbean and Marcus." The period film revolves around the romance between two ex-Black Panther members. First-timer Tanya Hamilton is set to direct, from a script she wrote. Sean Costello, Jen Roskind and Samara Koffler are producing the project. ICM and Markham and Froggatt Ltd. represent Okonedo. Brookside Artists Management represents Mos Def. 3/9
Neil Crawford has sold his pitch “King Tut” to Paramount Pictures. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura is producing the action/adventure film that’s loosely based on the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter. Brad Weston and Dan Levine are shepherding the project for the studio. 3/9
The Jim Henson Company has acquired the film rights to the fantasy novels "Varjak Paw" and "The Outlaw Varjak Paw," both written by SF Said. Dave McKean is slated to direct and co-write the script with the novelist. The former is about a kitten that discovers that he belongs to a long line of magical martial arts-practicing felines. Lisa Henson is producing the animated film, while Said and McKean will executive produce. Jason Lust is overseeing the project for Henson. 3/9
Multi-hyphenate Til Schweiger has announced that he will star in and produce (Barefoot Films) "Blaze." Reto Salimbeni wrote the script and will direct the film about a guy who finds out that he unknowingly provided an alibi for a co-worker who committed rape. Also in the cast are Michael Clarke Duncan, Lauren Lee Smith, Stefanie von Pfetten, Eric Roberts and Ned Bellamy. Also producing are Universal Pictures Germany and Manifesto Films. 3/9
Dimension Films has cast John Cusack in the horror film “1408.” The film is based on a Stephen King short story about a skeptic who discovers that supernatural terrors do exist when he investigates the “supposedly” haunted Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. Richard Saperstein and Matthew Stein are shepherding the film for the studio. 3/9
Bobby Smith Jr. has sold his pitch "Lift Every Voice" to New Line Cinema. He will write the script about an idealistic young pastor who steers New Jersey youths from trouble on the street by forming a gospel choir. Smith’s manager Holly Davis-Carter (Releve Entertainment) is producing. Lindsay Hughes is executive producing. Mark Ordesky and Kathy Busby are shepherding the project for the studio. 3/9
Emmett/Furla Films has hired Jon Avnet to direct and produce (Brooklyn Films) “Second World.” Written by Scott King, the action thriller is about a female assassin who must save the world from a viral pandemic by teaming up with the virus’ creator – her target. Randall Emmett and George Furla are producing with Avnet. Millennium Films is distributing and financing the project. 3/9
Focus Features has announced the production of two films. Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin (Blue Print Pictures) are producing the first titled "In Bruges.” The film was written by and will be directed by Martin McDonagh. It's about an assassin. The second is an adaptation of Norman Lewis' best-selling autobiography "Naples '44: A World War II Diary of Occupied Italy." The script was penned by Ben Hopkins and tells the tale of Lewis’ experiences as a WWII British intelligence officer in Italy. Francesca Barra is producing. 3/10
The Weinstein Co. has acquired the stage and film rights to Wang Du Lu’s five book martial arts series "Crane -- Iron Pentalogy." They include "Crane Frightens KunLun," "Precious Sword," "Golden Hairpin," "Sword Spirit, Pearl Light," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Iron Knight, Silver Vase." TWC is wooing original “Crouching Tiger” director Ang Lee and producer Bill Kong to help develop the projects (although “Crouching Tiger” will not be remade as a feature, just as a stage musical). The deal was negotiated by William Morris China and Fangda Partners. 3/10
Lexi Alexander is directing "A House Divided" for Odd Lot Entertainment from a script he wrote. The film is about a man who decides to embrace his Jewish heritage, so his upset wife decides to pursue evangelical Christianity in retaliation. Alexander (Iron Prods.) will also produce with partner Stefan Haller. Deborah Del Prete and Gigi Pritzker are executive producing, and Linda McDonough will co-produce. 3/10
Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche and Dane Cook have been cast by Touchstone Pictures in "Dan in Real Life." The film is being directed by Peter Hedges from a script written by Pierce Gardner. Jon Shestack is producing the romantic comedy about an advice columnist whose life becomes a mess when he falls in love with his younger brother’s girlfriend. Brad Epstein is shepherding the project for the studio. 3/10
Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase and Shido Nakamura have been cast in the Japanese-language "Red Sun, Black Sand." Clint Eastwood is directing the drama that bookends the director’s other Iwo Jima war film "Flags of Our Fathers." “Red Sun” will tell Japan’s side of that pivotal WWII conflict. Iris Yamashita wrote the script, collaborating on the story with Paul Haggis. Haggis wrote the adaptation of James Bradley's book “Flags,” with the film version starring Ryan Phillipe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Jamie Bell, Barry Pepper and Paul Walker. “Red Sun” is about the travails of real-life Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. Eastwood is producing the films with Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz, while Paul Haggis is executive producing. Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks has partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures, with the formers distributing the films domestically, and the latter doing the same overseas. 3/10
In a seven-figure deal, writer Scott Rosenberg has been hired to contemporize “The Dirty Dozen,” collaborating with writing/producing partners Andre Nemec and Josh Appelbaum. Like the 1967 original, the new version will be about twelve convicted soldier who are drafted for a suicide war mission. Joel Silver and Susan Downey are producing for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures. Bruce Berman (Village Roadshow) and Steve Richards are executive producing. Lynn Harris is shepherding the project for the studio, Navid McIlhargey is doing the same for Silver Pictures and Dana Goldberg for Village Roadshow. 3/13
The Weinstein Co. has cast Laura Linney and Scarlett Johansson in "The Nanny Diaries." The film has been adapted for the screen by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini from the book by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. The story is about a young woman from the New Jersey suburbs who infiltrates New York’s upper-crust when she’s hired to become a nanny. Richard Gladstein (FilmColony) is producing, while Dany Wolf is executive producing. Michael Cole and Kelly Carmichael are shepherding the project for TWC. 3/13
Paul Haggis has been tapped by Columbia Pictures to direct and produce "Against All Enemies," developing the script with writer James Vanderbilt. The film is based on Richard A. Clarke’s memoirs and shows an insider’s look at the Bush cabinet’s tactics against Al Qaida. It was published by Free Press in 2004. John Calley is producing the film, with Len Sherman executive producing. Larry Becsey will also serve as a producer. Doug Belgrad and Rachel O'Connor are overseeing the film for the studio. CAA, Becsey and attorneys Peter Dekom and Wayne Alexander represent Haggis. 3/13
Prelude Features has hired Bruce Beresford to direct a biopic of the Russian classical composer Sergei Rachmaninoff titled "Rhapsody." Frederick Muller (Prelude) is producing, while Edward R. Pressman, Floyd Bradley and Timothy Prager are executive producing. Prager also wrote the screenplay. 3/13
DreamWorks has cast Shia LaBeouf in the thriller "Disturbia." D.J. Caruso is directing. The script was written by Christopher Landon about a teenager who’s under house arrest and is unable to stop a neighbor who he believes is a serial killer. Montecito Picture Co. and Jackie Marcus are producing the film. Carl Ellsworth did rewrites of initial drafts of Landon’s spec script. 3/13
20th Century Fox has tapped Adrian Lyne to direct "Two Minutes to Midnight." Sheldon Turner wrote the thriller about a divorce lawyer who is given two choices: he must commit suicide or his wife will be killed by kidnappers. Jennifer Klein (Apartment 3B Prods.) is producing, while Hutch Parker and Peter Kang are overseeing the project for the studio. 3/13
William Monahan has been hired by Warner Bros. to adapt “Penetration” from the book written by David Ignatius. Ridley Scott is directing the film, as well as producing with Donald De Line. The spy thriller is about a CIA officer who teams up with a Jordanian counter-terrorist agent. Lynn Harris is overseeing the project for the studio, while Michael Costigan is doing the same for Scott Free. 3/13
Guillermo Arriaga (La Neta Films/Naco Films) is producing the adaptation of his own book "El bufalo de noche" ("The Night Buffalo"), along with the film’s star Diego Luna. Venezuelan newbie Jorge Hernandez is directing the film. The drama, which will be in the vein of "21 Grams" and "Amores Perros," is about a mentally ill man who commits suicide after his best friend steals his girlfriend away from him. Enrique Lopez is executive producing. 3/13
Producer Danny Bigel has acquired the feature rights to novel "Play Dates" by Leslie Carroll. Set in New York, the film is about a young mother in her twenties who not only finds herself suddenly divorced from her cheating husband, but also discovers that her six-year old son is more socially active than she is. The project is out to writers. 3/13
The Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox have made offers to Jennifer Lopez, Luke Wilson, John Travolta and Shirley MacLaine to star in the big screen send-up of the hit Eighties soap opera “Dallas.” Robert Luketic is going to direct the film. The screenplay, written by Robert Harling and Sacha Gervasi, revolves around the scandalous romantic and business exploits of the Ewing oil clan. 3/14
Ice Cube has signed on to star in and to produce the film version of another TV show “Welcome Back, Kotter.” Tom Brady is in final negotiations to write and direct the comedy effort. Andrew Lazar and Matt Alvarez are also producing. Like the series, the feature will be about a teacher who returns to the ‘hood to motivate and educate teens who are as he was – hopeless, underprivileged and rebellious. Dimension Films is financing and will distribute the feature. Richard Saperstein, Matthew Stein and Alex Franklin are overseeing the project for the studio. WMA and Firm represent Ice Cube. 3/14
Benicio Del Toro has signed on to star in and produce Universal Pictures’ new version of the classic “The Wolf Man.” Andrew Kevin Walker is writing the screenplay. Scott Stuber, Rick Yorn and Mary Parent are also producing. The film will be set during Victorian times and will follow the original’s plot, with an American who goes to England and gets bitten by a werewolf. Donna Langley and Peter Cramer are overseeing the project for Universal. 3/15
Dan Shere has sold his spec comedy script "We Are Family" to Twentieth Century Fox. Ralph Winter is producing. The story is about a white collar guy who hires actors to play his family because he is too embarrassed to introduce his fiancée to his real parents and siblings. Susana Zepeda is shepherding the project for Winter's production company, while Debbie Liebling will be doing the same for Fox. Noah Rosen (Circle of Confusion) is executive producing. 3/15
Channing Gibson has been hired by New Line to write a Western adaptation of the Japanese horror film “Infection.” The project is being produced by Roy Lee (natch) and Doug Davison (Vertigo Entertainment) and Takashige Ichise. The story is about a hospital staff that discovers that the deadly disease they're battling is supernatural in nature. Jeff Katz and George Waud are shepherding the film for New Line. 3/15
Anna Faris, John Krasinski, John Cho and Jane Lynch have been cast in the stoner comedy "Smiley Face." The project is being directed by Gregg Araki. The film's producers are Henry Winterstern and Kevin Turen (First Look Studios), as well as Steve Golin and Alix Madigan (Anonymous Content). Written by newbie Dylan Haggerty, the story is about an aspiring actress' day of foibles caused by her roommate’s pot brownies. 3/15
Anonymous Content and New Line Cinema have announced that they are producing a feature containing a number of short films with themes and stories inspired by the music of Kanye West. Six writers and about a dozen directors will create a series of shorts about American life with the rapper’s music as their inspiration. George C. Wolfe will executive produce and oversee the whole project creatively, with Richard Brown and Steve Golin producing. G. Roberson is also executive producing. Toby Emmerich, Kent Alterman and Michele Weiss are shepherding the project for New Line. CAA and Roberson represent West. 3/18
Ronald Harwood has been hired by Paramount Pictures to write a film that explores last year’s education controversy about whether or not intelligent design can be taught in public schools as an alternative to evolution. Lynda Obst is producing. 3/15
Nigel Cole has been hired to direct a film adaptation of the teen book "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole" by Sue Townsend. The script was written by Bradley Wood. The story revolves around a British teenage boy who tries to find sanity as an escape from his dysfunctional, blue collar family. Brett Forbes and Patrick Rizzotti (Fortress Entertainment), Alison Owen (Ruby Films) and Diana Leszczynski are producing. 3/15
John Stockwell has been tapped to write and direct "Kid Cannabis" by HBO Films. The story, cobbled together from articles by Rolling Stone editor Mark Binelli ("Kid Cannabis: How a Chubby Pizza-Delivery Boy from Idaho Became a Drug Kingpin") and Kevin Taylor ("Dreaming in Green"), is about white suburban teens from Idaho who went from minimum wage slaves to becoming multi-million dollar drug kingpins. Stockwell is also producing with Nicole Rocklin. 3/16
Michael Caine and Demi Moore have been cast in "Flawless." The caper film, which will be directed by Michael Radford, is set in 60s London and is about a janitor and a female American executive who want to “stick it to the man” by stealing from their employer. Michael Pierce and Mark Williams are producing the film, while Stephen Margolis (Future Films) is executive producing. Pierce/Williams Entertainment is co-financing with Future Films. 3/16
Lionsgate has snapped up the rights to "Daddy's Little Girl" which Tyler Perry will write and direct. Reuben Cannon and Perry will produce the dramedy love story between a janitor/single father and a “bougie” female black attorney. WMA and attorney Matt Johnson represent Perry. 3/16
MGM has cast William Hurt to star with Kevin Costner in "Mr. Brooks." Bruce Evans is directing the psychological thriller about one man trying to maintain control, while his counterpart is reveling in killing and chaos. Evan co-wrote the script with Raynold Gideon. Costner, Gideon and Jim Wilson are producing. 3/16
Sahara Lotti has sold her spec "Dear God, It's Me Rod" to 20th Century Fox. She also signed a blind script deal with the studio. Andrew Gunn is producing the family comedy about a teenager who wishes for a different, more “normal” family, but ultimately misses the dysfunction of the family he already had. 3/16
Lauren Graham and John Goodman have been cast to star in "Evan Almighty" with Steve Carrell and Morgan Freeman. In the sequel to “Bruce Almighty,” which is going to be directed by Tom Shadyac and was written by Steve Oedekerk, is about an anchorman-turned-politician who is commanded by God to build an ark. 3/16
Kirk Jones has been hired to pen and to direct "Everybody's Fine," the American adaptation of "Stanno tutti bene," which was originally directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. The story focuses on a man whose wife has died, so he sets off on a road trip so he can reconnect with his grown children. Hollywood Gang and Cecchi Gori USA is co-financing the development of the film. Gianni Nunnari and Vittorio Cecchi Gori are producing. Craig Flores and Nathalie Peter-Contesse are executive producing. 3/16
Lisa and Eric Rice have optioned their script "The Heart of Man" to Mandalay Integrated Media Entertainment (M.I.M.E.) and Prelude Pictures. The film focuses on John Newton, the 18th century abolitionist and composer of the song “Amazing Grace.” Newton himself was enslaved twice – first by the British Navy, then by regular slavers. He escaped from both and campaigned to end slavery. 3/16
Director Catherine Hardwicke has cast Keisha Castle-Hughes in New Line Cinema's "Nativity." Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are producing the film about the trials and tribulations endured by Mary and Joseph when their son Jesus was born. Mike Rich penned the screenplay. Toby Emmerich, Cale Boyter and Michael Disco are shepherding the project for the studio. 3/17
Ne-Yo, Columbus Short, Brian White and Meagan Good have been cast in Screen Gems’ "Stompin.” The hip hop film was written by Rob Adetuyi and is being directed by Sylvain White. The project is about a young man who goes from the urban jungle to a college where he becomes involved in the world of black fraternity ‘stepshow’ competitions. Will Packer (Rainforest Films) is producing. 3/17
The Weinstein Co. has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to "Bobby." Written, directed and produced by Emilio Estevez, the film shows the impact that Robert F. Kennedy’s murder had on the lives of those who witnessed the assassination. 3/17
Julia Roberts is in final talks to star in the film adaptation of the book "Daniel Isn't Talking" by Marti Leimbach. Stephen Chbosky is writing the script, which tells the story of the problems endured by a family when they find out that one of their children is autistic. Karen Rosenfelt is producing the film for Fox 2000. Maria Faillace is shepherding the project for the studio. 3/17
David Hayter has been hired to pen the movie version of the novel “Black Monday.” The book by Bob Reiss is about a federal agent who discovers that the world’s oil supply is being threatened by a mysterious virus. He races against time to avert global catastrophe. Tom Jacobson is producing the film for Paramount Pictures. 3/17
Universal Pictures has optioned the film rights to the novel “Drive” by James Sallis. Marc Platt will produce and Hugh Jackman is attached to star. Jackman is also producing with John Palermo (Seed Prods.). The project is out to writers. The action/adventure is about a Hollywood stunt-driver who’s targeted for death when it’s discovered that he hires himself out as a wheelman during heists. Adam Siegel and Jared LeBoff are overseeing the project for the production company, while Jon Gordon and Jeff Kirschenbaum are doing the same for the studio. APA represents the author. 3/17
Newbie Scott Milam has sold his thriller spec script “Wichita” to Dimension Films/The Weinstein Co. Darren Lynn Bousman is attached to direct the film about eight people whose lives are shattered after a horrific crime has been committed. Marc Burg and Oren Koules will produce the project. Richard Saperstein, Matthew Stein and Alex Franklin will shepherd the project for the studio. 3/17
Newbies Chris Ferrence and Dan Parada have sold their spec "Disappearance of Trout" to New Line Cinema. David Kirschner and Corey Sienega are producing the film about a dying old town that’s saved by a 13-year old boy who mysteriously disappeared two decades ago, but has reappeared unaged. Mark Kaufman is shepherding the project for the studio. 3/20
Scott Rudin and Lorenzo di Bonaventura are teaming up to produce the film version of the upcoming children’s novel "Stoneheart" by Charlie Fletcher. The book, the first of a trilogy, is about a night in England when statues – like chimeras and soldiers – come to life to do battle. Alli Shearmur is supervising for Paramount Pictures. 3/20
Charles Eastman has been tapped to adapt the novel "Desperadoes" by Ron Hansen. The book is about the Dalton Gang’s moll Eugenia Moore, who would either help the bandits rob trains or create diversions for them. Monte Hellman is attached to direct. Joyce Wethington (Jammee Rose Prods.) is producing. Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorcese are executive producing. 3/20
Millionaire Michael Gleissner has announced the production of the thriller "Irreversi," which Gleissner will direct and also produce (Bigfoot Entertainment). Kacy Andrews, Lisa Schachet, and Eliot Tong are also producing. The film is about the turmoil caused between a man and his wife when they experience sudden wealth. The film will be shot mostly in Southeast Asia, and have two versions – one in English, another in Chinese. 3/20
Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Evan Ross and Scott Reeves have all been cast in “PDR” for Lionsgate. The film tells the true story of troubled urban youths who are transformed into swimming champions by Jim Ellis. The script was written by Michael Gozzard and Kevin M. Smith. Sunu Gonera is directing. 3/21
Dean DeBlois has sold his thriller “The Lighthouse” to Touchstone Pictures. Andrew Gunn is producing the film, which is about an electrician whose life unravels when he encounters a duo of mysterious brothers who operate a lighthouse in a secluded location. WMA represents the writer. 3/21
Newbie Jamie Moss has sold his spec script “Last Man Home” to Universal Pictures. Set in Iraq just days before the current U.S. invasion, the film is about an American soldier and his platoon as they search for the soldier’s brother, who became M.I.A. during the first Gulf War. Brian Grazer and Tom Lassally are producing, with Ron Howard directing. Donna Langley and Dylan Clark are shepherding the project for the studio, while David Bernardi will do the same for Imagine Entertainment. 3/21
Sam Jackson and Josh Hartnett are teaming up for “Resurrecting the Champ.” The script was initially drafted by Allison Burnett, but was polished by Rod Lurie, who will also direct the film. The story is based on a series of LA Times articles by reporter J.R. Moehringer in which the young reporter erroneously thinks that a homeless man he has met is a former prize fighter. It turns out the reporter war wrong. Bob Yari, Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brad Fischer and Marc Frydman are all producing. 3/21
Documentarian Dana Adam Shapiro has sold the film rights to his novel “The Every Boy” to Paramount Pictures. Shapiro will also write the movie version and direct the film. The project is about a deceased teenager who left behind a journal that reveals the strange perspective he had and quirky life he lived. Plan B is producing. 3/21
Michael Barker, Matthew Weitzman and Chris McKenna have sold their comedy pitch “The Refs” to New Line Cinema. The trio will write the script about neglected and abused NFL referees who plot to influence the Super Bowl results for ill-gotten gains. Peter Segal is attached to direct. He will also produce with Michael Ewing. 3/22
Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie have sold their spec “Waketime” to Infinity Media. The supernatural thriller centers on a paranoid guy who thinks that he will die soon from a curse that has plagued his family for generations. JC Spink, Chris Bender and Darby Parker are producing, while Jake Weiner and Charlie Gogolak are executive producing. 3/22
David Elliot and Paul Lovett have been hired by Universal Pictures to pen the film version of the TV series "It Takes a Thief." Will Smith is attached to the project as its star and producer. The film is about a professional cat burglar who's forced by the CIA to steal for the government. Also producing are James Lassiter, Kevin Misher, John Davis and Joe Singer. 3/22
Universal Pictures has nabbed the film rights to the novel “The Stars My Destination” by Alfred Bester. The sci-fi tale centers on a marooned astronaut who becomes consumed with thoughts of rage and revenge after his S.O.S. is disregarded by a passing spaceship. In plotting his payback, he discovers secrets that could affect human history. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Raymond Wagner are producing. 3/22
Comedian Lord Baltimore has set up his comedy script "Trophy" to Cinamour Entertainment. The comedy focuses on a country music scout who scours the South in search of a gifted, but reclusive musician named Scarecrow who is reputed to be the Devil's offspring. By doing so, the scout hopes to revive his flagging career by having Scarecrow win a $2 million recording contract in an annual talent competition. Glen Hartford is producing. 3/22
Molly Shannon has been cast in the oxymoronic ‘New’ Paramount Classics’ "Year of the Dog," which was written and will be directed by Mike White. The film is about an optimistic administrative assistant whose life changes after her dog, her sole companion, dies. Amy Israel and Matt Brodlie are shepherding the project for the studio. ICM, Framework Entertainment and attorney Steve Warren represent the actress. 3/22
Robert Luketic is in final talks to direct "21" for Columbia Pictures. Based on Ben Mezrich's best-seller "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions," the film is about a group of guys who beat casino odds by using complex mathematic calculations. 3/22
Nina Colman has sold her script "All's Fare in Love" to Bristol Bay Prods. Inspired by a true character, the romantic comedy is about a matchmaking NY cab driver who realizes that he has fallen for one of his female passengers. Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot (Offspring Entertainment) are producing. 3/23
Sahara Lotti has sold her pitch "Back Magick" to 20th Century Fox. Sahara will write the script. The comedy is about a guy whose life is upended when the wishes he made as an unpopular kid during an eclipse abruptly start coming true. Shawn Levy and Tom McNulty (21 Laps Entertainment) are producing. 3/23
Austin Winsberg has sold his untitled romantic comedy pitch to New Line. The story is under wraps. Charles Roven and Alex Gartner (Mosaic Media) are producing. 3/23
Newbie Rob Davis has sold his spec script "Razorwire" to Kisha Imani Cameron (Completion Films). The urban horror film is about drug dealers who go to war with vampires disguised as cops who frame them for murder. Music video director Little X is attached to direct. 3/24
John August has been hired to polish "Bob the Musical" by Touchstone Pictures. The musical comedy is about an Average Joe whose life is turned upside down when the people around him magically start singing their inner feelings to him. Marc Shaiman is writing the book, while Chris Bender, JC Spink, Beau Flynn, and Tripp Vinson are producing. 3/24
Steve Zaillian has been rehired to polish “American Gangster” in a seven-figure deal by Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment. He wrote preliminary drafts, but was himself re-written by Terry George because his earlier vision would have been too expensive to shoot. The script is about a drug lord who smuggles heroin into the U.S. inside the bodies of American soldiers killed in Vietnam. Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are set to star, while Ridley Scott is set to direct. Brian Grazer is producing. 3/24
Jeff Lowell has sold his script "How I Met My New Boyfriend's Dead Fiance" to Gold Circle Films. Lowell is also set to direct the film. Two guesses of what the film is about. Paul Brooks is shepherding the project for the company. 3/24
Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Ned Beatty, Moritz Bleibtreu, Willem Dafoe and Lily Tomlin have all been cast in "The Walker." The film centers on a middle aged male escort. Paul Schrader is directing the film. Deepak Nayar is producing'. Ingenious Media, Isle of Man, Parseghian Planco and Willi Baer are financing. 3/24
Samuel L. Jackson, Lewis Black, Mo'Nique, Jason Alexander, James Belushi, Jason Biggs, Dane Cook, Harvey Fierstein, Tracy Morgan, Whoopi Goldberg, Gilbert Gottfried, Norm Macdonald, Carlos Mencia, Alyson Hannigan, Jamie Kennedy, Jon Lovitz, Adam Duritz, John Stamos and Dave Coulier (the guy Alanis Morissette allegedly went down on in the theater) are all lending their voice talents to "Farce of the Penguins," a send-up of last year’s documentary hit "March of the Penguins." More specifically, the film is about one penguin’s journey to find love, while his chums are just out to get laid. Bob Saget wrote the script and will directed and produce the film. Also producing is David Permut. Steve Longi and Elliot Rosenblatt co-producing. Thinkfilm and Two Angels Prods. are financing the project. 3/24
Belgian Erik Van Looy has been hired to direct "Dream House" by Universal Pictures. The supernatural thriller was written by David Loucka and is about a family that moves into a seemingly idyllic country house that turns out to be...haunted. Ehren Kruger and Daniel Bobker are producing the film. Stokely Chaffin is executive producing. 3/24
David Bourla has sold his script “Push” to Icon Prods. and Infinity Features. The sci-fi thriller is set in China and is about Americans with telekinesis and E.S.P. who are being hunted by a U.S. intelligence agency. 3/24
Don Handfield has sold his script "Touchback" to Morgan Creek. The drama is about a 20-something man who hits his head and re-awakens to find out that he’s back in high school, a week before the big game in which he shattered his leg and ended his sports career as a star football player. David Nutter is attached to direct. Jim Robinson and Nick Osborne are producing, as are Trever Engelson (Underground Films) and Basil Iwanyk (Thunder Road). David Robinson and Guy McElwaine are executive producing. 3/27
Mark Perez has sold his spec “Cellmates” to Regency Enterprises. Perez will also direct the comedy, which centers on two buddies whose day of reckoning comes when a hardened inmate with whom they made a deal for protection while they were in prison gets released. The producers are David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman (Mandeville Films), and Jason Filardi and Brian Lutz. 3/27
John Malkovich and Thomas Jane have been cast in “The Mutant Chronicles.” The film is based on a popular role-playing game and is about a group of humans in the 23rd century who battle “NecroMutants” (zombie mutants). The sci-fi actioner is being produced by Edward R. Pressman, Tim Dennison, Stephen Belafonte and Peter La Terriere. Alessandro Camon, Peter Sederowsky, Fred Malmberg, Steve Christian and Charles Finch are executive producing. Isle of Man Film, Ltd. is co-financing the project. 3/27
New Line Cinema has hired Frank Coraci to develop and direct "Hawaiian Dick." The supernatural thriller is based on a comic book by B. Clay Moore and Steven Griffin. The script was written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Set in Hawaii in 1953, the film is about a private eye who investigates the murder of a girl who won’t say dead. 3/27
Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Mykelti Williamson and Mark Boone Junior have all been cast in “Vice.” The indie cop thriller was written and will be directed by Raul Sanchez Inglis. The story focuses on cops who become the target of suspicion when drugs go missing from the evidence impound. Arcview Entertainment is financing the project. Matthew Robert Kelly is producing, while Graham Taylor, Michael Raven and Michael Tan are executive producing. 3/27
Ellen Barkin has been cast in “Ocean’s Thirteen” by Warner Bros. Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones are not returning. All the guys are back, however. This installment was written by Brian Koppelman and David Levin. Jerry Weintraub, George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh are producing the project. Soderbergh is continuing his directing duties. Village Roadshow is co-financing. 3/27
Endgame Entertainment has announced the beginning of principal photography on the horror-thriller “Solstice.” Dan Myrick wrote and is directing the film, which stars Elisabeth Harnois, Shawn Ashmore and Tyler Hoechlin. The story revolves around a group that experiences terror when it gathers at a boathouse on a lake after one of the friends’ siblings commits suicide. James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo are producing. 3/27
Mindy Kaling has sold her untitled sorority pitch for six-figures to Fox Filmed Entertainment’s new youth-oriented genre division (the label’s first deal). The comedy is reported to be like a female version of "Revenge of the Nerds" and "Animal House." The project will be produced by Howard Klein (3 Arts Management). Lawrence Grey and Jeff Arkuss will shepherd the film for the division. WMA and 3 Arts represent the writer/actor (she’s Paul Rudd’s ex-girlfriend in “The 40-Year Old Virgin.” Props to the Asian sistah!). 3/28
Comedian Demetri Martin has sold his pitch “Will” to DreamWorks. In the comedy, people’s lives are destined by celestial beings, but the protagonist’s destiny is disrupted when his celestial being quits on him – thus, he has to make his own destiny. 3/28
Simon Kinberg has been tapped to write an untitled female-driven spy thriller by Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox. Nicole Kidman will star and produce the project (Blueprint Films), along with Laurence Mark and Jonathan King. The plot is being kept secret, but it’s said to be in the vein of “The Bourne Identity.” Sanford Panitch is shepherding the project for the production company, while Hutch Parker is doing the same for the studio. CAA and attorney Karl Austen represent Kinberg. CAA and attorney Alan Wertheimer represent Kidman. 3/28
Universal has attached Tom Hanks to star in and to produce “How Starbucks Saved My Life,” a film adaptation of the book by Michael Gates Gill. Gus Van Sant is in talks to helm the project. Also producing is Gary Goetzman. The film centers on a middle aged executive who falls on financial and personal hard times, gets a job at Starbucks where he befriends a young guy, and learns how to appreciate life again. CAA represents the author and Hanks. WMA represents Van Sant. 3/28
Columbia is in talks to cast Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox in “Vantage Point.” The script was written by Barry Levy and is a “Rashomon”-type take on a presidential assassination plot told from five different perspectives. Pete Davis is also in negotiations to direct. 3/28
Stephen Hauser has sold his spec “The Mistaken” to Davis Entertainment in a six-figure deal (from their discretionary fund, no less). Like “The Fugitive” and “The Bourne Identity,” the action-thriller is about an American man who goes on the run after he is mistaken as a terrorist. Fox is circling the project. ICM, manager Britton Rizzio and attorney Rick Genow represent the writer. 3/29
Steven Gary Banks and Claudia Grazioso have been hired by Universal Pictures to polish “Beautiful Asian Brides.” The comedy centers on a man who disguises himself as a mail-order bride after being wrongly accused of murder. Lucy Liu is attached to star. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are producing. 3/29
George C. Wolfe has been attached to direct "Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story." The boxing movie is based on the documentary of the same name. Columbia Pictures and Paramount Pictures are financing production, development. 3/29
Andrea Lavinthal and Jessica Rozler have sold the film rights to their how-to book "The Hookup Handbook: A Single Girl's Guide to Living It Up." The Weinstein Co./Dimension Films is developing the project as a comedy. 3/29
Crescent City Pictures has announced that Gil Cates Jr. will be directing “Deal,” a poker movie starring Burt Reynolds and Bret Harrison. Michael Arata is producing. 3/29
2 Sticks Prods. has cast Tara Reid in the comedy "7-10 Split." Also starring is Ross Patterson, who wrote the script for the bowling movie. Tommy Reid (Tara’s brother) is directing the film. 3/29
Brent Forrester has sold his comedy pitch "Big Wave" to 20th Century Fox. The film is about a surfer (considered the greatest until a wipeout traumatized him) who comes out of retirement and enters a competition to help some elderly surfers from losing their home. Emmett and Brendan Malloy will direct, while Ben Stiller will star and produce. Also producing is Stuart Cornfeld. Debbie Liebling is managing the project for the studio. 3/30
Robert Kanigel has sold the film rights to his biography "The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan" to Edward R. Pressman Film Corp. The film is about Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar, the self-taught genius who went from the poverty of India, rose to the ivory towers of Cambridge University and helped advance mathematics with his radical ideas. Edward Pressman, Sofia Sondervan and Jim Young (Animus Films) are producing. 3/30
Shia LaBeouf is in talks with DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures to star in "Transformers," the live-action version of the animated series about the Autobots and the Decepticons. The actor will play a teenager whose first car turns out to be an Autobot. The script was written by John Rogers, then polished by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Michael Bay is directing. Don Murphy (Angry Films), Tom DeSanto and Lorenzo di Bonaventura are producing, with Steven Spielberg and Brian Goldner (Hasbro) executive producing. Adam Goodman is shepherding the project for the studio. Endeavor and the Beverly Hecht Agency, John Crosby Management and attorney Matthew Saver represent LaBeouf. 3/30
New Line Cinema has bought the film rights to the suspense-thriller "Land of the Living" by Nicci French. The book centers on a young woman whose psyche is gripped by the terrifying memory of when she was kept prisoner by a menacing figure shrouded in darkness as he described the gruesome and sadistic details of acts he committed to his prior victims. James Ellroy will pen the adaptation. Alexandra Milchan is producing, while Joel Gotler is executive producing. 3/30
Ron Bass has been hired by Stone Village to adapt the book “True Believer” by Nicholas Sparks. The story centers on a skeptical journalist who starts believing in the supernatural when he falls for the granddaughter of a clairvoyant. Scott Steindorff and Robin Greenspun are producing.
Also on Stone Village’s plate: a remake of the 1955 caper film “Rififi.” Bo Goldman is contemporizing the story, with Al Pacino starring and Walt Becker directing. The tale is about a thief who comes out of retirement after his wife leaves him. His target: a jewelry store. Steindorff is also producing, while Scott Lastaiti is co-producing. 3/31
New Line Cinema is remaking the Spanish dark crime comedy "Torrente." Mike Bender and Doug Chernack are writing the script about a corrupt, selfish, alcoholic and generally unlikable cop who still manages to fight crime. The project is being produced by Benderspink, while the original film’s Andres Vicente Gomez is executive producing. 3/31
Walt Disney Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment have cast Peter Dinklage in “Underdog,” the live-action version of the animated series. The 60s cartoon was about an ordinary canine named Shoeshine Boy who turned into a rhyming superdog. Adam Rifkin, Joe Piscatella and Craig Williams all took turns on the script. Frederik Du Chau is directing. 3/31
Robin Williams and Mandy Moore have been cast by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow in "License to Wed." The romantic comedy set in L.A. and Mexico centers on a groom-to-be who fails a two-week premarital class and has to re-woo his fiancée. Ken Kwapis is helming the project. 3/31
Mark Walden has sold the film rights to his book “H.I.V.E.” to Paramount Pictures. Lynda Obst will produce the young adult superhero film about a high school that trains villainous teens. 3/31
posted by Script_Radar at 9:29 AM
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