Movie news roundup Oct 19

[GreenScar]

Since I was away for a few days, there was a lot of news but maybe not big enough headlines to start new threads for each item. I apologize if some of them have been posted already. I thought I'd put it all in one post for those that may be interested...

Sam Raimi made some comments about Spider-man 4:

"I'm really excited about Spider-Man, and I'm hoping to direct it," Raimi said, contrary to confirmations that he was officially signed on. "I don't have a script yet, but production would start probably by March of 2010, I'm guessing. It sounds like a long time away, but we need a script first, and a lot of pre-production has to take place." And as for those rumors that they'll shoot Spider-Man 4 and 5 back-to-back, he confirms that its been mentioned. "That had been talked about… It's Amy Pascal's decision. I don't think it has been decided yet, and she's the one that's really going to make that decision; I'm really curious myself."

LizardLet's get on to some of the juicy details. Raimi doesn't have much to hint at, because there aren't finished scripts, but he did mention a few interesting things. Obviously the stories in both films would be very closely linked, but even he doesn't fully know what it they'd be about. "It just hasn't been written yet," he reiterates. And what about villains? Will we ever see Dr. Connor turn into Lizard? "He's a great actor, and I think one day The Lizard's story will be told," Raimi confirms. "I don't know if it will be this one or not. I just don't know. I'm definitely hoping to work with Dylan in the picture. I just don't know who the villain is yet."

AICN is reporting that Brett Ratner is indeed officially signed on to direct the new Conan movie.

Announcements that Brad Pitt has been cast in two projects: The first, an outer space adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey"; the second, Steve Zaillian's adaptation of Michael Lewis' nonfiction book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game".

The Odyssey project is setup at Warner Brothers with Happy Feet director George Miller set to adapt the screenplay and hopefully direct. Instead of telling the classic story in ancient Greek times, when it was written by Homer, the intention is to transfer it to a futuristic setting in outer space, further continuing Hollywood's upcoming sci-fi trend. Warner Brothers doesn't have Brad Pitt or George Miller signed and ready to go, but they're giving this an early greenlight in hopes of securing both of them. "The Odyssey" follows the Greek hero Odysseus and his long journey home to Ithaca following the fall of Troy.

Moneyball is a project setup at Sony that we first mentioned way back in March. Oscar winning screenwriter Steve Zaillian (Schindler's List, Mission: Impossible, American Gangster) has signed on to adapt the screenplay for David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada, Marley & Me) to direct. I absolutely love the concept of this book and really hope it turns out well on the big screen. Producer Michael De Luca previously explained what their take is: a "dramatic depiction of that 2002 season" that is "condensed to really the beginning and end of that season that contained the 22 game winning streak." De Luca adds: "I think there should be a mix of a sports movie but also an anti-establishment triumph of the individual in terms of the way Billy Beane went up against conventional wisdom and the bureaucracy."

Check out the trailer for the Super powered/Sci-Fi movie PUSH

First look at Brad Pitt in Inglorious Basterds:



The Soloist starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr has been moved from Thanksgiving this year all the way to March 13 2009. While Defiance starring Daniel Craig has been moved (originally from December 12th to the 31st and now to January 16th) Defiance will still open limited on Dec 31 for Oscar Consideration. Source

You can check out the trailer for Michael Rapaport's SPECIAL: http://www.specialthemovie.com/

Warner Bros is saying that the He-Man reboot is dead.

Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci will star in psychological thriller "After.Life" with Bill Perkins and Plum Pictures producing and Perkins financing through his just-launched Lleuju Prods. banner, says The Trades.
Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo will make her directorial feature debut, helming from her own screenplay.
"After.Life" centers on a young woman caught between life and death and a funeral director who appears to have the gift of transitioning the dead.
Source

You can watch 4 minutes of BOLT here.

Ron Pearlman joins the cast of Nic Cage's Season of the Witch. (Love that guy ) The film chronicles the journey of 14th century knights transporting a girl suspected of being the witch responsible for spreading the Black Plague.

ShockTillYouDrop.com caught up with The Dark Knight producer Charles Roven at the 2008 Scream Awards and asked him if The Flash was moving forward at Warner Bros., but it doesn't look like anything is happening:
Roven also told us that there is "no momentum" on comic book adaptation The Flash at Warner Bros. Pictures.
It was almost exactly a year ago that David Dobkin (Fred Claus) was announced as the director. At that time, Dobkin said his film would come after George Miller's "Justice League" movie and that it would be set in the same universe.
Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, The Flash has the ability to run and move extremely fast, use superhuman reflexes and violate certain laws of physics, like time travel.

Box Office estimates for the weekend:
Max Payne $18 million
Beverly Hills Chihuahua $11.2 million
Secret Life of Bees $11 million
W $10.5
Eagle Eye $7.3

[upswiseass]

Wow. You bring the goods. Great post as always.