The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart Buys Maziar Bahari’s Life Rights
This is awesome news! Pajiba is reporting that The Daily Show host/political comedian extraordinaire Jon Stewart has bought the “life rights” of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari to adapt into a feature film, although no writer and director is on-board yet. Didn’t think Stewart was into feature films? Neither did I. Apparently he helps run a production company called Busboy Productions that will be producing the project with Rich Korson. It’s currently untitled, but will likely tell Bahari’s imprisonment and interrogation story from last year that was, apparently, brought on no thanks to a segment on Stewart’s show previously.
Bahari, a journalist for Newsweek, was arrested last year during the Iranian Election Protests and held by the Iranian government for 118 days. They charged and falsely accused him of being a spy for Mossad, CIA, MI6, and even Newsweek, and was interrogated daily. Apparently he even confessed he was a spy because The Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones dressed as a spy for an interview with him. He later met up with Stewart again on the show for a great interview (you can watch that here). It sounds like a fascinating story and I’m intrigued to see this come together. It’s still early in the development stages and doesn’t have any studio involvement, but we’ll keep you updated on this, as it sounds like a great project to keep our eye on.
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Details Emerge on James L. Brooks’ Film ‘How Do You Know’
We’ve only heard a few details about James L. Brooks upcoming film How Do You Know, as it has now been officially titled, as well as brief snippets of information in various casting updates. All we know is that the film focuses on a love triangle between Paul Rudd, a white collar exec and Owen Wilson, a professional baseball player who both find themselves smitten with Reese Witherspoon, a woman suffering from a major break-up who comes from a sports crazy family. But NY Times just ran a more extensive profile on the film which is a little more forthcoming with details on the project that’s been finished shooting since last year.
Brooks is the kind of filmmaker who comes out of his “Simpsons” cave every so often with a spectacularly original and usually critically lauded drama that features a bit more than a pinch of comedy. As Good As It Gets, Terms of Endearment and Broadcast News have all been great character pieces with great drama. Even Amy Pascal, the co-chairwoman of Columbia’s parent, Sony Pictures, who has been loving blockbusters and sequels lately says: “No one captures the messiness, the frailty or the integrity of humanity with the kind of wit and affection Jim Brooks does.” Too true.
How Do You Know certainly seems to be no different, as Brooks has spent five years working on the project and come up with a story “rooted in an encounter between two people who meet on the worst night of their respective lives.” Also, be careful not to let the talk of sports in the vague information about the romance trick you because “the sport only occasionally figures in a film that is actually about people trying to figure out exactly what, for each of them, matters most.” I honestly wouldn’t expect anything less from Brooks.
If all of that sounds somewhat generic so far, Brooks approach to the film is anything but, as he extensively researched and interviewed hundreds of women who play sports as well as many different people who run companies in order to figure out which elements will work best in the film. He also “became fascinated by the dilemmas of contemporary business executives, who are sometimes held accountable by the law for corporate behavior of which they may not even be aware.” This sounds like a film to watch out for around awards time, like several of Brooks’ former endeavors, and I’m definitely excited to see how it turns out.
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Kevin Smith’s Political Horror Film ‘Red State’ Shooting in July
We thought we would never hear about this again, because it sounded like it was never going to happen. And we thought the $18.2 million opening of Cop Out wasn’t a good thing. But apparently we were wrong. Kevin Smith has announced, via his Twitter, that his political horror film Red State will start shooting this July. “Took nearly three years, but we’re finally gonna roll on Red,” Smith wrote earlier today. “I talk about lots of stuff I wanna do that either happens years later or never happens at all. Happy to report Red State is not the latter.” In a Twitter reply to another user, Smith also mentions: “Happily, Cop Out helped on lots of levels.”
Smith has previously called Red State very bleak and very dark, saying that it will be a tough sell, which is why at one point we thought he had almost given up on trying to get funding for it, even as an indie. The film is partially inspired by the infamous preacher Fred Phelps. Smith explained the idea years ago: “[It's] called Red State and it’s very much about that subject matter, that point of view and that position taken to the absolute extreme. It’s certainly not Phelps himself but it’s very much inspired by a Phelps figure. And to me, too, the notion of using a Phelps-like character as a villain, as horrifying and scary as that guy can be, there’s even something more insidious than him that lurks out there.” But that’s all we really know about it.
Back in late 2008, Smith explained why he wanted to make this. For those of you that are wondering about that hockey movie Hit Somebody that Smith is working on as well, he as said that it’ll be shooting after Red State. “Writing Hit now; shooting Hit on heels of Red State.” It looks like this will be his line-up for the next few years. From political horror to hockey comedy. Sounds like a plan! Looking forward to this movie?
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London Movie Blogger Meet-Up Tonight at 19:30 for Drinks!
A couple of movie bloggers, myself included, are currently in London today and are hosting another meet-up tonight similar to our meet-up late last year. We’ll be meeting at Fitzroy Tavern located at 16A Charlotte Street (Google Maps link) at 19:30 (7:30PM) tonight and will be there for most of the night. I will be joined by Peter Sciretta of SlashFilm and Frosty of Collider as well, so stop by to meet any/all of us and chat about movies and catch some drinks. We’re only in town tonight (we all fly home tomorrow morning) so this will be our last chance to meet up with London readers until we’re back here again sometime in the near future!
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This Week on Netflix Instant: Julie & Julia, Iron Giant & More
It looks like it will be two weeks in a row with a less than stellar line-up of new releases on Netflix Instant this week. Don’t worry though because they’re not slowing down adding titles, but it rather looks like they’re gearing up for a huge influx of new titles being added the last week of March and first week of April. Still, there are a couple great new releases this week, and to round things out, I’ve went ahead and tossed in a few more choices from my own queue as well. A couple indies, a documentary, an Academy Award nominated performance from last year and more in this week’s installment. So what should you be watching this week?
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (Available Now):
Though it’s not exactly a feature length film, it does feature cinematic talent, and, as we’ve heard recently, the potential for a big screen sequel. Neil Patrick Harris stars as the villainous Dr. Horrible whose love for the beautiful red-headed Penny (Felicia Day) has him messing up his chances of joining the Evil League of Evil as he continually finds himself and his evil plans (not to mention his romance) thwarted by Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion). If this is your first time hearing about this comedic musical from Joss Whedon, then you probably need to download the new Internet, because it’s huge, hilarious and well worth 45 minutes of your time.
$9.99 (Available Now):
Plenty of people like stop-motion animation from the likes of Henry Selick (Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas) and Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride), but how about an Israeli stop-motion animated film from director Tatia Rosenthal. If you need a little bit of incentive to check out this inventive flick, Geoffrey Rush and Anthony LaPaglia lend their voices to this story of Dave Peck who discovers a book about the meaning of life, snatches it up for the bargain-basement price of $9.99 and blossoms into a voracious reader determined to share the book’s secrets with everyone he knows.
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (Available Now):
A rare film in director Martin Scorsese’s career that is one of his few films that doesn’t contain graphic violence and is vastly underrated. Ellen Burstyn won an Academy Award in her portrayal of Alice Hyatt in the story of a destitute widow who must find the strength to go on for her young son in the face of loneliness and fear in the 1970’s. Almost as if a prelude to his being referenced in Taxi Driver, actor/singer Kris Kristofferson also turns in a solid performance in a film that spawned the popular sitcom “Alice.”
Chaplin: The Movie (Available Now):
Sure he’s all slick and modern as Iron Man, but in the 90’s Robert Downey, Jr. ventured back to a time before green screen and even sound in his much lauded portrayal of iconic silent filmmaker and actor Charlie Chaplin. Directed by Richard Attenborough, the film jumps around to different periods in Chaplin’s life through his many successes, failures and government persecution. The all-star cast also includes Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Kevin Kline, Marisa Tomei, Diane Lane, David Duchovny and even Chaplin’s real-life daughter Geraldine Chaplin.
The Iron Giant (Available Now):
One of the most underrated animated films of all time was directed by one of the most respected animation directors today: Brad Bird. That’s right, one of Pixar’s golden boys first directed this charming 50’s sci-fi influenced story of 9-year-old Hogarth as he finds a colossal but disoriented robot (voice by Vin Diesel of all people), and the two form a strong bond of friendship. Before long, however, a government agent (Christopher McDonald) is on their trail. Harry Connick, Jr. and Jennifer Aniston round out the cast in a film that is simple in its storytelling, but nothing short of spectacular.
Julie & Julia (Available Now):
The main reason to watch this one is a fantastic performance by Meryl Streep (when isn’t she great?) whose Julia Child portrayal is spot on as well as containing a wholly more interesting story than the intercut modern story of Julie Powell (Amy Adams) who wrote the book that the film is based on (and whose blog was the inspiration for her story). The film is charming, but it’s nothing spectacular. However, you’re definitely not going to want to watch this on an empty stomach because the food featured is almost as enticing as Amy Adams.
The Vicious Kind (Available Now):
Adam Scott proves you can play the same role of a douchebag brother (his first turn was in Step Brothers) but have two drastically different characters as he puts in a stellar performance as Caleb, an overbearing, jerk of a brother who is perpetually stricken by a bad break-up. Caleb reluctantly agrees to drive his college age brother Peter and his girlfriend from schoool, Emma, home for Thanksgiving, but a strange attraction to her may have drastic consequences before the return trip home. This indie drama is full of subtle, but spectacular performances from Scott, Brittany Snow and J.K. Simmons.
The September Issue (Available March 25th):
Derek Zoolander once asked, “Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking” The people in this documentary would respond with a resounding”no.” This interesting doc offers a rare look inside Vogue, the fashion magazine, as they prepare the infamous September issue, one of the most anticipated magazines that hits newsstands every year. Director R.J. Cutler captures the demanding creative process in action for nine months, following perfectionist editor Anna Wintour and creative director and stylist Grace Coddington as they attend fashion week in Europe.
That’s all for this week’s installment of new Netflix Instant titles and other free movies to check out online. And remember, if you ever want to look back at titles already released, look forward to movies on the way, or check out the entire library of Netflix Instant titles, you can head over to InstantWatcher (in my opinion the most complete listing of Netflix’s instant titles, updated daily) or also FeedFliks, whose hawk-eyes are on the lookout for future streaming release dates. And of course we’ll also be back next week with the latest line-up of new Netflix titles. Now go watch some movies! Are you satisfied with this week’s new selection?
Discover More: Editorials, Netflix Instant
Zack Snyder on That 300 Prequel and a 300 3D Re-Release?
I’m sorry for mentioning 300 twice in our headline, but there really is twice the 300 news in this one post! SuperHeroHype spoke with director Zack Snyder last week at ShoWest and got an interesting update out of him about the 300 prequel that we know Frank Miller is writing titled Xerxes and also about a potential re-release of 300 in 3D. Warner Bros converted a section of the film to 3D to show how good it looked and now they want to convert the whole thing. “I saw maybe like a ten-minute section [of 300] that they’d just done,” Zack told them. “I haven’t seen the whole movie but they’re talking about doing the whole movie.”
As for the 300 prequel, Miller is currently working on it (as a graphic novel first), but we haven’t heard too much about since that update last December. However, Snyder finally provides an update on what’s going on with that and it sounds like he might potentially direct that prequel next after finishing SuckerPunch.
“I’m waiting on Frank (Miller) for the sequel to ‘300′ and there’s a really good chance that will be the thing we do,” he said, “He’s been working hard, so he’s supposed to show me something really soon; actually in the next few months, he’s going to show me something. There was a big discussion about what we would do for the sequel to ‘300′ and I said, ‘I didn’t tell Frank what to write the first time, and I’m not telling him what to write this time,’” he told us when asked who came up with the idea for Xerxes. “I’ll take it and I’ll adapt it and make it into a movie and I’ll write a screenplay, but I want him to do whatever he thinks. I’m not going to say I’m 100%, like that’s it, but on the other hand, I’m pretty confident it’s going to be awesome. That would be the next thing and then I’m working on a sci-fi thing that Kurt and I are writing together, an original thing.”
I’m more interested in that sci-fi project he’s talking about, but that sounds like a long ways out anyway. As we know, Xerxes is about the Battle of Marathon that took place in 490 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece. I’m very curious to see how Frank Miller stylizes it and if it’s an exact repeat of 300 with bigger battles or something else new and unique. Same goes for Zack Snyder – if he does direct that prequel/sequel after SuckerPunch, will he try to do something new and original again, or just rehash his work on 300 but with more soldiers and a bigger budget? There are still lots of questions, but few answers at the moment.
As for that re-release of 300 in 3D, it’s entirely unnecessary, but there’s not much we can do about it. I’ve heard rumors of other older movies getting 3D conversions for DVD releases (not even theatrical), which is an even worse idea, but I think the industry is trying to saturate the market with 3D as much as possible. Whatever happens, we’ll keep you updated on all of this either way, for better or worse. Your thoughts?
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Casting Tidbits: Emma Stone, Juno Temple, Kellan Lutz & More
Casting Tidbits never say die! First up, along with her last appearance in our Tidbits when she picked up a pivotal role in Crazy, Stupid Love, Deadline also reports that Emma Stone has also landed the lead role in The Help, an adaptation of the Kathryn Stockett novel of the same name about African-American domestic servants and their wealthy white employers in pre-Civil Rights era Mississippi. Tate Taylor wrote the script and will direct. Stone has been set to play Eugenia Skeeter Phelan a young aspiring writer just home from college who returns home with the intention of writing a tell-all book, fueled by the stories of the servants.
Next, Variety reports Kellan Lutz (The Twilight Saga, the new A Nightmare on Elm Street) has nabbed the role of of Poseidon, the God of the sea in Tarsem Singh’s War of the Gods. Lutz joins Freida Pinto, Mickey Rourke, and Henry Cavill in the story of a young warrior who leads his men into battle with the immortal Greek gods to defeat evil elder gods of the Titans in order to save mankind. After Percy Jackson, the forthcoming Clash of the Titans and other similarly medieval/ancient sort of epics on the way, it’s clear Greek mythology is the new hotness in Hollywood.
Also, THR reports Milla Jovovich, Dwight Yoakam and Mary Steenburgen round out the cast of Dirty Girl, the story of a high school tramp (Juno Temple) who runs away with the school’s gay, fat kid in his homophobic dad’s stolen car. They join other cast members Sally Hawkins as Temple’s hopeless “reformed slut” mother Sue-Ann, as well as Willaim H. Macy as Sue Ann’s easily shocked Mormon fiance, and Lisa Kudrow as the gay fat kid’s mousy repressed mother in this story marking the directorial debut from Broadway choreographer turned director Abe Sylvia.
Finally, on a somewhat related note THR also reports Dirty Girl star Juno Temple (Greenberg, Year One) has snagged roles in two other upcoming projects. First one is Goodnight Moon, a drama from writer-director Elgin James, in which she’ll star opposite AnnaSophia Robb. The film centers on two young girls who find themselves in trouble after they run away to Los Angeles. And second is Jack & Diane, a love story between two teenage girls, one of whom occasionally turns into a werewolf as a representation of all-consuming love and desire, but this Bradley Rust Gray script (which he’s also directing) should not be considered a horror movie.
Well, that’s all for this edition of Casting Tidbits. Be sure to stay tuned for more casting updates on the way!
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Sony Animation Bringing CGI Popeye Movie to the Big Screen
Late last year, we wrote about former Marvel exec Avi Arad picking up the rights to bring Popeye to the big screen. Although it’s not much of an update, Variety has confirmed that Sony Pictures Animation will be animating and bringing the spinach-eating sailor Popeye to the big screen in an all-CGI animated movie. Mike Jones (of only The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break screenplay) landed the job of writing the script, but no director has been chosen yet. “I’m an unabashed, lifelong Popeye fan,” said Jones. “Introducing this squinty-eyed sailor to a new generation also means reintroducing him to those who grew up with him.”
King Features Syndicate controls the property and decided to bring it to Arad. “Scott [Sassa] called me and said, ‘I have something for you,’” said Arad, who grew up watching Popeye short movies in Israel. “I literally started singing the famous Popeye song (after securing the rights). What always blew me away is the level of the animation. It was so beautiful and unbelievably detailed.” Of course, this is also going to be arriving in 3D, but that’s expected for pretty much every animated movie released these days. I’m not inherently excited for a Popeye movie, just because I don’t have a connection with him like others do, but I guess I’ll wait to see how it looks in a trailer first. It could turn out fairly entertaining. Is anyone actually excited for this?
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Confirmed: Chris Evans is The First Avenger: Captain America
Finally after endless speculation and rumors it looks like the search is over as Heat Vision has followed up their initial scoop and confirmed with several sources that Chris Evans is officially The First Avenger: Captain America. Apparently the deal moved super fast over the weekend and the trade blog says now it’s “all about dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.” So there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Though I would’ve loved to see Ryan McPartlin or Mike Vogel suit up as Captain America instead, Evans is certainly better than John Krasinski and most of the other candidates. Now there’s only one thing left to say: Avengers assemble!
Neither Marvel or Evans’ representatives have commented on this news, so it’s not exactly 100% official, but this is pretty solid confirmation. I don’t know, this could turn out to be a great breakthrough for Evans, who has shown some potential in previous endeavors. After all, in a mostly tragic adaptation of Fantastic Four, I thought (unlike Alex) that The Human Torch was the best part because his character and portrayal was pitch perfect since his was really the only one who felt natural in both comedy and action. In addition, his work in the more gritty superpower driven flick Push (even if the movie wasn’t all that great) and in Danny Boyle’s sci-fi thriller Sunshine showed that he’s more than just a hot rod douchebag delivering sarcastic one-liners.
Although we’ve all been chatting about Evans’ in this role in our last article, it’s time to ask again what you really think of Evans playing Cap. There’s nothing we can do to change their decision, so it’s time to accept what we’ve got and hope for the best. Please oh please bring out the best in him, Joe Johnston! Thoughts?
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Angryfilms Options Young Adult Political Novel ‘Little Brother’
Plenty of young adult novels make their way to the big screen attempting to duplicate the success of Harry Potter, but none have come to close to resembling the caliber of that series, let alone having such a mature level of subject matter. However, that may change as THR reports Angryfilms has optioned Little Brother, a political thriller that sounds like one of the most intriguing young adult novels I’ve ever encountered. The story (referencing Big Brother of George Orwell’s 1984) centers on a high school senior who, after a terrorist attack blows up San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, becomes swept up in the extralegal world of Homeland Security.
After he and his friends are interrogated and tortured, they’re released into a city under total surveillance. Upon his release, the teen vows to use his skills to fight back against an increasingly frightening system and leads an internet-fueled rebellion to rescue his friends and free the city. The story and subject matter itself is not only relevant, but quite thought-provoking for a young adult series as Booklist says the Cory Doctorow written novel has “obvious parallels to Orwellian warnings and post-9/11 policies, such as the Patriot Act, will provide opportunity for classroom discussion and raise questions about our enthusiasm for technology, who monitors our school library collections, and how we contribute to our own lack of privacy.” Awesome!
And when someone like Coraline author Neil Gaiman says, “I’d recommend Little Brother over pretty much any book I’ve read this year,” (as stated on the cover) it sounds like I’m going to have to give this one a read. With a production company like Angryfilms (who’s working on Real Steel with Hugh Jackman and Michael Bay’s Transformers 3) involved, this certainly sounds like it’s going to be a big movie to look forward to, and I’m definitely intrigued to say the least. They’re currently looking for writers and directors now, so we’ll be sure to let you know when we hear more. Anyone else interested based on that great concept, too?
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