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A Home For Hellboy

By Martha Fischer (Subscribe to Martha Fischer's posts), Posted Aug 4th 2006 12:31PM
Filed under: Action, Drama, Deals, Universal, Distribution, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Movie News, Cinematical
Alert, alert! Hellboy 2 has financing. I repeat: Hellboy 2 has financing -- the movie will actually happen. Huzzah! Variety reported this morning that Universal has agreed to both finance and distribute the film, previously left homeless when Revolution Studios, which funded Hellboy, went out of business, and the company's business partner (it distributed the film) Columbia elected not to pick up the sequel. Though director Guillermo Del Toro implied that Paramount would fund the film, that turned out to be, well, wrong.

In addition to the Universal news, Variety also officially confirmed the entirely unsurprising fact that Ron Perlman and Selma Blair will both be returning for the sequel, which is scheduled to go into production next April and is currently slated for a summer 2008 release. Good God that's a long way off -- can you guys sustain your excitement for that long?

3:10 to Yuma: Cash and a Caped Crusader

By Martha Fischer (Subscribe to Martha Fischer's posts), Posted Aug 4th 2006 11:31AM
Filed under: Drama, Thrillers, Casting, Newsstand, Tom Cruise, Remakes and Sequels, Movie News, Cinematical
It's amazing how much attention a Hollywood remake of a little western can get from the trades -- but I guess that happens when names like Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe are associated with the film. As we've told you in our periodic updates on James Mangold's 3:10 to Yuma remake, the news that Cruise wasn't making the film broke at the same time that a)Crowe supplanted him as the movie's baddie, Ben Wade, and b)Sony dropped the movie, apparently due to major concerns about its ability to make a profit.

Even thought the film didn't actually have either a home or financing, however, casting evidently continued. Kim reported way back in February that the Incredible Hulk himself, Eric Bana, was interested in playing the good guy -- rancher Dan Evans -- to Cruise's/Crowe's Wade (played with frightening charm by Glenn Ford in the original). Just as with Cruise, though, the early reports proved wrong, and it was revealed today that Christian Bale is seconds from signing on to play Evans. Hmm. While I'm still pissed about the remake in general, and would much rather see Bale play Wade, at least he's a good actor. That's something, I guess.

In other Yuma news, the movie looks to have secured financing through Relativity Media, but is still in search of a distributor.

More From Toronto: The "Hey, We're Edgy!" Sidebar

By Martha Fischer (Subscribe to Martha Fischer's posts), Posted Aug 3rd 2006 5:33PM
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Documentary, Foreign Language, Romance, Newsstand, Other Festivals, Toronto International Film Festival, Cinematical Indie, Toronto Film Festival, Movie News, Cinematical
Alright, I'm officially excited about the Toronto Film Festival now. The lineup for the Fest's new Vanguard sidebar -- a group of 11 "risky, more challenging" films -- was announced yesterday, and there's some great stuff included. Personally, I'm most looking forward to finally seeing John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus, which James (and everyone else) loved at Cannes, as well as Johnnie To's award-winning Election and Election 2, both of which are are being featured in the Vanguard program. Also on the list are 2:37, an Australian, Elephant-style movie about a suicide (that almost drove James to off himself), Renaissance, the black and white French animated flick we've told you about a couple of times, and Macbeth, a modern, Melbourne-set adaptation of the play, which will be making its world premiere.

The TIFF runs September 7-16 this year, and we'll be driving you nuts with lots and lots of reviews from there.

Willis Learns You -- Allegedly -- Can't Trust Anybody

By Martha Fischer (Subscribe to Martha Fischer's posts), Posted Aug 3rd 2006 5:00PM
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Cinematical
Poor Bruce Willis. You help an old pal out, and your heartfelt generosity turns around and bites you right in the ass. Ain't that always the way when you're a big star? If his court filings (link opens a PDF) are to be believed, Willis hired Bruce DiMattia, a "childhood friend" in 2002. Among other things, Bruce #2 spent the next four-plus years "[organizing] private family photographs, videotapes, DVDs and films depicting Willis and his family members." (Is Bruce #1 working on his presidential library, or something?) According to Bruce #1, however, Bruce #2 had goals in mind beyond organization. While working on the family archives, Bruce #2 was also secretly keeping some of the photos and videos, as well as "knowledge of certain highly personal, private and confidential information." Oh, and he was working on a book. Secretly.

So, when the time came for the job to end, Bruce #2, who had been living -- rent-free -- in a Bruce #1-owned property, attempted to use his acquired information to swing a little deal with his pal. In papers filed yesterday in an LA County Courthouse, Bruce #1 alleged that Bruce #2 1)refused to move out of his rent-free digs, and 2)demanded a car and "over $100,000" in exchange for not publishing the book, which apparently contains "several falsehoods and lies that could embarrass" Bruce #1. (Oh boy, salacious Bruce Willis gossip! Wait. Isn't that already on Page Six every other day?)

Bruce #1 wants "an excess of $1 million in damages and asks for return of [his] private mementos, or if they cannot be delivered, a sum no less that $50,000."* There's no indication of when the case will go before a judge.

*Bruce #1 is feeling a little litigious these days -- he filed suit in June against a photographer who he claims defamed him.

Noth's Frame of Mind

By Martha Fischer (Subscribe to Martha Fischer's posts), Posted Aug 3rd 2006 3:31PM
Filed under: Drama, Independent, Casting, Newsstand, Cinematical Indie, Movie News, Cinematical
Increasingly fleshy TV star Chris Noth doesn't really do much movie work. His recent feature appearances have been primarily in smaller, supporting roles, which is understandable -- Law & Order, Sex and the City and most recently Law & Order: Criminal Intent have kept him pretty busy. According to this morning's Hollywood Reporter, however, that's about to change: Noth has agreed to co-star in Frame of Mind, and indie drama from writer-producer-director-actor Carl T. Evans. (No word on if Evans will also be catering the shoot.) The movie "centers on a police detective who uncovers a widespread government conspiracy"; Evans (of course) is playing the detective, while Noth plays "a college professor skeptical of [the] detective's discovery."

Based on the epic multi-tasking of Evans, I think it's safe to assume that this is a pretty tiny movie. However, thanks to the connections of Evans' co-producer Charles Kipps -- who happens to be an old friend of Noth's -- it's suddenly getting some press, and probably has a greater chance of distribution. The film starts shooting in October.

Hide The Children: Pink Panther Sequel Really Coming

By Martha Fischer (Subscribe to Martha Fischer's posts), Posted Aug 3rd 2006 2:30PM
Filed under: Comedy, Casting, MGM, Sony, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels, Movie News, Cinematical
It was probably too much to ask of Hollywood that, just this once, they let propriety win out, and allow the new Pink Panther to die a quiet death. By some miracle, you see, the film made money (the IMDb guesses $140 million worldwide; the budget was about $80 million), and when dollar signs are involved, studio heads have a hard time thinking clearly. So, yes, another Pink Panther is coming. And, yes, Steve Martin is back. Can you stand the excitement? The movie is currently being written by newcomers Scott Neustadter and Michael M. Weber; no word yet on if superstar hack Shawn Levy will find the time to direct the sequel to his zillionth profitable pile of crap.

What's best about this news, though, is that the plot of the movie is being kept tightly under wraps. Um, why? Do they honestly think people care what it's about? Or that anyone buys their "high-concept" claim? Give us a freaking break, Sony and MGM. Go make your movie somewhere quietly, sell it to us suckers, and count your money. But please don't pretend that we're actually interested in the story.

Mac is Back (Again)

By Martha Fischer (Subscribe to Martha Fischer's posts), Posted Aug 3rd 2006 11:31AM
Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Casting, Newsstand, Cinematical Indie, Movie News, Cinematical
When Macaulay Culkin ended his nearly 10-year absence from the movies by starring as Michael Alig, a real-life, drug-addled, murderous, gay party-boy in Party Monster (a performance Roger Ebert described as "fearless"), it was clear that he was aggressively avoiding the mainstream cuteness in which he'd spent his entire childhood (though he did work the adorable on Will & Grace). Since then, Culkin has continued to pick his roles carefully, playing only a supporting role in Saved!, a well-review, smart indie comedy that was released two years ago.

According to this morning's Variety, it sounds like Culkin's latest break is over: He's agreed to star in Sex and Breakfast, an indie project being described as a dark comedy. The film, which was written and will be directed by first-time feature helmer Miles Brandman, tells the story of "a couple with problems in the bedroom who seek solace from a therapist. The shrink espouses group sex as a cure-all." Ah yes, the group sex-fix -- I just read about that the other day in Time.

Also in the cast are Alexis Dziena, Kuno Becker and Eliza Dushku; there's no indication of which role Culkin will play.
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