Still smoking from the explosion of box office sales from ‘tweeners and twits, Kristen Stewart is set to star as Joan Jett in a new biopic about the woman of rock in ‘The Runaways’. The film was written by Floria Sigismondi, who will also direct. Joan Jett herself will serve as an executive producer, along side Bill Pohlad and John and Art Linson.

The Runaways were hugely influential as the first successful all-girl hard rock band; its members included guitarists Jett and Lita Ford, drummer Sandy West, singer-keyboardist Cherie Currie and bassist Jackie Fox. The band was brought together in late 1975 by impresario Kim Fowley, who thought a novelty act of teenaged girls performing in leather and lace would be an easy sell, but the girls ended up proving to be serious and influential musicians with songs like “Cherry Bomb.” The band lasted about four years together, falling apart over management and money issues.

Jett continued her rock career into the ’80s, forming the Blackhearts and scoring with such hits as “I Love Rock N’ Roll” and “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” She continues to record and tour. — Variety

The film, which is tentatively looking to begin production in 2009, will focus on Jett and Currie and follow the band’s stellar rise and eventual breakup. The film’s production is apparently going to work around Stewart’s schedule for the next ‘Twilight’ installment.

[source: HollywoodReporter.com]

The movie that made you want to dance is coming back with a an all-star cast for the faculty. Actors Megan Mullally, Kelsey Grammer, Charles S. Dutton, Bebe Neuwirth and Debbie Allen have all been cast to take on the administrative and teaching roles in MGM and Lakeshore Entertainment’s remake of ‘Fame’. Choreographer Kevin Tancharoen will take on directing this 1980 musical about a group of dancers, singers, actors and artists trying to survive four grueling years at the prestigious New York City High School of Performing Arts. It’s going to be interesting to see who gets cast as the students for this upcoming feature.

Source: HollywoodReporter

Upon completion of his epic quasi-indie biopic ‘Che’, Steven Soderbergh has seemingly headed full steam into yet another more ancient biopic as he begins pre-production and casting of ‘Cleopatra’. Currently, Catherine Zeta-Jones is “officially” on board to play the lead of Cleopatra. Ray Winstone has recently signed on to play the part of Julius Caesar and according to DarkHorizons.com, its being reported that Hugh Jackman is nearly locked to play Mark Antony. Oh, and did I mention this is going to be a rock-n-roll musical? Yep, you heard me right! The script was written by James greer, formerly a member of the band Guided by Voices. The film will, of course, be directed by Steven Soderbergh and the music of Guided by Voices will be featured throughout the movie.

First the obvious, we just wanted a reason to post a picture of Mila Kunis. Second, they are announcing that she is going to be costarring along with Denzel Washington in ‘The Book of Eli’. For those of you that aren’t excited for the movie because of the above names, then get excited because its a post-apocalyptic Western! Here is the synopsis:

A post-apocalyptic Western, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

Now if that doesn’t do something for you, check your pulse because there is something wrong with you buddy.

THRis reporting that Timothy Olyphant is set to star in a remake of George A. Romero’s ‘The Crazies’ directed by Breck Eisner. The original was about “A biological weapon gone awry is only the start of problems in the little town of Evan’s City, Pennsylvania. Bouts of insanity in the populace are leading to murder and rioting, until the US Army turns up - and things really start going to hell.”

Timothy Olyphant is on the top of my favorite actors list, so to see him in new projects excites the Hell out of me, and I am hoping they do justice to George Romero’s original.

Looks like a good choice to me!

Now this is cute. it appears the Will Smith 10-year-old son will taking the reigns on the remake of the 1984 movie The Karate Kid.  the film will be in the hands of Jerry Weintruab who did the first round of movies that launched Hilary Swank’s career who to say it will not do the same for this young star. Jaden who you be seeing in the movie “The Day the earth Stood Still” is actually a martial arts practitioner. Now to me that makes the movie more intriguing. Well who knows what to expect but if this movie gets to the theaters I sure a lot of kids will be lining up to catch a glimpse.

Variety.com

 Jim Caviezel will be matched up with Samuel L. Jackson who will co-star with him in the espionage thriller “Blown”. The movie will be directed by Martha Fiennes, the movie will center on Will Matlock (Caviezel), a top MI5 operative whose routine investigation of a global corporation leads him to discover an imminent terrorist attack. Jackson will play Julian Lezard, the businessman who engages him in a high-stakes game of wits and deception. It has been announced that Fiennes’ husband George Tiffin wrote the script and will handle the film’s cinematography.

[source: www.canmag.com]

This has been the most talked about movie for the simple fact that the the movie plot and cast have been under raps for months. But all that is over because in a couple of days all the world will be able to see the first official trailer for this movie on Monday, November 17th. If you can’t wait until Monday you can go see this new trailer in theaters for the movie ‘Quantum of Solace’. So get out there and support James Bond to see Star trek. The days are numbered.

[source: www.canmag.com]

Singer turned actress Beyonce is chomping at the bit for a role in a superhero movie. Apparently, she has met with the people at DC Comics and Warner Brothers about starring in one of the various upcoming superhero projects, specifying that she feels she would be perfect for the role of Wonder Woman. Beyonce gave an interview with the LA Times…

“I want to do a superhero movie and what would be better than Wonder Woman? It would be great. And it would be a very bold choice. A black Wonder Woman would be a powerful thing. It’s time for that, right?”

[source: LA Times]

Alcon Entertainment has been looking for somebody to co-star with Denzel washington in the upcoming film Book of Eli, the post apocalyptic actioner to be directed by Allen and Albert Hughes. The movie centers on a lone warrior (Washington) who must fight to bring society the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption. Oldman has been set to portray the despot of a small makeshift town who’s determined to take possession of the book Eli’s guarding. It has been said that Alcon Entertainment is co-producing the project with Silver Pictures. This movie is set to begin filming in New Mexico this February. Warner Bros. is hoping to get the film out in the United States on January 15th, 2010. This movie makes me curious to hear more.

source: www.canmag.com

The cast is finally in place for the new movie “Mother and Child”. Joining the cast is now Annette Benning, Naomi Watts, as well as Kerry Washington and Shareeka Epps. The movie by Rodrigo Garcia who wrote and is directing the film is a multi-layered drama that follows a woman who gave up her daughter 35 years ago and an African American woman who is looking to adopt. An interesting fact is that this movie was given a 7 million dollar budget so for there sakes and ours lets hope this movie does a good job.

Source: www.canmag.com

It has been set Adrian Brody will star as the leading man in the movie ‘The Courier’. In the process they have already named the director of this film which is Russell Mulcahy. He will be directing the movie off a script by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas.

The Courier centers on a daredevil courier who’s pursued across the country by corrupt cops and rival crime bosses when he has to deliver a briefcase to a notorious underworld figure who can’t be found.

This sounds great, and Adrian Brody always pulls his own in any movie that he is in.  I am looking forward to hearing and seeing more of this movie.

Source: www.canmag.com

Fox Searchlight Pictures has picked up Jack Black to play the title character in their big screen adaptation of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’.

From the contemporary writer Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels centers on Lemuel Gulliver, a free-spirited travel writer who, on an assignment to the Bermuda Triangle, suddenly finds himself a giant among men when he washes ashore on the hidden island of Lilliput, home to a population of industrious, yet tiny, people.

It has been set that Rob Letterman will direct off a script by Nicholas Stoller and Joe Stillman. No word yet on the release date or when production begins, but I am sure more information will be surfacing in no time.  I mean it is a Jack Black movie.

Source: IMDB News

Only a few films have had the extreme roller coaster ride of development Hell that ‘Justice League’ has, and still is, enduring. Director George Miller was in, then he was out, now apparently he’s back in… and the script is being re-written, again. The “current” status is that the script is being reworked, hopefully for an “early” 2009 start date on production with a release in 2011. Yeah, we’ll see. In the mean time, I thought this bit of casting “talk” was interesting. I’m not sure how “accurate” this is today, but as of August 2008, these were the names “rumored” to be tossed around for the project…

	Adam Brody as … The Flash/Barry Allen Smiley Face Thank You For Smoking Mr. & Mrs. Smith
	Hugh Keays-Byrne as … J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter Farscape (TV) The Tresspassers Mad Max
	Common as … Green Lantern/John Stewart Wanted American gangster Smokin’ Aces
	D.J. Cotrona as … Superman/Clark Kent Windfall (TV) Venom Skin (TV)
	Santiago Cabrera as … Aquaman/Arthur Curry Heroes (TV) Goal II: Living the Dream Haven
	Armie Hammer as … Batman/Bruce Wayne Billy: The Early Years Blackout Flicka
	Megan Gale as … Wonder Woman/Princess Diana ER (TV) The Practice (TV) Seinfeld (TV)

[source: IMDBPro.com]

Image Entertainment has earned the distribution rights to ‘In the Electric Mist’… a new thriller, based on James Lee Burke’s novel, from director Bertrand Tavernier (’Round Midnight’). The film will star Tommy Lee Jones with a talented supporting cast that includes John Goodman, Mary Steenburgen, Ned Beatty, Peter Sarsgaard and Kelly MacDonald. Image plans to release the film in Spring of 2009.

Plot: New Iberia Lt. Dave Robicheaux is trying to link the murder of a local hooker to New Orleans mobster Julie (Baby Feet) Balboni-back in his home parish as co- producer of Hollywood director Michael Goldman’s Civil War film-when sizzled/psychic movie-star Elrod Sykes, pulled over for drunk driving, starts babbling about a corpse he found in the Atchafalaya Swamp-the corpse of a black man Dave had seen murdered 35 years before. — IMDB

[source:Variety.com]

Antonio Banderas (’Desperado’) is in the final stretch of talks to portray the legendary, surrealist painter Salvador Dali in the indie biopic being directed by Simon West (’Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’). The project has been floating around since 2003 when West first optioned the rights to the spec script by Jeremy Walters. Production is set to begin in early 2009.

Film will blend music with CGI sequences in an effort to capture the inventiveness and color of the painter. Story will explore how Dali conquered America and the world with sex, sin and surrealism only to succumb later to worldwide scandal and misfortune. — Variety

[source: Variety.com]

One thing is for sure… Sly Stallone is a fascinating character to follow. Continuing his work behind the camera, Stallone has a two-picture deal with Nu Image/Millennium Films, the second of which is expected to be the “next” installment to Stallone’s ‘Rambo’ franchise.

But first, Stallone will direct ‘The Expendables’ from his own original screenplay. Sly will also co-star along side Jason Statham and Jet Li as a team of three mercenaries who are sent into a South American country to overthrow the dictator. Filming is expected to begin in February.

UPDATE: Sylvester Stallone informally announced recently that he is seeking Oscar-winning actor Forrest Whitaker to play a CIA agent involved in the South American operation. In addition, Stallone said he is shooting for a PG-13 rating for ‘Expendable’ saying “it won’t be a blood fest.” [11/08/08]

[source:HollywoodReporter.com]

Charlize Theron is currently in cahoots with Sunglass Pictures in taking a role in the soon to be upcoming thriller movie called The Tourist. In the movie Charlize will be playing opposite Tom Cruise, well if it comes to that will see. If you were wondering if this is another remake you are wrong. The Tourist is actually based on the 2005 french thriller written by Anthony Zimmer. Directed by Bharat Nalluri off a script by Julian Fellowes, The Tourist will have Theron play a female Interpol agent who uses an American tourist in an attempt to flush out an elusive criminal with whom she once had an affair. The project is currently waiting on a polished script by Christopher McQuarrie. If all goes to plan The Tourist will start production in March. 

Source: www.canmag.com

JoBlo spoke with a rep at WB who said that this picture is a fake, but I have never seen the above photo of Megan Fox without the Wonder Woman costume. Is Megan Fox in on this?

The photo was snagged from http://wonder-who.com and they did the reveal kind of strangely, and not in a way that I think DC or WB would have done things.

Checking out the registry of the domain, it was done by a company in Scottsdale AZ under the name of Domains by Proxy, registers on 10/09/2008, and only registered for 1 year. That is what is fishy to me… but what do you guys think?