Rachel McAdams (The Vow) is reportedly in talks to join the untitled picture from writer/director Cameron Crowe (We Bought a Zoo).  Not much is known about the project at the moment, but it already stars Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) and Emma Stone (The Amazing Spider-Man).  McAdams is expected to play a former lover of Cooper’s character in the rom-com, which may actually clue us in as to which re-worked former project this untitled picture is based on. Production on the film is expected to start this October.  Hit the jump for more.

Check out the latest casting developments at a glance below:

• Bradley Cooper (Limitless) is in talks to star opposite Emma Stone (The Amazing Spider-Man) in writer/director Cameron Crowe’s untitled adventure rom-com.
• Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man) joins the cast of Madame Bovary, directed by Sophie Barthes (Cold Souls) from a script by Rose Barreneche who adapted the original Gustave Flaubert story.
• Up-and-comer Nat Wolff (The Naked Brothers Band) will join the dark indie pic Palo Alto, written and directed by Gia Coppola and based off of a series of short stories by James Franco.

Hit the jump for much more on each project.

Well here’s a project we haven’t heard about in years.  In 2008, it was announced that writer/director Cameron Crowe’s post-Elizabethtown project would be a romantic comedy called Deep Tiki.  Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon were attached to star, but due to scheduling conflicts with the two actors Crowe had to keep pushing production back.  Months came and went with no update, until we ultimately learned that development had stalled.  Crowe’s first narrative feature since 2005 eventually came in the form of last year’s We Bought a Zoo, and I assumed that Deep Tiki was dead.

Now it appears that following a rewrite by Crowe, development on Deep Tiki has picked up again with none other than Emma Stone is set to star.  Hit the jump for much more. 

At this point Cameron Crowe’s films have a feel that is distinctly his – he’s an auteur. Going in, you know the sort of music he’s going to use, and you know the sort of melancholy emotions he’s going to go for. With his latest, We Bought a Zoo, he’s totally in his wheelhouse and that’s going to be enough for people who want that Cameron Crowe feeling. Matt Damon stars as a widower who decides to take his children out of the city, and buys a country home that is also an operating zoo where Scarlett Johansson works. Our review of the Blu-ray of We Bought a Zoo follows after the jump.

Director Cameron Crowe hasn’t directed a non-documentary feature since his 2005 flop Elizabethtown.  His new film, We Bought a Zoo, shows not much has changed in the interim.  Crowe is still painfully earnest with his adult characters who give big speeches and wear their hearts on their sleeves.  There comes a point where earnestness can become overbearing, and the movie becomes nothing but soul-bearing conversations with only another terrific Matt Damon performance to reign it in.  Crowe still hasn’t learned how to say more with less, which is a shame since most of the movie is so amiable that he doesn’t have to say much at all.

Acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s latest film, We Bought A Zoo, is based on the inspiring true story of Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), an adventure-seeking journalist and single dad, who is looking to give his family a much-needed fresh start and ends up moving to a home situated in the middle of a zoo. While he and his two children attempt to bring the zoo back to its once glorious state, the Mee family, the eccentric team of zoo employees – including head zookeeper Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson) – and dozens of exotic animals, bond in ways they never could have imagined.

During this exclusive phone interview, the undeniably charming and easy to talk to filmmaker explained why he identified with this particular story, what made Matt Damon his perfect leading man, building a zoo from scratch and working with 70 exotic animals, why Jónsi (of the band Sigur Rós) was the right musician to do the score, finding the poetic moments of a story, and the importance of taking great risks, in your own life. He also talked about how strange it is to hear his dialogue often quoted, his upcoming documentary The Union (due out in January 2012), showcasing the musical collaboration between Elton John and Leon Russell, and that his next film will be an as-yet-untitled comedy, that he hopes to start shooting in the Spring. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, 20th Century Fox held preview screenings of director Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo. While the film doesn’t open until late December, the studio has decided to host another round of preview screenings this coming Saturday. I saw the movie over Thanksgiving and as I’ve said before, I was caught off guard by just how much I ended up loving it. What looks to be a sappy, quirky pic about a ragtag group of individuals fixin’ up a zoo is actually an incredibly emotional, character-centric drama that will have you smiling and crying in equal measure. The Almost Famous director has crafted an endlessly charming and undeniably “Cameron Crowe” flick, and I highly recommend you check it out this weekend if you have the chance. If you do, you’ll also hear one of the best scores of the year by Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi.

The pic stars Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Elle Fanning, and Thomas Haden Church. We Bought a Zoo opens nationwide on Decmber 23rd.

Fox has provided us with 7 clips for We Bought a Zoo, the latest movie from writer/director Cameron Crowe.  Matt Damon stars as “a single dad who decides his family needs a fresh start, so he and his two children move to the most unlikely of places: a zoo.”  I missed the local Thanksgiving sneak preview, but based on the word of mouth from those who made it, We Bought a Zoo is a return to form for Crowe after the disappointing Elizabethtown.

Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Elle Fanning, and John Michael Higgins also star.  We Bought a Zoo opens on December 23.  Hit the jump to watch the clips.

Fox has released a new clip from writer-director Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo. I caught the film at the preview screening last weekend and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I loved it. I’m an avid Crowe fan, but the marketing materials had me worried Zoo was nothing more than a sappy family popcorn movie. What Crowe has crafted is an incredibly poignant character piece that packs a walloping emotional punch. It comes close to being “gooey” in parts, but rarely crosses over into the saccharine. Matt Damon is great, Scarlett Johansson is charming, and the score by Sigur Ros’ Jonsi is the perfect compliment to Crowe’s delightful script that’s rife with more than a couple signature “Cameron Crowe” moments. If you’re looking for a movie to enjoy with the whole family over the holidays that won’t have you counting down the seconds until it’s over, We Bought a Zoo is a fine choice.

This clip features Thomas Haden Church as Damon’s brother, trying to persuade him from wasting his entire savings on fixing up the dilapidated zoo. Hit the jump to check it out. We Bought a Zoo opens December 23rd.

20th Century Fox will be giving sneak previews Cameron Crowe‘s family film We Bought a Zoo in over 800 theaters on November 26th to take advantage of Thanksgiving weekend.  The previews are well in advance of the film’s December 23rd release date, but Fox has a lot of confidence in the movie following reactions from test screenings in both major cities and the heartland.  The sneaks will give the movie a chance to build up buzz and possibly be a stronger contender during awards season, especially since it has to share its December 23rd weekend with The Adventures of Tintin, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, War Horse, The Darkest Hour, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

We Bought a Zoo stars Matt Damon as “a single dad who wants to give his family a new start and moves to a home that’s smack in the middle of a down-and-out zoo. Together, he and his two children try to restore the zoo to its former glory.”  The movie also stars Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Elle Fanning, and Patrick Fugit.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer. [Update: We've been sent the full press release, which is now included after the jump.]

We’ve got a few new posters to share with you today. First up is the theatrical poster debut for Cameron Crowe’s new film We Bought a Zoo. I’m kind of in love with the design, as it’s equal parts gorgeous and adorable. The film tells the true story of a man (Matt Damon) who moves his family to a zoo following his wife’s death. Crowe wrote and directed the pic, which also stars Scarlett Johansson and Thomas Haden Church. We’ve also got a new poster for Werner Herzog’s death row documentary Into the Abyss. The film examines the death penalty through Herzog’s lens. Matt caught the film at TIFF and wasn’t a fan.

Finally, we’ve got a new poster for the documentary Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel. The pic shines a light on writer-director-producer Roger Corman and his influence on Hollywood. Matt also reviewed this flick and found it entertaining, saying it both provides an overview of Corman’s career and “provides a thoughtful look at why audiences and Hollywood owe him a debt of gratitude.” We Bought a Zoo opens December 23rd, Into the Abyss opens November 11th, and Corman’s World opens this December. Hit the jump to check out the posters.

Writer-director Cameron Crowe just released his labor of love documentary Pearl Jam Twenty, recently finished putting the tweaks on his first feature film in six years We Bought a Zoo, and now he’s already fairly deep into his next film. We reported back in September that the Almost Famous director was already writing his next project after We Bought a Zoo, a film that was inspired by the kids he saw during auditions for Matt Damon-starred drama. Now Crowe says that the script is finished, and he hopes to begin shooting the comedy next March. Furthermore, he has another movie that he intends to make after that. Hit the jump for more on what Crowe had to say about his upcoming projects, including his comments on the difficulty of getting We Bought a Zoo financed.

Universal has been releasing Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Dazed and Confused together for a while now. I guess it makes sense. They’re both “party” films in that it’s hard to imagine Fast Times having the impact it did without Sean Penn’s Jeff Spicoli character, and Dazed and Confused second half is virtually one long party. Universal has embraced that, often selling both with pot jokes. Fast Times follows a group of teens (including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Penn, Judge Reinhold and more) as they look for love and deal with sex in high school, while Confused follows a set of juniors (including Jason London, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey and Adam Goldberg) as they are about to become seniors and become rulers of the school. Our reviews of both Fast Times and Dazed and Confused on Blu-ray follow after the jump.

To celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Seattle rockers Pearl Jam, Academy Award-winning filmmaker and music journalist Cameron Crowe has created a portrait of the seminal band that not only showcases his love for them, but also why so many fans from all over the world have found meaning in their music. Along with new interviews conducted with the band members, nearly 3,000 hours of footage was combed through for Pearl Jam Twenty and compiled to illustrate the freedom that allowed Pearl Jam a way to make music without compromising themselves or their fans. Anyone who has ever been to one of the band’s concerts knows just how electric and exciting their live show is, and now movie-goers can see the journey that got them to where they are today.

While at the Toronto Film Festival, Pearl Jam did a press conference with director Cameron Crowe, where they talked about the challenge of tackling 20 years of history and paring it down to two hours, that the Holy Grail of footage was a private moment shared between Eddie Vedder and Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain that no one was even sure there was a record of, how surviving the last 10 years took a lot of effort and communication, that they are grateful for and appreciative of their fans, and how they hope that 10 years from now, they’ll be doing the same thing, only better. Pearl Jam Twenty will be in select cities on September 20^th, and then premiere on PBS on October 21^st, before coming out on DVD on October 25^th.  Hit the jump for the transcript and audio.

20th Century Fox has released the first trailer and poster for Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo.  Based on the memoir by Benjamin Mee, the film tells the story of a man who decides to buy and run a zoo with his family following the death of his wife. The cast includes Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous), Elle Fanning (Somewhere), Thomas Haden Church, J.B. Smoove (Date Night) and John Michael Higgins (Yes Man).

The trailer starts off strong enough but right about the time a Damon voiceover explains “You don’t need any sort of special knowledge to run a zoo, just a lot of heart” it loses me. I’m no expert, but I’d like to think running a zoo does require some sort of special knowledge. On the bright side, the film looks to have plenty of heartwarming moments and Church’s work seems to be as strong as ever. We Bought a Zoo opens December 23.  Check out the trailer and poster after the jump.