Hope Springs is an actor’s movie through-and-through.  The film is about intimacy, and David Frankel‘s direction wisely lets the action unfold over a few locations, relies on close-ups when necessary, and then allows his talented lead cast carry the picture, particularly Tommy Lee Jones.  Summer 2012 has shown us two Joneses.  There’s the I-Don’t-Give-a-Shit-and-I-Don’t-Want-to-Be-Here-Give-Me-My-Money Tommy Lee Jones of Men in Black 3.  And then there’s the I’m-Really-Good-if-I-Want-to-Be Tommy Lee Jones of Hope Springs.  The strength of his performance, coupled with co-stars Meryl Streep and Steve Carell, almost makes Hope Springs a stage play except Frankel never makes it feel stage-y.  The director also provides the film’s only major obstacle when he tries to force emotions on a scene where Jones, Streep, and Carell are more than capable of delivering the humor, warmth, and drama of this surprisingly enjoyable film.

Fox 2000 has released the first trailer for the competitive birding comedy The Big Year.  Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson star as three men who try to outdo each other during a year-long competition to spot the rarest birds in North America.  Martin, Black and Wilson can all be incredibly funny given the right material, but nothing in this trailer made me laugh. Given the story, it’s possible that the film is more of a dramedy, but one would think there would be at least some laughs to be had given the excellent cast. I’m hoping that they’re holding back the goods, so I’ll reserve judgement until we see more.

Rosamund Pike, Jim Parsons, Joel McHale, JoBeth Williams, Brian Dennehy, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Anderson, and Tim Blake Nelson also star.  David Frankel (Marley & Me) directed the adaptation of the Mark Obmascik book. The Big Year opens October 14th.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

Tommy Lee Jones is the latest actor to join the cast of Great Hope Springs. Directed by David Frankel, Meryl Streep and Steve Carell are poised to star in the film that centers on a longtime couple who decides to undergo intense marriage counseling. Jones will play Streep’s husband, while Carell is set to play a relationship guru. Mike Nichols was previously circling the project as his next directorial vehicle, but he subsequently dropped out.

The screenplay, written by Vanessa Taylor, landed on the Black List. Production on Great Hope Springs is set to start this August, with a 4^th quarter 2012 release date being eyed. Based on the premise, a holiday release a la It’s Complicated seems likely. Hit the jump to read the full press release, as well as the official synopsis.

Tommy Lee Jones may be poised to team up with Meryl Streep in David Frankel’s (The Devil Wears Prada) drama New Hope Springs. We previously reported that Steve Carell was in talks to join the film, and now Deadline reports that Tommy Lee Jones is the frontrunner to play Streep’s husband. The story centers on a couple who, after 31 years of marriage, go into intense couples counseling to decide whether or not they should stay together. Carell would play the therapist.

While nothing’s been confirmed, Jones seems like a perfect fit opposite Streep. Here’s hoping he takes the role. Vanessa Taylor (TV’s Everwood) wrote the script and shooting is set to begin this August.

Steve Carell has reportedly begun negotiations to co-star with Meryl Streep in Great Hope Springs.  Directed by David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada), the story centers on a couple (played by Streep and an actor TBD) who, after 31 years of marriage, go into intense couples counseling to decide whether or not they should stay together.  According to Deadline, Carell is in talks to play the couple’s marriage therapist, Dr. Feld.

With his exit from The Office scheduled to air this Spring, Carell is set to become a ubiquitous presence in mainstream movies.  He’ll next be seen this summer in the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love. with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and after he shoots Great Hope Springs, he’ll move on to Burt Wonderstone.  Carell is also reportedly attached to Mail-Order Groom with Tina Fey, Get Smart 2 (which he also wrote), Raised by Wolfs, The Abstinence Teacher, A Boyfriend for My Wife, and Of All the Things.

Last year, we reported that Meryl Streep was circling Great Hope Springs with Mike Nicholas at the helm.  The story “follows a middle-aged couple who after thirty years of marriage attend an intense counseling weekend to examine the intimacy issues that are threatening their marriage.”  Today, we’ve received a press release announcing that Streep is in final negotiations to take the role, but that it won’t be with Nichols in the director’s chair.  Instead, the film is now being helmed by David Frankel who directed Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.

The press release makes no mention of James Gandolfini or Philip Seymour Hoffman, who were rumored to play Streep’s husband and therapist, respectively.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

I’d like to introduce you to my phrase of the week: “competitive birding”.  In 1998, Mark Obmascik followed three competitors in the Big Year, a renowned birding competition in which all participants pause their life for a year and traverse the nation in search of the obscurest of birds; the winner spotted an incredible 745 species.  Obmascik documented the three journeys in The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession.  Jack Black and Owen Wilson have been attached to a cinematic adaptation for a while now.  At one point, the third role was destined for Dustin Hoffman, but THR reports that recent Oscar host Steve Martin will instead assume the role.  More after the break:

Hot on the heels of Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes, it’s no shocker that The Three Musketeers would be next for Warner Brothers. The L.A. Times is reporting the studio is now forging ahead with a list of directors they’d like to see direct the film. Topping the list are David Frankel and Doug Liman.

Frankel, best known for his work on The Devil Wears Prada and Marley and Me, is in current talks with Warner Brothers.  Frankel is currently also set to potentially direct and develop Septimus Heap: Magyk, an adaptation of a Harry Potter style children’s book, also being made by Warner Brothers.  Liman also tops the list.  The director seems more like a fit for what the studio is probably looking for, with his background on action films being extensive.  Liman has directed Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Jumper, and The Bourne Identity.

For more details on the Three Musketeers reboot, and how it is not the only one in development, hit the jump.