Ethan Reiff

KARATE KID Sequel to be Written by Zak Penn

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 5:42 pm

The pen behind 2008’s The Incredible Hulk has been tapped by Columbia Pictures to write their untitled Karate Kid sequel. Zak Penn, who has also written for X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, will rewrite a sequel drafted by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris. The surprise hit of 2010 that starred Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith opened to $55.6 million and went on to gross over $350 million worldwide. The teacher/student team from the original film are expected to return in the sequel, but no deals are yet in place and no plot details have been released. Hit the jump to read more about Penn’s previous works.

Director Rob Cohen Developing Action Adventure Series at ABC; HBO Working on Ex-Nun Comedy Series with Molly Shannon

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: November 3rd, 2010 at 7:50 am

Though lately they’ve been focused on the motion picture side of the entertainment industry, a trio of talent behind-the-camera is busy prepping a new action adventure series for ABC. Deadline reports Director Rob Cohen (who’s currently working on the unnecessary sequel xXx: The Return of Xander Cage) and writers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (who are writing The Karate Kid sequel) are also working on a series that sounds a lot like the recent comic book adaptation Red. Reiff and Voris are writing the script with Cohen attached to direct the currently untitled series which would follow a team of old-school CIA covert operatives (kick-ass soldier-spies) who won the Cold War in the Eighties but were then forced out due to budget-cuts in the early 1990s. Now, they have been recruited to go back to work for their country by the chief of the Special Activities Division, a go-getter young woman who is also the team leader’s estranged daughter. With another series about retired covert operatives being developed by J.J. Abrams and featuring Lost stars Michael Emerson and Terry O’Quinn, only one will likely survive the 2011-2012 season when the time comes.

For details on the new HBO comedy series starring Molly Shannon, hit the jump.

Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff to Pen KARATE KID Sequel

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 27th, 2010 at 7:19 am

Having already mastered the ancient art of “Kung Fu for Pandas,” the writing-team of Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff (Kung Fu Panda) are now poised to take on karate (for humans).  Heat Vision is reporting that the two have landed the coveted gig of penning the sequel to Harald Zwart’s The Karate Kid starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith.  To be honest, given the immediate decision to make a sequel, I’m a little surprised that it took almost two and a half months for Columbia to name a writer(s).  Then again, I guess you can never be too careful when putting together a film that mass audiences are most likely going to see regardless of if it was written by able-minded gents such as Voris and Reiff or a less apt writer with a lower price tag (like myself for instance).

As of now, Columbia is declining to release any setting or plot details for the sequel (the guys just got hired, give them a chance to celebrate).  In spite of its approximately $40 million budget, 2010’s The Karate Kid has grossed nearly $300 million worldwide.  In short, be prepared for a long line of “new” Karate Kid films to come your way in the future.

Barry Sonnenfeld to Direct Animated Adaptation of GIL’S ALL FRIGHT DINER

by Ramses Flores    Posted: December 17th, 2009 at 11:48 am

Variety reports that DreamWorks Animation is looking to produce an adaptation of Gil’s All Fright Diner.  The 2006 novel by A. Lee Martinez tells the story of a vampire and werewolf, who happen to be friends, that stop by a diner one night to only end up having to deal with zombies and having to save the world.   Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, Get Shorty) is attached to direct the project from a script by Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff, who previously wrote Kung Fu Panda for the studio.  The writing duo also wrote the upcoming Ridley Scott directed Robin Hood.

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