Joel Silver

JOURNEY 2 Director Brad Peyton to Write and Helm Comic Adaptation LOBO

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 20th, 2012 at 12:55 pm

The long-in-development feature film adaptation of the DC Comic Lobo now has new life.  Deadline reports that Journey 2: The Mysterious Island director Brad Peyton has been set by Warner Bros. to rewrite and direct an adaptation of the alien bounty hunter character.  Guy Ritchie was previously attached to direct the project, but subsequently fell out.  The character is an anti-hero who was created by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen “as an indictment of the Punisher, Wolverine, hero prototype” but ironically became popular for his violent tendencies.

One could see Guy Ritchie making a fairly entertaining adaptation of the character, but choosing the guy who made Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore to direct is just baffling.  It’s slightly possible that his take could be just as raw and edgy as the comic calls for, but I’m doubtful.  Whatever the case, WB must have taken a liking to Peyton’s pitch as he’ll be handling a rewrite of the script himself.  First up, though, Peyton has a third installment of the Journey franchise to direct.

Liam Neeson Can’t Stop Being a Badass in NON-STOP

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 3rd, 2012 at 5:21 pm

He’s been a Jedi master, a wilderness survivor and a man with a particular set of skills.  Now, Liam Neeson will put all (or at least some) of those skills to the test as he toplines the airplane thriller, Non-Stop.  Via Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment, Non-Stop is a self-contained thrill ride that takes place on board an international flight. Neeson is in negotiations to play an aging air marshal who faces a threat during said flight, and probably eliminates it  swiftly and with extreme prejudice. Hit the jump for more on Non-Stop.

Dark Castle Home Entertainment and After Dark Films Combine for Action Movie Franchise

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 2nd, 2012 at 5:39 pm

In a joint venture that will encourage all sorts of action and darkness, Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Home Entertainment has teamed with Courtney Solomon’s After Dark Films for the action-movie franchise, After Dark Action.  The team-up will include five feature films with an international cast that includes Jean Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Christian Slater, Jim Caviezel, Peter Weller and Cung Le.  The lineup will hit video-on-demand starting on May 11th, but there will also be a theatrical showcase for each of the pictures via a film festival in nationwide markets.  Hit the jump to see what films will be part of After Dark Action.

DOWNTON ABBEY Creator Set to Write GYPSY Remake for Producer Joel Silver; Barbra Streisand Will Star

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 13th, 2012 at 11:58 am

The feature film remake of the popular Broadway musical Gypsy is back on. Over a year ago we learned that Barbra Streisand was in talks to star in an update of the Tony Award-winning musical from Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents, and today it was announced that producer Joel Silver has set Julian Fellowes to write the screenplay for the remake, with Streisand officially onboard to play Momma Rose. The musical is based on the memoirs of burlesque dancer Gypse Rose Lee and centers on Lee’s relationship with her mother, the OG “stage mom” prototype now prevalent in pop culture. Hit the jump for more on Fellowes and Gypsy.

Peter Landesman to Script Adaptation of Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archer Novel THE GALTON CASE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 7th, 2012 at 7:55 am

In October, we reported that Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver had acquired the rights to Ross Macdonald‘s Lew Archer mystery novels with the hopes of turning the series into a film franchise.  The first film would be based on the eighth Archer book, 1959′s The Galton Case.  Today, Deadline reports that the studio has hired Peter Landesman to write the screenplay.

In The Galton Case, “Archer is hired to track down the lost heir to the Galton fortune. His path leads him through a trail of murder, deception and a tangle of secrets.”  The Galton Case wouldn’t be Archer’s first trip to the big screen.  The character was previously by Paul Newman in 1966′s Harper and 1975′s The Drowning Pool.  Hit the jump for more on Landesman.

Sylvester Stallone to Oversee Final Cut of BULLET TO THE HEAD for Possible November Release

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: March 3rd, 2012 at 9:13 pm

Sylvester Stallone is single-handedly trying to resurrect good old fashioned kick-ass action movies. He literally pushed himself to the breaking point on The Expendables and reprised his most famous roles in the films Rocky Balboa and Rambo. Now, Stallone is venturing into new territory with the graphic novel adaptation, Bullet to the Head, and it looks like he’ll be overseeing the final cut of the film. It was recently reported that Warner Bros. had erased the film from its April 13th release date without providing any information as to why or updating it with a new release. Sources now point to a November release date for the film due to Stallone needing the additional time to approve a final cut. Bullet to the Head follows a New Orleans hitman (Stallone) who teams up with a New York cop (Sung Kang of Fast Five) to track down the killers of their respective partners. Hit the jump for more on Bullet to the Head.

CBS Orders Three Drama Pilots; HOMELAND’s Michael Cuesta to Direct Network’s Sherlock Holmes Pilot

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 7:29 pm

CBS has put in orders for three wildly different dramas. Check out the details below:

• From Ilene Chaiken (The L Word) comes Quean, which follows a Lisbeth Salander-style hacker chick who assists an Oakland police detective in crime solving. Chaiken and Joel Silver will executive produce.
• Applebaum is based on Mommy-Track Mysteries, a book series by author Ayelet Waldman. The story follows an ex-public defender turned stay-at-home mom who becomes a private investigator to stave off boredom. Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) will direct the pilot and is among the executive producers.
• An untitled period piece from screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi (American Gangster) and Without a Trace executive producer Greg Walker will follow a 1960s rodeo cowboy turned Las Vegas sheriff. James Mangold (Walk the Line) will direct the pilot for the series based on the true story of Ralph Lamb.

Also from the network, Homeland’s executive producer and pilot-director Michael Cuesta recently signed a seven-figure deal that was good from the time the ink dried until June 1st of next year. His next test will be directing the pilot titled Elementary for the network’s contemporary Sherlock Holmes series. Hit the jump for more.

Steve Carell to Produce and Star in Heist Film CONVICTION

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 1st, 2011 at 3:42 pm

Steve Carell is certainly keeping himself busy after leaving NBC’s The Office. Deadline reports that the actor is now attached to produce and star in the heist film Conviction. The script, which landed on the Black List, was written by Jonathan Herman and centers on an imprisoned master bank robber who is forced by the FBI to entrap his protégé who is planning a multimillion dollar job. Warner Bros. picked up the project two years ago and was developing it as a drama in the vein of Heat, but it stalled. The film will now be reworked as an action comedy more along the lines of 48 Hours and Ocean’s Eleven. Carell is producing alongside Joel Silver.

The Office actor is involved in a number of developing projects at the moment. He’ll next shoot the magician comedy Burt Wonderstone with Jim Carrey, he’s in talks to star in Charlie Kaufman’s next pic Frank or Francis alongside Nicolas Cage and Jack Black, and he’s also set for a darkly dramatic turn in Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, based on the true story of paranoid schizophrenic John du Pont.

Warner Bros. and Joel Silver to Revive Private Eye Lew Archer by Adapting THE GALTON CASE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 31st, 2011 at 11:32 am

Warner Bros. and Joel Silver have picked up the rights to Ross Macdonald‘s series of Lew Archer mystery novels.  The studio hopes to turn the series into a franchise beginning with an adaptation of the eighth Lew Archer book, 1959′s The Galton Case.  Per Deadline, “Archer is a private eye who cracked dangerous cases in Southern California in the 1950s and 60s. In The Galton Case, Archer is hired to track down the lost heir to the Galton fortune. His path leads him through a trail of murder, deception and a tangle of secrets.”  The character was previously by Paul Newman in 1966′s Harper and 1975′s The Drowning Pool.

Warner Bros. is in the process of hiring a writer and hopes to turn Macdonalds books into “an elevated noir franchise.”  Regular readers of the site know I love me some good noir so hopefully this franchise works out.  Of course, what actor can fill the shoes of Paul Newman?  Hit the jump for the synopsis for The Galton Case.

Warner Bros. Picks Up Robert Lynn’s Spec Script THE ENVOY; Joel Silver to Produce

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: October 6th, 2011 at 3:59 pm

Joel Silver knows a little bit about producing action-thrillers. With The Matrix and Die Hard in his repertoire and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows coming this December, Silver needs something new to work on. Enter The Envoy, a spec script picked up by Warner Bros. from writer Robert Lynn. Per Heat Vision, the plot revolves around a diplomatic courier who finds himself in possession of highly sensitive information. When he discovers those documents are stolen plans for attacks on American targets, he must seek sanctuary at the American embassy in Vienna. Of course, all manner of baddies are out to stop him along the way.

This is the first major sale for Lynn, who was a writer on HBO and Bravo’s Project Greenlight. He’s also written a number of low-budget thrillers, including Adrenaline, Prisoner and Deadbox. Sarah Meyer brought the script to Warner Bros. and will be a producer on the project. Along with Meyer and Silver, Andrew Rona, who teamed with Silver on Unknown, will also produce.

Ben Affleck May Direct and Star in LINE OF SIGHT

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 23rd, 2011 at 12:03 pm

Ben Affleck is currently at work directing and starring in the Iranian hostage drama Argo but he’s already eyeing his next feature.  According to THR, Affleck is in talks to direct the action flick Line of Sight for Warner Bros. and producers Joel Silver (The Matrix) and Andrew Rona (Unknown).  The plot “centers on an elite commando squad transporting cargo while dealing with a global threat.”  Sounds a little generic, but Affleck has brought his own edge to noir and heist flicks, so this could be interesting.  Oh, wait.  There’s more:  “One of the conceits of the movie is that it tells the tale from a point-of-view akin to a first-person shooter game.”  Hooray.  As we previously reported, Halo: Reach writer Peter O’Brien came on board to work on the script and now it looks like we know why.  Perhaps Affleck could bring something to the film that makes the FPS conceit more than a gimmick.  Or the movie could simply be Call of Duty but you’re not allowed to play and when a character dies there’s not a trite quotation about war.

Argo starts shooting next month in Los Angeles.  In addition to Affleck, the film also stars Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, and Alan Arkin (if you needed more reasons to be excited about it).

Albert Hughes To Direct MOTOR CITY, Chris Evans Offered Lead?

by Phil Brown    Posted: August 2nd, 2011 at 3:11 pm

Ever since he wandered away from Akira, Warner Bros has apparently been anxious to sign Menace II Society director Albert Hughes onto one of their upcoming movies. Today it looks as though a project has been found that will keep Hughes at the good ol’ WB and that project is Motor City. The film is a pretty simple revenge picture about a small town crook who is wrongfully sent to jail and comes out determined to punish those responsible. It’s generic stuff, but the twist is that the much beloved script apparently contains only a single line of dialogue. This has the makings of a pretty out there blockbuster action movie and apparently Captain America himself Chris Evans is in talks to play the lead role (how could he possibly memorize all of the dialogue?). Could be interesting. Could get made. Hit the jump for more details.

Dark Castle Acquires Airplane Thriller NON-STOP for Jeff Wadlow to Direct

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 1st, 2011 at 5:34 pm

Following on the heels of the international success of Unknown, Dark Castle Entertainment has acquired the airplane thriller spec Non-Stop. Jeff Wadlow (Never Back Down and Cry Wolf) is attached to direct the pic which is co-written by first-timers John Richardson and Chris Roach. Per Heat Vision, Non-Stop is being developed as a gritty actioner that follows an air marshall who encounters some sort of unexpected turbulence while on a domestic flight. Joel Silver will co-produce the film alongside Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman. Silver and Wadlow previously worked together on the CBS pilots Hail Mary and The Odds.

Guy Ritchie Back on for SGT. ROCK?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 12th, 2011 at 2:55 pm

Guy Ritchie may be re-teaming with Sherlock Holmes producer Joel Silver for Silver’s long-in-development adaptation of the DC Comics series Sgt. Rock.  A few years back, Ritchie was attached to the project, but he left and Water for Elephants helmer Francis Lawrence came on board.  When we last heard about the project in February 2010, Chad St. John had provided the script which had Rock moving from his original World War II setting to the distant future.  Since then, word on Sgt. Rock has been quiet and it looks like Lawrence is no longer directing.  Twitch now reports that Ritchie is back on board and that Warner Bros. and Silver are hoping Sgt. Rock will be Ritchie’s follow-up to Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.  Ritchie is reportedly overseeing the latest draft of the screenplay which restores the original setting and pits Sgt. Frank Rock and his infantry unit Easy Company against Nazis.

Hit the jump for details on Ritchie’s other potential projects.

HALO: REACH Scribe Peter O’Brien to Pen Warner Bros.’ LINE OF SIGHT

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 18th, 2011 at 10:28 am

Apparently impressed by his experience writing for elite soldiers fighting on an intergalactic scale, Warner Bros. has tapped Halo: Reach scribe Peter O’Brien to write its action project Line of Sight. The blockbuster video game not only helped O’Brien move up the studio’s radar, but it should also be great preparation for Line of Sight which Heat Vision describes as centering on “an elite commando squad transporting cargo while dealing with a global threat.” Per the report, the actioner is being co-produced by Joel Silver and Andrew Rona and is part of Warner Bros.’ increased emphasis on projects that “go boom” in an attempt to imitate the success Universal had with its smash-hit Fast Five.

As for O’Brien, in addition to penning Reach and now landing Line of Sight, the scribe also has his 2008 Black List script Unlocked set up at Warner Bros. and has found work on director Marc Forster’s (Quantum of Solace) The Chancellor Manuscript and Fox 2000′s adaptation of the British mini-series The Jury.

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design