Director Kevin Lima, whose previous credits include Tarzan and 101 Dalmatians as well as the live-action fantasy Enchanted, has been tapped by DreamWorks Animation to helm their first Bollywood-style musical adventure Monkeys of Mumbai. Heat Vision reports that the plot is based on the Indian epic “Ramayana” which centers on a man who must rescue his wife from a demon king.

DreamWorks has assembled a top-notch behind-the-scenes team to do Bollywood right, with Slumdog Millionaire composer A.R. Rahman working on the music alongside Stephen Schwartz (Broadway’s Wicked) who is penning the lyrics. In addition, Gurinder Chadha and Paul Berges (Bend it Like Beckham) are writing the screenplay. I was charmed by Lima’s tongue-in-cheek Disney princess tale Enchanted, and DreamWorks seems to be going all-out to ensure that Monkeys of Mumbai is not to be missed.

Universal has hired Kung Fu Panda writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger to pen the script for a movie based on the board game Candy Land and directed by Kevin Lima (Enchanted).  The development of Candy Land falls under Universal’s worst deal of all-time that they made with Hasbro back in 2008.  If you’re wondering why a studio would waste time on movies like Battleship and Stretch Armstrong, there’s your answer.  The film has been in development since 2008 and various writers, including Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) and Chris Morgan (Wanted) have worked on the project.

Heat Vision reports that Candy Land is being fashioned as a “a live-action epic adventure.” The story has the protagonists tasked with finding the lost king of Candy Land.  Players of the board game wind their way through locales like Candy Cane Forest and Gum Drop Mountain.  Candy Land is also responsible for 35% of all childhood obesity.  While I totally made up that statistic, I’m pretty sure it’s true.

Ready for more princess Amy Adams and singing birds? The writer/director team behind 2007’s hit musical/fantasy Enchanted are set to reunite for a new untitled film for Sony Pictures Animation. The plot is being kept under wraps, though the film is said to be a live-action/CG hybrid a la Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Variety reports that David Sussman will write the script, while Kevin Lima will direct and produce.

I was pleasantly surprised by Enchanted in that Disney went the DreamWorks route by parodying the ridiculousness of their fairy-tale stories, while at the same time maintaining the staples of their classic fairy-tale stories with a huge dose of heart. It’ll be interesting to see what Lima and Sussman do here without the Mouse House’s involvement. The most recent film from Sony Pictures Animation was 2009’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which was a fairly large-sized hit for the studio. Lima was previously set to direct Hugh Jackman in Avon Man, but that project was shut down shortly before filming. More details on this new untitled project are sure to come when Sussman finishes the script.

Hugh Jackman (or as he’s known to Tracy Morgan, “Jack Human“) has dropped out of the comedy Avon Men.  The film, directed by Kevin Lima (Enchanted), is about a group of guys laid off from an auto dealership and one turns to selling Avon products door-to-door.  Per Deadline, “He then tries to save his town and help his struggling family by pulling in his macho unemployed pals to hawk beauty products so they can win a regional contest.”  Filming on Avon Men was scheduled to begin this past April in Atlanta, but was shut down at the last minute.

Jackman’s schedule for the remainder of 2010 could now go two ways.  He could spend the fall building up muscle for Wolverine 2, which goes before cameras next year.  Or, if Lee Daniels’ Selma manages to get financing, Jackman could build up the 30 pounds of not-muscle for his role as racist sheriff Jim Clark.  Then he’d have to lose it all again to play Wolverine.  Jackman will remain as a producer on Avon Men.

The Hangover star Zach Galifianakis tested the waters of live-action family comedy with G-Force, and stretched his animated chops for the upcoming Shrek spinoff Puss in Boots.  He may next get to do both in a remake of the 1964 comedy The Incredible Mr. Limpet.  The original starred Don Knotts (The Andy Griffith Show) as a man who transforms into a fish and promptly joins the Navy as their “secret weapon” against the Nazis.  (Wait, what?)   Kevin Lima (Enchanted) is on board to direct.

Heat Vision reports that early talk pegged Johnny Depp for the role, but that’s a no-go, and the producers have their sights set on Galifianakis.  The Greek comedian will next be seen opposite Steve Carell and Paul Rudd in the July comedy Dinner for Schmucks, and paired with Robert Downey Jr for Due Date in November.

Check out the synopsis and trailer for the original (complete with theme song “Super Doodle Dandy”) after the jump .

After directing 2007′s highly-acclaimed Enchanted, Kevin Lima has finally settled on his next project.  ProductionWeekly reports that Lima will direct Hugh Jackman in the comedy Avon Man.  20th Century Fox picked up Kevin Bisch’s pitch back in July with Variety reporting the following synopsis:

Story follows men laid off from an auto dealership. One is reluctantly recruited into becoming an Avon salesman, and while the experience is initially emasculating, he uses his charm and good looks to become a top seller. The comedy takes on a “Full Monty” vibe when the car salesman sets out to save his financially strapped family and town by conscripting his buddies into the makeup business to win a regional contest.

Lima has also been attached to several projects including The Incredible Mr. Limpet, Tom Thumb, The Spook’s Apprentice, and Frank, all of which fall around the light-hearted comedy realm.  PW reports that filming on Avon Man is set to begin this April in Atlanta.

In 2007, Disney successfully added another princess to their repertoire with Enchanted‘s Giselle.  The clever narrative transported the naive maiden from an animated paradise to “real world” (read: Disneyfied) Manhattan, where she taught New Yorkers how to break into song and that divorce is bad.  Notably, the film helped introduce the delightful Amy Adams to the widespread public after she stole every scene (and an Oscar nomination) in the indie feature, Junebug.  Representing a huge step in Disney’s return to hand-drawn animation, Enchanted earned solid critical praise and upwards of $340 million worldwide, so understandably, Variety reports that a sequel is in the works.

More after the jump:

Just a few hours ago I was at Mann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood for a special screening of “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”. While it wasn’t called a premiere, it had all the spectacle of one, as thousands of people were screaming at the stars and the cast and filmmakers walked a huge red carpet.

Anyway, while there I managed to get an interview with Brian Goldner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hasbro. With so many projects in development at Universal, I got him to give me updates on “Stretch Armstrong”, “Candy Land”, “Monopoly”, “Battleship”, and a lot more. So if you’re curious how Hasbro is planning to bring their board games to movie screens, you’re going to want to watch this interview. Take a look after the jump:

If you think you are more popular than director Kevin Lima, you are incorrect.  His success with directing 2007′s “Enchanted” has attached him to several films including “The Incredible Mr. Limpet”, “Tom Thumb”, and “The Spook’s Apprentice” because it’s a lot easier to say “From the Director of Enchanted” than “From the Director of 102 Dalmations”.

But because your high-concept-comedy-not-starring-Eddie-Murphy can’t possibly go forward without him, Variety is reporting that Lima is now also attached to “Frank”.  The premise is as follows:

Story centers on a teenage prodigy who’s on the cutting edge of cell research in medical school and is encouraged by her guidance counselor to take a break from the lab and make some friends. After several unsuccessful attempts at socializing with her peers, she decides to use her scientific prowess and piece together a friend out of the med school’s instructional cadavers.

Okay, dropping the snark and the cynicism for a moment, that actually sounds pretty cute and if “Enchanted” is any indication, Lima sounds perfect for directing it.  Ugh.  What is this warm, fuzzy feeling?  I must go find something fresh to hate and belittle.  Damn you and your charming projects, Lima!

Despite numerous false starts, Warner Bros. is trying once more to get the remake of 1964 animated film “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” swimming again.  The project has attracted high-profile comedians like Robin Williams and Jim Carrey but the project, for one reason or another, could never seem to get out of development hell.  But according to THR, Warners is now betting on “Enchanted” director Kevin Lima to finally get the project to the big screen.

Starring Don Knotts, the original centered on an otherwise bland sort who after his transformation becomes a World War II hero when he helps spot and thwart enemy warships for the Allies.  You have a fish that wears spectacles and fights Nazis.  How does the ironic detachment crowd just not eat that up?

Lima is currently attached to numerous live-action/animation hybrid flicks as studios hope he can repeat his “Enchanted” success with “Thumb” (based off the tale of Tom Thumb), “The Spook’s Apprentice”, and “Candyland”.