Paramount

Paramount Developing Comedy Based off YouTube Video “Ultimate Dog Tease”

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 14th, 2012 at 8:26 am

Before you even say it, “Yes, they’ll turn anything into a movie.”  Variety reports that Paramount is in talks with Seinfeld writers Alec Berg and David Mandel to develop a movie based off Andrew Grantham‘s YouTube hit “Ultimate Dog Tease”.  In the video, an owner taunts his dog with promises of food only to reveal that he has already eaten the meal.  If that sound stupid and unfunny, that’s because it is.  But it also racked up 93 million pageviews, so here we are.  Paramount will develop the movie through its low-budget label, Insurge, which recently produced The Devil Inside.

In case your parents haven’t already forwarded it to you, hit the jump to check out the video.

Brad Parker to Direct Untitled Action Film for Paramount and Bad Robot; J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves to Produce

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 10th, 2012 at 3:58 pm

Paramount and Bad Robot are teaming up once more for an untitled action pic, and they’ve settled on Brad Parker to take the helm. Variety reports that the Diary of Lawson Oxford director has been set to head up the untitled action pic which has J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bryan Burk onboard to produce. Plot details are under wraps, but Michael Gilio (Carter Beats the Devil) wrote the script. Parker made his feature directorial debut with the The Diary of Lawson Oxford, a horror film produced by Paranormal Activity helmer Oren Peli. The pic stars Jesse McCartney and is due out sometime next year.

Parker has a rapport with Reeves, as he served as second-unit director on the remake Let Me In. He began a successful career directing commercials in the 1990s, working on spots for Nike, Nintendo, and Sony. Bad Robot most recently produced the super-successful Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and is gearing up for production start on Abrams’ sequel to Star Trek.

Paranormal Activity 4 Set for Release on October 19

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 4th, 2012 at 3:15 pm

Despite lacking an official script, director, or cast, Paranormal Activity 4 is set to open in theaters a mere nine months from now. We first learned that Paramount was planning to release a new entry in the ever-popular franchise this year a few days ago, and today the studio is quick to announce that an official release date has been set for October 19th (per THR). The quick turnaround shouldn’t be a problem for the studio though, as last October’s Paranormal Activity 3 was made for just $5 million and didn’t begin production until June. The series is quickly becoming the new Saw, and Paramount is surely very happy with the small budget/big box office model that’s been working so far.

On the 19th the pic will go up against the star-studded period crime thriller Gangster Squad (Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, and Ryan Gosling) and the similarly star-studded romantic comedy The Big Wedding (Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton, Katherine Heigel, and Robin Williams). The following weekend PA4 will face some horror competition from Halloween 3D, while The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D opens earlier that month.

Paramount Unveils New Logo for 100th Anniversary

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 14th, 2011 at 9:31 pm

I love studio logos.  After the lights go down and the crowd goes silent, the logo is the first official sign the movie experience is about to begin.  I have an especially strong connection with the Paramount logo.  Whenever those stars swoop in and encircle the picturesque mountain, I hear the opening theme of The Godfather.  I can’t find the video, but those iconic horns sound right as the first star settles in at the side of the mountain.  So I am excited that Paramount is celebrating their 100th anniversary by an updating the logo.  It is mostly the same, but somehow even more picturesque, if you can imagine that.

The logo will first be seen on the December 16 IMAX release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.  Hit the jump to see the new logo in full, plus a look at how the logo has evolved over the years.

Michael Bay Returning to Direct TRANSFORMERS 4; Could Start Filming in Winter 2012 [UPDATED]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 6th, 2011 at 6:10 pm

Well that didn’t take long at all. Surrounding the release of Tranformers: Dark of the Moon was Michael Bay’s assurance that after helming all three flicks in the trilogy, he was done with the franchise. Cut to Dark of the Moon making a kajillion dollars for Paramount, and rumors began swirling that Bay might come back. The director denied any involvement and maintained that he was focused on making his “smaller” movie Pain and Gain. Just yesterday we reported that Bay is in talks with Dwayne Johnson to star in the $20 million dark comedy, and Bay seemed on track to move away from the robot series. Cut to today and now comes word that Bay will indeed be returning for the fourth Transformers film. Hit the jump for more.

[Update: Bay has commented on this report.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.]

STAR TREK 2 Set for Release in 3D on May 17th, 2013; Michael Giacchino Confirmed to Return as Composer

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 23rd, 2011 at 3:34 pm

As J.J. Abrams winds down his Super 8 duties with the film’s Blu-ray release this week, the sequel to his 2009 smash hit Star Trek is moving full-steam ahead. While it’s taken a couple years to get going and Abrams only just recently officially signed on as director, Captain Kirk and crew are absolutely 100% coming back with a firm release date of May 17th, 2013 set. However, the release date is just the tip of the iceberg as we now have confirmation that we’ll be following the crew in 3D this time around. Hit the jump for more.

Paramount and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Set Writers for BOILERPLATE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 3rd, 2011 at 3:06 pm

Paramount and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot have settled on a couple of screenwriters to pen their adaptation of the graphic novel-picture book Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel. Deadline reports that JD Payne and Patrick McKay will handle scripting duties for the pic, which takes place in the late 19th and early 20th century and tells the story of the world’s first robot who “fought alongside Terry Roosevelt and Lawrence of Arabia, journeyed to the South Pole and was involved in the silent movie business before disappearing on the battlefields of World War I.” The idea for the story is fantastic, and hopefully Abrams and Co. can pull off an equally fascinating feature film.

Payne and McKay have yet to have one of their scripts produced, but they wrote the Goliath pic that Relativity is developing (and may or may not star Dwayne Johnson and Taylor Lautner), and are also penning a feature film adaptation of the Spike TV series Deadliest Warrior. Hit the jump to read a synopsis for the graphic novel.

EAGLE EYE Scribe John Glenn to Write Sci-Fi Pic for Paramount; NARNIA Writer to Pen Brett Ratner’s HUNTING EICHMANN

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: October 31st, 2011 at 3:40 pm

A sci-fi action project by director John Heffernan may not have a title yet, but it does have a writer. Variety reports that John Glenn, the writer behind Eagle Eye, has been tapped to re-write the script. The project, previously known as Abducted, was picked up by Paramount in June of this year and is set up through Mary Parent’s Disruption Entertainment. Parent and Cale Boyter are producing the pic, pitched as “Die Hard on an alien spaceship.”

Brett Ratner’s next directorial project has itself a writer and a title. Ann Peacock (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) has been tapped to write Hunting Eichmann, an international thriller based on true accounts. Deadline reports that the project follows Israeli agents in their journey to Argentina to capture Adolph Eichmann, one of the major Nazi organizers behind the Holocaust. Ratner and Anthony Bregman (Our Idiot Brother) will produce for Cathy Schulman at Mandalay Pictures.

Anne Hathaway Set to Star and Produce Paramount Thriller PUZZLER

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: October 26th, 2011 at 4:07 pm

Oscar-nominated actress Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) is now making her transition into producing, starting with the thriller Puzzler. The Paramount project has been pitched as a female-centric, paranoia thriller similar to Three Days of the Condor. In the 1976 Sydney Pollack thriller, Robert Redford stars as Joe Turner, code name Condor, who finds his CIA researcher co-workers dead and must figure out why as he tries to stay steps ahead of the assassins. One can assume that Hathaway will take on a similar role.

The script for Puzzler will be penned by Karl Gajdusek (Dead Like Me) who also wrote the recent thriller Trespass, starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman. As this is Hathway’s first time producing, she will also be joined by Adam Schulman, Sarah Perlman and Stefan Sonnenfeld, according to a report by THR.

HYPDERDRIVE Spec Script Acquired by Paramount

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: October 13th, 2011 at 3:39 pm

If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Hey, someone should make a movie that crosses 48 Hours with The Fifth Element,” look no further than Paramount’s new acquisition, Hyperdrive. The sci-fi script by Morgan Jurgenson (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil) and David Daniels (a pseudonym for Alex Ankeles, VP of Panay Films at Disney) is part murder mystery and part space opera. The plot details of Hyperdrive focus on a hardened detective who, with the help of a nerdy sci-fi author, searches for a key witness to a murder. While on Earth, the duo get caught up in a battle of interstellar forces. In the aim of keeping the Bruce Willis theme, I’d peg it more as The Fifth Element meets Live Free or Die Hard. Hit the jump for more info on Hyperdrive.

ARGO Screenwriter Chris Terrio to Pen Adaptation of New Yorker Article A MURDER FORETOLD

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 13th, 2011 at 1:45 pm

Screenwriter Chris Terrio has been hired by Paramount and Indian Paintbrush to script the adaptation of David Grann’s New Yorker article A Murder Foretold.  The fascinating story revolves around the murder of beloved and devoted Guatemalan corporate attorney Rodrigo Rosenberg who played a videotape at his funeral predicting his murder and implicating the President, the President’s wife, and other close aides.  Rosenberg hoped his video would call attention to the epidemic of homicides and the government corruption that allowed such unchecked violence to continue.  However, an investigation by a special prosecutor led to a remarkable twist in the case but also a serious crackdown on violence.  It’s a great read and could be an impressive film in the right hands.  The project was the center of an intense bidding war back in April.

Deadline reports that Terrio, who also wrote Ben Affleck’s Argo, will write the script before moving on to write the American adaptation of Harlan Coben’s novel Tell No One (which was adapted into an exciting French film back in 2006).  Click here to read the New Yorker article.

Paramount and New Regency Partner on Darren Aronofsky’s NOAH; Spring Production Start Eyed

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 3rd, 2011 at 4:24 pm

Things are finally on the move for Darren Aronofsky’s passion project Noah. New Regency and Paramount have agreed to partner on the biblical epic, ending a bidding battle over who would finance the film. Deadline reports that screenwriter John Logan has come on board to rewrite Aronofsky and Ari Handel’s script, and the project is being fast tracked to hopefully go into production by next spring. The film marks the director’s follow-up to Black Swan, after he was briefly attached to The Wolverine before dropping out for personal reasons. Noah has been a passion project for Aronofsky for quite some time, and he previously described it as his “big event film.” Hit the jump for more, including the possibility of Christian Bale taking on the lead and some artwork from Aronofsky’s graphic novel version of the film.

Paramount to Co-Produce and Distribute Jason Reitman’s LABOR DAY Starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 9th, 2011 at 10:42 am

Paramount Pictures has teamed up with Indian Paintbrush to co-produce Jason Reitman’s upcoming film Labor Day. Paramount will distribute the flick, which is set to star Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. Reitman wrote the screenplay based on Joyce Maynard’s novel which tells the story of an escaped convict (Brolin) who befriends a young boy and seeks shelter with the boy and his mother (Winslet) over a long Labor Day weekend.

Labor Day is set to start production next year, but before that Reitman’s next film Young Adult is set to open on December 9. That film marks the reunion of Reitman and his Juno scribe Diablo Cody, and tells the story of an alcoholic writer who returns to her hometown to pursue her now-married high school boyfriend. Charlize Theron stars. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of Maynard’s novel Labor Day.

Release Dates for WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Starring John C. Reilly and Tilda Swinton and Josh Schwartz’s FUN SIZE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: July 26th, 2011 at 2:46 pm

We’ve got a couple of release dates for you this afternoon. First up, the indie drama We Need to Talk About Kevin has been slated for a December 2^nd release (per The Playlist). The film stars John C. Reilly and Tilda Swinton as the parents of a teenager who goes on a high-school killing spree. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to a widely positive response, and is set to be featured at this September’s Toronto International Film Festival. The December release puts the film in a prime position for awards season, where the film’s said-to-be stellar performances are sure to turn heads.

Additionally, director Josh Schwartz’s (The O.C.) feature debut comedy Fun Size is set to open on October 12^th, 2012 (per Deadline). The Paramount comedy centers on a sarcastic teen who takes her little brother-trick-or-treating on Halloween only to lose him along the way. She must enlist the help of her best friend (who also happens to be in love with her) in order to find her brother before the night is over. The cast includes Victoria Justice (Victorious), Jane Levy, Thomas Mann (It’s Kind of a Funny Story), Johnny Knoxville and Chelsea Handler.

Paramount Releasing Jason Reitman’s YOUNG ADULT to Limited Theaters on December 9, 2011; Wide Release the Following Week

by Jason Barr    Posted: July 25th, 2011 at 7:38 pm

Director Jason Reitman and scribe Diablo Cody’s dramedy Young Adult finally has a release date(s). Paramount has announced that it will open the film to limited theaters on December 9th, 2011, one week before rolling out the pic to a wide release on December 16th. For those unfamiliar with the project, Young Adult stars Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, J.K. Simmons, Patton Oswalt, and Elizabeth Reaser in the tale of a female fiction writer (Theron) who gets a divorce, moves back to her population-challenged Minnesota hometown, and pursues an ex-flame (Wilson) who is now married and a father.

Given the talent behind the project, and its end of the year release, I’m expecting the film to be an awards-season contender in some shape or form. As for its December 9th limited release, Young Adult will be going up against the ensemble rom-com New Year’s Eve. On the 16th, the pic will face some stiff box office competition in the form of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Meryl Streep’s The Iron Lady, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.

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