Paramount Pictures

Paramount Sets Robert Zemeckis’ FLIGHT for November 2 Release; THE GUILT TRIP Moves to Christmas Day

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 10th, 2012 at 12:29 pm

Paramount has made a welcome release date announcement today.  Director Robert Zemeckis’ (Back to the Future) long-awaited return to live-action, the drama Flight, has been slated for release on November 2nd (per Box Office Mojo).  Zemeckis has been making creepy motion-capture films like The Polar Express and Beowulf for the last decade, but Flight marks his first live-action feature since 2000’s Cast Away.  Denzel Washington stars as an alcoholic and drug-addicted pilot who safely lands a damaged plane and is quickly heralded as a hero, despite having been under the influence during the accident. The fantastic cast includes John Goodman, Melissa Leo, and Don Cheadle.  The film will square off against the R-rated comedy 21 and Over and Disney’s animated feature Wreck-It Ralph on that November date.

In order to put Flight on the 2012 release schedule, Paramount has pushed the family comedy The Guilt Trip (formerly My Mother’s Curse) from October 2nd to a prime Christmas Day slot.  The film centers on a mother/son road-trip and stars Seth Rogen and Barbara Streisand.  The coveted December 25th date also includes Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.

Paramount’s Adam Goodman Says TOP GUN 2 Likely Before MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 5; Reveals Saoirse Ronan and Jennifer Connelly Have Joined PG-13 NOAH

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 25th, 2012 at 3:31 pm

Word of a sequel to Tony Scott’s Top Gun started bubbling up a few years ago.  At the time, most believed Tom Cruise would only be returning for a small role and that the film would center on a new young group of pilots.  Movement on the sequel began to pick up in the ensuing months, and as recently as February we learned that Peter Craig (The Town) was working on a script for the sequel that would feature Cruise in a starring role and would see Scott return as director.

Paramount President Adam Goodman recently sat down for an extended conversation with THR and he provided updates on a slew of upcoming projects including Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, World War Z, One Shot, another entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise, and the aforementioned Top Gun sequel.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

New Images from THE DICTATOR, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, and G.I. JOE: RETALIATION

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 25th, 2012 at 1:04 pm

Paramount has released some new images from their upcoming releases as part of their 2012 preview.  As such, we’ve got new looks at The Dictator, the animated holiday film Rise of the Guardians, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  We’ve seen one of the G.I. Joe images before, but this version is in super duper high resolution.  Out of these three films, I’m actually the most excited for Rise of the Guardians.  The adventure story centers on a group of heroes who must join forces to protect “the hopes, beliefs and imagination of the children all over the world.” The twist is that the heroes are Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost.  I loved the first trailer, and the character details we recent received were incredibly enticing.

Hit the jump to check out images from each film.  You can read Steve’s recap from Paramount’s CinemaCon presentation right here.  The Dictator opens on May 16th, G.I. Joe: Retaliation hits theaters on June 29th, and Rise of the Guardians will be released on November 21st.

Russell Crowe Confirmed for Darren Aronofsky’s NOAH; Production Begins This July in New York and Iceland

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 22nd, 2012 at 5:34 pm

Though we pretty much already knew he was onboard, Paramount and New Regency announced today that Russell Crowe is officially set to play Noah in Darren Aronofsky’s Biblical epic Noah.  The film is “a close adaptation of the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark, in which the titular Noah is given a divine mission of building an ark to save creation from the impending flood.  Aronofsky wrote the screenplay alongside Ari Handel, and John Logan (Gladiator, Hugo) performed revisions.  Interestingly, the press release notes that production will begin this July in New York and Iceland.  Hit the jump for more.

ANCHORMAN 2 Is a Go with Will Ferrell, Steve Carell and Paul Rudd; Filming Begins February 2013 [Updated with New Video]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 28th, 2012 at 6:10 pm

I genuinely thought this day would never come. After coming thisclose to a greenlight with the original cast and director in tow, Paramount ultimately passed on a sequel to Anchorman, one of the best comedies of the past 25 years. Writer/director Adam McKay revealed that their pitch to the studio was to do an all-out musical, with the entire cast performing for four months on Broadway before going straight into production. Apparently averse to brilliant ideas, Paramount balked at the notion. Now, with great pleasure, I’m happy to say that Anchorman 2 is back on track. Hit the jump for more.

[Update: Backstage video of Ron Burgandy/Will Ferrell's antics has gone online, and we've included it after the jump. Also, McKay confirmed on Twitter that the movie is definitely happening and filming on Anchorman 2 will begin in February 2013. Huzzah!]

Kenneth Branagh in Talks to Direct Jack Ryan Reboot Starring Chris Pine

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 27th, 2012 at 2:16 pm

Just over a week after original director Jack Bender (Lost) dropped out of the project, Paramount looks to have found a suitable replacement to helm their reboot of the Jack Ryan franchise (The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games). Vulture reports that Kenneth Branagh is now in negotiations to direct the pic, which sees Star Trek’s Chris Pine take over the franchise that has been toplined in the past by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck. The project has been in development for quite some time, with a number of writers taking a stab at the screenplay. Paramount is hoping to finally get cameras rolling later this year once Pine wraps the Star Trek sequel, and having a director onboard is a fairly crucial necessity to make that happen. Hit the jump to find out what the hold up has been.

Paramount to Reinvent Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn with “Supernatural Elements”

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 21st, 2012 at 2:48 pm

Mark Twain‘s Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are memorable, entertaining characters, but they also provided sharp-witted and sly social critiques on the American character, particularly with regards to the Gilded Age.  But who wants that when you can make the characters adults and throw in “supernatural elements”?  According to Heat Vision, that’s how Paramount and producers Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Matt Lopez want to treat Twain’s literary creations.  Andy Burg‘s script, Huck and Tom, is being kept under wraps (maybe the fence has to be whitewashed with DEMON BLOOD?!?!), “but the project is described as a re-imagining in the vein of Snow White and the Huntsman.”

That’s a strange comparison.  I like the look of Huntsman, but it still has a fairy-tale vibe to it.  Snow White is still a young woman, and the evil queen is still a queen.  If Tom and Huck are now adults and they’re in a story with supernatural elements, how far does that remove them from Twain’s very specific setting?  At what point do they stop bearing any resemblance to the original characters?

LOST Director Jack Bender No Longer Attached to Helm Jack Ryan Reboot Starring Chris Pine

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 19th, 2012 at 5:51 pm

The long-in-the-works reboot of the Jack Ryan franchise (The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games) has hit yet another snag. Chris Pine landed the lead in the film way back in 2009, then Lost director/executive producer Jack Bender came aboard to helm the film later the next year. Movement on the project was quiet for some time after Bender signed on, then the film went through a series of rewrites. David Koepp was most recently brought on to do a polish, but due to the numerous script delays Paramount was forced to let Pine shoot J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek sequel first. The latest issue plaguing the production is a biggie: Bender is no longer the director. Hit the jump for more.

Seth Rogen and Kevin Hart to Star in Police Comedy from Writer/Producer Rodney Rothman

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 19th, 2012 at 1:23 pm

Paramount has won a bidding war for a pitch that will pit Seth Rogen and Kevin Hart as partners in a police comedy. The pitch comes from Rodney Rothman, who previously served as head writer for The Late Show with David Letterman and wrote a couple of episodes of the short-lived Judd Apatow TV series Undeclared. Variety’s report is scarce on plot details, but adds that Rothman will write and produce the pic, with Rogen and Evan Goldberg serving as producers and Hart onboard as an executive producer. Rothman produced the upcoming Apatow production The Five-Year Engagement starring Jason Segel, and is poised to make his directorial debut on the horror-comedy The Something.

Hart’s a comedian whom you may recognize from his memorable role as an angry customer in The 40-Year Old Virgin. He recently starred in Death at a Funeral, and appears in The Five-Year Engagement and the upcoming Think Like a Man. I think a Rogen/Hart pairing has great potential, and I’m interested to see what the premise involves. Rogen is next set to make his own directorial debut on The Apocalypse with Jonah Hill, James Franco, Jay Baruchel and Danny McBride.

Megan Fox and Zoe Saldana to Team Up for Heist Film SWINDLE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 15th, 2012 at 5:45 pm

In a devious effort to get every teenage boy in America to buy a ticket to a movie, Paramount is teaming the fairly good-looking Megan Fox and Zoe Saldana up for the action-heist pic Swindle. Deadline reports that the studio acquired the spec script for Moneyball and The Social Network producer Michael De Luca to develop as a star vehicle for Fox and Saldana. Plot details are being kept firmly under wraps, but apparently the film came about when Fox and Saldana decided they wanted to do a movie together. Both Paramount and Universal pursued the spec script, by Enzo Mileti and Scott Wilson, and Fox and Saldana will serve as producers on the project.

Hopefully the film has a decidedly badass quality to it, as it’d be nice to see a female-fronted action film with strong characters. Post-Transformers, Fox has stretched her acting chops with varied projects like Jennifer’s Body and the comedy Friends with Kids. She also stars in Judd Apatow’s next directorial effort, This is Forty. As for Saldana, she’s currently shooting the Star Trek sequel but she recently starred opposite Bradley Cooper in the drama The Words and is in talks to star opposite Christian Bale in the revenge pic Out of the Furnace.

Paramount Announces New SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS Movie Set for End of 2014

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 28th, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Paramount Pictures recently severed its ties with DreamWorks Animation as the partnership comes to an end at the close of this year. The studio had previously distributed DreamWorks Animation’s films, but now its sights are set on its own animation output. Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman announced today (via THR) that a new SpongeBob SquarePants movie will kick off Paramount’s new animation effort with a release targeted for the end of 2014. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie was released in 2004 to a mediocre response (it grossed $85.4 million domestically and $54.7 million worldwide), but Dauman said today that Nickelodeon “did not have as much of a presence around the world” back then, assuring investors that the outlook for their new SpongeBob movie has bright prospects. Hit the jump for more.

MGM Fast-Tracks VALLEY GIRL Musical; Clay Weiner to Direct

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 16th, 2012 at 5:36 pm

Though MGM is just getting back up on its feet following some financial troubles, the studio is now moving quickly on a musical remake of 1983’s Valley Girl. MGM has been working on the project for a few years, but now they’re teaming up with Paramount and Deadline reports that they’ve settle on newcomer Clay Weiner to direct. Weiner, who’s been dabbling in commercials and helmed the Nickelodeon movie Fred: The Movie, won the studio over with a three-minute demo reel featuring choreographed dance routines set to 1980s songs.

The original Valley Girl starred Nicolas Cage as a punk kid from the wrong side of the tracks who falls in love with a Valley girl. The remake will follow the same story, but will have the actors sing 80’s songs from bands like The Go Go’s and The Cars. I think the story lends itself pretty easily to a musical, and the bevy of 80s material should make the film a lot of fun. Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married) is currently doing a rewrite on a script by Amy Talkington, but with the film on the fast track we should hear some casting news soon. Hit the jump to watch the trailer for the original. Be forewarned: it’s extremely 80s.

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.

THE KILLING Executive Producer Veena Sud to Write and Direct Remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s SUSPICION

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 13th, 2012 at 6:21 pm

Apparently mining Alfred Hitchcock material is all the rage at the moment. Last week we learned that DreamWorks and Working Title are cooking up a new adaptation of Rebecca, and now Paramount is looking to adapt Suspicion. Hitchcock’s 1941 film was based on Francis Illes’s 1932 novel Before the Fact and starred Joan Fontaine and Cary Grant (Fontaine won an Oscar for her performance). Variety reports that Paramount has set Veena Sud, executive producer/showrunner of the AMC series The Killing, to pen the screenplay and direct.

The story centers on “a dowdy young woman” who marries an irresponsible charmer and then begins to suspect that her husband plans to kill her. The pic is Sud’s first foray into feature films, as her television career includes work on CBS’s Cold Case and ABC’s Push, Nevada. I enjoyed the first few episodes of The Killing, but the Twin Peaks similarities and reliance on red herrings became irksome. Sud is an undeniably talented writer, and it’ll be interesting to see her take on Suspicion. Whether Sud will be going back to the original novel or if the film is a straight remake of Hitchcock’s is unspecified. In any case, a synopsis for Illes’s book is included after the jump.

Paramount Eyeing a 2014 Release for TRANSFORMERS 4? [Updated with Details]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 13th, 2012 at 12:50 pm

While a fourth entry in the Transformers franchise is all but inevitable, the question as to who will be directing/starring/writing has yet to be answered. Despite previous comments to the contrary, Michael Bay was rumored to be returning to the destruction robot series back in December. The director quickly responded to the rumors, saying “I’m not sure what I’m doing,” adding that the only solid film on his schedule was the small budget crime comedy Pain and Gain. We’ve heard nothing affirming or flat-out denying Bay’s involvement in the meantime, but now it appears that Paramount may have a 2014 release date in mind for Transformers 4. [Update: Quotes from producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura regarding the release date and story approach to Transformers 4 are now included after the jump]

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