Sad news for those of you who were looking forward to seeing Raging Bull 2: it’s still in development, but has changed its title to The Bronx Bull.  A lawsuit filed by MGM claimed the right of first refusal of a sequel by the studio, as they owned both Jake LaMotta’s life rights and the feature rights tied to Martin Scorsese’s original film.  The title change reflects LaMotta’s nickname and the producers will publicly dissociate their project from Scorsese’s picture and MGM studios.

The Martin Guigui (Beneath the Darkness) picture stars William Forsythe (Boardwalk Empire) as an older LaMotta with Mojean Aria (Cross Life) as a younger version.  The picture also stars Tom Sizemore (Heat), Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas) and Penelope Ann Miller (The Artist).  The title change notice comes via THR.

If you’ve ever wanted to know what happened in middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta’s early life that made him such a Raging Bull in his later years, then Raging Bull II is the movie for you!  The new prequel/sequel, which recently began filming, highlights LaMotta’s life “before the rage and after the rage” found in the original Martin Scorsese picture, starring Robert DeNiro (neither of whom is attached to Raging Bull II).  The Martin Guigui (Beneath the Darkness) picture stars William Forsythe (Boardwalk Empire) as an older LaMotta with Mojean Aria (Cross Life) as a younger version.  The picture also stars Tom Sizemore (Heat), Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas) and Penelope Ann Miller (The Artist). Hit the jump to check out the first images and press release for Raging Bull II.

The Artist, a film without dialogue and only a handful of supporting roles, attracted an ensemble of accomplished, well known actors including James Cromwell and Penelope Ann Miller. Cromwell, who plays silent film star George Valentin’s devoted chauffeur, thought the project was too good to pass up after he saw director Michel Hazanavicius’ detailed storyboards which revealed a very clear vision. Penelope Ann Miller, who portrays George’s increasingly disaffected wife, was also intrigued by the notion of acting in a feature-length silent. The period setting held great appeal to the actress, a lifelong movie buff who is extremely knowledgeable about Hollywood cinema history.

We sat down with Cromwell and Miller at a roundtable interview to talk about the challenges of doing a silent film. They told us how director Michel Hazanavicius created a perfect environment for the actors that helped put them in the moment, why the artistic excellence of everybody hired above and below the line enhanced their performances, and how the mannerisms and behavior of an earlier era compare to those of today. They also discussed their latest projects including Cromwell’s upcoming films Still, Memorial Day, and A Lonely Place for Dying and Miller’s Saving Lincoln, Robosapien and Saving Grace B. Jones. Cromwell also slammed the former producers of 24 for their irresponsible treatment of torture on the show.

Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist is a loving tribute to the twilight years of the silent movie era.  The story revolves around a silent film star who falls in love with a young extra who eventually becomes a movie star.  And The Artist is a silent movie.  In 2011.  That’s just awesome and judging by the glowing response out of the Cannes Film Festival, the movie works.  The Weinstein Company picked up the film and has put some serious faith in their marketing team to sell a movie where no one talks.  In 2011.  That’s going to be jarring for modern audiences (and the leads aren’t American movie stars!  Bonus!) but I can’t wait to check out this movie at TIFF.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The Artist hits theaters on November 23rd.

Just a week before kick-off, organizers of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival have announced a last-minute addition to the official selection, rounding up the number of films in competition to a nice 20. The Artist, which was originally due to be screened out of competition, will now be up against Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life, Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia and the Dardenne brothers’ Boy With a Bike in the race for the Palme d’Or.

Director Michel Hazanavicius and the star of his Bond-inspired OSS 117 franchise Jean Dujardin have teamed up once again in this black-and-white silent movie about… a silent movie star. Check out the synopsis after the jump.

Rob Reiner gave an interview on CBS Sunday Morning News prior to the theatrical release of his latest film Flipped in which he candidly admitted to host Charles Osgood: “I basically tell the same love story over and over. The girl in the story is always much more emotionally mature… the boy is always running around like an idiot trying to catch up, trying to figure out what’s going on.”

Indeed, one need only look at the director’s resume to find validity in that statement. The man has long told stories about relationships (1989’s When Harry Met Sally … for example), but never quite as pleasantly as he does in Flipped, a familiar but plucky love story of boy meets girl, who loves boy, who doesn’t love girl, who soon grows tired of boy, who suddenly loves girl. The film is easily one of the director’s best efforts since 1997’s The American President.  Continued after the jump: