News concerning two highly anticipated movie musicals has landed online.  First up, Jon Favreau was reported as being the frontrunner to take the helm on producer Graham King’s feature film adaptation of the smash hit stage musical Jersey Boys early last month.  Now Deadline reports that Favreau has officially entered negotiations to bring the show to the big screen, and he actually seems like an inspired choice.  For those unaware, the documentary-style musical tells the story of The Four Seasons, chronicling the group’s rise in the 1960s with such hits as “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man.”  It’s a ridiculously crowd-pleasing show but it’s also realistic and candid as far as the portrayal of the group’s ups and downs go.

John Logan (Hugo) wrote the latest draft of Jersey Boys and the film is a high prirority for GK Films.  Favreau is also developing Magic Kingdom and Disney, but I’d imagine Jersey Boys will likely be his next feature.  Hit the jump for news concerning the feature film iteration of Wicked.

Movies like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close are difficult to review.  On the one hand, part of me wants to rip Stephen Daldry’s film to shreds and call it a manipulative, corny, over-the-top, Oscar-seeking mess.  But the other part of me wants to drop the cynicism and enjoy the heartfelt emotional journey for what it aspires to be: a film that attempts to cope with the aftershocks of 9/11, and mourn those we lost in the fire.

Watching Extremely Loud on Blu-ray over the weekend, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  While not exactly the masterpiece it thinks it is, Daldry’s film at least sidesteps the problems I had with the director’s previous efforts, especially the overtly saccharine The Reader and the morbid, depressing The Hours – both of which tried to do too much and therefore lacked focus.  Hit the jump for my review.

The 2012 Olympics are coming down the pike with English director Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) serving as creative director of the opening ceremonies in London. Because once you’ve shut the city down and maestro-ed a mob of rabid pseudo-zombies through its streets, a bunch of athletes waving flags or whatever is child’s play.

Speaking to the press today, Boyle unveiled that his plans for the commencement would be heavily inspired by The Tempest, an announcement that was met with considerable belligerence and numerous faintings amongst the assembled mob, until the Oscar-winner clarified that he did not mean the 2010 Julie Taymor film. Rather, the £27-million opener (dubbed “Isles of Wonder”) will channel the classic Shakespearean play, specifically the character Caliban’s opening speech. Hit the jump for more from Boyle on what to expect on the big day.

While director Stephen Daldry‘s adaptation of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close now playing in limited release, this Friday it’ll finally be expanding to theaters nationwide.  Starring Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Max von Sydow, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, and John Goodman, the films based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer and tells the story of a nine-year-old boy who sets out to find the lock that fits a key left to him by his father, who died in the 9/11 attacks. While some of the reviews have been mixed, I was moved to tears and think Thomas Horn’s performance was amazing (especially since he’s never acted before).   While 9/11 movies are clearly hard to watch, give this one a chance.  It’s definitely worth it.

Shortly before New Year’s I got to speak with Daldry.  We talked about the challenge of the subject matter, finding the right tone in the editing room, test screenings, deleted scenes, his relationship with producer Scott Rudin, and casting Thomas Horn and the rest of the cast.  In addition, Daldry talked about wanting to make Michael Chabon‘s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay as an eight-part HBO miniseries.  Hit the jump to read or listen to the interview.

September 11^th, like any tragedy, can be easily exploited.  It can be exploited for profit, for political gain, and for an easy strike at your emotional soft spots.  But it can also be handled in a mature, thoughtful manner like Paul Greengrass‘ United 93.  It’s been over ten years since 9/11 and we must start accepting that the event can be used in a story that’s not directly about 9/11.  That’s an incredibly tricky proposition because of the easy route to exploiting our national tragedy, and that’s where Stephen Daldry‘s adaptation of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close seems to be going at its outset.  Daldry has to scale a mountain of negative expectations as we struggle to see how 9/11 could be absolutely essential to the story.  We must also contend with a painfully affected character played by a child actor gives a off-putting, robotic performance.  But Daldry’s brilliant direction ultimately brings the 9/11 plot point and the bizarre lead performance together to create an emotional finale.

A feature film adaptation of Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay has been in the works for nearly a decade now. The book was published in 2000 and centers on two Jewish cousins who collaborate during World War II to work on a new American novelty: the comic book. The novel spans multiple continents and and culminates in the dawn of the Golden Age of comic books. Soon after its publication, producer Scott Rudin began work on a feature film adaptation. After years of troubles adapting the expansive book into a succinct feature script, director Stephen Daldry (The Reader) signed on to take the helm. Numerous actors were rumored to be involved (Natalie Portman, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire), but the project found itself lodged in development hell.

Steve recently got the chance to speak with Daldry about his upcoming drama Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (also produced by Rudin), and the director revealed that he’d now like to adapt the novel into an 8-part miniseries for HBO. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

A large batch of new images from the upcoming drama Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has been released. The film is based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer and tells the story of a nine-year-old boy who sets out to find the lock that fits a key left to him by his father, who perished in the 9/11 attacks. I’m a big fan of the book so I’ve been looking forward to this one for quite a while. The cast is great and director Stephen Daldry has a pretty nifty track record, so I’m hoping everything comes together well. The pic has already started screening, but it’s under a strict embargo after the whole Girl with the Dragon Tattoo fiasco (plus Scott Rudin is also the producer of Extremely Loud).

Hit the jump to check out the images. The film stars Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Max von Sydow, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, and John Goodman. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close opens in limited release on December 25th, then expands nationwide on January 20th.

A new trailer for director Stephen Daldry’s (The Reader) adaptation of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has been released. Based on the book by Jonathan Safran Foer, the film follows nine-year-old Oskar Schell (newcomer Thomas Horn) who sets out to find the lock that fits a key left to him by his father who perished in the 9/11 attacks. This trailer gets into the plot a bit more, but it plays little too heavy-handed. Having read the book, I can say that the film undeniably rests on Horn’s performance. He seems to have the peculiarities of the odd Schell down, so I’m hopeful he’s got the goods. Von Sydow also looks promising in a very crucial (and sweet) role. This is an adaptation that could end up being fantastically original and moving, or terribly sappy and maudlin. Daldry has a pretty great track record, so I’m really hoping it’s the former.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Max von Sydow, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, and John Goodman. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close opens in limited release on December 25th, then expands nationwide on January 20th.

And so our 2012 Oscar Preview has come to a close. Over the past three days we’ve brought you our coverage of how the race stacks up for Best Supporting Actress and Actor, Best Actress and Actor, and Best Animated Feature, Screenplay, as well as the technical categories. Today, we’re covering the big ones: Best Picture and Best Director. There are two early frontrunners for the big prize, but we’ve still got a number of unseen pics that could play the spoiler. As for the director race, does Steven Spielberg have a shot at his first trophy in over a decade, or will an Oscar virgin take home the prize? Hit the jump for the current state of the race in the Best Picture and Best Director categories.

Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer.  The movie centers on Oskar, a boy who is convinced his father, who died in the 9/11 attacks, hid a final message somewhere in the city: “Oskar begins searching New York City for the lock that fits a mysterious key he found in his father’s closet.”  Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max Von Sydow, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Jeffrey Wright, and James Gandolfini star in the film directed by Stephen Daldry (The Reader).  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close opens in limited release on December 25, and expands wide on January 20, 2012.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

We’ve got a couple of release dates for you this afternoon. First up, Warner Bros. (via THR) has slated Clint Eastwood’s biopic J. Edgar for this October, while the studio’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock will open sometime in December. No specific dates are given, but the films are definitely poised for Oscar season. J. Edgar stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the titular Hoover, with Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts and Judi Dench co-starring.

Based on the Jonathan Safran Foer novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is directed by Stephen Daldry (The Reader) and tells the story of a 10-year-old boy who embarks on a journey to deal with the loss of his father in the 9/11 attacks and discover more about the lock-box key left behind by his father. Additionally, Variety reports that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D will hit theaters October 5^th, 2012, just three weeks before Halloween 3D opens. John Luessenhop (Takers) is in talks to helm the third-dimension version of Chainsaw.

Working Title Films and Peapie Films have acquired Andy Mulligan’s novel Trash as a directing vehicle for Stephen Daldry (The Reader).  Richard Curtis (Love Actually) will adapt the novel, which is “a contemporary thriller set in the third world, about three boys who scrape a living picking through rubbish mounds. One day they discover a leather bag, whose contents plunge them into a terrifying adventure, pitting their wits against corruption and authority to put right a terrible wrong.”  Variety reports that the project is being developed with an eye towards shooting in 2012.

Daldry is currently at work adapting Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.  Curtis recently worked on the screenplay for Stephen Spielberg’s upcoming drama War Horse.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of Andy Mulligan’s Trash.

A couple of casting stories for you this morning. Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright have joined the ever-growing cast of director Stephen Daldry’s (The Reader) adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. We recently announced the addition of John Goodman to a cast that is toplined by Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks, with Jeopardy wiz-kid Thomas Horn set to star as nine-year-old Oskar Schnell. Daldry directs from a script by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump). The story follows Schnell on his quest to find the lock that belongs to a mysterious key that his father left behind when he perished in the 9/11 attacks. Featuring multiple narrators and heartbreak at every turn, the novel was a bestseller and the film adaptation is sure to be Oscar bait come February 2012.

Baz Bamigboye’s report (via The Playlist) doesn’t specify what roles Davis and Wright will take on, though it’s feasible to think that they could be portraying two of the many tenants of Manhattan that Schnell runs into on his year-long quest.  Hit the jump to hear about Mark Ruffalo re-teaming with The Kids are All Right-scribe Stuart Blumberg for Thanks for Sharing.

John Goodman has joined three-time Oscar nominee Stephen Daldry’s (The Reader) adaptation of the Jonathan Safran Foer novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  Already featuring serious star power in the form of Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, the film will follow Oskar (played by newcomer Thomas Horn), a 10-year old boy whose father (Hanks) dies in the September 11th attacks.  As the story goes, Oskar embarks on a journey to deal with his loss and discover more about the lock-box key left behind by his father.  The lauded script was penned by Oscar-winning scribe Eric Roth (Forrest Gump).

Per THR, Goodman will play a doorman in Oskar’s apartment building who “goes on a trip to exhume the father’s coffin.”  In addition to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, he recently appeared in HBO’s Treme and can also be seen this March in Kevin Smith’s Red State.  To check out a synopsis of Foer’s novel, hit the jump.

12-year-old Thomas Horn will costar with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock in Stephen Daldry’s adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  Horn’s previous claim to fame was winning $31,800 on Jeopardy! after scoring $12,000 in the final wager.  Sadly, I don’t think his answer was “Suck It, Trebek” or “Kebert Xela“.  According to Deadline, “Daldry (who previously directed The Reader) needed an exceptionally intelligent kid to play Oskar Schell, the bright and precocious 9-year old whose father is killed in the World Trade Center collapse. The youth finds a key left behind in his father’s belongings, and sets out on a cathartic journey to uncover the lock.”

Hit the jump for the synopsis of Foer’s novel.  Hanks is also attached to Kathryn Bigelow’s Triple Frontier and an adaptation of Cloud Atlas.  Bullock is attached to star in Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, a comedy with Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey, and a Saturday Night Fever-like drama with her Proposal director Anne Fletcher.