All Articles by Brendan Bettinger

Cameron Diaz Takes the Role Angelina Jolie Eyed in Ridley Scott’s THE COUNSELOR

Posted: May 8th, 2012 at 7:43 pm

The casting reports on The Counselor have been a cavalcade of stars, from Michael Fassbender to Brad Pitt to Javier Bardem and many more.  The “many more” notably includes Angelina Jolie, who was either looking at the female lead or a smaller role to fit around her Maleficent schedule, depending on which report you read.  The latest from Twitch says dark horse candidate Cameron Diaz swooped in and landed the role of Malkina that Jolie was after.  The script by Cormac McCarthy (author of The Road and No Country for Old Men) centers on an attorney (Fassbender) who teams with Reiner (Bardem) to sell $20 million worth of cocaine.  The Playlist describes Malkina as “a hyper-sexualized Argentinean woman who’s hooked up with Reiner… a meaty part.”  If director Ridley Scott was willing to consider Jolie and Diaz, he may be flexible on that Argentinean part.  But Diaz is still far from the obvious choice for this type of role, so for now, I’ll give the 40-year veteran the benefit of the doubt and assume Scott knows what he’s doing.  Production on The Counselor is scheduled to begin in June.

NBC Comedy Outlook: 30 ROCK Gets 13-14 Episodes for Final Season; COMMUNITY and PARKS AND REC Still in the Running; Two More New Sitcom Orders

Posted: May 7th, 2012 at 8:26 pm

NBC already ordered three new half-hour sitcoms: The New Normal, Go On, and Save Me.  The network just added two more—1600 Penn and Animal Kingdom—which leaves little room for the many comedies that currently have a slot on the schedule.  What does that mean for the likes of 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and Community?  Here are the bullet points:

• 30 Rock is looking at 13-14 more episodes for its seventh and reported final season.
• Whitney is unlikely to return; Up All Night has slightly better odds.
• Community and Parks and Rec are still very much in the running for renewal.

Hit the jump for details.

James Cameron Talks AVATAR 2, 3, Even AVATAR 4; Says He Now Only Wants to Make AVATAR Movies

Posted: May 5th, 2012 at 7:37 pm

After the absurd success of Titanic in 1997 and 1998, it took director James Cameron more than a decade to get around to his next feature film, Avatar, which debuted to more absurd success in 2009 and 2010.  We must always admire Cameron’s ability to deliver original properties that are both commercial hits and critical favorites.  But according to the director, he’s done with the worldbuilding aspect of filmmaking:

“Last year I basically completely disbanded my production company’s development arm. So I’m not interested in developing anything. I’m in the Avatar business. Period. That’s it. I’m making Avatar, Avatar 2, Avatar 3, maybe Avatar 4.”

Hit the jump for Cameron’s full explanation.

Jody Hill to Write/Direct Action Movie That Could Somehow Become a DUKES OF HAZZARD Reboot

Posted: May 2nd, 2012 at 8:55 pm

I liked and admired Observe and Report.  But after mixed reviews, box office failure, and the date-rape controversy, I worried that might it be awhile before director Jody Hill could get another feature together.  But Warner Bros., the studio home of Observe and Report, wasn’t scared off.  Hill is in the process of writing an untitled action project for WB set in the American South of the 1970s, said to be inspired by the style of Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch).  Now, that’s no automatic greenlight, but the project may receive an unexpected boost in marketability.  Heat Vision says this could become a reboot of The Dukes of Hazzard.  To be clear, it’s not yet, and the filmmakers won’t decide until Hill finishes the script.  But hey, why not?  More after the jump.

Robert Pattinson to Play the Man Who Led the Capture of Saddam Hussein in MISSION: BLACKLIST

Posted: May 2nd, 2012 at 7:57 pm

Robert Pattinson has signed on to play military investigator Eric Maddox—the man who spearheaded the capture of Saddam Hussein—in the psychological thriller Mission: Blacklist.  Maddox detailed the search with Davin Seay in the behind-the-scenes book Mission: Black List #1.  Writer/producer Erik Jendresen (Band of Brothers) adapted the screenplay; Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire is attached to direct.  Embarkment Films will shop around Mission: Blacklist at Cannes.

After the final chapter of the Twilight saga bows in November, Pattinson will make a hard break from the franchise with David Cronenberg‘s Cosmopolis.  Mission: Blacklist sounds like it belongs on the same career path, cementing Pattinson in the adult roles that he always seemed more drawn to.  You know, assuming he’s capable of such performances, and we can see him as more than just Edward Cullen.  Hit the jump for the book synopsis.

Documentary News: Dave Grohl to Direct SOUND CITY; GoDigital to Release Oil Spill Doc THE BIG FIX June 19

Posted: May 1st, 2012 at 9:24 pm

News on a pair of interesting documentaries surfaced tonight:

• Dave Grohl will direct and produce Sound City, a feature-length documentary about the legendary recording studio in Van Nuys, California.
• GoDigital acquired The Big Fix, a documentary about the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, for release on June 19.

Hit the jump for more on both movies, including trailers.

Michael Stahl-David, Sara Paxton, Zach Cregger, and Addison Timlin Lead THE BOUNCEBACK; The Adorable Jones Sisters Join IDENTITY THEFT

Posted: May 1st, 2012 at 8:37 pm

Come to Collider for communication about casting for a couple of comedies:

• Michael Stahl-David, Sara Paxton, Zach Cregger, and Addison Timlin will star in the indie romantic comedy The Bounceback.
• Maggie Elizabeth Jones and Mary-Charles Jones, the adorable sisters from Footloose, will play the daughters of Jason Bateman and Amanda Peet in Identity Theft.

More on both projects after the break.

HBO Passes on THE CORRECTIONS Adaptation Starring Ewan McGregor and Maggie Gyllenhaal

Posted: May 1st, 2012 at 7:50 pm

I have a tendency to write a little too breathlessly about projects in development at HBO.  So it is important for me to learn that like every other network, HBO passes on some series, no matter how great the talent attached.  Variety reports the network passed on The Corrections, the adaptation of the bestselling Jonathan Franzen book about “the troubles of a Midwestern couple and their three adult children as they trace their lives from the mid-20th century to ‘one last Christmas’ together near the turn of the millennium.”  Writer/director Noah Baumbach (Greenberg) had assembled a stellar cast in Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Dianne Wiest, Chris Cooper, and Greta Gerwig.  McGregor, a man of taste and distinction, praised the scripts by Baumbach and Franzen, saying the “lovely writing” convinced him to spend four months of each of the next four years exploring this character.  They shot the pilot in February, but alas, the pieces apparently did not come together in a way that met the HBO standard.  For more on what we’re missing out on, hit the jump for the full book synopsis.

New Trailer for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Shows Off a Sassy Catwoman and a Terrifying Bane

Posted: April 30th, 2012 at 8:28 pm

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, which they are billing as “the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.”  It reveals our best look yet at Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) and Bane (Tom Hardy), plus tons of destruction and mayhem.  It’s amazing.  Just get yourself after the jump already and watch it.

Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine also star. The Dark Knight Rises opens on July 20.

Details and Box Art for STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION Season 1 Blu-ray Release on July 24

Posted: April 30th, 2012 at 8:25 pm

The seminal first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation is coming to Blu-ray on July 24.  Although there will be no new special effects, the trailer shows the vast difference between what was previously available and the cleaned-up Blu-ray image.  The full details including special features were revealed today in a press release.  There discs are loaded with promos, featurettes, archival footage, interviews, and a gag reel.  (I’ll bet Patrick Stewart and LeVar Burton were an absolute hoot on the set of the Starship Enterprise.) Hit the jump for the full rundown, plus box art for season one.

HBO Orders 8 Episodes of TRUE DETECTIVE Starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson

Posted: April 30th, 2012 at 7:34 pm

When we first heard about True Detective, an anthology cop drama whose first season will star Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, Anonymous Content was still shopping it around.  Adam wrote, “I’m selfishly hoping it lands on HBO.“  I have great news for you Adam, and readers—it did!  It did land on HBO!  THR reports the premium cable network ordered eight episodes for the first season, scripted by Nic Pizzolatto (The Killing).  McConaughey and Harrelson play two detectives who are drawn into the search for a serial killer in Louisana: “The investigation of a bizarre murder in 1995 is framed and interlaced with testimony from the detectives in 2012, when the case has been reopened.” Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) will direct all eight episodes of the first season.  If True Detective is successful, the plan is to clean the slate in future seasons with a similar structure, but tell a new story with a different cast.  I am rooting for this and the American Horror Story season two reboot to work.  It opens up an exciting new model for American television—something more involved than a standalone miniseries, but still longform storytelling with a schedule suited for the likes of McConaughey, Harrelson, and Fukunaga.

New Images from NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH, LIFE OF PI, ICE AGE 4, and DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 3

Posted: April 28th, 2012 at 7:15 pm

Do you hear that?  That’s the sound of new images from four 20th Century Fox movies:

• Neighborhood Watch – Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade star in the alien invasion comedy.
• Life of Pi – Ang Lee is directing the adaptation of Yann Martel‘s fantasy adventure novel with Suraj Sharma in the lead.
• Ice Age: Continental Drift – Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Queen Latifah reprise their characters in the fourth entry in the animated series.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days – Zachary Gordon, Steve Zahn, and Robert Capron are back to depict more of the awkward adventures of middle schooler Greg Heffley

Images after the break.

THE AVENGERS Premieres Early and Strong at International Box Office; Second Highest Opening of All Time in Australia

Posted: April 25th, 2012 at 8:28 pm

Marvel is experimenting with the typical release pattern for their giant tentpole movies.  Thor premiered in dozens of foreign markets before the American release on May 2.  We got Captain America first for obvious reasons, but Marvel is heading back overseas to unveil The Avengers before the U.S. gets a hold of it.  The Avengers debuted in Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan this Wednesday with a great $8 million start.  Per THR, most of that was grossed in Australia, where $6 million makes it the second highest opening day behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.  Marvel will release The Avengers in over 40 international territories this weekend.  Expect more stellar results, since the all-star cast—Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson—and the colorful action bust the language barrier.  By the time it finally makes its way back to the States on May 4, The Avengers is expected to surpass $150 million domestic in the opening weekend.  This is far from our last report on the Avengers box office—while you wait for the next, hit the jump for a synopsis and links to recent coverage.

New Posters for HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET, CHERNOBYL DIARIES, and JACK & DIANE

Posted: April 23rd, 2012 at 9:29 pm

Thanks to Steve and his trusty camera, you got an early look at the House at the End of the Street poster, plus dozens more posters, banners, and standees at CinemaCon.  The official House at the End of the Street was released online shortly after along with a couple more one-sheets:

• House at the End of the Street – Oscar nominees Jennifer Lawrence and Elizabeth Shue star in the haunted house flick.
• Chernobyl Diaries – Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli presents the supernatural horror film set in the deserted site of the nuclear accident
• Jack & Diane – Riley Keough and Juno Temple star as the titular characters in the tale of a coming-of-age romance between two teenage girls in New York.  Also, there’s a werewolf transformation in there.

Hit the jump for the posters and more on each project.

New Trailer for THE IMPOSSIBLE Starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor Shows the Devastating Tsunami

Posted: April 22nd, 2012 at 5:06 pm

Around the holidays we posted a striking international teaser trailer for The Impossible, the English-language debut of director Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage).  Warner Bros. has followed up with a full trailer, and though broader (and still dubbed in Spanish), it leaves just as much of an impression.  Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor star as the parents of a family caught in the tsunami that hit Thailand in 2004.  The mass destruction is on display here, but the official synopsis promises “true-life terror is tempered by the unexpected displays of compassion, courage and simple kindness that Maria (Watts) and her family encounter during the darkest hours of their lives.”  Watch the trailer after the break.

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