All Articles by David Corbin

Holy Showstoppers Batman! The Dark Knight Takes the Stage!?

Posted: April 25th, 2010 at 9:40 pm

In a surprising bit of news right up there with Mickey Rourke playing Genghis Khan, Warner Bros. and DC Comics have announced they are collaborating to bring the Caped Crusader and his rogue’s gallery to theatres across the nation in a touring show. The much-lauded firms of Nick Grace Management and Walter Lane Prods., who designed the lucrative Walking With Dinosaurs and Mama Mia! traveling shows, will be working with fan-favorites Alan Burnett and Stan Berkowitz (Batman: The Animated Series) to create the family-friendly show. Superheroes and the stage may seem like strange bedfellows but the tentatively titled Batman Live, is looking to buck the trend by eschewing the lights of Broadway for a succession of local theatres and arenas.  In other words, it sounds like it will be the Disney on Ice version of Batman. Heat Vision is reporting that Batman Live should take off in 2011 or 2012. I can hardly wait to learn the lyrics to “Springtime for Batman.”

Greta Gerwig Joins Untitled Ivan Reitman Comedy Starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher

Posted: April 23rd, 2010 at 9:30 am

Greta Gerwig, fresh off her well-received turn as Ben Stiller’s love interest in Greenberg, has been cast in director Ivan Reitman’s (Ghostbusters) next film. The film, previously titled Friends With Benefits, is headlined by Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher and also features Kevin Kline, Ophelia Lovibond and Ben Lawson. The plot tackles a question that has haunted mankind for centuries: Namely, is it possible for good friends to have the benefits of sex without the baggage (sometimes referred to as happiness) of love?

According to Variety, Gerwig will play Portman’s friend, a Velma character who first deduces that Kutcher’s character has developed real feelings for her friend. The comedy is set for a Jan. 7 2011 release.

Warner Brothers Seeks the Map to TREASURE ISLAND

Posted: April 20th, 2010 at 7:01 am

Warner Bros. is joining the latest Hollywood craze.  Hot on the heels of the blockbuster success of Sherlock Holmes, Warner Bros. has begun developing a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. In the same fashion as Gladiator, X-Men and The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes has become a trendsetter and now Hollywood execs are convinced that modern, kinetic adaptations of 19^th century novels are the way to go. Warner Bros. is producing in conjunction with Lionel Wigram, who was also the man behind Sherlock Holmes.  More after the jump:

USA Renews BURN NOTICE for Two More Seasons

Posted: April 15th, 2010 at 9:12 pm

USA Network is feeling the burn.  Although the fourth season of Burn Notice, the top-rated show on cable, has not yet finished production, President of Original Programming, Jeffrey Watchel, has re-upped the veteran series for seasons 5 and 6, each running at least 15 and 18 episodes, respectively.  As Watchel told Variety, “Once Saturday Night Live makes fun of you, how can you not committ to extra seasons?”  More after the jump:

Conan O’Brien’s Move to Fox Hinges on Affiliate Approval

Posted: April 11th, 2010 at 10:41 pm

Ever since Conan O’Brien’s very public departure from NBC, industry analysts have assumed that the comic would find a new home at Fox. After all, it was because of Fox’s previous courtship of O’Brien that NBC guaranteed him the right to host the Tonight Show, a move that in hindsight may not have been the best decision. Though O’Brien and Fox are close to completing a deal, the affiliates have not yet approved the move. O’Brien has stipulated that Fox must air his new show in all or nearly all markets. Affiliates, who would be stuck with the syndication costs ofits current programming as well as a higher retransmission fee, are less than enthusiastic about the proposal. Fox wants the affiliates to sign off on a new late-night show before May 17^th when it is scheduled to deliver its upfront presentation to advertisers. For more on the negotiations between O’Brien and Fox hit the jump.

Barry Sonnenfeld to Direct PIG SCROLLS for DreamWorks Animation?

Posted: April 8th, 2010 at 9:35 pm

Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) is achin’ for some bacon. DreamWorks Animation has approached Sonnenfeld to develop and direct an animated comedy based on the Pig Scrolls (via Pajiba), a popular young adult novel by Paul Shipton. Set in Ancient Greece, the story stars Gryllus, formerly a sailor with Odysseus, who was bewitched by the enchantress Circe and transformed into a pig. His personal quest to become human again leads him into a far larger adventure where he must stop the deadly Atomos Device from being detonated and destroying the cosmos. Naturally, sly, albeit anachronistic, nods to Greek history and mythology abound and most of the pantheon makes an appearance.

Riding the Grecian wave of Clash of the Times and Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, Pig Scrolls joins Hercules and Jason and the Argonauts in the copycat queue. As Sonnenfeld is also attached to Men in Black III, The Spellman Files and Swift it is still too soon to pencil his name in as director. Pajiba notes, however, that of all the projects, Pig Scrolls is the most developed so it may have the inside track.

Aziz Ansari Will Arrive in 30 MINUTES OR LESS

Posted: April 7th, 2010 at 10:14 pm

Aziz Ansari has been reported as being in negotiations to co-star in the 30 Minutes or Less, the next project from Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland). The story centers on a junior high history teacher (Ansari) and a pizza delivery man who find themselves robbing a bank after one of them becomes attached to a bomb vest. Produced in part by Ben Stiller’s Red Hour production company, the film is targeting a summer shoot. THR also adds that Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down) may join the cast as well. Hit the jump to hear my thoughts on this latest development in Ansari’s burgeoning career.

Director Robert Zemeckis Wants to Live a DARK LIFE

Posted: April 5th, 2010 at 10:13 pm

The family-friendly fare that Disney is known so well for is about to get darker. Disney, in conjunction with Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers digital film studio, has acquired the film rights to Dark Life, a forthcoming book from first time author and Northwestern University screenwriting professor Kat Falls. Life takes place in an apocalyptic, waterworld future and centers on the adventures of a young man, Ty, living under the sea. With sequels on the way, the acquisition fits well with Disney’s latest push to develop long-term properties with cross-generational appeal.

As Variety notes, ImageMovers, responsible for Zemeckis’ motion-capture projects like A Christmas Carol, is being closed down at the end of the year, so there is only a slim chance that Dark Life will utilize motion-capture technology in production. For the official product description as well as my thoughts on the film’s potential hit the jump.

Kaley Cuoco Moves to the Silver Screen – Secures Roles in I HOP and THE LAST RIDE

Posted: March 31st, 2010 at 8:37 am

Kaley Cuoco is making her move. The female star of the CBS hit show, The Big Bang Theory, has won the lead female role in I Hop, a live-action/CG-animation comedy produced by Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures. I Hop marks Cuoco’s first major studio feature role, an important distinction considering her last few films have been straight-to-DVD fare like Killer Movie, Cougar Club and the Lifetime classic, To Be Fat Like Me. In I Hop, Cuoco helps take care of the Easter Bunny’s (voiced by Russell Brand) son after her unemployed and irresponsible brother (James Marsden) accidently injures the child. Tim Hill (Alvin and the Chipmunks) will direct.

To counter-balance the broad comedy of I Hop, Cuoco will also be appearing in Harry Thomason (The Hunting of the President) independent film, The Last Ride. She will play a gas-station owner who has a brief fling with the man (Jesse James) who is responsible for driving Hank Williams (Henry Thomas) from Alabama to Canton, Ohio to play what might be the singer’s last gig. Cuoco has managed to stay afloat in the TV business for about 10 years now but the film industry is a different animal. Time will tell if Cuoco can transition successfully but, at the very least, she seems to be playing it smart by taking divergent roles.

Has Steven Spielberg Picked Jonah Nolan’s INTERSTELLAR as His Next Film?

Posted: March 18th, 2010 at 7:48 pm

Steven Spielberg is attached to no less than five promising film projects.  From the long-anticipated Abraham Lincoln biopic to a rewrite of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew by Diablo Cody, the acclaimed director has his pick of the litter.  One of those films, Interstellar, now appears to be in the pole position to take home the prize of being Spielberg’s next .  Vulture is reporting that William Morris Endeavor has added Jonah Nolan, screenwriter (along with older brother Christopher) of The Prestige and The Dark Knight.

It has been long known that Jonah Nolan has been working on the script to Interstellar, a sci-fi movie originally written by Caltech theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, but if Spielberg is likely to pick that script to direct then Nolan’s star-power is going to get a considerable boost.  Add in the likelihood that this summer’s Inception is poised to be a big success and it is easy to see why WME was so eager to sign Nolan away from United Talent Agency.  Short of confirmation by Spielberg himself, we can’t be sure what is going to happen with Interstellar, but WME’s move seems as good an indication as any that Spielberg may be getting ready to blast off.

First Look at Sneak Peak and Poster for PREDATORS

Posted: March 13th, 2010 at 1:55 am

Predators, Nimrod Antal’s anticipated sequel to the Arnold Schwarzanegger classic was finally previewed at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin last night. 20^th Century Fox, which is producing the film, also released a new teaser poster. The sneak peak does not say anything that producer and screenwriter Robert Rodriguez has not already revealed in interviews but the cinematography is sleek and the Predators look as bad-ass as ever. Even better, Adrian Brody looks half-way believable as the hero of the story. You’ll have to wait until July 7^th to get to the chopper but until then hit the jump and check out both the sneak peak, the poster, and the official synopsis.

Jackson Rathbone and Jennifer Lawrence Pull into TRUCKSTOP

Posted: March 12th, 2010 at 12:18 am

2010 is shaping up to be a good year for Jackson Rathbone. The actor, who is already set to reprise his role as Jasper Hale in the upcoming The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and will also appear as Sokka in The Last Airbender, has just signed onto to play the lead in Truckstop, the new movie from indie-filmmaker Rotimi Rainwater. Rainwater, who has made his mark with documentaries about the French Open at Roland Garros and spoken word poetry is shifting gears and delving into a fictional story about a man afflicted with cerebral palsy who takes care of his infirm father while working at a truckstop. There, he encounters a young prostitute (Jennifer Lawrence) and a relationship begins to develop between the two. After several years starring on The Bill Engvall Show, Lawrence is starting to make her mark as a dramatic actress. Look for her later in Winter’s Bone, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Variety reports that filming is to begin in September so keep an eye out for Truckstop on the 2011 festival circuit.

Anna Faris and Chris Evans cast in WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?

Posted: March 9th, 2010 at 8:42 am

Anna Faris cannot seem to stay away from poorly-conceived romantic comedies. Faris has signed onto What’s Your Number?, a forthcoming R-rated comedy from New Regency. She will play a down-on-love woman who decides the key to finding “the one” is to revisit all her ex-boyfriends. Assisting her misguided endeavor will be a womanizing neighbor (Chris Evans). According to Variety, filming is to begin in May and will be directed by Mark Mylod (Entourage).

Though Faris gained some box-office credibility thanks to the $70.4 million worldwide gross of The House Bunny, she still has not had a film gross $100 million domestically since Scary Movie 3 in 2003. Joining the production of a film which was passed around by New Line and Sony and which has a painfully predictable plot is unlikely to snap that streak. If Evans hits the jackpot with next month’s The Losers, then there might be hope. But I would not count on it.

IRON MAN 2 Trailer 2 Plus 15 New High Resolution Images from The Film

Posted: March 7th, 2010 at 10:18 pm

Like Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) says, “It’s good to be back.”  When Iron Man was released in May 2008, it was the anti-Dark Knight.  Irreverent and action-packed, Iron Man stripped away the Nietzsche and gave audiences a fun superhero film in a glossy red and gold finish.  In the two years since, anticipation for the sequel has grown and will likely reach a fever pitch by the time Iron Man 2 hits theaters May 7^th.  Adding fuel to the fire is the first full-length trailer for the film, embedded after the jump.  Expanding on the first teaser trailer, this one fleshes out the plot and gives more screen time to Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), War Machine (Don Cheadle) and Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell).  While the trailer features Stark’s trademark quips, the best line belongs to Whiplash.  He posits, “If you could make God bleed, people would cease to believe in him.”  Find out Iron Man’s response after the jump and see 15 new high resolution images taken from the trailer:

Woody Allen Snags Rachel McAdams for Next Film

Posted: March 4th, 2010 at 7:15 am

Rachel McAdams is set to engage in a storied Hollywood tradition-appearing in a Woody Allen film.  THR is reporting that McAdams has signed on to co-star in the famed director’s next project. Production of the still untitled film is to begin this summer, likely with a 2011 release date in mind.  As we reported earlier, the movie already boasts Owen Wilson and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.  Aside from a French setting, details on the film are being kept on a need-to-know basis. In the meantime, Allen’s next film You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger has just been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and should be hitting theaters before too long.  On the McAdams side of things, she will co-star alongside Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton in the J.J. Abrams-produced comedy Morning Glory.

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