Last year, we reported that Vin Diesel was set to star in and produce the family action-comedy The Machine. The story centers on “a human-like machine (Diesel) created in secrecy by the Pentagon as the world’s first true ultimate weapon. Twenty years after the project was buried and decommissioned for reasons unknown, The Machine is discovered by a kid who befriends him. When the government learns it has been reactivated, the Machine must protect the family harboring him.”  Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant (The Pacifier) were hired to write the script for fun and profit, but Deadline reports that Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are now in talks to re-write the screenplay.  MGM hopes to turn The Machine into a franchise.  We previously reported that Peter Segal (Get Smart) was circling the director’s chair, but Deadline makes no mention of him in their story.

Back in August 2011, we reported that the duo were angling to make their feature directing debut by adapting the young adult series Homelanders.  There’s currently no word on the status of that project.

Summit Entertainment is moving forward with their adaptation of the young adult series Homelanders. Written by Andrew Klavan, the books tell the Bourne Identity-esque story of a high school student who awakens tied to a chair with no recollection of why or how he got there. He realizes that an entire year has passed, and sets out to uncover the truth as to why the authorities and terrorist organizations are after him.

Heat Vision reports that Summit has tapped Miles Chapman to pen the screenplay. Smallville showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are working alongside Chapman on the script, and are currently in negotiations to make their directorial debut on the project. Summit is apparently injecting a sci-fi element into the story, but I can’t help but wonder why we need another “Who am I?” on-the-run thriller with Abduction and The Bourne Legacy on the way. Currently two books have been published in the series, so if teens flock to Homelanders you can expect more amnesia goodness to follow. Hit the jump to read the synopsis of the first book. 

While it was billed as Sony TV’s highly anticipated action-packed series, the Charlie’s Angels panel was woefully under-attended. Perhaps it was due to poor scheduling at the end of a long day of Con events. Regardless of the reason for the lack of interest, the cast and creative team of Charlie’s Angels gave the audience more than enough reasons to tune in when the pilot airs on ABC this September. Not just a reboot of the 1970s franchise or a continuation of the Drew Barrymore movies, this iteration of Charlie’s Angels promises to bring something new to the table. Stars Annie Ilonzeh (General Hospital), Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), Rachael Taylor (Grey’s Anatomy) and Ramon Rodriguez (The Wire) were joined by executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar of Smallville fame. Hit the jump to see why this new reboot may be worth watching.

The suspense thriller I Am Number Four, adapted from the YA book of the same name, tells the story of nine members of an alien race, each with their own talents and legacy, who are being hunted on Earth by ruthless enemies sent to destroy them, one by one. The next one in line is Number Four, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), the new kid in a small Ohio town, where he unexpectedly meets his first love, Sarah (Dianna Agron), and a curious teenager named Sam (Callan McAuliffe). As he discovers his powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his destiny, John must decide how much he is willing to sacrifice to meet his true potential.

The screenwriting team of Al Gough and Miles Millar were first hired to write the script for I Am Number Four while the manuscript was still in its first draft. In this exclusive interview with Collider, they talked about how they were intrigued by the project from the moment they heard about it, the collaborative process between them and the author, the changes that they needed to make and the things that they wanted to keep the same, and how they left the story open for possible sequels, as it was sold as a four-book series. They also talked about their process of writing together, and how they never like to focus on just one project at a time. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

Since the project was first announced, Sony Pictures Television has searched far and wide for the three young actresses to star in the ABC series reboot of Charlie’s Angels.  Annie Ilonzeh (General Hospital) was cast last week — Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) and Rachael Taylor (Transformers) are in negotiations to join her.

Drew Barrymore, star of the recent Charlie’s Angels feature films, will produce through her Flower Films banner.  Executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville) wrote the pilot script.  Hit the jump for character descriptions for the three girls.

Alex Pettyfer is freaking out.  He’s just discovered he can shoot light from his hands and it looks like he has flashlights shooting out from inside his skin.  He’s sitting in a small janitor closet in a High School hallway and I’m standing very close to director D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia).  We’re all looking at the monitors.  Timothy Olyphant, who plays Pettyfer’s guardian, walks into the closet shortly after Pettyfer and he’s telling him to relax.  As Olyphant gets him to calm down, the light emitting from his hands starts to dim until it finally goes away.  While the effect is being done practically, it looks real on the monitor.  I’m impressed.  I watch take after take of Olyphant and Pettyfer trying to get it right.  For more on what it was like to be on the set of I Am Number Four, click here.

Anyway, while on set I was able to interview Timothy Olyphant. He talked about why he wanted to get involved in the project, who he plays, and he also talked about his hit FX show Justified and Gore Verbinski’s animated movie Rango.  Hit the jump for more:

Imagine if you were offered the chance to audition for a huge Hollywood movie.  One being produced by both Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay.  Now, imagine you go to the audition.  They’re getting ready to watch you do a scene.  But instead of showing off how prepared you are, you walk out due to nerves.  Eventually, after resisting, you go back and screen test and you’re offered the lead role.  That’s the true story of how Alex Pettyfer got cast in director D.J. Caruso’s I Am Number Four.

While Pettyfer is still relatively unknown, next year will see the twenty year old Brit lead two vastly different films that get released within a month of one another (February and March).  Up first is I Am Number Four, and then CBS Films releases Beastly.

Anyway, a few months ago I got to visit the set of I Am Number Four (read all about it) and while there I got to participate in a roundtable interview with Pettyfer.  During the interview he talked about how he got cast, what it means being the lead, and he also talked about the universe of I Am Number Four and the rest of his cast.  Hit the jump to read or listen to what he had to say:

While D.J. Caruso was rumored to be directing a number of projects after Eagle Eye and Disturbia, he eventually decided to take on the sci-fi action-thriller I Am Number Four for DreamWorks.  Since we’ve covered the film extensively during the casting process, you might remember that the movie is being produced by Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay (who almost directed it himself).

I Am Number Four is about a group of aliens that have landed on Earth.  They’re just trying to survive.  Other aliens are after them.  The one that’s being targeted currently goes to High School.  He’s recently met a girl.  All he wants is to fit in and to stop moving around all the time.  Just as he finally gets happy, he starts to get some newfound powers, and that’s when he’s finally targeted and he has to fight to survive. For a lot more on the movie, read my set report.

Anyway, a few months ago I got to visit the set of I Am Number Four and participate in a roundtable interview with Caruso.  He talked about why he wanted to take on this project and how he got involved.  He also revealed a ton about the universe these characters inhabit and what might be coming up in future installments.   Hit the jump for more:

While moviegoers have seen a lot of Teresa Palmer over the past few years in films such as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Bedtime Stories, for her upcoming sci-fi action thriller I Am Number Four, we’re going to see a new side: action star.  That’s because in director D.J. Caruso’s upcoming movie (produced by Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay), Palmer plays a mysterious outsider who eventually kicks some serious ass on screen.

A few months ago I got to visit the set of I Am Number Four while the production was shooting in Pittsburgh (read all about it).  On set I was able to do a roundtable interview with Palmer and she talked about the challenges of getting ready to film all the action and she also revealed who she plays in the movie and why it’s such a cool part.  Hit the jump to read or listen to what she had to say:

When director D.J. Caruso cast Dianna Agron (Glee) as the lead in his sci-fi action thriller I Am Number Four, he took a chance on a rising young star.  After all, while Glee was getting a lot of press, there was always the chance the show would flame out.  But if you follow ratings, you know Glee is bigger than ever, and the casting of Agron looks like a great move.

Anyway, a few months ago I got to visit the set of I Am Number Four (read all about it here) while the movie was still being shot.  While there I got to do a roundtable interview with Agron and she talked about who she plays, why she wanted to play a character that was so different that her role on Glee, the differences between making a movie and a TV show, training for the role, what it’s like working for director D.J. Caruso, and she talks about meeting Steven Spielberg.  Hit the jump to read or listen to what she had to say:

Alex Pettyfer is freaking out.  He’s just discovered he can shoot light from his hands and it looks like he has flashlights shooting out from inside his skin.  He’s sitting in a small janitor closet in a High School hallway and I’m standing very close to director D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia).  We’re all looking at the monitors.  Timothy Olyphant, who plays Pettyfer’s guardian, walks into the closet shortly after Pettyfer and he’s telling him to relax.  As Olyphant gets him to calm down, the light emitting from his hands starts to dim until it finally goes away.  While the effect is being done practically, it looks real on the monitor.  I’m impressed.  I watch take after take of Olyphant and Pettyfer trying to get it right.

But let me back up a second.

At the beginning of July, I got to visit the Pittsburgh set of DreamWorks upcoming sci-fi action-thriller I Am Number Four.  Since we’ve covered the film extensively while casting was underway, I’d like to think most of you are familiar with the project.  But don’t worry, after the jump I’ll tell all you newbies about the movie and also recap my two nights on set.  As Dianna Agron said during her interview, “It’s Rebel Without a Cause…with aliens.”  Curious?  Hit the jump:

Writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have been hired to write a Monster High film based off of the new Mattel line of books, webisodes, animation, and toys.  THR reports that the new Mattel property is set in a high school for monsters (hence the name) and “features the spawn of famous monsters including Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolfman undergoing the trials and tribulations of high school.”

The writing duo, who are best known for being the minds behind Smallville, will be adapting the property into a monster-movie-musical which is being described as part Beetlejuice and part The Addams Family.  There is currently no director attached to Monster High, but music composer Marc Shaiman (Hairspray) will be producing the film and will also hopefully help contribute some songs to the film when the time comes.  Gough and Millar recent credits include writing the script for the upcoming sci-fi action-adventure film I Am Number 4, and they are also currently writing a reboot of Charlie’s Angels for ABC.

It was recently announced that the upcoming tenth season of Smallville will be its swan song, but show creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar won’t be anywhere near the small Kansas town at the time of the signoff.  The duo, who left the Superman series after season seven, will head over to ABC to assume scripting duties for the Charlie’s Angels reboot in development at the network.  Gough and Millar will replace Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), under whose guide the remake was targeting a Fall 2010 launch.  With Gough and Millar on board, Angels could descend upon ABC by midseason.  According to The Live Feed, Drew Barrymore, Leonard Goldberg and Nancy Juvonen are producing.

To get a taste of the original 1976 series, hit the jump.

Alex Pettyfer is in talks to star in DJ Caruso’s upcoming high-school aliens film I Am Number Four, based on the James Frey and Jobie Hughes novel of the same name that will be published in the fall.  Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg will produce from a script by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, Variety confirms.  The film is about nine aliens from a planet called Lorien attacked by another alien species, who flee to Earth.  Pettyfer would presumably be playing John Smith, an extraterrestrial who heads to Paradise, Ohio to hide out from the alien attackers, who are still after him.  Filmdrunk broke the story that DreamWorks is in negotiations with Pettyfer, who recently completed filming Beastly with Vanessa Hudgens and was last seen in Stormbreaker.