The Scarface duo of Brian De Palma and Al Pacino are united once again to tell the story of the late former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno in the upcoming biopic Happy Valley (tentative title).  Paterno’s decorated legacy at the school was overshadowed by the revelation of his knowledge of defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s molestation of children, which will likely be one of the main focuses of the film.

The rise and fall of Paterno is chronicled in the bestselling book that bears his name – Paterno, by Joe Posnanski, which has been optioned by Wall Street producer Edward R. Pressman.  Dave McKenna (American History X) is said to be on board to write the script.  Hit the jump for more on the project.

There’s a difference between “old-school” and “out-of-touch”, and Brian De Palma‘s Passion disappointingly falls into the latter.  In an attempt to dig into his old bag of tricks when making a sexual thriller, Passion starts out promising, but then slowly devolves into a series of gimmicks and decisions that render the movie increasingly cheesy until it becomes unintentionally hilarious.  De Palma revisits woman’s sexual duality, but with Passion, his attempt feels like a mash-up of previous ideas played out to disastrous results.  The score is corny, the performances feel stilted, the cinematography is heavy-handed, and the twists become inane.  Passion is a throwback that should simply be thrown away.

One of the original 70s movie brats and a populist with a sneaky subversive streak responsible for a string of classics like Carrie, Scarface, and The Untouchables, Brian De Palma is one of those directors who never seems to get his due. Particularly when working in his personal brand of self-conscious thrillers, the filmmaker is almost destined to be equally revered and criticized for making tongue-in-cheek odes to stylized entertainment. Movies like Body Double, Raising Cain, or Femme Fatale are practically dark comedies when viewed in a certain way, while also being designed to operate as straightforward thrillers for audiences not interested in film-literate in-jokes.

His latest thriller Passion stars Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace as a pair of manipulative advertising executives whose competitive work relationship escalates into a war of public humiliation. This being a De Palma movie, sexual mind games and violence are of course not far off. Almost inevitably, the film has premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival to an equal mix of praise from followers and condemnation from critics who just can’t seem to get past the sensationalism to see the knowing laughs. Collider recently got a chance to chat with the director about his latest film, the split reactions it caused, his controversial legacy, that long delayed Untouchables prequel Capone Rising (including who he was going to cast), and his upcoming feature with Jason Statham. Hit the jump for more.

The first trailer for Brian De Palma‘s erotic thriller Passion has gone online.  The film is a remake of Alain Corneau‘s Love Crime, and centers on the relationship between a woman (Rachel McAdams) and her innocent, lovely and easily exploited protégé (Noomi Rapace).  The film looks like what you’d expect from De Palma in this genre.  There’s creepy psychosexual imagery and serious tension between the female leads.  The film will be running the festival circuit through Venice, Toronto, and New York, and it’s one of my must-see movies at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.  This trailer only makes me more excited to see this flick, and also play catch-up on De Palma’s filmography, in particular Femme Fatale and Dressed to Kill.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

The cast is really starting to shape up for Kimberley Peirce’s (Boys Don’t Cry) remake of the classic horror film, Carrie.  The new adaptation of the Stephen King source novel already features Chloe Moretz in the title role with Julianne Moore playing Carrie’s conservative and controlling mother.  Now, it looks like one of Carrie’s classmate tormenters are in the process of being cast, with Gabriella Wilde (The Three Musketeers) having recently joined.  Judy Greer (13 Going on 30) is reportedly in talks to play the pivotal role of the girls’ gym teacher.  It’s not known yet whether the Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Big Love) adaptation will follow Brian De Palma’s original to the letter or if some artistic license will be taken.  Hit the jump for more info on the Carrie casting news. [Update: We've received word that Ivana Baquero is no longer in consideration for the role.  Also, no casting decisions have yet been made for the role of the gym teacher.]

With the Cannes Film Festival officially kicking off today, there is plenty of big, bold movie marketing to be found.  For those of you who couldn’t make it to France (including me), we thought we’d bring you some of the sights.  Our international correspondent Magdalena (who you can follow on twitter) has been busy snapping some shots of promotional material at the festival.  We already brought you the first iteration here, but now we have some more goodies to check out.  They include shots of Spring Breakers, Dracula 3D, Brian De Palma’s Passion and Olympus Has Fallen starring Gerard Butler. Hit the jump to check them out.

We shared the first image from director Brian De Palma’s erotic thriller Passion last week, and it was obvious from the “Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace kiss” photo that De Palma had something decidedly different up his sleeve.  Now a few new images and the first poster from the film have gone online, and the “erotic thriller” moniker definitely seems appropriate.  The story centers on the relationship between a woman and her “innocent, lovely and easily exploited” protégé.  It also apparently involves McAdams wearing a creepy as hell mask and wielding a knife.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Passion will be shopped at the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off this week.

The first image from director Brian De Palma’s Passion has gone online, and stars Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace look to be getting quite close.  The film is a remake of the French thriller Love Crime and “tells the story of a deadly power struggle between two women in the dog-eat-dog world of international business.”  As is evident in this first image, the dog-eat-dog world of international business often includes making out with your colleagues/enemies.  The story centers on the relationship between a woman and her “innocent, lovely and easily exploited” protégé.  It’s not clear which roles the actresses play, but judging by the unease on display in this image, I’m inclined to believe that Rapace assumes the protégé role.

Needless to say, it certainly sounds like De Palma has crafted a sexually charged thriller with a pair of gutsy performances, so I’m eager to check it out.  Hit the jump to see the image along with a more detailed synopsis.  Passion will be shopped for distribution at the Cannes Film Festival later this month.

Brian De Palma is set to direct Jason Statham in a new adaptation of William Goldman‘s novel/screenplay Heat.  The action-thriller will have Statham (his role originally played by Burt Reynolds) playing a recovering gambling addict who works protection gigs to pay the bills.  He refuses to use guns in dealing with foes and resorts to using his fists and edged weapons (Statham-y!).  When his friend is beaten by a high-roller, he helps her get revenge, which puts him in even more danger.  I bet he’ll decide to pick up a gun at some point.

Considering that Statham only plays one character (gritty tough guy), it will be interesting to see if De Palma can get a different performance out of him or if the actor will simply be a tool for an exciting action flick.  The last De Palma flick to hit theaters was 2007′s Redacted, but he’s currently at work on the thriller Passion starring Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace.  Statham will be seen later this year in Safe, The Expendables 2 and Parker.  Filming on Heat is set to begin in France in late 2012 or early 2013.  Hit the jump for the press release.

Director Brian De Palma is assembling all the pieces to shoot Passion, his remake of the French thriller Love Crime.  Noomi Rapace is set to play a young protege engaged in a tense cat-and-mouse game with her heartless boss.  According to Thompson on Hollywood, Rapace’s Sherlock Holmes 2 co-star Rachel McAdams is in talks to join the project, presumably as the executive (played by Kristin Scott Thomas in the original).  [Correction: McAdams is actually just one year older than Rapace, so I am not sure who will play which role.] Passion will take precedence over The Key Man, the paranoid thriller De Palma was prepping for a late 2011/early 2012 shoot.  Passion is scheduled to start shooting in Berlin in March with a $20 million production.  More after the jump.

When last we reported on the third iteration of Scarface, Universal was still courting writers to tackle the script. The studio has downplayed talk of the new film as a “remake,” calling it a blending of the elements present in director Howard Hawks’ 1932 version and Brian De Palma’s 1983 classic starring Al Pacino. It looks like David Ayer (Training Day) will be the man to bring the variations on the theme together to make a Scarface that is hopefully greater than the sum of its parts.

While the 1932 version featured Paul Muni as an Italian gangster who climbed the criminal ranks in Chicago and the Pacino version centers on a Cuban immigrant seizing control of Miami, the new Scarface will have the flavors of the old with a contemporary twist. The story will focus on an immigrant who brings his own brand of ruthless violence to upset the criminal order and establish himself as the kingpin. Hit the jump to see what Ayer has to say about all three versions of Scarface.

Two masters have had two of their great works hit Blu-ray. Both are tie-in releases. Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill – which stars Angie Dickenson, Michael Caine and Nancy Allen – is hitting because Scarface is also hitting Blu-ray. Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs – Starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George – has been released in conjunction with the remake. These discs don’t offer much reason for upgrade unless you want 1080P picture quality, but both are essential viewing. Our reviews of both follow after the jump.

Brian De Palma’s Scarface is one of the most entertaining bad movies ever made. Overwrought, overacted (by Al Pacino, Michelle Pfieffer and Robert Loggia, among others), overlong, its indulgences make it the definitive 80′s movie par excellence. I kinda love it. Paul Greengrass’s United 93 dramatizes one of the most traumatic episodes in American history. What do they have in common? Violence, and the fact that Universal has issued both on Blu-ray. Check out our reviews for both on Blu-ray after the jump.

Director Brian De Palma hasn’t stepped behind a camera since 2007’s Redacted, but it looks like he may be returning to the director’s chair soon. Deadline reports that the Untouchables director has been set to direct the thriller The Key Man for QED International and Safehouse Pictures. The story revolves around a father who is targeted by authorities because his body “contains answers to important national secrets,” and is said to be in the vein of 70’s paranoid thrillers like Marathon Man and Three Days of the Condor.

Joby Harold (Awake) wrote the script and will produce alongside Bill Block, Paul Hanson, and Tory Tunnell. Back in January we reported that De Palma would be directing Passion, a remake of the 2010 Gallic psychodrama Crime d’amour, as his next film. There’s no word as to the status of that project, but it sure sounds like De Palma is itching to get behind another “psychologically unsound” project. When we first reported on The Key Man, the plan was to begin shooting later this year, and that still seems to be the case, so it’s looking like The Key Man will mark De Palma’s return.

It’s been three long years since director Brian De Palma last made a film (2007’s Redacted), and now it looks like the Scarface director has found his next project. De Palma recently announced that he will helm the thriller Passion, which is a remake of the 2010 Gallic psychodrama Crime d’amour. De Palma had this to say regarding the U.K.-set drama:

“Not since Dressed to Kill have I had a chance to combine eroticism, suspense, mystery and murder into one spell-binding cinematic experience”

The original film starred Kristin Scott Thomas and told the story of two feuding coporate execs, one of whom takes their dislike for each other to extreme lengths. Variety reports that principal photography will commence in August, with key cast to be announced by the Cannes Film Festival in May. The film will apparently take a European approach to financing, with the project being a co-production between France, Germany, U.K. and Spain (Not unlike Roman Polanski’s star-studded production of God of Carnage).