One might not immediately think this year’s “over 60”-geared comedy/drama The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel lends itself to a sequel, but the film was a sizeable succcess, garnering positive reviews and netting over $130 million at the box office.  As such, development on a follow-up recently got underway with Ol Parker (who wrote the first film) penning the script and John Madden poised to return to direct.  Cast members Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, and Tom Wilkinson are all expected to return, and now a couple of newcomers may be added to the list: Helen Mirren and a young whipper snapper by the name of Colin Firth.

Per Showbiz 411, Firth and Mirren are “likely additions” to the cast.  The story will apparently continue the adventures of the older crew in India, though no details regarding Mirren or Firth’s characters are given.  Producers are also said to be looking for an American actress to round out the cast.

One of the biggest surprise hits of this year was The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, about seven cash-strapped seniors who decide to retire to a resort in far-off India, where they find friendship and romance in the most unexpected ways.  In fact, the film did so well at the box office, that there have been recent talks about developing a possible sequel.  From director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) and screenwriter Ol Parker, the film stars Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson and Dev Patel.

With awards season gearing up, and Fox Searchlight hoping for something in one of the major categories, director John Madden spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about how it felt to have the feel do so well at the box office, how slow the industry has been to notice that older audiences are viable, whether or not a sequel could really happen and if he’d want to be involved, and what all of the awards season hoopla is like for him.  He also talked about how excited he is that Showtime has ordered Masters of Sex to series (he directed the pilot) and that he hopes to stay involved, and that Murder Mystery, with Charlize Theron in the lead role, will be his next film, once he finishes casting.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

As we whippersnappers start watching movies on our TVs and phones, a desperate Hollywood has turned their attentions to their steadiest and most solid base of theatergoers: the AARP crowd.  In that vein, Fox Searchlight is looking to make a sequel to this year’s surprise hit The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, based on a novel, that starred a host of, well, gray-haired actors: Judi Dench (Casino Royale), Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey) and Tom Wilkinson (Batman Begins), and others, including one young gun in Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire).

Ol Parker (who wrote the screenplay for the first film) will send in a treatment to the eager studio soon, the eagerness stemming from the original film having grossed thirteen times its nearly $10 million budget.  The eagerness also rests with the actors, as the principal cast is apparently keen on returning.  For more on the “gray is green” trend, hit the jump.

Hot off a killer past 18 months with darker turns in Young Adult, Snow White and the Huntsman and Prometheus, Oscar winner Charlize Theron is looking to do something a bit lighter in tone.  THR reports that Theron is in talks to star in director John Madden’s (Shakespeare in Love) comedy whodunit Murder Mystery.  The project, written by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man), has actually been in development for several years with State of Play director Kevin Macdonald attached to helm at one point.  Hit the jump for more.

Showtime already has a fine line-up of programming with Dexter, Shameless and The Borgias holding strong, not to mention freshman series Homeland snagging some great awards nominations recently, but that line-up is looking to beef up a bit with the addition of two new series to the pay cable channel. Showtime has just announced a series pick-up for both Ray Donovan, featuring Liev Schreiber in his first series regular role, and Masters of Sex, featuring the spectacular Michael Sheen and the stunning Lizzy Caplan. The two series couldn’t be more different. Details on each after the jump!

The dramedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, from acclaimed and accomplished director John Madden, follows seven retirees from the U.K. in need of a transformation, who find themselves spending their golden years at a rundown hotel that does not quite live up to the lush amenities pictured in the brochure.  The hotel’s naive young owner, Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel), inherited the once sophisticated building from his father, hoping to turn it into a high-end luxury hotel.  Instead, the water and electricity are iffy at best, and India’s overwhelming contrasts are both intoxicating and frightening for these seven newcomers, who are unsure about what the future might hold.  The film stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup and Celia Imrie.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, director John Madden talked about why this premise was so attractive to him, determining what aspects of India to capture, the fact that he didn’t anticipate quite how much this entire experience would change everyone involved with making the film, and assembling such an incredibly talented cast.  He also talked about what attracted him to directing the pilot for the Showtime drama series Masters of Sex, about Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan), the pioneers of the science of human sexuality whose research touched off the sexual revolution.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Though Paul Bettany was originally slated to lead the 1960′s set series Masters of Sex, the actor has since fallen away from the project. But now Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon) has stepped up to the plate to play the human sexuality pioneer William Masters. In addition, he will be joined by Lizzy Caplan (Party Down) playing his better half Virginia Johnson, a more dramatic role for the actress. Michelle Ashford (The Pacific) has written the series based on Thomas Maier’s book Masters of Sex: The Life And Times Of William Masters And Virginia Johnson, The Couple Who Taught America How To Love which chronicles the lives, romance and pop culture trajectory of Masters and Johnson, whose research touched off the sexual revolution. Shakespeare in Love director John Madden will be at the helm of at least the pilot which begins production next month. Bettany is a great actor, but I’m interested in seeing Sheen taking a big lead series role like this too. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Tis the season for dead drops and tricked out gadgets. 2011 is ending with a bang thanks to a few big name spy movies coming out at the end of the year Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is a perfect fit for the action junkies.  Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy appeals to those looking for more double crosses and trust issues.  Another spy film just hit DVD and Blu-Ray from earlier in the year. The Debt comes packed with big-name English actors, an Academy Award winning director and a story that spans three decades. Is it worth accepting this mission? Check out our review after the jump.

In case you haven’t had your fill of trailers today, we’ve got yet another one for you: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), the film centers on a group of retirees who decide to spend their retirement at a luxurious resort in India, only to find that the actual structure isn’t exactly what they were expecting. The trailer actually looks pretty good, bolstered by a stellar ensemble of British actors including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith, and Dev Patel. Some of the humor is a bit easy, but there’s actually a hint of the balance between drama and comedy that Madden perfected with Shakespeare in Love.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens March 9th, 2012.

This has been Jessica Chastain’s year as far as ubiquity goes.  She’s co-starred in The Tree of Life, The Help, Take Shelter, and she’s still got Texas Killing Fields and Coriolanus on the way.  However, of the films I’ve seen her in so far, she’s never been front and center.  She was overshadowed by Brad Pitt in Tree of Life, everything was overshadowed by Michael Shannon in Take Shelter, and she did a fine job in The Help hinting that she was the real deal.  But her latest film, The Debt, gives her the lead and she’s never able to hold the screen with any intensity or subtlety.  She’s once again overshadowed by her fellow actors and this time around she must struggle with a movie that tries to be an intense spy-thriller and ignores its strengths as a claustrophobic pressure-cooker and thoughtful moral drama.

A new poster has been released for The Debt. The film was originally scheduled to come out last year, but the Miramax hubbub put the picture in limbo. Recently, Focus Features acquired the flick and will now release it on August 31^st.

Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), The Debt stars Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Ciaran Hinds as older versions of the characters played by Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, and Marton Csokas. Hit the jump to check out the poster, as well as Focus’ cut of the trailer.

The Debt was originally scheduled to come out at the end of last year (you can watch the trailer here), but the prolonged Miramax deal left the drama on the shelf without a release date (same for the other remaining Miramax title, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark).  The Debt has now found a home at Focus Features, which will release the flick on August 31st.

Hit the jump to check out the press release.  Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), The Debt features an impressive cast that includes Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Ciarán Hinds, and Tom Wilkinson.  Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass) wrote the screenplay with Peter Straughan.

The “Madden Curse” is well known among gamers and football fans.  The “curse” is that whichever athlete appears on the cover of the latest Madden video game will be beset with a serious injury or poor performance on the field.  Since 1999, players affected by the curse include Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, and Donovan McNabb.  However, 2009′s cover boy, Brett Farve started in every game last season and this year’s player, Drew Brees, has managed to stay healthy (so far).  But where some athletes see career-ending tragedy, Electronic Arts (the company behind the Madden games) sees the potential for outrageous comedy!

According to TheWrap, the company is getting into the movie biz and developing Madden Curse, “The story will follow a former Madden video game champion who is forced out of retirement just as he finds himself on the corner of the game’s cover — and subject to the curse.”  Hit the jump for my confusion on what they’re going for.

The buy-out of Miramax has caused an unfortunate delay for two of its upcoming films.  John Madden’s The Debt starring Sam Worthington was slated for December 29th while the Guillermo del Toro-produced Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark starring Katie Holmes was set for January 21, 2011.  Both films have now been postponed indefinitely while the logistics of the Miramax deal continue to be hammered out and, per The Playlist, “construction magnate Ron Tutor and Tom Barrack’s Santa Monica-based Colony Capital — put together their new shingle, Filmyard.”

Hit the jump for a synopsis on The Debt and Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.  Both films look great so hopefully we’ll be seeing these films before too long.

Fox Searchlight has just announced (via press release) that principal photography for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel will begin on October 10th in India.  John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) will direct an all star cast featuring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy and Dev Patel. When we last reported on the film, Peter O’Toole was rumored for a role and there was no mention of Tom Wilkinson.  It’s pretty clear Wilkinson is going to play O’Toole’s role.   Here’s the official synopsis:

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows a group of British retirees who decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India.  Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past.

Hit the jump for the press release.  Fox Searchlight Pictures has worldwide rights.