Red 2 isn’t due out for another month, but Summit has already tapped the screenwriting duo of Jon and Erich Hoeber to pen the threequel.  The siblings certainly know their spy stuff as they’ve written both the original film and the sequel, which is testing high and giving the studio confidence of another go-round.  News of Red 3 may take a bit of the tension out of the plot of Red 2, which sees retired CIA operatives going back into the field in order to track down a portable nuclear device.  Heat Vision reports that production on Red 3 could start as early as January 2014, pending script approval; no deals with the cast have been made as of yet.

The Dean Parisot-directed sequel stars Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mary-Louise Parker and Byung-hun Lee.  Red 2 opens July 19th.

About a month after getting confirmation from producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura that Red 2 (the sequel to Summit’s 2010 hit Red) is a go, it looks like the project has found a director. Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) is in final talks with the studio to helm the follow-up to the $90 million domestic grossing original. Starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich, the original Red (Retired. Extremely Dangerous.) followed a retired black-ops agent (Willis) as he reassembled his former team in an effort to flush out an assassin. While the original writers Jon and Erich Hoeber are back for the rewrite, there’s no word on when (or if) the original cast could reunite for the sequel. Hit the jump for more on Red 2.

Summit Entertainment landed a hit last year with the action-comedy Red.  The Bruce Willis film was the highest-grossing picture for the studio outside of the Twilight franchise and has currently raked in $164 million worldwide.  Also, while you and I know that the Golden Globes are meaningless, the nomination for “Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)” helped raise the movie’s profile.  With all that in mind, sources have told us that Summit has hired screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber to write a sequel.  It’s worth noting that commissioning a script is not the same thing as a giving a green light.  However, it is an important first step and if Summit is happy with the Hoebers’ screenplay, then I would expect the studio to hit the gas on what they’re probably hoping will be a new franchise.

Hit the jump for more on the Hoebers and my thoughts on a potential sequel.

Red is a movie that’s better than it should be and yet isn’t as good as it could be.  The jokes could be funnier, the action could be more exhilarating, the pacing could be quicker, but the film is still a success.  And yet with stronger direction and a more polished script, Red could have been one of the better films of the year thanks to its strong cast.  Not only do they play off each other well, but Mary Louise-Parker, John Malkovich, Brian Cox, and Helen Mirren all give terrific performances.  Red gets the job done, but there’s frustration in seeing it come up as only passable.

Summit has been enjoying the buzz they’ve attracted with the Bruce Willis comic adaptation Red ever since the debut of that crazy fun trailer and a well-recieved Comic-Con panel.  Now the studio is looking to Red screenwriters Erich and Jon Hoeber to beef up the script of another property on their development slate, the Sam Worthington heist thriller Man on a Ledge.  Heat Vision describes the premise like so:

The story begins when an ex-cop-turned-con threatens to jump to his death from a Manhattan hotel rooftop. The NYPD dispatches a female police psychologist to talk him down but, unbeknownst to the cops on the scene, the suicide attempt is a cover for a massive diamond heist.

Summit hopes to have a rewrite ready in time for a fall or winter shoot, before Worthington is called away to the Clash of the Titans sequel.  In addition to Red, the Brothers Hoeber scripted Peter Berg’s Battleship adaptation; pop singer Rihanna recently deemed the script worthy of her feature film debut, if that’s any indication of its quality.

Bruce Willis is standing next to some very large shipping containers.  He’s wearing a black leather coat with a gun in one hand.  Next to him is Mary-Louise Parker.   She’s frightened because someone is firing a gun in their direction.  Across from the two of them is John Malkovich.  He’s also wearing a long coat…but he’s holding a large stuffed animal that looks exactly like a pink pig. It’s very funny to look at. More gun fire.  Malkovich then says, “Can we kill her now?”

The date is April 5, 2010 and I’m in New Orleans on the set of Summit Entertainment’s Red.  We’re in a shipping yard on production day 56 of 60 and the normal heat and humidity of New Orleans is somehow a beautiful sunny afternoon. It’s a perfect day to watch Bruce Willis and company try and kill some bad guys.

For more on my set visit as well as an interview with Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, hit the jump:

The Hoeber Brothers script for Red must be downright brilliant because the movie now has nine talented actors on board.  In the beginning, there was Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman.  Then came Helen Mirren.  Then John C. Reilly and Mary Louise Parker joined the project.  Today comes the news that Julian McMahon, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Dreyfuss, and Brian Cox all want a piece of the action as well.  This is an epic cast which may indicate a much larger film than the plot synopsis has led us to believe.  Hit the jump to try and figure out the appeal or if this is just a massive Communist operation hiding in plain sight.

In what is thankfully not an ill-advised sequel to “The Shawshank Redemption”, Variety is reporting that Morgan Freeman is in talks to co-star with Bruce Willis in the upcoming espionage-thriller “Red” based off the Wildstorm/DC comic by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer.  Hit the jump to read how Variety’s synopsis conflicts with the synopsis Wildstorm/DC provides for the miniseries.

I will say that as far as movie potential goes, “Battleship” has more potential than say, “Monopoly” (which Ridley Scott is preparing to direct).  You can call your movie “Battleship” and then just make a war movie at sea.  That’s cool.  We haven’t had many naval battle movies lately and it could be interesting to see what someone does with a naval battle that doesn’t primarily involve submarines but, lo and behold, battleships.

It looks like Peter Berg (“Hancock”, “The Kingdom”) will be the captain of this ship as The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that he’s in negotiations to direct a film based on the popular board game.  If you never played “Battleship”, then you never had a childhood and in that case you have far bigger problems than knowing how to play “Battleship”.

Brothers Jon and Erich Hoeber are writing the script.  Their last film was “Whiteout” based on the Greg Rucka graphic novel and starring Kate Beckinsale.  It was filmed about 800 years ago and has now taken up residence on a nice shelf somewhere.  That probably won’t happen as Berg will probably spend lots and lots of money to blow up ships.  Good hunting, sir.