Phillip Noyce is set to direct the thriller The Arrangement. THR reports that Noyce has inked a deal to helm the pic for Mandate Pictures, with a script written by Brian Tucker. The story centers on an interracial married couple—the husband is white while the wife is half-black half-white—“whose unity is tested when another man, who happens to be black, takes a liking to the wife and begins to create problems.” There are no other details on the plot at this time, but Tucker is said to “write post-Obama stories that force audiences to question themselves,” so it certainly sounds like Noyce will be tackling some racial themes.

The Clear and Present Danger director was previously attached to the submarine action-thriller Hunter Killer but he recently dropped out. Noyce is poised to direct the romantic sci-fi drama Timeless with Liam Hemsworth in the lead role, but it’s unknown if plans on helming The Arrangement before that pic. Tucker also scripted Allen Hughes’ upcoming Broken City with Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe.

Mandate Pictures has just sent out a press release announcing that Russell Brand and Julianne Hough (Footloose) will star in an untitled comedy directed by Diablo Cody from her own script.  We previously reported that Brand was offered the male lead and that Hough was in the running for the female lead so it looks like that all panned out.  However, the film was previously titled “Lamb of God” but now it looks like that title has been dropped.  The untitled comedy “follows a sheltered young woman (Hough) who loses her faith after a plane crash and decides to go to Las Vegas to experience the wild side of life.  On her journey, she meets an unlikely companion (Brand) who inadvertently helps her find her true self.”  Sounds a little cornball but I have faith that Cody has taken an interesting approach to the material.

Hit the jump for the full press release.  Mandate says the project is on a fast track for a spring start.

The Low Self-Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie popped up in 2009, noted for a unique title and its origin from Brent Forrester and Mindy Kaling, two of the writers behind The Office.  The mouthful of a title is still attached (for now), but the project is moving forward with a new writer.  Variety reports Mandate and Mr. Mudd (John Malkovich’s production company) have hired Jaylnn Bailey to rewrite the script.  The story centers on a woman who only attracts losers: “Just as she is about to hit the bottom of the barrel, her life takes an unexpected turn when she is pursued by the hottest guy ever.”

If you were drawn to the project more for the talent behind it than the premise, don’t give up hope just yet.  Bailey does not yet have a produced credit, but her screenplay Betty’s Ready made the 2009 Black List of the best unproduced screenplays floating around Hollywood.  And, fun fact: Bailey gave up an astrophysics scholarship to study creative writing at Brown!

[Note: I couldn't find a sufficient picture of Jaylnn Bailey, so the image above captures the most relevant thing I could think of: Dizzy Gillespie.]

It looks like the remake of Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy has finally caught fire.  Yesterday, we reported that Spike Lee would direct the film and today we’ve learned some new details regarding the remake.  Twitch, who first broke the story about Lee’s involvment, reports that Mark Protosevich’s screenplay borrows not only from the original South Korean film but also from the manga that inspired it.  Furthermore, the screenplay is said to be similar to how The Departed adapted Infernal Affairs.  Protosevich’s script reportedly borrows some elements from the pre-existing works, jettisons others, and introduces new material.  The new material makes up about 20% of the remake’s screenplay.

Hit the jump for more details and Mandate’s top choice to play the revenge-driven protagonist.

Looks like everything is coming up Spike Lee.  On the heels of the news that he was underway on shooting the indie feature Red Hook Summer, Mandate has sent out a press release confirming that he’ll direct the remake of Chan-wook Park’s South Korean revenge thriller Oldboy.  Lee will direct from a screenplay by I Am Legend screenwriter Mark Protosevich.  For those unfamiliar with the original film, it’s about a man who is held captive for 15 years even though he doesn’t understand the reason for his capture or unexpected release.

While I’m baffled by what a remake could bring the table when the original film is so incredible, at least Mandate has gotten a real filmmaker like Lee on board and I’m at least interested to see his take on the material.  Hit the jump for the press release.

Director Jonathan Levine (The Wackness) will reunite with scribe Will Reiser on the vacation-based comedy entitled Jamaica. Per their own press release, Mandate Pictures will fast-track the development of Jamaica with Levine attached to direct, Reiser writing/executive producing, and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg co-producing the pic through their Point Grey Pictures moniker. According to the release, Jamaica is based loosely on a trip Reiser took with his grandmother at the age of 14.

All four of the previously mentioned gentlemen participated in identical capacities for the upcoming dramedy 50/50 which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, and Rogen. The film is based on Reiser’s own battle with a rare form of cancer and is set to hit theaters later this year on September 30th. Click here to check out the trailer for 50/50.

Much like its protagonist Oh Daesu, the remake of Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy is very hard to kill (provided the opponent is a thug in a long corridor).  Last November, we reported that Mandate Pictures was still interested in the remake and loved the script by Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) turned in.  The studio was looking at Steven Spielberg, Matthew Vaughn, and Danny Boyle to take the director’s chair, but now a new name has gone on the list.  Twitch reports that Spike Lee is in talks to direct the film.  While I think an American remake of Oldboy is a bad idea, it could still be a hit and if it gives Lee the boost he needs to make more personal films, then so be it.

Back in 2009, Will Smith was reportedly interested in the lead role, but now that’s a laugh.  Quentin Tarantino wrote Smith a raw, challenging role for Django Unchained and Smith passed (Jamie Foxx will play the role instead).  It’s unlikely he would play the lead in a dark revenge thriller.  On the other hand, frequent Lee collaborator Denzel Washington would be a great choice.

Screenwriter Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for her debut script Juno, is ready to try her hand at directing. The scribe is poised to make her directorial debut with Lamb of God, a comedy that she also wrote. The story centers on a young conservative religious woman who, after losing her faith following a plane crash, heads to Las Vegas to “live the life of a sinner.” However, during her new life of sin, she somehow regains her faith.

Mandate Pictures acquired the screenplay, and Mason Novick (500 Days of Summer) will produce. Cody recently re-teamed with Juno director Jason Reitman for Young Adult, which stars Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, and Patton Oswalt. Hit the jump to read the full press release regarding Lamb of God.

Zac Efron has been tapped to star in a new untitled romantic-action flick for Mandate Pictures. The screenplay for the film, which was previously titled The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, was written by Matt Drake (the upcoming Project X) and ended up on 2007’s Black List of the top unproduced screenplays. Fredrik Bond will make his feature film debut directing the project, having helmed numerous commercials for brands like Nike, Adidas, Guinness and Heineken. The story is as follows:

The film will follow Efron, a suburban kid, who spontaneously travels to Eastern Europe to find himself.  Early on in his comedic journey, he falls for an alluring young woman and the only thing standing between them is her charismatic, dangerous ex from a criminal underworld.  Armed with little more than his wit and naive charm, Efron endures one bruising beat down after another in order to woo the girl he loves and achieve salvation.

Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa of Bona Fide Productions are producing the film along with William Horberg. Efron recently finished filming the Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Lucky One, and just wrapped on Garry Marshall’s New Years Eve. Hit the jump for the full press release.

In November 2009, we reported the joyous news that a Steven Spielberg/Will Smith remake of Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy was dead.  Of course, Hollywood being Hollywood, nothing is ever truly “dead”.  According to Pajiba, screenwriter Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) has turned in a draft of the script that Mandate Pictures loves.  The studio is now looking to get Spielberg back on board.  However, that seems like a long shot since the director has already settled on Robopocalypse as his follow up to the drama War Horse.  Mandate is also considering Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn.  If Vaughn passes, they’ll take it to Danny Boyle.  It’s weird to think of Boyle as anyone’s third choice, but I think he would be the most interesting of the three to helm a remake (or rather, a “re-adaptation” since Oldboy is based on a manga).

Of course, this is just a studio wish list and while an Oldboy remake may not be dead, it’s still a long a ways off from making it to the big screen.  If you haven’t seen Oldboy, fix that part of your life.  I’ve included a synopsis for the film after the jump.

The screen rights for The Day of the Triffids recently went on sale and sparked a bidding war.  Warner Bros. was among the interested parties, hoping to land it for their resident Harry Potter director David Yates.  But in the end, Mandate Pictures triumphed, nabbing the property in a seven-figure deal at the behest of Sam Raimi.

An adolescent Raimi ranked the 1962 film among his favorites, and called upon his partnership with Mandate to acquire Triffids as a directing vehicle.  The post-apocalyptic tale of Triffids originated in a 1951 science fiction novel by John Wyndham.  Hit the jump for a synopsis.

Paramount Pictures has purchased the worldwide distribution rights to Jason Reitman’s Young Adult. Penned by Diablo Cody, the film stars Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, and Patton Oswalt.  Briefly, Cody’s script focuses on a divorced novelist (Theron) who moves back home to pursue an old flame who just had a baby.  The film will see Reitman and Cody reunite for the first time since Juno (which garnered four Oscar nods including a Best Screenplay win for Cody) and will mark the third team-up between Reitman and Paramount.  The studio also distributed Reitman’s Up in the Air and will perform similar duties on the upcoming Jeff Who Lives at Home which Reitman is producing.  Mandate Pictures is financing and producing Young Adult.

According to Variety, principal photography on the film is set to begin in New York later this month.  To check out an extended synopsis for the project, hit the jump. [Update: We've now included the press release after the jump]

It appears that director Jason Reitman will follow up 2009′s superlative Up in the Air with a script from his Juno PIC, Diablo Cody, entitled Youth Adult.  To ensure that each corner of the film’s production is packed with Oscar recognition, Charlize Theron is set to star.  The script revolves around a ghostwriter of young adult novels (Theron) who, in an effort to “reclaim her identity,” attempts to reconnect with an old high school flame who has long since moved on.  If all goes according to plan, Mandate Pictures and production company would like to have Young Adult in front of cameras in New York by November 10th.  More after the jump:

Two comedic actors best known for supporting film roles and television work are teaming up to co-star on the big screen. Aziz Ansari (Funny People) and Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down) are set to co-star in an untitled comedy written by Parks and Recreations writer Harris Wittles from an original idea by Anzari and 30 Rock writer Matt Hubbard.

The plot is being kept under wraps, however, considering it’s being produced by Ansari, McBride, Wittles as well as David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express), Jody Hill (Observe & Report) and others, the film has quite the comedy pedigree behind it. It’ll be the second under a deal between Rough House (McBride, Green and Hill’s new production company) and Mandate Pictures.

Hit the jump to read about what each of the principals has coming up before this mysterious comedy sees the light of day.

Shia LaBeouf has signed on to lead Dante Ariola’s “romantic actioner” The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman.  Written by Matt Drake, Countryman centers on Charlie (LaBeouf), a charming gent who falls in love with a girl who’s past association with an “insanely violent crime boss with a gang of thugs at his disposal,” proves slightly hazardous to Charlie’s health. However, Charlie’s willingness to keep getting his ass kicked in an attempt to woo Gabi may lead him to having his heart literally broken.

The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman will be the feature film debut of Ariola, whose previous work includes commercials for Coca-Cola, Levi’s, Nike, HP, and PlayStation.  Drake’s script for Countryman was on the 2007 Black List (list of the best unproduced screenplay in Hollywood).  LaBeouf will next be seen in theaters this September in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.