An adorable Christmas gift is being planned for next Christmas.  TWC-Dimension announced today that Paddington, based on the fancy coat-wearing orphan Paddington Bear character, will open in U.S. theaters on December 14, 2014.  The film was initially announced for an early 2015 U.S. release date following a Christmas U.K. bow, but the film will now square off directly against Ridley Scott’s Biblical epic Exodus on that December date according to Deadline.  Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman lead a cast that includes Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, and Hugh Bonneville also star.

Additionally, just days after announcing a February 2014 release, Summit has decided that January 10, 2014 is a better fit for the 3D Kellan Lutz-fronted sword-and-sandals origin story Hercules: The Legend Begins.  The film now opens directly opposite the nationwide expansions of Her and Lone Survivor and a week after Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.

I want to make this very clear: Alfonso Cuarón‘s Gravity is brilliant on every level.  While some movies can be enjoyed in the comfort of your home or watched on an iPad or phone, this is not one of them.  Cuarón has crafted a work of cinematic genius that borders on the unreal.  For ninety minutes you will be spellbound.  You’ll feel like you’re out in space with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.  You’ll feel the weightlessness.  You’ll feel their fear.  And as soon as it’s over, you’ll want to experience it again.  Trust me, as soon as you can, go to your local theater (hopefully they have IMAX 3D), and pay to see this movie.   You will not regret it.  For more on Gravity, read Matt’s review.

At the recent Los Angeles press day I landed an exclusive video interview with producer David Heyman.  He talked about the challenges they faced getting the film made, developing the technology, the long takes, the pre-vis, how you should see Gravity in a theater, and more.  However, since Heyman is also producing a number of other projects, I also got updates on the Page Eight sequels, Fables, The Drowned World, Derek Cianfrance’s The Light Between Oceans, Paddington, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Things are heating up for the live-action/CGI hybrid adaptation of the popular childrens book series Paddington.  As production gears up to begin later this month, The Weinstein Company has come onboard to handle North American rights for the David Heyman-produced film.  Paddington will be the first release under TWC’s new banner TWC-Dimension, which will serve as a distribution arm that will see Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein “team on films for which they share a common passion.”  Additionally, director Paul King has filled out his cast for the film with Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, and Jim Broadbent.  Hit the jump for more.

Here’s today’s latest casting news:

• Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) will join True Crimes, a dramatization of the cold-case killer Krystian Bala, a Polish writer who was convicted of murder in 2007.  No director is currently attached but Roman Polanski has been floated as a possibility.
• Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) has joined the Paddington Bear adaptation, Paddington, as a lead.  Hugh Laurie (House M.D.) is being courted to voice the title character but is not yet in negotiations.

Hit the jump for more on both projects. 

Steve attended the American Film Market (AFM) last week and was able to bring back some promo posters, images, and synopses for a number of projects currently in development.  Today we’re happy to share a lengthy synopsis for the upcoming adaptation of the best-selling Paddington Bear childrens books.  The live-action/CGI-animated adaptation, titled Paddington, will be directed by Paul King and produced by David Heyman (the Harry Potter franchise).

This synopsis likens the film to E.T. and Mr. Bean, as the story centers on a young bear that was raised as an anglophile by his Aunt Lucy in Peru and is left lost and alone at London’s Paddington Station when Lucy decides it’s time to go to England in search of a better life.  While staying with a kind family who takes him in, Paddington sets out in search of an explorer who inspired his aunt years before, avoiding a sinister taxidermist and unintentionally bringing comic mayhem.  Hit the jump to read the full synopsis.