Relativity Media has done some shuffling on their schedule.  The studio has set October 4th for Out of the Furnace, the new film from Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart).  The film centers on Russell Baze (Christian Bale), who is released after serving four years in prison only to find that his younger brother, Rodney Baze Jr. (Casey Affleck), has been brutally murdered. He sets out to avenge the death and track down the killer.  The film also stars Sam Shepard, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker, and Woody Harrelson.  Looking at the film’s pedigree, I would not be surprised to see the movie show up at TIFF.  Out of the Furnace will share October 4th with the Vince Vaughn comedy The Delivery Man, Alfonso Cuaron‘s sci-fi film Gravity, and Robert Rodriguez‘ Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

Paranoia previously held the October 4th date for Relativity, but it will now move to August 16th to play against Kick-Ass 2 and the Aubrey Plaza comedy The To Do List.  Paranoia stars Liam Hemsworth as Adam Cassidy, an entry-level employee at a corporation run by Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman).  When Wyatt turns Cassidy into a corporate spy against rival Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford), Cassidy is drawn into a dangerous web of intrigue.  Hit the jump for a full list and synopses for Relativity’s upcoming slate, which also includes Luc Besson‘s Malavita, Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s Don Jon, and the animated film Free Birds (click here to see a standee for that film from CinemaCon).

Up in the Air co-writer Sheldon Turner has been tapped to tackle an actioner for Relativity Media.  Per Deadline, the scribe will write and possibly direct the gritty action thriller Borderland, which is described as “a modern day Western meets Magnificent Seven.”  The story centers on a newly installed mayor in a resort town who enlists a band of ex and current Special Forces operatives to train the townspeople to fight back against a violent cartel that has moved in.  The goal with the project is “to give an authentic depiction of post-war life for elite soldiers.”

Borderland is one of a number of projects that Turner is currently developing.  He plans to make his feature directorial debut on his script Two Minutes to Midnight, which he and his producing partner Jennifer Klein recently got out of turnaround at Fox.  Turner has long been developing By Virtue Fall as a directorial vehicle as well, but it’s unknown when that project will finally get off the ground.  Eric Bana and Armie Hammer are attached to star.  Turner most recently penned Everest, which Doug Liman will direct.

The story of notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar may finally make it to the big screen.  After many failed attempts in previous years, Relativity Media is taking over a script from writer Piers Ashworth (St. Trinian’s).  Titled Silver or Lead, the film will be directed by Enrique Urbizu, whose success with his crime thriller No Rest for the Wicked could lend very well to this take on Escobar’s life. The central focus of Silver or Lead is on Escobar’s struggle with General Hugo Martinez, and the film will be produced by 300‘s Mark Canton.  Hit the jump for the press release and film synopsis.

Relativity Media has found a new director for its adaptation of the fantasy adventure book series Tunnels, by authors Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams (no, not that Brian Williams).  Though Splice director Vincenzo Natali was originally tapped to helm the film, Relativity announced today that Mikael Håfström (1408, The Rite) is now set to direct.  The story centers on two teenage boys who discover a hidden, underground world beneath London where a secret civilization has been desperately waiting for a hero to save them all.  They soon discover that a great evil is on the cusp of being unleashed upon the world above, and it’s up to them to put a stop to it.

Andrew Lobel wrote the script, based on a previous adaptation by Joel Bergvall and Simon Sandquist.  Mark Canton (300, Immortals) is producing alongside Neal Canton and Danny Davis.  The film is being set up as the first in a potential franchise that sounds like a swell adventure series aimed at a younger demographic.  Håfström most recently directed the Sylvester Stallone/Arnold Schwarzenegger thriller The Tomb.  Hit the jump to read the press release.

Jim Carrey will indeed be heading into heist territory with his next film.  We reported back in October that Carrey was in negotiations to star in director Jared Hess’ (Napoleon Dynamite) action-comedy Loomis Fargo, and Relativity Media announced today that the deal has closed and the actor will be fronting the film.  The pic is inspired by true events and tells the story of a disgruntled bank employee who teams up with his work crush to conspire to rob Loomis Fargo.  Though the plot sounds a tad similar to Carrey’s Fun with Dick and Jane, hopefully it’ll provide another opportunity to mix timely subject matter with some well-crafted humor.

Lorne Michaels and John Goldwyn (Baby Mama) will produce, while Danny McBride and Jody Hill are onboard as executive producers.  A female lead has yet to be announced, but production is hoping to get underway this April in North Carolina.  Hit the jump to read the press release.

Relativity Media announced today that Felon director Ric Roman Waugh has been set to helm the sci-fi thriller Tipping Point.  The film is set 100 years in the future where the world’s population has reached 10 billion, and the penalty for having children without a license is death.  The story centers on a ruthless Population Control Officer with a passion for his job who suddenly discovers that two fugitives he’s been pursuing are the love of his live who mysteriously disappeared years ago and the 12-year-old son he never knew he had.

Earth’s rapidly increasing population is a serious issue that seems to be ignored or skirted far too often, and so it makes for an intriguing film premise.  Waugh will direct and rewrite the script for Tipping Point based on an existing draft by Todd Stein.  Waugh recently wrapped the action thriller Snitch with Dwayne Johnson, which opens this coming February, and is also attached to the oil rig disaster film Deepwater Horizon.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.

The feature film version of Stretch Armstrong now has a director.  The gestating adaptation of the classic Hasbro toy has been in development for a few years, with Taylor Lautner previously attached to star as the titular, flexible hero.  Relativity picked up the rights to the project from Universal back in January and set Greg Poirier (National Treasure: Book of Secrets) to write the script, and now Heat Vision reports that Breck Eisner has entered negotiations to take the helm.  Moreover, it appears that Dean Gregoraris (The Manchurian Candidate, Tristan + Isolde) is now handling the script.

Eisner—the son of former Disney CEO Michael—previously directed the horror film The Crazies and 2005’s Sahara.  He landed on a shortlist of directors to helm Die Hard 5 before John Moore landed the gig, but Eisner recently signed on to helm the action-thriller Manhunt.  Whether his Stretch Armstrong will finally come to fruition remains to be seen, but Relativity seems keen on getting the film into production.

Relativity Media announced today that it has acquired US distribution rights for the thriller Paranoia, and they’ve slated the film for a September 27th, 2013 release date.  Robert Luketic (21) is onboard to direct, with Liam Hemsworth starring as a blue collar guy whose costly and legal mistake at his entry-level job at Wyatt Telecom leads to a deal between him and ruthless CEO Nicholas Wyatt.  The CEO promises not to turn Hemsworth’s character in as long as he agrees to infiltrate the competition as a corporate spy.  Things escalate and the young man soon discovers that his boss will stop at nothing to demolish the competition.

The impressive cast includes Gary Oldman, Harrison Ford, and Lucas Till.  Though it’s not specified in the press release, I’m assuming Oldman plays the ruthless CEO since he’s listed second among the cast.  Production is set to begin this summer, and currently the only other film slated for release during the month of September in 2013 is the 3D re-release of The Little Mermaid.  Hit the jump to read the press release, which also includes a full synopsis.

That Stretch Armstrong movie no one wanted is now set for April 11, 2014.  The film was previously set up at Universal, but the studio has been dumping its Hasbro properties as fast as possible, and the adaptation Stretch Armstrong was left looking for a new home.  The film has now landed at Relativity, the studio behind Haywire and the upcoming Mirror, Mirror and The Raven.   Taylor Lautner was previously attached to star with Rob Letterman (Gulliver’s Travels) set to direct, but they’re both no longer attached.

Hit the jump for the press release, which is more about Relativity being happy to team with Hasbro rather than any explanation about why anyone should make a movie about Stretch Armstrong.

Relativity Media’s take on the Snow White story, Mirror Mirror, is undergoing a slight schedule change. The studio has pushed the release of the Tarsem Singh-directed film back from March 16th to March 30th. The film will now open the same weekend as Wrath of the Titans and The Pirates! Band of Misfits. More interesting, though, is the fact that this move now positions the film after the release of Lionsgate’s highly anticipated The Hunger Games. The studio is hoping Games becomes the next big franchise in the vein of Harry Potter, as the book series comes with millions of devoted fans.

Mirror Mirror is one of two Snow White movies coming out this year (the other is Snow White and the Huntsman), and Singh’s light and fluffy take on the fairy tale looks genuinely terrible. It appears to be more farce than anything, and I highly doubt young teenagers will choose Mirror Mirror over a second go-around with The Hunger Games come opening weekend.

We’ve got a few release date changes to report this afternoon. Briefly:

• Relativity has pushed The Raven starring John Cusack back from March to April 27th.
• Relativity’s House at the End of the Street starring Jennifer Lawrence moves from April to September 21st.
• Focus Features has pushed the apocalyptic dramedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World starring Steve Carell back from April to June 22nd.

Hit the jump for all the details.

The reboot that no one is asking for looks like it may be moving forward. A revisiting of director Alex Proyas’ 1994 Miramax picture, The Crow, was previously in the works through Relativity Media. Since the Weinsteins distributed the original through Miramax and had contracts claiming ownership of all rights to The Crow, they filed suit against Relativity seeking “injunctive relief,” ie ceasing all The Crow-related production. Not to be intimidated, Relativity fired counter-claims.

Things haven’t gone particularly well for the reboot as directors have come and gone, writers have signed on and then dropped out, and principal actors have been offered roles but have ultimately left the project. In short, it’s been a mess. One bright spot in production is that both sides of the lawsuit have settled amicably. While the good news is that this brings The Crow reboot closer to reality, the bad news is that this brings The Crow reboot closer to reality. Hit the jump to read the press release.

The long-in-development adaptation of Tim Seeley and Stefano Caselli’s horror-action comic book Hack/Slash may finally be coming to fruition. Heat Vision reports that Conan director Marcus Nispel has been set to direct the adaptation for Relativity Media. The story centers on Cassie Heck, the girl who always survives at the end of every horror movie. Not content with simply outliving whatever creature/serial killer was after her, Heck takes action and seeks out the horrible slashers who inflict harm on the innocent. A giant protector named Vlad joins her on her journeys, and the two enact justice on the predatory.

Nispel is no stranger to the action-horror genre, as he’s previously directed some slasher flicks of his own like the remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th. While Conan didn’t exactly do gangbusters business, the visuals looked pretty fantastic and I think Nispel is a suitable fit for this twist on the slasher genre. Though the project has been lingering in development hell for quite some time, Nispel’s involvement should get things moving forward. Hopefully a new screenwriter will be attached soon. Hit the jump for a synopsis of Hack/Slash.

Thank the maker! It’s finally time to put Untitled Snow White Project That’s Not the One with Kristen Stewart to bed, as Relativity’s competing Snow White project finally has a title: Mirror Mirror. It’s a fine title, and pretty much gets the point across that we’re dealing with fairy tales here. While there’s a multitude of Snow White movies in development, this one differs greatly from its main competitor, Snow White and the Huntsman. The Kristen Stewart-led pic is an epic, dark, and gritty take on the fairy tale, while Mirror Mirror is described as a lighthearted comedy action-adventure.

The Fall’s Tarsem Singh directs, so we’re in for a visual treat, and Lily Collins stars as the eponymous Snow White. The supporting cast that includes Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen, Armie Hammer as the prince, Sean Bean as the King, as well as Nathan Lane. Click here to check out a number of images from the film, which should give you a better idea of the tone. Mirror Mirror opens March 16th, 2012. [Update: We've been sent the full press release, which is included after the jump]

Fast becoming the king of directing movies that don’t exist, director Antoine Fuqua may finally have found his next project. The Training Day director is currently in final negotiations to helm Relativity’s international action thriller Hunter Killer. Phillip Noyce (Salt) was previously attached to the submarine-centered project but he dropped out last month, and now it looks like Relativity has found their replacement. Variety reports that Fuqua is in the final stage of neogtiations to take the reins, and the studio is eyeing a production start date this winter. The film centers on an American submarine commander who joins forces with a Navy SEAL team in order to rescue a Russian president from a renegade admiral who’s staging a coup. The coup, naturally, would lead to a global war.

Fuqua was set to make the Eminem-starred boxing flick Southpaw his next pic, but DreamWorks pulled the plug last month, forcing Fuqua and Co. to seek funding elsewhere. He’s also got his long-in-gestation Tupac biopic that he plans to shoot sometime, but that film is still without a lead. And because he likes attaching his name to things, he’s also set to direct an adaptation of the non-fiction book Storming Las Vegas. However, Relativity seems intent on getting Hunter Killer moving soon, so all signs point to the submarine pic being Fuqua’s next directorial effort.