As Brendan said last month, Hot Tub Time Machine had the reputation of being a flop based on a mediocre $14 million opening weekend, but the movie had legs, reaching $50 million domestic and it is exactly the kind of R-rated comedy that finds a second life on DVD and cable reruns.  This explains why MGM has been developing a sequel with director Steve Pink.  While we previously reported that Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke were set to reprise their roles in the sequel, the big story was that John Cusack might not be coming back.

However, when I spoke to Robinson earlier today at WonderCon for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg‘s This Is The End, he told me “negotiations are still going” with the cast and he made it sound like Cusack might be coming back.  In addition, he said filming begins this June and he’s seen an early version of the script.  Since the first film featured a tremendous amount of improv, I’d imagine whatever script he’s seen will have a lot of changes on set.  Hit the jump to see what Robinson had to say about the sequel and to watch the trailer for the first film.  Look for more of my interview with Robinson soon.

A very early debut trailer for director Steve Pink’s (Hot Tub Time Machine) remake of About Last Night has landed online.  The film is a redo of the 1986 Brat Pack romantic comedy of the same name that starred Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jim Belushi, and Elizabeth Perkins.  This iteration stars Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, and Michael Ealy and centers on a couple who start a romantic affair despite their friends’ disapproval.  Save for one use of the word “shit,” I can’t figure out why this qualifies as a “red-band” trailer.  The jokes aren’t exactly solid, and there’s an extended sequence with an unclothed Ealy that’s much more awkward than it is cute or charming.  That said, Hart and Hall have solid comedic chops so hopefully the full film delivers on the laughs.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  About Last Night opens on February 13, 2014.

Hot Tub Time Machine has a reputation has a flop based on a mediocre $14 million opening weekend.  But the movie had legs, reaching $50 million domestic.  And it is exactly the kind of R-rated comedy that finds a second life on DVD and cable reruns.  Add everything up, and there is apparently enough incentive for MGM to enter into “exploratory talks” with Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke to reprise their roles for a sequel, according to Heat Vision.  John Cusack, the lead in the original, is curiously not involved at this stage.

Steve Pink is also in talks to return as director.  Pink would work out the story with Corddry.  No details are available yet, but a hunch: The gang goes back in time to the wacky 1990s this time.  There is no guarantee that a deal will come together, but if one does, production will reportedly be fast-tracked.  As a fan of the cast and time travel, sounds good to me.  Hit the jump to revisit the nostalgia of 2009 and watch the trailer.

It looks as if Johnny Depp may finally get a Don Quixote film made after all, though much to the chagrin of Terry Gilliam.  Depp was originally slated to star in an adaptation of the classic novel for director Terry Gilliam in 2000, but production on the pic was halted after the film was plagued with misfortune (as documented in the film Lost in La Mancha).  Gilliam has been trying to get the passion project off the ground ever since, but Deadline now reports that Disney has bought a pitch for an untitled modern re-imagining of Don Quixote to be produced by Depp through his Infinitum Nihil banner.  Steve Pink (High Fidelity) and Jeff Morris have been set to write the screenplay.

There’s no word on whether Depp might star in the project, but given his tight relationship with Disney on the Pirates of the Caribbean films and the upcoming The Lone Ranger, I wouldn’t say the prospect is out of the question.  Widely considered one of the best pieces of fiction ever written, Miguel de Cervantes’ seminal 1605 novel centers on a hidalgo who sets out to revive chivalry after reading a number of chivalric novels.

Is John Travolta about to pick up the mop and slop bucket in the leading role of The Toxic Avenger remake?  Probably not, but that’s the rumor of the day.  The original 1984 film from Troma Entertainment featured nerdy janitor Melvin (Mark Torgl) being tossed into a barrel of nuclear waste by a pack of bullies.  He then became the hideous, yet superpowered Toxic Avenger (Mitch Cohen).  The remake, directed by Steve Pink (Hot Tub Time Machine) from a script by Daniel C. Mitchell, has apparently been re-imagined as a family-friendly, pro-environment PG-13 flick (completely different from the original B-film that was filled with nudity, sex and grotesque violence).  Travolta simply does not fit as the hero of this picture, but hit the jump for what role may suit him, along with the synopsis and trailer for the original film.

Director Steve Pink is in talks with Dimension Films to rewrite and direct Bad Santa 2.  The sequel to the 2003 film will follow conman Willie in his latest underhanded schemes.  Bad Santa 2 is currently scheduled for a 2013 release, with Billy Bob Thornton expected to reprise the role of Willie.  According to Deadline, the previous draft of the film script was penned by Johnny Rosenthal, whose project Iron Jack is stuck in production limbo.

This will be the first big screen project for Pink since directing Hot Tub Time Machine in 2010.  He has been keeping busy in TV land, directing episodes for such comedy series as Happy Endings, The Office, and The New Girl, among others.

Director Steve Pink (Hot Tub Time Machine) has signed on to direct the upcoming remake of The Toxic Avenger.  The 1984 Troma cult classic told the unforgettable story of Melvin, a nerdy mop boy, who becomes a deformed superhero (and ladies man) after falling into some vats of toxic waste.  According to Deadline, Pink will be writing the film with Daniel C. Mitchell.  Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, who created the original film, will be coming on board as producers.  As a person who grew up watching the original the film, I have to say that it’ll be interesting to see if Pink will keep the film’s over the top gore, nudity, and crude humor, or if he will decide to make the film into some kind of superhero satire/spoof.  You can hit the jump to read the plot synopsis and watch the trailer for the original film

It sure is a great day to be a robot and/or Dan Wilson. Hot off the heels of news that author Dan Wilson’s book Robopocalypse is going to be Steven Spielberg’s next directorial effort, another Wilson book is also getting the big screen treatment.  io9 reports that the film rights to How to Survive a Robot Uprising have been picked up by Jack Black and writer/director Steve Pink (co-writer of High Fidelity, director of Hot Tub Time Machine).  The book is a humorous survival guide about what to do in the (increasingly highly likely) event of a robot rebellion.

The project was previously being written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant (Reno 911!) back in 2005, with Mike Myers eying the starring role. However, it appears that the project lay stagnant for too long as Pink and Black quickly grabbed the rights as soon as they became available.  It’s unclear whether Black will star in the flick, or even if Pink will end up directing it.  Currently, Pink is working on the script and it’s assumed that no decisions will be made until he finishes.  Hit the jump for a description of the book by the author, as well as a bit more on the project.

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s pilot season and tons of projects are being developed and picked up in preparation for the next fall TV season. Two more have just been added into the mix. First up, Deadline reports Kevin Bacon is developing a comedy series at HBO with an eye towards starring in it. Based on Clint McCown’s 1995 book The Member-Guest, the series will follow a burned-out golf pro of a 9-hole course who just wants one more shot at the tour. His comeback is constantly sidelined as he deals with the needs of the members of the Middle-American country club who are grappling with dashed dreams of their own. Writer/producer Steve Pink (High Fidelity) will write the script, and it sounds like yet another great series to look forward to on cable.

Hit the jump for details on a new series from resident Modern Family hottie Sofia Vergara.

It’s no small feat to set a movie in the 80s without drowning in nostalgia, making too many winking asides to decade’s sillier aspects, and poke fun at the time travel genre at the same time, but Hot Tub Time Machine manages to pull it off.  The film is at its best when it’s fearlessly silly and allows its leads to be as disgusting, confused, profane, and as over-the-top as the scene requires.   The triple threat of comedic actors Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke make the movie one that you’ll be laughing steadily throughout and discussing your favorite jokes after you leave.

Some writer-directors of comedy movies aren’t funny in interviews.  It’s surprising, but it happens.  However, Steve Pink is not one of those people.  He’s also very smart.  He wrote Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity and directed the underrated Accepted. His latest film, Hot Tub Time Machine, is damn funny and he had the skill to pull off a film that embraced the silliness of the 1980s but never insulted it.

I got to interview Pink at a press junket for the film a couple weeks ago.  Among other topics, we discussed the references in the film, how it approached the 80s versus the present, the mechanics of time travel and how to balance it with the comedy, and the film’s fantastic soundtrack.  There was also a long discussion about a moral question the film poses but since that involves the ending, I’ve stationed it off with spoiler alert tags.

Hit the jump to read the full interview.  Hot Tub Time Machine hits theaters on March 26th.

Last weekend, I headed to Lake Tahoe to do the press junket for Hot Tub Time Machine.  Before I continue, let me say that film is damn funny and that’s good because I would have felt conflicted about having an awesome time at the 80s party MGM threw the following night if I hadn’t enjoyed the film.  The reason it was an 80s party is that the film centers on four guys (played by Rob Corddry, John Cusack, Clark Duke, and Craig Robinson) who travel back to 1986 and Corddry, Cusack, and Robinson’s characters get a redo when they discover that their rose-colored nostalgia glasses aren’t worth shit.

After the jump, you’ll find all the photos I took at the party as well as some of the beautiful scenery and the casino in the hotel where money goes away.  I’ve only noted myself and the stars in the photos, but if you attended the party and want to be credited (or if you want your photo taken down), let me know and I’ll update the caption (or take down the photo).

Hot Tub Time Machine hits theaters on March 26th.