With Rise of the Guardians opening this week, I recently got to see the finished film at DreamWorks Animation and it’s really well done.  Not only is the animation great to look at, it’s got a strong story that’s character driven and it doesn’t rely on stupid jokes.  In addition, unlike most superhero films that spend half the time introducing characters by explaining their origin and showing off their powers, what’s fantastic about Rise of the Guardians is we join almost everyone in the middle of the story.  If you’re not familiar with the story, it  revolves around the rebellious Jack Frost (Chris Pine) teaming up with other mythical figures North aka Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), E. Aster Bunnyman aka Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), Tooth aka The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the Sandman to battle the evil Pitch (Jude Law).  Here’s my video blog review and all our previous coverage.

To help promote the film, last week I got on the phone with Rise of the Guardians screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire.  We talked about how the film didn’t tell a typical origin story, the tone, whether there were any dramatic changes along the way, and more.  In addition, with Lindsay-Abaire writing the Poltergeist remake, he talked about the status of the script, whether he wrote it for a PG-13 or an R rating, and when it might shoot.  Finally, since he’s also working on Sam Raimi‘s Oz The Great and Powerful and adapting The Family Fang with Nicole Kidman and Good People, he gave me updates on both projects.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

In 2010, David Lindsay-Abaire scripted the screen adaptation of his award-winning play Rabbit Hole and, in the process, helped earn Nicole Kidman an Academy Award nom. Today comes news that the two will seek to replicate that success, as Lindsay-Abaire has signed on to write the script for The Family Fang, which Kidman will star in. Based on the 2011 Kevin Wilson novel, Fang tells the story of two performance artists who forced their two children to take part in their “madcap pieces;” filled with bitterness and royally messed up, the kids reluctantly return home as adults to find their parents have designs on one last great performance and still intend for their offspring to play an integral role, whether they want to or not. Kidman will play the clan’s matriarch. Hit the jump for more, including a full synopsis of the book.

Nicole Kidman and her Blossom Films partner Per Saari have acquired the screen rights to Kevin Wilson’s bestselling novel The Family Fang. Deadline reports that the two will develop the pic as a starring vehicle for Kidman. The book centers on two grown children of a performance artist family. When the adult children return home in a state of crisis, they’re roped into helping their parents in the execution of a mysterious final performance that promises to be the act of a lifetime. Kidman will produce alongside Leslie Urdang and Dean Vanech. The actress recently wrapped Oldboy director Park Chan-wook’s English language debut Stoker, as well as Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy. I’ve yet to read Wilson’s novel, but have heard nothing but good things about the peculiar book. Hit the jump to read the synopsis for the novel.