Former James Cameron Employee Claims He Created The Idea For Avatar

Plagiarism lawsuits are nothing new in Hollywood -- hell, we've covered several here just in the past few months -- so you would expect a movie that made nearly three billion dollars worldwide to attract its share of litigants. Indeed, Avatar director James Cameron has been sued before by people claiming he swiped the idea for his ecological sci-fi epic from this place or that. Now the lawyers are flocking once again, and this time it's a former employee of Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment claiming that Avatar was based on his ideas.

According to THR, Eric Ryder has filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court claiming that while employed by Lightstorm back in 1999 he wrote a story that became the basis for Avatar. Called K.R.Z. 2068, Ryder says the story was developed as a planned movie by Lightstorm, but was eventually abandoned in 2002 because the company didn't think there would be enough interest in the film. Ryder also claims to have created supporting materials such as treatments and photos.

So what was K.R.Z. 2068 all about? THR lists several choice quotes from the complaint. Ryder's story was an "environmentally-themed 3D epic about a corporation's colonization and plundering of a distant moon's lush and wondrous natural setting." The complaint also claims that both Ryder's story and Avatar include a corporation spy, similarities between their respective alien inhabitants, and the spy forming a relationship with the natives and eventually switching sides.

Okay, it all sounds relatively Avatar-ish, but whatever else you can say about it, Avatar definitely doesn't have the most original storyline in the world. Many have pointed out the film's similarities to movies such as Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves, to name only two. Plus, Cameron has said that he began developing Avatar back in 1994, when he wrote the 80-page treatment for the film, which was later leaked and popped up all over the internet. From what I remember of that treatment, most of the elements Ryder is claiming were stolen were already there, at least in prototypical form. Sure, it's possible Cameron could have incorporated Ryder's ideas into the eventual film...but that, along with the rest of it, remains to be proven.

Angelina Jolie May Star In Luc Besson's Next Thriller

When Hollywood is looking for a woman that can kick some ass, they inevitably return with Angelina Jolie's name. From Tomb Raider to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Wanted to Salt, Jolie, despite her skinny frame, has developed a reputation as an actresses who can take down a room full of bad guys and look amazing while doing it. It's for that reason that it's amazing Jolie has never hooked up with director Luc Besson before, but that's finally about to change.

According to Deadline, Jolie is now in talks to star in a new action film written and directed by Luc Besson. While the project doesn't yet have a title and plot details are slim, the site reports that it's a thriller "rooted in true scientific elements" (what that means exactly is still a bit of a mystery). Besson has made a career out of building strong female characters, beginning with La Femme Nikita in 1990, Leon in 1994, and even his newest film, The Lady, which is currently in theaters. The project is moving quickly and could begin production as early as next spring. Should she sign on, Jolie will make the film before working with Ridley Scott on the Gertrude Bell biopic, which was revealed last month.

Frank Lloyd Wright Biopic To Be Directed By Bruce Beresford

Bruce Beresford used to be one of the most prolific directors around, making films like Driving Miss Daisy, Breaker Morant, and Tender Mercies year after year. In the 1980s and 1990s he averaged almost a film per year. In the last decade, however, he's slowed down considerably. In fact, since 2000 he's only directed five films, the most recent being this year's Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Elizabeth Olsen. But just because his production has slowed doesn't mean that he's done directing, as evidenced by the new project that he just picked up.

THR has learned that Beresford is now attached to direct Taliesin, a biopic about world famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The script was written by Nicholas Meyer (The Prince of Egypt, Elegy) and the project will be produced by J. Todd Harris and Ed Bachrach, who are currently raising funds. The title of the film comes from the name of Wright's home in Spring Green, Wisconsin, where many of the most important scenes of the film take place. In 1914, Martha "Mamah" Cheney, Wright's wife, her two children, and four others were murdered by a domestic worker named Julian Carlton, who locked them all inside the building and set it on fire. Talking about the project, Beresford said, "It’s a very good script. It doesn’t cover his whole life, just a small section of it, and it doesn’t whitewash him into some sort of saint."

It's a pretty horrific story, but I'm curious if the film will only deal with that section of his life or go a little broader. After all, the man did build some of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in the 20th century and it would be a shame to ignore that. Too bad drafting blueprints for a house isn't more dramatic.

Gangster Squad Photos Show Ryan Gosling On Set, Penn And Brolin Face Off

Among Ryan Goslings upcoming projects is the Ruben Fleischer directed Gangster Squad, which also stars Emma Stone, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Nick Nolte. These aren’t the first set photos to make their way online, but if you’re a fan of eying Gosling looking chic in 40’s attire, they’re worth a look.

Gangster Squad is set in the ‘40’s/‘50’s and follows the LAPD’s attempts to keep the East Coast Mafia from spreading crime in Los Angeles. A few months back, we saw Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling looking cosy on the set of Gangster Squad. In one photo, Emma is snuggled up against Gosling and puffing on a cigarette. The latest set photos, courtesy of Just Jared don’t feature Stone, but some of them do show Gosling (and/or his character) getting his nicotine fix, while dressed up in a suit and hat, which he sometimes shares with a nearby statue... the hat, not the suit. (Is that Grauman's Chinese Theater?)







Just Jared doesn’t specify who the second man is in the above photo, but judging by the fact that he’s dressed nearly identically to Gosling (with the hat and jacket, minus the chain at his belt), it’s possible he’s a stand-in.

The era looks good on Gosling, but anyone who’s seen The Notebook already knows that. Then again, we’re seeing a much more dressed up version of Gosling than we ever saw from his portrayal of Sparks’ Noah Calhoun, at least in his early years. There are more photos from the set, which you can see here.

And while we’re on the subject of Gangster Squad, Entertainment Weekly posted an interview with Fleischer, who spoke about the movie, including how the story fits in to Paul Lieberman’s series of articles, which ran in the L.A. Times back in 2008, and the excellent cast.

Men In Black 3 Trailer

15 years after the first movie, and 9 years after the disappointing sequel, Men In Black III is coming to theaters next summer and is stuck trying to sell their movie to an audience that may be as old as this franchise. As a result, the first teaser trailer for the film, which Sony Pictures posted online today, is less focused on revealing information about the new film than going over the basics of what the Men In Black do. Here's Will Smith, here's Tommy Lee Jones, here are their suits, here is their memory eraser stick, here are the aliens they monitor-- oh, and in the last 30 seconds, here's this time travel plot! Take a look for yourself below.

The best reveal of the trailer by far is the shot of Josh Brolin as the younger version of Tommy Lee Jones, and you can't blame them for saving it to the very end-- Brolin nails the delivery and the grim facial expression, and his facial expressions are better than any alien makeup or Will-Smith-leaping-off-the-Chrysler-building effect in the trailer. But after months of production delays and a script they were apparently making up as they went along, it's a little worrying that Men In Black III has revealed no coherent plot here, spending a lot of time on the elements of Men In Black they know we like already and saving the actual details of the sequel for later. I know it's unlikely but it makes me wonder if they're still working out the plot kinks in the editing room.

The movie will be hitting early in the summer movie season, opening May 25 next year, and there's still time for them to impress us more with the marketing. But as nice as it is to see Jones and Smith-- the most unlikely but enjoyable comic duo you can think of-- reunited, memories of the awful Men In Black II and this mediocre trailer are getting in the way of having a lot of hope here.

George Clooney To Bring The Smothers Brothers To The Big Screen

Back in the late 1960s, Tom and Dick Smothers - two 30 year old singing comedian brothers - were one of the most controversial acts around. The siblings hosted a show on CBS called The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour that was a regular target of criticism due to their openness about youth culture, the Vietnam War and racism in America. The program also regularly featured guest appearances from incredible young comedic talents and musicians like Steve Martin, Albert Brooks, Bob Einstein The Doors, Jefferson Airplane and The Who (whose performance led to this famous piece of television history). Though the show didn't last long, only running from 1967 to 1969, it most definitely had a cultural impact, and now George Clooney is working to bring that impact to the silver screen.

Deadline has learned that Clooney, his producing/writing parter Grant Heslov, and Sony are now working together to make a movie about the Smothers brothers. They have already optioned Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story Of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, a biography by David Bianculli, and Brian Hecker and Craig Sherman have been hired to write the script. The site says that it's too early to know if Clooney is planning on starring in and/or directing the film, though he and Heslov will serve as producers.

With a proper cast and director this could actually be a really fascinating project. It has the potential to be a great way to reflect on an era that was filled with upheaval and see it all through a comedic lens. Not to mention it gives someone out there the opportunity to hire an actor to play a young Steve Martin. Who on Earth wouldn't want that role?

American Psycho Author Wants Miles Fisher Or Scott Disick To Be The New Patrick Bateman

A couple years ago, actor/singer Miles Fischer decided to make a music video for his over of the Talking Heads song "This Must Be The Place." The clip was a parody of the Mary Harron's cult film American Psycho, in which Fischer played 80s yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman. In addition to being a catchy tune, the video was spot on, both well made and perfectly performed - and apparently it made quite an impression on the author of the original book, because now Bret Easton Ellis is calling for Miles Fischer to star in the recently announced remake.

Ellis, who published American Psycho back in 1991, recently sent out a Tweet saying, "I have warned Lionsgate that I will not approve a new version of "American Psycho" unless it stars SCOTT DISICK or MILES FISHER." Unlike Fischer, who, in addition to music videos, has had roles in movies like Final Destination 5 and J. Edgar, Disick is actually more of a reality star than an actor, as he is best known for being Kourtney Kardashian's boyfriend. Unlike the 2000 adaptation, which was set during the 1980s and was as much a parody as it was a horror movie, the new on-screen version of the book will be set in modern day. Noble Jones is writing and directing the new film.

As much as I love the "This Must Be The Place" video and would be excited to see Miles Fischer get the part, I still can't support this remake in any way. As I said yesterday, setting the story in modern times completely misses the point.

Game Of Thrones Directors Being Looked At To Helm Thor 2

It was pretty shocking news when it was announced earlier this week that Patty Jenkins was dropping out of directing Thor 2 after having been attached to the project for the last two months. The report said that Jenkins' decision was motivated by creative differences with Marvel and that the studio would immediately start looking for someone to take her place. Well, two candidates have already risen to the top.

According to THR, Alan Taylor and Daniel Minahan are now the top two filmmakers being looked at to helm superhero sequel Thor 2. Much like Jenkins and her rumored predecessor, Game of Thrones director Brian Kirk, both Taylor and Minahan have done most of their work on television. Taylor, who has been directing TV shows since the mid-1990s, has episodes of Oz, Mad Men, Bored To Death, The Sopranos and Game of Thrones on his resume, while Minahan's prior work includes True Blood, Six Feet Under, Grey's Anatomy, and, again, Game of Thrones.

The studio is also currently looking for a writer to work on the next version of the script. While Don Payne wrote the first draft, Marvel is currently considering Sheldon Turner, John Collee (Happy Feet), Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) and Roger Avery (Pulp Fiction). Thor 2 is currently scheduled to be released on November 15, 2013.

It's becoming pretty obvious that the folks over at Marvel are big fans of Game of Thrones and are thinking that the HBO show's look would be perfect for the thunder god's next story. Do you think they are looking in the right direction or do you think they should be more focused on finding a director with heavy feature film experience?

Jackie Robinson Biopic 42 May Have Found Its Leading Man

Legendary Pictures has sent out a press release both confirming the casting of Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford, which was rumored earlier.

How do you find the right actor to play Jackie Robinson in a biopic? A while back you could have had either Will Smith or Denzel Washington do it, but considering Robinson was 28 when he broke the color barrier and Smith and Washington are 43 and 56, respectively, that's just not going to work. There's also the issue of finding an actor who can disappear into the role be Jackie Robinson instead of just playing him. Given those factors, the best bet would probably to find a talented up-and-comer to take the role, and that's exactly what's happening with Legendary Pictures' 42.

Chadwick Boseman is now in final talks to take the role of the legendary baseball player, according to Variety. While the project won't be his first film role - he recently wrapped production on an action movie called The Kill Hole for writer-director Mischa Webley and played Floyd Little in The Express - most of Boseman's experience has been on television, with single episode appearances on shows like Fringe, Justified, Castle, and The Glades. He also played in Christopher McQuarrie's miniseries Persons Unknown as Graham McNair. The Robinson biopic will be written and directed by Brian Helgeland, who is best known for scripting the Oscar-winning screenplay for L.A. Confidential.

I can't say that I'm all too familiar with Boseman's work, but he looks the part and this is a part that can really launch his career. The story of Jackie Robinson is probably the most iconic and easily the most important in baseball history, as it not only changed the sport but had a major impact on the civil rights movement. I look forward to seeing what he can do.

Dark Knight Rises Poster Promises The End Of Batman's Legend

All of a sudden, it seems like we’re being inundated with The Dark Knight Rises goodies. For Batman fans, it is an embarrassment of riches, as we’re being treated to IMAX prologues, viral marketing campaigns and now, a gripping new poster that should get tongues wagging.

The tantalizing tagline “The Legend Ends” can mean so many things. Both Christopher Nolan and his brooding leading man, Christian Bale, have said that this will be their last Batman movie together, so this will be the end of their trilogy. However, that’s Tom Hardy’s Bane walking away from the Dark Knight’s discarded mask, and those of us who know Batman’s back story know that the villain causes our hero devastating harm– let’s avoid spoilers, for those who’d appreciate that.

So yeah, it looks like Bale’s Batman is in for a world of hurt next summer in The Dark Knight Rises. I also find it interesting how most of the official marketing materials deal with Bane – who is the main villain in Nolan’s film – but barely anything has focused on Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman. No character banner. No shot in the trailer. She is this film’s real wild card, as some have speculated that she could take over for Batman while he heals. (There has to be a reason why she was riding the bat-cycle in those Pittsburgh set-location shots, right?)

Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises will be in theaters on July 20, 2012.