Ben Stiller Will Direct Horror Film The Mountain At Fox

Ever the busy beaver, Ben Stiller always seems to have half a dozen films going that he’s involved with in one capacity or another. Still hard at work on the remake of the classic Danny Kaye comedy/fantasy crossover The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Stiller has four other movies slated for a 2012 release, and has just added one more.

According to Deadline, Fox has snatched up rights to The Mountain, to be based around the characters in Edith Wharton’s novel Summer. This won’t just be an adaption though. Summer follows Charity through a sexual awakening, an unplanned pregnancy with a man engaged to be married to someone else, numerous marriage proposals from her own guardian, and a life of prostitution. Sounds like a bit of a downer, not unlike Wharton’s more famous Ethan Frome.

Instead a horror story will be built around the main characters, though that sort of story seems like it could be horrific enough. The new story will follow a woman, presumably Charity Royall of Summer, as she unlocks the secrets of her past. So perhaps this is less an adaptation than it is a continuation. The task of building the story falls to Stiller, who will also direct, and Reality Bites writer Helen Childress. This will be the third team up for Childress and Stiller after Reality Bites and The Snowy Day which is currently in development.

Stiller has acted in a lot of not-so-great films, but his directorial track record is solid so it will be interesting to see him take on a new genre. Here’s hoping he keeps himself off camera for this one. More on The Mountain as the script gets wrapped and they near production.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt In Talks For Django Unchained With Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained already stars one actor who started out young and has since been hailed as one of the best of his generation, with Leonardo DiCaprio expected to play an evil slave owner in the Civil War-era film. Now he might be ready to bring in the next generation of talent. Variety reports that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in talks to join the film, which is set to start shooting in January with a cast rounded out by Jamie Foxx, Kurt Russell and Don Johnson, plus Tarantino veterans Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz.

Variety doesn't have details on which role Gordon-Levitt might play, and even over at The Playlist, where they've read the script, they're a little bit stumped. But word has been that Tarantino is reshaping the script before shooting begins, so it's entirely possible that he took a shine to Gordon-Levitt and cleared room for him in the story. Who can blame him? Between his terrific, still-underseen turn in this fall's 50/50, his gravity defying acrobatics in Inception, his everyman demeanor in 500 Days of Summer, and of course, the mysterious promise of him playing a villain in next summer's The Dark Knight Rises, Gordon-Levitt is turning heads everywhere. You don't wonder which great director he'll work with next, but how long it will take him to work for all of them.

Given recent news that Sony has pushed Gordon-Levitt's film Premium RushDjango works out, he'll have a hell of a year set up-- Dark Knight Rises in July, Premium Rush in August, and Django Unchained set for a lightning fast turnaround in time for Christmas Day next year. Hard to think of anyone who deserves it more.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt In Talks For Django Unchained With Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained already stars one actor who started out young and has since been hailed as one of the best of his generation, with Leonardo DiCaprio expected to play an evil slave owner in the Civil War-era film. Now he might be ready to bring in the next generation of talent. Variety reports that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in talks to join the film, which is set to start shooting in January with a cast rounded out by Jamie Foxx, Kurt Russell and Don Johnson, plus Tarantino veterans Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz.

Variety doesn't have details on which role Gordon-Levitt might play, and even over at The Playlist, where they've read the script, they're a little bit stumped. But word has been that Tarantino is reshaping the script before shooting begins, so it's entirely possible that he took a shine to Gordon-Levitt and cleared room for him in the story. Who can blame him? Between his terrific, still-underseen turn in this fall's 50/50, his gravity defying acrobatics in Inception, his everyman demeanor in 500 Days of Summer, and of course, the mysterious promise of him playing a villain in next summer's The Dark Knight Rises, Gordon-Levitt is turning heads everywhere. You don't wonder which great director he'll work with next, but how long it will take him to work for all of them.

Given recent news that Sony has pushed Gordon-Levitt's film Premium RushDjango works out, he'll have a hell of a year set up-- Dark Knight Rises in July, Premium Rush in August, and Django Unchained set for a lightning fast turnaround in time for Christmas Day next year. Hard to think of anyone who deserves it more.

Paranormal Activity 3 Scores Impressive $8 Million From Midnight Showings

Paranormal Activity 3 is a big-budget entry in the horror franchise, in that it cost $5 million when the first film cost $11,000. And yet, the latest scarefest still managed to make back its budget through midnight screenings alone. Deadline reports that PA3 brought in $8 million from midnight screenings last night, nearly $2 million more than the second film in the franchise did last year, and even more than the first film made in the first weekend it opened in limited release (remember, before it was an enormous franchise, Paranormal Activity was just a little plucked-from-Sundance sleeper success).



That's not good news just for those of you who only want to see Paranormal Activity 3 in theaters packed with fellow horror fans, but for the movie industry in general, which hasn't seen a real, new hit since Rise of the Planet of the Apes-- yes, you're right, that movie did come out forever ago. Sure, they managed to mint money with the re-release of The Lion King 3D, but if 3D re-releases start becoming the only kinds of movies that make money, we're all in for grim times. Whether or not you like the surveillance cam, jump-scare styles of the Paranormal Activity franchise, the series is one of the more original and enduring ideas out there, and is pretty much the opposite of the bloated Hollywood idea of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on toy/comic book adaptations that nobody wants.

Paramount is projecting a $35 million opening weekend for Paranormal Activity 3, but Deadline suggests it'll be way more than that. Congratulations, Hollywood! People like you again!

Paranormal Activity 3 Scores Impressive $8 Million From Midnight Showings

Paranormal Activity 3 is a big-budget entry in the horror franchise, in that it cost $5 million when the first film cost $11,000. And yet, the latest scarefest still managed to make back its budget through midnight screenings alone. Deadline reports that PA3 brought in $8 million from midnight screenings last night, nearly $2 million more than the second film in the franchise did last year, and even more than the first film made in the first weekend it opened in limited release (remember, before it was an enormous franchise, Paranormal Activity was just a little plucked-from-Sundance sleeper success).



That's not good news just for those of you who only want to see Paranormal Activity 3 in theaters packed with fellow horror fans, but for the movie industry in general, which hasn't seen a real, new hit since Rise of the Planet of the Apes-- yes, you're right, that movie did come out forever ago. Sure, they managed to mint money with the re-release of The Lion King 3D, but if 3D re-releases start becoming the only kinds of movies that make money, we're all in for grim times. Whether or not you like the surveillance cam, jump-scare styles of the Paranormal Activity franchise, the series is one of the more original and enduring ideas out there, and is pretty much the opposite of the bloated Hollywood idea of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on toy/comic book adaptations that nobody wants.

Paramount is projecting a $35 million opening weekend for Paranormal Activity 3, but Deadline suggests it'll be way more than that. Congratulations, Hollywood! People like you again!

Warner Bros Wants Ben Affleck To Direct The Stand

It’s probably fair to express some doubts about whether The Stand is the kind of book that can be adapted to the big screen while still maintaining the excellent story and character depth that author Stephen King brought to the novel, but it’s also difficult not to be excited about the project, especially when you consider the casting possibilities. While the cast of the upcoming big-screen adaptation has yet to be determined, Warner Bros has chosen a director.

The Stand tells the story of an outbreak that destroys a good portion of the world’s population, leaving the survivors to split into two groups, one good, and the other evil. That's the very-condensed synopsis of the story. Much like some of Stephen King’s other excellent stories, The Stand is character-driven, with the story being told through different people, all of whom are connected by what’s going on.



According to Deadline, Warner Bros has handed the task of directing and adapting the novel to Ben Affleck. As Deadline notes, the actor, who has been doing some work behind the camera lately, including his current directorial project, Argo, has proven his skills as a director with Gone Baby Gone and The Town. The Stand won’t be an easy task, but Warner Bros apparently thinks he’s up for it. It may be worth noting that Deadline doesn’t state whether this is a done deal for Affleck to direct, or if Warner Bros has merely offered him the job and are hoping to move forward if he is available and interested.

King’s The Stand was adapted to a miniseries back in the ’90’s, with Gary Sinise and Molly Ringwald playing the leads. Other notable cast members include Rob Lowe and Laura San Giacomo. The miniseries was a decent adaptation, if memory serves, however even with the story spread out over six hours, it still felt abridged by comparison to the book. Is it too much to hope that they’ll split the movie into (at least) two parts when adapting it to the big screen?

Fast And Furious Six And Seven Could Share One Plot

When it comes to franchise films, using two movies to tell one story doesn't always work out for the best. Two recent examples of this include Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and At World's End as well as The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. What ends up happening is that you have two incomplete films with a lot of bloat. But perhaps the Fast and Furious franchise can break that streak.

Somewhat confirming previous reports, the LA Times is saying that Universal is heavily considering filming the next two installments of the popular Vin Diesel-Paul Walker series back-to-back, but the added twist is that the two movies would be telling one story between them. Chris Morgan, who was hired to write the next installment before Fast Five was even released, is apparently currently working with director Justin Lin on the story, though details are being kept secret. Should the movies be filmed back-to-back, it would likely mean that Fast Six would miss its May 24, 2013 as Lin would be shooting the seventh movie instead of cutting the sixth.

While the Pirates and Matrix movies are two examples of back-to-back movies that didn't really work, it should be noted that Back to the Future Part II and Part III as well as The Lord of the Rings movies were all shot together, so there is a history of it working on some level. The problem that may end up presenting itself is that the Fast and Furious movies have never really been big on plot in the first place, so spreading one over the span of two movies may end up being a little thin. Then again, all that fans really care about in these movies are the car chases, so as long as they keep those going I'm sure audiences will be satisfied.

Warner Bros Wants Ben Affleck To Direct The Stand

It’s probably fair to express some doubts about whether The Stand is the kind of book that can be adapted to the big screen while still maintaining the excellent story and character depth that author Stephen King brought to the novel, but it’s also difficult not to be excited about the project, especially when you consider the casting possibilities. While the cast of the upcoming big-screen adaptation has yet to be determined, Warner Bros has chosen a director.

The Stand tells the story of an outbreak that destroys a good portion of the world’s population, leaving the survivors to split into two groups, one good, and the other evil. That's the very-condensed synopsis of the story. Much like some of Stephen King’s other excellent stories, The Stand is character-driven, with the story being told through different people, all of whom are connected by what’s going on.



According to Deadline, Warner Bros has handed the task of directing and adapting the novel to Ben Affleck. As Deadline notes, the actor, who has been doing some work behind the camera lately, including his current directorial project, Argo, has proven his skills as a director with Gone Baby Gone and The Town. The Stand won’t be an easy task, but Warner Bros apparently thinks he’s up for it. It may be worth noting that Deadline doesn’t state whether this is a done deal for Affleck to direct, or if Warner Bros has merely offered him the job and are hoping to move forward if he is available and interested.

King’s The Stand was adapted to a miniseries back in the ’90’s, with Gary Sinise and Molly Ringwald playing the leads. Other notable cast members include Rob Lowe and Laura San Giacomo. The miniseries was a decent adaptation, if memory serves, however even with the story spread out over six hours, it still felt abridged by comparison to the book. Is it too much to hope that they’ll split the movie into (at least) two parts when adapting it to the big screen?

Fast And Furious Six And Seven Could Share One Plot

When it comes to franchise films, using two movies to tell one story doesn't always work out for the best. Two recent examples of this include Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and At World's End as well as The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. What ends up happening is that you have two incomplete films with a lot of bloat. But perhaps the Fast and Furious franchise can break that streak.

Somewhat confirming previous reports, the LA Times is saying that Universal is heavily considering filming the next two installments of the popular Vin Diesel-Paul Walker series back-to-back, but the added twist is that the two movies would be telling one story between them. Chris Morgan, who was hired to write the next installment before Fast Five was even released, is apparently currently working with director Justin Lin on the story, though details are being kept secret. Should the movies be filmed back-to-back, it would likely mean that Fast Six would miss its May 24, 2013 as Lin would be shooting the seventh movie instead of cutting the sixth.

While the Pirates and Matrix movies are two examples of back-to-back movies that didn't really work, it should be noted that Back to the Future Part II and Part III as well as The Lord of the Rings movies were all shot together, so there is a history of it working on some level. The problem that may end up presenting itself is that the Fast and Furious movies have never really been big on plot in the first place, so spreading one over the span of two movies may end up being a little thin. Then again, all that fans really care about in these movies are the car chases, so as long as they keep those going I'm sure audiences will be satisfied.

Catherine Zeta-Jones Signed On For Broken City

Catherine Zeta-Jones hasn’t been around much over the last few years, but it looks as though she has a flurry of projects in the works, one of which puts her opposite Russell Crowe. The No Reservations actress has been signed on to star in the Allen Hughes directed Broken City.

Deadline reports that Zeta-Jones is set to play Russell Crowe’s character’s wife in the upcoming Broken City. The film, which is in pre-production, stars Mark Wahlberg as a detective who’s hired by Russell Crowe’s character, who also happens to be the mayor of New York. Zeta-Jones plays the mayor’s wife, who also happens to be cheating on her husband. When her secret-boyfriend ends up dead, Wahlberg’s character does a bit more digging and uncovers a conspiracy that may involved the mayor.

Broken City begins shooting in New York next month. Zeta-Jones may have been laying low for a few years, but she appears to be making up for lost time as she has a number of other films in the works, including Rock of Ages, directed by Adam Shankman, Playing the Field, which stars Gerard Butler, Judy Greer, and Jessica Biel, and Laying the Favorite, which stars Bruce Willis.