Random News of the Week (June 2 - June 8, 2008)

We heard that Bay was putting out mis-information about the upcoming TRANSFORMERS sequel but some things seem to be real. The title has been announced and it’s as bad as the TERMINATOR 4 (TERMINATOR SALVATION) title, TRANSFORMERS 2: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN. Bay has assured everyone that the sequel will not serve as a setup for a 3rd film but will instead be completely self contained. A few scenes will take place in the “Graveyard” in Davis-Monthan Air Base (where U.S. equipment goes once it is out of service). Finally, in answer to how many transformers can be on screen this time around, “I'd love and think we could almost barely manage ten on each side, with some front and center and others as more supporting.”

Amazingly, AGE OF CONAN (the new MMO that just came out this past week) has already garned 1 million users to become the 2nd biggest launch for an MMO in history (behind World of Warcraft of course). It also became the best selling PC game in Europe this week where it is just exploding. It’s great to see something finally striking a chord and giving WoW a bit of competition.

Bruce Willis is in talks to play Kane in the film adaptation of the game KANE & LYNCH. Willis will play Adam "Kane" Marcus, a mercenary who makes an unlikely alliance with a schizophrenic killer named James Lynch. The duo is forced on a mission to retrieve a stolen microchip. The vidgame has sold 2 million copies worldwide since its launch in November, 2007.

Danny Glover will play the president of the U.S. in the upcoming end of the world movie 2012. Roland Emerich (10,000 BC, INDEPENDENCE DAY) is directing.

DiCaprio’s production company has acquired the rights to a biographical film about the creators of Atari Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. The film will be called ATARI and DiCaprio may be starring.

Some news about IRON MAN 2 came out this week. He confirmed that he has STILL not been hired to direct the 2nd although he has talked to Downey, Jr. about the character’s direction. He would like to see “more defined and serious villians” in the next film. Favreau doesn’t believe that the “Demon in the Bottle” storyline would be welcomed by the general masses as it is too dark. Although some aspects of that will definitely be incorporated. He thinks it would take at least 2 years to do the film right (maybe longer) and he knows he has to “up” the first so he thinks it could go longer than that. But with Marvel’s announced schedule, that makes it impossible for him to do both IRON MAN 2 and THE AVENGERS so he will most likely not be directing an AVENGERS film.

Charlotte Gainsbourg was originally planned to play Kate Connor in TERMINATOR SALVATION but had to bow out for scheduling reasons this week. So instead, word is that Bryce Dallas Howard (LADY IN THE WATER, SPIDER-MAN 3) is now in the runnings.

Raimi talked SPIDER-MAN 4 this week. Raimi said, “Right now James Vanderbilt is writing the script and I'm excited to read it" Raimi told us. "I think it's going to be done in a few months and I'm hoping that it's as great as our discussions were about it and I'm hoping it feels right for me because I love Spider-Man and I'm hoping I'm well enough rested to really embrace it... [I'm also] hoping that Sony wants me at that time to direct it. So if all those scenes come together I would love to do it. There's a lot of unknowns about the future." JK Simmons was asked also this week, "I spoke to Tobey in, I guess it was February... sort of awards season time and, y'know, he's certainly amenable to doing some more and hopefully we'll be able to get everybody back and make another good one.” So enough time has passed I guess that everyone is slowly changing their tune. Money talks.

In what is becoming an absolutely bizarre cast, PRINCE OF PERSIA not only has Jake Gyllenhaal been cast as the prince himself, but now comes word that both Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsely are both coming onboard. Molina will play Sheik Amar, who becomes a mentor to the prince. Kingsley's role is uncertain at this time but is likely to be the film's villainous Vizier.

A CAPRICORN ONE remake is in the works. John Moore (BEHIND ENEMY LINES) will direct a remake of the 1978 conspiracy thriller for New Regency. Peter Buchman, who wrote Steven Soderbergh's two-part Che Guevara biopic, penned the screenplay, which is described as an updated, reimagining of the story that revolves around a group of astronauts of an aborted mission to Mars.

Pixar is indeed hard at work on a JOHN CARTER OF MARS picture. Word came through Andrew Stanton’s blog today that he is “writing it at this very moment.” No word yet on whether or not this will be live-action or rendered.

Ridley Scott talked about a new Sci-Fi film that he has been wanting to do for over 20 years. “I waited for a book for 20 years and I have got the book. I am not going to tell you what the book is but that film is going to probably be written within the next month. That will definitely be what I do next after NOTTINGHAM.” No one knows but I remember reading countless interviews where he had mentioned his intense respect and belief-in Huxley’s amazing book, BRAVE NEW WORLD. That would be right up his alley.

A director has finally been announced for the upcoming SHERLOCK HOLMES reinveintion from Warner Brothers. Guy Ritchie will direct and take Neil Marshall’s place as he had to back out last year. I think this is a weak choice. I’ll be amazed if this works out in the end.

TRANSPORTER 3 is coming to a theatre near you on Thanksgiving day. Oh Joy!

Johnny Depp’s upcoming film DARK SHADOWS is a movie for Warner Brothers but no one has know who the director would be. This week it was announced as long time collaborator Tim Burton.

Some bizzare and disconcerting news came out this week about Peter Berg’s (THE KINGDOM, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) upcoming remake of DUNE. The writer has been announced as Josh Zetumer whom you will most likely not know because none of his projects are even slightly known by the mainstream. I can only hope that Zetumer has the love for the books that fans have and can translate what is almost assuredly “un-translatable” into something great. I still say, give David Lynch $200 million and 5 years and see what he comes up with.