Random News of the Week (December 1 - December 7, 2008)

The 4th BEVERLY HILLS COP is slated for a 2010 release date. Brett Ratner is still on board to direct but I hear that Eddie Murphy is yet to commit. The storyline kicks off when Foley's former partner Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) leaping off the twentieth story of Los Angeles Police HQ. Foley, who refuses to believe it was a suicide, returns to LA to find who did it. Foley has a new partner named Goodwin, a fat rookie with low self-esteem who has a crush on a lady cop. There's also the wise-cracking limo driver Elliott who adds comic relief, and a scheme that involves corrupt LAPD cops and a rich kid with military links who're into arms dealing.

In regards to the FORBIDDEN PLANET remake, writer J. Michael Straczynski (CHANGELING) talked about the setup. “It’s not a remake. It’s not a reimagining. It’s not exactly a prequel. You’ll have to see it. It’s something that no one has thought of when it comes to this storyline. This is how you do ‘Forbidden Planet’ without pissing on the original that no one has ever thought of. When I told the idea to Joel Silver, his eyes lit up.”

A little more is out on the Ridley Scott re-imagining of Robin Hood in NOTTINGHAM. When asked how Russell Crowe could play both the Sheriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood, producer Brian Grazer responded, “Robin Hood sees Nottingham in battle very early in the movie and Nottingham dies, and Robin Hood takes over the identity of Nottingham. That's how it plays out.” Shooting starts in March.

There is more talk of Ridley Scott coming back for one more ALIEN movie (ALIEN 5). Weaver confirmed that she and Scott have discussed re-teaming for a fifth film. “We’d have to go back to the drawing board on [the alien],” she said. “Ridley said that right away when we first talked about a fifth film. What we’re interested in is taking the character of Ripley and seeing what other science fiction story we can tell about someone who has lived several lives.”

Len Wiseman (UNDERWORLD, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD) is set to direct an apocalyptic sci-fi adaptation of the graphic novel series ATLANTIS RISING. The story begins when seismic disturbances at sea force world militaries to investigate the deepest part of the ocean, where an underground civilization emerges to engage in war with planet Earth.

Lucas had a few tidbits about future INDIANA JONES projects and STAR WARS 3D. Is he seriously looking at an Indy V? "We're looking for a "MacGuffin," which is an object that he goes after. They're very hard to come by." Will Marion and Mutt be involved? "It really depends on what it is Indy goes looking for and then how the story falls out of that, and then how convenient or inconvenient to have the group there." Will we see "Star Wars" in 3D? "Oh yeah. The technology is very difficult. It exists - it's just extremely expensive, and so what we're trying to do is figure out a more practical way of pulling it off."

Word out last week was that George Miller was officially off the JUSTICE LEAGUE film. Now, we hear later this week that he is actually still very much involved in the project.

Ben Stiller says he is currently looking at scripts for a ZOOLANDER sequel and has been trying to make a deal for it - "I’ve been trying to get ZOOLANDER 2 together and we’ve had a few scripts. I feel that is the sequel I really would like to do some day because I like the original and I would make sure it was something new and worthy of it first. I can’t tell if he’s serious or joking…

There’s talk of reviving the SPEED series with Keanu (who was conspicuously missing from the second) coming back for a 3rd film. There’s already a script that reintroduces Keanu’s character Jack Traven and now the studio is trying to get him back on board.

And the WORST bit of news this week, both ROMANCING THE STONE and John Carpenter’s THEY LIVE are both getting the remake treatment. Hollywood is so depressing right now. Creative bankruptcy just doesn’t even come close to describing the situation.