Random News of the Week (February 1, 2009 - February 8, 2009)

Warner Bros. is hoping that the BATMAN franchise reboot can last as long as the HARRY POTTER series has. They have many more films planned beyond BEGINS and DARK KNIGHT. This news came after we are even unsure if Nolan will be returning for even a 3rd film. I guarantee that if Bale and Nolan are out, the series will probably end on the next film after their departure. It isn’t the concept or marketing that is keeping this at the top of franchises, it is the writing, acting, and directing. All of which take considerable time to get right.

Bill Murray and Josh Lucas (FAST AND FURIOUS 3, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) have joined the cast of GET LOW. Based on a true story, the film follows Felix "Bush" Breazeale, a Tennessee recluse who planned his own funeral in 1938 while he was still alive and could enjoy it. Murray and Black play partners at the funeral home. Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek also star.

The Farrelly brothers are really going for the gold on their THREE STOOGES project. They hope to get Sean Penn to play Larry and Johnny Depp to play Moe. There goes the budget assuming these 2 actors would even consider it. No word yet on who they want to play Curly but a nation-wide search is on-going at this point.

John Carpenter has suddenly gotten really motivated. He announced this week he is returning to the big screen (his last film was the terrible GHOSTS OF MARS) with a new film called THE WARD. The film follows the disturbing experience of a young woman (Amber Heard) in an institution who is terrorized by a ghost. He's also in development on prison film "Riot" starring Nicolas Cage and gangster flick "The Prince."

A three film epic trilogy called THE LEGEND OF SANTA CLAUS is in motion. The first film in a proposed trilogy will explore the early days and mythology of the Christmas hero. This version will bring greedy elves, vain snowfairies and other fantastical creatures into the 18th century tale of young Nicholas. It will be shot using the techniques used in THE POLAR EXPRESS.

Both Zack Snyder and actress Malin Akerman have denied any plans to shoot a sequel to the upcoming WATCHMEN adaptation. Akerman says "I don’t really know how [a sequel] would ever be possible. Because ‘Watchmen’ is ‘Watchmen,’ and we covered pretty much the whole novel.”

Screenwriter Ken Nolan (BLACK HAWK DOWN, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK) is working on a retooling of the script for Paramount’s untitled moon sci-fi film. Jake Gyllenhaal is still attached to star.

Martin Campbell (CASINO ROYALE, GOLDENEYE) is in charge of bringing the GREEN LANTERN to screen for Warner Bros.

There will be 2 versions of Flynn in the upcoming TR2N. A source reveals to io9 that Jeff Bridges has been sent up to Canada to be digitized. A plaster cast has been created of Bridges. They will then take that 3D model and make him younger and then slap it on a body double in post. As this is only one cog in the machine, they can't give a whole lot of detail. Canada scans actors and props to be used for various projects. These are very high resolution scans that pick up every wrinkle, face lift and scar on the actors body. So there will be a Bridges in his current older look and a young version of him as well in the film.