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January 20, 2002

January 18, 2002

A CAT IN THE HAT feature film has long been in the making.  Imagine Entertainment, the same people who had success with another Dr. Suess adaptation THE GRINCH, have been developing the project with a number of different writers for a number of different years.  One of the major problems plaguing the production was finding a suitable star to play the inimitable Cat.  Tim Allen had long been attached, but he recently announced he was no longer on the project and was moving on to film THE SANTA CLAUSE 2.  Since then, there have been no major rumors as to who could be starring, but a scooper to Coming Attractions claims to have some inside knowledge.  They say that Mike Myers is currently (and quietly) negotiating to star in the film.

Here's where I'm not so sure what to think of this rumor.  Remember the whole DIETER disaster of 2000?  Where Imagine Entertainment and Mike Myers traded verbal barbs and high-priced lawsuits?  While the settlement of that disaster stated that Myers and Imagine were to work together again, it also stipulated that a) it would be an original character to be created by Myers and b) it would be a co-production between DreamWorks and Universal.  I'm not so sure Imagine and Universal would want to bring DreamWorks in on a project they've been developing for so long.  Besides, after all the venom spewed during the DIETER scandal, I can imagine these folks (Imagine and Myers) wouldn't want to work together besides the one project settled upon in court.  And would they let Myers work on this project before he created their "original" comedy?  All interesting questions...The scoop certainly could be true and I'm not saying it's not (I have no knowledge either way).   I'm just not 100% on this yet.  Let's wait and see what develops over the course of a few days.
 

January 18, 2002

It appears that Russell Crowe's next film will be the Peter Weir (THE TRUMAN SHOW) action/drama MASTER AND COMMANDER.  Crowe had been interested in the project for some time but often found conflicts with scheduling.  After his boxing film with Lasse Hallstrom, CINDERELLA MAN, saw considerable delays (likely won't start production until sometime 2003), Crowe warmed to the film again and is currently negotiating with Fox.  The film is based on the book by Patrick O'Brien and follows Capt. Jack Aubrey (Crowe) and his first mission sailing a ship into battle.  Once production is complete on this project, Crowe is expected to start work on his directorial debut THE LONG GREEN SHORE followed by CINDERELLA.
 

January 18, 2002

A long-time JoBlo scooper, Hank Scorpio, has been nice enough to relate us his thoughts on the upcoming Mandy Moore flick entitled A WALK TO REMEMBER (opens January 25). Take it away, buddy!

"I saw a free preview of the new teen romance A Walk to Remember starring Shane West (Get Over It) and teenage pop singer Mandy Moore (The Princess Diaries) on Thursday night.  This review will be filled with ** LOTS OF SPOILERS** so please read at your own risk if you are interested in seeing this movie.  Also, I don't remember the characters' names so I'll just be referring to the actors directly.

A Walk to Remember is based on a novel that I will never read.  Shane West's character is a rebel without a cause-type high school student who purses his lips a lot and likes to wear his gold chain over his shirt.  He nearly gets a friend killed at the start of the movie on a dare and is sentenced to do community service, where he meets Mandy Moore, the daughter of the local pastor.  Moore on the surface could be The Simpsons' Ned Flanders' long-lost daughter, but she possesses a sublime self-confidence despite being the daily butt of her peers' cruel remarks.  Moore sees something in West and tries to befriend him.  West spurns her at first and joins his "cool" friends in mocking the dowdy Moore.  The two end up performing in a play set during Prohibition together and the unmotivated West comes to realize that he's on the road to embarrassing himself.  When help from his best friend, Token Black Guy (a character practically stolen from Not Another Teen Movie), proves insufficient, he persuades Moore to help him run lines.  Moore agrees on the condition that West cannot fall in love with her.  Well, of course he does. The play is a smash hit and in it, Moore, in costume as a glamorous nightclub singer, is so positively radiant, West sees her as the gorgeous knockout she truly is and falls in love with her, actually changing the play and kissing her onstage, much to the dismay of her father and his friends.  The newly-lovestruck West then does everything he can to win Moore over and succeeds.  They share many sweet moments as they fall deeper in love.  And then comes the big swerve:  Moore has leukemia and is dying.  When West learns this, he does everything he can to make Moore's dreams come true, ultimately redeeming himself by earning Moore's love.

That was the short version of the story. There was also the father who wants to be in West's life, the friends West spurns as he falls for Moore who humiliate her in front of the school, West's proving to Moore's father that his intentions towards his daughter are noble and how they ultimately befriend each other, West's supportive mother (Daryl Hannah, whose face looked like it was melting), a book Moore's dead mother gave her, and Moore's list of all the things she wants to do before she dies - every single one of which West somehow provides her.  There's also a wedding, but Moore's funeral is kept offscreen.  The movie has a huge amount of plot and takes its sweet time, ultimately resolving every single little plot thread and tying all loose ends in a nice big bow.  At nearly two hours, I felt the movie was too long and some sequences could have been tightened or cut entirely, which would have greatly improved the pace of the film. 

At its core, A Walk to Remember is very much like Titanic. Two young people who are opposites meet and experience a perfect love before one of them tragically dies. The film also contains a huge amount of Christian overtones, none of which I had a particular problem with.  Moore's character is someone who has a great faith in God and there is a great deal of dialogue regarding faith from Moore and her pastor father. Despite West's character's behavior at the start of the movie, both Moore and West are just about the two most perfect, angelic human beings on Earth by the time the credits roll. 

If it sounds like I'm complaining a great deal, it's because I felt the problems with the film took too much away from its strength, which was how West and Moore's characters fell in love. Your friend Hank Scorpio has to admit he's a sucker for a love story.  Much of the second act was pretty terrific as West and Moore fell more deeply in love with each other.  Mandy Moore's performance was better than expected. She brought the sweetness and inner light her role required.  As far as the movie was concerned, she was the sweetest, most desirable girl on Earth and Moore proved equal to the role.  West's early scenes were rocky and unconvincing, but after he falls for Moore, he was up to the challenge of his character's transformation. I liked the sincere relentlessness with which West pursued MooreThere were sweet and heart-tugging moments between the two and it was during those moments A Walk to Remember was clicking. 

The problem was that nearly every good moment was followed by a very bad moment.  There are some bad lines, just plain bad scenes, thinly sketched supporting characters, and the occasional ludicrous moment.  The use of songs throughout the movie were often distracting and out of place.  And as I mentioned earlier, there was too much plot and all of it was neatly resolved at the end.  The characters were the victims of a predictable, hackneyed, paint-by-numbers plot.  It's a shame because the two leads did very good work. 

**1/2 for A Walk to Remember.
 

January 18, 2002

Another script review from Honest Abe. Here he shares his thoughts on an upcoming Wesley Snipes movie called ZIG-ZAG. Take it away, Abe...

ZIG ZAG (positive, major spoilers)
All I had heard about this project was that Wesley Snipes was invovled. I'm not quite sure how but I do know that this has the potential to be a sweet story about a 15 year old African boy nick-named ZigZag who's a little slow in the head. Not mentally retarted, more autistic. He's got a good head for numbers (memorizing and such) and he's a really sweet kid who unfortunately just isn't too sharp. He goes to a special school and works in the kitchen in a restaurant for a big guy called Toad as a dishwasher. He also has an abusive alcoholic father named Fletcher who's always taking money from him. ZigZag's one saving grace is a Big Brother, Singer, who unfortunately is slowly dying. Well, Zig happens to see Toad opening his safe, he memorizes the combo and steals the money to pay his dad. See, Zig doesn't think it's a bad thing but he tell Singer who comes up with a plan to put the money back before a smart cop named Hawke figures out that it was an inside job. The only thing missing is a hooker with a heart of gold...oh wait, she's here too and her name is Jenna. I've given away too much already but like I said, this just may be a dramatic little story with heart if done right. The key thing will be to find the right boy to portray Zig. Personally, I'd like to see a newcomer, a fresh face. Bottom line: could be a nice way to spend some time soaking in an afternoon matinee.
 

January 18, 2002

After reporting yesterday that Tobey Maguire would co-star alongside Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman in the untitled Gary Ross romantic-comedy, I got an anonymous e-mail from someone who claimed they were close to the production.  They sought to clarify some of the things I reported saying that Maguire would not be playing a doctor, but an "artsy film director" that Carrey is composing music for.  It was also stated that the part was "brief" but important.  Finally, they claimed that Brittany Murphy was in talks to play Carrey's new, young girlfriend that causes Kidman's ghost to come back from beyond to haunt them.  And then....

I read today that while things certainly seemed to be going well on the project, Universal has halted pre-production which was scheduled to begin in March.  The film was thought to be the studio's big Holiday 2002 release but apparently Kidman's schedule was too hectic and she couldn't fit in the film.  The project is not dead but simply delayed and it was reported that it would be "very possible" the production would gear up again this fall when Kidman was available. Carrey is now searching for a project to fill the void and there's no word on what writer/director Gary Ross will to do in the meanwhile.

(thanks to our anonymous scooper for the tips)
 

January 18, 2002

Source: Variety

A cool little BLADE 2 preview site has popped up online and features a whole mess of cool behind-the-scenes clips, artwork and etc. from the film. Here's what you need to do: head over to www.blade2.com/preview and enter in username: BLADE2 password: NOMAK.  Then just sit back and enjoy the fun!

That lovable sarcastic cat GARFIELD is coming to the big-screen in a live-action/CGI adventure to be produced by John Davis (DR. DOLITTLE).  The film, written by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow of TOY STORY fame, will follow a live-action Jon Arbuckle and human cast with a CGI Garfield and Odie - think along the lines of STUART LITTLE.  (Hollywood Reporter)

Gary Sinise has joined Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman in the cast of Miramax's THE HUMAN STAIN.  Sinise will play a novelist and serve as the narrator of the film.  Hopkins plays a light-skinned black man passing himself off as Jewish, who finds himself in hot water after his secret is revealed. (Hollywood Reporter)

Snoop Dogg revealed that Gwen Stefani of the band No Doubt will star alongside him in USA Films' LADY T AND MOJO SLIM. The duo will play a pair of 1960s BONNIE AND CLYDE-esque lovers who find themselves in all kinds of trouble.  The script is currently being written by Eric Bernt (ROMEO MUST DIE). (Coming Soon)

"The Wonder Years" star Fred Savage will star in both CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND and AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER in addition to having a role in this year's RULES OF ATTRACTIONS.  Do I smell a comeback for Kevin Arnold?  (Variety)
 

January 17, 2002

JoBlo.com and Twentieth Century Fox Invite You and a Guest to
A Special Screening of KUNG POW

Thursday, January 24, 2002, 7:30pm
New York, NY

OK, here's how you win a chance to attend. E-mail me at scoops@joblo.com with the subject line "KUNG POW."  Assure me that you live in the New York City area, will be available on the 24th and provide me with your mailing address.  If you don't live in the area or can't attend - do NOT enter the contest!  I'll pick the winners at random and send you the tickets by mail. In addition, all winners will receive an official KUNG POW t-shirt at the door.  As JoBlo says, that's it, that's all. We've got a limited amount of tickets to give away (each one allows you to bring one guest), so send out those e-mails pronto cause they're gonna go quick!  For more information on the movie, visit the official site.  Now, with all the legal mumbo-jumbo...

Please arrive early.  Seating is limited to theater capacity and is not guaranteed.  Theater is intentionally overbooked to insure capacity and is not the responsibility of the theater. No one will be admitted once the film begins.
  

January 17, 2002

Director Tarsem (THE CELL) has dropped out of Warner Bros. film CONSTANTINE due to budgetary disagreements with the studio.  The film, based on the DC comic "Hellblazer" was to star Nicolas Cage and be released around the Holiday 2002 season.  There was been no official word from the studio as to whether Cage is still attached or whether the movie is still going ahead at all.  This isn't the first time Tarsem has had issues with the studio over budget.  While talking to Coming Attractions about THE CELL, the director said, "Nobody ever had a big enough budget...I complained and complained until the end."  Stay tuned to see how Nicolas Cage's quest to star in a comic-book film progresses.
  

January 17, 2002

Tobey Maguire has signed on to reteam with director Gary Ross, for whom he worked previously with on PLEASANTVILLE, for an untitled romantic comedy that will star Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman.  Maguire will play Carrey's doctor in the film, which finds the ghost of Kidman coming back to haunt her widower (Carrey).  The actor would segue into filming after the release and promotion of SPIDER-MAN on May 3rd. He has a short break after filming ends on this project before January 2003, when production is scheduled to kick-off on SPIDER-MAN 2.
  

January 17, 2002

Aardman Films has announced they are producing 12 short films featuring the popular "Wallace and Gromit" characters to premiere on the web.  Here's the official news (along with news about the WALLACE AND GROMIT film) from Aardman:

Fans without internet access, will still have the option of getting all 'Wallace's Workshop' adventures on video.

Read JoBlo's DVD review of "Wallace & Gromit" films here
 

January 16, 2002

Ridley Scott is currently making the rounds promoting his latest film BLACK HAWK DOWN and when recently asked about his possible next project, he dropped an interesting bombshell. "I'm looking at ALIEN 5" the director said.  "Sure, why not. Maybe..." Considering that Scott was nominated for an Academy Award last year (for GLADIATOR) and potentially could be again this year, I'm surprised he'd even consider treading such familiar territory - especially considering the last film, ALIEN RESURRECTION, was simply awful.  Maybe he has something up his sleeve.  Or maybe he's just goofing the media and poking fun at all those ALIEN 5 rumors that haunted Sigourney Weaver a while back.  Either way, they better come up with one cool concept if they plan on rejuvenating this franchise.

Discuss this story with others here
  

January 16, 2002

Chris Rock will star in and make his directorial debut on the comedy film HEAD OF STATE.  The comedy, which Rock co-wrote with Ali LeRoi, a writer on "The Chris Rock Show" and screenwriter of Rock's DOWN TO EARTH, will follow the hilarity that follows Rock starring as the nation's first black Presidential candidate. Chris Rock stars next alongside Anthony Hopkins in the film BLACK SHEEP (download the trailer here), which hits theaters this Summer after being delayed in the wake of the September 11th attacks.
  

January 16, 2002

Janusz Kaminski, who achieved fame as Steven Spielberg's cinematographer of choice, had a less-than-stellar debut as a director. The Winona Ryder/Ben Chaplin "horror" film LOST SOULS got lost at the box-office and wasn't a hit with critics either.  Kaminski will try his hand at directing a second time (after finishing his work collaborating with Spielberg on MINORITY REPORT and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN) with the spy thriller COLLATERAL.  Here's the lowdown on the film from THR:

"Collateral" is hit man slang for a murder that a professional assassin has not yet been contracted for. The story centers on a New York cab driver who finds out that he is collateral when he discovers he is chauffeuring a hit man from murder to murder.
  

January 16, 2002

Tom Cruise is reportedly officially out of consideration for the starring role in Anthony Minghella's next film COLD MOUNTAIN.  Cruise was mulling the project over post-VANILLA SKY but recently cooled.  Previously, Brad Pitt had also shown interest but his schedule seems packed too (THE LAST MAN, THEY FOUGHT ALONE). Renee Zellweger and Julia Roberts had been interested in the female lead.  (Variety)

James Cameron has optioned the rights to the book "The Last of the Amazons" for his Lightstorm Entertainment to turn into a film.  No word on whether Cameron will direct the story about a group of female warriors who come close to overtaking Greece. The director has been a no-show in Hollywood since winning the Oscar for TITANIC so many years ago. (Variety)

One half of the Jay and Silent Bob team seems to have found himself in hot water.  A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Jason Mewes by the Monmouth County, New Jersey Prosecutor's Office for violating his probation. Mewes was charged with possession of heroin and was sentenced to two years probation. After failing to attend required meetings with his probation officer a court date was set, but neither Mewes nor his attorney attended and it was at this point the warrant was issued. (The Smoking Gun)

It was reported yesterday that Sony has spent upwards of $500,000 on its internet campaign alone for SPIDER-MAN.  Pretty interesting considering that JoBlo.com hasn't seen dime one of that money.  How 'bout throwing a couple bucks our way?!  We're not above selling out!  I'll sit here and chat Spidey for a few days straight!  Either way, they run a pretty neat site over there and it's just nice to see a studio having faith in the 'net. (Variety)
 

January 15, 2002

I first saw the news that Ted Demme had passed while trolling around the Discussion Boards this morning. At first, I thought it was a cruel, yet elaborate joke by one of the posters.  I hadn't heard anything of the news and considering I spend the vast majority of my free time scouring the 'net for stories, that's saying something. Immediately, I checked the AP wire and read the following story:

Here's a look back at just a few of Demme's films through the eyes of our own JoBlo...

BLOW (2001)   LIFE (1999)   BEAUTIFUL GIRLS (1996)

And if you really want to get depressed, check out this page at the official site for BLOW and watch all the behind-the-scenes footage from the set showing what a charismatic, funny and talented guy Demme was.

Wax Poetic on the Untimely Death of Ted Demme here
 

January 15, 2002

In case you didn't catch our Warner Bros 2002 Movie Previews a while back, we just received another batch of pictures for them, so feel free to browse away below (chronological order):

A WALK TO REMEMBER
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
QUEEN OF THE DAMNED
THE SALTON SEA
DEATH TO SMOOCHY
SHOWTIME
MURDER BY NUMBERS
JUWANNA MAN
INSOMNIA
SCOOBY-DOO
DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD
POWERPUFF GIRLS: THE MOVIE
DOWN AND UNDER
THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH
EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS
CITY BY THE SEA
WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD
GODS AND GENERALS
WHITE OLEANDER
GHOSTSHIP
ANALYZE THAT
ECKS VS. SEVER
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
CONSTANTINE
  

January 15, 2002

Last week it was first reported (by that scamp Harry Knowles at AICN) that Jennifer Garner of TV's "Alias" was the frontrunner to star as Elektra alongside Ben Affleck in DAREDEVIL.  After the Hollywood Reporter confirmed on Friday that Garner was indeed one of the candidates, Variety took the news one step further on Monday claiming the actress was in final negotiations and is expected to close a deal quickly.  Now with Elektra, Daredevil (Affleck) and Bullseye (Colin Farrell) cast, attention turns to The Kingpin, a role which, according to Fox, will be filled "imminently." Rumors previously held Michael Clarke Duncan and Robbie Coltraine as frontrunners for the part.

Now that the deal is done (for all intents and purposes) that will bring Jennifer Garner to DAREDEVIL, I'm starting to get a little queasy.  Just like the guy who thinks he can handle bungee-jumping until he gets to the edge of the bridge, I'm feeling like I want to back out.  Is there any way to stop the presses? Can't somebody scour Greece for the perfect unknown candidate? Elektra is such a tough, complex role and as I watch this "Alias" (which is a decent show, don't get me wrong), I just wonder if Garner has that certain "je ne sais quoi" to bring this role to life.  Oh, maannn....I'm getting antsy now.....

January 15, 2002

Honest Abe was kind enough to send us his thoughts on two scripts he's read recently.  First up is the next film from James Wong and Glen Morgan called WILLARD followed by this year's big 4th of July blockbuster MEN IN BLACK 2.  Here's Abe...

WILLARD (negative, minor spoilers)
Okay, I've never seen the original but regardless of that let's get into this. Willard (the character and the script) is pathetic. He's a loser with no friends who lives with his mom and works in the firm that was owned by his father until he sold it to his greedy partner. Willard finds rats in his basement and takes one on as a pet. Soon, Willard learns to command and control the rats like a general does an army. Willard meets Ben, described as being 18 inches long looking like a small dog, and soon realizes that he can use the rats to exact revenge against his boss. I can't tell if they're going for a character study of tragic proportions or a horror flick. HOW BOUT NEITHER??? This is a pure bore snore fest. The only bright spot is a female temp who works with Willard but she's badly underwritten. There are so many 'so what's' going throughout my mind as I read this, followed by an ocean of "who cares." There is one thing I have to mention about an early scene. Willard freaks when he first sees the rats. It's almost as if he's gonna have a heart attack but as soon as he comes upon a trapped baby rat, he suddenly pulls a 180 and acts like a new mother. I'm sorry, I can't continue to waste your time or mine on this review any more. Bottom line: AVOID LIKE THE PLAUGE!!!

MEN IN BLACK (positive, minor spoilers)
I'll keep this short cause I know there have been countless reviews about this already. Let me just say that I was a big fan of the first movie. If I had one problem with it: it was too short. I wanted more. I have the feeling that I may be feeling the same about the sequel. I really don't want to ruin anything but yes, Tommy Lee Jones is back and it's a totally plausable reason for why he's back. Some other familiar alien faces are back too and you'll be pleased to see who. I only have one problem and that's the love story that evolves around J (Will Smith) and Rosario Dawson. It just happens waaaay too quickly. This is an early draft of the script I read and the WTC is a key plot point in this draft. Needless to say, that has been changed (to what, I haven't heard). All in all, looks like Agents K and J have another blockbuster on their hands. Definite opening weekend viewing...and that's my bottom line.
 

January 15, 2002

Harrison Ford is currently working on a biopic based on the life of relief worker Fred Cuny for Alejandro Inarritu (AMORES PERROS) to direct. The star will produce and possibly star in the film about Cuny who, according to Harrison Ford Web, "traveled to the breakaway republic of Chechnya hoping to broker a ceasefire and evacuate 40,000 elderly Russians. He is believed to have been executed by thugs working for the chief of Chechnya's military intelligence." Ford recently narrated a documentary for PBS on the life of Cuny (for more information visit that site here) and has told Variety he has "been interested for some period of time" in bringing the man's life to the big screen.  The star has another Russian based film on the way - K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER, the story of the former USSR's first nuclear sub, hits theaters this June.

January 15, 2002

Some time back around when COP LAND was released, everyone predicted Sylvester Stallone was on the verge of a major comeback.  Gone were the mindless action films like DAYLIGHT and even more mindless comedies like STOP OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT and in its place, smart, character driven movies with solid scripts.  Somewhere in between then and now, Stallone fell off the wagon. Like an alcoholic jonesin for a bottle, Sly needed his fix of crappy movies and slowly crept back into the world after a few stinkers (DRIVEN was hardly the new Sly that was promised).  If what he says now about ROCKY 6 is even remotely true, someone (hell, everyone) needs to sit this poor soul down and have a good old-fashioned intervention. 

Yes, that's right - I said ROCKY 6! Stallone was out promoting his latest suckfest D-TOX and when asked about any more ROCKY or RAMBO sequels the man spoke out.  "It's true that I've written a story for ROCKY VI...this one will hopefully bring forward Rocky's more spiritual side. I really love this character, he's a part of me and I'm longing to bring him back. There are guys my age who still box, after all." But when asked about RAMBO, he says that character is "dead and buried."  Hmm.....interesting logic. RAMBO 4 is completely out of the question but ROCKY 6? - sure!!  I find myself wanting to editorialize on this more but I just don't see the point.  The man is gone.  There's no helping him now.

January 15, 2002

I've always led my life with a few basic mottoes.  One of those mottoes by which I like to live is stands that if I'm going down, I'm taking people with me.  Which is basically why I like to share my dementia with an international audience on a semi-daily basis.  There are plenty of things out there that bug the sh*t out of me and I feel it's my responsibility to share these things with you.  Much along the lines of the school that says, the only way to get an annoying song out of your head is to sing it so it gets stuck in someone else's. Ergo...

Has anyone else noticed while watching trailers for upcoming movies that they're advertising websites that aren't up yet?  Download the trailers for CHANGING LANES, HIGH CRIMES and UNFAITHFUL and then try to visit www.changinglanes.com, www.highcrimesmovie.com, or www.unfaithfulmovie.com.  Any luck? If so, then I've truly cracked and I suggest you alert the New Jersey authorities. These aren't the only examples and it just drives me nuts.  Why advertise something that's not open? Especially when a teaser page is so easy to put together, a retarded monkey could do it.  Most people would overlook something like this, but it's the little things that tend to drive me up a wall.  Anyway, back to work....
 

January 15, 2002

Jet Li admitted to me in our interview last summer that he knew ROMEO MUST DIE wasn't a great movie and he was hurt that the vast majority of his fans were let down by the film. So instead of distancing himself from projects of that sort, he signs up for CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, a project featuring three major players from ROMEO - producer Joel Silver, director Andrzej Bartkowiak, and the lyrical genius behind such lines as "Love my niggas but where's my bitches," rapper DMX. They even go so far as to say they're following the ROMEO style of inexpensive special effects, strong action and a hip soundtrack.  Yeah, cause it worked so well the first time...

The film will follow a cop (Li) who is forced to team with a street crook to find a girl kidnapped by a crime boss intent on obtaining rare diamonds and taking over the world and Jesus Christ my f*cking head is spinning. Anyway, I hope they can make this format work but let's just stay away from the kung-fu style used in the first film.  Just let Jet do his thing, kick a little ass and get out of his way.  Simple, right? Riiiiiight.
 

January 15, 2002

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. will lend their voices to the next animated feature from the creator of SHREK, John H. Williams.  The film, titled HAPPILY N'EVER AFTER, is loosely based on the old Brothers Grimm tales and follows a young woman who is unhappily involved with the Prince, and her unknown true love, who washed dishes at the palace.  Sigourney Weaver has also joined the cast as the evil stepmother to Gellar's character.  The project is being produced by Williams' Vanguard Films and is currently being shopped to interested studios.  A summer 2003 release has been pencilled in.  I have a lot of Freddie Prinze jokes I'd like to rattle off here but I'll save them for another time.
 

January 15, 2002

Source: Variety

The film studio forged by Steven Soderbergh, David Fincher, Spike Jonze and Alexander Payne is getting closer to being a done deal.  The quartet have zeroed in on a name (F-64) and decided on an executive in former Universal big cheese Jeff Korchek to handle the dealmaking end of the business.  The first film under the venture, which would give the directors complete control over their films, is expected to be Soderbergh's SOLARIS, with George Clooney starring.  And it looks like they're going to push the envelope right out of the blocks - word is that SOLARIS is headed for a NC-17 rating. (Variety)

Disney will turn their popular cable-TV series LIZZIE MCGUIRE into a feature film marking the first time they have developed a property from their Disney Channel.  The series, which stars 14-year-old Hilary Duff, follows a young girl's attempts to survive the rough and tumble world of seventh grade.  The project will begin filming this summer for a tentative Spring 2003 release date. (Variety)

Benjamin Bratt is going to war.  The man who somehow let Julia Roberts slip through his fingers (D'oh! D'oh! D'oh!) will star in Miramax's WWII film THE GREAT RAID as Col. Henry Mucci, a former Army mechanic, who wound up rescuing over 500 American prisoners of war. The film is based on true events. (Variety)

The sequel to AMERICAN PSYCHO, starring Mila Kunis and William Shatner, seems to have changed its subtitle from THE GIRL WHO WOULDN'T DIE to ALL AMERICAN GIRL and its know very likely that it will be a direct-to-video release. (Coming Attractions)
 

January 14, 2002

I got more than a few e-mails over the past few days wondering just what the hell was going on at JoBlo.com.  I have to apologize for not updating on Wednesday and again on Friday.  Here comes my lame ass explanation (beware - things could get graphic):  I just wasn't feeling very well at all. Not sure exactly what happened but I spent the greater part of Friday with my head buried inside a toilet retching out the inner lining of my stomach. Final count, after all was said and done - 10 vomits.  I felt really awful about leaving everyone who checks the site regularly for news although I felt really awful in general so...

In any event, I'm still not 100% (my wife seems to have caught what I had and the baby isn't feeling well either) so I can't promise too much at this juncture, but I promise I'll make it up to you throughout the week.  My sickness forced me to cancel a pretty cool interview opportunity scheduled for today (Monday), but I've got another one on Thursday, so hopefully that'll fill the void.  And if you notice anything that happened over the course of the last few days that we missed, please feel free to send it along to scoops@joblo.com and I'd be more than grateful.
  

January 14, 2002

One of the crappiest things about being sick this weekend was missing out on all the BOND 20 hoopla that took place on Friday.  MGM held a press conference to announce the start of production on BOND 20 and was streaming it over the net and all kinds of cool stuff.  Of course, I was shivering in a heap on the couch, but that's another story.

Anywho, while talking about the next BOND movie, star Pierce Brosnan revealed that this may not be his last James Bond film after all.  When asked about the possibility of his return, Brosnan stated clearly, "Let's just be straightforward, I will do another one."  While I'm not the biggest James Bond fan in the World, it's of my humble opinion that Brosnan is the best Bond going these days and to try and replace him with a subpar version would be silly - especially if he's willing to return. Check out all the goings on (including downloads in Windows Media format) from the BOND 20 press conference at the film's official site here.
  

January 14, 2002

Many a name have been bounced about when it comes to who will be starring as Elektra in Fox's upcoming DAREDEVIL feature film.  Most recently, the name Jennifer Garner of TV's "Alias" is the name most often mentioned.  Figuring out what reports are valid and which are bogus is like trying to grab a wet bar of soap - you just can't get a handle on it.  But courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter, we have a list of the final four candidates to star as the Greek assassin.  Here's the list - the above-mentioned Jennifer Garner, Jolene Blalock, Mia Maestro and Rhona Mitra. I've provided links to their respective pages on IMDB so you can see their respective resumes and make your own decision about whether they're a worthy candidate...
  

January 14, 2002

A whole mess of new pics from the upcoming Miramax film FRIDA, starring Salma Hayek, are online and you can check them out here.  I've said it before and I'll say it again - this woman has the best unibrow since Bert.

< click pic to see more >

Coming Attractions has a picture of a mansion in Vancouver they claim Fox has tapped as Professor X's School for Gifted Youngsters in the X-MEN sequel.  It certainly looks the part and we know that the film will shoot primarily in the Vancouver area so I would think this is on the up and up.  Head over to their page here and check it out...

Got a hankerin' to get your story straight on how KILL BILL is progressing?  Harry Knowles, buddy of Quentin Tarantino, took the time to debunk a lot of the rumors flying around the net, giving us more of an idea of what to expect when the film is finally released. And when will that be?  Harry tells you here

One of the stories I wanted to bring you last week was the confirmation directly from Criterion that there is no special edition DVD of THE GAME in the works at this time.  Got the e-mail last week and just thought I should pass it along.  Apparently, they are interested in doing one sometime in the future but are still trying to negotiate the rights.  And you know how long that crap takes.

Dimension Films' upcoming submarine thriller BELOW has been pushed back from a February 8th release to an unspecified date.  Word I'm getting directly from the studio has it that the film will probably see theaters in early-Spring.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND took another step closer to being nominated for a hell of a lot of Oscars by winning all the top awards (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress) at the Broadcast Film Critics Awards this past weekend.  BTW, I saw this a few weeks ago and yes, it is as good as everyone says.