Got a scoop...tell us here!
or email Joey Baloney directly here
 

May 11, 2001

Director Paul Verhoeven (HOLLOW MAN) is set to direct OFFICIAL ASSASSINS, a film about German scientists recruited by both the United States and the former Soviet Union to develop weapons for use during the cold war. Verhoeven has been developing the project for some time and he says it all came together quickly and he's now looking to start filming this fall in Berlin. He describes the plot as such, "It pinpoints the beginning of the Cold War in the fall of 1945, when American politics switched from considering the Germans evil to believing that their ally, the Russians, were the real enemy." But will there be a STARSHIP TROOPERS-esque shower scene?
 

May 11, 2001

Hot off the heels of the premiere of APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX at the Cannes Film Festival, director Francis Ford Coppola has announced his next project will be the epic MEGALOPOLIS. The film is being compared to THE GODFATHER and APOCALPYSE NOW in scope and centers around one man's obsession to build the ultimate city. Coppola has met with George Lucas to discuss the positives and negatives of digital filmmaking, as this is an option he is weighing for this film. Look for filming to begin early next year in, where else, New York City.
 

May 11, 2001

Sean "Puffy" Combs (or as I call him, The Guy Who Saw Jennifer Lopez Naked) is in negotiations to join Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger and Halle Berry in MONSTER'S BALL. P-Diddy would be playing a death row inmate (quite a stretch...) whose widow (Berry) falls in love with a racist prison guard (Thornton). Combs can next been seen in the Jon Favreau/Vince Vaughn comedy MADE.
 

May 11, 2001

Lisa Kudrow has signed on to star in INTENSE GIRL SCOUTS, a black comedy which she will also produce. Kudrow will play a woman who when banned from the Girl Scouts for "good deeds gone awry," grows increasingly unstable and winds up involved in a murder with her mysterious next-door neighbor. As long as Matt LeBlanc isn't making any more movies, I'm a happy camper. Add David Schwimmer to that list. Courtney Cox too. Might as well just throw in Matthew Perry while you're at it.
 

May 11, 2001

James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment bought the rights to Anne Rice's THE MUMMY OR RAMSES THE DAMNED, which you can expect to be changed to RAMSES THE DAMNED for theaters as to avoid confusion with that other mummy movie. Here's the plot straight from the pages of Variety: "The story centers on Egyptian pharaoh Ramses the Great, who, after sleeping for 2,000 years, is awakened by an archeologist, who is then charged with keeping Ramses -- and his secret to eternal life-- safe." I didn't even thing THE MUMMY was that great to have rip-offs, but I guess you pull in those kind of numbers and you've got to be doing something right.
  

May 11, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• Sony has purchased the North-American rights to RESIDENT EVIL for Columbia Pictures to distribute. Read more here
• Ang Lee's short film THE CHOSEN is online and you can download it right here
• A script review of the upcoming AMERICAN PSYCHO sequel is online here
• Dark Horizons scored some more pictures from O that you can check out here

May 10, 2001

"The Matrix Reloaded"

According to the boyz over at Corona's Coming Attractions, the official Matrix 2 title is now the header above. Nobody is exactly sure what it means, but for now, we're going with the story. They've also confirmed the presence of Ugo Weaving (the cooler than cool Agent Smith from the original) in the sequel as Agent Smith once again, which will hopefully balance off the whole "Jada Pinkett Smith" thing...

Discuss the Matrix 2...oops...The Matrix Reloaded here
    

May 10, 2001

It doesn't happen too often, but every now and then, one of our illustrious JoBlo co-workers gets the opportunity to visit the set of an upcoming movie. Well, in this case, our own Dr. Drew, the man behind every single DVD review on the DVD Clinic, was able to finagle his way onto the set of "Sum of all Fears" as an extra in the "Superbowl scene". The film is currently shooting in Montreal, Canada, and stars Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan and Morgan Freeman as the president. It's the fourth film in the "Jack Ryan" series, all based on Tom Clancy's novels.

Read his entire report here (with pictures)
  

May 10, 2001

Dimension Films announced that Jamie-Lee Curtis will return as Laurie Strode in HALLOWEEN 8 (subtitled HOMECOMING?...) joining rapper Busta Rhymes and all around hottie Tyra Banks.  Rick Rosenthal (HALLOWEEN 2) is set to return to the director's chair when filming kicks off next week in Vancouver.  Rosenthal said in an interview on the official site that they're looking at ways to revitalize the Michael Myers point-of-view and possibly touching up the famous mask (maybe molding it after Leonard Nemoy's face this time?). For the latest on this movie and more in the horror world, keep checking back in with Arrow in the Head and our very own News Reaper.
  

May 10, 2001

Director Robert Rodriguez (SPY KIDS) and Antonio Banderas are set to re-team for ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA: DESPERADO 2, a sequel to the 1995 film on which both worked.  Miramax's Dimension Films will handle international distribution while Columbia takes the United States. Salma Hayek may also return but this has not been confirmed.  The project looks to begin production this June. I'm guessing that without the huge success of SPY KIDS, Rodriguez probably couldn't have gotten this film made.
 

May 10, 2001

Well...not really.  Kevin Smith and his team at View Askew have taken a page from the A.I. book of marketing and created a fake movie news website called Movie Poop Shoot, that reports on the filming of a "Bluntman and Chronic" movie, which in actuality is the basis for Smith's upcoming JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK.  The page was created as a means to premiere the film's internet-only trailer and parody the millions of movie websi....HEY!  Wait a second, that's me!  Oh well, it's pretty hilarious anyway...check it out!

Download the internet-only trailer for J&SBSB here
  

May 10, 2001

Gore Verbinski (THE MEXICAN) will direct the sci-fi film SPACELESS, a once animated feature that was scrapped after the miserable performance of TITAN AE at the box office caused Fox Animation to shut its doors. This time the film will be live-action and the plot revolves around "an assassin floating helplessly through space waiting for his air supply to run out records to his spacesuit computer the mysterious events that lead to his death."  The script will be reworked by original screenwriter Jeff Vintar and while the project seems to have some steam now, it probably won't happen until after Verbinski finishes work on BUTTERFLY starring Julia Roberts, which is aiming for a post-strike (if there is one) start date.
 

May 10, 2001

Jim Gillespie, who directed the hour and a half long tribute to the bouncing tits of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Love Hewitt called I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (and I thank him for it), will begin work on JULIAN, a supernatural thriller, in July.  The film revolves around a young girl who's dead brother, disguised as her imaginary friend, begins killing people to protect her.  Gillespie's last film, EYE SEE YOU (formerly DETOX) starring Sylvester Stallone, has yet to be released.
 

May 10, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• Clips from MOULIN ROUGE are online here and you can watch them as the folks in Cannes watch the premiere of the film
• A review of the long delayed Gary Sinise thriller IMPOSTER can be found by clicking here
• Video from the interview and presentation session for AI that took place at MIT can be viewed unedited here
• Pictures of Gwyneth Paltrow in her fat suit for SHALLOW HAL are online here (thanks to Gary, who assures us these are Gwyneth and not her stand in...)

May 9, 2001

You've probably heard the rumors about Quentin Tarantino's "secret film" (40 LASHES) that he plans to unveil at this year's Cannes Film Festival.  That rumor continues to gain steam as we learn the following facts.  First, Harry Knowles, who is quite friendly with Tarantino's camp, has tried repeatedly to get a confirmation/denial but they won't even return his calls. Are they covering up?  Secondly, I read today that a film entitled AMELIE has been pulled from the festival by its director and replaced with (get this) a "surprise film."  Could it be?....
  

May 9, 2001

Joe Dante (GREMLINS, SMALL SOLDIERS) is in final negotiations to direct the psychological thriller MINDHUNTERS.  The film "revolves around the FBI's psychological profiling division, whose members are referred to as mindhunters, and involves seven new recruits in training on a remote island to track serial killers. The trainees must put theory into practice when it emerges that a killer is among them." Production will begin this fall. No cast has been announced but expect deals to come together quickly once Dante officially signs.
 

May 9, 2001

Warner Bros. and Gaylord Films (great name...) have said "full speed ahead" to THE LIST, a Sandra Bullock comedy "about a woman who tries to become her boyfriend's ideal woman, based on his wish list." They have hired writers Paul Guay and Steven Mazur, who wrote LIAR, LIAR, for a rewrite of the original script by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott. Bullock will also be producing the film with her Fortis Films company.
 

May 9, 2001

Shekhar Kapur, who directed Cate Blanchett to a Best Actress Academy Award nomination in ELIZABETH and has just finished directing Wes Bentley, Kate Hudson and Heath Ledger in FOUR FEATHERS, is expected to direct the upcoming film version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Antonio Banderas is still in negotiations to take the title role of the film. Andrew Lloyd Webber has written new songs for the film (which I imagine will still be a musical) and has even had "sing throughs" for his new works.  The budget for the film is set at $40 million and should begin production sometime this fall/winter.
   

May 9, 2001

We received word today from DreamWorks that the computer animated film SHREK will open two days early on May 16th in New York (Loews Lincoln Square) and Los Angeles (AMC Century 14) because of higher than expected enthusiasm for the film.  The rest of the United States will have to wait until the film goes wide on Friday, May 18th.  I really hope it's as good as everyone says it is. JoBlo sees it tomorrow nite. Nothing's worse than overhype...
 

May 9, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• Yes, SPIDER-MAN is still filming in New York and you can read some set reports from filming here
• Some behind the scenes screenshots of THE SCORPION KING can be found here
• The official site for A BEAUTIFUL MIND (starring Russell Crowe and Ed Harris) is now online
• Screw the AKIRA re-release in the theaters (yeah, I said it) and read the books instead (Warning:  shameless plug ahead!!). I bought part 1 and part 2 last night and they're amazing to read if you've only seen the movie.

May 8, 2001

Cindy Pearlman spoke with Ivan Reitman, who directed the upcoming film EVOLUTION, and spoke briefly about his PINK PANTHER project that has been in the works for some time now. He says he and Mike Myers "are working on a script right now."  He goes on to mention that Myers is weary of committing 100% to the project because Myers wants to "find a whole new character for himself that's not Peter Sellers, but is also not AUSTIN POWERS."  Personally, I think this is the wrong project for Mike Myers, or anyone for that matter, and he should've stuck with something like CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND or possibly even DIETER (though I can understand why he left that behind). Next for Myers is the third and final (?) installment in the AUSTIN POWERS series.
  

May 8, 2001

A neat-o picture of Ashley Scott (hottie) and Jude Law from A.I. (courtesy of The LA Times) has popped up online over at Harry's place. For those still living under a rock, the film is directed by Steven Spielberg, stars Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, William Hurt and Robin Williams as the narrator? Aaaaanyway, the release date on it is June 29, 2001 and here is that pic:

< Click on pic for bigger version >
   

May 8, 2001

Well, Kate Hudson's next is actually ABOUT ADAM, which she filmed before ALMOST FAMOUS and after that is the period drama, FOUR FEATHERS with Wes Bentley, so this film really isn't her next, but...you get the point.  Kate has signed on for her next film, HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS (which I can guarantee will get a name change), which is a romantic-comedy set at Paramount.  She will star as a girl who gives a womanizing young stud a run for his money, after he bets his buddies he can stay in a relationship for a full 10 days.  I have the perfect project for Kate Hudson, if only I could get through to her.  Why don't they cast her as Fertility in the film adaptation of Chuck Pahlaniuk's SURVIVOR alongside Ed Norton?  Now, that's a film I'd be excited to see...
 

May 8, 2001

The boys at CHUD claim to have gotten their hands on some inside information and figured out the title to the Darren Aronofsky/Brad Pitt, top secret, sci-fi project.  They say that it will be called THE LAST MAN.  I have heard no information confirming or denying this bit of information, but it sounds good to me. CHUD is generally pretty trustworthy and I doubt that they would throw it up if they didn't have something backing it up.  The film is set to begin shooting this fall and may also star Aronofsky (and Brad Pitt) veteran, Jared Leto.  Maybe after this film, I won't think of The Frozen Embryos from MY SO-CALLED LIFE every time I see Jared Leto.  It's a curse, I tell you.
 

May 8, 2001

Two high-profile, fourth-quarter 2001 films are doing the release date shuffle.  First, VANILLA SKY, starring Tom Cruise (who recently took a break from MINORITY REPORT to participate in re-shoots) will move to December 14th from mid-October.  Second, BLACK HAWK DOWN, directed by Ridley Scott and featuring an ensemble cast to enormous to list here, will be moving to March 1st, 2002 from November, 2001 to avoid competition like SPY GAME and WINDTALKERS.
  

May 8, 2001

Every once in a while, I like to find a project currently in development that hasn't had much movement (i.e., KILL BILL and the above-mentioned SURVIVOR) and report on the film's status, rumors, what we know for sure, etc.  This installment comes in the form of the film version of Dave Eggers' best-selling memoir A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS.  The rights to the book were bought by a then Michael DeLuca-run New Line Cinema for a whopping $2 million plus bonuses totaling close to $1 million.  What may be more impressive than the price tag was the creative freedom given to author Eggers regarding the film's output (he had to right to approve the film's treatment, screenplay, screenwriter, producer and director).  Unfortunately in the know post-DeLuca era of New Line, so-called "artsy" projects as this one are being put on the back burner as the studio aims to try to make money instead of take risks.  Here's what we do know so far:

• Eggers has met with Paul Thomas Anderson to discuss his possible involvement and the director is still being actively courted by New Line to direct;
• Other directors who have expressed interest in directing have been Lasse Hallstrom (THE CIDER HOUSE RULES) and Curtis Hanson (WONDER BOYS);
• Eggers will donate the majority the money he makes of this film to cancer-related charities (the book chronicles, among many other things, the loss of his two parents to cancer).

I'm glad to see that Dave Eggers has so much say in this movie, because otherwise, I would be extremely worried that they would screw it up (see the ANGELA'S ASHES movie).  If he's involved and PTA comes aboard, then we've got ourselves a film.  Now, if they could just get this plane off the ground...
 

May 8, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• Someone was clever enough to take a picture of Jada Pinkett-Smith's stunt double from THE MATRIX 2 and it gives a glimpse of Niobi's look in the film
• That Tommy Lee Jones/MEN IN BLACK 2 rumor we ran last week about his being off the film is has been confirmed as being 100% untrue (as seen in the New York Post)

May 7, 2001

Someone was sneaking around in the bushes of the MINORITY REPORT set and was able to take some shots of Tom Cruise on walking around in between takes. Here we can see a very straight and heterosexual Tom dressed in black and looking rather muscular. Unfortunately we don't get a clear look at his uniform, but hopefully our anonymous scooper (hint, hint) will continue his/her stakeout and get us some more shots. The movie is being directed by none other than Steven Spielberg, is a sci-fi thriller and co-stars Meryl Streep, Colin Farrell, Peter Stormare and Max Von Sydow. Cruise is playing a "cop in the future working in a division of the police department that arrests killers before they commit the crimes courtesy of some future viewing technology. Cruise's character has the tables turned on him when he is accused of a future crime and must find out what brought it about and stop it before it can happen." Check out the pics below:

< Click on pics for bigger versions >
  

May 7, 2001

The professional wrestler known as The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson is on a roll! First, he gets a 5-minute cameo in the record-breaking THE MUMMY RETURNS movie made to look like a starring role, and then he gets his own picture, based on the character he plays in the MUMMY RETURNS, entitled "THE SCORPION KING" green lit before the latter film has even opened! That's right, The Rock is currently one month into filming his own movie, with a sweet $5 million paycheck to boot, and is taking it all very seriously. "I hired an acting coach", said the People's Champion, "A man by the name of Larry Moss." Moss advised Helen Hunt for AS GOOD AS IT GETS and Jim Carrey for the upcoming THE MAJESTIC. Not bad company! And with MUMMY director Stephen Sommers on board as co-writer and co-producer, and Oscar nominated actor Michael Clarke Duncan playing his nemesis king Balthazar in the movie, things may keep cooking for the one-time struggling CFL (Canadian Football League) member for years to come. The film is being directed by Chuck Russell (BLESS THE CHILD, ERASER, MASK)
 

May 7, 2001

Director M. Night Shyamalan, best known for messing with people's heads during the end of his movies, has apparently turned down the opportunity to pen the next in the Indiana Jones movies. This decision apparently didn't faze Steven Spielberg and George Lucas much, as they quickly offered the duties over to recent Oscar winner, Stephen Gaghan, the man behind last year's TRAFFIC. Gaghan is currently taking part in his directorial debut in Montreal, Canada, called ABANDON, a thriller starring Katie Holmes and Benjamin Bratt. 
 

May 7, 2001

In a resolution that came at the so-called "zero-hour", the Writer's Guild of America has come to terms with Hollywood producers that will avoid a strike that could've crippled the entertainment industry and forced Americans to actually take walks outside and spend time with their loved ones. Considering that I'm three IQ points shy of being clinically diagnosed as an idiot, I won't even try to explain the settlement to you. Instead, I recommend you read this article, which breaks it down rather nicely.
 

May 7, 2001

Coming Soon is reporting that a German site has posted a whole mess of goodies from the upcoming RESIDENT EVIL film, based on the popular video game. Included are some official press photos and a damn creepy Real Video make-up test for star Michelle Rodriguez (GIRLFIGHT). This is beginning to look like some pretty cool stuff, especially from a film that could barely scrape up any of my interest a few months ago. Check out whole site (beware, it is in German) here.
 

May 7, 2001

Now normally here at JoBlo we don't cover the short film circuit for a variety of reasons. But today is the exception. Directors John Doby and Jude Flori have created a short film entitled "HEY PAISAN!" (what the hell does paisan mean anyway?) that's making some serious noise in the industry. It has gotten comparisons to THE SOPRANOS but really the only similarities they have is a dysfunctional Italian family. Doby's script won first prize at this year's SCRIPTAPALOOZA and the film (which was originally conceived as a TV pilot) will be screening in New York and Los Angeles soon. Flori spoke of the differences between her film and THE SOPRANOS and said that while the latter tends to offend the Italian community, PAISAN will "offend everybody equally." When screening dates are announced, I'll pass the information along to you.
 

May 7, 2001

Jay Roach spoke at the premiere of SHREK about his next two films, AUSTIN POWERS 3 and MEET THE FOCKERS. Roach said that POWERS will most likely happen first because both Stiller and De Niro are tied up in other projects for some time. He says Mike Myers is currently working on ideas for a third film and contrary to reports, Heather Graham's Felicity Shagwell may be back. He did not elaborate on the rumor that Sean Connery has been wooed to play Austin's father. As for FOCKERS, a sequel to MEET THE PARENTS, Roach says "We just like the idea of Robert being confronted by Ben Stiller's parents...And maybe Robert's a little more off-balance. But we still want Ben to be struggling to keep it all together."
  

May 7, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• Another shot of Winona Ryder from the set of DEEDS is online here. Apparently, she's got a broken arm in the film
• Access Hollywood aired some footage from JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK and you can download it here
• You can read a description of a scene from INSOMNIA where Robin Williams and Al Pacino face off here