'Hancock 2' Scripters, Tatum Goes Roman, Banks Joins Crowe 'Next' and More
Justin Theroux joins 'Your Highness' and Van Sant is 'Restless'
Columbia has hired scribes Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara to pen Hancock 2, the sequel to the 2008 Will Smith superhero movie, which grossed $624 million worldwide last year despite terrible reviews. Plot details are being kept under wraps, although original director Peter Berg hinted recently saying, "There might be another god out there… Might be another one." Both Smith and Berg are expected to return. [THR / SCI FI WIRE]
Yesterday morning Focus sent out a press release announcing the start of production on Kevin MacDonald's (State of Play) Roman epic adventure The Eagle of the Ninth and along with it came word Channing Tatum, Donald Sutherland and Mark Strong were joining Jamie Bell in the feature which is set in the dangerous world of second-century Britain. In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (Tatum) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia – to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth. Mr. Sutherland portrays Marcus' uncle Aquila, who has retired in Britain; Mr. Strong is cast as Guern, an ex-soldier who holds crucial information about the Ninth.
Elizabeth Banks is in final negotiations to star opposite Russell Crowe in Lionsgate's The Next Three Days, Paul Haggis' adaptation of the French thriller Pour elle, which centers on an ordinary couple who find themselves in an unthinkable situation and have to make desperate choices that will test the limits of love. [Variety]
Justin Theroux joins Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel as the villain of David Gordon Green's comedy Your Highness for Universal. The film, which is shooting in Ireland, centers on an arrogant, lazy prince (McBride) who must complete a quest to save his father's kingdom. Theroux will play Leezar, an evil wizard with a bejeweled magical staff who kidnaps a princess (Deschanel). [THR]
Gus van Sant is in negotiations with Columbia to develop and direct Restless, an original screenplay by first-time screenwriter Jason Lew. The logline is being kept under wraps, though it is described as contemporary and distinctive take on young love. [THR]
RSS Feed
| 8 comments so far 
news feeds