Film News

CBS is eyeing a spy drama based on aspects of Robert Ludlum’s novels about the spies who work for the secretive Treadstone Corp. Project is in the early stage of development for CBS and CBS TV Studios. Eye has ordered a script to be penned by scribe John Glenn. Glenn will exec produce. “CSI” maven Anthony Zuiker is also on board as an exec producer.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118023727.html?categoryId=14&cs=1

Many professionals are staying past first weekend, as festival is abuzz with strong showings of Black Swan, Potiche, Somewhere and Meek’s Cutoff.

A TV series is also a possibility for the popular Microsoft video game.

Get a glimpse of the actress on the Los Angeles set of the David Fincher directed adaptation of Stieg Larsson's crime thriller trilogy.

Olivia Thirlby has been cast as Cassandra Anderson in DNA Films’ 3D adaptation of “Judge Dredd.” Thirlby will star opposite Karl Urban’s Dredd in the futuristic action pic. She will play the telepathic rookie who shadows Dredd. Pic is helmed by “Vantage Point” and “Omagh” director Pete Travis and script is penned by “Sunshine” and “28 Days Later” scribe Alex Garland (both DNA-produced fare). The $45 million futuristic pic is backed by India-based Reliance Big Entertainment and Stuart Ford’s aggressive sales outfit IM Global through a deal with Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich’s DNA Films banner.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118023709.html?categoryId=19&cs=1

CBS is developing a sitcom project based on upcoming book “The True Adventures of a Terrible Dater.” Susan Brightbill, who wrote the book (set to be published this year), is adapting it into a half-hour comedy. “Dater” centers on a single woman who works as an architect in Chicago and her friends as she navigates the world of dating. Sheldon Turner and Jennifer Klein will exec produce the project, which comes from Warner Bros. TV.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118023685.html?categoryId=4027&cs=1

Jaleel White and Parris Mosteller have joined the cast of family pic “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer,” which director John Schultz (”Aliens in the Attic”) has begun lensing in Los Angeles. “Judy Moody” toplines Australian actress Jordana Beatty, while Heather Graham will play the impulsive Aunt Opal. Adapted screenplay was penned by Kathy Waugh and Megan McDonald, author of the popular Judy Moody book series. Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness are producing through their Smokewood Entertainment shingle.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118023683.html?categoryId=13&cs=1

Scripter Brian Lynch (”Hop”) has signed an exclusive overall deal with Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment. Lynch shared “Hop” screenplay credit with Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It’s the tale of a slacker who accidentally hits the Easter Bunny with his car and is forced to save Easter himself. Universal has set an April 1 release date for the CGI-live action comedy produced by Meledandri with John Cohen.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118023679.html?categoryId=13&cs=1

The English-language film will tell the tale of the legendary soldier Hua Mulan.

The 14th Beijing Screenings will be held from Sept 7-10 tin Beijing with up-and-coming filmmaker Kong Lingchen’s City Monkey being the opening film of the 4-day film market, the event’s organizer China Film Group and China Film Promotion International announced.

Sunday estimates: 'Takers' holds strong at No. 2, Robert Rodriguez's film drops to third place.

Berlin-based sales company m-appeal has added Polish filmmaker Marcin Wrona’s second feature film The Christening to its lineup ahead of its international premiere in Toronto’s Vanguard sidebar next week.

Titles sold include Angele Et Tony and Naomi.

McG is teaming with “Prison Break” creator Paul Scheuring to develop a private eye series at ABC. The McG/Scheuring project, “I, PI,” has scored a hefty commitment from the Alphabet net. What’s more, McG is looking to carve out time from his busy feature career to direct the hourlong should it go to pilot. “I, PI” is a blue-sky actioner centering on an investigator who learned everything he ever needed to know about being a P.I. from watching shows like “Magnum, P.I.” and “Simon and Simon” while growing up. As a result, he tends to subconsciously emulate those TV shamuses while out on the streets.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118023678.html?categoryId=14&cs=1

Jan de Bont has signed up to direct Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi in an independently-produced, English-language co-production of the classic tale of Hua Mulan, the legendary young heroine soldier who joins an all-male army. “Mulan,” set to start shooting this fall outside Shanghai, is screenwriter John Blickstead’s recreation of the Chinese Joan of Arc story that was first described in a 6th century poem. The story was popularized around the world in the 1998 Walt Disney animated film of the same name. Zhang is one of China’s biggest actresses, and the new “Mulan” film comes at a time when the country’s movie business is growing by leaps and bounds at home but has scored relatively few hits overseas.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ic89e89e7caab6358a04c86ced39f8b13

Jesse Wigutow has been tapped to rewrite Summit’s “The Osterman Weekend,” the remake of the 1983 Sam Peckinpah thriller. Robert Schwentke is directing. In the reboot, on the eve of an annual weekend getaway with friends, a man is visited by a reporter who tells him his friends aren’t who he thinks they are. When the reporter turns up dead, the man gets caught in downward spiral of doubt and paranoia and, ultimately, a desperate fight to stay alive long enough to figure out who he can trust and who’s out to kill him. The story is based on a Robert Ludlum novel, and the reporter character was a CIA agent in the original film, which was set against the backdrop of the Cold War. Producing are Peter Davis via his Davis-Panzer Productions banner, Simon Kinberg via his Genre Films banner, Doug Liman, and Jeffrey Weiner on behalf of Ludlum Entertainment.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ic89e89e7caab63580b518f5d8eb83ab5

British thesp Jamie Bell is in final negotiations for cop thriller “Man on a Ledge” for Summit Entertainment and Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Sam Worthington’s attached to star with Asger Leth directing. Anthony Mackie’s also in talks to star. Mark Vahradian and David Ready are also producing the film. Script, penned by Pablo Fenjves, centers on a female psychologist and a former NYPD officer who threatens to jump to his death.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118023686.html?categoryId=4076&cs=1

Continuing its quest to populate its programming with more original shows, IFC has added two new series to its fall lineup. The first, a 15-minute commercial-free pop culture roundup called “The Grid,” premieres on Sept. 9 at 7:45PM, and the second, a musical documentary show featuring artists such as Snoop Dogg and La Roux called “360 Sessions,” premieres on Sept. 7 at 9PM.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/09/03/ifc-adds-two-new-shows-to-its-lineup/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29

Director Danny Boyle and star James Franco presented an unscheduled, but not unexpected, sneak peek of "127 Hours" at the Telluride Film Festival on Saturday.

IFC Films has snagged North American rights to “Inhale,” the Baltasar Kormakur thriller toplined by Dermot Mulroney and Diane Kruger. “Inhale,” set to have its U.S. preem at the Woodstock Film Festival in October, will be released on IFC Film’s VOD platform later that month. Movie also gets a theatrical run starting Oct. 22 at Gotham’s IFC Center. Storyline follows a district attorney (Mulroney) who uncovers nefarious activities while on a desperate search for a doctor to save his young daughter, who needs a double lung transplant. Sam Shepard, Rosanna Arquette, Vincent Perez and Jordi Molla also appear in the pic. Walter Doty and John Claflin pen the script for “Inhale” based on a story by Christian Escario.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118023666.html?categoryId=13&cs=1