When reality enters into movies,
studios are faced with difficult choices. The Trayvon Martin incident in
Florida is focusing an uncomfortable light into 20th Century Fox’s
upcoming July release Neighborhood Watch.
The film’s teaser, which the studios describe as “a broad alien-invasion comedy
and bears absolutely no relation to the tragic events in Florida,” features
stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade attack the
block with intimidating stares while Hill makes finger-guns and later
manhandles a hoodie-clad teen. This most striking parallel forced Fox to pull
both the teaser posters and trailer from Florida altogether, noting they are “very
sensitive to the Trayvon Martin case.”
The studio announced they plan to move into the next phase of their
marketing of the film, but intend to keep the July 27th release
date, hoping I guess that there is some resolution to this horrible event.
Oscar winning actor Graham Greene
has joined Syfy’s new pilot Defiance,
which is based on the MMO game of the same name. Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
recurring actress Julie Benz also stars in this post-apocalyptic project. The
pilot will be directed by Scott Stewart (Legion,
Priest) and was written by Rockne O’Bannon (V, Farscape, Alien Nation), Kevin Murphy (Caprica, Reaper) and Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).
Jack Bender, who helmed many
episodes of Lost and who was attached to direct the reboot of author Tom Clancy’s
Jack Ryan character, has departed the Paramount Pictures production due to his
heavy workload. It’s being reported that actor/director Kenneth Branagh, who
helmed Paramount’s money making Thor,
will now direct the feature. Chris Pine is still attached to play Ryan, with
likely production to begin mere weeks after Pine finishes up his work on the Star Trek sequel. The script is
supposed to deal with Ryan’s early years in the CIA, and not based on any of
the novels –though the idea is based on a story contained within one of the
Clancy novels.
One of the first Japanese manga
series I ever encountered while working in the bookstore business was Lone Wolf and Cub back in the late
1980s. Now Kamala Films has acquired the film rights to the 1970s series by
Kazuo Koike. The story is set in Japan's feudal Edo period, and follows the
Shogun’s elite executioner whose wife is killed and he's framed by a rival
clan. He's forced to wander Japan with his three-year-old son Daigoro as an
assassin for hire. Justin Lin (Fast Five)
is attached to helm the film, while David & Janet Peoples (Blade Runner, Unforgiven) will write the script.
Emmy winning actor Peter Dinklage
and the legendary Catherine O’Hara have been cast in the fantasy drama Rememory. The story revolves around a
brilliant professor who mysteriously dies on the eve of releasing his
life-changing invention. His wife, Carolyn (O’Hara), discovers the device which
records and plays memories. Dinklage plays a friend who helps figure out the
mystery. Mark Palansky will direct from a script he developed with Mike
Vukadinovich.
Bob Odenkirk has been added to
the cast of the stop-motion R rated animated comedy Hell & Back, joining a voice cast that includes Mila Kunis,
Nick Swardson, TJ Miller and Rob Riggle. This will be the film from stop-motion
Robot Chicken studio ShadowMachine. The comedy is about two best friends who must
rescue their buddy from the depths of hell. Odenkirk –a two-time Emmy winner
for writing- will play the Devil, who’s been running Hell since before time
began, and it’s starting to get on his nerves. Tommy Gianas is directing.
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