Sundance 2011 Out Of Competition Movies

PREMIERES

To showcase the diversity of contemporary independent cinema, the Sundance Film Festival Premieres section offers the latest work from American and international directors as well as world premieres of highly anticipated films. Presented by Entertainment Weekly, the Festival's first and longest-standing corporate sponsor. Each is a world premiere.

Cedar Rapids / U.S.A. (Director: Miguel Arteta; Screenwriter: Phil Johnston) - A wholesome and naive small-town Wisconsin man travels to big city Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at a regional insurance conference. Cast: Ed Helms, John C Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Alia Shawkat, Sigourney Weaver.

The Convincer / U.S.A. (Director: Jill Sprecher; Screenwriters: Jill Sprecher & Karen Sprecher) - An insurance salesman, caught in a caper involving a rare musical instrument, sets off a series of dramatic consequences. Cast: Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Billy Crudup, David Harbour.

The Details / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jacob Aaron Estes) - When hungry raccoons discover worms living under the sod in a young couple's backyard, the pest problem sets off a wild and absurd chain reaction of domestic tension, infidelity, organ donation and murder by way of bow and arrow. Cast: Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert.

The Devil's Double / Belgium (Director: Lee Tamahori; Screenwriter: Michael Thomas) - An extraordinary chapter in recent history providing a chilling vision of the House of Saddam comes to life through the eyes of the man who knew too much. Cast: Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier, Mimoun Oaissa, Raad Rawi, Philip Quast.

I Melt with You / Canada, U.S.A. (Director: Mark Pellington; Screenwriter: Glenn Porter, based on the story by Glenn Porter and Mark Pellington) - Four friends gather every year to celebrate their friendship. This year they are unexpectedly forced to confront a forgotten promise they made 25 years earlier. As they examine choices they've made, they realize that what they said they would do with their lives and what they have done are entirely different. Cast: Thomas Jane, Jeremy Piven, Rob Lowe, Christian McKay, Carla Gugino.

Life in a Day / United Kingdom (Director: Kevin Macdonald) - Life in a Day is a historic global experiment to create the world's largest user-generated feature film. On July 24, 2010, professional and amateur filmmakers captured a glimpse of their lives on camera and uploaded the footage to YouTube, serving as a time capsule for future generations.

Margin Call / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: JC Chandor) - Over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis, the key people at an investment bank struggle to decide how to handle an emergency business situation while examining the personal and moral implications of every action they take. Cast: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci.

The Music Never Stopped (Director: Jim Kohlberg; Screenwriters: Gwyn Lurie and Gary Marks, based on the story "The Last Hippie" by Oliver Sacks) - A father struggles to bond with his estranged son who suffers a brain tumor that prevents him from forming new memories. He learns to embrace his son's choices and to try to connect with him through the power of music. Cast: J.K. Simmons, Julia Ormond, Cara Seymour, Lou Taylor Pucci, Mia Maestro. SALT LAKE CITY GALA FILM

My Idiot Brother / U.S.A. (Director: Jesse Peretz; Screenwriters: Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall) - After serving time for selling pot, Ned successively moves in with each of his three sisters as he tries to get back on his feet. His best intentions quickly bring the family to the cusp of chaos and ultimately the brink of clarity. Cast: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer.

Perfect Sense / United Kingdom (Director: David Mackenzie; Screenwriter: Kim Fupz Aakeson) - A poetic and magnetic love story about two people who start to fall in love just as the world begins to fall apart. Cast: Ewan McGregor, Eva Green, Ewen Bremner, Stephen Dillane, Denis Lawson and Connie Nielsen.

Red State / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kevin Smith) - A group of misfits encounter extreme fundamentalism in Middle America. Cast: Michael Parks, Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, John Goodman, Melissa Leo.

Salvation Boulevard / U.S.A. (Director: George Ratliff; Screenwriters: Doug Max Stone and George Ratliff, based on the novel by Larry Beinhart) - An evangelical preacher who has captivated a city with his charm frames an ex-hippie for a crime he did not commit. Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei.

The Son of No One / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Dito Montiel) - Two men in post-9/11 New York are forced to relive two murders they committed as young boys. Their lives start to unravel by the threat of the revelation of these shocking and personal secrets. Cast: Channing Tatum, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Tracy Morgan, Ray Liotta, Juliette Binoche. CLOSING NIGHT FILM

Win Win / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Tom McCarthy, based on the story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni) - When a disheartened attorney moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach stumbles across a star athlete, things seem to be looking up. That is, until the boy's mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything. Cast: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor.

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES
With the expanding impact and popularity of documentaries in our world today, Documentary Premieres is a new section for 2011 that furthers the Institute's commitment to this important form of storytelling by showcasing films on big subjects and new works by master filmmakers. Each is a world premiere.

Becoming Chaz / U.S.A. (Directors: Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato) - Born biologically female, Chastity Bono invites the viewer into a deeply personal journey as he transitions from female to male, embracing his true self, which is Chaz.

Bobby Fischer Against the World / U.S.A. (Director: Liz Garbus) - The drama of late chess-master Bobby Fischer's career was undeniable,as he careened from troubled childhood, to World Champion and Cold War icon, to a fugitive on the run.

Granito / U.S.A. (Director: Pamela Yates) - A documentary film intertwines with Guatemala's turbulent history and emerges as an active player in a nation's struggle to heal itself and serve up justice.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold / U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Spurlock) - A documentary about branding, advertising and product placement is financed and made possible by branding, advertising and product placement.

The Interrupters / U.S.A. (Director: Steve James) - From the Academy Award-winning director of Hoop Dreams comes a story of ex-gang members who are now protecting their communities from the violence they themselves once employed.

Reagan / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Eugene Jarecki) - Reagan examines the enigmatic career of one of the revered architects of the modern world - icon, screen star, and two-term president Ronald Reagan.

Rebirth / U.S.A. (Director: Jim Whitaker) - Weaving together five stories of individuals whose lives were profoundly altered by the 9/11 attack with unprecedented time-lapse footage of Ground Zero composed over ten years, what emerges is a chronicle of grief's evolution and a nation healing.

These Amazing Shadows / U.S.A. (Directors: Paul Mariano and Kurt Norton) - The history and importance of the National Film Registry unfolds in a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflects the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself.

NEXT

Eight American films selected for their innovative and original work in low- and no-budget filmmaking. Each is a world premiere.

Bellflower / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Evan Glodell) - A ballad for every person who has ever loved and lost - with enough violence, weapons, action and sex to tell a love story with apocalyptic stakes. Cast: Evan Glodell, Jessie Wiseman, Tyler Dawson, Rebekah Brandes.

The Lie / U.S.A. (Director: Joshua Leonard; Screenwriters: Jeff Feuerzeig, Joshua Leonard, Mark Webber and Jess Weixler, based on the short story by T. Coraghessan Boyle) - A man overwhelmed and disappointed with life tells a lie to avoid going to work… what could possibly go wrong? Cast: Joshua Leonard, Jess Weixler, Mark Webber, Alia Shawkat, Jane Adams and Kelli Garner.

Lord Byron / U.S.A. (Director: Zack Godshall; Screenwriters: Zack Godshall and Ross Brupbacher) - When he's not pursuing women, Byron is smoking weed and loafing around. But he's grown restless in his middle-age and feels the need to escape - he just doesn't know where to go. Cast: Paul Batiste, Gwendolyn Spradling, Kayla Lemaire.

The Off Hours / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Megan Griffiths) - A passing truck driver brings an unfamiliar sense of optimism to a woman working the night shift at a quiet diner, reminding her it's never too late to become the person you always wanted to be. Cast: Amy Seimetz, Ross Partridge, Scoot McNairy, Lynn Shelton, Bret Roberts, Tony Doupe.

Prairie Love / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Dusty Bias) - When a mysterious vagrant living out of his car among the snowy plains discovers a nearly-frozen local with a pen-pal girlfriend, he sees an opportunity to change his lonely existence. Cast: Jeremy Clark, Holly Lynn Ellis, Garth Blomberg.

Restless City / U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Dosunmu; Screenwriter: Eugene M. Gussenhoven) - An African immigrant survives on the fringes of New York City. Music is his passion, life is a hustle and falling in love is his greatest risk. Cast: Danai Gurira, Anthony Okungbowa, Babs Olusanmokun.

sound of my voice / U.S.A. (Director: Zal Batmanglij; Screenwriters: Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling) - A young couple infiltrates a cult that meets in a basement in the San Fernando Valley. Cast: Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, Brit Marling.

to.get.her / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Erica Dunton) - Five girls come together for one fateful night where anything goes. They all had secrets, but their friendship was the only thing they knew to be true. Cast: Jazzy De Lisser, Chelsea Logan, Adwoa Aboah, Jami Eaton, Audrey Speicher.

NATIVE SHOWCASE
Following President and Founder Robert Redford's original vision, Sundance Institute has remained committed to supporting indigenous filmmaking. This showcase highlights new work that contributes to a worldwide understanding of and appreciation for these artists.

GRAB / U.S.A. (Director: Billy Luther) - Three families in the Laguna Pueblo tribe prepare for Grab Day, when they throw groceries from a rooftop to the community waiting below - an annual community-wide prayer of abundance, thanks and renewal. Documentary, narrated by Parker Posey. World Premiere.

INDIGENOUS SHORTS- a program of short films from around the world by Native American and indigenous filmmakers. The seven short films that will be presented together as part of the Native Showcase will be announced on December 6.

SPOTLIGHT

Attenberg / Greece (Director and screenwriter: Athina Rachel Tsangari)- Marina, a young woman living with her father in a decaying, seaside factory town, acquires a new perspective on the mysteries of human nature after she meets a stranger. Cast: Ariane Labed, Yorgos Lanthimos, Vangelis Mourikis, Evangelia Randou. U.S. Premiere

Elite Squad 2 (Tropa de Elite 2) / Brazil (Director: José Padilha; Screenwrtiers: Bráulio Mantovani, José Padilha and Rodrigo Pimentel) - Captain Nascimento of Rio de Janeiro's special operations police unit has a new enemy: widespread corruption within the city. Cast: Wagner Moura, Seu Jorge, Tainá Müller, André Ramiro, Milhem Cortaz. International Premiere

I Saw the Devil (Akma-reul bo-attda) / South Korea (Director and screenwriter: Kim Jee-woon) -

A young secret agent tracks a brutal serial killer who murdered his fiancée. Cast: Byung-hun Lee, Min-sik Choi. U.S. Premiere

In a Better World (Hævnen) / Denmark(Director: Susanne Bier; Story: Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen, Screenplay: Anders Thomas Jensen) - The lives of two Danish families become intertwined as an extraordinary but risky friendship develops. Cast: Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen, Markus Rygaard and William Jøhnk Nielsen. U.S. Premiere

Incendies / Canada, France (Director: Denis Villeneuve, Screenwriters: Denis Villeneuve with the collaboration of Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne, based on a stage play Incendies by: Wajdi Mouawad) - A mother's last wish sends Jeanne and Simon, twins living in Canada, on a journey to the Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Cast: Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard.

Kaboom / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Gregg Araki) - A science fiction story centered on the sexual awakening of a group of college students. Cast: Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Chris Zylka, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple. U.S. Premiere

Letters From the Big Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Christopher Munch) - An artist and government hydrologist surveying a remote part of southwestern Oregon befriends a sasquatch man and must take bold steps to protect his privacy, as well as her own. Cast: Lily Rabe, Jason Butler Harner, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Jim Cody Williams, Fiona Dourif. World Premiere

Meek's Cutoff / U.S.A. (Director: Kelly Reichardt; Screenwriter: Jon Raymond) - In 1845, three families who have hired mountaineer Stephen Meek to guide their wagons over the Cascade Mountains get lost and face hunger, thirst and a lack of faith in their instincts for survival. Cast: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Zoe Kaza, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson.

Old Cats (Gatos Viejos) / Chile (Directors and screenwriters: Pedro Peirano and Sebastián Silva) - An old woman who realizes that her mind is quickly deteriorating desperately tries to hide this condition from her daughter, who waits keenly for any sign of senility in order to take her apartment. Cast: Bélgica Castro, Claudia Celedón, Catalina Saavedra, Alejandro Sieveking.

Submarine / United Kingdom (Director: Richard Ayoade; Screenwriter: Richard Ayoade from the novel by Joe Dunthorne) - Fifteen-year-old Oliver Tate has two big ambitions: to save his parents' marriage and to lose his virginity before his next birthday. Cast: Craig Roberts, Paddy Considine,Noah Taylor, Sally Hawkins, Yasmin Paige. U.S. Premiere

Uncle Kent / U.S.A. (Director: Joe Swanberg; Screenwriters: Joe Swanberg and Kent Osborne) - A pothead cartoonist in Los Angeles spends a weekend trying to sleep with his visiting house guest - a woman from New York he met on Chatroulette. Cast: Kent Osborne. World Premiere

PARK CITY AT MIDNIGHT

Home to horror films and extreme comedies, Black Dynamite, The Blair Witch Project and Saw are among the films that have screened here.

The Catechism Cataclysm / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Todd Rohal) - After becoming disinterested with the church, a priest tracks down his old classmate, a former metalhead whom he idolized in high school. When the two embark on a canoeing trip together, all hell breaks loose. Cast:Steve Little, Robert Longstreet, Walter Dalton, Miki Ann Maddox, Koko Lanham. World Premiere

Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Madeleine Olnek) - A shy greeting card store employee unknowingly falls for a lesbian space alien while two government agents closely track their romance. Cast: Lisa Haas, Susan Ziegler, Jackie Monahan, Cynthia Kaplan, Dennis Davis, Alex Karpovsky, Rae C Wright. World Premiere

Corman's World: Exploits Of A Hollywood Rebel / U.S.A. (Director: Alex Stapleton) - Tracks the triumphant rise of Hollywood's most prolific writer-director-producer, the true godfather of independent filmmaking. Cast: Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, James Cameron, Roger Corman. World Premiere

Hobo with A Shotgun / Canada (Director: Jason Eisener; Screenwriter: Johnathan Davies) - A hobo hops from a train with dreams of a fresh life in a new city, but instead finds himself trapped in an urban hell. When he witnesses a brutal robbery, he realizes the only way to deliver justice is with a shotgun in his hands and two shells in the chamber. Cast: Rutger Hauer, Molly Dunsworth, Gregory Smith, Brian Downey. World Premiere

The Oregonian / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder) - After surviving a brutal car accident, a simple farm woman limps down the road into the nightmarish unknown. Cast: Lindsay Pulsipher, Robert Longstreet, Matt Olsen, Lynne Compton, Barlow Jacobs, Chadwick Brown, Jed Maheu, Roger M. Mayer. World Premiere

Septien / U.S.A. (Director: Michael Tully) - A reclusive sports hustler returns home to his family farm after years of absence to reunite with his two eccentric, unhinged and emotionally damaged brothers. Cast: Robert Longstreet, Onur Tukel, Michael Tully, Rachel Korine, Mark Robinson, John Maringouin. World Premiere

Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren) / Norway (Director: Andre Ovredal) - A group of student filmmakers get more than they bargained for when tangling with a man tasked with protecting Norway from giant trolls. Cast: Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Hans Morten Hansen, Johanna Mørch, Tomas Alf Larsen. International Premiere

The Woman / U.S.A. (Director: Lucky McKee; Screenwriters: Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee) - When a successful country lawyer captures and attempts to "civilize" the last remaining member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades, he puts the lives of his family in jeopardy. Cast: Pollyanna McIntosh, Sean Bridgers, Angela Bettis, Lauren Ashley Carter, Zach Rand. World Premiere

NEW FRONTIER

Works that push the limits of traditional cinema aesthetics and the narrative structures of filmmaking.

Jess + Moss / U.S.A. (Director: Clay Jeter; Screenwriters: Clay Jeter and Debra Jeter) - Without immediate families that they can relate to, and lacking friends their own age, second cousins Jess and Moss only have each other. A series of visceral vignettes conjure memories of companionship and sexual awakening during a summer shared together on their Kentucky farm. Cast: Sarah Hagan, Austin Vickers. World Premiere.

The Mill & the Cross / Poland, Sweden (Director: Lech Majewski; Screenwriters: Michael Francis Gibson and Lech Majewski) - A visually vibrant and masterful work that seamlessly fortifies rich painterly compositions with digital effects, bringing Peter Brugel's 1564 painting, The Way to Calvary, to real life. Cast: Rutger Hauer, Michael York, Charlotte Rampling, Joanna Litwin. World Premiere

The Nine Muses / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: John Akomfrah) - An allegorical fable divided into overlapping musical chapters, this film retells the history of mass migration to post-war Britain through the suggestive lens of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. North American Premiere

!Women Art Revolution / U.S.A. (Director: Lynn Hershman Leeson) - One part of a transmedia project that includes the interactive video installation RAW WAR presented at New Frontier, this seminal documentary depicts the history of women artists who have used art as an activist practice to fight oppression and protest gender and racial exclusion - creating what many historians feel is the most significant art movement of the late-20th century. U.S. Premiere

The Woods / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Matthew Lessner) - A satirical nod to ethnographic film fashions a critique on media technology dependence, when eight young Americans move deep into to the woods to start their own utopia. Cast: Justin Phillips, Toby David, Adam Mortemore, Nicola Persky, Chris Edley. World Premiere.

Next James Bond Film Back On? David Arnold Says So!

For you James Bond nuts out there (and I'm one of them, as you all know!) waiting to hear any positive news towards the next installment, someone just threw us a friggin' bone here. It's just not one you'd expect to hear it from before, say MGM or Eon Productions.

Speaking to Film Music Magazine, David Arnold (having served as the franchise's go-to composer starting with Pierce Brosnan's sophomore outing Tomorrow Never Dies to Daniel Craig installment #2 Quantum of Solace two years ago) says movement is rolling again on the next film:

"I haven't thought about it yet. We only just got the news that we're back on. But 'there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip' So I will keep quiet until I get a script and then start writing ideas. I just hope the next one is as good as my favorites, as I think everyone does. And I'm always interested in what Daniel Craig brings to the part. But like most things with movies, if it ain't on the page etc… All I can say is that I'm looking forward to a great script for it, alongside every other Bond fan in the world!"

Notice how cautious he is not to proclaim this a done-deal. Because he's fully aware MGM has to get their shit in order first, which they are. Finally.

With any luck, Bond 3 will reach its proposed November 2012 release. Anything beyond that and we can kiss Craig goodbye.

Three Stooges Movie Alive & Kicking!

Like Airplane! there isn't a red-blooded male alive who doesn't love the Three Stooges.

Whether it's Curly or Shemp being slapped by Moe, those idiots beating the shit outta one another will never stop being funny. Which is why I thought the proposed Stooges film from Bobby and Peter Farrelly was genius. Throw in Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn and Jim Carrey as the title schmucks, and you've got what could be a big ass hit.

Too bad MGM had their troubles, followed by Penn wavering (not a fault of the production, but his personal life - certainly understandable). Not too long back even Carrey, who went as far to gain all that weight to play Curly, stated the project was toast.

Not anymore, it is. According to "TOLDJA," 20th Century Fox has nabbed it from the lion and moving forward on the property. The Farrelly brothers will remain as directors and a March 14 start has been scheduled. No word on a release date, but it was originally slated to drop for November of last year. So perhaps a Thanksgiving 2011 release is in order.

Carrey and Penn are out, while Del Toro remains up-in-the-air with casting to commence immediately. If either Bobby or Peter is reading this (which they aren't), please consider my casting suggestion. I don't care which one you give him, but make Nicolas Cage one of the Stooges. 

FRINGE "Entrada" Trailer

Fox has released a nice teaser trailer for the next episode of Fringe, titled "Entrada".  It looks to be another solid outing from what I think is the most interesting sci-fi show on television right now. The ratings have been steadily declining since the debut season which is unfortunate for the show. A Friday night time slot is in motion to take place in January, leading to what could be an eventual cancellation.

Until then you can catch the show on Fox at 9pm.

All-Star Superman coming to Blu-ray

Warner Home Video, in conjunction with DC Entertainment, has announced All-Star Superman for Blu-ray release on February 22, 2011, in a BD/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack. In this DC Universe new feature film, Lex Luthor masterminds an elaborate plot to kill the Man of Steel and it works, leaving Superman with only weeks to live.

Special features include:

• Audio commentary with Bruce Timm and Grant Morrison
• Sneak peek at Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, the next DC Universe animated original movie
• Featurettes:
  • Superman Now: In a moment of inspiration, Grant Morrison was provided an opportunity to revamp the Man of Steel into something modern, something more relevant for today's audience. This is the story of All-Star Superman – where it all started, and what it came to be
  • Incubating the Idea: A conversation with Grant Morrison
• Two bonus episodes from Superman: The Animated Series handpicked by Bruce Timm.
• All-Star Superman virtual comic book

Pirates 4 Trailer Madness

Do you really want to see the new trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides?  Well, if you're going be anywhere near Disneyland on December 13, you could win a chance to be among the first to see it as Mickey Mouse intended...on the big screen and in glorious 3D.

According to their official Facebook page, a special "Pirates Fans First!" event will be held at the AMC Downtown Disney Theater 12 in Anaheim, California.  Conveniently located right next door to the Disneyland Resort, "Fans First!" winners will also get to enter the park an hour prior to opening to ride the original Pirates attraction that inspired the film series, as well as attend a special after-trailer Pirates party.

That seems like a lot of fuss to go through for just a trailer that's going to be premiering everywhere that same day anyway, but hey, you do get to go to Disneyland as part of the deal, which is always fun (and the original Pirates ride there is so much better than the Florida version), so it sounds worth it just for that.  You can check out the details on how to enter the contest here.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides sails into theaters on May 20, 2011.

While we're on the subject of the Pirates films, did you ever wonder who Captain Jack was named after?  Nope, it wasn't that Billy Joel song.  He was actually named after Hugh Jackman.  According to Curse of the Black Pearl writer Stuart Beattie, the role was written with Jackman in mind to play the lead until Disney decided he wasn't quite a big enough star yet (this was apparently pre-Wolverine) to play the part.  So instead they went with Johnny Depp, and the rest is history.

But Hugh as Captain Jack?  Wow.  Johnny Depp has so made that part his own that I want to say I can't picture anyone else playing him...but on the other hand, I have seen enough of Hugh Jackman's Boy From Oz ad-libs (which once included pulling Elvis Costello onstage) to think it would have been interesting to see.  No offense to Johnny, of course.

Ruben Fleischer Negotiating to Direct 'Gangster Squad'

Warner Bros. has finally settled on a director to helm their 1940s-50s, Los Angeles based crime-drama, Gangster Squad (formerly known as Tales from the Gangster Squad): Ruben Fleischer.  

TOLDJA! reports that Fleischer, in high demand after making his successful feature directorial debut with last year's Zombieland, is negotiating to helm the flick based on the true story of a group of elite L.A. police officers who combated organized crime.  The script (written by former South Central Los Angeles cop and author of the novel L.A. Rex, Will Beall), is said to be top-notch and in the same tone as The Untouchables and L.A. Confidential. 

The project is high on Warner's to-do list as both Ben Affleck and Darren Aronofsky had considered the flick in recent months, but ultimately passed.  Here's hoping Fleischer directs one hell of a film. 

Hans Zimmer Scoring Superman: The Man of Steel

Towards the end of October, composer Hans Zimmer discussed how he'd approach scoring Zack Snyder's Superman reboot to Popcorn Biz:

"It's a hard one, but I followed one of the most iconic things on 'Batman' with Chris as well, and it's the same thing. You are allowed to reinvent, but you have to try to be as good or at least as iconic and it has to resonate and it has to become a part of the zeitgeist. That's the job. On 'Gladiator' I remember people always talking about 'Spartacus' and I kept telling them, 'When you saw ‘Spartacus’ and how it affected it you, that's how I want a modern audience to be affected by what we do now.' So I think ultimately you're supposed to reinvent."

That's hypothetically speaking – assuming he were to get the gig.

Cut to today, and it's now his according to Thompson on Hollywood. He'll get to work on a new sound for the new Man of Steel right after Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom, the Sherlock Holmes sequel and, yeah, The Dark Knight Rises. A full slate, indeed, to keep him busy.

But I don't have to tell you what a great choice he is.

K&O Update On Scripting Star Trek Sequel

They're due to hand in their script right before Christmas. But screenwriters/producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci gave an update on the writing status for the Star Trek sequel to Hero Complex.

A lot of what's said has been said before and it's done in the usual non-committal/not-too-terribly-descriptive fashion. It's a J.J. Abrams joint. Of course, everyone's going to be hush-hush.

Briefly, the story has been "broken," using The Empire Strikes Back for comparison (co-writer/producer Damon Lindelof harkened it to The Dark Knight a few months back). But it doesn't appear we can expect a big "To Be Continued..." cliff-hanger at the end. But shit will still hit the fan for Kirk, Spock and the gang.

Again, a bit towards the non-newsy side, but it's reassuring they know what they're doing. Of course, didn't walking out of the first film two years back already prove that?

No Joker In Dark Knight Rises - No Shit!

Oh sure, common sense, and just plain decency, suggested we wouldn't be seeing the Joker in The Dark Knight Rises. But didn't Christopher Nolan state the obvious awhile ago? Yes, he did.

Did that stop Internet rumor-mongering from continuing? Absolutely not, and it reached full-retard levels yesterday as "insiders" stated Nolan & Co. planned to "resurrect" the late Heath Ledger himself (via outtakes and good old fashion CG) for the third Batman film. No, we won't link to the hit-whoring, bullshit-spreading fucktards who started this non-sense.

It should go without saying how bogus this is. Yes, it should, but here we are. Our colleagues (in this case, Movie Hole and Heat Vision) had to waste their time just to confirm what we all know.

No Heath Ledger, no Joker, no CG shenanigans for The Dark Knight Rises. No shit.