Len Wiseman Off Mummy Redo

A do-over of The Mummy is director-less at the moment. Len Wiseman has exited the project, reports The Wrap.

Universal and producers Sean Daniels and Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (Oh boy...) search for his replacement. This latest version is expected to shy away from the Indiana Jones/serial-inspired films from Stephen Sommers and closer to its horror origins.

Not much else to add, kiddos. Wiseman is far from the run-of-the-mill, faceless assembly-line directors he's labeled as. Yeah, the Total Recall remake was Vanilla, and not even the good kind like French Vanilla or Vanilla Bean, and I never dared step foot into an Underworld. But give the man his due. He did a kick-ass job on Live Free or Die Hard, stupidly exaggerated title notwithstanding.

They'll find someone else the Internet can shit on shortly.

Say Hello to my Muggle Friend!

The American dream and the violence it can take to achieve it. It is a universal and timeless theme. Why the notion of retelling Scarface is not as sacrilege as some would have you to think. The setting and ethnicity of the title character are irrelevant. In any time and place, there is a story to tell of a thug who climbs his way to the top, all the power and glory that comes with it and the inevitable downfall.

It helps that I don't hold either iteration of the gangster favorite in high regard. I can understand the place in history for the original 1932 effort from Howard Hawks/Richard Rosson. The 1983 redo from Brian De Palma I find to be nothing but a piece of garbage that found a second life on home video and cable and really found its footing in the rap community.

No matter my personal thoughts, Universal made oodles of cash from the De Palma/Al Pacino "classic" over the years and see the value in updating the story and it appears they have finally settled on a director for this third incarnation. "TOLDJA" reports David Yates, still riding high post-Harry Potter, is their man. The British helmer is not exactly who I, or you good reader, would have imagined. But maybe that's what this Scarface; the unexpected.

American Hustle Trailer is a Blast

UPDATE: A proper HD trailer is included below.

Take note, Entertainment Tonight. This is how you premiere a trailer. By shutting up and letting us watch it uninterrupted.

This morning’s broadcast of Good Morning America offered up the world exclusive of the trailer for David O. Russell's American Hustle. The cast is a "Who's Who" of recent Oscar-winning and nominated actors under his direction including Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner and Robert De Niro. Director Russell and said cast particularly Bale appear to be in top form.

If you want to enjoy the trailer (expected to play in theaters this weekend; presumably in front of 2 Guns) in HD goodness, click here to the Good Morning America official site. Since there is no embed for that for the time being, you can also enjoy this lower-res version.

Lone Survivor Trailer - Made with 100% Real Cheese

Peter Berg set out with the right intentions on Lone Survivor. Tell the real life, harrowing story of Navy SEALs and their ill-fated covert mission against a high-ranking Taliban member and how it was ambushed in Afghanistan. He even agreed to sign away two years of his life making mega-budget dreck Battleship. All so Universal would OK this.

I appreciate his effort and the crap he went through to get here. If only the first trailer left a better impression. Too corny for my tastes, but there is still time and we have been blah trailers resulting in great movies. For his sake, I hope this joins that group.

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa Trailer is Funny as Hell

Your grandfather was never this bad. As much as you might wish he was.

Paramount has released the first trailer for Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, and it's just that. Johnny Knoxville reprises his Irving Zisman character alongside Jackson Nicoll his co-star from Fun Size, that comedy from last fall none of you watched. They take an approach unlike what Sacha Baron Cohen and Larry Charles perfected in their comedies; actors in character doing and saying outrageous things in front of real, unsuspecting people.

Knoxville is funny but that kid Nicoll is its ace-in-the-hole.

Josh Friedman Writing Avatar 2

The Wrap says James Cameron has commissioned Josh Friedman, responsible for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and who provided some great antidotes working for Steven Spielberg during his time working on War of the Worlds for the great Tales From the Script documentary, to work on the script for Avatar 2.

The longer the wait, the bigger the anticipation builds for the 3D Na'vi sequel and the clearer it becomes Christmas 2015 is not gonna happen. That was never a realistic model given the attention-to-detail Cameron and the WETA wizards put into post production.

Nevertheless they have a new writer, and a good one at that, so there's that.

Mystique Kills Nameless Schmuck in Latest X-Men: Days of Future Past Image

Jennifer Lawrence was great as Mystique, sure. But she lacked that fatal legwork we came to know from Rebecca Romijn in the role. Bryan Singer is here to get us nostalgic in his latest X-Men: Days of Future Past related tweet with what looks like an official production still and confirmation that yes Mystique will kill again.

Source: Bryan Singer's Twitter

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Trailer is Stunning

If you saw The Wolverine this weekend, then you know the pleasant surprise that was the first trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty remake from director/star Ben Stiller. You might wince at the thought of your run-of-the-mill Stiller comedy vehicle. Trust me when I say, this is something else and does it look fantastic.

It took a few days but 20th Century Fox has officially released said trailer. Check it out:

First Look at David O. Russell's American Hustle

Set photos have been out in the open for awhile. But USA Today has the first official look at American Hustle, director David O. Russell's fictionalized telling of the FBI’s 1978 Abscam sting operation. It's a "Greatest Hits" collection if you will of Russell alumni with a cast featuring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence and what appears to be Bradley Cooper as Todd Phillips.

Lindsay Lohan Will Work Again

Me myself, I'm tired about hearing about Lindsay Lohan. How many more chances can she get (and after getting pulled aside by the likes of Jane Fonda and Tina Fey and told to knock that shit off) before the industry washes their hands of her? Well this much should be said. If she wants a legitimate career rejuvenation, she's gonna have to pay her dues like Robert Downey Jr. did a decade ago before Marvel and Jon Favreau took a chance.

Roger Friedman says someone is already willing to take that first step. Lohan is expected to appear in Live by Night, the next directorial project from Ben Affleck following the Oscar-winning Argo. An adaptation of the Dennis Lehane, she is reportedly "this close" to a deal. Though the role isn't specified, it is thought she'll play the female lead, "a tough waitress with a heart of gold who gets involved with the two male leads."

Source: Showbiz 411