John McAfee Biopic in the Works

Screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski are no strangers to the eccentric. The duo penned Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flynt and Man on the Moon. They know their loopy-headed geniuses alright.

They will continue in that path penning a feature on John McAfee, founder of the security software that tries to install itself on your computer (if you PC users out there), who sold away all his assets and moved to Belize. You may remember the headlines made last year of his possible involvement in the murder of his neighbor.

The Wired article "Dangerous: An In-Depth Investigation into the Life of John McAfee" will serve as the basis for the film. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy, Stupid, Love) will direct.

Spike Lee's Oldboy Remake Pushed Back to Thanksgiving Weekend

While there is no proper place to slot the Spike Lee-directed remake of Oldboy, right before Halloween was appropriate given its unsettling nature. However FilmDistrict has decided to reposition it from October 25^th to November 27^th.

In other words, they're dumping it. They didn't give any reason but its obvious the subject matter will not sit well with us lazy, close-minded Americans. Best to throw it away to Thanksgiving weekend to be eaten alive by The Hunger Games: Catching Fire repeat business and Disney's Frozen.

That Mortal Instruments Movie You Won't See is Planning a Sequel with Sigourney Weaver

I don't know what The Mortal Instruments is, what it's about and why I'm about supposed to care. It's based on a popular book series. I know that much thanks to the EPK featurette playing in front of practically every film I've seen this summer.

And it seems like one of those "From the International Best Selling Phenomenon" that nobody shows up for. Hey for every Twilight and Hunger Games, there are ten times as many Golden Compass, The Dark is Rising and Percy Jackson. As its August release approaches, talk has turned to a follow-up. Typical discussion, sure, only this time they’re already casting up.

Sigourney Weaver will come aboard for The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes in addition to the returning Abercrombie & Fitch cast and director Harald Zwart. She'll play the "ruthless leader of the Shadowhunters who will stop at nothing to destroy the man who killed her son."

Weaver has been taking and money for years. And you know what, she's earned it. But isn't this sequel talk all premature? The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones has a "Dump the crap" slot at the end of next month. Who really thinks there is going to be another one? Well... besides its studio.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

When Clark Met Bruce… In Toronto

The cinematic team up of Superman and Batman, until further notice I will refer to as When Clark Met Bruce..., will have to get cameras rolling faster than a speeding bullet to make its summer (AKA July) release. Zack Snyder got that memo.

VanCity Buzz reports production on the Man of Steel follow-up will relocate from Vancouver where the bulk of shooting took place on the first film, to Toronto. No, it's not because half the city was destroyed in the process. Cheaper tax credits won the day.

Not like they up and left the country altogether. They're still lensing in Canada, known for its less-costly rates when compared to us in the states. Of course they still have the li'l matter of who will wear the cape-and-cowl. If production is set for a Spring 2014 start-date, they must already have an actor (or two) in mind.

John Williams Will Score Episode VII

Nice surprise to wake up to on a Saturday morning. Lucasfilm has announced legendary composer John Williams will return for Star Wars: Episode VII, due to blast into cinemas 2015. The announcement was made in the midst of Star Wars Celebration Europe II going on in Germany right now.

A video interview with Williams confirming his return and heaping praise on director J.J. Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy is included below. Just hearing Williams talk to the tune of his own original trilogy soundtrack really gets you in the mood. Star Wars is really coming back, and Williams is coming with it.

First Look at Diablo Cody's Paradise

Diablo Cody is directing now. It's a national progression. Start off with a home-run like Juno her first time at the batter's plate, win every screenwriting award under the sun including the Oscar, become the scorn of the Internet (Translation: maladjusted men who still associate girls with the term "Icky") with your follow-up Jennifer's Body and then come full circle with Young Adult. What else was there to do after doctoring work for other directors than take a shot at it herself?

USA Today has the first look at her directorial debut, Paradise hitting cinemas October 18. Julianne Hough plays a religious young woman on a road trip to Las Vegas after her faith is shattered following suffering severe burns. Octavia Spencer, Russell Brand and Holly Hunter co-star. And yes before you ask, that is Nick Offerman as Hough’s father. It's OK. I didn't recognize him too.

Ben Foster Will Play Lance Armstrong for Director Stephen Frears

Not sure when it became a race (No pun intended) for competing Lance Armstrong biopics. But that's the thing. Hollywood loves a race. See who can be the first out the gate with similar-subject films. The unofficial rule is if the film that gets made first succeeds, the other versions will never happen. Why bother when someone else took the same basic material and beat you to the punch? And if it fails, the other versions will also never transpire. Why bother when the other guy who got it done first failed miserably?

That's what faces the afore-mentioned Armstrong biopics in development. One iteration is set up at Paramount and Bad Robot, with Bradley Cooper (depending on who you believe) and another at Warner Brothers for director Jay Roach (The Campaign) and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns (Contagion). And just to make things interesting, why not a third director throwing his name in the hat? And while we're at it, he has his star set.

"TOLDJA" says Stephen Frears (The Queen) will direct Ben Foster in their own biopic. Foster started out as a child-actor who was raised right and didn't become a tabloid-favorite fuck up. Instead he's become a respectable character actor. You've seen him around. He has the intensity to sell the publicly-shamed athlete as the bastard he was said to be behind closed doors. I wouldn't have had the smarts to think of Foster. Well done, Frears.

If everything works out, production could begin as soon as this fall.

Regal Cinemas Think You're All Idiots - Playing Sharknado at Midnight Next Week

Nothing wrong with enjoying a movie in So Bad, It's Good fashion. We have all done it and sometimes pointing out the flaws is the best way to justify the money and more importantly time wasted watching such crap. But paying money to see it at midnight when said movie was made for television and hence never intended for such format is different.

Regal Cinema is hoping that li'l factoid won't stop you from shelling out cash to Sharknardo, the recent disaster creature-feature produced by SyFy. All the attention and hype it got online, and resulting piss-poor ratings, showed once again the divide from us dorks online and everyone else in real life.

If your local cinema is one of the 200 selected and you're an idiot, you can enjoy Sharknardo next Friday (August 2) at midnight.

Third Gravity Trailer Screams, "Take My Money NOW!"

Even if Gravity commercially fails this October, they get an A for effort. Two gripping trailers released in less than 12 hours. And you guessed it, here is a third. There is truly nothing else to add.

Besides how I can't wait to see what Alfonso Cuarón hath wroth.

Larry David's Clear History Premiering August 10

Every time a new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm ends, the "Is this it?" question is posed not just by our media colleagues aloud but because myself and Peter. I always insist that this is it, and Larry David will off-handedly comment of its end months later at some unrelated function. Peter points out I say this every time (It's true) and eventually David and HBO say in their nonchalant way Curb is coming back.

This time it's different. Slightly. David went off to direct the comedy Clear History during the usual "It's up to Larry if there is more" downtime. One look at him in that get-up and I was hooked. The trailer left a different feeling. That, unfortunately, does not appear to be David for the telefilm's duration but the first act. And even then he’s playing Larry David. You delayed another season of Curb just to do Curb: the Movie?

I'll watch but I don't know, Larry. It won't be too much longer to reach a verdict as HBO announced this morning the comedy will premiere August 10. You be the judge if I'm being overly critical. Check out the trailer below: