Curtis Hanson to Direct Gemini Man ?

Variety are reporting that 'LA Confidential' director Curtis Hanson is in talks with Disney to direct 'Gemini Man' for Uber producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

This is a project that has been trying to get off the ground for nearly ten years and has had writers such as Jonathan Hensleigh take a crack at it, the latest to have a go is David Benioff.

'Gemini Man' sees an NSA agent try to retire only to be targeted for death. He discovers that his assassin is a younger cloned version of himself.

Sounds very different to Hanson's other movies but he is a very good director and this is an interesting sounding project, I imagine they will be looking for a big name star to take the dual roles and I expect we'll see some nifty 'Benjamin Button' style aging effects, I'm looking forward to this one.

Universal fast-tracks 'The Parsifal Mosaic'

Variety reports that Universal are in negotiatians for the rights to Robert Ludlum thriller 'The Parsifal Mosaic', which is one of 25 titles by the author that are yet to be optioned for the screen.

Below is a synopsis of the book:

"The Parsifal Mosaic" revolves around a U.S. intelligence agent who thinks he witnesses the execution of his lover, who was identified as a KGB double agent. He retires, but sees her alive at a train station and attempts to find her and unravel a conspiracy. Soon, the agents become involved in an effort to track down Parsifal, a shadowy figure behind a blackmail scheme.

Sounds like the makings of a decent thriller and oddly this was a book Bourne producer Frank Marshall had talked about using as a basis for the fourth film in that franchise, however it now appears they are going with an origfinal idea and 'The Parsifal Mosaic' will be made into a movie of it's own, it may also beat Bourne 4 out of the gates as Universal are expected to fast track the project.

The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 Trailer!

The trailer for Tony Scott's remake of 70's classic 'The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3' starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta has hit the internet, and I think the movie is looking awesome.

The premise is simple, John Travolata plays Ryder, who with his heavily armed gang of four hijacks a New York subway train and threatens to kill passengers unless a ransom is paid within one hour. Denzel plays Walter Garber, a New York City subway dispatcher who tries to negotiate with and outwit Ryder.

This looks like a badass update to me, and when I watched the original the sequence I felt they could really expand on was where the cop car is racing across the city to deliver the money, looks like Tony Scott felt the same.

'The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3' is released on June 12th and you can check the trailer out below.

Angels and Demons Trailer

I wasn't a big fan of 'The Da Vinci Code' in book or movie form and I am not a big fan of director Ron Howard either, but I am told that 'Angels and Demons' is the better book and I have to say this trailer certainly makes the movie seem like a potentially exciting thriller.

It's becoming a cliche' but it is undeniable that 'Angels and Demons' looks decidedly darker and more menacing than 'The Da Vinci Code', and the trailer is cut to give off the impression of a sinister, action packed race against time, hopefully the movie delivers on this promise.

'Angels and Demons' is released on May  15th and you can check out the trailer below.

Cruise vs Denzel for Cronenberg ?

Last year it was announced that Denzel Washington was signed on to star in the adaption of the Robert Ludlum espionage thriller 'The Matarese Circle', it was later that David Cronenberg came on board to direct. Now Variety has revealed that Tom Cruise is in talks to join the project as well.

Some may remember that last year Cruise and Washington were set to star together in 'The 28th Amendment' but that whole film fell through and sadly remains in development hell.

Cruise and Washington would be going head to head as the plot sees two long time enemy spies, one Russian and one American in the book, forced to team together to take on a shadowy group of conspirators known as The Matarese. Quite how the contemporary updating by writers Michael Brandt and Derek Haas will effect this remains to be seen, but if Cruise is to be a Russian I hope he uses an accent.

Cronenberg has been getting more mainstream with his last two films 'A History of Violence' and 'Eastern Promises', and this is an even bigger step in that direction.

The film is set up at MGM and they are eyeing a start later this year to position it as their marquee movie for 2010. Denzel is up later this year in 'The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3' and has 'The Book of Eli' to make next, while Cruise is expected to next be seen in the 'The Tourist' with Charlize Theron.

Personally I am a fan of both actors and this genre of movie so I am very excited for this one, and while Cronenberg's older stuff is not to my tastes i have enjoyed his last two films, lets hope this one actually happens unlike the previous non-starting Denzel/Cruise vehicle.

Inglorious Basterds Trailer

So the trailer has arrived for Quentin Tarantino's long awaited 'Inglorious Basterds' and personally I think it looks....ok. It certainly has a more quirky edge to it than most war movies and there are some nicely lit Peckinpah-esque action shots, but I find Pitt's speech grating and a touch goofy, and the way the trailer is cut with the blood splattered snippets of hyperbole comes off like a cheesy B movie . Maybe the full trailerwill inspire more interest for me but right now it's on the lower end of my must see list for this year.

'Inglorious Basterds' opens August 21st and you can check the trailer out below.

Pelham Poster!

JoBlo has gotten an exclusive on the poster for Tony Scott's 'The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3' remake, starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. Personally I like it, it has an oldschool action movie poster look to it and I dig the atmospheric shading.

'The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3' sees John Travoltas master criminal highjack a subaway train in New York and then pit wits with Denzel Washington's subway dispatcher as he tries to get his ransom money, threatening to murder the hostages.

The movie hits screens on June 12th.

Inglourious Basterds preview from ET

ET has a brief bit of footage from the trailer for Tarantino's latest 'Inglourious Basterds. The WWII Nazi hunter flick is due out August 21st and is set to premiere at Cannes in May. Ive read the script and while it suffers from the usual QT oenchant for no likable characters, I think it's his best to date, hopefully he can translate some of the more graphic parts into the movie with aplomb as opposed to heavy handedness.

The full trailer is due tomorrow, you can check the ET excerpt from it out below.

 Inglourious Basterds Footage!

Orlando and Olga to star in 'The Cross'

In a pairing that certainly offers visual candy for both the ladies and the guys, Orlando Bloom and Olga Kurylenko are set to topline 'The Cross', a Sci Fi escape movie from director Andrew Niccol (Lord of War). Vincent Caseel is also in it but who cares, his main function will be to bring his lovely wife Monica Bellucci to the premeire...only kidding, he is playing the bad guy accoridng the synopsis below.

Set against the backdrop of a futuristic border town, Bloom plays a man seeking to cross a mysterious border, something no one else has achieved. Cassel, meanwhile, is the guard who will go to any lengths to foil him. Kurylenko takes the female lead.

The film is budgeted at $24M and is in pre-production now with a July start date in mind. Personally I think it could be cool, I liked Lord of War and Bloom is a decent enough actor as long as he is in the right part (Note to Ridely Scott). Olga Kurylenko is certainly a beauty and I found her one of the best Bond girls in some time, this is a good follow up role for her in my opinion, and all joking aside, Cassel makes a good villain in most things ive seen him in, this one has my interest.

WB Wants Campbell For 'Green Lantern'

Variety reports that Warner Brothers want 'Casino Royale' director Martin Campbell to helm their long in development 'Green Lantern' movie. Greg Berlanti co wrote the script and was originally set to direct but WB have moved him over to direct an adaption of 'This Is Where I Leave You'.

Personally I think getting the Bond movie vet (Campbell also directed Goldeneye) and Zorro helmer is a smart move, he is a good pro and while not a distinctive director he can deliver a good blend of story and action as shown in his previous credits, he's a what I'd call a safe and solid choice to get a franchise off the ground.

Hopefully this deal will be signed soon and the movie can get into production, I reckon it is probably a bit late for a 2010 release if they want it to be a summer movie, but if they aim for the November slot then it could well make it. Next up will be the all important casting, which I suspect will be a bigger name than in prior WB DC film projects.

Update on Thu, February 5, 2009 by Jamie Williams

Warner Brothers wants the director who gave Bond his balls back (twice, no less) to helm Green Lantern?

I'm sold!

Update on Thu, February 5, 2009 by Peter Georgiou

When I heard that WB offered Berlanti the chance to direct Jonathan Topper’s "This is Where I love You" novel, I knew the writing was on the wall. Jamie and I were discussing that it seemed it was a consolation prize for Berlanti.