Posted on Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 by Russ Fischer
Would you like to see Leonardo DiCaprio playing a WWII-era character raised in Japan, trained as an assassin and playing a part in the political power games of the early ’50s? Warner Bros. is thinking you might, and so the studio is developing a film based on Don Winslow‘s novel Satori, which features exactly that sort of character. Read More »
Posted on Friday, June 10th, 2011 by Russ Fischer
From Weeds to weed — Demian Bichir is making the move into Oliver Stone‘s world. The director is making Savages, based on the book by Don Winslow. He already has quite the cast lined up: Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson play up and coming pot dealers coerced into working for a drug cartel when their girlfriend O (Blake Lively) is kidnapped. John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Emile Hirsch, Salma Hayek and Benicio Del Toro are all in the cast, and now Demian Bichir has signed on, too. Read More »
Posted on Friday, March 25th, 2011 by Russ Fischer
Oliver Stone is assembling Savages, which adapts the book of the same name by Don Winslow and has Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch set to star as best friends and pot growers who get roped into working for a drug cartel when the bad guys kidnap their friend/girlfriend.
Salma Hayek is a possible pick to be the matriarch of the drug cartel, and Benicio Del Toro is now signing on to play the cartel’s enforcer, who sets the kidnapping, and therefore the plot, in motion. Some script work is being done now by Oliver Stone, Don Winslow and Shane Salerno, and there are ongoing discussions with a couple of studios to pick up the project — Universal seems like the likely home right now. [Deadline]
After the break, new gigs for Emma Robers, Kenan Thompson and the new Jason Voorhees, Derek Mears. Read More »
Posted on Thursday, February 10th, 2011 by Germain Lussier
At this time last year, the name Jennifer Lawrence meant very little to casting directors in Hollywood. Now she has an Oscar-nomination under her belt, is about to be a super hero and is set to top line an Oliver Stone movie. Lawrence is in final talks to star in Savages, based on a critically-acclaimed book by Don Winslow that was previously announced to be directed by Stone. She’ll play Ophelia, the simultanious-girlfriend of two marijuana dealers who get caught up in some serious personal and financial trouble. Stone hopes to shoot the film in June and is looking at several A-list actors to play the drug dealers including Leonardo DiCaprio, Aaron Johnson, Tom Hardy, James Franco and Garrett Hedlund. Read more about the project after the break. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 by Peter Sciretta
In December 2009, it was reported that James Cameron was developing/producing “a Shane Salerno-scripted (Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem) sci-fi action script for Fox, described as an ‘event’ film set in the future.” Soon after we learned that the film was actually a 3D remake of Fantastic Voyage. So who will direct this 3D remake of the sci-fi classic?
Paul Greengrass is in talks to helm the project. Greengrass is best known to audiences as the director of the latter two Bourne films: The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. But film geeks might know him better as the director behind Bloody Sunday, Green Zone and the underrated and Oscar-nominated United 93.
But how will Greengrass adapt to a more traditional shooting style? Anyone who has seen any of Paul’s films, knows that the director loves to shoot films using handheld cameras. He has been both criticized and praised for his gritty shaky-cam documentary-style cinematography. I’m pretty sure that look won’t translate well to 3D.
Posted on Friday, January 29th, 2010 by Russ Fischer
When news of J.D. Salinger‘s death spread this week, I know that somewhere in Hollywood a producer was rubbing his hands together at the idea of finally being able to make a movie version of Catcher in the Rye. Many attempted to cajole the rights away from the famously reclusive author, but he was never convinced. After his one story licensed to a studio was turned into crap (‘Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut’ became the forgettable My Foolish Heart) Salinger vowed never to allow further film adaptations of his work.
That doesn’t mean we won’t see a documentary, however. Salinger, which seeks to be a comprehensive account of the man’s life, is just about ready to release. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Production Weekly is reporting that “James Cameron is developing a Shane Salerno-scripted sci-fi action script for Fox, described as an ‘event’ film set in the future.” No other details are available, but most people think the project might be Doomsday Protocol, a film which was announced last year.
Posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 by Russ Fischer
After the first Transformers reviews started coming in, some speculated that it would be a bad weekend for Paramount. But Revenge of the Fallen did amazing business, and now, according to THR, new Film Group president Adam Goodman has started to buy. First up is an untitled pitch by Shane Salerno, about “super repo men who reclaim high-end jets and boats from rich but delinquent (and often hostile) clientele.” Read More »
