Berry’s walking like an Egyptian
Oscar-winning Halle Berry is re-teaming with her Monster’s Ball director Marc Forster to play the legendary Egyptian queen Nefertiti–whose name means “the beautiful (or perfect) woman has come”–in a historical epic, according to Entertainment Weekly. Well, that’s apropos. Nefertiti was supposedly married to the powerful Pharaoh Akhenaten, and after he died, she took over for awhile, gaining many enemies. Oh, I can see the grand scope of it all. The Finding Neverland director is supposed to shoot the Egyptian tale early next year, which could free up Berry‘s summer to reprise her role as Storm in the soon-to-shoot X-Men 3. She hasn’t said yet whether she’ll play the mutant superheroine again, but after stinkers Gothika and Catwoman, she desperately needs a hit. Playing the queen of de Nile could do it.
Bruce Willis Gets Ready for a Die Hard Return
Sometimes I wonder about Bruce Willis. His career has been spotty, to say the least, but since Pulp Fiction, he’s been making fairly smart choices, save for a few missteps. So what is he thinking, doing a fourth installment of the Die Hard series? Yes, that’s right. Mr. Willis, 49, will be reprising the role that made him famous: the stalwart Detective John McClane. In London promoting his newest film Hostage, Willis let reporters know Die Hard 4.0 was about ready to shoot. Last year, he told reporters the big hurdle was coming up with a script that handled the franchise’s usual terrorism plot in a way that was appropriate after 9/11. But Willis and Twentieth Century Fox have apparently overcome that stumbling block. How so? Willis wouldn’t divulge. ”John McClane has retired as a cop, and that’s all that Fox have allowed me to tell you about it.” But he assures fans the movie will be a departure from its predecessors rather than a cynical cash-in on a successful franchise. Sure it will.
Williams hops into his RV
Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld will be boarding RV, a family road trip comedy starring Robin Williams. The story follows Bob McNeive (Williams) and his family, who rent an RV and head for the Colorado Rockies. But McNeive’s family is a dysfunctional lot, and the clan has to contend with the campground community. Honestly, how many of these National Lampoon’s Vacation rip-offs do we have to endure? We can only hope Williams‘ participation will save the day.
Affleck to wear Spandex
Apparently playing the dud Daredevil hasn’t scared Ben Affleck away from donning another superhero costume. This time, it’s Superman. OK, in all fairness, Affleck is actually portraying the actor who played Superman. Variety reports that he’ll be playing George Reeves, the actor who became famous as Superman in the 1950s TV series, in the biopic Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Reeves was found dead in his bedroom hours after a 1959 party involving much drinking. The police ruled the shooting a suicide, despite forensic evidence suggesting foul play. Also starring in indie drama will be Diane Lane, as Toni Mannix, an MGM executive’s wife who reportedly had a long-running affair with Reeves and Adrien Brody, as a detective who investigated Reeves‘ mysterious death. Finally, after a rather long string of major big studio flops, Affleck is wising up and going with the indies. Build up his credibility again.
The Fog revisited
Tom Welling (Smallville) and Maggie Grace (Lost) will star in the remake of John Carpenter‘s classic horror thriller The Fog, with Rupert Wainwright (Stigmata) set to direct. Remakes of Carpenter‘s flicks seem to be popular these days, especially with the success of this year’s Assault on Precinct 13, another ’70s Carpenter cult classic. Fog is set in a Northern California town where, about 100 years ago, a ship sank under mysterious circumstances in a thick, eerie fog. The ghosts of the deceased mariners return from their watery graves to seek their revenge. Welling will play a local boat owner who never left the town, and Grace will portray a college girl who is back in her hometown for the summer. Who’s going to play the Adrienne Barbeau part?
Falco, Moore head to Freedomland
Edie Falco is joining Julianne Moore and Samuel L. Jackson in Freedomland, the adaptation of Richard Price’s best-selling novel of the same name. The gritty story concerns the aftermath of a carjacking that becomes a racially charged media sensation. Lovely. Also joining the cast are Ron Eldard (ABC’s upcoming Blind Justice), William Forsythe (City By the Sea), Anthony Mackie (Million Dollar Baby) and Aunjanue Ellis (Ray).
