[IMG:L]Kidman Marries a Millionaire
Even though she hasn’t had the greatest luck with remakes, Nicole Kidman is eyeing a modern spin of Marilyn Monroe‘s How to Marry a Millionaire, to produce and possibly star in. Although plot details are being kept under wraps, it’s rumored to be a complete overhaul of the original story. Released in 1953, the film revolved around three models who use their charm and good looks to lure rich men. Nicole, sweetie, just think of Bewitched and The Stepford Wives as lessons in how NOT to go about this remake.
[IMG:R]Latifah Reveals All of Herself
Her majesty Queen Latifah will star in a remake of the Steve Martin–Lily Tomlin comedy All of Me–one of the better entries in the body-switching genre of its time. The 1984 film, directed by Carl Reiner, centered on a dying spoiled heiress (Tomlin) whose soul ends up in the body of a lawyer (Martin). She controls the right side of his body while he controls the left. The modern version would see the movie set in the world of politics, where a female Jesse Jackson-type finds herself in the body of an ultra-conservative guy. Ouch. Is there really a need to remake this one, folks?
[IMG:L]Fisher Wants a Cookie
Isla Fisher, one of the better reasons to watch Wedding Crashers over and over, is attached to play the title character in the comedy The Cookie Queen. The story follows Claire “Cookie” Taylor (Fisher), who holds the record for all-time girl scout cookie sales. When she learns that a precocious fifth grader threatens to end her 20-year reign as cookie queen, she sets out to sabotage her. Fisher will also produce the project. What I would really like to see Fisher do next is a movie with her real-life love Sacha Baron Cohen, aka Borat.
[IMG:R]Murphy Heads to Nowhereland
Over the Hedge writer/director Karey Kirkpatrick has signed on to direct the Eddie Murphy comedy Nowhereland. The project centers on a struggling businessman who solves his troubles at work by consulting his 6-year-old daughter and the imaginary world she has created. Murphy really is turning into a Bill Cosby, isn’t he?
[IMG:L]Weaver Joins Fey and Poehler in Baby Hunt
Sigourney Weaver is in negotiations to co-star with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in the comedy Baby Mama. The film centers on a single career woman (Fey) whose desire to have a child and keep her career leads her to hire a surrogate (Poehler). Weaver will play Chaffee Bicknell, owner and operator of the surrogate agency that Fey‘s character uses. I’m sure being on the set with Fey and Poehler will be a non-stop laugh fest. I just watched Aliens recently. I sort of forget how versatile an actress Weaver can be sometimes.
[IMG:R]Magneto Gets His Own Gig
David Goyer will direct Magneto, the X-Men spinoff in development from 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios that centers on the villain immortalized in the original trilogy by Ian McKellen. According to Variety, after the first three X-Men films grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, Fox and Marvel hatched the spinoff program. In a storyline hinted at by the original X-Men films, Magneto comes to grips with his mutant ability to manipulate metal objects as he and his parents try to survive in Auschwitz. Magneto meets Professor Xavier when the latter is a soldier liberating the concentration camp. Magneto hones his powers by hunting down and killing Nazi war criminals who tortured him, and his lust for vengeance turns Xavier and Magneto into enemies. Both characters will be played by actors in their 20s. How appropriate. Magneto will be the second such movie to go into production. First up is Wolverine, a David Benioff-scripted film that will star Hugh Jackman as the steel-clawed mutant. And so it goes.
[IMG:L]Rogen, Franco Eat Pineapple
Here’s another stoner comedy to throw on the pile. The Pineapple Express, starring Seth Rogen (upcoming Knocked Up) and James Franco (Spider-Man 3), follows two toking pals who get mixed up with a drug gang. Amber Heard (the young Charlize Theron in North Country) will play Rogen‘s girlfriend who makes him promise to give up the wacky tobacky. She later discovers he lied to her. I’m very curious to see how Franco, who’s mostly known for smouldering looks and terribly serious acting in his movies, will be able to handle comedy—stoned, no less.
Until next week…
