Hathaway Gets Busy
Anne Hathaway is set to star as a grief counselor who helps six plane crash survivors in the supernatural thriller Passengers. When the survivors begin to mysteriously disappear, she suspects a conspiracy and is determined to uncover the truth (no, it’s not the Grim Reaper taking care of stray plane crash survivors like in Final Destination). And that’s not all Ms. Devil Wears Prada is doing: Hathaway has also been cast to play Agent 99 in Warner Bros. Pictures’ big-screen version of Get Smart, opposite Steve Carell. She’s also playing Jane Austen in Becoming Jane, a film about a young Austen who becomes embroiled in a passionate love affair with an Irish lawyer.
Roberts Finds Happiness
Julia Roberts has signed on to produce and possibly star in Happiness Sold Separately, a romantic feature based on the novel by Lolly Winston. The story centers on a woman who withdraws from her husband into a world of heartbreak and anger after she discovers he had an affair with his nutritionist at the gym. It tells the story of when people meet the wrong person at the wrong time and have to make it right. How many times can they keep making the same movie? I’m just asking. It will be adapted and directed by Scott Coffey, an actor and longtime friend of Roberts. “I’ve been looking for something to do with Julia for a really long time, and I finally found the project that was worthy of her,” Coffey tells the Hollywood Reporter. “I couldn’t get Julia out of my head when I was reading Lolly’s book. Elinor is such a strong, complicated woman, and bringing her to the screen required Julia’s integrity, empathy, humor and legs.” Legs?
Harris Cleans Up
Ed Harris is in negotiations to join Samuel L. Jackson in the indie crime thriller Cleaner, which is set to begin shooting next month in Shreveport, La. The project centers on a man who specializes in cleaning up crime scenes and is drawn into a mystery when he cleans up the evidence at a murder before the killing is reported. Harris will play Jackson‘s former partner. Keke Palmer has also joined the cast, as Jackson‘s daughter. Renny Harlin will direct. And that’s where you lose me. Harlin hasn’t directed anything good since, well, has he ever directed anything good? Oh, right Cliffhanger. That wasn’t too bad.
Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men?
You know the answer, right? Spider-Man director Sam Raimi is in negotiations to produce–but not direct–another The Shadow adaptation with his partner Josh Donen. According to the Hollywood Reporter, The Shadow debuted in 1931 on a CBS radio show that aimed to boost the magazine circulation of sponsor Street & Smith. The character was actually the moniker for the announcer, and listeners began demanding stories based on the name. Walter B. Gibson created the character, writing the adventures of a crime-fighter who skulked in shadows wearing a hat and cape, and who had the power to cloud men’s minds. The Shadow became one of the greatest pulp heroes of the time, and the radio series, which featured a young Orson Welles, spawned the catchphrase “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” The character also proved a merchandising bonanza, was the subject of seminal comic books, and influenced an array of pop culture, including Batman and V for Vendetta. The character moved to the big screen, becoming the hero of several movies in late ’30s and ’40s, a Columbia cliffhanger serial starring Victor Jory, and a couple of TV series in the early days of television. The Shadow‘s most recent incarnation was a big-budget 1994 feature starring Alec Baldwin. The movie didn’t fare well at the box office, though, killing any chance for a franchise. Until now. A Shadow movie has long been a dream project for Raimi. “I’ve been a passionate Shadow fan ever since I was a kid and have long dreamed of bringing this character to the screen,” Raimi tells the Hollywood Reporter. I guess there’s some symmetry to that. Let’s see if he can make it stick this time. Maybe he should consider directing it after all since he’s done a pretty bang-up job with the Spider-Man series.
Dawson’s Descent Makes It to the Theaters
Producer-actress Rosario Dawson‘s violent date-rape drama Descent will be released domestically next spring by City Lights Pictures. First-time feature director Talia Lugacy, a longtime friend of first-time producer Dawson, co-wrote the script with Brian Priest especially for the actress. Dawson plays a college student slowly recovering from a brutal date rape. While trying to rebuild her life, she decides to take revenge on her attacker (Chad Faust) in a manner described by City Lights CEO Danny Fisher as “equally shocking, controversial and graphic.” Fisher told the Hollywood Reporter he was prepared to release the film unrated or with a commercially poisonous NC-17 rating because he did not want to diminish the power of the material. “This is not a revenge thriller, and we’re not planning to market it as such,” Fisher said. He plans to reach out to rape and women’s organizations to spread awareness about the subject matter and launch a strong Internet campaign, including a presence in online support groups. That’s all very positive but yikes, it sounds like its going to be a tough movie to watch.
Until next week…
