Spidey’s New Love Interest
Bryce Dallas Howard, who was simply mesmerizing in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, is in negotiations to play Peter Parker’s love interest Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man 3, which is scheduled to roll this month. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Gwen is pivotal in Spider-Man lore as Peter’s high school crush, his first girlfriend and his first love, who was kidnapped by the Green Goblin and died during a bridgetop battle in “Amazing Spider-Man” issue 121. Wait, I thought Mary Jane Watson was Peter’s high school crush. Apparently, the Spider-Man movies took a few liberties, namely putting Mary Jane Watson–a later love interest of Peter’s in the comic books–in the Gwen role. Columbia is keeping a tight lid on the third movie’s story line, though it is known that Gwen is the third part of a love triangle and that the character does survive. Well, that’s good. Tobey Maguire is reprising his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, while Kirsten Dunst and James Franco are also returning. Topher Grace and Thomas Haden Church have been cast as the villains. What I’m more excited about is Howard, the daughter of filmmaker Ron Howard, reuniting with Shyamalan in the upcoming Lady in the Water. She’s playing a water nymph who gets stuck in Paul Giamatti’s apartment building pool. I just love the way Shyamalan’s mind works.
Show Us That Smile, Tom
Oh god, here we go again. Those bright guys in Hollywood are now turning Tom Selleck’s hit 1980s TV show Magnum, P.I. into a feature film. All I can do is shake my head. Rawson Marshall Thurber, who wrote and directed Dodgeball, has signed on to helm the movie. The 1980’s series centered on the sexy, moustached Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a former Navy intelligence officer-turned-Ferrari-driving private investigator. Magnum, whose reasons for leaving the Navy are not explained, lives on the fabulous Hawaiian estate of Robin Masters (played in the series by the late John Hillerman), a successful pulp writer, in return for providing its security. The big-screen version will feature Magnum searching for a missing friend with the help of his former military mates. No word yet on who’ll play Magnum. Too bad Tom’s too old to play him–I’m sort of hard pressed to think of anyone who could fill his shoes.
Tamblyn Holds a Grudge
Joan of Arcadia star Amber Tamblyn has signed on to co-star with Sarah Michelle Gellar in The Grudge 2. Tamblyn will play the younger sister of Gellar‘s character, who will return briefly to pass on the supernatural curse held in darned house. Don’t they all know by now how stupid it is to go in there? Along with Joan of Arcadia, Tamblyn has also appeared in The Ring. Remember, she was the first one to get killed by the girl in the well, after watching that horrid videotape. So Amber knows all about these wacky curses.
Day-Lewis Sheds Some Blood
Daniel Day-Lewis is set to play a pioneering Texas oil prospector in There Will Be Blood, a sprawling period piece that filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson has spent several years writing. Anderson, whose most recent film was 2002’s Adam Sandler vehicle Punch-Drunk Love, is in advanced talks to produce and direct the project as well. The story is loosely based on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil! and tells the story of a turn-of-the-century prospector who buys the oil rights to a family’s ranch, and then hits a major pocket of crude. He realizes the American dream, and is then destroyed by it. Oh, so it’ll be a cheerful film then. Actually, we haven’t had a good Texas oil movie since Giant, so this should be fun. And if the usually picky Day-Lewis has deemed it worthy of his presence, then maybe it’ll be something to watch out for.
Madsen, Carrey Exchanged Numbers
Sideways star Virginia Madsen is in talks to play Jim Carrey‘s wife in The Number 23, a psychological thriller from director Joel Schumacher. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Elisabeth Shue had been cast in the wife role in November but recently stepped down when she learned she was pregnant. New Line Cinema then entered talks with Nicole Kidman, but a deal was never reached because of scheduling conflicts. Gee, Virginia, don’t feel too bad. At least you were their third choice. In the film, Carrey comes across an obscure book titled The Number 23. As he reads it, he becomes increasingly convinced that the book is based on his own life. His obsession with the number 23 starts to consume him to the point that he soon realizes that the book forecasts far graver consequences for his life than he could ever have imagined. Danny Huston (The Constant Gardener) will portray the couple’s mutual friend, whom Carrey thinks is after his wife, while Rhona Mitra (Boston Legal) will play a character in the book called Suicide Girl. Wow. Carrey can be hit or miss when he tries drama but this doesn’t sound too bad.
Singleton is Without Remorse
John Singleton has signed on to adapt and direct the Tom Clancy espionage thriller Without Remorse. The project centers on former Navy SEAL and CIA operative John Kelly, code-named Mr. Clark, who first appeared in Clear and Present Danger (played by Willem Dafoe). Oh, that guy was cool. I always thought there was a juicy backstory to his character. Singleton told the Hollywood Reporter he aims to make the film in line with Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games, the Phillip Noyce-directed Clancy thrillers he is a fan of, and said he was looking to cast a young and athletic actor who can grow with the picture. “Clancy is one of the best-selling authors of all time, but a lot of people don’t understand that there’s also a whole population of people who know Clancy from the video game world [through his Splinter Cell games],” said Singleton, who sees the film appealing to both demographics. Without Remorse also marks the Hollywood return of former Hollywood dealmaker Michael Ovitz, who owns the rights to the property and will serve as a producer. Remember him? When he was chairman of the talent firm Creative Artists Agency back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Ovitz was once considered the most powerful man in the entertainment industry. Then he left the agency, took a massive job at Disney, got fired–and things just fell apart. Glad to see you’re back, Mike.
Run, Parminder, Run
Bend It Like Beckham star Parminder Nagra is preparing to run this year’s grueling London Marathon in preparation for her starring role in Marathon. The athletic drama will tell the story of six strangers, who all have different reasons for entering the London marathon. The 36-year-old British actress will appear alongside Jonny Lee Miller (Angelina Jolie’s first husband) and Toby Stephens(Die Another Day), who have all been allowed to enter this year’s race on April 23 to ensure the film captures the true drama of the event. Director Tim Sullivan has been given permission to place 25 camera crews along the 26-mile route and has already secured the film rights to exclusive BBC footage of the event. A movie about running, huh? I’m a little dubious–unless, of course, one of them gets tangled up with a former Nazi who tortures them with vile dentistry practices. Is it safe?
Until next week…
