Monaghan, Stiller Itch to Work Together
Michelle Monaghan is set to star opposite Ben Stiller in Seven Day Itch, a DreamWorks comedy inspired by the ‘70s classic The Heartbreak Kid, with Peter and Bobby Farrelly directing. Oh, this should be fun. The 1972 comedy, written by Neil Simon, was directed by Elaine May and starred Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd. Monaghan will play the Shepherd character, a young woman who causes a honeymooning groom (Stiller) to question his commitment to the woman he hastily married. The wife role has yet to be cast. Of course, no one can forget Jeannie Berlin (May’s real-life daughter) as the hapless Jewish bride in The Heartbreak Kid, whose whiny voice and endless maladies drove Grodin’s character batty. Funny stuff.
Rock Icon Channels His Inner Pirate
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is lined up to play the swashbuckling father of a pirate in the third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Star Johnny Depp has said he adopted the body language and mannerisms of the veteran guitarist to create Captain Jack Sparrow’s character. “We’re all looking forward to the idea of Keith coming in and doing a cameo,” Depp told a London news conference to promote Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. “You never say it’s definite until the guy steps on the set and the camera is rolling. But it’s looking very, very good.” I can just imagine the conversation now when they asked him: “Hey, Keith, you wanna do this Pirates thing?”[Long pause] “Oh…uh…huh? Yeah, mate, sure, sure, why bloody not? Should be a &%*!!# blast, mate! I mean, you know, swords and rum and all that pirate s**t…” as he trails off, mumbling something incoherent. Co-star Orlando Bloom said he was similarly enthusiastic about working with Richards–provided the rocker is in good health. “I can’t wait to see him–well, if he doesn’t kill himself falling out of coconut trees,” Bloom said. “Very rock and roll.” You might remember that Richards, 62, suffered a head injury in late April, when he reportedly fell out of a palm tree while vacationing in Fiji. Seems he’s never going to live that one down.
Another Hulk on the Way?
You know, it IS a pretty good comic book story, so even if the first Hulk sorely missed the mark, it doesn’t mean that they can’t learn from their mistakes and try again. Actors Brendan Fraser and Dominic Purcell (TV’s Prison Break) are both in talks to play the big green fellow–well, his alter-ego Bruce Banner, that is–in a sequel currently in development. Original Hulk Eric Bana, who flirted with the idea of returning to the part, has wisely pulled out of the project, according to Cinescape.com. Someone else is just going to have to put on Banner’s white lab coat and try to control his rage.
Duchovny Jumps into Fire
David Duchovny has signed on to star opposite Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro in the drama Things We Lost in the Fire. I reported on this awhile ago and the premise still doesn’t particularly enthrall me. The story centers on a woman (Berry) whose husband (Duchovny) suddenly dies. The woman invites her husband’s troubled best friend (Del Toro) to live with her family, and as the friend turns his life around, he helps the grief-stricken family confront their loss. Duchovny will appear in flashbacks. Ho hum. However, actor-writer-director Duchovny’s other project sounds far more intriguing. He recently acquired the life rights of Linda Brewer, who provided for her family by hosting passion parties and selling sex toys out of her car throughout the Bible Belt. It beats walking the streets, I guess. Duchovny‘s wife, Tea Leoni, is attached to star as the Arkansas woman. Nice.
Pony Up
Dimension Films has picked up Pony Bush, a country-club comedy from first-time writer Brandon Murphy, who went through hoops to get his screenplay out there. The story follows a deadbeat but lovable character named Chucky “The Poodle” Fife and his sidekick, Honey Comb Love, who turn the snobby Pony Bush club upside down. While Chucky teaches spoiled kids to lose with style, he competes for the heart of the club’s heiress before her uptight fiancé gets a piece of her fortune. I believe Mr. Murphy has seen Caddyshack more than a few times. The comedy group Broken Lizard (Super Troopers) is in negotiations to produce the project, which as yet has no director attached.
Rock Star Turned Occultist
Warner Bros. is adapting Joe Hill’s upcoming novel Heart-Shaped Box. Hill is the son of horror guru Stephen King, who wrote an award-winning collection of short stories called 20th Century Ghosts. Ah, so the apple doesn’t far from the tree. Box is a supernatural thriller about a rock star who collects occult artifacts and bids online for a ghost that leads him into the Deep South. There, he must confront his past in order to escape the haunting. Hey, I have an idea! Get Keith Richards to play the part, you know, if he likes the whole Pirates experience.
Until next week…
