Owen is a man among Men
Clive Owen gets ready to breed…sort of. The British actor, whose supporting performance in Closer earned him an Oscar nomination, has signed on to topline Children of Men. Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) is directing. Based on the book by P.D. James, the story takes place in the near future, when mankind has lost the ability to procreate. Egad! Can you imagine? Then the world is rocked by the news that the youngest person on Earth–who is 18 years old–has died. As chaos erupts, a former radical (Owen) becomes protector of the most sought-after person on the planet–the first pregnant woman in almost 20 years. Hmmm, sounds a little like 1984 meets a reversed Logan’s Run. Sign me up!
The Bees’ knees
Jerry Seinfeld gets his buzz on. The comedian has written the cartoon comedy Bee Movie for DreamWorks Animation and will provide the key voice as well as produce. The story follows a bee just out of college who sues humanity for mass theft of his winged species’ honey. Now, that’s funny! The all-star voice cast also includes Renee Zellweger, Robert Duvall, Uma Thurman, Kathy Bates, Eric Idle, Oprah Winfrey, William H. Macy, Alan Arkin and Larry King. Impressive. Steve Hickner (The Prince of Egypt) and Simon J. Smith will co-direct. DreamWorks told the Hollywood Reporter it has slotted Bee Movie for release Nov. 2, 2007, following the May 18, 2007, debut of the studio’s third Shrek film. Good thinking.
The Rock tells Tales
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will star opposite Seann William Scott and Sarah Michelle Gellar in Southland Tales, the next project from Donnie Darko writer-director Richard Kelly. According to the Reporter, the story is an ensemble piece set in Los Angeles on July 4, 2008, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. The Rock will star as Boxer Santaros, an action star stricken with amnesia who crosses paths with Krysta Now (Gellar), an adult film star developing her own reality television project, and David Clark (Scott), a Hermosa Beach police officer who holds the key to a vast conspiracy. “The film is going to be a strange hybrid of the sensibilities of Andy Warhol and Philip K. Dick,” Kelly told the Reporter in a statement. I don’t doubt it. Darko was a pretty strange film–remember the horrifying bunnyman? Like he did for Darko, Kelly is also creating an elaborate Web site to illustrate the world he is creating and is writing six 100-page graphic novels that will be released over a six-month period before the film’s release. Obviously, Kelly has a lot of time on his hands, but it has certainly piqued my curiosity.
Taxi Driver: The sequel?
Well, apparently there was some talk of one but Taxi Driver writer Paul Schrader has squashed that rumor. According to World Entertainment News Network, he dismissed comments made by Robert De Niro that a sequel to the 1976 cult classic–about a former Vietnam vet who goes a little nutso and nearly assassinates a government official–is being worked on. Schrader, who also wrote The Last Temptation of Christ and Raging Bull, admits he met up to discuss the idea of a follow-up with De Niro and director Martin Scorsese, but that they soon threw the idea out. Schrader told WENN, “[It’s] absolute bulls**t. We did meet about four years ago–Marty, Bob and me–at Bob’s suggestion. But we came to the mutual decision that it was a very bad idea. The rumor must have surfaced from there. The concept just didn’t work. Travis (Bickle, De Niro‘s character) is dead maybe six months after that movie ended. He was always on a suicide trip. If he didn’t make it that time, how is he going to make it to middle age? I just couldn’t imagine a middle-aged Travis. Could you?” Uh, no, frankly I couldn’t. You lookin’ at ME?
Mitchell goes Silent
Woody Allen‘s newest muse Radha Mitchell, currently in Melinda and Melinda, will star in the film adaptation of the Konami video game Silent Hill. The movie, directed by French filmmaker Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf), is budgeted at $45 million-$50 million, with additional casting not yet final. Mitchell will play Rose, who is desperately searching for her lost daughter in the mysterious, terrifying town of Silent Hill, where they are trapped. “Konami sold over 4 million units of the Silent Hill trilogy of games, and I’m thrilled that they have entrusted me with this valuable franchise,” producer Samuel Hadida told the Reporter, in a nod to his future expectations for the property. Hadida also co-produced the video game adaptation Resident Evil. OK, so he knows what he’s doing then. I just hope there’s zombies.
Until next week…
