DiCaprio & Monahan On "Claudius"?

---

Producer Scott Rudin has picked up the film rights to Robert Graves' Roman Empire-set novel, "I, Claudius" for a cool two million dollars reports the trades.

Leonardo DiCaprio and screenwriter William Monahan ("The Departed") are circling the project, the pair were part of a rival bid by Warner Bros., butno offers have yet been made.

"Claudius" is not yet set up at a studio, though sources said it likely will land at Walt Disney Studios, where Rudin is housed.

Graves' 1934 novel "I, Claudius," recounts the internecine plots and counterplots surrounding Claudius, the fourth emperor of Rome, who ruled from 41-54 AD. The novel's period covers the time from the end of the first Emperor Augustus' reign to the crowning of Nero.

The novel has previously been adapted twice, most memorably the 1976 BBC miniseries starring the likes of Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Sian Phillips, Patrick Stewart, Brian Blessed, John Rhys-Davies and Bernard Hill amongst others.

Whether the controversial content will be included in the new adaptation is hard to say. The BBC mini-series included the most famous scene, albeit mostly offscreen, of Caligula (John Hurt) cutting out and then eating the foetus of his pregnant sister.

---

More "Bond 22" Details Revealed

---

A rather in-depth article on the Bond franchise in general talks quite a bit about the upcoming "Bond 22" scheduled to go into production this December.

Producer Barbara Broccoli says the story "will continue the path of Bond trying to find out who was behind the Le Chiffre operation. That's as much as we're going to say." She does confirm that neither gadget-master Q or secretary Miss Moneypenny will appear - "Certainly, there may come a point where those beloved characters return, but at the moment, they're not in 22."

Scribe Paul Haggis adds "I can tell you it starts right where 'Casino' left off. Yes, Bond will be going after the organization that we hinted at. It will be the same Bond you saw in 'Casino,' a very human and flawed assassin, a man who has to navigate a morally complex and often cynical world while attempting to hold onto his deep beliefs of what is right and wrong."

Producer Michael G. Wilson adds "Without getting specific, maybe there will be references to certain episodes. The approach to it is that Fleming is very much in the fabric of it."

Actor Daniel Craig recently said "He also has to deal with revenge because he has lost the girl. Bond is still maybe too headstrong, and he doesn't make all of the right decisions."

---

Petersen To Helm "The Grays"

---

Author Whitley Strieber has revealed on his official site that Wolfgang Petersen ("Troy," "The Perfect Storm") will direct the film adaptation of his sci-fi novel "The Grays" for Sony Pictures.

In his novel a triumvirate of Grays, known as the Three Thieves, has occupied a small Kentucky town for decades - abducting its residents and manipulating fates and bloodlines in hopes of creating an ultra-intelligent human being.

Nine-year-old Conner Callahan will face the ultimate terror as he struggles to understand who he has been bred to be and what he must do to save humanity.

Shooting is scheduled to begin pre-strike for a Summer 2009 release.

---

Harry Potter 5 on DVD, Blu-ray & HD DVD Dec. 11

---

Warner Home Video has provided ComingSoon.net with a first look at the new DVD cover artwork for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The summer blockbuster will be released as a Two-Disc Special Edition, a Widescreen version, a Full Screen version, a Blu-ray Disc and a HD DVD on December 11.

The Two-Disc Special Edition, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD will include: 10 minutes of never before seen footage; an A&E documentary; a featurette called "Trailing Tonks," in which you spend a day with actress Nat Tena and receive a very personal and often wacky tour of the "Order of the Phoenix" stages; a "Harry Potter: The Magic of Editing" feature, in which director David Yates and editor Mark Day show us what a difference a good edit makes and then allow you to edit a scene; "The Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter" in which look for clues in the past Harry Potter films for what the future films may hold; an "In Movie Experience," in which you join the cast from Dumbledore's Army as they come together to share memorable moments; as well as more "making of" featurettes and "Fun and Games."

---

Perelman To Helm "Atlas Shrugged"

---

Vadim Perelman ("House of Sand and Fog") has been brought in to rewrite and direct the film version of Ayn Rand's famed 1957 novel "Atlas Shrugged" for Lionsgate reports Variety.

While the studio needs to get a final script before committing to a start date, the move means they're in a strong position for an early 2008 production start.

The drama revolves around what happens when great industrialists and thinkers go on strike and the world grinds to a halt. Angelina Jolie remains committed to star and will probably do so once wrapping work on the Clint Eastwood-directed "The Changeling" for Universal.

"Braveheart" scribe Randall Wallace penned the original 127-page draft and will also stay involved in the project.

---

"Doctor Who" Resting In 2009

---

BBC One have confirmed that "Doctor Who" will return for a fifth season in Spring 2010 - meaning the regular show will take a break in 2009.

The thirteen episode fourth season, which went into production in July 2007, will hit UK screens in Spring 2008. There will also be a Christmas special episode both this December and in 2008.

In 2009 the show will return with three specials with David Tennant still in the role and executive producer Russell T Davies still involved.

The full length thirteen episode fifth series will transmit in 2010.

---

The "Root" Of Sean Bean's Evil

---

Sean Bean's next film "The Cache" has undergone a name change to "Root of All Evil" and Moviehole has some new story details:

The psychological thriller examines three stark truths about human nature -- Man’s cowardice versus his courage, women’s sexual attraction to “bad boys”, and the morality of money.

These truths are woven into a thematic overview inspired by a 1961-62 Yale University obedience experiment by Dr. Stanley Milgram which proved the ease with which human beings shuck all personal responsibility for heinous acts or crimes while under the influence of an outside authority.

The film will be directed and has been writte by Stephen Milburn Anderson ("South Central").

---

Disney Keen On "Clone Wars" Series

---

Walt Disney Studios is heavily campaigning to get broadcast rights for George Lucas’ much anticipated CG-animated series "Clone Wars" reports Animation Magazine.

The studio is competing with Fox and HBO who are also rumored to be interested in picking up broadcast rights. Each episode will be 22-minutes long and will follow the general tone of the original 1977 "Star Wars" with an action focus and lighter tone.

Lucas has previously said that he wants to produce at least 100 episodes of the show which is expected to be ready for broadcast by the fall of 2008. The live-action series in the works won't begin airing until Fall 2009 at the earliest.

---

Ashley Judd to star in 'Helen'

---

Ashley Judd has signed on to topline drama "Helen" for Egoli Tossell Film and Insight Film Studios.

Script by Sandra Nettelbeck ("Mostly Martha"), who will also direct, centers on a music professor and mother who suffers from a deep, debilitating depression. Her family tries to help her, but no one can relate to her pain other than a young female student who knows depression all too well.

Shooting is scheduled to begin Oct. 2 in Vancouver.

Judd, who most recently appeared in the Lionsgate thriller "Bug," will next be seen in the Weinstein Co. ensemble drama "Crossing Over," set for release in December.

---

Venice in tune with Dylan feature

---

Bob Dylan dominated the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday as Todd Haynes' biopic "I'm Not There" split critics but set off a praise wave for the singer-songwriter on the Lido.

"He is probably the one artist of our time who will still be considered 200 years from now. Not Picasso: Bob Dylan," enthused co-star Richard Gere at the pic's packed presser.

There were some walkouts during the Lido press screening of the first feature about his life that Dylan has blessed, but there were also cheers when the final credits rolled.

Complex pic, which world preemed in Telluride, features six thesps playing Dylan, including Gere, who portrays him as a Billy the Kid type living in a Fellini-esque Western town.

"The first time I met Todd, I said, 'What the fuck is this character?'" Gere said.

But after he and Haynes talked, "I understood the approach he was taking to this film," Gere said.

Haynes said he got Dylan's approval precisely because of the film's experimental structure.

"It's something that would keep expanding who (Dylan) is, and what he's about, and not reducing it, which I think is the tendency in the traditional biopic," Haynes added.

Also playing Dylan are Cate Blanchett (who did not make the trek to the Lido), Heath Ledger (who did), Marcus Carl Franklin, Christian Bale and Ben Whishaw.

In the first test for this pic, which no doubt will be a marketing challenge, "I'm Not There" will bow theatrically in Italy on Friday via BIM Distribuzione before a slow rollout Stateside that begins Nov. 21 via the Weinstein Co.

Also unspooling in the Venice competish on Tuesday was well-received Italo anti-Mafia drama "The Bitter and the Sweet," starring Luigi Lo Cascio ("The One Hundred Steps") as a Sicilian mobster caught between La Cosa Nostra and the woman he loves. Hard-hitting mob pic is a sophomore feature by Andrea

---

The Members of Operation Valkyrie

---

The Daily Mail has published this new photo featuring the cast of director Bryan Singer's Valkyrie, which United Artists will release on June 27, 2008. From left to right, the members include: Kevin McNally, Christian Berkel, Bill Nighy, Tom Cruise, Terence Stamp, David Schofield and Kenneth Brannagh.



You can learn more about the character each actor plays by clicking here. In the film, Superstar Cruise plays Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the aristocratic German officer who led the heroic attempt to bring down the Nazi regime and end the war by planting a bomb in Hitler's bunker.

---

Transformers Hits DVD and HD DVD on Oct. 16!

---

The armies of Cybertron invaded theaters with a juggernaut fury that shook the summer of 2007, but on October 16, 2007 fans of all ages will discover that there is far "More Than Meets The Eye" to the massive mechanical behemoths when Transformers arrives on Earth in spectacular DVD and HD DVD two-disc Special Edition sets as well as on a single disc from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures; distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment.

Earning over $650 million at the global box office to date, the massive production exploded onto screens from the creative minds of director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, in association with Hasbro, taking audiences by storm and becoming the biggest original film of the year. The first live-action film based on the enduringly popular "robots in disguise", Transformers features the ultimate battle between good and evil, as the peace-loving Autobots seek to protect humanity from the evil forces of the Decepticons. The action-packed film stars a hot young cast of up-and-coming actors including Shia LaBeouf (Disturbia), Josh Duhamel ("Las Vegas"), Tyrese Gibson (Four Brothers) and Megan Fox ("Hope & Faith"), as well as seasoned performers such as Jon Voight (National Treasure) and John Turturro (The Good Shepherd). But the biggest stars are the Transformers robots themselves – including fan favorites Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Jazz and more – brought to life by revolutionary new VFX techniques developed by the innovative digital wizards at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).

The Transformers Special Edition two-disc sets provide an incredible experience with an arsenal of bonus material that delivers excitement and fun for long-time fans, as well as for viewers who are new to the "Transformers" universe. The extensive special features include commentary by Michael Bay and two multi-part in-depth documentaries exploring the human elements of the film as well as the phenomenal robot stars. Presented in multiple parts, "Our World" and "Their War" include segments with Steven Spielberg discussing his love for the franchise and the early concept for the movie, the extensive casting process, the training, consultants and real-world weapons provided by the military to lend authenticity to the film, the evolution of the robots from Hasbro’s iconic toy line to big-screen stars, the unique vehicles created for the movie, a discussion with ILM's legendary digital artists and much more.

The discs go even further behind-the-scenes with early sketch concepts of the robots and an in-depth look at the making of the Skorponok attack from writing and conceptualization through the creation of the stunning visual effects.

In addition to superior picture and sound and all of the above bonus material presented in high definition, the HD DVD presentation provides consumers with a host of web-enabled features, which are accessible through all connected HD DVD players. The
web-enabled features take advantage of technology that allows the studio to present the content in a new way. These cutting-edge, online features can be updated, providing consumers with an evolving entertainment experience months, or even years, after the disc is physically produced. Initial features include a Transformers Intelligence Mode in which an on-screen dashboard over the film provides information about the robots and weapons, their strength levels, character updates and more. Plus, a GPS Locator that can access a map and GPS coordinates. Paramount's Transformers HD DVD connectivity capabilities will reveal additional HD DVD exclusive features at street date and at various time periods in the future.

The HD DVD also includes a Transformers H.U.D. (Heads Up Display) that lets viewers access running text commentary while watching the film and even view relevant behind-the-scenes footage in a picture-in-picture window. Additionally, viewers can explore the main robots' individual details in high definition with the Transformers Tech Inspector.

DVD:
The Transformers DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. Total runtime is 143 minutes.

Transformers Special Edition DVD bonus features include:

Disc 1:
- Feature film
- Commentary by Michael Bay

Disc 2:
- Our World

The Story Sparks - Steven Spielberg discusses his love for the franchise and early concept art for the film. Explores how the writers adapted the cartoon into a live-action movie and why Michael Bay is the perfect director for the film.
Human Allies - A look at how the actors were selected and their experiences on the set.
I Fight Giant Robots - An exploration of the military training that
Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson underwent for their roles and the various stunts that the actors were asked to perform.
Battleground - A piece on the senior officials from the Department of Defense and Air Force who consulted on the film to give it authenticity and the key locations that the U.S. government provided access to.

- Their War
Rise of the Robots - Explores the interaction between Hasbro designers and Michael Bay to bring the toy line roaring to life.
Autobots Roll Out - Michael Bay discusses working with Chevy and its designers and the modifications that were made to the cars seen in the film.
Decepticons Strike - The film's military advisors discuss the “toys” they allowed the production to borrow: F-22 Raptors, Ospreys and A-10 Warthogs.
Inside the AllSpark - ILM's digital artists discuss the challenges of bringing the Transformers to life.

- More Than Meets The Eye
From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack - An in-depth look at the making of this particularly epic and challenging scene from initial storyboarding through production and visual effects.
Concepts - Early sketch concepts of the robots.
Trailers

HD DVD
The HD DVD is presented in 1080p High Definition with English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus and English, English SDH+, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. In addition to the above features that will be presented in high definition, the Transformers HD DVD will also offer the following exclusive content:

Disc 1:
Transformers H.U.D. (Heads Up Display) - In this mode, viewers can access running text-based behind-the-scenes background information on the production during the feature. Users can also watch relevant picture-in-picture b-roll and video with Bay, Spielberg and other filmmakers during select sequences.

Transformers Intelligence Mode web-enabled features consist of:
- Transformation Mode
- Health Meter
- Weapon Mode
- Robot Bio
- In Scene Indicator
- Text Ticker
- GPS

Disc 2:
Transformers Tech Inspector - Gives viewers an unprecedented look at the Transformers robots through the exquisitely detailed models created by ILM artists. Users can zoom in on each detail for a closer examination and pause and change the rotation of the models.

---

Rob Zombie Halloween remake explodes!

---

Classic horror remake breaks opening w/e records

According to SlashFilm.com, Rob Zombie's remake of the 1978 horror classic "Halloween" has exploded for an estimated $10.5 million at the box office in the United States on Friday (August 31), and it's headed for a three-day of $30 million and a spectacular four-day Labor Day weekend of $35.775 million. This will easily be the best three-day opening weekend of the nine-film Michael Myers franchise.

Top three-day opening weekends for Michael Myers movies:

01. "Halloween" (2007) - $30M (projected)
02. "Halloween: H2O" (1998) - $16.1M
03. "Halloween: Resurrection" (2002) - $12.2M
04. "Halloween II" (1981) - $7.4M
05. "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" (1995) - $7.3M

Also as expected, Michael Myers has become the all-time No. 4 grossing "killer" franchise in modern box office history, surpassing Jigsaw from the "Saw" trilogy and trailing only Hannibal Lecter, Jason ("Friday the Thirteenth") and Freddy Krueger.

Zombie has scored successes with low-budget slasher flicks "House Of 1,000 Corpses" ($12.6 million in domestic receipts) and "The Devil's Rejects" ($17 million cumulative box office gross).

---

Smell Mr. Magorium in the L.A. Times

---

The Los Angeles Times and Fox Walden today announced that the paper will feature the first ever ad using scented ink to uniquely tout the 20th Century Fox release of a Walden Media and Mandate Film, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium opening nationwide on November 16th.

Starring Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman and Academy Award nominee Natalie Portman, http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=20469 is the story of the strangest, most fantastic, most wonderful toy store in the world and the equally fantastic and wonderfully innovative ad will debut in the paper's annual Fall Movie Sneaks section on September 9th.

The Times becomes the first major newspaper in the country to successfully present and implement the pioneering application which adds a rich, new dimension to the medium.

Fox Walden seized the opportunity to create new levels of involvement and connection with Southern California's readers and moviegoers and chose the universally beloved frosted cake scent to remind consumers of all ages to be young and have fun.

"The scented ink ad is yet the latest tool The Times is offering its advertisers as they continue to search for new ways to reach, excite and inform L.A.'s market of buzz," said Dave Murphy, executive vice president and general manager of the Los Angeles Times Media Group. "Fox Walden has been a terrific partner as we roll-out this bold concept and underscores our industry leading ability to create unique marketing solutions."

Times readers will be able to scratch designated areas of the "Mr. Magorium" ad, which will emit the frosted cake scent made from soy-based ink. Written and directed by Zach Helm, "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" centers around a magical toy store that only asks one thing of its customers; you must believe it to see it.

"'Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium' is about a magical toy store that comes to life," said Jeffrey Godsick, president of marketing at Fox Walden. "So when the Los Angeles Times came to us with the idea to create a magical scratch and sniff ad we felt it was the perfect fit since it brings the ad to life."

---

Exclusive Hatchet Interviews

---

Legends are hard to come by in movies; but it looks like the warped mind of Adam Green has possibly come up with a new one. His name - Victor Crowley, in the flick Hatchet.

A group of kids decide to extend their Mardi Gras plans for a trip to the local New Orleans bayou. Unfortunately for them, that’s where Victor has been living since he was a child – and killing everyone and anything that comes near.

Born severely disfigured, Crowley grew up to the torments of the children in the area; one Halloween, the local kids decided to pull a prank on the Crowleys by scaring Victor out of the seclusion of his cabin – a trick that ended in tragedy. Since that day, Victor Crowley was rumored to haunt the swamp, calling out in desperate pain for the aid of his father and seeking revenge on those who plagued him.

Hatchet stars Joel Moore, Tamara Feldman, Deon Richmond, Mercedes McNab, Joleigh Fioreavanti, Parry Shen, Joel Murray, Richard Riehle and Patrika Darbo, as the hapless bayou travelers, and legends in their own right – Robert Englund, Tony Todd, and Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley.

For both Joel and Tamara, being on set with that 'trifecta of horror' was terrifying. "Kane was able to create this new monster, and he is one scary cat," says Joel. "I'm 6'2" and I can hold my own, but this guy is 6'5", 200 some odd pounds of pure scary. But it was really cool; they're all such great guys and have found their place in history with these roles. But he kept his distance from the other cast because he wanted it to be a separation from when he got into his Victor Crowley mode, so we would have a genuine fear attached to it. So the girls never met him, and it's funny 'cause he was the stunt coordinator as well. He'd hide himself in a big hoodie, and then hide behind a tree to get into character – and literally the girls would cry."

And cry they did, Tamara admits. "[Kane] wouldn't break character and he wouldn't let us see him, he wouldn't talk to us, he wouldn't do anything out of character. And so when he was around, he was scaring the shit out of you. And we didn't get to see him before the first time we see him on screen. And he was wearing this huge coat and mask, so you couldn't see anything except his eyes. He would just stand there and motion with his hands and not say anything. He went and hid behind the tree, Adam yelled 'action' and we're supposed to run up there; he jumps out and throws the hatchet at us – and that's the first time we ever see him. It was so scary."

The chance that Victor could be the next Jason or Freddy was definitely intriguing to the cast. Joel notes, "This isn't a guy who just creeps and stalks his victims, he's randomly showing up in front of them after being a few steps behind him. This is true to life; the first time you see Victor, he comes running and yelling out and chases some people down. It's no stalking with the hatchet, really creepy, it's scary – there's no f**kin' around. It provides a true throwback to the '80s horror and slasher films; there's no CGI, it's all prosthetics. They made it work the way it should be, and Adam went out of his way to make it that way. This is a mark in horror."

Hatchet mixes horror and comedy – in a way, the first part of the movie is pretty much a comedy, and the second half is pure fear. "It just brings you in, and you forget you're going to get scared," says Tamara. "It's ok to laugh, and then it's ok to scream right after."

Adam came up with the story for Hatchet when he was about 8 years old; 20 years later, he was able to see it come alive. "I think he has a very active imagination; I think what he's attracted to is warped, but I don't think the man himself is warped. He's entertained by blood and gore, and I can't blame him," Tamara adds.

Joel realized very quickly how passionate Adam was for this story and script. "The ideas he made up in camp 20 years ago, when we were all kids... He wrote a great script. And the fact that Adam was able to bring Kane on board was pretty cool. It's a piece of art in a way, and it's paying homage to that genre."

---

International Hitman Poster

---

ComingSoon.net has your first look at the new international trailer for 20th Century Fox's Hitman, coming to theaters on November 21. Directed by Xavier Gens from a script by Skip Woods, the video game adaptation stars Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Michael Offei, Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepper and Ulrich Thomsen.

---

Balls of Fury

---

An utterly flat sports comedy, "Balls of Fury" manages to completely waste a good cast with tired and tedious material that desperately tries to be funny and consistently fails each time. Whilst it plays things safe enough that it's rarely cringe-worthy, everything is tepid enough to yield merely dead air.

Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, the creators/stars of the decent but often bipolar "Reno 911!" series, are pretty much responsible for the mess. The setup has potential, the talent is there, and the deliberately dumbed down sports comedy genre of late has had a bit of a renaissance thanks to the likes of "Dodgeball" and Will Ferrell's "Talladega Nights" and "Blades of Glory". Yet those vehicles worked so well because they were smartly written, effectively skewering and celebrating the sports they sent up whilst delivering constant laughs ranging from mass appealing broad slapstick to subversively cynical satire.

'Fury' lacks any such intelligence or craft. Its comedy is straight up screwball farce, filled with lots of sitcom style one-liners and obvious pratfalls that simply hang there thanks to pauses for laughs that will not come to anyone but the most easily amused. The story starts out as a straight up underdog comeback story, segues into a kind of an adult spin on "Enter the Dragon," and ultimately falls into a tired James Bond take off by the last act - replete with increasingly ridiculous ping pong antics that include a fast volley of shots across a rickety suspension bridge.

A strong cast is also wasted in cliched roles. Multiple Tony winner Dan Folger makes a very bland film debut as the washed up adult version of a disgraced child athletic superstar. Filled with that manic Jack Black style energy but without the arrogance or ego in tow, Folger tries to hard to make the material work but can't for the life of him generate any real sympathy or desire to support his slovenly layabout. James Hong, best remembered as Lo-Pan from "Big Trouble in Little China", spends most of the movie stuck with the one-note blind coach character who spews out both trite Confucius philosophy and non sequitirs about cheap Asian hookers in equal measure.

The others try and do what they can, but struggle with all the stupidity. Walken, dressed like a clean-shaven and more flamboyant incarnation of Fu Manchu, often seems bored despite getting the only few decent lines delivered in his trademark style. George Lopez as a latino FBI officer with unsatisfied dreams of 007-style action, actually does better than expected - same with Thomas Lennon as the over zealous East German opponent. Maggie Q and Aisha Tyler deserve better than this, but provide welcome straightforward characters amidst all the craziness whilst Diedrich Bader has a cute cameo as an imprisoned sex slave.

One thing positive to say is that Garant manages to turn a low budget film into one of surprising production value. Whilst the general direction is very blase, the crew he has hired go into surprising detail in their creation of Feng's hideout. The costumes in particular are also well done, though other aspects like the music leave much to be desired. Too dumb, over the top and just plain silly - 'Balls' lacks imagination, wit and quality. Worse is that it in many ways it starts with great ingredients, but wastes them all in this overcooked turkey of a spoof that can't approach other comedies of this particular niche, let alone more recent and far more successful laughers from "Borat" and Judd Apatow's gang. Best saved for a long haul flight to pass the time.

---

Bond 22 Filming Took Place in Spain?

---

According to the El Pais newspaper (via CommanderBond.net), filming for Bond 22 moved from previously-reported Siena, Italy, to Spain recently. The article states that shooting took place in Madrid from August 23 to 29.

'We will film in and around the historic quarter of Madrid,' which the newspaper report took to mean Madrid de Los Austrias and its surroundings which include the Royal Palace and Royal Opera. No mentions were made as to whether or not Daniel Craig would be present.

The next installment, directed by Marc Forster and again starring Daniel Craig, is scheduled for a November 7, 2008 release.

---

Batman The Dark Knight Teaser Trailer

---

---

SAW IV 4 Official Trailer

---

---

Mr. Bean's Holiday' a cute but slight journey

---

The idea of Mr. Bean — the simpering, near-silent king of the British twits — always seems a bit funnier than the reality.

That's especially true with “Mr. Bean's Holiday,” the character's second big-screen adventure, with Rowan Atkinson exuberantly goofing his way through sight gags that are cute and clever but not terribly amusing.

Here and there, “Mr. Bean's Holiday” elicits some real laughs, particularly toward the end, as the mayhem the character causes reaches epic heights. Mostly, though, the movie is a just pleasant-enough trifle, a collection of amiable sketches strung together along Bean's pratfall-filled road trip from rainy London to the sunny beaches of the French Riviera.

Seventeen years after Bean debuted on British television, lanky, rubbery Atkinson still inhabits him with such imbecilic effervescence that it's not hard to get caught up in his misadventures even when they're not very interesting.

Atkinson has cited French filmmaker Jacques Tati's Monsieur Hulot as an inspiration for Bean, and the new movie plays like a lowbrow homage to that character's first appearance in “Monsieur Hulot's Holiday.”

After a brief prologue in which Bean wins a raffle whose grand prize is a trip to Cannes and a digital video camera, our lovable cretin is off to France, recording his journey every step of the way. Bean's video travelogue is woven throughout the story line and becomes a key device during the movie's finale at the Cannes Film Festival.

Continually sidetracked by his own fathomless stupidity, Bean causes perpetual agony for himself and almost everyone he encounters, among them self-adoring filmmaker Carson Clay (Willem Dafoe), who is on his way to Cannes for the premiere of his pretentious new film.

Boarding a train in Paris, Bean manages to separate a Russian filmmaker (Karel Roden) from his young son Stepan (Max Baldry). Bean and Stepan wind up as traveling companions as our hero tries to reunite the boy with his father, eventually hooking up with an aspiring actress (Emma de Caunes) who's on her way to Cannes, as well.

French star Jean Rochefort pops up in a strangely insubstantial bit part as a waiter who serves up a seafood platter, prompting a stomach-churning scene in which Bean tries to make his way through a slimy lunch of oysters and prawns.

Director Steve Bendelack and screenwriters Hamish McColl and Robin Driscoll never quite hit on anything inspired, though they pile on enough absurd stunts and buffoonery to keep “Mr. Bean's Holiday” from ever becoming tedious. Some gags run on too long, and only a handful elicit visceral laughter, though.

Baldry and de Caunes are suitably sweet in roles that call for little else, while Dafoe serves his purpose well in essentially a one-note part as an egomaniac.

The entire movie hangs on Atkinson, with the other characters there mainly for Bean to crash into. Really just a large, helpless boy in tweed, Bean utters only a few syllables — the occasional “oui,” “gracias” or “Cannes” — as he moves through the world with reckless single-mindedness.

It's a testament to Atkinson's gift for physical comedy and cartoonish expression that audiences can stick with an almost wordless simpleton for the space of a full movie. While “Mr. Bean's Holiday” is hardly a memorable vacation, Atkinson proves an agreeably silly tour guide.

“Mr. Bean's Holiday,” a Universal release, is rated G. Running time: 90 minutes. Two stars out of four.

---

Fantastic Four 2 & Die Hard 4 Blu-ray Discs Announced

---

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (TCFHE) today announced worldwide Blu-ray new release plans for the $267 million global box-office hit Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Oct. 2 North America/Oct. 9 International) and the $348 million global box-office action powerhouse Live Free or Die Hard (Nov. 20 North America/Oct. 28 International) day-and-date with the BD release of the "Die Hard Trilogy." The announcement further supports TCFHE's aggressive global Blu-ray Disc release strategy that includes 29 new release and "must-have" catalog titles from Fox and MGM that runs through the end of the 2007 calendar year.

The only high-definition packaged media universally supported by the film, music, gaming and computer industries, BD is the #1 selling high-definition packaged media.

"On a worldwide basis, BD is averaging nearly 70% market-share per week of all high definition titles sold this year and, in the U.S., it is out-performing HD DVD by 2 to 1; in some territories the ratio is 3 to 1," noted Mike Dunn, President Worldwide, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

"Given the retail landscape this holiday season, we expect the sales gap between Blu-ray and HD DVD to grow significantly wider as the most anticipated films of the year debut exclusively on the Blu-ray format."

"In fact, once our Blu-ray consumers, and those still on the fence, experience the advanced BD-J interactivity games available on 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer' and 'Live Free or Die Hard,' they'll realize what we've been telling them all along - Blu-ray is really the only way," continued Dunn.

The BD release of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer includes hours of bonus content including deleted scenes, a full length "Making Of" documentary, multiple behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentaries with two exclusive high definition BD-Java bonus features: "Who Dares Defy Galactus?," Fox's first multi-player strategy game, and a "Saving The World One Question At A Time" trivia game.

"I'm thrilled that both of my 'Fantastic Four' films are available on Blu-ray," noted Director Tim Story. "You can really see spectacular detail in the CGI visual effects we used to create the Silver Surfer character. Plus, fans of the Fantastic Four will have the added bonus of continuing the battle between Galactus and the Silver Surfer through the really cool interactive games that are only available on the Blu-ray release."

"Who Dares Defy Galactus?" challenges players to an intergalactic battle through a galaxy comprised of 30 planets, 10 of which are colonized and have varying levels of life force. Players compete against each other as either Galactus, who must find the live planets and consume their energy, or The Silver Surfer, who must find the live planets and defend them against Galactus.

If Galactus is victorious, additional solar systems are unlocked and the battle for live planets rages on. If The Silver Surfer defeats Galactus, the power cosmic never dies and will be waiting to consume more planets when players begin the game again.

Fans of "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" will be put to the test to compete for Fantastic Four knowledge supremacy in the "Saving The World One Question At A Time" interactive, pop-up trivia game. Contestants must correctly answer a series of trivia questions related to the Fantastic Four film and Marvel comic book franchise in order to defend Earth from Galactus' ravenous appetite. A chain of illuminated planets are aligned on the bottom of the television screen. If players fail to answer trivia questions correctly to deter Galactus, one-by-one the planets will fall dark until the World as we know it is destroyed.

Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4.0 internationally) explodes onto BD day-and-date with the "Die Hard Trilogy" and features an arsenal of bonus content including a "Die Hard" music video by Guyz Nite, a "Making Of" documentary, actor and director commentaries and the exclusive high definition BD-Java multi-level strategy game "Black Hat Intercept!"

"Black Hat Intercept!" begins with a warning from 'The Warlock' (cult-classic writer, producer and director Kevin Smith) that a computer virus has been placed inside an unwitting Internet company's mainframe by the infamous cyber-terrorist, Thomas Gabriel. As the team leader from inside the surveillance van, players must guide an agent into the building, outwit the building's security systems and personnel without being detected and then wipe the hard drive clean before the virus destroys the U.S.

Additionally, the BD debut of the "Die Hard Trilogy" comes locked and loaded with numerous bonus features including deleted scenes, featurettes, actor and director commentaries, visual effect breakdowns, alternate endings, side-by-side comparisons and much, much more.

All of the BD titles announced today will be authored in BD-J with AVC (MPEG 4) compression and presented on 50 GB dual-layer discs with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio plus English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound. In addition to the highest quality audiovisual elements, each BD release will also feature D-Box compatible motion sensor cues to give D-Box chair equipped viewers a more life-like and intense viewing experience.

---

New "Dune" Film In The Works

---

Frank Herbert's "Dune" novels remain amongst the most impossible literature properties to translate onto the screen, but that won't stop people from trying.

C.H.U.D. reports that Byron Merritt, the adminstrator of the official Dune novel forums and a member of the Herbert family, says that after months of ongoing negotiations, things are coming to a head for a new feature film version of the property.

Back in May he said they were "still in negotiations with the studio reps/lawyers. The contract lengths are enough to make one ill...We're getting VERY close to a deal. Heard that news today...we've had on-going negotiations for over two years."

He followed that up with this posting last Friday: "We're getting VERY close to a deal. Heard that news today. I've heard that "someone" at the studio wants Dune reallllly bad and has been a fan of the novel for "years." They're not saying who this is (and it might just be hype) but I'm holding out hope that whoever this might be is a big enough fan that he/she will do the book justice. Supposedly it's some director."

The property has been twice adapted before - 1984's David Lynch-directed big budget feature film which was a famous nightmare behind the scenes and butchered the source material, or 2000's Sci-Fi Channel mini-series which was much more accurate to the books but suffered from generally flat reviews and budgeting issues.
Previous Article Related News Submit a Scoop

---

Zack Snyder to Direct Illustrated Man

---

Warner Bros. has hired Zack Snyder (300) to direct its remake of The Illustrated Man.

The helmer, busy preparing Watchmen for the studio, is attached to direct and produce the remake based on Ray Bradbury's collection of short stories by the same name. Watchmen screenwriter Alex Tse will pen the screenplay.

The collection, first published in 1951, is narrated by a mysterious man with living tattoos that predict the future. Rod Steiger starred in the title role for the 1969 big screen adaptation, distributed by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts; Claire Bloom co-starred.

Di Novi Pictures and Snyder's Cruel and Unusual Films are producing the remake. Denise Di Novi, and Deborah Snyder, the helmer's wife and producing partner, are also producing, along with Frank Darabont. Cruel and Unusual's Wesley Coller and Di Novi's Alison Greenspan are executive producing.

---

Jewison & Huffman Play An "Accordion"

---

LA.com reports that "Moonstruck" director Norman Jewison and scribe John Patrick Shanley are re-teaming for a new romantic comedy "The Accordion."

Based on the Italian film "Bread and Tulips", Jewison confirms that Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives") is keen on participating in the film about a married woman who has really never seen anything or had a chance to be on her own.

She soon gets stranded in the South on a golf tour and ends up alone, but the experience soon changes her life.

The original Venice setting of the film has been changed to New Orleans post-Katrina.

---

Ben Affleck Ain't "That Into You"

---

Ben Affleck is in negotiations and Kris Kristofferson is set to join New Line Cinema's ensemble comedy "He's Just Not That Into You" reports the trades.

Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Connelly, Bradley Cooper, Kevin Connolly, Justin Long, Ginnifer Goodwin and Drew Barrymore are already cast.

The Ken Kwapis-directed feature has interconnecting story arcs that deal with how men and women often misconstrue the intentions of the opposite sex.

Affleck will play Aniston's boyfriend, a man whose unwillingness to commit to marriage puts great strain on their relationship. Kristofferson will play Aniston's father.

Shooting begins Septemeber 10th in Los Angeles.

---

Rob Zombie Radio Interview

---

Rob Zombie joined Dee Snider and co-host Ralph Cirella on FANGORIARADIO to give details of the new HALLOWEEN. Zombie's HALLOWEEN has beena hot topic in the world of horror for the past several months, and no one is more qualified to give us the low down on this much anticipated film than this amazing director himself. Zombie has had a vast career that spans music, comics, and he has more on the way. Be sure to chek out the interview as Zombie discusses how he added his own style to the film, and his opinion on the current horror moviemarket

Listen Interview

---

"Earth" Stands Still For Keanu

---

Ever thought Keanu Reeves looked a bit like an alien? Well you're right.

Twentieth Century Fox has set Reeves to star in the remake of the 1951 Robert Wise-directed sci-fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still" reports Variety.

Reeves committed over the weekend to play Klaatu, a humanoid alien who arrives on Earth accompanied by an indestructible, heavily armed robot and a warning to world leaders that their continued aggression will lead to annihilation by species watching from afar.

Scott Derrickson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose") is directing from a script by David Scarpa. A late fall or early 2008 start of shooting is planned.

---

Lucas Hires Ridley to Tell Red Tails

---

Variety reports that Star Wars creator George Lucas has hired screenwriter John Ridley to pen the script for Red Tails, Lucas' WWII action adventure about the Tuskegee Airmen to be financed and produced through Lucasfilm.

The film is about a group of African-American fighter pilots who had to overcome racism and the color barrier to become the Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary first African-American pilots in U.S. military history. (The planes were distinguished by their red-painted tails, hence the title.)

According to the Variety story, Lucas hired Ridley after reading L.A. Riots, the Universal/Imagine drama Ridley wrote for director Spike Lee, and Ridley has already met some of the surviving pilots at a Texas convention.

ILM will be handling the effects to make the airborne fight sequences more realistic.

---

Aliens vs Predator: Requiem trailer!

New Dates for Hitman and The Spirit

20th Century Fox has moved the release date for video game adaptation Hitman from October 12 to November 21. The Xavier Gens-directed action-thriller stars Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepper, Ulrich Thomsen and Michael Offei.

Lionsgate has also set a date for Will Eisner's The Spirit, written and to be directed by Frank Miller (Sin City). The action-adventure, starring Gabriel Macht, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Mendes, comes to theaters on January 16, 2009.

Resident Evil: Extinction teaser trailer

Gabriel Trailer

What's new in september

September 5
- I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (limited)

September 7
- 3:10 to Yuma
- Fierce People (NY, LA; top 10 markets: Sept. 14)
- Hatchet (limited)
- In the Shadow of the Moon (limited)
- Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint (NY)
- Romance & Cigarettes (NY)
- Shoot 'Em Up
- The Brothers Solomon
- The Bubble (limited)
- The Hunting Party (NY, LA; limited: Sept. 14; wide: Sept. 21)
- The Inner Life of Martin Frost (NY)
- The Unknown Soldier (NY)

September 14
- Across the Universe (limited; 700+ theaters: Sept. 21)
- December Boys (NY, LA; wider release: Sept. 28)
- Dragon Wars (D-War) (limited)
- Eastern Promises
- Great World of Sound (NY)
- In the Valley of Elah (limited; wider release: Sept. 21)
- Ira & Abby (limited)
- King of California
- Moondance Alexander (limited)
- Moving McAllister (limited)
- Mr. Woodcock
- Silk (limited)
- The Brave One
- The Rape of Europa (NY)

September 19
- The Beauty Remains (NY)
- The Last Winter (NY)

September 21
- Cover
- Good Luck Chuck
- Into the Wild
- Resident Evil: Extinction
- Sydney White
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (limited)
- The Jane Austen Book Club (limited)
- The Man of My Life (NY)
- Trade (NY, LA)

September 26
- Protagonist (limited)
- The Price of Sugar (limited)

September 28
- Bordertown (Dallas, El Paso)
- Feast of Love
- Goal II Living the Dream
- I'll Believe You (limited)
- Lust, Caution (limited)
- The Game Plan
- The Kingdom

September 29
- The Darjeeling Limited (NY; limited: Oct. 5)

Rainn Pours On A "Renaissance"

Universal Pictures has picked up comedy "Renaissance Men" penned by actors Rainn Wilson an Matt Ross reports Reuters.

Wilson ("The Office") will topline and produce the feature with Jay Roach. The story follows two down-and-out community theater actors who think they've accidentally killed a co-star. In a panic, they go on the lam and hide out in a Renaissance fair.

Wilson is also writing "Bonzai Shadowhands," a ninja comedy that Jason Reitman will direct for Fox Searchlight.

Disney To "Swing" With Costner

Touchstone Pictures will co-finance and domestically distribute the Kevin Costner political comedy "Swing Vote".

The story follows Bud Johnson (Costner), a working-class single father who is thrust onto the world stage after the presidential election comes down to his single vote.

Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, George Lopez, Judge Reinhold, Mare Winningham, Richard Petty, Willie Nelson and Madeline Carroll also star.

The film is currently in production in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Joshua Michael Stern is directing from a script that he penned with Jason Richman.

Beowulf is back again.

HITMAN TRAILER [OFFICIAL]

Corey Yuen Declares War

---

It's not often that you get a chance to talk to one of the great Hong Kong martial arts choreographers, mainly because so few of them speak English. In this case, when ComingSoon.net had a chance to interview Corey Yuen (The Transporter, Kiss of the Dragon), we had to do the interview via Email, which is rarely ideal but often necessary. Yuen proved to be a man of few words as he answered a dozen questions quickly and concisely.

His latest movie is War, a crime drama that pits two of Yuen's subjects, Jet Li and Jason Statham, against each other. Yuen has worked with both action stars a number of times, the first time in Jet Li's The One and he's worked with Jet Li, maybe more than any other action choreographer or director. Yuen told us what was different about this project in terms of working with Li. "I told Jet Li, 'You've done so many martial arts films, and you should try to do a drama movie, and this one is very good for you.' I think he is a very good actor."

And what about Jason Statham, who has become a bit of an action star thanks to his work with Yuen in the two "Transporter" movies? "He has become more experienced and also, his understanding of movements is getting better and he learns faster."

Yuen explained to us how he works with Jet Li and the cinematographer when designing the action scenes. "I would read the whole script first, then think of the fighting scene. It is impossible to come up with the fighting scene on the set, but we can always modify it to make the movements look better. I normally would think of the fight scene first, then discuss with (cinematographer) Pierre Morel."

We asked specifically about the action scenes in War which mix hand-to-hand combat with swordplay. "This is an action movie about a Asian story, and we have used actors from Hong Kong and Japan, so we designed the fight scenes according to the script. I don't think doing sword fighting was something new (for me), but we always design the action based on the script. I try my best to make sure to give the directors what they need and also the best quality of the martial arts. I hope I can work with more directors that I haven't worked with, and also I hope to work with more new directors."

As a director, Yuen has made a number of movies with women stars including the Chinese action drama So Close and DOA: Dead or Alive, based on the popular video game, so we asked him how he finds these women who can handle whatever he throws at them action-wise. "The story is very important, of course. If the actress knows how to do action moves is the better, but if not, we will train the actresses before filming."

"I tried my best to do a good job during filming," he replied when asked about the much-maligned "DOA," which was given the runaround by the Weinstein Company before being dumped with little fanfare earlier this summer. "Marketing is not something I can take charge of. Everything has to have good timing."

"In China, we have more freedom to be creative," he replied when asked about the major differences between working with Hollywood and Chinese studios.

"Each person has different style and personality," Yuen told us when asked for a comparison with some of his peers, which include Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Wo-Ping. "It also depends on the script and the director. Luck is important too. Working together is all based on faith."

"Right now, I'm working as the action director on John Woo's film 'Red Cliffs' and also, I'm planning on a new movie that will be focus more on actors," he said about upcoming projects.

When asked about who might be the next Chinese martial arts star to appear when Jackie Chan or Jet Li finally retire and he answered enthusiastically, "I'm actually in search of such person too! That's why I'm planning on this new movie, focusing more on men, and I hope we can find someone from this."

You can see Yuen's latest action work in the new Lionsgate movie War, which opens across the nation on Friday, August 24.