· Lucy Punch, whom you might recognize as Running Blond Woman in Grindhouse fake-trailer Don't, is kindly stepping in for Nicole Kidman after Kidman departed Woody Allen's latest film. While the project still has no title and its plot is a loosely guarded secret, it's rumored Punch is playing a high-class hooker whose services wind up taking down a public official. Kidman cited "scheduling conflicts," which is actress code for "stormed off the set after Woody asked if she could 'maybe sex it up a bit? Here's an idea: Try closing your eyes and imagining how Scarlett might go about seducing a Governor.'" [Variety]
More trade news after the jump!
· Columbia bought Barry Sonnenfeld pitch for Swift, an adaptation of the Tom Swift books. [Variety]
· Watch out, Garfield. There's another fat orange cat from a comic strip coming along to swat at your fixed cathood. Rights holder FitzRoy Media has signed a deal to spin Heathcliff off into a "range of properties, from direct-to-DVD toons to a potential live-action theatrical feature." Explained a producer, "He's not your typical cuddly kitty cat. He's a really cynical, wisecracking character who has a contemporary perspective we could do a lot with." Got that, Lasagna Breath? This is a smart-ass fatso cat for the Obama generation! Also, if you feed him generic cat food, he craps in your Birkin bag. [Variety]
· Aidan Quinn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Mahoney, Anthony Edwards, and Rebecca De Mornay are all in various stages of commitment to Rob Reiner's adaptation of Flipped, a young adult romance novel. Young adults forthcoming. [THR]
· Natalie Portman has joined the cast of Your Highness, a Universal comedy directed by Pineapple Express's David Gordon Green, and written by and co-starring Danny McBride. James Franco also stars. It's a fairy tale about "a lazy, arrogant prince who, with his brother (Franco), must complete a quest to save the kingdom and his brother's fiancee." I hope there's dragons! [Variety]