· Nepotism is still alive and well in Hollywood, with Ami Canaan Mann preparing for her feature The Fields, co-produced by her father Michael Mann. The family ties wouldn't usually bother me except for the grotesquely hard sell Pops is doing on his daughter's behalf, whether it's noting Sam Worthington's participation as the lead in the Texas-set detective drama, or literally priming Berlin Film Festival buyers for the film's pre-sale availability this week: "Sam will play Jake, this tough-minded misanthropic Texan, who with his partner Brian wind up waging something of a war against these unknown assailants, a ferocious battle to save each other and the life of this young street kid." Next stop: Craigslist. [Deadline]
Valentine's Day gets a spinoff, Taylor Lautner gets a franchise, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
· The excesses of Super Bowl Sunday vanquished whatever brain cells are required to fully process the news that Garry Marshall and New LIne are planning the star-studded spinoff New Year's Day to succeed the Category-5 romcom Valentine's Day. So... yeah. There you have it. This is apparently happening. [Deadline]
· And Taylor Lautner got the nod from Universal as the title character of its toy adaptation (and franchise hopeful) Stretch Armstrong, which will come our way in 2012. Which is to say: Maybe there's something to those Mayan apocalypse predictions after all. Whatever, just as long as it doesn't affect the production of Cancun, all is well. [Variety]
· Dumping soon at a theater near you: The Michael Douglas drama Solitary Man, which has been on the market since last September at the Toronto Film Festival, finally found a buyer in Anchor Bay Films. [Variety]
· And presumably taking an early lead in the 2010 documentary Oscar race is the Sundance sensation The Tillman Story, which The Weinstein Company finally closed a deal for over the weekend. [THR]