· With Fast Five speeding (groan!) to box office success around the globe, what better time for Vin Diesel to revive one of his other franchises. No, not xXx; Riddick! As in: a sequel to the 2004 film The Chronicles of Riddick. "[Writer/director David Twohy] just landed in New York with the good news. We can start filming this summer," Diesel wrote on Facebook. "However, there is a catch: in order for us to make a true R-rated film, I must work for scale upfront. Not unlike the Find Me Guilty experience (which I wouldn't have changed for the world). Money is always second to art, integrity and spirit, but the real issue is deeper. Can I suspend my life, to momentarily venture to that dark place... called Riddick?" As long as he isn't busy with the Fast Five Oscar campaign, probably. [Facebook/Vin Diesel via JoBo]
· Sony Pictures will likely acquire the Kathryn Bigelow-directed Osama bin Laden film for U.S. distribution. Production is scheduled to start in the fall, with eyes toward a 2012 release date (cough, May 1 would be pretty appropriate, cough). [Deadline]
· It's never too early to start hyping potential blockbusters, and that's just what Keanu Reeves has done while discussing his November 2012 3D epic 47 Ronin. "Japanese kids grow up with this story told to them. They hear it from family and they learn it in school, it's part of the culture," Reeves told the Los Angeles Times about the film, whose roots trace back to the 18th century. "It's been made into movies many times and on television. It's like our westerns, the story keeps being told. It's been reworked in some ways [for this new film] but with great care and respect." What's included in the "reworked" plot? Just some witches and giants designed to bring in the 300 crowd. First-timer Carl Erik Rinsch directs. [LAT/Hero Complex]
· Scott Frank (Minority Report, Out of Sight) has been hired to write Houdini for Columbia and director Frances Lawrence. Unsurprisingly, the film will tell the story of magician Harry Houdini. [THR/Heat Vision]
· Fresh off Jane Eyre, director Cary Fukunaga will take over the reins on No Blood, No Guts, No Glory, a heist film described as "The Dirty Dozen set during the Civil War." Hey, fun! Before deciding on Glory, Fukunaga was apparently discussed as a possible replacement for Darren Aronofsky on The Wolverine. [Variety]
· The Palme d'Or-winning The Tree of Life only opens in limited release this weekend, but there's already talk of a prequel! Sorta. OK, not really. Earlier this week, producer Bill Pohlad discussed the long-rumored Voyage of Time, a separate documentary-like film that Terrence Malick spun out of Life. (Hint: it would likely deal with those dinosaurs.) "It's still a strong desire of Terry's," said Pohlad, "and we're all kind of working on getting it together. [...] There will be footage that we shot during the course of Tree of Life that we shot during that movie, but it won't be that same footage." Let's pencil that in for 2021? [Coming Soon]