Stanley Kubrick's First Film Set for Blu-Ray/DVD; Jennifer Lawrence Eyes The Ends of the Earth: Biz Break

Also in Monday afternoon's round-up of news briefs, Toronto '12 doc heads for U.S. distribution, while an Occupy Wall Street doc is also set for theaters. Julia Louis-Dreyfun, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener and more begin work on a new comedy, while Bruce Dern and Will Forte are set for Alexander Payne project. And Joe Manganiello has boarded an action-thriller.

Jennifer Lawrence Eyes The Ends of the Earth
The Weinstein Company will produce and distribute the project. It picked up worldwide rights from Escape Artists, which will produce the film. Lawrence is in talks to star in the epic love story, based on true events as Lydie Marland. In the film Ernest Marland, an oil tycoon, risks losing everything after an affair with his adopted daughter, Lydie. The screenplay was written by Chris Terrio (ARGO). The director has yet to be chosen. Commented Harvey Weinstein: “I’m not sure that anything resonates more with an audience than a true story. Jennifer Lawrence shows the skill of a seasoned veteran in everything she does, and we’re thrilled to work with her again.”

Stanley Kubrick's First Feature Fear and Desire Set for Blu-Ray and DVD Release
The 1953 release is an existential war film that is often compared with Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957) follows a squad of soldiers who have crash-landed behind enemy lines and must work their way down river to rejoin their unit. In the process, they encounter a peasant girl (Virginia Leith) and tie her to a tree, where she is tormented by a mentally unbalanced soldier (future director Paul Mazursky).  Before making their escape, the soldiers determine the location of an enemy base and formulate a plot to assassinate its commanding officer. Kino Lorber will release the film on Blu-Ray and DVD October 23rd following a restoration by the Library of Congress.

The Central Park Five Headed to Theaters
The documentary is about five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem were arrested and later convicted of brutally beating and raping a white woman in New York City's Central Park, but acquitted later after a confession by a serial rapist and DNA evidence. The Central Park Five will screen at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival and will close Doc NYC in November. Jeff Deutchman, Director of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films, with co-director, writer and producer McMahon on behalf of the filmmakers.

Occupy Wall Street Doc Set for September
Magnolia Pictures label Magnet Releasing will bring Occupy Unmasked by Stephen K. Bannon to a limited theatrical release day and date with VOD in late September. The film takes viewers into the Occupy Wall Street camps around the country in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Portland, Denver and Oakland for an up-close look at what’s happened there and who’s at the heart of the movement, documenting criminal activity and raw brutality in the camps – much of which has not been reported by the mainstream media. The film also features the late conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette Start New Comedy
Indie filmmaker Nicole Holofcener directing her fifth feature from a script she wrote. The Fox Searchlight project revolves around soon-to-be divorced empty nester Eva (Louis-Dreyfus) who meets Marianne (Keener) whom she considers the embodiment of her "perfect self." Eva decides to take a chance on a new love interest, Albert (Gandolfini), but things get complicated when she discovers he's in fact Marianne's ex-husband. The film will shoot in and around Los Angeles throughout August and September.

Around the 'net…

Bruce Dern and Will Forte Set for Alexander Payne's Nebraska
Paramount has green-lit the black and white production, which is set to begin production in mid-October. Bob Nelson and Dern wrote the $13 million project about a cranky alcoholic dad who believes he's struck it rich in a sweepstakes and undertakes a road trip with his underachieving son (Forte) to claim the winnings. The film is apparently going to be ready for the 2013 Oscar season, Deadline reports.

Joe Manganiello Eyes Arnold Schwarzenegger Action Thriller
Manganiello is in negotiations to join Schwarzenegger's Breacher, which David Ayer is directing. Written by Skip Woods (Swordfish), the film follows 10 DEA agents who pull off a heist during an operation, but afterward start dying one by one, THR reports.