Also in this Thursday edition of The Broadsheet: Someone was spotted on the set of The Dark Knight Rises... Jon Hamm could stalk Melissa McCarthy... The Expendables 2 gets a director... and more ahead.
That "shortlist" of eight directors to replace Darren Aronofsky at the helm of The Wolverine has been narrowed down to one. Deadline reports that Twentieth Century Fox has begun negotiations with James Mangold to take over the coveted X-Men spin-off sequel following months of speculation. What other rumored names did Mangold beat out for the gig?
January isn't exactly the time of year when you want your film to hit screens, but maybe Steven Soderbergh's Haywire will defy the "dumping grounds" curse! After all, in addition to starring MMA fighter Gina Carano as a double-crossed covert ops specialist, it's written by Lem Dobbs (The Limey) and has folks like Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Michael Angarano, Ewan MacGregor, Michael Fassbender, and Michael Douglas filling out the cast. Mmm, Fassbender. Yup, we're in. Relativity will release the film January 20, 2012. [Press release]
Tony Award-winning thespian/movie star Hugh Jackman is close to reaching a deal with Universal to bridge his stage and film talents in Tom Hooper's musical adaptation of Les Miserables. Jackman is reportedly up for the role of Jean Valjean, which Liam Neeson played in Bille August's 1998 screen adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel. Now let's celebrate this bit of casting news with an uncomfortable-yet-relevant moment from this year's Oscars which combined Jackman, a number from Les Misérables and one of the worst Academy Award hosts in recent memory.
Twitter users are pretending to be smarty-pants Movieline commenters today, as a top trending topic is #geriatricnoir. Baffling? Indeed. The idea is you riff on a film noir title (like The Postman Always Rings Twice) and add some octogenarian flair to it (The Postman Always Brings Too Much Junk Mail, Dammit, for starters). Let's find some great examples from Twitter, add a couple of our own, and then you can try and out-funny all of us. Deal?
Box office pop quiz of the day: Which Disney film is the studio's most profitable release of all-time internationally? Hint: It was released within the past five years, is part of a profitable franchise that has a ride at the studio's theme park, and just about to crest the $700 million mark.
Take it away, Chuck Klosterman! "Are screenwriters now affected by 'spoiler culture' before they even begin the writing process? If you know a twist will be unavoidably revealed before the majority of people see the work itself, and if you concede that selling and marketing a film with a major secret will be more complicated for everyone involved ... would you even try? Would you essentially stop yourself from trying to write a movie that's structured like The Sixth Sense?" [Grantland]
Even if you haven't seen Super 8, you probably know something about the third act creature thanks to spoilers from Paramount, Bruce Greenwood, and moviegoers who have loudly contested that the sci-fi thriller's monster looks a lot like the one in the Abrams-produced film Cloverfield. Finally, J.J. Abrams has responded to this allegation, but -- beware -- his explanation includes, of course, more creature spoilers.
With the Los Angeles Film Festival beginning on Wednesday, your friendly Movieline editors decided to reinspect the itinerary for this year's events. Um, we missed a splendid gem: Neo-soul high priestess Erykah Badu will act as an "artist in residence" for the festival, meaning she'll choose a film, screen it, and conduct a discussion afterward. Now, from the woman who gave us finger-wagging jams like "Tyrone" and "Bag Lady," I expected a film selection that wasn't so much a -- hmmmm -- uninspired Ricky Gervais comedy? Click through to see her pick.
Tuesday, Movieline brought you word about a special audio recording of Go the F**k to Sleep that Werner Herzog did for the New York Public Library to celebrate the release of Adam Mansbach's new children's book. Good news to report: a clip of the recording has surfaced online, and it's as Herzog-ian as you would hope. "The windows are dark in the town child. The whales huddled down in the deep. I'll read you one last book, if you swear you'll go..." Well, you know. This is hilarious. Click through to watch.
Stephenie Meyer had a vintage-inspired look in mind when she wrote of Twilight heroine Bella Swan's wedding dress, and fan anticipation has been abuzz with speculation about which fashion designer would nab the coveted task of creating the dreamy outfit. It's not just any old costuming gig; if the dress takes Twi-hard breaths away in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, the chosen couturier will enjoy residual Twilight-themed wedding sales for years. So, who's the lucky fashionista?
It's not Sunday, but that doesn't mean Man of Steel casting news can't slip out from Hollywood. Variety reports that Russell Crowe is in talks to play Superman's father, Jor-El, in the Zack Snyder-directed reboot. Marlon Brando famously portrayed Jor-El in Superman: The Movie, and earned roughly $12 million for his ten minutes in the film. Here's guessing Crowe won't be that financially lucky. Otherwise, nice! Developing... [Variety]
According to Deadline, Ben Affleck is now set to direct the Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures adaptation of Harlan Coben's thriller Tell No One. About a pediatrician who becomes the prime suspect in his wife's murder (much like The Fugitive if you swap out pediatrician for vascular surgeon), the script will be written by Chris Terrio who penned Argo, Affleck's next project for Warner Bros. Like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Tell No One has already been adapted for the screen overseas. [Deadline]
· Don't get too excited, sports fans: this first look at Moneyball from Tuesday's edition of Entertainment Tonight is the briefest of brief glimpses -- though you do get to see Brad Pitt as Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane, and Jonah Hill as his assistant. The good news, though, is that the trailer for the Bennett Miller-directed release is likely coming shortly. (Maybe even with Green Lantern, per Hill.) Click through for a premature look, then stick around for more Buzz Break.
The folks at Bluewater Productions are commemorating Ryan Reynolds's ascent into worldwide prominence, domination, and glistening emerald costuming with a $3.99, 32-page comic book called Fame: Ryan Reynolds. In addition to honoring Reynolds' status as a "hero to the fanboy community with his ability tell a joke, get the girl, and battle supervillians on screen," it also honors his cartoonishly insane body. Enjoy the cover.
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