· Slashfilm has the first set image for Universal's new The Thing, and it kind of looks like the view from Movieline HQ at Sundance this last January.
· Vote of confidence! Disney has hired Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz to write a sequel to Tron Legacy.
· The Planet of the Apes prequel Caesar, which just has "bad idea" written all over it, is going to start shooting in July.
· Ruben Fleischer is definitely committed to 30 Items or Less, and will also be shooting this summer.
· Jeff Sneider says Michelle Williams is circling a lead in Noah Baumbach's The Emperor's Children. Let's just hope she isn't another topless victim.
Whoa hey! Our cousin Deadline is reporting that Bill Condon is the frontrunner to direct the insane Twilight saga two-parter Breaking Dawn. Condon's been on the shortlist for a while, and since we've had some time to mull the idea over, here are five strengths he might be able to bring to the franchise:
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Fun time, everyone! A first photo is making the rounds from a currently in-production updating of a William Shakespeare play. If you've been following Movieline's Hollywood Ink trade round-ups (and really, who hasn't), it might come to you, and even then, you might be hard-pressed to say, "Oh, sure -- that looks just like..."
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Well, kind of. Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas told EW that a film based on the UPN detective series has not been ruled out, just put on hold temporarily at Warner Bros. But Thomas did concede that he has a limited window to push the film forward: "There is a bit of a ticking clock [because] Kristen Bell does continue to age...But frankly, I think Veronica Mars as a 30-year-old noir detective at some point in the future would still be interesting to me." Better get cracking -- the actress turns 30 this summer. [EW]
Josh Brolin might become a certifiable mainstream star this summer after the release of Jonah Hex, but Universal isn't waiting around to find out. The studio has canceled the shoot for Asger Leth's Cartel, a drug drama that was to star Brolin and begin production in Mexico City next month. Too bad: this revenge story of a man whose wife is brutally murdered, forcing him to infiltrate Mexican drug cartels, had "gangbusters business in the women 15-35 demographic!" written all over it. [Deadline]
Tyler Perry returned to his message board Tuesday to thank his fans for making Why Did I Get Married Too? the nation's second highest-grossing film of Easter weekend -- a distant second, alas, behind Clash of the Titans. It wasn't supposed to go that way, of course; Married once upon a time had April 2 all to itself (despite formidable-ish competition Miley Cyrus) before Warners required an extra week to release the Kraken in underwhelming 3D. That move ended Perry's No. 1-opening streak at two films, thus prompting the mogul to passive-aggressively contemplate what could have been.
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Remember that episode of The Office from earlier this season when Dwight dressed as some made-up superhero named Recyclops and the entire thing felt like some contrived and not-so-thinly-veiled attempt to get you to recycle more? It was! And with Earth Day just around the corner, don't be surprised to see another appearance. Lest you think movies are the only place where rampant product placement has run amok, the pioneers of idiocy at NBC Universal have taken things one step further. Say hello to behavior placement.
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Happy April 7, dear reader! Time to join Movieline on another breezy expedition through the historical arcana and milestones that helped shaped the pop culture you know and love today. Read on for a TV miracle and a trifecta of essential birthdays that will have you raising your coffee cup in their honor in no time.
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Good, strange news for Harmony Korine fans: The indie record label Drag City has acquired the filmmaker's latest gutter provocation, Trash Humpers. It's DC's first foray into theatrical distribution after handling DVD's for years, and you can't really fault its motives: "It's not that different from booking a tour -- and there's a lot less gear involved." Plus: They hump trash! The film opens May 7 in NYC and May 14 in L.A.; more dates and info at the link. [Drag City Records]
· It's an unwritten rule in Hollywood these days that if you want to work steadily, be prepared to work as or work with a vampire. And now it's Anton Yelchin's turn to join the genre madness, diving into negotiations for the remake of 1985's cult hit Fright Night. Yelchin would play the teen who insists to his best friend, his girlfriend and the local, vampire-killing cable-access host that a bloodsucker just moved in next door. If you don't know what happens next, seriously just go rent the original. And with Lars and the Real Girl (and Mr. Woodcock, alas) director Craig Gillespie at the helm, be cautiously optimistic about the remake. [THR]
Justin Timberlake is the latest in a long line to get Benefits, War of the Gods earns a much-needed title change, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
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· Kabletown, the company that Jack Donaghy partners with on 30 Rock, now has a real, NBC-built website that bears a passing resemblance to Comcast's digs. Who's excited to see an official listing for Fresh-Ass: Based on the Novel 'Tush' by Assfire? [Kabletown]
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Jim Carrey's Twitter is a strange place used mostly for emoticons, affirmations, and the occasional bit of sad news, like today's announcement that he and comedienne Jenny McCarthy will be splitting after the dissolution of their five-year relationship. There is no vaccine for heartbreak, and if there was, at least we know that these two wouldn't take it. Godspeed, kids. [Twitter]
Nielsen announced today that for the first time in either show's history, Dancing With the Stars' ratings last week vanquished those of both the Tuesday and Wednesday episodes of American Idol. It wasn't especially close either: An estimated 23 million people watched DWTS a week ago, compared to a respective 21.8 million and 20.5 million viewers tuning into Idol. A rep for Nielsen attributed the aberration to "the Gosselin factor." Hmm. Happy, Simon? [AP via Yahoo!]
As far as I'm concerned, Uma Thurman earned her lifetime pass a long time ago: Pulp Fiction, Gattaca, Kill Bill, done, you're enshrined in the pantheon, congrats all around. Unfortunately, Hollywood doesn't feel the same way. On the heels of the weird glee people took when Thurman's obscure indie Motherhood tanked in the U.K. (because how a film does in one British theater is now very important!) comes a dispiriting report from EW that mentions exactly how Thurman lost a role to Winona Ryder in Ron Howard's upcoming Cheaters:
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You know us. We would love to love the idea of Shark Night 3D, which is gearing up to shoot this summer under director David R. Ellis. Then we remember that Ellis directed the high-concept, low-returns Snakes on a Plane, and the schlocky potential of the title falls away. Still, at least it's forcing the Discovery Channel to up its game. This is no time to rest on your laurels, Shark Week! [Deadlne]
