Please excuse the "You can't be serious about this Three Stooges remake" feeling coursing through your veins, because this is real. Will Sasso, Sean Hayes, and Chris Diamantopolous play the slapstick trio, and they're accompanied by Jane Lynch, Jennifer Hudson, Sofia Vergara, and Larry David. Comes out April 4. 2012, but in the meantime we have this teaser poster featuring a very familiar silhouette.
Whew! It's been quite the eventful week here at Movieline, what with Netflix's Qwikster dying on the vine, indie theater owners giving Universal and VOD what for, and the crazy real life developments you couldn't have dreamed up. (Random Task, we're looking at you... in fear.) Hit your Friday Week in Review and come tomorrow for the weekend stylings of Louis Virtel.
In this weekend's The Big Year, Steve Martin stars as a wealthy retiree who spends his free time spanning the globe in search of rare bird species -- a passion that gives way to a competition against his similarly "birding" enthused friends played by Jack Black and Owen Wilson. So just how does a Texas-born stand-up transform himself into the only successful actor/comedian/author/playwright/banjo player/Emmy winner/onscreen bird watcher in Hollywood history?
Actor-musician-martial arts expert-reality TV lawman Steven Seagal is adding a new credit to his offscreen resume: Sheriff's deputy. Yes, this is real, even if it seems like a page taken right out of, say, Machete. The 59-year-old Seagal reportedly rang the West Texas' Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office months ago for the position and "will be working full time to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border." This is the world we live in. Details after the jump.
This pat in the back just in from Marvel Studios: The first trailer for The Avengers was "downloaded over 10 million times in its first 24 hours" from iTunes alone upon its debut this week. 10 million downloads. In a day. That's got to also be the record for the most people listening to Nine Inch Nails (whose musical stylings played under shots of ScarJo pondering the tightness of her Black Widow costume, etc.) at the same time. Congrats! Now, to convert those 10 million trailer-watchers into opening day ticket-buyers... [Press release]
I can't help that the new Footloose movie's soundtrack is excellent. Trust me, I resisted, but the new collection of old tunes is a proper tribute to Kenny Loggins's heyday and a thoroughly modern update. Accordingly, we're revisiting five other covers of '80s soundtrack gems. Let's hear it for these five great cover versions; let's give them all a hand!
Some of Woody Allen's best films have had simple, straightforward film titles (Annie Hall! Crimes and Misdemeanors! Hannah and Her Sisters! Even Midnight in Paris...). But you know, I thought there was really something catchy to Bop Decameron, the former title of his current Rome-set next flick. Apparently, I may have been the only one who liked it; as Anne Thompson reports, Allen's changed the title to Nero Fiddled. Riiiight.
In continuation of Movieline's LGBT History Month commemoration, we're racking up five amazing LGBT documentaries that newly out people of all ages, genders, socioeconomic statuses should see. The short list encompasses political, religious and cultural interpretations of homosexuality, and all are must-see movies featuring proud, self-possessed queers. Let's review the LGBT documentary past, from rallies to realness.
Happy Friday! Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: What will they call the Zorro reboot?... John Singleton closes in on the Tupac biopic... The Whistleblower gets its UN close-up... You'll never guess what opened the Mumbai Film Festival... and more.
Congrats are in order to Patty Jenkins, who was confirmed today as Marvel's pick to helm their 2013 sequel, Thor 2. Jenkins, who directed Charlize Theron to an Oscar in 2003's Monster, her feature directorial debut, inherits the helm of the Thor comic book movie franchise from Kenneth Branagh. Full press release after the jump.
Jamie Waylett, the 22-year-old actor who played Crabbe the bully in the Harry Potter films, was arrested last month after stealing champagne from a U.K. drug store during the London riots while in possession of a gasoline bomb. After reviewing security footage, cops identified Waylett and arrested him on September 20, at which point authorities discovered 15 marijuana plants in his home. The actor has been charged with "violent disorder, having an article with intent to destroy or damage property, receiving stolen goods and also cultivating cannabis plants," which makes that Twilight kid's Four Loko incident seem like child's play. [via TMZ]
There's good news and bad news about My Week With Marilyn. The good news -- at least for its devotees -- is that Harvey Weinstein is regrouping after last weekend's super-successful NYFF premiere, readying the film for a serious awards push. The bad news -- at least for viewers anticipating its top-flight Michelle Williams performance -- is that Marilyn's Nov. 4 release date has been nudged back to Nov. 23. We have yet to discover what this means for The Artist, another movie about vintage Hollywood that Weinsteins have slated for the same day (not to mention their Piranha 3DD), but this may prove to be a pretty important development in the awards race. Stay tuned... [Deadline]
Happy Thursday! Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: Drive influences another jackass... But is the original Drive jackass really a jackass?... Ben Stiller inherits a Russell Brand gig... blockbuster Hong Kong smut reaches another milestone... and more.
Let's hear it for all the Movieline readers who turned out to critique Terrence Malick's Tree of Life as part of our 10-word review contest! We've received some clever, concise and inspired submissions about the thought-provoking (and stoner-approved!) feature starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn -- which is out on DVD and Blu-ray this week! Alas, we could only pick two winners. Click through to see whose witty write-ups earned them a Tree of Life combo pack.
Buckling under the bruising blows of theater chains and independents who'd vowed to boycott the film, Universal has agreed to cancel its experimental VOD release of Tower Heist three weeks after the film opens on Nov. 4.
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