The filmmaker clarifies: "We’re still in discussions about whether it should be a prequel or sequel. It’s an interesting conversation. I’m meeting with writers and I’ve also gone back to [Blade Runner co-writer] Hampton Fancher and he still speaks the speak. He’s right there. I spoke with him this week. But we don’t even have a script yet. [...] I’m not sure that that’s going to be a story point, so I don’t know. But if it were, nothing would please me more. Honestly." [EW]
"We don’t call ours stars 'Fatty' anymore, and studios don’t (officially) ban stars from Hollywood. But we do let stars take on our personal anxieties, and shun them when they fail to embody them in ways that please us. We blind ourselves to corporate machinations that allow individuals to take the fall, and we make it easy to associate outsized bodies with the grotesque. Libel laws are more stringent these days, and stars are, in general, more circumspect. But I’m still terrified by what humans are eager to believe of one another, especially when class, gender, and body size intersect." [The Hairpin]
To say nothing of the Journey 2, G.I. Joe 2, and Fast Five star's definition of "impact": "Right now the best way that I can impact the world is through entertainment. One day, and that day will come, I can impact the world through politics. The great news is that I am American, therefore I can become President." [Huffington Post]
Actor and multimedia DIYer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set to make his directorial debut opposite fellow newbie director Scarlett Johansson in an untitled comedy co-produced under his own hitRecord Films banner. The pic, shooting in April, also stars JGL as a Don Juan-type ladykiller seeking to reform his ways; the actor-director also wrote the script. So yes, it's time to face facts: That kid from Third Rock from the Sun is officially way, way more accomplished than you. [Deadline]
Robert Rodriguez is firing up the Troublemaker machine once again for the sequel he promised from the closing credits roll on 2010's Machete, although this time around things sound decidedly less pointed and political for Danny Trejo's edged blade enthusiast. Machete Kills "finds Machete recruited by the U.S. Government for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man. Machete must battle his way through Mexico to take down a madman cartel leader and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war across the planet with a weapon in space. Machete takes on an army in an effort to dismantle a plan for global anarchy." Is it too early to lobby for Chris Walken, a bald guy with a cat, a dude with diamonds in his face (or heck, Lindsay Lohan's real boobs) to play said baddies? [Deadline]
Those were the days: "So much for the long-standing rumor that Obi-Wan would be played by Kenneth Branagh, or the latest gossip that Charlton Heston would sign on as another Jedi or perhaps even -- good Lord -- the young Yoda." [Moviefone]
"All I did was write the press notes and visit the set, once. I remember very little because I knew it was a cheeseball enterprise from the get-go and I didn't give a shit about any of it. The idea of the Golan & Globus machine attempting to arouse the geek/comic-book fanbase was hopeless from the start... pathetic. [...] Everyone knew it was a tank early on so there was this air of funereal resignation all through production and post-production... everyone just going through the motions." [Hollywood Elsewhere]
"Dimension Films announced today that they have hired Matt Lieberman to pen their family film Short Circuit. Lieberman will work closely with already attached director Tim Hill (Hop, Alvin and the Chipmunks) in the reimagining of the 80s classic. Lieberman is a recent alumni of the Disney writers program. Details of the new take are currently being kept under wraps." Noooo! Just when this was getting good! Anyway, maybe we can all fill in the blanks? It probably won't be so different than what they actually make. [Press release]
It's official: Comedienne-activist Roseanne Barr is a Green Party Presidential Candidate. "As POTUS I will forgive all student loans and ALL HOMEOWNER DEBT AND ALL CREDIT CARD DEBT [sic]," she Tweeted shortly after her candidacy was announced. "As potus, I will pursue all lawbreakers-financial terrorists first," she continued, adding an aside to a follower regarding health tips: "u will have 2 stop using diet coke if u r to survive." Let's follow this woman into the future! [@therealroseanne]
"My early experiences as an agent honed the 'me against the world' edge that was always nascent within me, and it served me well: I grew to see everyone, other than my clients, as enemies... When you sign a client, it is almost gladiatorial in that you’re taking away the livelihood of your competitor: It is very visceral and gratifying in a primordial way, not unlike biting into the flesh of an animal you’ve hunted." [NY Magazine]
"We loved the witness protection concept from the second we heard it, but when Tyler cast comedy icon Eugene Levy and put him under the same roof with Madea and Uncle Joe, he took this movie to a whole new level." [Coming Soon]
... and by better I mean worse, and by worse I mean now that the licensing deal between Universal and toy company Hasbro has ended, Sony has snatched up the Candy Land board game movie project -- you know, the one like "Lord of The Rings, but set in a world of candy" -- as a vehicle for none other than Adam Sandler. Said Columbia prez Doug Belgrad: "Candy Land is more than just a game. It is a brand that children, parents and grandparents know and love. The world of Candy Land offers an extraordinary canvas upon which to create a fantastical, live-action family adventure film with a larger than life part for Adam. We are thrilled to partner with Hasbro and Happy Madison on this project." [THR]
Because he deseeeeerrrrrvvvves it: "Now, it might be easy to conjecture that Gibson’s recent personal issues were a reason to bypass theaters, especially after The Beaver grossed less than $1 million domestic. I think this is different — a ballsy move by a maverick entrepreneur whose willingness to break rules led him to self-finance the $30 million R-rated The Passion Of The Christ and watch it gross $371 million domestic and $612 million worldwide (still the biggest indie film of all time), and spend $40 million to fund Apocalypto, a film that grossed $51 million domestic and $121 million worldwide." [Deadline]
"You think if Brad Pitt wins the Oscar this year, people will say he’s had it coming since Seven Years in Tibet? Guys, let’s all say that!" [This Had Oscar Buzz]
"At 2 P.M. on Tuesday, January 31 Councilman Tom Labonge will present The Artist with the 'Made In Hollywood' honor to the film’s cast and crew. Including Academy Award Nominee Michel Hazanvicious [sic], Academy Award Nominee Jean Dujardin, Academy Award Nominee Bérénice Bejo, Missi Pyle, Penelope Ann Miller, Beth Grant, David Cluck – 1st Assistant Director, Richard Middleton- Executive Producer, Antoine De Cazotte- Executive producer, Heidi Levitt- Casting Director and the Los Angeles crew. The Honor will be presented at RED Studios which substituted for Kinograph Studios in the film. 846 North Cahuenga Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90038-3704. Be it further resolved that the Los Angeles City Council does name this day, January 31, 2012, as The Artist Day in the City of Los Angeles." Yikes! Time is running out! Start getting sick now! [Press Release]
