I'm starting to think the execs over at Syfy may be a bunch of secret geniuses. When I first read Forbes' report that the NBC Universal-owned cable network is considering giving the lifeguard's kiss to Waterworld as either a film for its new theatrical division or, more likely, a TV series for its prime-time schedule, I almost choked on my coffee. more »
17 years after Waterworld, is Kevin Costner back in the game? "[The] Movie Star is dead. But Costner is catching a wave that is still building, a trend that is still sinking into the cultural psyche — he’s re-emerging not as Kevin Costner, Movie Star, but as Kevin Costner, Portrayer of Memorable Characters. This is the way forward for actors in a star-less world... These days, I don’t think a true star can break through unless it’s on the back of a signature character...This is the future. This is the Movie Star’s second act. It’s not about the star anymore. Now it’s about the Celebrity Character." [Lainey Gossip]
Also in Tuesday morning's round-up of news briefs, actress Jennifer Lawrence is in negotiations for a hefty paycheck for the second installment of The Hunger Games. Kevin Costner is headed to join a new project. Wayne Wang will direct a basketball tale and big changes at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
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Also in Friday afternoon's round-up of news. Warner Bros. has not seen any indication that the tragic shooting earlier today in Colorado at a Dark Knight Rises showing has had any influence on the pic's ticket sales. In other news, Taylor Kitsch may lead a racing movie franchise and Kevin Costner to play inspiring real-life coach.
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The AP reports on the ongoing courtroom drama between actor/reality TV personality/bankrupt Republican Stephen Baldwin and actor/musician/celebrity investor Kevin Costner, which took a turn for the salacious this week when a witness testified that Baldwin had transpired to "blackmail" Costner over a sum of $21 million involving the pair's interests in ocean clean-up technology, of all things, following the 2010 BP oil spill. "I said, 'Stephen, that's blackmail,'" [business associate Scott Smith] recalled. He quoted Baldwin as saying, "I have to be careful how I do it." And to think, it all started when the Bio-Dome and Waterworld stars joined forces in the name of the environment... [AP via Fox News]
Heads up, romantic drama die-hards: Movie theaters will be awash with tears in the next couple of weeks. Three epic — well, two epics and one epic-lite — love stories are being re-released for various questionable reasons, and in these challenging economic times it might not make sense to rush out and see all three. Here, then, are some points to consider before buying a ticket and travel-size tissues for Casablanca, The Bodyguard or Titanic.
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Despite having acted in only a handful of movies before her death on Saturday at the age of 48, Whitney Houston left a lasting legacy with the few film projects she did release during her reign as arguably the best-known female pop singer of her generation. 1995's Waiting to Exhale earned her a NAACP Image Award nomination, and 1996's The Preacher's Wife won her the award (and made her the highest-earning African American actress in Hollywood at the time); this year's Sparkle was set to be Houston's comeback after a well-documented and public period of substance abuse and personal decline. But no film is as indelibly linked to Houston's legacy as her debut in 1992's The Bodyguard, and the record-breaking soundtrack it spawned.
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Looks like Quentin Tarantino's reaching into his own well to fill the shoes of his Django Unchained baddie. The Wrap reports that none other than Kurt Russell, who played Tarantino's Death Proof villain Stuntman Mike, is negotiating to replace Kevin Costner as Ace Woody, a plantation henchman who works for Leonardo DiCaprio's big bad. Battling against Kurt 'n' Leo will be Jamie Foxx as the titular slave-turned-bounty hunter and his German mentor Christoph Waltz (who recently injured himself training on horseback for the role). This Django's turning into quite the QT party! [The Wrap]
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