Has WB Found The Next "Harry Potter"?

Internationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur is all set to direct a $200-million Hollywood fantasy-epic for Warner Brothers titled “Larklight”. “I was in LA last week to collaborate with writer Steve Knight for ‘Larklight’. It’s something I had signed on three months ago. It’s a franchise book and being hailed as the new ‘Harry Potter’. Warner Brothers has bought the rights. Steve and I are currently working on the screenplay,” an excited Kapur, who made the acclaimed Hollywood film “Elizabeth”, told IANS.

“Steve and I are good friends. We’ve been working on the script extensively. It’s a &200-million project, probably the most expensive film I’ve made and will ever make,” he said.
“Larklight” is the current craze on the bookshelves and its author, Philip Reeve, is being touted as another J.K. Rowling. It was an instant bestseller across the world when released in 2006.
What comes as a surprise is that Kapur has been chosen to direct the screen version. However, Kapur is no stranger to science-fantasies. Remember the aborted “Time Machine” with Aamir Khan, which he is now going to produce for director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra? A young, bright and serious boy plays the lead. Let’s not forget Kapur discovered Jugal Hansraj for his Bollywood film “Masoom”.

Interestingly, Knight conceived and wrote the popular game show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”, which later became our “Kaun Banega Crorepati”. His last screenplay was “Eastern Promises”. Kapur will first complete “Larklight” in Hollywood before proceeding to do the much-talked about “Paani” in Mumbai.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/shekhar-kapur-to-direct-200-mn-film-for-warner-bros_10031950.html

Mike Dougherty Is Calling All Robots

Mike Dougherty is going to be busy the next couple years, I for one am happy for him. This project sounds pretty exciting if you ask me, and as for Mike, "Heck, I'm a fan."

http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=5377

Call this "sci-fi." Call this "action." Call it unworthy of Shock coverage. But we're...

a.) Big fans of Mike Dougherty (Trick 'r Treat, Superman Returns).

b.) Fans of the creators involved in this project.

c.) Anyone who cites their movie is inspired by "Godzilla" flicks wins instant kudos in our bloody

book.

Dougherty is going to direct the animated feature Calling All Robots for Walt Disney Pictures and Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers. He's co-scripting with Breehn Burns and Simeon Wilkins. Furthermore, because of the scope of the project, he's using the same performance capture Zemeckis used on Beowulf."I grew up watching Godzilla movies. This film is very much rooted in those movies," Dougherty tells Variety. The plot is being kept secret at this time.We hoped that, with this news, will come a break in release date info for Warner Bros. Trick 'r Treat. Alas, Variety offered nothing new other than it was pushed from last October's slot to avoid competing with the slasher fare opening that month.

http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=20354

Disney is giving another shot at the whole "performance capture" style of computer animation with a new flick called CALLING ALL ROBOTS. The project comes from X2 and SUPERMAN RETURNS co-writer Mike Dougherty, who's teaming with Robert Zemeckis' company ImageMovers for the flick. Details on the story are scarce, but it's a sci-fi adventure that Dougherty (who hails from an animation background) cryptically describes as a "throwback to old Godzilla movies." Don't be too surprised if it's available in three dimensions as well.Zemeckis' company was also responsible for BEOWULF and POLAR EXPRESS, and is currently working on A CHRISTMAS CAROL with digitized Jim Carrey. Meanwhile, Dougherty's directing debut TRICK r TREAT was curiously not released last Halloween.

Extra Tidbit: One of the reasons the human characters in BEOWULF look so spooky and lifeless: nobody really blinks.

Another Meal At The Peach Pit?

Brandon and Dylan are just as shocked as I am. A spin off of 90210 is returning to primetime thanks to CW and Rob Thomas. If some of the cast was returning, I might be a little mroe interested in this project, but it doesn't seem that will be the case. The Hollywood Reporter sheds bit more light on this return to Beverly Hills.

Meet the Mills, the three-generational Beverly Hills clan at the center of the CW's contemporary "Beverly Hills, 90210" spinoff. A detailed breakdown for the pilot released Monday night sheds more light on the plot and the characters of the untitled show, which is being written by Rob Thomas. Like the original "90210," the spinoff revolves around a family with two teen kids the same age -- a boy and a girl -- who recently moved from the Midwest to Beverly Hills. But this time, the dad, Harry Mills, is a Beverly Hills High alum who moved after graduation and settled in East St. Louis. He is forced to come back when his 1970s movie star mother's alcohol problem gets out of control. Joining him are his wife, Celia, a former Olympic medalist; biological daughter Annie; and adopted son Dixon.

The breakdown includes five other characters, four of them 16-year-old students at Beverly Hills High. None of them seems directly related to any of the characters on the original series, however, 16-year-old Daphne Silver and her twentysomething brother, Max Silver, share the same last name as David Silver (Brian Austin Green), who married Donna Martin (Tori Spelling) in the original "90210" series finale. Although Max may be too old to be David's son, it nevertheless is intriguing that he and his sister live alone in a mansion as their parents have been "on a cruise" for as long as anyone can remember.The spinoff also reflects the current realities at Beverly Hills High, where about 40% of the students are of Persian descent: One of the students is named Navid Shirazi.

To get the high-profile project ready for the network's upfront in May, CW and producing studio CBS Paramount Network TV opted to begin casting before the script has been completed, a practice also employed by other networks during the abbreviated post-strike pilot season. Mark Piznarski is set to direct the "90210" spinoff's pilot, which, according to the breakdown, is eyeing an April 3 production start date.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ifff588c2bae9eaff73b077dd116fe4f0

Jeepers Creepers...Another Sequel?

Blood Disgusting is reporting that a third Jeepers Creepers is in the works...I didn't even know there was a second one.

Phillips breaks the new exclusively to Bloody-Disgusting that she is in facts in talks to play a role in Victor Salva's third film. "I will say that, I can’t talk about it, but I can say we are in talks, she explains. "There is a script and there is work being done on it. Here’s the thing, I also produce films, when I have my producer hat on …that’s my job, and when I have my actor hat on, then that’s my job, I try not to intervene unless you have a director who wants your opinion. The great thing about Victor is that he is very collaborative. He not only wanted my input, he almost demanded it, It was always like what do you think what do you think. I trust him and I think he is a very talented writer. If things are to come together, and he wants my input… I have a lot to say!"

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/11630

Don't Move Creep...Robocop Reboot?

Moviehole is reporting on news from AICN that MGM is tossing around the idea of rebooting the Robocop franchise. I have to agree with Clint here, not only am I tired of all of the reboots, I am even more tired of bad reboots.

AintItCoolNews pointed out a press release from MGM that lists a new "RoboCop" movie alongside upcoming franchise films already in development like "Quantum of Solace," "The Thomas Crown Affair 2" (with "RoboCop" director Paul Verhoeven on board) and for some reason, "The Pink Panther 2" and 3. Unfortunately, it looks like MGM would rather reboot the "Robocop" franchise rather than give us an easily forgettable sequel. Great - I'm sure this new remake will totally miss the point with the shocking violence, sick humor and sharp satire of the original.

While we're at it, maybe we can put some bling and spinning rims on Robocop as he chases generic hoodlums all around Detroit.The thing is, the original couldn't get any darker or more relevant - it still holds up and is an amazing piece of societal satire. Why would someone want to ruin that and tarnish the name of "Robocop" for good?

http://www.moviehole.net/news/20080317_is_robocop_back_on_duty_1.html

Independent Jerry?

The NY Post is reporting the return of comic Jerry Seinfeld to NBC, the network that made him famous. The yet to be named sitcom will be debuting in June and will feature a similar template as Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Jerry Seinfeld is rumoured to be planning a major TV comeback. The 53-year-old is reportedly in talks for a new prime time sitcom on the NBC network, where his hit comedy originally ran. And the New York Post says he is taking a leaf out of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David’s book – with the show billed as ‘just like Curb Your Enthusiasm, but with Jerry, instead of Larry’. Seinfeld is set to play himself ‘in an exaggerated reality’ in the as-yet untitled series – as David does in his acclaimed HBO series. The newspaper says the new series, which would be set in New York, is expected to launch in June.

http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2008/03/07/6504/seinfeld_plans_tv_comeback