Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up – Sept. 18, 2008

On this week’s A-List Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up we have:

Bruce Willis steps behind the camera for Three Stories About Joan; Ben Affleck also grabs the megaphone for The Town; Jim Sheridan makes I,Claudius; Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito reunite; Brett Ratner ponders Conan and Dwayne “The Rock Johnson visits Tomorrowland.

1. It has taken a long time but Bruce Willis is finally set to direct. The iconic action star is about to start shooting his directorial debut Three Stories About Joan. The film is a psychological thriller which will start shooting on October 2 until November 10.  Owen Wilson and Kieran Culkin will co-star in the pic that has a budget of $25-30 million.

Bruce has worked with some great directors in his time, so he should have picked up a trick or two.

Source: CHUD

2. Bruce’s Armageddon co-star Ben Affleck will return to directing with The Town. Affleck will also star in the film which is based on the novel Prince of Thieves. The plot follows a  professional thief who falls in love with the manager of a bank. I presume that the manager is female and that the thief intends to rob her bank.

The film was originally being developed by Adrian Lynne, but now Affleck will rewrite the script to his own tastes.

Source: Variety

3. My fellow Irishman Jim Sheridan is about to direct a film version of Robert Graves’ classic novel I, Claudius. The novel (and I presume the film) follows Claudius, a stuttering Roman who everyone believes to be a few biscuits short of the packet, but soon he defies all odds, with the use of his cunning to become Emperor of Rome.

A who’s who of British acting talent starred in the 1976 BBC adaptation.

This will make my dad very happy.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

4. Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito are set to reunite in the dramedy Solitary Man. The Romancing the Stone/ Jewel of the Nile/ War of the Roses duo star in the film, of which Variety gives the following synopsis:

“Douglas plays a former owner of a car dealership chain whose career and marriage were destroyed by his business and romantic indiscretions.”

Susan Sarandon and Jenna Fischer also star.

It looks like when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Source: Variety

5. Word on the street is that fanboy favorite Brett Ratner is mulling over the opportunity to direct Conan.

Nope, that’s not a joke.

The long in development film hasn’t had a director attached, and apparently Ratner has been offered the directors chair to the epic adventure. However, he currently has about another 2000 films that he might like to make.

True or false? Who knows, but I always thought that Chris Tucker would make a good Conan.

Source: Dread Central

6. Dwayne “The Rock Johnson is making Tomorrowland for Disney. The film will be based on a section of their theme parks. The epic film will be an action adventure set in space.

Jon Lucas and Scott Moore are on scripting duties for the film which Disney denies has anything to do with its theme park. I wonder why, ahem…Haunted Mansion…ahem.

Source: Variety

That’s it for this week. See you at the movies.

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