Movie News Wrap Up: May 25, 2009

This week:
Ben Stiller has no time for Salvation at the box office; George Clooney is a Private Gentleman; Lyndsy Fonseca gets into the Hot Tub Time Machine; Milla Jovovich throws a Stone; Ridley Scott looks for a younger Robin Hood and Kevin Costner makes a western – I’m not kidding.

Box Office

It looks like Ben Stiller is going to stay bankable in family films. Night at the Museum 2: Battle Of The Smithsonian should bank an impressive $70 million over the four day weekend. Does that mean that they’ll inflict a third movie on us? Probably.

Terminator: Salvation will shoot up about $62 million over the long weekend. Not exactly the box office superstar they were hoping it would be.

Angels and Demons and Star Trek should both manage about $28 million over the weekend. Star Trek has blown past Wolverine in U.S. ticket sales despite having opened one week later – $191MM vs. $165MM. Worldwide Wolverine is still ahead of Star Trek.

Dance flick spoof.. Er… Dance Flick should pocket about $12 million.

Movie News

1. He was Dr Doug Ross; he was Batman and now he’s A Very Private Gentleman. George Clooney will star in an adaptation of the Martin Booth novel to be directed by Anton Corbjin.

According to Variety:
“Clooney will play an assassin who hides out in an idyllic Italian town before carrying out a final assignment. He resists his usual aversion to human interaction, and his friendships and romantic entanglements complicate his mission.”

Sounds like it could be a classy movie.

Source: Variety

2. Lyndsy Fonseca will be taking a dip in the Hot Tub Time Machine.
Fonseca will play John Cusack’s girlfriend in the film that has a hot tub which is a time machine.

The title says it all really.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

3. Milla Jovovich will star opposite Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton in Stone.

“Jovovich will play the wife of a convicted arsonist (Norton). Desperately looking to be paroled, Norton has Jovovich engage in a dangerous affair with his parole officer (De Niro), entrapping him in a series of deadly psychological games.”

DeNiro has been relatively quiet of late, remember a few years ago when he had a new film out every other week?

Source: Variety

4. Casting is underway in England for a young Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood. The filmmakers are looking for an 11 year old boy to play a younger version of the infamous folk hero. It looks like the film will be detailing all of Robin’s life and not just his tight wearing days in Sherwood Forest.

5. Former Robin Hood Kevin Costner is developing a western mini-series for A&E. Costner will produce the series and he may also direct and star – depending on the script.

Over the years Costner’s name has become synonymous with the western genre with the star having roles in Silverado, Dances With Wolves, Wyatt Earp and Open Range.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

That’s it for now. See you at the movies.