Hot on the heels of a couple of major casting announcements for the upcoming comic book adaptation, Cowboys & Aliens, comes the all important news of when the movie will be released. Read on below to find out.

The Wrap is reporting that Universal and Dreamworks will make Cowboys & Aliens together, as opposed to Universal making it with Disney. They have announced a prime summer date for the movie to hit theaters: July 29th, 2011. Apparently that was the date Peter Berg’s Battleship adaptation was to be released (although we had it at August 5th for some reason…) until it was recently shifted to May 5th, 2012. So instead of aliens attacking battleships, we’ll have them turning their sights to cowboys in the Old West!

Jon Favreau is directing and Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof are writing the adaptation of the comic series, which pits cowboys against an invading horde of aliens in the 1800s. The movie already has two of its leads in the form of Daniel Craig (replacing Robert Downey Jr. who opted to make Sherlock Holmes 2 instead) and Olivia Wilde, star of House and the upcoming Tron Legacy. Craig will play Zeke Jackson, the leader of the cowboys and Wilde will play a character named Ella, who helps Craig’s Zeke battle the aliens (and I assume will be some sort of love interest for him).

We’ll certainly have plenty to keep us going in the long summer months of 2011: Cowboys & Aliens joins an exciting list of movies that includes Thor, Captain America, Green Lantern, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and The Hangover 2, amongst others. Start marking your calendars now!

I can’t say Cowboys & Aliens beats out a lot of those movies as the one I’m looking forward to most – but the cast so far and the high concept certainly has piqued my interest. I’ll be there opening day for sure.

Are you looking forward to Cowboys & Aliens? Where does it rank on your most anticipated list for next year?

As stated, Cowboys & Aliens is set to hit theaters on July 29th, 2011. It is supposed to begin filming this July.

Source: The Wrap

Princess Olivia Wilde (House) is joining the recently announced Daniel Craig in Cowboys and Aliens, the adaptation of the graphic novel series by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. The film is being directed by Jon Favreau and written by Star Trek scribes Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci along with Lost writer Damon Lindelof.

And yes, I know that I said “Princess Olivia Wilde” but more on that later .

Cowboys and Aliens is a sci-fi story set in the 1800s, where settlers and Native Americans must band together to combat alien invaders. To some it may sound hokey, but admit it, you’ve already imagined it (or something like it) at some point in your life. There’s been an alien invasion scenario for just about every time period known to man.

Wilde will reportedly play a character named Ella, who helps Craig’s gunslinging hero battle the aliens. Probably some kind of love interest angle in there as well.

Now, about this “princess” business: Olivia Wilde is married to Tao Ruspoli, an Italian-American documentary filmmaker, photographer…and Italian Prince! Hence, she is a princess. Pretty freaking cool.

I’ve liked Olivia Wilde (for her screen presence – mind up out of the gutter) as far back as that hilarious Fox TV drama, Skin (remember, the ‘Romeo & Juliet’ show about the pornographer’s daughter who falls for the D.A.’s son?). Wilde will be throwing down in cyber space this winter in Tron Legacy and if she proves to have action backbone there, I would say she’ll be well-suited for Cowboys and Aliens. I also expect her and Craig will work well and pretty with one another.

Cowboys and Aliens is slated to hit theaters sometime in 2011.

Source: Heat Vision Blog

A couple of weeks ago Collider got the scoop from (unnamed) sources that Daniel Craig was being brought in to replace Robert Downey Jr. in the comic book adaptation Cowboys & Aliens (Downey left the project for Sherlock Holmes 2). The news seemed likely but not definite, as scheduling conflicts with the next James Bond flick may have prevented it.

However, it appears that Collider’s sources were right on the money as Deadline Hollywood has now confirmed that Craig will indeed star in Cowboys & Aliens. We’re not sure where this fits in with Bond 23: We heard a little while ago that production had been delayed because of MGM’s financial troubles. However, even more recently we learned that production on Bond 23 was fast-tracked and possibly would start shooting this summer for a release in 2011. If the latter is still true, then I’m not sure how Craig will be able to juggle both Bond 23 and Cowboys & Aliens as they’re both supposed to start shooting this summer.

Cowboys & Aliens is an excellent move for Craig, as it gives him another property beyond James Bond that has serious franchise potential. Craig will play Zeke Jackson, the leader of the cowboy resistance fighting against an invading race of aliens who want to enslave mankind in the 1800s. The film is based on a graphic novel of the same name and the screenplay is written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Transformers, Star Trek), as well as Damon Lindelof (Lost). Kurtzman and Orci are producing along with Steven Spielberg, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Platinum Studios’ Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.

I’m not familiar with the source material, but the idea of seeing cowboys fight an invading band of aliens, with the director of Iron Man, Jon Favreau, at the helm is certainly not a bad thing. Admittedly I would have preferred to see Downey Jr. star in the movie but Craig is a fine choice too in my opinion.

Are you glad Craig has been confirmed for Cowboys & Aliens? Does he fit the role?

As stated, Cowboys & Aliens could start shooting this July for a release sometime in 2011. We’ll keep you updated if that still going to be the case.

Source: Deadline Hollywood

Just a few days after news emerged that Robert Downey Jr. had left Cowboys & Aliens (for Sherlock Holmes 2) comes the news that James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, may take his place in the lead role. The scoop comes from our friends over at Collider who have the exclusive from their (unnamed) sources.

Collider points out an obvious point that Craig is “in negotiations” which means that he has NOT been cast in the lead role quite yet. These kinds of things – until the folks involved start signing on the dotted line – can fall through, so it’s very possible Craig will not end up starring in the Jon Favreau directed project.

However, if this Craig news is true it would be very cool as it would give us a chance to see the actor in a high-profile non-Bond role. He’s done movies like The Invasion (ouch), Defiance (good but disappointing) and Flashbacks of a Fool (meh) since he took on the iconic secret agent role – but Cowboys & Aliens would likely be a bigger project than all of those. Also, it would match up Craig with Jon Favreau for the first time which is a very intriguing director-actor pairing.

Now one of the main reasons that Craig might not end up starring in the project would be the major franchise he’s tied to, James Bond. Bond 23 was said to have been put on hold indefinitely until MGM gets auctioned off, but THR recently reported that it’s been fast-tracked and could begin shooting as early as this June for a release in 2011. Cowboys & Aliens could be shooting in July, so if its shooting schedule conflicts with Bond 23 I think it’d be the latter that would win out.

Just as a reminder, Cowboys & Aliens is based on the graphic novel of the same name which is about cowboys in the 1800s who have to battle against aliens who have come to earth to enslave mankind. If cast, Craig would play Zeke Jackson, the gunslinger who leads the battle against the aliens. The screenplay is written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek, Transformers), as well as Damon Lindelof (Lost).

We’ll have to wait for confirmation either way on Craig’s involvement with Cowboys & Aliens to know for sure. But for now it’s a real possibility.

What do you think of the idea of Craig replacing RDJ in this project? Is he a good choice to lead the fight of cowboys against aliens?

Source: Collider

Before the first Sherlock Holmes was even released there was already talk of a sequel. Much of that talk surrounded the classic Sherlock Holmes villain, Moriarty, who was even rumored to be played by Brad Pitt (that rumor continues to rear its head every so often). Whoever the villain, we all know Sherlock Holmes 2 is inevitable and today we learn we’ll be seeing it sooner, rather than later.

Shortly after the news surfaced that Robert Downey Jr. wouldn’t be playing Cowboys & Aliens, we get word that the reason for his departure from that project was a scheduling clash with the shoot for Sherlock Holmes 2 (as fellow Screen Rant writer Rob Keyes successfully guessed at ). EW has a source inside the production that says even though the project has yet to be green-lit (it’s only a matter of time, though), the studio is nonetheless fast-tracking it after the success of the first film (it’s almost at the $300 million worldwide mark at the box office on a $90 million budget).

Warner Bros. has apparently already commissioned a script from Kieran and Michele Mulroney (who both wrote and directed the 2009 comedy/drama, Paper Man), instead of using any of the three screenwriters that wrote the first Holmes installment. They are now trying to lock down the cast (which will include RDJ, and most likely the return of Jude Law and Rachel McAdams) for a June shooting start date.  Cowboys & Aliens was set to start shooting in July. I guess the classic detective won out over cowboys and aliens battling it out…

I enjoyed Guy Ritchie’s take on Sherlock Holmes (Screen Rant head honcho Vic Holterman loved it), and am looking forward to what’s to come from the franchise. It remains to be seen whether Ritchie will follow RDJ and direct the second one, but I can’t see any reason why he wouldn’t. He has proven to WB that he can deliver a Holmes movie that simultaneously entertains new audiences while still satisfying purists (yes there are Sherlock Holmes purists out there), and in my opinion Ritchie would be crazy to turn down the opportunity to direct a second installment.

Only time will tell if Moriarty – who quasi-appeared in the first film – will be the villain in the sequel. Don’t they have to use him, at least at some point?

Are you happy to see another Sherlock Holmes on the way so soon after the first? Do you think RDJ was right to leave Cowboys & Aliens for it? What direction would you like the sequel to take?

As stated, Sherlock Holmes 2 is set to start shooting this June. Presumably we’d see it hit theaters sometime in 2011.

Source: EW (Hollywood Insider)

Adding to this week’s trend of superhero bailouts in the form of Stuart Townsend leaving Thor and the entire cast and crew of Spider-Man 4 bailing out with Sony rebooting the franchise, another superhero has dropped out of a project. Well, not exactly, but Robert Downey Jr. and has removed himself from director Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens.

According to a source of the LA Times, Downey has left and DreamWorks is now searching for their new lead to ride into the sunset full of UFOs. Favreau will still be directing and the plan is to begin principal photography this year for a summer 2011 release.

With RDJ out, a replacement is needed for the role of Zeke Jackson, the hero who leads the gunslingers of the wild west against the pesky extra-terrestrials.  DreamWorks will have to find a popular star to fill those shoes.

We’re not sure yet on the exact reason for Downey’s dropping out but it’s reasonable to assume he may just have too much on his plate going forward. With this holiday’s Sherlock Holmes kicking off another great franchise, there could be a rush from the studio for a sequel which they spent a lot of time and effort setting up for in this first installment. [Update: We have confirmation that the Sherlock Holmes sequel is the reason that Downey Jr. dropped out of this film.]

That’s not all for the comeback star however, as he also has at least another two leading roles in Marvel Studios’ franchise as Tony Star/Iron Man after Iron Man 2 debuts this May. Downey simply may not have time to dedicate two a third potential franchise.

The sci-fi western will surely be a hit with such major players involved as Alex Kurtzman, Bob Orci and Damon Lindelof penning the script, producing alongside Steven Spielberg. And of course, Jon Favreau will be helming the project as director.

Who do you think can take over the lead role in Cowboys & Aliens?

Iron Man 2 kicks off this summer on May 7, 2010. Cowboys & Aliens may start shooting in July.

Source: LA Times (via IESB)

We’ve known for quite some time that an adaptation of the graphic novel Cowboys and Aliens was coming, with the script written by Star Trek and Transformers writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, as well as Lost co-creator/writer Damon Lindelof. Iron Man himself Robert Downey Jr. has been attached to the project for a while along with Iron Man director, Jon Favreau, making it look more and more likely that RDJ would definitely sign.

The last we heard, Orci and Kurtzman were working on the script, going back and watching old Westerns to analyze them. We learn today from Kim Masters in a post at The Daily Beast that Cowboy and Aliens will start shooting this July, possibly in 3D. The latter notion comes from the fact that the article is about “Life After Avatar” and how James Cameron’s epic will help more 3D films get made in the future.

As /Film points out – if Cowboys and Aliens is going to shoot in July, that’s pretty tight to the May release of another little project involving both Favreau and RDJ called Iron Man 2. It’s not totally impossible, but it hardly gives Favreau (and RDJ if he ends up starring) time to take a break after what was sure to be a tiring shoot with the Iron Man sequel. If he can do it then great, but I wouldn’t want him to rush back into working just for the sake of getting Cowboys and Aliens done as soon as possible where quality might end up suffering (I’m not saying it will).

In case you’re not familiar with Cowboys and Aliens, it was originally a graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, published by Harper Collins and Platinum Studios back in 2006. You can probably guess but the story revolves around the battle between cowboys and aliens after the latter appear on earth in the mid-1800s to try and enslave humankind. I haven’t read the graphic novel but that sounds as weird and wonderful as it gets!

As for the possibility of it being in 3D, anyone who has read Screen Rant for any length of time will know our consensus on the technology: if it’s employed to enhance the film by making you feel part of the world, and it can do that without distracting you from the experience then it’s absolutely fine. It’s at least a good thing that they’re thinking of 3D ahead of time for the project so that if they decide to employ the technology they can shoot it for that purpose, instead of shooting it normally and converting it later.

Would you like to see Cowboys and Aliens hit our screens in three dimensions? Are you familiar with the source material? If you are (or even if you’re not) do you think it’s an idea that will work in movie form?

As stated, Cowboys and Aliens is reportedly set to start shooting this July, and is tentatively set for a release in 2011.

Sources: The Daily Beast and /Film

Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman have got to be two of the most popular writers in Hollywood right now. Like, love or hate their work, as script writers they have turned into a very hot commodity and are quickly becoming the “go-to” guys for sci-fi scripts. With projects like Star Trek 2, Cowboys & Aliens, View-Master and multiple Fringe episodes on their plate, they have no shortage of work (which in this economy is a good thing).

Recently the great guys and gals at Collider were able to talk to Orci and Kurtzman and they managed wrangle some really good information from them in what turned out to be a lengthy interview. We’ve already discussed the parts about Star Trek 2 and their decision NOT to be involved with Transformers 3, which they confirmed during this same interview. You check out the entire interview here, but I’ll go through some of the highlights as they talk about  Cowboys & Aliens, and a once popular toy, View-Master.

For those that may not know, Cowboys & Aliens first started as a graphic novel (does anyone call them comic books anymore?) by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg that was published by Platinum Studios and Harper Collins in 2006. Written by the talented team of Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, the story revolves around beings from another world landing in Arizona during the mid-1800s with the goal of enslaving the human race.  That crap may have worked in France but over here in the U.S. of A. we had Cowboys and Indians to fight back against alien scum! Sorry I got carried away; it happens because I’m southern.

Cowboys & Aliens is being helmed by Iron Man’s Jon Favreau and will most likely star Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr. That’s great news because both have proved themselves to be fans of comics and have already helped to elevate lesser known comic book lore to pop culture heights. So how do Orci and Kurtzman feel about working with Favreau and where are they drawing their inspiration from for Cowboys & Aliens?

Alex: It’s the greatest.

Bob: We just started and we’re getting along really well. We’ve sent ourselves back to school and we’re watching Westerns together and analyzing them. We’re just getting into it.  We just watched The Searchers last.

Alex: We had a lot of these Westerns in our head, but Jon is an incredible fountain of Western knowledge.

Bob: And, Star Trek was originally pitched as a space Western, anyway, so it was a nice lead up to this, for us.

Alex: I think Jon also comes from a very similar emotional place and, because he’s an actor, he knows what plays and what doesn’t play very quickly. We’re having an unbelievably good time working with him.

I think that’s great that they are pulling from some older westerns for inspiration and I had no idea that Favreau was a big western buff. I wonder if he dresses up and goes to Old West Conventions walking with his best John Wayne swagger, dressed in chaps, a dusty vest, a bandana wrapped around his neck, and a six shooter strapped to his leg, tipping his hat to the ladies and saying “Howdy”. HEH, I just made myself chuckle.

Continue reading for Orci/Kurtzman updates on View-Master

We’ve been talking about Robert Downey Jr’s possible attachment to Cowboys and Aliens for quite a while. However, it now looks like Downey Jr’s Iron Man director, Jon Favreau, is trying to lasso the directors chair for the film, and if he signs up then it looks like Iron Man himself is all but locked for the picture.

The concept of the film in question is simple – Cowboys versus Aliens. If that doesn’t rock your boat, then it’s time to stop reading! 

The film is based on a graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, which was written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley. The script for the movie was penned by the high-powered writing combination of Star Trek’s Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, along with Lost’s Damon Lindeloff.

With Iron Man 2 already shot and currently in post-production, it looks like Cowboys and Aliens will shoot next summer for a 2011 release date. If the talent involved (and the concept) doesn’t excite you, then please note that the DreamWorks and Universal film will be produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, along with some chap called Steven Spielberg!

I’ve had the Cowboys & Aliens graphic novel sitting on my shelf for about a year now and I think that this news has finally given me the inspiration to dust it off and give it a read. While I honestly didn’t expect much from Iron Man (I’m a DC man unlike our head honcho Vic Holtreman), I was highly surprised by what it had to offer.

I’ve been a fan of Downey Jr’s for a long time and if you guys haven’t seen Wonder Boys, Zodiac or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang then you’ve been missing out!

In the words of Frankie Laine:

“Move ‘em out, head ‘em up,
Head ‘em up, move ‘em on.
Move ‘em out, head ‘em up:
Rawhide.”

More on Cowboys and Aliens when we get it!

Robert Downey Jr. will next be seen alongside Jude Law in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes which opens on Christmas Day and Iron Man 2 which opens in May.

Source: Variety

This week:

Another actor takes a bite out of Twilight’s Eclipse; we have an update on Cowboys and Aliens; Colin Farrell + Mermaids= Ondine, Zac Efron finds a mother and David Mamet gets Frank.

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1. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse keeps adding cast members: Jack Huston and Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace) have both joined the cast of the teenage vampire flick.

According to The Hollywood Reporter regarding Huston:

“Huston will play Royce King II, a human that lived during the Great Depression.”

It sounds like a role that the young actor can sink his teeth into.

Bloody-Disgusting is reporting that Moreno will play the vampire Maria, who tries to create an army of “newborn vampires.”

Big job for a small woman.

Huston and Moreno join Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Bryce Dallas Howard in the big screen adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s novel.

Huston will next be seen on TV in Eastwick, the small screen series based on the hit 1980’s Jack Nicholson starrer.

Eclipse is being helmed by David Slade (30 Days of Night) and starts shooting next week in Vancouver for a June 30, 2010 release (they better work fast).

Source: The Hollywood Reporter & Bloody-Disgusting

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2. The ever-busy Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have given an update on the adaptation of the graphic novel Cowboys and Aliens, which they wrote with Lost creator Damon Lindelof.

Orci said:

“We’re just literally waiting to hear if they hate it or what. We’re waiting to hear from the principals. We try not to turn it in until we think it’s ready. Obviously, there are always things you can improve.”

When asked if Robert Downey Jr was still attached Orci said:

“He’s one of the busiest men on the face of the Earth. If the schedule can line up, we’d absolutely love it.”

It sounds like there’s still a chance of having Downey Jr appearing – but if Sherlock Holmes is a hit then he’ll be juggling two franchises (the other obviously being Iron Man) so he might not want to do another big-budget film in between.

Time will tell.

Source: MTV

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3.  Colin Farrell has been keeping a low profile recently but late 2009 and 2010 seem to be lined up with quite a few films starring the Irishman.

There’s obviously Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Triage and Neil Jordan’s Ondine.

Ondine is “lyrical modern fairy tale” about an Irish fisherman who catches what he believes to be a mermaid in his net. Polish actress Alicja Bachleda plays the mermaid.

First Showing nabbed a few images from the film – check out a few below.

Ondine is directed by Neil Jordan, the Irish director behind The Crying Game, Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire and The Brave One. I feel that Jordan’s vision often out-weighs his talent – so here’s hoping that the final plot is as interesting as the premise.

You can head over to First Showing to see a few more pictures.

Source:: First Showing

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4. Kim Basinger is in negotiations to join tween heart-throb Zac Efron in The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.

According to Variety:

“Basinger would play the grieving mother of Efron’s character, a caretaker at a cemetery who has weekly meetings with a younger brother whose accidental death he feels was his fault.”

I think that I’ll give this one a pass.

Source: Variety

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5. Famed screenwriter David Mamet (The Untouchables) is planning to write and direct a new film version of The Diary of Anne Frank for Disney.

The film will be based on Frank’s diary; Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich’s stage play and new material written by Mamet.

It might not make a whole lot of money – but I can imagine that this will be an Oscar contender.

Source: Variety

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

The box office is UP; Robert Downey Jr might still saddle up for Cowboys and Aliens; Lucy beats Nicole Kidman to the Punch; Natalie Portman, Danny McBride and James Franco salute Your Highness; Seann William Scott and Adam Brody are A Couple of Dicks and Chevy Chase dips his toes in the Hot Tub Time Machine and he may return as Fletch.

BOX OFFICE:
The summer season is now well and truly here. Pixar’s Up shows that family films and the Pixar brand are hugely profitable. The animated film banked a huge $68 million over the weekend. For a film that sells most of it’s tickets in half price matinees that’s a lot of attendance.

Last week’s champion Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian had to settle for the runner up spot with a weekend take of $25 million. With a total now over $100 million it looks like we might be in for a third installment.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man stop-gap, Drag Me To Hell, opened to a disappointing $16 million. It probably cost about $20 million to produce, so it’ll be profitable, but I’m sure Raimi wanted more.

Speaking of more – will we ever get to see any more Terminator films? With a weekend take of just $16 million for Terminator Salvation it looks like McG might not get to finish his proposed trilogy. Maybe international grosses will help. It looks like the franchise needed Schwarzenegger’s charisma and not just a grumpy looking Christian Bale.

Star Trek flew past the $200 million mark with a weekend gross of $12 million. Angels & Demons has crossed the $100 million milestone, but will the film be profitable to warrant a sequel? Doubtful.

Dance Flick made another $4 million giving the spoof a total gross of almost $20 million. Who pays money to see that?

X-Men Origins: Wolverine made just under $4 million this weekend bringing the Hugh Jackman starrer’s total to $170.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past hit $50 million and Beyonce Knowle’s Obsessed is closing in on $70 million.

MOVIE NEWS

1. Everyone wants Robert Downey Jr in their movie these days. It’s funny how times have changed. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have spoken about how they still hope to snag the Iron Man for their upcoming adaptation of Cowboys and Aliens.

Speaking to Sci-Fi Wire the duo said that they‘ve been speaking to Downey Jr about the film but that scheduling is the issue:

“We’ve been talking to him about that. He’s one of the busiest men on the face of the Earth. If the schedule can line up, we’d absolutely love it.”

The pair also said that they’re finishing up scripting duties on the film:

“We are just about to finish our draft of Cowboys and Aliens, which we are writing with Lost’s Damon Lindelof. For Cowboys and Aliens, we got an amazing first draft from Mark Fergus, who wrote Iron Man, and now we are continuing on with Damon. We are in the middle of the second draft.”

*Please note that Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman do speak separately.
They’re also incredibly in demand with Transformers 2 and Star Trek out this summer alone!

Source: Sci Fi Wire

2. Nicole Kidman has dropped out of Woody Allen’s forthcoming film. The Aussie star will be replaced by British actress Lucy Punch.

The plot and title for the film are unknown but sources believe:
“Punch will play a high-priced call girl similar to Ashley Dupre, who was at the center of the scandal that brought down New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.”

The cast for the film is pretty darn good – even for a Woody Allen film. Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Naomi Watts and Slumdog Millionaire’s Freida Pinto have roles in it.

Source: Variety

3. Natalie Portman will join Danny McBride and James Franco in Your Highness for Pineapple Express director David Gordon Green.

According to Variety:

“McBride, who wrote the script with Ben Best, plays an arrogant lazy prince who with his brother (Franco) must complete a quest to save the kingdom and his brother’s fiance. Portman will play a warrior princess that the lazy prince falls in love with.”

The Princess Bride with pot anyone?

Source: Variety

4. Seann William Scott and Adam Brody know A Couple of Dicks. The pair will join Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan in Kevin Smith’s forthcoming detective comedy.

“Scott plays a thief known as the Sh**t Bandit for the souvenirs he leaves at his robberies. Brody is an abrasive detective not happy to be working with Willis and Morgan.”

A Couple of Dicks starts shooting this Monday in New York.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

5. Chevy Chase seems to be on the comeback trail. Not only has the 80’s icon scored a role in John Cusack’s Hot Tub Time Machine but the Weinstein Company have apparently approached him with a script for a third Fletch movie.

With regards to Hot Tub Time Machine:

“Chase plays a mysterious repairman who dispenses pearls of wisdom and may or may not be behind the metaphysical road trip.”

Now, a Fletch film has been in the works for almost a decade. Kevin Smith originally wanted to make a Fletch film with Jason Lee, and then Scrub’s Zach Braff was attached to the project for a while, but nothing ever came of it. This new script is passing of the baton-type film where Chase’s Fletch advises his journalist nephew on his career.

With a bit of luck this will mean that we get to see more of the criminally underused Chase on the big screen.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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

Talk about high concept!

The film is based on a graphic novel idea by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley. DreamWorks and Universal hope that the Brian Grazer and Ron Howard produced film will be a summer tent-pole film for 2010.

But wait. Isn’t Iron Man 2 set for release that year? Isn’t Downey Jr. signed to play Tony Stark in the second film in the franchise?

What’s going on?

I wouldn’t hold my breath for an Iron Man sequel in 2010. We all know that Marvel took their time in starting negotiations with Jon Favreau, and the actor-director has made it clear that he doesn’t feel that there is enough time to produce a sequel that matches the original.

With Robert Downey Jr. in negotiations for this new film (and possible franchise) it looks like he may be helping Marvel make up their minds to release the film in 2011. We all know what happens when a comic book film is rushed into production. If you don’t, go watch Batman and Robin and X-Men 3.

That said, it is possible for the star to film both movies back-to-back, or Cowboys and Aliens may not meet its target release date – which is possible considering that the film does not have a director.

Whatever happens, it’s good to see Downey Jr. “pulling a Johnny Depp”: A once ignored actor getting major exposure and gaining the love and affection of audiences worldwide. I just hope that more people go and rent Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Stay tuned to Screen Rant for more news on Cowboys and Aliens and of course Iron Man 2.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter