This week:

The Raid: Redemption sequel Berandal begins filming; an image of Jodie Foster in Elysium appears online; Steven Soderbergh talks remaking Kafka; Jon Chu is in talks for a YA adaptation; Alan Cumberbatch could join The Imitation Game; and Black Nativity starts filming in New York.

The Raid 2, currently titled Berandal, began filming in Jakarta, Indonesia this past weekend.

The Raid 2 Begins Filming

Picking up immediately after the events of the first film, the sequel features rookie officer Rama's quest to uncover corruption within his own police force.

More importantly, it's yet another opportunity for director Gareth Evans and his incredible stunt team to amaze audiences. While talking about The Raid 2, Evans revealed that it was the film he wanted to make originally, and that the story will be wider in scope.

The sequel is reportedly set to film in Jakarta for about 100 days, and the finished product should hit theaters this Fall.

Source: Digital Spy

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A few unofficial images for Neil Blompkamp's District 9 follow-up, Elysium, have appeared online. The images feature a very futuristic-looking Jodie Foster, and have plenty of intrigue, but not that much detail.

Jodie Foster Elysium Image

All that can be seen is Foster's short haircut, and some sort of device or implant behind her right ear. We know that in the film, it's Foster's character, Secretary Rhodes, that runs Elysium – the man-made space station where the wealthy live apart from the lower classes.

The look of Foster in the images matches up with her character's corporate persona, and is a perfect counterpoint to previously released images of stars Matt Damon and Sharlto Copley. Unlike Rhodes, Copley and Damon's characters don't live in Elysium, but are forced to survive on an overpopulated and ruined Earth. The film's class struggles come to a head when Matt Damon's character, an ex-con named Max, takes on a mission that could bridge the gap between those two worlds.

Elysium hits theaters on August 9th, 2012.

Source: Simply Jodie - Twitter

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With only a few more days until the release of Side Effects - his final feature film before semi-retirement - Steven Soderbergh is already considering a return to directing.

Steven Soderbergh Remaking Kafka

Before Soderbergh fans get too up in arms, it's important to note that the director is only toying around with the idea of improving his 1991 film Kafka, not directing an entirely new movie. The rights to the film recently reverted back to Soderbergh and executive producer Paul Rassam, and so the director has been planning different ways to improve one of his earlier works.

"I’m overhauling 'Kafka' completely. It’s funny - wrapping a movie 22 years later! But the rights had reverted back to me and Paul Rassam, an executive producer, and he said, 'I know you were never really happy with it. Do you want to go back in and play around?' We shot some inserts while we were doing 'Side Effects.' I’m also dubbing the whole thing into German so the accent issue goes away. And Lem [Dobbs] and I have been working on recalibrating some of the dialogue and the storytelling. So it’s a completely different movie. The idea is to put them both out on disc. But for the most part, I’m a believer in your first impulse being the right one. And I certainly think that most of the seventies directors who have gone back in and tinkered with their movies have made them worse.”

This wouldn't be a full remake by any means – just a significant retooling by Soderbergh. Some of the changes he talked about seem like they would fundamentally alter the film, but even then there shouldn't be too much of a difference with regard to the core narrative. The plan is for an eventual DVD release of Kafka that features both versions on the disc.

Side Effects hits theaters this Friday, February 8th.

Source: Vulture

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G.I. Joe Retaliation director Jon Chu is reportedly in talks with Disney to adapt the young adult novel Matched for the big screen.

Jon Chu in Talks for YA Novel Matched

Though G.I. Joe 2 doesn't hit theaters until April – delayed from Summer 2012 for 3D post-conversion – Chu is apparently fielding offers on potential future projects. If the director does sign on for Matched, he would be reunited with his Step Up 2 the Streets producers Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gigbot.

Here's a brief synopsis for the novel:

Cassia lives in a "perfect" world where everything is decided by the Society. There are no worries for tough decisions because the Society has already taken care of it. Even when she reaches the age to be matched, the many factorials are carefully sorted for optimal results. When a glitch in the seemingly perfect system appears, it leaves Cassia to wonder if the Society is really all that it claims the best there is to life.

A rebellious female teenager living in a dystopian future who wants to follow her own path? Sounds pretty original.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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Sherlock star and Star Trek 2 villain Benedict Cumberbatch is reportedly in talks to play Alan Turing in the film The Imitation Game.

Alan Cumberbatch to Play Alan Turing

While details about the film are slim, it was counted among the 2011 Black List screenplays and was quickly snapped up by Warner Bros. with Leonardo DiCaprio slated to star. Now Black Bear Pictures holds the rights and they have pegged Headhunters director Morten Tyldum to helm the picture.

Cumberbatch has yet to commit, but Deadline reports that Black Bear is in deep talks with the actor. Unfortunately, a new potential project for Cumberbatch pops up at least once a week, and his star should continue to rise after the release of Star Trek Into Darness this Summer.

Alan Turing, for those that might not know, is widely considered to be the father of both computer science and artificial intelligence. It is, however, his work as code breaker for the British during World War II that makes up the most exciting section of Turing's illustrious career.

Source: Deadline

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Black Nativity, a feature film adaptation of the Langston Hughes gospel song play, began filming in New York late last month.

Black Nativity Begins Filming

Under the direction of Kasi Lemmons, the film stars Forest Whitaker (The Last Stand), Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, and Tyrese Gibson (Fast and Furious 6). The film will also feature original lyrics and arrangements from singer/songwriter Raphael Saadiq.

The Langston Hughes play is a retelling of the nativity story, more commonly known as the birth of Jesus Christ, but with an all black cast. It was one of the first African American productions to be featured in an Off-Broadway theatre.

Source: Coming Soon