'Toy Story 3,' 'Frog Princess' on tap

NEW YORK - The Walt Disney Co. is in production on "Toy Story 3," via its Pixar Animation Studios, and its first hand-drawn animation project in years, "The Frog Princess," via Disney Animation, John Lasseter, chief creative officer, Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, said Thursday.

In an appearance during Disney's annual shareholder meeting in New Orleans, Lasseter said: "We are finally in production on 'Toy Story 3'," adding the film is scheduled to come out in 2010. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are back on board to voice Buzz Lightyear and Woody.

The screenplay is by Michael Arndt, who just won the original screenplay Academy Award for "Little Miss Sunshine," according to Lasseter, who said: "We got a great story."

He also announced - to much applause - that Disney Animation has started production on "Frog Princess," which goes back to hand-drawn animation and classic Disney fairytales. "Aladdin" and "Little Mermaid" creators Ron Clements and John Musker are the creative forces behind the animated musical, which "takes place entirely in New Orleans," features "the very first African American Disney princess" and includes a "soulful singing alligator," Lasseter said.

In a special surprise, Randy Newman, who spent his childhood in New Orleans and is writing the music for the film, performed a song from "Frog Princess" to big applause.

Discussing other animation projects that his team is currently working on, Lasseter mentioned Pixar's "Wall-E," written and directed by Andrew Stanton, the man behind "Finding Nemo." The film plays 700 years in the future when Wally is a little robot on Earth cleaning the trash-covered planet after the humans evacuated it.

Lasseter also plugged Disney Animation's "American Dog," directed by Chris Williams, about a dog with superpowers who suddenly realizes he is only a TV character and must learn to live in the real world.

Forrest Gump Gets A Sequel

It’s been thirteen years since Forrest Gump first ran into theaters, and now it looks like America’s favorite chocolate loving mental deficient may be back for a sequel. Forrest Gump II isn’t a new idea, Paramount has been kicking it around since the original movie made a bajillion dollars, and in 2001 they even hired Forrest Gump writer Eric Roth to pen a sequel screenplay.

An absolutely reliable, unfortunately anonymous source, contacted me tonight with the latest scoop on Forrest’s impending return. It seems that old 2001 Eric Roth screenplay is being dragged out of development hell for another look by Gump producers Steve Tisch and Wendy Finerman. Remember that the first Forrest Gump movie was based on a novel by Winston Groom. Roth’s sequel script was based on Groom’s followup novel, “Gump & Co”. “Gump & Co” takes place several years after “Forrest Gump” and finds Forrest’s shrimping business failed and Jenny dead, leaving Forrest a single unemployed father. As you’d expect, Gump still stumbles through more important historical events. In this case it’s a cavalcade of history from the 80s and 90s. He even meets Tom Hanks.

So, why didn’t Paramount make this five years ago when Roth first wrote the script? Apparently the project got bogged down in a big legal tiff between Groom, the book’s original author, and the studio. Groom claimed he wasn’t properly paid for Forrest Gump, and so refused to sell them the sequel rights to his other book. Evidently they’ve now worked it out.

The truly important question here is whether or not Tom Hanks will return. Our source says Finerman and Tisch are talking to him, but there’s nothing definitive yet. It is however likely that Gary Sinise will be back as Forrest’s battle damaged buddy Lt. Dan. If Tom can’t be talked into it, will they replace him? Word is they want this in theaters within the next couple of years, so while it’s possible, let’s hope they’re smart enough to scrap it if he’s not interested. No one does a better potty dance.

Rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen enters rehab

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen said on Thursday he would enter rehab "to work on myself," a move that appears to rule out a reunion by his troubled band when it is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next week.

The announcement came a month after he and former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, his longtime antagonist, said they would tour North America in the summer. Within weeks, speculation arose the plans had run aground.

The Dutch-born Van Halen, 52, who has long battled alcoholism and survived a bout with tongue cancer, said in an open letter to fans he wanted to do right by them.

"I have always and will always feel a responsibility to give you my best. At the moment I do not feel that I can give you my best. That's why I have decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to work on myself, so that in the future I can deliver the 110 percent that I feel I owe you and want to give you."

He added: "Some of the issues surrounding the 2007 Van Halen tour are within my ability to change and some are not. As far as my rehab is concerned, it is within my ability to change and change for the better."

The letter was released by his spokeswoman and girlfriend, Janie Liszewski, who did not respond to requests for further information.

The band, famed for such '80s hits as "Panama" and "Hot for Teacher," is scheduled to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York on Monday. The appearance had aroused speculation, given the hostility between Van Halen and Roth, who quit in the mid-'80s, and also between Van Halen and Roth's successor, Sammy Hagar, who was ousted a decade later.

The band, which has not released an album in nine years, parted ways recently with bass player Michael Anthony, and Van Halen installed his 15-year-old son, Wolfgang. The lineup is rounded out by Van Halen's brother, drummer Alex Van Halen.

In a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Eddie Van Halen said he had entered rehab twice. He recalled his only drunken-driving arrest came after he had left an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, appalled by everyone's sob story, and stopped at a bar for a few shots.

"I always got hammered to be able to cope," he told the magazine. "I have zero social skills and I don't know how to act, so I get drunk. And then I make a real ass out of myself."

LaBeouf to play 'Indy's' son?

Shia LaBeouf is in talks to play Harrison Ford's son in "Indiana Jones 4," Variety.com reports.

Story details are being kept under wraps, but filming is set for June with a scheduled May, 22, 2008 release date.

LaBeouf is working on a number of other projects -- he can next be seen in "Disturbia," "Transformers" and will provide the lead voice for the animated film "Surf's Up!"

DreamWorks to make movie about Tintin 1 hour, 2 minutes ago

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks company has committed to produce at least one movie on the famed Belgian cartoon character Tintin, the head of the Tintin studio announced Thursday.

Nick Rodwell of Herge Studios said the Hollywood company will go into preproduction on a film, which should be in theaters in about two years.

It was unclear which of the 24 cartoon books of Tintin's adventures would be picked for a first movie script, he said. "If movie No. 1 works, we will continue."

Talks about a Hollywood movie on the intrepid reporter who saves the lives of countless people and makes sure criminals end up behind bars has been talked about for a quarter-century.

The first plan surfaced just before Tintin's creator, Georges Remi, aka Herge, died in 1983. But financial and production issues have kept Tintin from landing a role in a Hollywood production.