Spider-Man 4 Snags May Delay Big-Screen Debut
Our Spidey sense is tingling.
Just a few months ago, Tobey Maguire told us he was ready to don the Spider-Man suit again in March for the film's fourth installment, which was looking at a May 2011 release.
Now it looks like Spider-Man 4 is facing a foe worse than Doc Ock: a rejected screenplay.
Somewhere along the line, Marvel's record-breaking franchise hit a huge snag, reports Hollywood insider Nikki Finke. Director Sam Raimi is reportedly dissatisfied with the Spider-Man 4 script thus far, and without a script, filming on the long-awaited movie has been put on the back burner.
Sources tell Finke it's unlikely the originally scheduled release date will be made, but attempts are being made to secure a summer 2011 opening—although the franchise has traditionally hit theaters in the coveted May spot.
While Sony didn't directly confirm the delay, the studio did hint that it could be a while, telling E! News: "We are completely committed to the Spider-Man franchise and know audiences will find the next film worth the wait."
We'll take that as a yes.
Sam Mendes To Direct Bond 23?
File under ‘whoa – did NOT see that one coming’. The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Sam Mendes is the surprise choice to helm the as yet-untitled Bond 23.
Mendes is currently in negotiations with EON big cheeses, Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, to direct the movie, which is ploughing ahead despite uncertainty over the sale of MGM, Bond’s parent company.
If he signs on the line that is dotted, production could well begin as early as June, for a release in 2011.
Mendes, of course, would mark a return to a British director after EON plumped for the first ‘foreign’ Bond director, the German-born Swiss, Marc Forster, for Quantum Of Solace. While that movie became the second most successful Bond movie ever, with a worldwide gross of $586 million, it wasn’t warmly received by critics and hardcore Bond fans, making a return for Forster unlikely.
But we still didn’t see Mendes coming. The 44 year-old has been something of a directorial chameleon in his career, flitting from dramas like American Beauty and Revolutionary Road, to the visually stunning and violent graphic novel adaptation, Road To Perdition, while he’s even tackled whimsical comedy with Away We Go.
A Bond movie, though, will be his biggest test yet. And, while all his films have looked beautiful, perhaps it was this ability to jump from genre to genre that persuaded EON to approach him. After all, while Bond movies are stylish, they’ve never been overwhelmed by any director’s particular style – so Mendes should fit right in. It’ll be interesting to see the visual approach he’ll bring to Bond.
And that’s all we know about Bond 23 so far, other than that Daniel Craig will return as Bond, Dame Judi Dench will also be back as M, and the script has been written by Peter Morgan and perennial Bond scribes, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
Oh and, even though it would make all kinds of sense, we don’t think that Mendes will be recruiting his wife, Kate Winslet, as the new Bond girl.
Penn goes back to 'Stooges'
Sean Penn has backtracked on his decision to leave the Three Stooges - the actor has rejoined the upcoming film just months after dropping out.
Penn was due to star in the movie based on 1930s comedy icons Moe Howard, Curly Howard and Larry Fine, which will be helmed by directing duo the Farrelly brothers.
The Oscar-winner had been lined up to play Larry opposite Benicio Del Toro as Moe, and Jim Carey, who was reportedly in talks to play Curly.
But Penn quit the project over the summer after reconciling with wife Robin Wright Penn, vowing to take a break from movies to help fix his marriage. The couple finally called it quits in August after Wright Penn filed divorce papers and now it seems her spouse is throwing himself back into work.
Bobby Farrelly has confirmed Penn is back on board the Three Stooges project, but they're still looking to fill the role of Curly, according to the Boston Herald.
Farrelly tells the newspaper, "We got him (Penn) back. He always said he wanted to do it after, you know, taking care of his family."
Kravitz confirms authenticity of leaked Jackson song
Lenny Kravitz released a video Tuesday morning to address speculation about whether a newly leaked snippet of a song called "Another Day" is a collaboration between him and Michael Jackson.
"I wrote the song, I played all the instruments," says Kravitz on the video released to TwitVid and The Wall Street Journal. Recording with Jackson, who died June 25, "was one of the most amazing musical experiences I've ever had," he adds.
Kravitz says he doesn't know the DJ whose voice is heard on the 90-second excerpt and the DJ had nothing to do with the recording.
Jackson fans anxious to hear the whole song will soon, says Kravitz. "All that is being worked out." The rocker made the video while surrounded by tropical trees somewhere "in the bush."
The "Another Day" fragment was leaked ("not by me," says Kravitz) last weekend, but because Kravitz doesn't appear on it, there was wholesale speculation of what it was and whether he was involved.
By Tuesday morning, Sony Music was busy yanking it from various websites for copyright infringement.
This could be the start of a cottage industry in 2010 Jackson leaks. Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo told Rolling Stone magazine that Jackson left behind hard drives full of unreleased songs on which he collaborates with various musicians such as Ne-Yo, Akon and Will.i.am, as well as songs from the 1980s.
"There are a couple of songs we recorded for the Bad album that we had to cut that are just sensational," DiLeo told the magazine, which calls "Another Day" a remake of Kravitz's 2004 song "Storm."
Last July, a 24-second fragment of a Jackson song called "A Place With No Name," based in part on the America hit "A Horse With No Name," also leaked online.
'Avatar,' `Trek,' 8 others score Producer noms
LOS ANGELES – Science-fiction scored big with the Producers Guild of America, with "Avatar," "Star Trek" and "District 9" taking three of the 10 nominations Tuesday for the group's top film honors.
The group representing Hollywood producers also handed best-picture nominations to the animated blockbuster "Up," the World War II hit "Inglourious Basterds" and the critical favorites "The Hurt Locker," "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' By Sapphire," "Up in the Air," "An Education" and "Invictus."
The Producers Guild followed the lead of the Academy Awards and doubled its best-picture field to 10 nominees this season.
"Up" also is nominated for best animated film, along with "9," "Coraline," "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "The Princess and the Frog."
The guild picks typically are a good forecast for the eventual best-picture lineup at the Oscars, whose nominations come out Feb. 2.
If Oscar choices run the same way, the show will gain the mass appeal organizers had sought to bring to Hollywood's biggest party. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences doubled the best-picture field last summer, hoping to bring a broader range of films into the awards fold, including the sort of blockbuster fare the Oscars often have lacked in recent years.
"The Dark Knight," 2008's biggest hit, earned a best-picture nomination a year ago from the Producers Guild but was overlooked for the top Oscar category. Its omission was cited as a factor in the decision to expand the best-picture field, Oscar organizers saying they felt there were more than five films deserving nominations.
TV ratings for the Oscar show, on a general decline over the last few decades, usually climb in years when huge hits are in the running. The Oscars had their biggest audience ever when "Titanic," the modern box-office king with $1.8 billion worldwide, dominated the ceremony 12 years ago.
"Avatar" is "Titanic" director James Cameron's first narrative film since then. The sci-fi epic has topped $350 million domestically and shot past the $1 billion mark worldwide, and it appears headed to the No. 2 spot in the record books globally, behind "Titanic."
The Producers Guild lineup includes four other big hits — "Up" and "Star Trek," both $200 million smashes, and "District 9" and "Inglourious Basterds," which topped $100 million each.
The other nominees present a mix of star power and critical raves.
The recession-era comic drama "Up in the Air" has been an adult-audience favorite with plenty of box-office potential left and the celebrity appeal of star George Clooney.
The Iraq War drama "The Hurt Locker" has dominated key honors from critics groups and did solid independent-cinema business. The teen dramas "Precious" and "An Education" and the South Africa tale "Invictus," directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, also have been strong arthouse earners featuring some of the year's most acclaimed performances.
Other Producers Guild nominees Tuesday:
• Documentary: "Burma VJ," "The Cove," "Sergio," "Soundtrack for a Revolution."
• Long-form television: "Georgia O'Keeffe," "Grey Gardens," "Little Dorrit," "Prayers for Bobby," "The Prisoner," "Taking Chance."