Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis lining up a political comedy

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis are primed to go head-to-head in a new political comedy set to coincide with the 2012 US presidential election.

Deadline are reporting that "everybody's interested" in the pitch that just went out to the studios. Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents) is due to direct.

It's not surprising that this has attracted a lot of attention, as it pairs two of Hollywood's most in-demand funnymen with a hot topic, and with an ever-more politically-aware audience out there, this could strike gold.

Ferrell does a killer George W. Bush impersonation, and Galifianakis is still probably best known for The Hangover, although he's been building quite an impressive and varied CV since then.

Both stars have dabbled in OTT comedy antics and more subtle dramas, so it'll be interesting to see which approach Roach takes. Deadline points to his previous form as director of Emmy-winning dramedy Recount, which focused on the 2000 Bush vs Gore Election.

Either way, this is bound to get 'the kids' thinking about voting.

Jolie defends controversial film

Angelina Jolie has defended her controversial directorial debut.

The 'Tomb Raider' beauty is helming the as-yet-untitled Bosnian war drama. However, a reported scene where a Bosnian woman is raped by a Serbian soldier has outraged a group of wartime rape victims in the area.

Jolie, a UN goodwill ambassador, played down the controversy, saying, "There's one person who has a gripe. The absolute majority of the people, population, the cast, prime minister, president have been extremely supportive."

Jolie, who also wrote the screenplay, added, "It kept leaning toward Yugoslavia at the time, I wanted to learn more about it and the people, the more I read and learnt I was drawn to that part of the world.

"I met artists from that part of the world and found they were extraordinary for what they'd gone through, so I wanted to give them a platform."

Machete 2 script has already been written

Danny Trejo has been talking about Machete again, and has announced that the script for sequel Machete Kills has already been written.

Trejo spoke with director Robert Rodriguez recently, revealing: “I asked him when he was going to write it and he says it's written, so we can get started pretty quick.”

The actor has spoken before about the possibility of Machete turning into a trilogy, with Machete Kills the first sequel, and Machete Kills Again the third and final film. Clearly he was betting on this character becoming a cult icon.

“We went all over the world with that movie and people kept having me sign these Machete action figures, it was a lot of fun,” Trejo says.

“I don't even think Robert Rodriguez even expected that reception and now everyone is waiting for Machete 2, so hurry up Robert Rodriguez!”

Machete fared pretty well on release, having so far made $37.6m worldwide – not bad considering the film’s budget was just $10m. We imagine Trejo will get to wield that giant blade again pretty soon…

Darren Aronofsky is still interested in RoboCop reboot

Darren Aronofsky has revealed that he’d still be interested in returning to the RoboCop reboot after completing work on The Wolverine.

Talking to The Playlist, the director said: “Well, RoboCop may still happen one day, who knows? It’s MGM and hopefully they’ll clear their stuff up and I’m still interested. David Self wrote a great script, but the company went under so…”

Well, with today’s news that MGM are finally digging their way out of their financial problems, Aronofsky could just see his own RoboCop become a reality.

The question now is: will he be able to juggle his other commitments to fit it in? After The Wolverine, he’s also attached to Machine Man at Mandalay, while he’s also been linked to Brad Pitt’s The Tiger as well.

Surely RoboCop trumps everything else, though, considering MGM have been trying reboot him for three years? With the studio beginning to repair itself, we imagine things are about to get very interesting…
 
Should Aronofsky reboot RoboCop next? Or should this project be left to rot? Tell us your thoughts below

Mel Gibson's The Beaver Gets a Release Date

Mel Gibson's newest movie, which suffered delays since his "incident" earlier this year, has gotten a release date of Spring 2011. The Beaver stars Mel Gibson as troubled toy company executive Walter Black. Depressed and at a loss for how to get his life back on track, he begins communicating through a beaver hand puppet. Can we all agree right now that it would be hilarious if Mel Gibson sought to fix the problems in his own life by talking through a puppet?

Sadly, the film is not autobiographical, but is rather written by Kyle Killen, whose only other writing credit is the creation of the television show Lone Star for the Fox network. Lone Star, which followed a Texas con-man, was cancelled after two episodes, though shows get cancelled for a variety of reasons, quality not necessarily being one of them.

Veteran actress Jodie Foster directs The Beaver, and pulls double duty as Meredith Black, the wife of Gibson's character. Rounding out the Black family are Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Terminator: Salvation) as Porter and Riley Thomas Stewart (90210) as Henry.

Jim Carrey and Steve Carell were both, at one time, attached to the lead role that eventually went to Gibson. Although I'm a big fan of both of them, I'm glad that it didn't work out. I have no doubt that it would have been funny, but it wouldn't have been much of a stretch, and it might be something new with Gibson.

As far as Gibson goes, what's everybody's take on the guy right now? Do you think his recent problems will hurt tickets sales? Maybe improve them? Are you taking a stand against "The Beaver?"

Three Stooges movie comes back from the dead

The Three Stooges movie may have looked dead just last month, but co-director Peter Farrelly has revealed that the “script is ready to go” for the comedy adap.

Deadline report that the project has now moved to 20th Century Fox, after it floundered at MGM, and the Farrelly Brothers are still signed to direct.

The project even has a start date, with shooting set to commence on 14 March. However, casting is still yet to be finalised, with former team mates Jim Carrey and Sean Penn both no longer involved. Benicio Del Toro also seems to be out.

“The script is ready to go,” says Farrelly, “and we are opening up these roles to the world right now. We’ll make it with the best possible people. Our feeling is that no star is too big to audition and no matter who it is, we’re going to have to see him in the role.

“This is not The Flintstones. You’ve got to be Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard, and that could be a major movie star or an unknown… Our goal is 85 minutes of laughs in a film that will be very respectful of who the Stooges were. It’s by far the riskiest project we’ve ever done, without question, but it is also the one closest to our hearts.”

Peter, you had My hearts with the news that the film will be just 85 minutes long – who needs two and a half hour movies anyway?

Heath Ledger Will Not Be In The Dark Knight Rises

Ah, the old rumor mill is at work again, this time making people extremely worried abou the third film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knigh Rises. The latest "news" item concerned the late Heath Ledger, who delivered an unforgettable performance as Batman archenemy The Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight. According to the rumor, The Joker would return in Dark Knight Rises via unused footage from the previously film. Thank all that is holy, that is not the case.

"I heard the rumor. We're not doing that."

That was the short and very sweet response given by Emma Thomas, Christoper Nolan's wife and producing partner. Nolan has also stated that he feels Ledger's Joker should be exclusive to The Dark Knight. I don't think anyone would disagree. The role nabbed Ledger a number of posthumous awards, most notably the Oscar for best supporting actor. He also won a Saturn award, an International award, an Austin Film Critics award, a Bafta Film award, a BSFC award, a Critic's Choice award, a COFCA award, and I don't feel like typing the rest of them, let alone the loads of nominations. Suffice to say that it's not a role that should be tarnished by a half-ass digital insert, and Nolan is well aware of that.

The film will however feature Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and the freshly cast Tom Hardy in a yet-unannounced role. Aaron Eckhart was reportedly excited to reprise his role as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, but Nolan has confirmed that the character is indeed dead. The film is scheduled for release on July 20, 2012.

Frankie And Alice Trailer Online

Seemingly arriving later than most of the other big Oscar contenders (at least in terms of kicking off its big awards push), the trailer for Halle Berry’s latest, split personality tale Frankie and Alice, has arrived online and you can view it below.

It appears to hit all the checklist points for an Oscar bait drama – a period piece set in the 1970s and based partially on a true story, it follows the troubled Frankie Murdoch (Berry), a woman suffering from mysterious blackouts and chunks of missing time. After a few disturbing encounters, she’s submitted to the care of Dr Oz (Stellan Skarsgard) who begins to dig into her problem, eventually revealed as multiple personality syndrome (better known these days as dissociative identity disorder), with her regular personality occasionally submerging and the violent, racist Alice taking over. The doc tries to help her take back control of her life, but it’s not an easy task.

Frankie, which was shot in 2008, has been sitting in release limbo for a while now, a sign that doesn’t exactly bode well. Nor does the fact that there are at least seven credited writers on the screenplay. Or that director Geoffrey Sax is better known for his UK TV work than outstanding films (on his cinematic CV to date? Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker and White Noise).

Still, the film is winning plaudits, and its producers clearly think it’s in with a shot, since it’ll arrive across the pond for a quick, awards-qualifying run in December before opening properly in February. There’s no word on a UK release date just yet. Watch the trailer below and let me know your thoughts. Could it push Berry to another Oscar? Or will it sink under the weight of mental health drama clichés?

Rodriguez to return for Avatar 2?

Michelle Rodriguez has hinted her character may be brought back from the dead to appear in Avatar 2.

The Lost star played tough combat pilot Trudy Chacon, who died in battle - but she has revealed she would love to work with director James Cameron again, and hinted she may appear in his ocean-set sequel.

Michelle told Total Film magazine: "Jim Cameron can kill me anytime. It's a pleasure to die for him! But Jim'll tell you himself... in science fiction films nobody really dies."

Asked if she'd be keen to work on the sequel, she said: "I would work with him in a heartbeat. He's so intelligent. He's like Yoda, man."

The 32-year-old action actress revealed she was fed up of her characters getting killed off but admitted: "What are you gonna do with a girl who doesn't rip off her clothes, doesn't play the girlfriend... there's nothing left to do but to kill her."

Ghostbusters 3 Rumors Confirmed

Talk of a third Ghostbusters movie has been swirling about for quite some time now, like a spirit caught in the Ecto-Containment Unit. Some are for it, others are against it, and numerous names have been thrown around. Now we finally get some clarity as legendary funnyman Dan Aykroyd confirms certain rumors about the movie, namely that the movie is definitely happening.

According to Aykroyd, they're already in the casting stages and looking at a few people. First up is current SNL cast member Bill Hader, a very funny guy who's had small roles in Superbad, Adventureland, and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian as Major General George Armstrong Custer. The second person being talked about is Anna Faris, who's possibly best known for her recurring role in the Scary Movie series. She recently did a voice in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs opposite Hader. There's also talk of Eliza Dushku landing a role. Dushku is well-known for her roles in multiple Joss Whedon television series- Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and most recently as the lead in the short-lived Dollhouse.

Aykroyd also confirmed the return of Sigourney Weaver and, much to my relief, Bill Murray. Murray seemed to be strongly opposed to the movie for a while, and at one point there was talk of killing Dr. Peter Venkman off early on in the movie, only to have him return as a ghost. No word on whether or not that's how it's happening. Sigourney Weaver played Dana Barrett in the first two movies, who was a love interest to Venkman and the team's first real client.



Tim Burton Using Twitter to Write Stainboy

The above video is the first episode of The World of Stainboy, who helps the Burbank Police Department solve odd cases. Aside from animated shorts posted online, the character has also turned up in Tim Burton's book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories.

Now Tim Burton is writing a new Stainboy adventure, and he wants your help! Well, not you specifically, but you as part of the greater internet. He's turned to Twitter with the account @BurtonStory, which has a little over 10k followers at the time of this writing, The idea is simple: Burton himself gave the first line of the story. Twitter users then suggested the next line in the story. The best line was selected, and the process went on. The story is currently at 42 parts and the process goes on until December 6th.

If you'd like the contribute, simply go to Twitter and check out @BurtonStory. The latest line of the story will be displayed at the top. To participate, simply tweet your contribution followed with the hashtag #BurtonStory.

It's not entirely clear what Tim Burton plans to do with the finished story, if anything, but it's a very interesting experiment either way. It might get a little zany as it goes, but that's never really been a problem for the filmmaker!

Tim Burton has directed almost 30 titles, including Batman, Batman Returns, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the recent adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. He's currently working on Dark Shadows, a film adaptation of the 1960s gothic soap opera of the same name. The show centered around a vampire named Barnabas Collins, and as if you couldn't guess, Johnny Depp will be playing the role in the big screen adaptation.

James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting Oscars 2011

And they’re off! The Oscars 2011 hype machine has kicked itself into gear after a few months of hibernation, with news that James Franco and Anne Hathaway will be hosting this year’s ceremony.

After last year’s comedy duo Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin kept the laughs coming, it seems the Academy want to go younger in 2011 with bright young things Franco and Hathaway.

“James Franco and Anne Hathaway personify the next generation of Hollywood icon,” say Oscar producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer, “fresh, exciting and multi-talented.

“We hope to create an Oscars broadcast that will both showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world on February 27. We are completely thrilled that James and Anne will be joining forces with our brilliant creative team to do just that.”

This will mark Hathaway’s fifth appearance at the Oscars (she even contributed to one of Hugh Jackman’s opening numbers), while it’s the second time out for Franco. Considering they’re both charismatic stars, we’re sure they’ll pull it off with aplomb.

The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony will take place on 27 February, 2011.

Kirsten Dunst joins Chloe Moretz in Hick

Kirsten Dunst and Chloe Moretz will star together in an adaptation of Andrea Portes’ novel Hick.

Moretz is tipped to play the lead character of a 13-year-old Nebraska girl who runs away from home for the bright lights of Las Vegas – and gets more than she bargained for.

Though Dunst’s role has yet to be confirmed, it seems likely that she’ll play Glenda, a concaine-snorting pick pocket who takes the young runaway under her wing.

Which will be a nice shake-up to the routine for the usually squeaky clean former Mary Jane. Dunst can next be seen in All Good Things with Ryan Gosling, and has just shot the adap of Jack Kerouac’s novel On The Road with Garrett Hedlund.

Irvin Kershner passes aged 87

Come on, God, give us a break. Just as we were reeling from the news that Leslie Nielsen had passed, we're now hearing Irvin Kershner has died, aged 87.

Best known for directing the greatest Star Wars film ever made - The Empire Strikes Back - Kershner also directed Never Say Never Again and RoboCop II meaning that he told Han Solo, James Bond and Officer Alex J Murphy what to do, making him infinitely cool, forever.

We agree with Simon Pegg's moving tribute: "RIP Irvin Kershner director of The Empire Strikes Back. For me, yours was the best of all."

Harry Potter’s spell on box office holds strong

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 saw none of its magic wane at the box office this weekend, as it claimed the number one spot for the second week running.
Beating off competition from Disney’s Tangled, Cher’s Burlesque and The Rock’s Faster, the wand-happy sequel took a further $50m.

Which brings its total haul to $220m, just shy of the $250m that was spent on the budget of both parts of the franchise closer. We’re sure the WB are very happy indeed.

Disney’s well-received new CGI fairytale Tangled settled for second place ($49m), just ahead of other CG vehicle Megamind ($12m), while saucy Burlesque opened in fourth ($11.8m) and runaway train movie Unstoppable closed out the top five ($11.7m).

Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway’s shagathon Love And Other Drugs tumbled around in sixth place ($9.8m), Dwayne Johnson’s revenge thriller Faster got seventh ($8.8m) and Due Date slipped from fourth to eighth ($7.3m).

The final two places in the top ten went to Russell Crowe’s prison break drama The Next Three Days in ninth ($4.8m) and Rachel McAdams comedy Morning Glory ($4m).

Next week, Black Swan and The Warrior’s Way open. Can they topple Harry Potter?

Leslie Nielsen dies aged 84

The Canadian actor, who had us crying with laughter with his many varied comedy roles, passed away after suffering from a case of pneumonia.

Nielsen spent the past 12 days at the Ft. Lauderdale Hospital, and his condition took a turn for the worse over the weekend.

“With his friends and his wife, Barbaree, by his side, he fell asleep and passed away,” said Doug Nielsen, the actor’s nephew.

Nielsen is perhaps best known to an entire generation as bumbling detective Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun movies, though his turn in Airplane! earned him the moniker “the Olivier of spoofs”.

Starting out in the 1950s, Nielsen also earned acclaim as a serious actor with his role in The Poseidon Adventure.

Rest in peace, buddy.