Mugglenet.com is reporting that Natalia Tena, the actress who portrayed Nymphadora Tonks in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will return as Tonks for the upcoming sequel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Price. Tena is currently in Belfast filming for her upcoming project, Lecture 21. She will begin filming for Half-Blood Prince in mid-November.
Days after news broke that director Brett Ratner had pulled out, star Gerard Butler has escaped from a proposed remake of John Carpenter’s SF action movie Escape From New York, Variety reported. Butler (300), who was set to play Snake Plissken in the New Line production, reportedly left over creative differences. Meanwhile, New Line has brought aboard Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) to rewrite the script, with an option to direct.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Sony has hired writer James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) to pen a script for a proposed fourth Spider-Man movie. News of Vanderbilt’s hiring comes only days before a possible strike by the Writers Guild of America, which would put a halt to all writing. It’s unknown whether Spider-Man director Sam Raimi will helm the fourth installment. The studio has set a 2009 release date for the sequel.
George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead won’t be released until next year, but Artfire Films and Romero-Grunwald Productions have already given a green light to another zombie sequel, which Romero will direct from his screenplay, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The instant sequel, which will be offered at the American Film Market, will pick up where the first film ends. Fighting their way out of a mansion through a horde of ravenous zombies, the survivors of Diary escape to a remote island only to be plunged into another battle with the dead. Principal photography is set to begin in the spring. Diary premiered at September’s Toronto International Film Festival, where Cinetic sold North American and Mexican rights to the Weinstein Co.
Ridley and Tony Scott’s Scott Free Productions are developing Tell-Tale, a modern-day movie that will reimagine Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tale The Tell-Tale Heart, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Michael Cuesta will direct Dave Callaham’s script, which is a psychological thriller that sets Poe’s story against the backdrop of modern science. The Poe-inspired film will be produced by Ridley Scott, Tony Scott and Costigan, as well as Social Capital’s Christopher Tuffin and Martin Shore. The film will be shot in early 2008. Casting is under way.
IESB.net is reporting that Josh Lucas (Stealth) is in line to play Captain Christopher Pike in J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Trek movie. The site based its report on anonymous sources. Pike, as Trek fans know, was the original captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, played in the original series by Jeffrey Hunter in the show’s pilot. He was the captain under whom Spock worked before James T. Kirk assumed command; his mute, deformed character was later the center of the two-part episode The Menagerie, which was an expansion of the pilot, The Cage. Lucas was most recently seen in 2006’s Poseidon.
Almost 10 years after the first feature, 20th Century is finally ready to start production on The X-Files 2 with David Duchovny in place to reprise his role of Special Agent Fox Mulder. Gillian Anderson is also expected to be back on board to play Special Agent Dana Scully. Shooting is scheduled to begin on December 10 in Vancouver under the direction of series creator Chris Carter. Carter and Frank Spotnitz wrote the script. The studio is referring to the film in casting breakdowns as Done One. The popular series ran on Fox from 1993 to 2002. Rob Bowman directed the first feature, which hit theaters on June 19, 1998.
Warner Brothers has set Greg Berlanti to direct Green Lantern, a live-action take on the DC Comics superhero, Variety reported. Berlanti will write the script with Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green. Donald De Line will produce; Andrew Haas is executive producer. Berlanti hopes to make the jump to big-budget fantasy fare after serving as writer and executive producer on such TV series as Dirty Sexy Money, Brothers & Sisters, Everwood and Dawson’s Creek. Green Lantern was created in 1940. Hal Jordan, a second-generation test pilot, is an ordinary man who has been charged with defending a sector of the universe.
Variety has published details on the Lakeshore Entertainment and Screen Gems prequel, to be titled Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans. FX artist Patrick Tatopoulos, who developed the creatures for the first two films, is directing with Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy and Rhona Mitra aboard to star. Underworld creator Len Wiseman will produce alongside Lakeshore’s Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi and Skip Williamson.
The prequel story traces the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian (Sheen) emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has enslaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Sonja (Mitra), in his battle against the Death Dealer army and his struggle for Lycan freedom.
Danny McBride wrote the screenplay. Sony’s Screen Gems will distribute the film in North America, with Sony and Lakeshore distributing worldwide.
John Travolta is joining Denzel Washington in The Taking of Pelham 123, the Tony Scott-directed remake at Columbia Pictures. Travolta will play the leader of a quartet that hijacks a New York subway train and threatens to kill the passengers unless a ransom is paid. The role was originated in the 1974 film by Robert Shaw. Washington plays the chief detective of security for the subway, a role originated by Walter Matthau in the Joseph Sargent-directed drama. David Koepp wrote the script and Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch are producing through Escape Artists. Tony Scott is also producing through his Scott Free. The film rolls into production early next year.