Russell Crowe is in final negotiations to replace Brad Pitt in State of Play, saving Universal and Working Title’s delayed political thriller from shutting down. Pitt pulled out of the movie last week, citing script concerns that made him uneasy about toplining the picture. That brought him to loggerheads with the studio, which was adamant about going ahead with the script they had. Even meetings with the movie’s director, Kevin Macdonald, proved fruitless. Macdonald spent the weekend in Australia talking with Crowe, who had to see if Play could fit into his schedule; Crowe is scheduled to shoot Universal’s Nottingham, the Ridley Scott-directed reimagining of the Robin Hood story.
New Line is developing Man That Rocks the Cradle as the first star vehicle for Samuel L. Jackson since the studio signed a deal with the actor’s Uppity Films. Bought as a spec script by Josh Cagan and based on a story by Cagan and Rob McKittrick, the film revolves around an overworked husband and father of four who decides the solution to all his problems is a live-in nanny. Jackson will play the nanny, Marion Delacroix, a reputed “kid whisperer” from the South. Jackson will produce the film with Michael Nash through the Uppity Films. Chris Fenton and McKittrick will be executive producers.
Dimension Films has set Malcolm Lee to direct Soul Men, a road trip comedy to star Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac. The pair will play bickering backup soul singers who haven’t spoken in 20 years but reluctantly travel cross country together for a tribute concert to honor their famous former band leader. Jackson and Mac will do their own musical and dancing performances for the film, which will begin production on January 21. The script was written by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone.
Coming Soon.net is reporting that Lionsgate has set a September 12, 2008 release date for the Lexi Alexander-directed Punisher: War Zone, starring Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Doug Hutchinson, Colin Salmon, Wayne Knight, Dash Mihok and Julie Benz. In the action-thriller, ruthless vigilante-hero Frank Castle sets his sights on overeager mob boss Billy Russoti. After Russoti is left horribly disfigured by Castle, he sets out for vengeance under his new alias: Jigsaw. With the “Punisher Task Force” hot on his trail and the FBI unable to take Jigsaw in, Frank must stand up to the formidable army that Jigsaw has recruited before more of his evil deeds go unpunished.
Christian Bale has been cast as John Connor in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, reports an Ain’t It Cool News scooper. McG is directing the summer 2009 release, which has an early 2008 production start and seeks to reinvent the cyborg saga with a storyline to be told over a three-movie span. Warner Bros. will distribute domestically. The screenplay was written by Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines duo John Brancato and Michael Ferris. The film is set in the future, in a full-scale war between Skynet and humankind.
Variety reports that Brad Pitt has pulled out of a pay or play deal on State of Play, putting the Universal Pictures drama in a state of flux. Pitt dropped out of the film early Wednesday, following two weeks of struggle and meetings with director Kevin Macdonald that prevented the film from making its original November 15 production start date. The trade says the studio will try to find a star to replace Pitt. If Universal doesn’t recast and get the picture going by November 29, it will begin losing the other actors in the film. Pitt was set to star with Edward Norton, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman and Robin Wright Penn in the Matthew Michael Carnahan-scripted adaptation of the British mini-series. Pitt was playing a politician-turned-journalist who spearheads a newspaper’s investigation of a murder, a trail that leads to the fast-rising pol whose campaigns were once masterminded by Pitt’s character. Universal said: “Brad Pitt has left the Universal Pictures production of ‘State of Play.’ We remain committed to this project and to the filmmakers, cast members, crew and others who are also involved in making the movie. We reserve all rights in this matter.”
Nicolas Cage, Steve Buscemi, Tracy Morgan are set for the lead voices in Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer’s live-action/CG family feature G-Force says Reuters. The story follows a group of ultra-intelligent animal commandoes who work for a government agency trying to prevent an evil billionaire from taking over the world. Cage will play Speckles, a mole; Buscemi will portray Bucky, a hamster; and Morgan will voice Blaster, a guinea pig. Bill Nighy and Will Arnett have joined the human cast as an industrialist and an FBI agent respectively. Oscar-winning visual effects innovator Hoyt Yeatman makes his directorial debut on the project. Zach Galifianakis, Kelli Garner, Gabriel Casseus and Jack Conley also star and production is currently under way in Los Angeles.
According to the New York Post, Naomi Watts will star opposite Tom Hanks in director Ron Howard’s Angels & Demons, the prequel to The Da Vinci Code. The film was delayed late last week due to the writers strike and is now scheduled to hit theaters on May 15, 2009. Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons, published in 2000, introduced the Robert Langdon character played by Tom Hanks in Code. In “Angels,” Langdon’s character tries to solve a murder and unravel a plot by an ancient group, the Illuminati, to blow up the Vatican during a papal conclave.
Moviehole is reporting that Jordana Brewster is in talks to reprise her role of Mia Toretto in The Fast and the Furious 4. Mia was the sister of Dominic (Vin Diesel) and the love interest of undercover agent Brian (Paul Walker). The site says that in the film, set to be directed by Justin Lin, Brian is freed from prison (the authorities found out that he let Diesel go at the end of the first film) to help the feds stop a heroin importer known as Braga. With the help of an informant named James Park, Brian – and ultimately Dominic Toretto – wins a place on the criminal’s team, where he – and his flashy Nissan – plan to catch the man red-handed.
Ben Cross has been cast as Sarek, the Vulcan father of Spock in the upcoming Star Trek feature film. Cross, a graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, rose to international stardom with his breakout role as runner Harold Abrahams in the Academy Award-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. He will be seen in the upcoming Hero Wanted with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ray Liotta. He will be paired with Winona Ryder, portraying Spock’s human mother Amanda Grayson. The young Spock will be played by Zachary Quinto. The film, currently in production under the direction of J.J. Abrams, is scheduled for release on Christmas Day 2008.