A Twins sequel? With ex-movie star Eddie Murphy? Haha, very funny. What, what : “Universal and Montecito Picture Co. are hoping to develop a doozy of a follow-up to the 1988 hit comedy that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito that would reunite the two stars. But wait, there’s a twist: In the new scenario, Eddie Murphy would act as a third brother. Titled Triplets , the story would see Schwarzenegger and DeVito as brothers Julius and Vincent, conceived experimentally, who discover they have third sibling.” [ THR ]
This just in at ML HQ: Esteemed Mad Men creator and occasional director Matthew Weiner will make his feature filmmaking debut with You Are Here , to co-star Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakis in a “funny, charming, and deeply honest film about who we were, who we are, and discovering the power to embrace life, no matter how much you screw it up.” There is also a road trip! And possibly Amy Poehler! Read on for full details from producer Gilbert Films. ========= LOS ANGELES, March 28 — Gilbert Films announced today that their next theatrical film project, YOU ARE HERE, will start production in May 2012 in North Carolina. The film, written and to be directed by Matthew Weiner (creator of Emmy and Golden Globe winning series MAD MEN, writer/executive producer of THE SOPRANOS) will star Owen Wilson (MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, WEDDING CRASHERS) and Zach Galifianakis (THE HANGOVER, DUE DATE). Discussions are underway for Amy Poehler (PARKS & RECREATION) to co-star. Weiner will be making his big screen debut after having directed numerous episodes of the award-winning MAD MEN through its five years of production. Gary Gilbert, Scott Hornbacher, and Jordan Horowitz will produce. Lionsgate is handling international sales. Local weatherman and freewheeling bachelor Steve Dallas (Wilson) and bi-polar man-child Ben (Galafinakis) are childhood best friends who embark on a road trip home after Ben discovers that his estranged father has passed away. Once there, Ben is shocked to learn that his eccentric father had big plans for him and he’s inherited a whole lot more than his father’s money. As Ben struggles with his new responsibilities, his friendship with Steve is tested by the complications of his inheritance, his sister Terry’s (Poehler) ambition, and Steve’s desire to be with his father’s beautiful young widow Angela. YOU ARE HERE is a funny, charming, and deeply honest film about who we were, who we are, and discovering the power to embrace life, no matter how much you screw it up. “This movie has been my passion for eight years and to see it come together with Owen and Zach and Amy is a dream come true,” said Weiner. “I can’t wait to get started because the movie is about everything I care about and I’m tired of reading it out loud to my friends.” Noted Gilbert: “We are thrilled to finally bring this project to the screen. Matt is one of the brightest creative minds in television, and we are confident that this project will solidify the same reputation for him in the world of narrative film.” ###
After begging and pleading with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan community to please, please not engage in preemptive flame warfare over the rumors and vagaries surrounding the reboot of their beloved franchise, I now recognize the futility of my attempts at diplomacy. This comes after the film’s attached director Jonathan Liebesman — also of this week’s Wrath of the Titans and last year’s eminently regarded ( ahem ) Battle: Los Angeles — only complicated matters with his comments about the kerfuffle. And then there’s the movie’s reported name change. Liebesman toed the company line at last weekend’s Titans junket, urging TMNT devotees to calm down about producer Michael Bay’s proposed alien-turtle-ooze influence — which apparently “comes straight from the series.” I can’t believe I just wrote that, or this: “Look, it’s so funny — if everyone was such a die-hard fan, they would know that the TCRI canisters where the ooze comes from. That is alien ooze. Now I’m not saying what Michael said is exactly what the movie is, because we’re sitting in a room now figuring everything out. So we don’t know, but we are like Michael said: we’re expanding it, and the expansion will be true to the mythology. I promise you: fans will love it.” Even if those fans are to take Liebesman at his word, there’s also this reported nugget that no doubt have them soiling their Donatello jammies: Bleeding Cool has verified that the working title of the upcoming Paramount-Nickelodeon Turtle movie from producer Michael Bay and director Jonathan Libesman is going by the working title of Ninja Turtles . We know all too well where the “Mutant” bit went, but now it seems we’re also losing “Teenage.” We haven’t been able to get a definite statement as to why this title change is occurring, and our sources are not 100% clear on whether or not the Turtles will indeed be adolescents. One of our sources has said: “It seems to be driven by marketing. Think of John Carter and how Disney wouldn’t allow for a title with either ‘Princess’ or ‘Mars.'” Whatever. See you at the refugee camp! I hope they have wi-fi. [ Collider , Bleeding Cool via AICN ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
After begging and pleading with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan community to please, please not engage in preemptive flame warfare over the rumors and vagaries surrounding the reboot of their beloved franchise, I now recognize the futility of my attempts at diplomacy. This comes after the film’s attached director Jonathan Liebesman — also of this week’s Wrath of the Titans and last year’s eminently regarded ( ahem ) Battle: Los Angeles — only complicated matters with his comments about the kerfuffle. And then there’s the movie’s reported name change. Liebesman toed the company line at last weekend’s Titans junket, urging TMNT devotees to calm down about producer Michael Bay’s proposed alien-turtle-ooze influence — which apparently “comes straight from the series.” I can’t believe I just wrote that, or this: “Look, it’s so funny — if everyone was such a die-hard fan, they would know that the TCRI canisters where the ooze comes from. That is alien ooze. Now I’m not saying what Michael said is exactly what the movie is, because we’re sitting in a room now figuring everything out. So we don’t know, but we are like Michael said: we’re expanding it, and the expansion will be true to the mythology. I promise you: fans will love it.” Even if those fans are to take Liebesman at his word, there’s also this reported nugget that no doubt have them soiling their Donatello jammies: Bleeding Cool has verified that the working title of the upcoming Paramount-Nickelodeon Turtle movie from producer Michael Bay and director Jonathan Libesman is going by the working title of Ninja Turtles . We know all too well where the “Mutant” bit went, but now it seems we’re also losing “Teenage.” We haven’t been able to get a definite statement as to why this title change is occurring, and our sources are not 100% clear on whether or not the Turtles will indeed be adolescents. One of our sources has said: “It seems to be driven by marketing. Think of John Carter and how Disney wouldn’t allow for a title with either ‘Princess’ or ‘Mars.'” Whatever. See you at the refugee camp! I hope they have wi-fi. [ Collider , Bleeding Cool via AICN ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
There’s no script, no budget and no confirmed Charles Grodin to complement the “buddy” part of the “buddy comedy” formula that worked so well 24 years ago, but that’s not stopping the zeitgeist from panicking over the current state of Midnight Run 2 . To wit, Brett Ratner is now linked up as the director. Like we’ve never heard that before . Everybody calm down! Not that it doesn’t get somewhat worse, as Mike Fleming reports at Deadline: The studio and [De Niro’s production company] Tribeca put the wheels in motion on the sequel early last year, when they hired Tim Dowling to write a draft. [David] Elliot & [Paul] Lovett, who were writers on G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra , and are working on the sequel to Four Brothers (which they also scripted) will continue the storyline of Walsh, the ex-Chicago cop who, when last seen, set free the turncoat mob accountant The Duke at LAX and walked away with a wad of cash he’d use to open a coffee shop. So, yeah: Still early. Anyway, to recap, De Niro played bounty hunter Walsh and Grodin played Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas in the 1988 film, which was written with such profane, caustic fervor by George Gallo and directed by Martin Brest in his follow-up to Beverly Hills Cop . All of which raises a few questions: Would the retired Grodin reprise his role? (He’s said he’s open to it, but he’s also 77 next month and doesn’t exactly need the paycheck.) What is it with Ratner wanting sequels to Brest classics? (If it’s not Beverly Hills Cop 4 , then it’s Midnight Run 2 . Just give him Son of Gigli already and let’s be done with it!) And can Elliot and Lovett find a place for Yaphet Kotto to return as well? Because there is no Midnight Run 2 without perpetually vexed FBI agent Alonso Mosley delivering some serious comeuppance. [ Deadline ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
“‘Metallica has always been a huge part of my life, and it’s an incredible opportunity when we get to work with our heroes,’ said Antal. ‘We are going to harness the powerful and almighty energy of Metallica’s live shows, inject a narrative into it, and shoot it in 3-D to elevate the entire experience.'” Of course they are. Whatever, it can’t be any worse than Lulu . [Press release]
Or, as it’s known around the ML office, BS vs. Zzzz : “Etan Cohen, one of the town’s hottest comedy scribes, is in negotiations to make his directorial debut on Paramount’s horror-comedy Boy Scouts vs. Zombies . With an ‘it’s all in the title’ moniker, Boy Scouts centers on a troop that must save a group of girl scouts from a pack of zombies with designs on spoiling a camping trip.” [ THR ]
Or, as it’s known around the ML office, BS vs. Zzzz : “Etan Cohen, one of the town’s hottest comedy scribes, is in negotiations to make his directorial debut on Paramount’s horror-comedy Boy Scouts vs. Zombies . With an ‘it’s all in the title’ moniker, Boy Scouts centers on a troop that must save a group of girl scouts from a pack of zombies with designs on spoiling a camping trip.” [ THR ]
Drive sound editor Lon Bender, up for the Oscar against The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , Hugo , Transformers: Dark of the Moon , and War Horse , on director Nicolas Refn ‘s unusual sound requests: “In the sound world, there often is a propensity to want, at least for things like car chases, guns or weapons, to use sounds of the real weapons or the real cars. But when I went to Nic to talk about car engines and the specificity of the kind of cars they were, he said, ‘I don’t even have a driver’s license and I’ve never driven a car. I don’t care what they sound like! They just have to sound exciting.’” [ NYT ]
I’m willing to give on-the-brink screenwriter Michael Bacall the benefit of the doubt based on what I’ve seen and heard of him so far, from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (which he co-wrote) to the Todd Phillips-produced teen party comedy Project X and 21 Jump Street (both of which he has scripting and story credits on), the latter of which is earning surprisingly glowing reactions from the blogoscenti. But I might have to draw some sort of line at the Tropic Thunder spin-off starring a fat, hairy Tom Cruise as slimy Hollywood exec Les Grossman , which apparently is not only really, seriously a thing but is, as Bacall describes, “a pretty heartfelt story.” “I wrote it for R because we had precedent with Tropic Thunder ,” he told Collider recently, promising a script unhampered by PG-13 boundaries. “It’s actually a pretty heartfelt story. I had a lot of meetings with Mr. Cruise and Mr. Stiller and it was crazy, it was a blast. I think we came up with some really fun stuff to give you an insight into who the guy is, so I’m hopeful that that’ll get up and running soon.” Cruise, he admits, may be pretty busy with non-Les Grossman gigs for a good while, so it’s hard to say when this insightful look at the man who won 8 Oscars, earned 400 million dollars at the box office, and saved Tugg Speedman’s career will hit theaters. I can’t imagine anything more exhausting than watching Cruise yell and dance to Flo Rida for the length of a feature film. Project X , meanwhile, captures the youth side of a dick-obsessed male culture if with an overabundance of sleaze, and 21 Jump Street is earning some of the most solid advance buzz I’ve heard in a while where high profile studio fodder is concerned. So maybe there’s hope yet? Then again, Bacall is not only a scribe, he’s an actor; while he most recently appeared in Inglorious Basterds , his appearance on the infamously terrible Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: Make My Video Sega game actually makes me like him, although it proves that not all high concept projects built around macho gyrating personalities are good ideas. • Screenwriter Michael Bacall Gives Update on Les Grossman Movie; Says It’s “A Pretty Heartfelt Story” and it Was Written to Be Rated R [Collider]
