This weeks’ TV and Movie News…

Little Fockers Gets Director!
It looks like Peter Segal will be directing Little Fockers, the third movie in the Meet the Parents series.
Peter Segal, if you didn’t know, is responsible for Anger Management, Get Smart, The Longest Yard and 50 First Date.
For some reason I just can’t get excited about this movie, sure the first two were somewhat enjoyable but they kind of have the habit of blurring into one movie in my mind.
I expect the third movie to be no different to those two.
One prediction I will make is that on pure Box Office results, Little Fockers will fare better than its mega successful predecessors.
Adding babies to the formula is guaranteed to pull in the crowds.

Seth Rogan Talks Green Hornet!
Writer and co-star of the upcoming Green Hornet, Seth Rogan, has been talking about the movie, and in particular how the movie will incorporate both comedy and action.
Which would make it an action-comedy then?
Anyway, here’s what he said…
“To me, the two [action and comedy] aren’t mutually exclusive. You can have a big action epic with a lot of funny parts. I’ve seen the early Indiana Jones movies in theaters, and they kill. There’s laughs throughout the whole thing, and it doesn’t feel like a comedy per se. It just feels like something that’s trying to solicit reactions from the audience, and we think of movies like True Lies and stuff like that. That’s more kind of what we’re going for with this.”
I’m all for comedy in my action movies but why take an established Superhero brand?
Why not make a brand new Superhero movie?
The comedy in both Indiana Jones and True Lies worked because it was played straight, Green Hornet, although funny now in retrospect isn’t a funny character. It’s like making a Batman movie and trying to shoehorn comedy into it.
Oh, hang on, they already did that with Batman Forever and Batman & Robin didn’t they?
Look what happened to those movies…
This movie sounds awful.

Remake Alert – True Grit!
The Coen Brothers will remake iconic Western True Grit.
Joel and Ethan Coen have secured the rights to remake the classic John Wayne movie which itself was an adaptation of Charles Portis’ novel.
True Grit was the movie which won an Oscar for John Wayne and told the story about a 14 year old girl who along with a US Marshall and another Lawman, tracked her fathers killer in the Wild West.
Sounds interesting right?

Another Star Trek TV Series?
TV Writer Bryan Fuller is trying to pitch another Star Trek TV Series.
He had this to say…
“I’ve told my agent and told the people of J.J. Abrams’ team I want to create another Star Trek series and have an idea that I’m kicking around. I would love to return to the spirit of the old series with the colors and the attitude. I loved “Voyage” and “Deep Space Nine,” but they seem to have lost the ’60′s fun and I would love to take it back to its origin.”
He went on to say,
“I would love to do it in the same era as the J.J. Abrams movie, but on another starship on a completely different adventure. But it really is a dream and there is nothing official about it at all.”
Bryan Fuller, who rights Heroes seems intent on getting the idea into production but maybe he would be better waiting to see what Abrams’ has done with his Star Trek before seeing if there’s any legs in a new TV series.
Personally I’d rather wait a few years before the Enterprise returned to our TV screens, I’m in no rush to watch the movie let alone a weekly TV show.

Jack Bauer Talks Possible 24 Movie!
Speaking to Sci-Fi Wire, Kiefer Sutherland discussed the possibility of a 24 movie.
He had this to say when asked about the potential movie…
“We’ve collectively agreed that we would entertain the idea of a film when the series was finished, and if people still wanted to see something like that. We would really be excited to do that, because the format that we would make the movie in, would be a two-hour representation of a 24 hour day.”
He went on to say that they wouldn’t even plan a movie until the series had come to an end.

Remake Alert! The Birds!
Writer Juliet Snowden has been talking about the upcoming remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic; The Birds.
She had this to say…
“With something like The Birds, you can take the concept of birds gone crazy and put that onto a myriad of situations. Whereas with some remakes, we really felt that those were movies that we really couldn’t think of new scenes or ideas. Some of these remakes are already perfect movies. We’re not saying The Birds isn’t a perfect movie – but when we heard about that we had, instantly, a lot of ideas about what we could do and how we would change it.”
I actually like the idea of remaking The Birds, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
The Birds will be produced by Platinum Dunes.

The Phantom To Return!
The Sci-Fi channel has given the go ahead on a four hour movie adaptation of the comic book hero The Phantom, with plans to turn it into a fully fledged TV series should the audience for the four hour movie be large enough.
If my memory serves, the last time The Phantom hit our screens was when the awful Billy Zane donned the purple suit.
Here’s hoping Billy has nothing to do with this one…

Doctor Who’s Catherine Tate To Star In Gulliver’s Travels!
Doctor Who’s Catherine Tate has landed a part in the upcoming Jack Black vehicle Gulliver’s Travels.
The movie, which is due to be released in 2010, will see Tate play the role of the Queen of Lilliput.
Gulliver’s Travels will be directed by Rob Letterman.

Magnum Joins Five Killers Cast!
Tom Selleck has signed up to appear in Robert Luketic’s action comedy Five Killers.
Selleck joins Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Mull.
Five Killers tells the story of a hitman (Kutcher) who retires from killing people after falling in love only to find out that years later someone has put a contract out on his life.
Selleck will play the father of Kutcher’s love interest (Heigl).

Harry Potter And The Reclusive Pop Star!
Michael Jackson has reportedly invited Harry Potter to his concert at the O2 in London.
Apparently Jackson invited Ron, Harry and Hermoine to the gig and offered them each an ‘All Areas pass,’ which knowing Jackson can only lead to future lawsuits.
Don’t do it Harry!

Wolverine 2 In The Pipeline?
Despite the fact that Xmen Origins: Wolverine has yet to be released, rumors are beginning to circulate that Marvel have began working on a sequel.
Simon Beaufoy, screenwriter for Slumdog Millionaire, has allegedly been given scriptwriting duties.
If this is true then surely it bodes well for the quality of the first movie?

50 Cent Walks Away From ‘Expendables’
Rapper 50 Cent has pulled out of starring in Sylvester Stallone’s action flick ‘The Expendables’.
His representatives issued the following statement…
“50 Cent was offered the role of Hale Ceaser in The Expendables. However, as he is currently in the process of completing his forthcoming album Before I Self Destruct with Dr Dre and Eminem, he was unfortunately not able to commit to the project.”
50 Cent was orginally cast to replace Oscar winner Forest Whitaker who also had to pull out due to work commitments.

Universal To Make Movie Based On Major Matt Mason Astro Toy Range!
Tom Hanks will star in a live-action adaptation of Major Matt Mason of the vintage Mattel astronaut action figure line.
The action figures originated in 1966 and was a big hit during the years preceding the first moon landing.
Tom Hanks will star and Speed writer Graham Yost will take screenwriting duties.

Related posts:

1. B-Minor’s Nerdles Blog – Sunday March 8th, 2009
2. B-Minor’s Nerdles Blog – Sunday March 1st, 2009
3. Universal To Make Movie Based On Major Matt Mason Astro Toy Range!
4. Griff’s Nerdles Blog – Saturday February 7th, 2009
5. Nat’s Nerdles Blog – 22nd March 2009