1.) David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies, appears to have found his next project in the form of a Tarzan adaptation for Warner Bros. This adaptation of Edgar Rice Burrough‘s classic character has been in the works for years as Yates takes over for the most recently attached director, Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow). The studio is reportedly meeting with Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), Charlie Hunnam (“Sons of Anarchy”) and Alexander Skarsgard (“True Blood”) in regards to the title role, but it sounds like Tom Hardy is the man they’re really after if he’s interested. Anyone else shocked not to see Chris Hemsworth‘s name on that list?
You might recall the most recent Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation was John Carter, which ended up losing Disney $200 million. Tarzan is, however, a far more recognizable property and the market seems ripe for a new adaptation since we haven’t had one since the 1999 animated version, which earned $448 million worldwide. Warner Bros. should also be able to keep the budget a little tighter than Disney did with John Carter since it doesn’t depend as much on special effects. [Vulture]
2.) It sounds like momentum is picking up for the long-gestating Hercules, as MGM and Paramount have announced they’ll co-produce the project. Dwayne Johnson and director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) have been attached since February, but Johnson has finally found the time in his schedule and it looks like production will begin in early 2013. The Rock is also supposed to win the WWE Championship around that time, so we’ll see how that goes. The film is based on Radical Studios’ graphic novel “Hercules: The Thracian Wars”, for more information on the plot click here. [Deadline]
3.) Rachel Weisz will join Robert Pattinson and Viggo Mortensen in Maps to the Stars, the next film from David Cronenberg. The film has been in the works since 2006, but the financing finally came through for the project’s $15 million budget. With a script by Bruce Wagner (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors), the film is described as a satire that centers on two child stars ruined by Hollywood’s depravity. [Allocine, via The Film Stage]
4.) When chatter began a Bay’s blog:
I squashed a rumor that was on the internet last week. It was about Mark Walhberg. Mark was rumored to be staring in Transformers 4. We are working on another movie together, not T4. I had such a great time working with Mark on Pain and Gain, and he gave such a great performance – well let’s say that very internet chatter gave me some ideas. We are at the inception of our story process right now on T4. Let’s say some ideas are gaining traction with me and my writer – so I’m here to say thanks internet chatter.
5.) Paul Thomas Anderson says he wants to make a full-on comedy “soon hopefully.” “I’d like to make a film like Airplane! That never gets old,” he continued. “Or Ted. It was a big hit. Why? Because it’s great.” Seeing as how he’s married to Maya Rudolph, it’s not hard to see how he got this idea. That also means he might not have to look far to find his leading lady when the time comes.
But for what Moviehole]
