1.) In case you were wondering, yes, Steve Zaillian is still hard at work on the script for The Girl Who Played With Fire. It still isn’t known if David Fincher will return to direct, but Sony has both Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig locked in for the sequel. Just don’t expect to see it until 2014 at the earilest. [EW]
2.) Who doesn’t like a little drama in the morning? Martin Scorsese and his production company Sikelia are being sued by Cecchi Gori Pictures and Cecchi Gori USA, who says they’ve invested more than $750,000 to develop Silence into a feature film under the promise that Scorsese would make it his next project.
The lawsuit (which is available here) alleges Scorsese initially agreed in 1997 to make it his third project after Kundun (1997). By my math, that would have made it fall in line after 2002’s Gangs of New York. Cecchi Gori says they later arranged to postpone the project so Scorsese could make The Departed, Shutter Island and Hugo. In December 2011, Scorsese made formal announcements that Silence would be his next film. So I guess you could understand how Cecchi Gori felt when Scorsese began working on The Wolf of Wall Street instead. I’m not taking sides here, but I can say I’m personally frustrated we’re still talking about Silence after all these years and the conversation has nothing to do with the completed product. What’s that saying? Sh*t or get off the pot? [Deadline]
3.) On a lighter note, Adam Driver, best known for playing that shirtless dude on “Girls” is quickly on the rise. His latest project is the Australian feature Tracks for writer/director John Curran (The Painted Veil). Driver will play a New York photographer who accompanies a young woman (Mia Wasikowska) on her 1,400-mile camel trek across the Australian Outback. Driver will also soon be seen as Samuel Beckwith in Spielberg’s Lincoln and in a supporting role in the Coen brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis. [Deadline]
4.) Paul Haggis (Crash) has added three big names to his ensemble romance Third Person. Mila Kunis, Casey Affleck and James Franco have joined the previously announced Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde in the film, which tracks three inter-connected love stories of three couples in three cities. One couple will represent the beginning of a relationship, one the middle, and the other the end. Affleck will be matched up with Moran Atias (The Next Three Days) in Italy, Neeson with Wilde in Paris, and Franco with Kunis in New York. [Variety]
5.) Here’s a fun rumor: Hollywood tracking board It’s On The Grid has John Travolta attached to star in the remake of The Toxic Avenger. It seems far fetched, but Travolta also seems like just the guy to put on some heavy makeup and portray the mop-wielding crime fighter. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and seems to be up for anything these days, whether it’s playing a woman in Hairspray or hamming it up in Wild Hogs. The remake of Troma’s 1984 cult classic has been in the works since 2010, when Hot Tub Time Machine helmer Steve Pink signed on to direct. The remake is said to be less campy and more in the vein of The Mask. [via Bloody Disgusting]
SIDE NOTE: Have you seen the original Toxic Avenger? Well, if you’re 17 or older why not give the 1984 feature a watch directly below, but it is an R-rated feature so no, it’s not safe for work or children.
