1.) Daniel Craig is contracted for two more Bond films after Skyfall, with Sony also set to continue their co-financing deal with MGM for the next entry in the franchise. Studio executives suggest they’re moving toward a return to the two-year cycle for 007, which would put Bond 24 on track for a late 2014 release. Craig, on the other hand, sounds like he’s ready for a break, having told press he’s not taking any other film work until after he makes the promotional rounds for Skyfall. He’s also locked in for The Girl Who Played With Fire, which is currently being scripted by Steven Zaillian. So maybe it’s actually a good thing he doesn’t have to worry about making a sequel to Cowboys & Aliens? [MI6]
2.) This may sound odd to those of you who have seen Safe House, but Universal has contacted writer David Guggenheim about writing a sequel to his moderately successful thriller. Safe House made $202 million worldwide on a $85 million budget. Ryan Reynolds seems likely to return, while Denzel Washington‘s involvement is much less clear. It’s possible the film could be a prequel, focusing on Washington’s Tobin Frost character, but then how would they work Reynolds into the story? Either way, I have a hard time believing Washington won’t be involved. He’s the truly established consistent box-office draw of the two, and his character was the film’s only real attention-grabber. We’ll see. [THR]
3.) Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz) will reunite with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in The World’s End. The film is the third feature in director Edgar Wright‘s comedic trilogy that began with Shaun of the Dead. The story centers on five childhood friends who reunite for a night of drinking and reconciliation, only to realize the real struggle is for the future of humankind. Rosamund Pike is also on board as the female lead, who has romantic history with Pegg’s character. [Variety]
4.) Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin, BBC’s “Sherlock”) is close to signing a deal to direct Fox’s untitled Frankenstein project. Chronicle scribe Max Landis wrote the script, which promises a fresh take on the classic Mary Shelly novel. Shawn Levy (Real Steel) had previously considered directing, but negotiations fell through. [THR]
5.) Documentarian Louis Psihoyos has started a Kickstarter to help fund the ambitious finale to his next film, the follow-up to the soul-crushing, Oscar-winning documentary The Cove. The film will aim to educate viewers about the more than half of the species living under the sea we’re on pace to lose by the end of the century due to human activity.
The film’s production is actually more than halfway finished, but the finale (code name: “The Heist”) has proven more massive than their initial budget would allow. So that’s where you come in. I can’t even begin to imagine what they have planned, but Psihoyos vaguely explains it will “give endangered species a voice by using urban spaces as the world’s largest canvas for the sights and sounds of the creatures we’re losing.” Check out his rather convincing pitch video, which also updates the progress that has been made since the release of The Cove. [via The Film Stage]
