1.) Oprah Winfrey tweeted out the above first look at Alan Rickman and Jane Fonda as Ronald and Nancy Reagan in Lee Daniels‘ The Butler. [Oprah]
2.) When you’re on the comeback trail, I’m not sure it’s best to align yourself with Nic Cage, but William Friedkin (Killer Joe, The French Connection) might give it a shot anyway. The director is in negotiations for the Lionsgate thriller I Am Wrath, which stars Cage as an everyman-turned-vigilante who discovers a thick plot of police corruption after the murder of his wife. Turns out he’ll have to find justice on his own. I don’t think I could come up with a more stock action-thriller plot description if I tried, but we’ll see if Friedkin can do anything with it. [Deadline]
3.) With Steven Soderbergh supposedly set on retirement, it’s time to start wondering who might direct the inevitable Magic Mike sequel. Channing Tatum has revealed the potential directors include himself and writer/producer Reid Carolin. Tatum also cites Soderbergh’s long-time assistant director Gregory Jacobs as a possibility.
It’s probably a little early to get too invested in the sequel since C-Tates is making the Broadway rendition a bigger priority at the moment, but that didn’t stop Carolin from talking about it. “We have a story, and it is really ridiculous and fun,” he says. “It’s a road movie sort of thing, where a bunch of strippers get back together. It’s more of a broad comedy.”
A Magic Mike sequel has never sounded like the best idea to me, especially given where Tatum’s character ends up, and the writer dropping terms like “ridiculous” and “broad comedy” don’t make me feel any better about it. It suggests the film could wind up being what everyone thought they would get with the first one, while the actual product was much darker and, frankly, more interesting. [Filmstarts via The Playlist]
4.) While we’re still waiting for the stars to sign on for the proposed back-to-back Independence Day sequels, we now know what they’ll be called. Director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin are referring to the films as ID Forever Part One and ID Forever Part Two. Emmerich also says the film will probably be in 3D. Though he still has some qualms with the format, he recognizes the studio will want it that way so he’ll film it in 2D and post-convert it to 3D. [Filmstarts via Bleeding Cool]
5.) DreamWorks has begun development on a remake of the ’80s body-swapping comedy All of Me, with The Vow and Never Been Kissed writing duo Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein penning the script. Carl Reiner directed the 1984 original about a dying millionairess (Lily Tomlin) who transfers her spirit into the body of a male attorney (Steve Martin). [THR]
