1.) Chris Tucker‘s supporting turn in Silver Linings Playbook is his first on-screen role in more than 5 years. Luckily, it sounds like we might not have to wait that long to see him again. The Weinstein Company is prepping an English-language remake of the French hit The Intouchables, and Tucker says he’s in talks for one of the leads. “I’ve seen it and yes, I have been talking with them (producers) about doing it,” he told Blackfilm. “I hope something will come out of it because I really like the movie and they are in the process of getting it together.”
The original earned France’s Oscar entry this year and starred Francois Cluzet as a quadriplegic millionaire who hires an ex-con (Omar Sy) as his caretaker. At last check, Paul Fieg (Bridesmaids) was attached to direct, with Colin Firth in line for the Cluzet role. Sy won the Cesar (France’s Oscar) for Best Actor, even defeating The Artist‘s Jean Dujardin, so Tucker will certainly have some big shoes to fill if he winds up with the role.
2.) Warner Bros. is courting Jack Nicholson to play Robert Downey Jr.‘s father in The Judge, a dramedy from Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin. Downey’s character is an attorney who returns home for his mother’s funeral, only to learn that his estranged and Alzheimer’s-stricken father, the town’s judge, is the murder suspect. The role sounds like a slam dunk for Nicholson, but he’s been extremely picky of late and will likely need some coaxing. The script is currently in his hands, with sources suggesting he’ll meet with Downey later this week. [THR]
3.) Sylvester Stallone recently filmed a role in the indie drama Reach Me, which was written and directed by his Cobra co-star John Herzfeld (15 Minutes). The ensemble piece follows a group of people who all have a connection to a self-help book written by a reclusive former football coach. Stallone wrapped his scenes after just a few days on set. [Variety]
4.) The Hitchcock writing/producing team of John McLaughlin and Tom Thayer have turned their attention to a biopic of Johnny Carson. McLaughlin’s script will be based on Bill Zehme‘s long-delayed biography of the late “Tonight Show” host “[amazon asin=”1400064724″ text=”Carson The Magnificent: An Intimate Portrait”]”. Carson lived a very private life off the stage, and Zehme was the only journalist he spoke to after relinquishing the late-night throne in 1992. [Deadline]
5.) Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil) has tapped Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”) to star in his period disaster film Pompeii. The film is a big budget chronicle of the 79 A.D. volcanic destruction of the ancient Roman city, but naturally, Anderson is taking a Titanic approach by using the tragedy as a backdrop for a love story. [THR]
