Steven Spielberg exits “Chicago 7″
Steven Spielberg will no longer direct “The Trial Of The Chicago 7“, reports MovieWeb.
Sacha Baron Cohen had been persuaded by Spielberg to play political campaigner Abbie Hoffman in the film, which is based around eight Vietnam protesters accused of inciting a riot at the 1968 Democrat party convention.
Producer Walter F. Parkes explained that the director had quit the project due to the WGA strike and his commitment to the upcoming “Tintin” film.
“He is not going to do it,” Parkes noted. “He kind of had a moment of availability to do it, and the strike got in the way. We were unable to do the script work that Steven felt he needed and then, by the time the strike was over, he had already committed himself to begin production on “Tintin”.
“Eagle Eye” Full Trailer
Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks has released the second full-length trailer for its upcoming D.J. Caruso directed thriller “Eagle Eye“.
In the fast-paced race-against-time-thriller “Eagle Eye” Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are two strangers who become the pawns of a mysterious woman they have never met, but who seems to know their every move. Realizing they are being used to further her diabolical plot, they must work together to outwit the woman before she has them killed.
The story is based on a Steven Spielberg idea, which will feature a couple of agents played by Rosario Dawson and Billy Bob Thornton. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on September 26th.
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George Lucas Not Directing “Red Tails”
George Lucas’s production company has denied rumours that he will directing his first non-Star Wars movie in 35 years “Red Tails“.
The clarification comes via David Cohen, posting on Anne Thompson’s blog. He relates the following facts received from Lucasfilm: the only people on board so far are Lucas, producers Rick McCallum and Charles Floyd Johnson and screenwriter John Ridley. There is no distributor, no financing yet. And while Lucas is not going to direct the project, neither is Steven Spielberg, who apparently is not interested.
The film, which is currently in pre-production, tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen who battled racism while escorting thousands of US bombers in World War II.
John Ridley, whose previous writing credits include TV shows Barbershop and Third Watch, is working on the script.
The movie is scheduled to begin filming by the end of this year or early next year.
‘Eagle Eye’ Teaser Trailer
DreamWorks Pictures, on the film’s official website, has revealed the teaser trailer for “Eagle Eye“, the new thriller that reteams Disturbia director D.J. Caruso and star Shia LaBeouf. The film co-stars Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Azizi, Anthony Mackie and Lynn Cohen.
In the new movie, a single mother (Michelle Monaghan) forms an unlikely alliance with a slacker (Shia LaBeouf) as they are framed as terrorists and are forced to join a cell plotting a political assassination.
The story is based on a Steven Spielberg idea, which will feature a couple of agents played by Rosario Dawson and Billy Bob Thornton.
“Eagle Eye” is scheduled to hit theaters on September 26th.
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Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson to helm third ‘Tintin’
Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson will direct the third Tintin film jointly, reports say.
Speaking at the Cannes premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Spielberg revealed his plans for the motion-capture trilogy.
“We are going to make three Tintin movies back-to-back. I’ll direct the first one, Peter will direct the second one. We’ll probably co-direct the third one,” Spielberg said.
British teen actor Thomas Sangster has been cast as Hergé’s comic book adventurer, while Andy Serkis will play Captain Haddock.
Tintin is scheduled to begin filming in September.
‘Jurassic Park 4′ on the move…Laura Dern involved?
Franchise star Laura Dern has indicated in a new TV Guide report that her character is set to play an important part in fourth installment of the dino series. This would be the opposite of other star Sam Neill, who has indicated in the past that he may not be making an appearance this time around.
Here’s what she had to say.
“It’s a while away but my understanding is it’s happening and my character is very involved,” she told the magazine. “I know [director] Steven Spielberg is looking forward to [getting it together] over the next year.”
The first three films were released in 1993, 1997 and 2001. Spielberg directed the original two films while executive producing the third while Joe Johnston took the reigns. The first film grossed 914.6 mil worldwide (domestic: 357 mil, foreign: 557 mil) while the second film would go onto gross 618.6 mil (domestic: 229 mil, foreign: 389 mil).
Jurassic Park 3 helmer Joe Johnston will reportedly return to helm the fourth franchise instalment with Steven Spielberg producing. The plot is thought to revolve around genetically enhanced dinosaurs who are trained to carry weapons.
George Lucas on Indiana Jones 5!
Fox News caught up with George Lucas at the Cannes Film Festival who revealed there’s more than a strong possibility there will be a fifth “Indiana Jones” movie.
He says that he and director Steven Spielberg have left the door open for a sequel to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
“I haven’t even told Steven or Harrison this,” he told. “But I have an idea to make Shia LaBeouf the lead character next time and have Harrison Ford come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out.
“And it’s not like Harrison is even old. I mean, he’s 65 and he did everything in this movie. The old chemistry is there, and it’s not like he’s an old man. He’s incredibly agile; he looks even better than he did 20 years ago, if you ask me.”
Lucas says he’s not concerned about early mixed buzz on “Crystal Skull.”
“This movie is the exact same experience as the other three were. The difference is, the novelty of discovery is gone. I get worried when I hear fans say they’re expecting something different that will change their lives. This is ‘Indiana Jones’ just as you remember him.”
“But these movies, the ‘Indiana Jones’ ones, were never big hits right away. They were always slow starters that built up to big numbers,” Lucas said.
