There’s no such thing as quiet days in Hollywood. There’s always something happening and today is no exception, so let’s jump right into the fray!
• Oscar-winning legend Warren Beatty’s been keeping a fairly low profile since his wildly expensive TOWN & COUNTRY bombed 15 years ago. But apparently the lothario (long-rumored to be the subject of Carly Simon’s enduring hit “You’re So Vain”) is coming out of semi-retirement as news broke that his pet project based on the life of famed millionaire/movie producer/shut-in Howard Hughes will be released this fall. (He’s been working on this since the ’70s as writer, director, producer, and star.) What’s of more interest to me/us is that he also said he’s working on a sequel to his uber-stylish, three-time Oscar-winning comic-book adaptation DICK TRACY. No word on whether bold-name costars like Annette Bening, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Glenne Headly, Catherine O’Hara, Kathy Bates, James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Mandy Patinkin, Dick Van Dyke, and Madonna will reprise their roles. Or if the 1940s private dick will have aged into the ’60s. Regardless, with the strides that have been made in technology in the 26 years (!) since the original, it’s going to be even prettier to look at!
• Speaking of comic-book flicks, erstwhile Batman Michael Keaton is considering a move back into the superhero fold (after taking baby steps toward it in the Best Picture Oscar–winning BIRDMAN). But this time, he’s going to the dark side. (The dark side is always more fun, no?) Variety reports that he’s circling a villainous role in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING where he would join the previously cast Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spidey and Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. We can totally see Keaton pulling off a maniac. But Tomei as Aunt May? Isn’t Aunt May supposed to be elderly? Tomei’s still hot, no?
• The KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE cast had no shortage of hot up-and-comers, and it appears the sequel, THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, is going to be flat-out scorching: Channing Tatum is joining the cast. Magic Mike Tweeted the news himself. He’ll be joining previously announced stars Taron Egerton, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, and Elton John. Colin Firth and Mark Strong are expected to return to the fantasy espionage series, which is set to drop June 16 of next year.
• While 2000’s live-action HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (with Jim Carrey perfectly cast in the title role) made a boatload of money, it wasn’t quite as beloved as Universal was hoping for. So what to do? Precisely! A reboot! Illumination Entertainment (which brought the world the DESPICABLE ME flicks, THE LORAX, and [my personal fave] HOP) is producing a feature-length animated version and everybody’s favorite leading man with the coolest name ever, Benedict Cumberbatch, is voicing the Grinch. Following up his villainous role as Smaug in the HOBBIT series, Cumberbatch may make this the first sexy Grinch!
• From foxy to foul, if you suffer from coulrophobia producer Eli Roth has you in his sights. Perhaps the scariest clown since POLTERGEIST (the good one), the HOSTEL director’s paean to pranksters, CLOWN, is ready to drop both theatrically (for those who like their buffoons larger-than-life) and on demand through Starz Digital June 17. Directed by Jon Watts (who’s also helming the upcoming SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING!) and starring Peter Stormare and Laura Allen, CLOWN depicts a father who steps into a clown suit for his son’s birthday only to find he can’t take the cursed costume off. … which, honestly, sounds scarier than being chased by one!
• Disney found success with the live-action CINDERELLA and wild, over-the-top success with ALICE IN WONDERLAND (and is expecting to find similar success with THE JUNGLE BOOK, opening this weekend) so it’s tapped the director of the upcoming PETE’S DRAGON remake, David Lowery, to take on a live version of PETER PAN. The Mouse House already has live-action takes on some of its most-loved animated films in the pipeline, including BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and 101 DALMATIANS. Presumably this lark to Never Land will fare better than last year’s disappointment PAN!
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