Category: Films

Sci-fi comedy PAUL has added Sigourney Weaver, Blythe Danner and RENO 911 star Joe Lo Truglio to its ranks, per VARIETY.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost wrote the film, which already has Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman and Bill Hader signed on with Greg Mottola to direct.

In the film, two sci-fi geeks make a pilgrimage to Area 51 in Nevada and run into an alien called Paul along the way.

New York, June 17, 2009 -- An All-Star cast of entertainers and Baseball Hall of Famers are providing the voices of characters for a long-awaited animated film based on a best-selling children's book, "One Last Time: Good-Bye to Yankee Stadium."

The animated film, called "Henry And Me," features Richard Gere and Reggie Jackson. It is in production with a screenplay by David Stern and scheduled for release next Spring.

A year after forming Unique Features at Warner Bros., Bob Shaye and longtime partner Michael Lynne have announced a slate of 11 films, per VARIETY.

Those projects include their first animated film with an original score by Paul McCartney. Titled HIGH IN THE CLOUDS, the film is an adaptation of a children's book written by McCartney, Geoff Dunbar and Philip Ardagh. Rob Minkoff will direct and Caroline Thompson will adapt.

The story follows a squirrel's quest to find an animal sanctuary.

Natalie Portman has been signed on to play the lead in Darren Aronofsky's BLACK SWAN supernatural thriller, per THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

The film, set up at Universal since 2007, and based in the world of New York City ballet, has been changed a bit in the last two years. Universal put the film in turnaround and has been making the rounds at the studios and specialty divisions. Development exec at Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures, Mark Heyman, has done a re-write of John McLaughlin's original script. Mike Medavoy's Phoenix Pictures and Protozoa are producing.

Press Release from IMAX Corporation and Huayi Bros. Media Corporation Ltd.

Press Release from Frantic Films VFX

Hollywood, CA (June 11, 2009) - Award-winning VFX studio Frantic Films VFX, a division of Prime Focus Group, has contributed a number of visual effects shots -- including one of the film's key naval battle scenes-for the John Woo-directed epic, "Red Cliff." The most expensive Chinese-language picture ever made, "Red Cliff" is a co-production of China Film Group, South Korea's Showbox Entertainment, Taiwan's CMC Entertainment group and Japan's Avex Entertainment, and hits Asian and European theaters in Jan. 2009.

Staying in the number one spot at the box office this week was THE HANGOVER, bringing in another $32.8M and only dropping about 27 percent. The Warner Bros. film now has a two-week cume of $105.8M.

Also not moving was Disney-Pixar's UP, which stayed a close #2 with $30.7M and a three-week take of $187.4M.

Coming in third was action opener THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 (Sony) with $23.4M. The Denzel Washington-John Travolta starring film has vfx from Asylum VFX and Eye-Spy Productions.

WANTED director Timur Bekmabetov talked to Russian news website RIA NOVOSTI recently, and the helmer said they are making preparations for a sequel, and that they've found a way to bring back Angelina Jolie's character back to life (via ComingSoon.net).

"In July we will start preparation for the film. I think in the late autumn or winter shooting will be performed. The shooting will take place in America, India and Russia," Bekmabetov said.