Category: Films

Crime thriller THE STRAW MEN has been purchased by Benderspink, along with the rights to the comic adaptation by Zenescope Comics' head Joe Brusha, per VARIETY.

The book by British author Michael Marshall Smith is the first in a trilogy about a detective who comes out of retirement to solve a series of bizarre murders connected by a dark conspiracy. Chris Bender and JC Spink will produce the film adaptation, with Brusha and Ralph Tedesco to exec produce.

No other Latvian movie, aside from DEFENDERS OF RIGA, has boasted so many special effects and computer graphics, a first for the country's brief but growing cinematic tradition. DEFENDERS OF RIGA is Latvia's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It might surprise people to learn that many of these special effects were created in Latvia by relative novices Maris Abolins and Andris Pakalns.

Indian animation and visual effects house Visual Computing Labs (VCL), a division of Tata Elxsi, used Autodesk Maya software as the lead 3-D modeling, animation and visual effects tool on ROADSIDE ROMEO. VCL also relied on the Autodesk Flame visual effects system to create the film, while Prime Focus used the Autodesk Lustre system for the final color grade.

A joint production of Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney Pictures, ROADSIDE ROMEO is India's first 3-D animated mainstream feature film, as well as the first Hollywood-Bollywood co-production.

Summit Ent. announced Sunday that the studio is officially moving forward with the production of NEW MOON, the second installment of its filmed franchise TWILIGHT, the action-packed, modern day vampire love story.

The movie will be based on the second novel in author Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT series titled, NEW MOON. The first movie in the TWILIGHT franchise, the self-titled TWILIGHT, arrived in theaters this weekend to sold-out showings and has earned more than $70 million at the box office so far.

Universal Pictures has made an overall deal with Ludlum Ent., the estate in charge of THE BOURNE IDENTITY author Robert Ludlum, per VARIETY. The deal gives the studio exclusive rights to the Jason Bourne character and a first look at all other Ludlum novels.

LipSync Post has created a beautifully intricate title sequence for the forthcoming feature film DEAN SPANLEY. Based on the book MY TALKS WITH DEAN SPANLEY by Lord Dunsany, the film is a surreal Edwardian comedic tale of canine reincarnation that explores the relationships between master and dog and father and son, starring Peter O'Toole (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA), Sam Neill (JURASSIC PARK) and Jeremy Northam (GOSFORD PARK).

LipSync Post also completed the DI, VFX and sound mix for the film, and was a co-producer on the project.

Per THE BIG CARTOON FORUM --

California-based Gigapix Studios Inc. has been barred by Colorado from seeking investors in the state for its hoped-for animated version of THE WIZARD OF OZ.

VARIETY reports that Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have left the planned JONAH HEX adaption of the DC Comics comicbook. Josh Brolin (W., MILK) is expected to star as the partly disfigured gunslinger and bounty hunter.

The duo, who wrote the script, departed as directors over "creative differences." Warner Bros. is looking to quickly fill the director's chair in order to keep Brolin and their intended spring start.

Twentieth Century Fox has hired TV show multihyphenite Josh Schwartz to write their X-MEN origins story X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, per VARIETY.

Schwartz is the creator and exec producer of CW's GOSSIP GIRL, NBC's CHUCK and Fox's former sensation THE O.C. The writing assignment could also include directorial duties, but so far Schwartz has opted out of that responsibility.

Lauren Shuler Donner will produce FIRST CLASS with MR. AND MRS. SMITH writer Simon Kinberg. Donner has produced all three prior X-MEN films.

I AM LEGEND co-writer Mark Protosevich is in early talks with DreamWorks on the Korean remake of OLD BOY that would star Will Smith, per THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Smith, who starred in I AM LEGEND, is developing the film with Steven Spielberg. DreamWorks is purchasing the rights to OLD BOY from Mandate Pictures, who are staying involved. The studio is meeting with several other high-profile writers, but Smith invited Protosevich to meet with Spielberg.

Warner Bros. has purchased spec script THE DAYS BEFORE by writer Chad St. John, per VARIETY. They have set up the project with 300 producer Gianni Nunnari at his Hollywood Gang shingle.

Craig Flores of Hollywood Gang will exec produce on the film, which follows a group of aliens invading Earth by traveling backwards through time and wiping out humanity -- yesterday by yesterday -- while one man stays a yesterday ahead of them, trying to convince the world that the end is coming.