Chris and Paul Weitz have gotten a seal of approval from author Michael Moorcock to bring his famed Elric series to the big screen, reports EMPIRE ONLINE. The Weitz brothers would produce the film via their Depth of Field production company. No director has been attached as of yet.
DreamWorks head Jeffrey Katzenberg said that a fifth installment of the SHREK franchise will be the last, reports THE AGE.
"It's a finite story, has been from the beginning, and I think that's part of its integrity, part of its strength, that we're not thinking this up as we go," Katzenberg said to the Australian newspaper. "Ultimately, we will come back to understand how Shrek arrived in that swamp. We will reveal his story."
Cineplex Ent. and VIZ Media announced that advance tickets are on sale now for the special one-day-only Canadian event of the first NARUTO feature film, NARUTO THE MOVIE: NINJA CLASH IN THE LAND OF SNOW, opening nationwide on Saturday June 23, 2007.
Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.cineplex.com as well as at participating Cineplex Ent. theatre box offices; admission for children is $8.95 + tax and general admission is $9.95 + tax.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (with more cutting edge vfx from ILM) continued to chart new waters and rewrite the record books at the global box office with its unprecedented six-day opening tally of $404M. The film easily surpassed the previous opening record of $382 million set by SPIDER-MAN 3 just a few weeks ago.
In an attempt to up the exhibition ante, IMAX has arranged for four scenes of Warner Bros. Pictures' THE DARK KNIGHT to be shot with its proprietary 65mm cameras for projection on the enormous 15/70 format, including the introduction of the Joker (played by Heath Ledger). Chris Nolan's sequel to BATMAN BEGINS will open day-and-date July 18, 2008, in conventional and IMAX theaters.
John Woo is set to direct and produce NINJA GOLD, a property from videogame creator Warren Spector, the creator of DEUS EX, THIEF: DEADLY SHADOWS and SYSTEM SHOCK, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Fox Atomic and Woo's Lion Rock Prods. will produce the film with Terrence Chang as the producer. Spector is the exec producer.
Set in modern times, a descendant of an ancient bloodline must adapt to more covert forms of warfare.
Walt Disney Pictures' PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END landed a hefty worldwide gross of $58 million in its first two days of pre-weekend release. Domestically, the film was virtually sold out in theatres across the country on Thursday night and collected an impressive $17 million from the evening showings. Overseas, the film grossed a swashbuckling $12.1 million from 13 territories on Wednesday, and brought in an additional $29 million from Thursday showings in a total of 39 territories.
Anime director Rintaro (METROPOLIS, X: THE MOVIE, SPACE PIRATE CAPTAIN HARLOCK) and Japanese production house Madhouse (X/1999, X: THE MOVIE, METROPOLIS, TRIGUN) along with Paris-based Denis Friedman Prods. have announced a new CGI-animated feature, YONNA YONNA PEGUIN, reports VARIETY. The film is set to debut in Japan in December 2008.
The story features a little girl who gets sucked into a fantasy world populated by goblins who believe that their savior will be a penguin.
Roadside Attractions has picked up the distribution rights to the documentary CHICAGO 10, which features animated courtroom reenactments, reports VARIETY. Directed by Brett Morgen (THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE), the film opened the Sundance Film Festival this year.
Electronic Arts' THE SIMS, the bestselling PC game of all time, is making its way to the big screen via 20th Century Fox and John Davis Prods., according to VARIETY. Fox's Steve Asbell and SIMS Studio head Rod Humble are shepherding the live-action project. Brian Lynch (SCARY MOVIE 3) is the writer.
"THE SIMS has done an interactive version of an old story, which is what it's like to have infinite power and how do you deal with it," said Humble. "Given that that's an old story, you can imagine how easily that would translate to traditional storytelling."
New Delhi-based Compact Disc India (CDIL), an entertainment animation company, has signed a $17.85 million contract with Los Angeles-based Motion Pixel Corp. to develop a 3D feature film, GOAAAAAL!, to be released during the FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Assoc.) World Cup soccer finals in 2009, reports the TIMES NEWS NETWORK.
Budgeted at roughly $20.15 million, the 90-minute film will feature the voices of Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo, along with Hollywood stars Ben Kingsley and Catherine Zeta Jones in the world's first animated film on soccer.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Silver Pictures are in talks with Mattel to bring HE-MAN to the big screen, reports the trades. Justin Marks (VOLTRON, SUPER MAX) is adapting the Filmation animated series into the live-action feature.
The cartoon, based on the Mattel toy line, followed Prince Adam as he commanded the powers of Castle Grayskull, which transformed him into the mighty He-Man, who battled Skeletor, who was bent on conquering the planet of Eternia.
Japan's Madhouse Ent. and France's Denis Friedman Prods. are set to produce the CG-animated feature, YONA YONA PENGUIN, reports VARIETY. Rintaro (METROPOLIS) will direct. The story will follow a trio of children that travel to a fantasy world.
Shochiku will handle distribution in Japan while Hong Kong's Golden Network will tackle other parts of Asia and France's Wild Bunch will rep all other international territories. Madhouse's U.S. division and Shochiku hold the North American rights.
Japanese, French and English soundtracks will be recorded.
This week the fledgling Blu-ray Disc high-def format got a tremendous boost with the release of the first two PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN blockbusters: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL and DEAD MAN'S CHEST (Buena Vista Home Ent., $34.99).
Each two-disc set contains a total of 75GB in Blu-ray. The HD (1080p resolution) picture offers a cleaner, sharper, more colorful and more dynamic experience (better showcasing ILM's Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning vfx).
Mike Myers is set to star in the remake of the Danny Kaye comedy, THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, for 20th Century Fox, reports the trades. Jay Kogen (TV's FRASIER, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE) is the writer and Samuel Goldwyn Jr. is the producer.
The story follows a daydreamer who escapes the doldrums of his everyday life by entering wild and adventurous fantasy worlds.
As he did on CASINO ROYALE, Paul Haggis will do a polish on the script for the 22nd installment in the JAMES BOND franchise, reports LOS ANGELES TIMES. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, DIE ANOTHER DAY, CASINO ROYALE) are penning the original draft. The new BOND film is set to hit theaters on Nov. 7, 2008. A director for the film has not yet been announced. CASINO ROYALE gave new life to the long running series, bringing in $588 million at the worldwide box office.
The Weinstein Co. announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with Exodus Film Group to jointly develop, produce and finance a multi-picture slate of CG-animated feature films, DVDs and television series. TWC will distribute the titles worldwide.
TWC is handling worldwide distribution for Exodus' next CG-animated film IGOR, which is set for a wide theatrical release on Oct. 24, 2008.
Turkey's Medyavision has acquired the rights to produce a live-action feature, based on the French animated TV series, CLEMENTINE, according to VARIETY. The company has been working on this deal for three years and anticipates the English-languaged film's budget to be $80 million-$100 million, making it the most expensive film in Turkish history.
The story will combine the 39 episodes of the series into one story. The toon followed the escapades of a paralyzed girl and her cat as they travel to fantastical worlds in her dreams.
Warner Bros. Pictures has snatched up the rights to kids fantasy book, SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT, as well as any follow-up books from Irish author Derek Landy, reports VARIETY. Landy will adapt his own work. U.K. Blueprint Pictures' Pete Czerin and Graham Broadbent are set to produce.
Taking place in modern Dublin, the story follows jokester skeleton private eye and his young female sidekick as they set out to stop evil Faceless Ones.
CafeFX created a vertigo-inducing crane disaster sequence for SPIDER-MAN 3, setting the stage for a classic Spidey rescue. The 46-shot sequence, along with 35 additional shots, was awarded to CafeFX by lead facility Sony Pictures Imageworks.
FROM HELL directors Albert and Allen Hughes are set to helm the post-apocalyptic Western, THE BOOK OF ELI, reports the trades. Gary Whitta wrote the script for the film, which Warner Bros. Pictures is producing. Silver Pictures' Joel Silver, Susan Downey and Erik Olsen will serve as producers.
The story follows a lone hero who must travel across a post-apocalyptic America, protecting a sacred book that could save humanity.
Thailand's MonoFilm will distribute THE LIFE OF BUDDHA domestically and donate the profits to charity, according THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The $5 million, 150-minute, animated feature was produced by Wallapa Pimthong.
The film follows the life of 6th century prince Siddhartha as he renounces his throne on the border of Nepal and India to go search for the meaning of life.
Italy's Dujass Film S.P.A. purchased the rights to the film at Cannes.
Double Edge Ent., which has locales in both Taipei and L.A., has joined the production of KING OF FIGHTERS, an adaptation of the SNK Playmore videogame, reports VARIETY. Gordon Chan will direct.
"When we go in as an investor we are looking to put up 7.5%-20% of budgets at an early stage in project and in return earn exec producer fees and take Asia and Japan rights," said ceo Bobby Sheng.
Japan's Micott & Basara and sales agent Arclight/Easternlight are co-producing. Axis Ent.'s Joseph Chou and Convergence Ent.'s Tim Kwok are the producers.
At Cannes, sales rep Daniel Marquet is pitching a feature script for the TV series, TOTALLY SPIES, reports VARIETY. The Marathon production is budgeted at $7 million.
The feature's story is an origin tales, following the show's trio of high-school girls as they become spies.
The TV series was created and produced by Marathon's David Michel and Vincent Chalvon-Demersay. It airs in the U.S. on Cartoon Network, in France on TF1, in Germany on Super RTL, in Italy on Mediaset, in Brazil on Globo, in Mexico on Televisa and in parts of Asia on the Disney Channel.
Robert Rodriguez has inked a deal to helm BARBARELLA, a new film version of Jean-Claude Forest's sci-fi comicbook series, reports the trades. Universal Pictures is hoping to release the film in 2008. Dino and Martha De Laurentiis are producing.
Barbarella is a female mercenary who takes on missions, which take her to the furthest reaches of the universe and test her physical attributes, which often includes sexual escapades.
Rodriguez will team with writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (CASINO ROYALE) to pen a script.
