by Ryan on 10 Nov 2009 | Comments

Some of Hollywood’s brightest are lining up some really interesting projects this week. We’ve got two doses of sci-fi goodness plus the next Alexander Payne movie attaching big names in today’s Casting Bites.

Bradley Cooper continues his hot streak, signing on to star in the Neil Burger-directed thriller Dark Fields. Based on the book by Alan Glynn, the film was originally set to star Shia LaBeouf before Cooper came aboard. It centers on a struggling writer whose life takes a sudden and sharp upswing when he chances across a top-secret pharmaceutical drug that increases intelligence. It isn’t long before he discovers that the drug has dangerous side effects, though, including the phenomenon of “trip-switching” which causes him to experience time in a stop-motion fashion. To make things worse, he also finds himself being pursued by shadowy antagonists. Leslie Dixon wrote the script, which is said to be in the vein of Fight Club and The Game.

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by Ryan on 23 Oct 2009 | Comments

Ready for more portion-controlled goodness in this week’s Quick Hits & Snack Bits? Read on to find out who will be directing Monster Squad and The Tourist; casting news for Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, and Gerard Butler; new projects for Billy Ray and Cary Fukunaga; updates on Ghost in the Shell; a helluva early-developing rumor involving Leonardo DiCaprio, plus a whole bunch more!

First up is Monster Squad, the long-in-gestation supernatural comedy that is NOT a remake of the much beloved 1987 film from Fred Dekker and Shane Black. This one’s brand new, and if you’re wondering what it’s about, so are we. Brian Lynch first wrote the spec about an international coalition of kids who battle monsters under the bed (then titled Nightcrawlers), but Michael Arndt later retooled it to feature a neurotic father who had to face childhood demons. Brian Copeland has written the latest draft, but the new logline is being kept under wraps. One thing we do know is that Shrek Forever After director Mike Mitchell has been tapped as the new director. [via Variety]

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by Ryan on 17 Apr 2009 | Comments State Of Play is a compelling thriller that fashions engaging characters around an artfully constructed plot. Read»