#505. Movie Buzz
1. Who did in Houdini?
Jeff Nathanson (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the Rush Hour movies) has signed to write and direct the adaptation of William Kalush and Larry Sloman's Harry Houdini biography The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero for Summit Entertainment.The book, published in 2006 by Atria Books, insinuated that Houdini was a spy for Britain and was asked to be an adviser to Czar Nicholas II's court in pre-revolutionary Russia.According to Cominsoon.net, the book also portrayed the master magician and escape artist as a debunker of con artists who pretended to be spiritualists, leading to the theory that his death was caused by the spiritual movement as payback.
2. Bryan Singer returning to X-Men?
Many X-Men fans were disappointed when director Bryan Singer decided to fly off and direct Superman Returns instead of sticking around to direct X-Men: The Last Stand, the third movie in the trilogy he kicked off with X-Men in 2000 and followed up with X2 in 2003.In a recent interview for the July issue of Total Film, Singer mused about returning to the franchise:"I'm eternally intertwined with X-Men now," he told the magazine. "What takes an audience four hours to watch - the first two movies - took six years of my life. So, to not be part of it ... it's a shame."
They also asked Singer whether he wished he had directed the third X-movie, to which he replied, "It's weird for me to watch it, because I'm so close to the universe. And also Brett is a good friend of mine. But, of course, I would love to return to that universe."He also spoke of the possibility of directing the in-development X-Men Origins: Magneto (which was announced years ago with David (Blade: Trinity) Goyer attached to direct).
The director was a bit cautious about committing to it, as he expects the film to cover some of the same WWII Nazi Germany territory he's covered before."The only thing that concerns me about Magneto is that if the prequel were to follow the track I used in X-Men, which is Magneto's history in the concentration camp, then I've lived in that world."Apt Pupil, X-Men and now Valkyrie...I've lived in that Nazi universe for quite a while. I just might need to take a little break before I do something like that."
3. 50 Cent caught in the Crossfire
Curtis Jackson, better known as rapper 50 Cent, has joined the cast of the police corruption drama Caught in the Crossfire.The drama revolves around two homicide detectives who find themselves caught between a gang-related homicide and a group of dirty cops.Jackson will play a gang member who becomes a reluctant informant.According to Dark Horizons, the movie also stars Chris Klein, Adam Rodriguez and Richard T. Jones.
4. Sony and Sonnenfeld to re-imagine Swift
Sony Pictures has picked up the rights to the script Swift, described as a re-imagining of the Tom Swift adventure novels.According to Dark Horizons, this new version would feature Swift as one half of a father-and-son team (who first appeared in a series of books that launched in 1910) who are among the greatest inventors of all time.Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) and Ben David Grabinski penned the script which will be developed as a directing vehicle for Sonnenfeld.
5. Halle Berry eyes Verhoeven's Surrogate
Halle Berry is in discussions to star in the upcoming Paul Verhoeven-directed thriller The Surrogate for 20th Century Fox, Variety reports.The movie is based on a novel by Kathryn Mackel about a childless couple who appoint a surrogate mother to carry their child to term.Complications arise when they realise that the stand-in mom is, what's the medical term, insane.Berry has not been on the big screen since 2007's Perfect Strangers with Bruce Willis - who, curiously enough, will soon be seen in a sci-fi thriller entitled Surrogates.
