Industry News

Ruby Sparks trailer: Another dose of Sunshine

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What would you do if your soul mate, exactly as you imagined them, sprang to life from your imagination? That’s one of the questions posed by Ruby Sparks, the upcoming film from Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the directors of Little Miss Sunshine.

The film stars Paul Dano as Calvin, a novelist who writes his dream girl (on a typewriter, which means he might be a poseur) and is justifiably shocked when she materializes in his house.

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Scorsese, DiCaprio ink deals, make The Wolf of Wall Street official

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Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprioFans of the Martin Scorsese/Leonardo DiCaprio partnership need not wait much longer for another picture from the duo. After months of speculation, Scorsese and DiCaprio, who last worked together on 2010’s Shutter Island, today officially signed on to make The Wolf of Wall Street, marking their fifth collaboration. The New York production will begin shooting in August.

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Sin City 2: Mickey Rourke and Rosario Dawson return to the cesspool

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At least two of Sin City’s most famous residents are returning to that dark, brutal, black and white metropolis.

Director Robert Rodriguez confirmed in an interview with MTV that Mickey Rourke and Rosario Dawson were both set to star in the sequel to 2005’s Sin City, tentatively titled Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

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Mel Gibson decides against crucifixion, sics lawyers on Joe Eszterhas

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Mel GibsonMel Gibson, furious that Joe Eszterhas has released a tape confirming what pretty much everyone already knew (he’s a lunatic), is considering bringing in the lawyers. It could be worse; the man behind The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto can certainly think of worse things to do to his enemies.

Sources in the know have told TMZ that the actor is beyond livid that Eszterhas released a recording of him ranting and raving during at dinner party at his Costa Rican palace. Gibson’s minions are reportedly studying Costa Rican law to see if laws were violated, and even if not if the breach of privacy would constitute grounds for a lawsuit.

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Life after Twilight: Stephenie Meyer options Down a Dark Hall for big screen production

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Stephanie MeyerAuthor Stephanie Meyer is preparing for cinematic immortality beyond her wildly popular Twilight films.

Meyer and Megan Hibbett’s Fickle Fish Films have optioned the young adult thriller Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan to be made into a feature film. The 1974 novel concerns a student sent to a boarding school haunted by evil ghosts. Wyck Godfrey, a producer on the Twilight films, is in talks to produce.

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Lionsgate not laughing about Cyrus’ LOL

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Miley Cyrus stars in Lionsgate's LOL, which probably won't be released in your city.Almost four years ago, I settled into a post-Comic Con screening of the horror film Midnight Meat Train, which was being introduced by source author Clive Barker and director Ryuhei Kitamura. I expected a fairly standard speech from the duo — perhaps an anecdote about the production process and then a generic “We hope you like the movie!” Instead, Barker immediately launched into a verbal tirade against the film’s distributor, Lionsgate, who decided that the film had limited commercial prospects and that they would save money by not advertising, releasing it in the bare minimum number of theaters allowed in the contact.  Two weeks later, Midnight Meat Train opened in 102 theaters–mostly second-run locations–and grossed a predictably disastrous $83,000 total.

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Joe Eszterhas releases tape of stark raving mad Mel Gibson rant to media

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Crazy Mel Gibson, from "South Park".True to his word, Joe Eszterhas did possess a tape of Mel Gibson during one of the latter’s rampages, and has now released it to the media.

Eszterhas and Gibson have been feuding bitterly and publicly over their work on The Maccabees, which was to be a “Jewish Braveheart.” When Warner Brothers pulled the plug on the project, Eszterhas accused Gibson of anti-Semitism and deranged behavior, while Gibson claimed Eszterhas’ work was “substandard.”

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ARRI pledges to support 35mm film for at least a decade more

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Photo from ARRI newsletter.This past Monday, I wrote a piece entitled “Making Sense of the Digital Conversion“, which dealt with the ramifications of the widespread digitization of movie theaters. The other element of the digital conversion, of course, is taking place on the production side.

Doomsdayers seized the opportunity to lament “the death” of film production last year when popular manufacturer ARRI ceased production of 35mm cameras. This was no doubt a significant news story, especially considering that ARRI makes the industry’s preeminent digital alternative, the ALEXA, used on dozens of film and television projects in 2011, including Martin Scorsese’s Hugo and HBO’s Game of Thrones.

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