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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Streaming Pick: “The Way Back” (2010)

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Peter Weir’s 2010 film “The Way Back” is a magnificent true story that just so happens not to be true. Based on “The Long Walk” by Gulag survivor Slawomir Rawicz, the film concerns a group of Soviet prisoners in 1939 who make a run for freedom. Problem is, they start in the middle of Siberia, trekking south towards hopeful freedom. By the time the surviving escapees reach safety, they’ve walked over 4,000 miles.

Rawicz’s book was apparently inspiring enough to sell over half a million copies upon publication in 1956, though recent records have indicated that the author did not escape from the Gulag, but was released in 1942. So the film was at least inspired by, if not directly based, on the tale of a liar, one who might have found that merely surviving the Gulag wasn’t itself an interesting enough story. We’re commonly moved by entirely fictional stories, but does a lie accepted as truth deserve the same respect?

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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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Chuck Norris Facts: He carries a rifle in “The Expendables 2”

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They say old soldiers never die, they just fade away. Fortunately for fans of silly action movies and preposterous TV shows, Chuck Norris is an exception to the rule.

Today a new publicity image of Chuck Norris in The Expendables 2 was released, inspiring giddy delight in fans anticipating the action star bonanza. In the photo, Norris is seen toting a G36 rifle, walking away from a burning car as if it were no big deal. No word on whether or not the car is burning because of him, but doubtlessly he either just killed or is about to kill someone.

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Hannity, O’Reilly near renewal deals at Fox News

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Sean Hannity (left) and Bill O'Reilly (right).In a development that should surprise no one, Deadline‘s Nellie Andreeva is reporting that the mega-successful Fox News broadcasters Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly are finalizing new “multi-year, multi-million dollar” deals.

Hannity and O’Reilly, who appear on Fox News at 9 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET, respectively, have consistently trounced all cable news competition for years. Last night, for instance, O’Reilly beat all four other cable news nets combined in both total viewers and viewers aged 25-54. Hannity nearly pulled off the same feat.

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