1.) I think we’ve reached a point where the film community looks forward to George Clooney‘s next directorial effort regardless of who else is involved. But to anyone still on the fence, let me know if the logline and initial cast he has assembled for The Monuments Men does the trick. Clooney will star in the period drama alongside Daniel Craig, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin and John Goodman.
The story centers on a crew of art historians and museum curators who unite to recover renowned works of art that were stolen by the Nazis before Hitler destroys them as part of his plan to eliminate Germany’s cultural history. Clooney co-wrote the screenplay with producing partner Grant Heslov, while the crew (including composer Alexandre Desplat) is the same as from Argo. Production begins in March. [Deadline]
2.) FilmDistrict has acquired Olympus Has Fallen, the Gerard Butler-led thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day). The film will now see a release on April 5, 2013, as it leapfrogs Roland Emmerich‘s similar sounding White House Down, which is holding pat with its June 28, 2013 date. The films share a “Die Hard in the White House” premise, though I reckon Emmerich’s film still has a distinct advantage since it boasts the hotter star in Channing Tatum. [The Wrap]
3.) Variety‘s Jeff Sneider hears the most recent cut of Les Miserables runs close to 3 hours, with no plans to cut it down. To the best of my research, it sounds like the stage musical runs 3 hours, so this really just means they haven’t cut or truncated any of the songs. But yeah, just one more thing to consider when the concessions worker asks you if you want to upgrade to the large soft drink.
EDIT: The actual runtime is 152 minutes (before closing credits), as confirmed by Universal publicist Michael Moses. Thank you, The Dude.
4.) An interesting ensemble has come together for A Many Splintered Thing, a romantic comedy described by Deadline as “in the vein of Amelie and (500) Days of Summer.” The names include Chris Evans, Luke Wilson, Michelle Monaghan, Aubrey Plaza, Anthony Mackie, Topher Grace and Giovanni Ribisi, who will be directed by first-timer Justin Reardon. It sounds like Evans and Monaghan are the leads, with the Captain America star playing a guy who meets a young woman by pretending to be a philanthropist, only to find out she is engaged. He then sets up a platonic relationship with her with the hopes of eventually winning winning her heart.
5.) Comic writer Mark Millar (Wanted, Kick-Ass) says he’s targeting Bradley Cooper for the lead in an adaptation of his miniseries Supercrooks. “We’ve got a great director, a great screenplay and as of Christmas we’ll have time to start prepping this sucker. Who we gonna call? Bradley Cooper,” Millar wrote on his forums. The director in question is Spanish helmer Nacho Vigalando (Timecrimes), and the idea of Cooper leading a group of supervillains attempting to pull off a heist does sound appealing. But as with anything Millar, a shameless self-promoter, says, we must take this with a grain of salt until we hear something a little more concrete. [via DigitalSpy]
