1.) The Dumb and Dumber sequel will be called Dumb and Dumber To. The Farrelly Brothers tweeted the announcement, which also updated the status of the script (they’re “almost done”). Here’s the plot description Bobby Farrelly offered a few months ago:
The story revolves around the fact that one of them may have sired a child. They want to go and find the child because he’s having a kidney problem and he wants to ask him for one of his kidneys.
Neither Jeff Daniels nor Jim Carrey have officially signed on, but the Farrellys seem to be proceeding as if they’re confident the stars will eventually be on board.
2.) Nicolas Cage will star in the next film from Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), a true-crime thriller called Amicus. The story sounds like a Coen Bros. film come to life, and starts with a Motown Records producer who hires a hit man to murder his wife, quadriplegic son and family nurse. The son was crippled as a result of medical malpractice, and thus had a $2 million trust the father stood to inherit.
And that’s just the beginning. Detectives later determined that the hit man used the book “Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors” as a guide, and the families of the victims proceeded to sue the book’s publisher. Cage’s character is a First Amendment attorney hired by the family’s attorneys to consult on the case, which took five years to settle. Considering Kelly himself has never shied away from from the batshit crazy, we could be looking at another completely unhinged performance from Cage. I, for one, can’t wait to see it. [Variety]
3.) Todd Phillips has agreed to direct an adaptation of author Linwood Barclay‘s thriller Trust Your Eyes for Warner Bros., which would mark his first non-comedy for the studio (unless, of course, you count Starsky and Hutch). Variety describes the story as a cross between Rear Window and Rain Man, as it centers on a schizophrenic, map-obsessed savant who witnesses a murder and insists that his brother helps investigate.
Phillips has been looking to branch out with the Hangover trilogy coming to a close. He’s also developing a remake of the ’70s drama The Gambler, though it’s unclear which film would take priority after he completes The Hangover Part III.
4.) Justin Timberlake is in talks to team with Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist helmer Peter Sollett on The Last Drop. He’ll play an alcoholic restaurant critic, who realizes it’s time to kick his addiction when he meets the girl of his dreams. It seems like a nice opportunity for Timberlake to show some range, but it also sounds like it’s being pushed as more of a romantic comedy than a pure drama. Of course, The Lost Weekend had its share of funny moments, but it treated the character’s alcoholism with all the seriousness it deserved. [Variety]
5.) With Ben Whishaw already preparing for a big fall, having key roles in both Skyfall and Cloud Atlas, he’s also being targeted for a part in Steven Spielberg‘s April 2014 tentpole Robopocalypse. Dreamworks hasn’t extended him an offer, but they’ve had their eyes set on Whishaw for a character named Lurker since the casting process began.
This news follows the report from earlier this week citing Anne Hathaway as Spielberg’s top choice for the female lead opposite Chris Hemsworth. [Variety]
