Sara Paxton's one of "The Innkeepers"

By Siewaun
Reference: thehollywoodreporter

Sara Paxton "The Last House on the Left" has joined the cast of Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis and George Riddle in writer-director Ti West's haunted hotel feature "The Innkeepers."

Story is about the last two staffers (Paxton and Healy) of a hundred-year-old haunted hotel that's going out of business, attending to a few final strange guests that come to stay, including a former TV actress turned psychic (McGillis), and an old man who insists on staying in room 353.

MPI Media Group's Dark Sky Films will finance and produce alongside writer-director Larry Fessenden's Glass Eye Pix banner. Derek Curl, Fessenden, Peter Phok and West will produce.

Shooting is scheduled to begin this week at the Yankee Pedlar Inn (a real New England hotel long suspected of actually being haunted) in Connecticut.

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Frank Pierson is scripting the battle of Chosin Reservoir

By Siewaun
Reference: Variety

Academy Award-winning veteran screenwriter Frank Pierson ("Dog Day Afternoon," "Cat Ballou," "Cool Hand Luke"), 84 years old, is in preparation to script a 3D Korean War epic feature, "17 Days of Winter" for Madmedia Entertainment.

Director Eric Brevig ("Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D") will direct from Pierson's script, which centers on the brutal seventeen day battle of Chosin Reservoir between 27 November and 13 December 1950, which 12,000 American troops fought a 120,000-man Chinese force in sub-zero temperatures.

Pierson, whose last produced written script was the 1990 Harrison Ford starrer "Presumed Innocent," was quoted as saying, "The most interesting thing about the battle of Chosin Reservoir, from a writing standpoint, was the only people they had to put into the Marine division that went over were leaders from WWII, who were then in their 30s, who were virtually coming out of retirement. Serving with them were 17- and 18-year-old volunteers who had never even been to boot camp."

3D veteran writer-producer Charlotte Huggins, who produced Brevig's "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D," is on board to produce the war epic, while Jayson Wan of Madmedia is executive producing.

The feature, which is expected to cost between $80 to 100 million to make, is getting unprecedented support from the South Korean government.

Shooting is scheduled to begin over the winter of 2010-2011 in South Korea and New Zealand for a 2012 release.

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Clive Owen joins Jason Statham in "The Killer Elite"

By Siewaun
Reference: Variety

Clive Owen ("Closer," "Children of Men," "The International") has joined Jason Statham in action-thriller "The Killer Elite," which was based on Sir Ranulph Fiennes' novel "The Feather Men."

The movie which will be directed by Irish director Gary McKendry, tells of a group of former British special forces members being hunted by a team of assassins led by Statham's character, a former Navy Seal.

Owen will play a senior field operative and member of a clandestine group protecting former special forces soldiers and their families.

Omnilab Media and Inferno Entertainment provide finance for the project.

Omnilab's Ambience Entertainment's Michael Boughen is producing alongside Current Entertainment's Steve Chasman and Joni Sighvatsson. Omnilab Media's Christopher Mapp, Matthew Street and David Whealy, Inferno's Jim Seibel and Bill Johnson are co-executive producing.

Shooting is scheduled to begin in Melbourne on May 13, and continues until mid-July. Then in late July, shooting will move location to Wales.

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Josh Groban, Marisa Tomei join untitled Carell's marital comedy

By Siewaun
Reference: Variety

Singer-songwriter Josh Groban and Academy Award winning actress Marisa Tomei ("My Cousin Vinny," "In the Bedroom," "The Wrestler") have joined Annaleigh Tipton "America's Next Top Model," Emma Stone ("The House Bunny," "Zombieland"), Ryan Gosling ("Half Nelson," "Lars and the Real Girl") and Steve Carell in an untitled Carell's produced marital comedy feature.

The project, which is being set up at Warner Bros., tells of a father (presumably Carell) whose life unravels as he deals with spousal problems and tries to manage his relationship with his children.

Tomei will star as the first woman that Carell's character dates after he's been taught the art of meeting women by Gosling's character, and Groban plays the boyfriend of Stone's character.

John Requa and Glenn Ficarra "I Love You Phillip Morris" will direct from the script by Dan Fogelman ("Fred Claus," "Bolt").

Carell, through his Carousel banner, will co-produce with Denise Di Novi, while Charlie Hartsock and Vance DeGeneres will executive produce.

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Box Office Apr. 23-25 Results

1 How to Train Your Dragon - $15,025,000
2 The Back-up Plan - $12,250,000
3 Date Night - $10,600,000
4 The Losers - 9,605,000
5 Kick-Ass - $9,500,000
6 Clash of the Titans - $9,000,000
7 Death at a Funeral - $8,000,000
8 Oceans - $6,000,000
9 The Last Song - $3,705,000
10 Alice in Wonderland - $2,242,000

Source: Boxoffice.com
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Box Office Apr. 24-25 Results (Japan)

1 ALICE IN WONDERLAND - Disney
2 Detective Conan The Lost Ship In The Sky (JPN.Animation) - Toho
3 Nodame Cantabile The Movie II (JPN.) - Toho
4 Gintama (JPN.Animation) - WB
5 CLASH OF THE TITANS - WB
6 Crayon Shin Chan 2010 (JPN.Animation) - Toho
7 SHUTTER ISLAND - Paramount
8 Sunshine Ahead (JPN.) - Showgate
9 DISTRICT 9 - WB/GAGA
10 My Darling Is A Foreigner (JPN.) - Toho

Source: Cinemanavi.co.jp
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'Dragon' reclaims No. 1 spot

Source: thehollywoodreporter

THR reports that DreamWorks Animation's 3D adventure "How to Train Your Dragon" has yet to flame out in movie theaters, offering an upbeat storyline to an otherwise ho-hum boxoffice session. The Paramount-distributed pic topped domestic rankings with an estimated $15 million in its fifth weekend for $178 million in cumulative coin.

Two wide-openers offered slight competition, as CBS Films' Jennifer Lopez starrer "The Back-Up Plan" proved a mere runner-up, and Warner Bros.' action pic "The Losers" lost by more than expected. "Plan" -- about a couple who meet after the woman's artificial insemination -- procreated $12.3 million in second place; "Losers," based on a comics series about a fictional World War II fighting force, fired blanks with $9.6 million in fourth.

Disneynature's "Oceans" hauled in $6 million from a modestly wide launch in 1,206 locations. That was good for eighth place on the frame, with the documentary toting an $8.5 million cume since unspooling Thursday on Earth Day.

Fox's leggy comedy "Date Night" rung up $10.6 million to grab the weekend's bronze medal position and shape a $63.5 million cume through three frames. Lionsgate's action comedy "Kick-Ass" fell 52% in its sophomore session to fetch $9.5 million in fifth place with a $34.9 million cume, while Sony Screen Gems' comedy "Death at a Funeral" dropped 51% to $8 million in seventh with a 10-day cume of $28.4 million.

Industrywide, the limp $95 million weekend marked a 12% downtick from the same frame a year earlier.

Among notable expansions, Sony Pictures Classics' Argentine crime thriller "The Secret in Their Eyes" added 23 locations for a total 33 to gross $372,214, or an impressive $11,279 per site. Cume for Oscar's best foreign-language pic climbed to $605,022.

Anchor Bay's dramedy "City Island" added 20 theaters for a total 77 and grossed $285,000, or a sturdy $3,701 per venue. Cume for the Andy Garcia starrer hit $1.2 million.

Apparition added eight playdates for a total 18 for dramatic thriller "The Square" and grossed $41,133. That represented a thin $2,285 per engagement, as cume reached $117,116.

DreamWorks Animation marketing boss Anne Globe said "Dragon" has been bolstered in the marketplace by positive word of mouth following favorable critical reaction as well as the continuing strength of its 3D venues, which contributed 67% of its weekend boxoffice.

"We're seeing the audience broaden somewhat, with teen girls checking it out," Globe added. "But for the most part, it's been families with kids.

Imax specialty venues -- whose 3D upcharges make for the priciest "Dragon" tickets -- contributed more than 11% of the pic's weekend haul.

Directed by TV helmer Alan Poul ("Big Love"), "Plan" co-stars Alex O'Loughlin ("White Out"). The PG-13 pic drew opening audiences skewing 71% female, with 57% of patrons aged 30 or older.

"The opening was exactly where expectations were," CBS Films distribution topper Steven Friedlander said. "The picture is going to be profitable."

Produced for a cost in the "mid-30s," "Plan" should hold up well in the marketplace, like most romantic comedies, Friedlander said.

Directed by Sylvain White ("Stomp the Yard"), "Losers" boasts an ensemble cast featuring Idris Elba, Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("Taking Woodstock"), Chris Evans, Jason Patric and Zoe Saldana. Co-produced by DC Entertainment's Weed Road label and Joel Silver's Dark Castle for an estimated $32 million, the PG-13 movie attracted audiences comprised 60% of males, with 65% of patrons aged 25 or older.

Warners exec vp distribution Jeff Goldstein said patrons reacted positively to the pic in exit surveys, boding well for playability despite the soft opening.

"We think we'll get people in over the next couple of weeks and should be fine," Goldstein said. "It should have a good life in home video, too."

"Oceans" is the second film released from Disneynature. The pic played 58% female, with 47% of support coming from family moviegoers.

"Our little documentary did fine," Disney distribution boss Chuck Viane said.

Disney pledged to use a portion of first-week "Oceans" coin to help safeguard portions of the Bahamas' marine protected area. Based on four days of receipts, those efforts will support the oceanic equivalent of more than 30 Disneyland theme parks, the studio said.

Looking ahead, two wide-openers are set for the final spring boxoffice session. Summit Entertainment will bow the family comedy "Furry Vengeance" on Friday, while Warners debuts its remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street."

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Mickey Rourke to star as Genghis Khan

By Siewaun
Reference: english.cri.cn

Mickey Rourke, who won a 2009 Golden Globe award and an Oscar nomination for his leading role in "The Wrestler," and most recently starred as one of the villains in Jon Favreau's "Iron Man 2," is set to star as the emperor of the Mongol Empire, the Great Genghis Khan in a new movie.

Director-writer John Milius, who co-wrote and directed "Conan the Barbarian," "Red Dawn" and also directed "Farewell to the King" and "Flight of the Intruder," wrote the script for the Genghis Khan feature, which he will also direct.

In the movie, the Great Khan will be presented from his son and grandson’s point of view, how they saw him from their family. Audience will see him in many flashbacks to his mid-40s.

Shooting will take place in India and China, and involves a lot of horse-riding scenes, but no starting date as yet.

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Breck Eisner in talks for remake of "Escape From New York"

By Siewaun
Reference: Variety

Breck Eisner ("The Crazies," "Sahara") is in negotiations to direct New Line's remake of "Escape From New York," which was set up with Neal H. Moritz's Original Films and Canal Plus.

If negotiations are successful, Eisner will replace director Len Wiseman who left the project while still in development. Gerard Butler who was to star as Snake Plissken in 2007, also left due to creative differences.

Since 2007, the New Line's remake has been written by several writers, including Ken Nolan, David Kajganich and Allan Loeb, who wrote the latest script.

Walter Hamada and Sam Brown are overseeing for New Line.

No words as yet on who will be starring as Snake Plissken, since Butler left.

Kurt Russell starred in the original futuristic actioner, which was directed by John Carpenter, and centers on antihero Plissken as he tries to save the U.S. President in gang-ruled Manhattan within the 24 hours time frame after Air Force One crashed on the island.

The remake will follow along the lines of the original.

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Helen Mirren joins remake of "Arthur"

By Siewaun
Reference: Variety

Helen Mirren ("Teaching Mrs. Tingle," "The Queen," "The Last Station") has joined Russell Brand "Bedtime Stories" in Warner Bros.' remake of 1981 romantic comedy "Arthur."

Mirren will play the lead character Arthur's longtime nanny, replacing the butler's character named Hobson, which was played by John Gielgud in the 1981 comedy. Gielgud won the supporting actor Oscar for the part.

Brand plays the Arthur character that Dudley Moore portrayed in the 1981 original film, about a boozing playboy who falls in love with a working class woman while he was supposed to marry a girl his family expected in order to inherit a vast family fortune.

Jason Winer "Modern Family -ABC TV series" is set to direct Warner Bros.' big-screen remake of romantic comedy "Arthur" from Peter Baynham's ("Borat," "Bruno") script.

Larry Brezner, Chris Bender and Kevin McCormick will produce under the Langley Park banner, while Brand, Scott Kroopf, J.C. Spink and Nick Linnen will executive produce.

In the original, Dudley Moore's Arthur turned to Gielgud's Hobson for advice after his family threatens to cut off his inheritance unless he marries a woman he doesn't love.

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