News Shorts: November 2nd 2009

First stills of Helen Mirren and James McAvoy in the Tolstoy biopic The Last Station, shots from Hammer Films’ The Resident with Christopher Lee and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and new stills from Solomon Kane.

Set photos of extras and locations being used in the Red Dawn remake, Lukas Haas and Leonardo DiCaprio filming Inception, and Sam Riley shooting BBC’s new adaptation of Brighton Rock.

Posters for Avatar, Percy Jackson, Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, How to Train Your Dragon, Sherlock Holmes, Women in Trouble, Amelia, The Fourth Kind.

“”Who Framed Roger Rabbit” screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman are working on the script for the sequel says director Robert Zemeckis. In previous interviews he said he plans to keep the characters 2D but may use motion capture technology…” (full details)

Director Martin Campbell says the upcoming “Green Lantern” feature will incorporate in the realm of 1,300 visual effects shots, mostly in regards to his power ring and the various ‘constructs’ it can form…” (full details)

“Horror-comedy “Jennifer’s Body” will NOT be getting a theatrical release in Australia and will go direct-to-DVD. A Fox spokeswoman said one of the biggest factors was the film’s disappointing U.S. box-office despite heavy promotion over there. The first legal chance Australian viewers will have of seeing the film is to import the US DVD which is expected to hit December 29th…” (full details)

“Wanted” and “Kick-Ass” comic creator Mark Millar has revealed on his official site that he will make his directorial debut on an upcoming superhero film that will be financed independently (ala “Kick Ass”). Further details will be revealed in February…” (full details)

“Paramount has picked up Marc Haimes’ family action script “Jitters”. The Gremlins-esque story centers on a dysfunctional, recession-struck family that moves into a new neighborhood and is terrorized by superbugs…” (full details)

“Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond”) will star in “Elephant White” for Nu Image/Millennium. He portrays an assassin hired by a businessman to avenge the murder of his daughter by white slave traders in Thailand. Shooting takes place in March in Bangkok. …” (full details)

“”Atonement” director Joe Wright has denied reports that he’s remaking “My Fair Lady”, saying “It’s not happening. No. It’s all a lie. I kind of thought about for a couple of minutes and then decided not to do it and suddenly it got into the press that I was doing it”…” (full details)

“Hugh Jackman has quietly turned down an offer to host next year’s Oscars ceremony, saying he may take on hosting duties again in the future but has no desire to do the show two years in a row…” (full details)

“Craig Brewer (“Hustle and Flow”) has been mentioned as a potential replacement for the just departed Kenny Ortega in the director’s chair of the “Footloose” remake…” (full details)

“Earlier reports that Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy are in negotiations to star in “Fury Road,” the next “Mad Max”, have been confirmed…” (full details)

“Latest ‘Spider-Man 4’ rumor has The Lizard, the evil incarnation of Dylan Baker’s Curt Conners character, being the ONLY villain of the upcoming sequel…” (full details)

“Method Man will star in Gareth Maxwell Roberts’ “The Mortician 3D” a gritty gangster film currently in pre-production in Louisiana….” (full details)

“Jeffrey Dean Morgan will star in “The Courier” with Hany Abu-Assad directing from a script by Michael Brandt & Derek Haas…” (full details)

“DreamWorks Studios has picked up Richard Blaney and Gregory Small’s original teen thriller screenplay “Someone in the Dark”. Carlos Brooks (“Quid Pro Quo”) is attached to direct…” (full details)

“Mark Rosenthal is attached to pen an adaptation of Ian Beck’s young-adult family adventure “The Secret History of Tom Trueheart”. The story centres on an adventurer in a mythical land who must rescue his more seasoned older brothers when they go missing…” (full details)

“Screen Media Films has acquired worldwide rights to Adam Kane’s political thriller “Formosa Betrayed,” starring James Van Der Beek as an FBI agent investigating the murder of an Asian professor who pursues the man’s killers to Taiwan. A limited release in February is planned…” (full details)

“”The Lord of the Rings” actor John Rhys-Davies says that though he’s been asked, he won’t be returning for “The Hobbit” or it’s sequel…” (full details)