Pacino attached to Jekyll Remake

Acclaimed director David Mamet (who helmed the upcoming Heist with Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito) has finished his screenplay tentatively called Diary of a Young London Physician after working on the story for the past three years. Versatile character actor Al Pacino had been attached to star in the project, which is a new twist on the classic tale Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. (This film is one of two Jekyll projects circulating around Hollywood, the other to be directed by Scream horror legend Wes Craven.) Pacino has been associated with the project for some time now, but it is yet to be seen whether the actor will officially be involved in the final film. Mamet's version is reportedly in line with the recent From Hell in its gritty depiction of life in 19th century London, and will also be produced by the same studio, Twentieth Century Fox. No official start date has been confirmed.

Duncan almost pinned down for Daredevil role

Gentle giant screen actor Michael Clarke Duncan (Planet of the Apes, The Green Mile) is one of several actors being considered for the upcoming Daredevil project. Ben Affleck has been rumored to have landed the lead role of the blind lawyer turned superhero, and sultry actress Penelope Cruz is also attached to star. Duncan is up for the role of Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, a larger than life crime lord. Scottish born thesp Robbie Coltraine (From Hell, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) has also been rumored to be up for the role. With luck, casting on Daredevil will be confirmed soon in order to go before cameras sometime early next year.

Carrey to be haunted by his past

Rubber-faced funnyman turned dramatic actor Jim Carrey is set to follow up his next role after Frank Darabont's (The Shawshank Redemption) upcoming film The Majestic with a story about a man who is haunted by the spirit of his dead wife. The new project, which will be directed by Gary Ross (Pleasantville) was formerly titled Dog Years and is set to go before cameras in the spring with an eye for a December 2002 release date. Ross recently spoke of his desire to work with Carrey, saying that he's "always admired Jim. He's one of the most gifted actors in Hollywood, and it's going to be a thrill to work with him."

CIA helps Cruise set his sights on MI3

Hollywood favorite Tom Cruise has reportedly been meeting with officials from the Central Intellegence Agency in order to more closely get in touch with his Mission: Impossible character, agent Ethan Hunt. Cruise is preparing a third installment of the successful M:I series, and the patriotic actor wants to make his portrayal of Hunt as realistic as possible and also show the CIA in a positive manner in light of recent events. The previous two films based on the TV series of the same name were both scoffed at by critics, but brought record-setting audiences undaunted by the criticism. With such a financially successful franchaise, it's a good bet that the question won't be if we get to see another Mission: Impossible film, but when it will happen.

"X" Man to Return to Big Screen

Actor David Duchovny may be returning to the X-Files - but only on the big screen. The New York Post has reported that show creator Chris Carter is close to making the final deal on a sequel to The X-Files (1998) that will reunite Agents Mulder and Scully, a project that both Duchovny and parter Gillian Anderson stated that they would be interested in doing even if they were no longer an active part of the television series. Since Duchovny, who plays Agent Mulder, isn't on the show anymore and Anderson has expressed her desire to make this her final season, the second film will most likely be a stand alone picture rather than a storyline from the series.

Witherspoon may return for more Blonde ambition

MGM has greenlit a sequel to this year's hugely popular film Legally Blonde. Spunky lead actress Reese Witherspoon will supervise the development of the script and will star in the film once she approves the final draft. The first film was made for about $18 million but has grossed over $100 million at the box office, and the studio is hoping to capture lightning in a bottle again. No director has been hired as of yet, and Witherspoon is expected to cash in for about $5 million for appearing in the sequel.

Kidman hopes to be Forgotten

Nicole Kidman, whose supernatural thriller The Others is still enjoying unexpected box office success, is looking to star in another suspense film entitled The Forgotten. The spec script was penned by Angel Eyes scribe Gerald Di Pego and was purchased by Revolution Films for a reported seven-figure amount. The story concerns a man who partners up with a woman to begin a search for answers as to what happened to their missing children. A director has yet to be signed on for the film.

Stiller's Dream to come true

Actor, writer, and director Ben Stiller is looking to expand his horizons. The Meet the Parents star's production company, Red Hour Films, had previously been based at New Line Cinema before DreamWorks moved in and offered the actor a three-year, first look deal. Besides a film entitled Date School, Red Hour Films will now be working with DreamWorks on Stiller's pet project What Makes Sammy Run, a script that has been a labor of love for him for years. The story follows Sammy Glick, a Hollywood hustler who takes credit for the work of others in order to climb his way to the top. Stiller, who wrote the film with On the Waterfront scribe Budd Schulberg (based on his novel of the same name), will direct and also star in the project.

Hudson figures out How to Lose a Guy

Actress Kate Hudson's project How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, a film that had been on hold after director Danny DeVito recently pulled away from it, has landed a new director. Donald Petrie (Miss Congeniality (2000)) is now on board for the Paramount project, and the film should go before cameras sometime in the summer of 2002. The story revolves around a womanizer who makes a bet with his friends that he can stay in a relationship for ten days. Hudson, who made waves with her performance as Penny Lane in last year's Almost Famous (2000), is currently working on Shekhar Kapur's new film Four Feathers.

Jim Carrey headed to the Dustbowl

Funnyman Jim Carrey, who will take another dramatic turn in his quest for Oscar glory this Christmas in Frank Daranbont's The Majestic, is set to continue his work on dramatic period pieces. The actor will star in and produce a project based on historian and author Jerry Stanley's book The Children of the Dust Bowl, which centers around a group of people during the late 1930's who left the dry midwest in order to seek a better life in California. Most of the action in the film will be based on real events, and take place in the Arvin Federal Camp - a federal labor camp set up during that time for migrant workers. Stanley's book is similar in tone to John Steinbeck's classic The Grapes of Wrath.

Angels helmer to return for the sequel

Director McG (a.k.a. Joseph McGinty Nichol) has committed to working on the follow up to last year's highly successful action flick Charlie's Angels (2000). The film was a huge success for Columbia Pictures, netting a whopping $125 million in domestic box office sales alone, and it's no surprise that the studio hopes to continue that run with a follow up film or two. Until McG's agreement to direct, none of the principal crew or cast - including angels Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, or Lucy Liu - had officially signed on to return. Cameron Diaz is currently in talks to come back, and with McG's commitment it seems likely that Columbia will begin serious negotitions with the rest of the cast very soon. No start date for shooting has been announced as of yet.

Gere set to scare audiences with Prophecies

Actor Richard Gere (Dr. T and the Women (2000), Pretty Woman (1990)) heads up the cast including Debra Messing and Laura Linney in Mark Pellington's (Arlington Road (1999)) thriller The Mothman Prophecies, slated to be released in January 2002. The film is based on actual events that occurred in 1965 in West Virginia, involving the horrific 'Mothman' - a creature that terrorized the community and was seen by many eyewitnesses to become the stuff of local legend. The official site for the film recently went live, and more information about the story and stills from the movie can be seen there.

Arnold's famous cyborg will be back!

According to the trade magazine Variety, it looks like the long awaited Terminator 3 project is moving forward, and will be green lit as soon as the inflated $160 million budgeted price tag can be trimmed a bit. Schwarzenegger has agreed to reprise his role as the futuristic Terminator, and will be joined once again by Edward Furlong, who played John Connor in the previous film. With these two actors and director Jonathan Mostow (U-571) brought on board to helm the project, it looks like the film is well on its way to becoming a reality. Early reports of Arnold's Terminator having to fight an evil, 'energy-based' female terminator in the story may have changed significantly in recent weeks - the latest script details have the T-800 and the female terminator teaming up to defeat an evil male terminator (possibly to be played by Vin Diesel, although that is only rumor at this time).

Smith may runaway with Jury

Young Hollywood heartthrob Will Smith, who will be seen this Christmas as legendary boxer Muhummad Ali in Michael Mann's biopic Ali, may join the cast as the lead in the film version of John Grisham's The Runaway Jury. Industry paper The Hollywood Reporter has learned that the actor has expressed interest in the project, although no deals have been made as of yet. Director Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco) may also come on board, but, like Smith, nothing official has been reached. The project has been circulating through Hollywood for some time, first with Warner Brothers, and now with Twentieth Century Fox - and it has been associated with actors ranging from Sean Connery to Gwyneth Paltrow. With Fox now holding the reins and Smith expressing interest, it looks like this film may finally be on it's way to the big screen.

Pitt may re-team with Fincher for Seared

It appears as though actor/director and buddy team Brad Pitt and David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) may be coming together for a third time in Seared, a film based on the book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain. The story follows the rock star-like life of big time Manhattan chef Luke Casdin as he tries to balance a self-destructive, playboy lifestyle with the guerrilla trench mentality of life as a chef at a famous restaurant. The film is set to go before cameras late in 2002 for a possible 2003 release date.

Red Dragon continues to breathe fire into Hannibal series

The phenomenon of the Hannibal Lecter story keeps moving forward, with more news on the upcoming Red Dragon, the third film in the series. Red Dragon is actually a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, and was made into a film in 1986 entitled Manhunter. This remake will star Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins, who will reprise his role as the cannibalistic flesh chewing Lecter. More actors have now been cast in the film, including Harvey Keitel, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Mary-Louise Parker. Keitel will most likely star in the role made famous by both Dennis Farina and Scott Glenn in the previous films, as FBI agent Jack Crawford, who brings agent Will Graham (Edward Norton) out of retirement in order to pursue a killer named Red Dragon - with the help of the always cryptic Hannibal Lecter along the way, of course. The new film will be directed by Rush Hour 2's Brett Ratner through Universal.