N'Sync rumors fly about Episode II

According to the latest Hollywood gossip from television rags including Entertainment Tonight, boy band N'Sync will possibly be having a cameo in this summer's upcoming blockbuster Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Lucas's daughters are huge fans of the musical group, and apparently the Bearded One himself has cast them to appear as extras in a background sequence. This is still in the rumor mill at this time, but if true will certainly provide a point of contention for the die hard Star Wars fans who had some difficulty swallowing the first prequel, The Phantom Menace, that was released in 1999. Attack of the Clones is set to explode into theaters this May.

Gilliam may resurrect Don Quixote

Director Terry Gilliam, currently busy on pre-production work for the film version of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Armageddon joyride Good Omens, may have found the European financing he needs to bring his halted production of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote back on track. Filming of the Gilliam's Quixote tale was halted in 2000 after only about a week of work after star Jean Rochefort injured himself and the other cast members were forced to move on to other engagements because of the delay. The film was set to start in Spain with stars Rochefort, Johnny Depp, and Vanessa Paradis, and was the story of a modern day ad executive (Depp) who found himself transported back in time and into the story of Quixote, surrounded by some strange, yet familiar other versions of people from his own time. Although Gilliam's commitment to Good Omens is most likely not in jeopardy, it will be interesting to see how the schedule of production on the two films will no doubt continue to be juggled as the director finds time to bring his labor of love back and hopefully onto the big screen.

Madsen negotiates for role in next Bond film

Actor Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Species) is contemplating a role as rogue CIA agent Falco in the next installment of the James Bond series, starring Pierce Brosnan as the super-cool spy. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Madsen is already confirmed for a couple of other projects in the works, among them Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, with Uma Thurman and a western entitled Blueberry. If cast, Madsen would begin work in February on Bond, under the direction of Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors, Along Came a Spider).

Eve joins Vin Diesel and others in XXX

The Hollywood Reporter has also confirmed that rap artist Eve will be appearing in this summer's hotly anticipated XXX, an action film starring Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson and in the vein of the James Bond-type spy series. The story is about a extreme sports star (Vin Diesel) who also doubles as a secret agent. Eve will play Vin Diesel's friend and partner in the film, slated for a late summer release.

Blair Witch 3 may finally rise up from the darkness

Filmmakers Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez have reaffirmed their commitment with Artisan to begin work on the script for Blair Witch 3, a project that was initially given the go-ahead with the incredible success of the first film in the series, a moody and effective low budget independent film that terrified audiences in the fall of 1999. The production company took control of the series out of the two directors' hands with their follow up, Book of Shadows, the Blair Witch sequel that failed to deliver at the box office. Artisan has recently merged with Landscape Pictures, a move which has seemingly given life back into a franchise that seemed dangerously close to evaporating.

Ted Demme (1964-2002)

Hollywood sadly lost one of its brightest young directors on Monday when Ted Demme passed away after suffering a heart attack during a celebrity basketball game. He was only 38 years old. A talented filmmaker, Demme came out of television, having produced the show Yo! MTV Raps for the popular music network in 1988 before foraying into feature film with Who's the Man?, his first movie. Demme went on to direct such films as The Ref (1994), Beautiful Girls (1996) and the short-lived cult favorite series Action, starring friend Jay Mohr. Demme's last film was the critically acclaimed Blow (2001), starring Johnny Depp. Demme was the nephew of Silence of the Lambs (1991) director Jonathan Demme, and is survived by his wife and two young children.

Sundance kicks off 2002 in Park City

The Sundance Film Festival, celebrating the best in Independent Film, has now begun in Park City, Utah and runs until the 20th of January. The festival, run by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute, will feature screenings of over 175 new films, including premieres of movies like The Dancer Upstairs (2002) (John Malkovich's directorial debut), Nicole Kidman's new drama/thriller Birthday Girl (2002), Stolen Summer (2000) (the subject of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's Project Greenlight series), and Gus Van Sant's new film Gerry (2002). The festival has been hampered this year by a combination of bad weather and an upsurge in extra population, as staff and crew for Salt Lake City's upcoming Olympic Games have begun arriving early to prepare for the games next month. Click Here to get all of the latest festival news and film schedules!

Lucasfilm says bye bye

Just a week after announcing that pop sensation N'Sync would be appearing in this summer's highly anticipated Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, it appears that fan outcry may have won over in the decision to not keep them in the film. Die hard Star Wars fans have been crying foul ever since the announcement was made that members of the band would be appearing in several scenes in the movie, as extras and also as Jedi warriors armed with lightsabers. According to band member Joey Fatone, their scenes have now made it to the cutting room floor.

An avalanche of Bond news!

As shooting for the next James Bond adventure quickly gets underway, news about the next film and the franchise itself keeps on pouring in. Cast as one of the principal villains in the film is British actor Toby Stephens (son of Maggie Smith), who has had numerous television and film appearances in England. Australian actress Kimberley Davies has also apparently scored a role as the new Bond girl. Feeding the rumor mill is the latest buzz that actor Clive Owen (Gosford Park (2002)) will no doubt be offered the role of the slick super-spy once Pierce Brosnan hangs up his tux for good. The actor has so far dismissed the rumors as merely that - saying he has not been offered the role as of yet. Owen is starting to make a name for himself here in the states after having success in Britain in shows such as Second Sight, and the film Croupier (2000), and certainly has the look and grace to fill some very big shoes.

Crowe attached to remake of Hogan's Heroes

Undoubtedly one of the actors in Hollywood at the moment, Australian hunk Russell Crowe appears to be in early negotiations to fill late actor Bob Crane's role as prisoner of war in a cinematic update of the television series Hogan's Heroes, which ran from 1965 to 1971. Producer Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment has Crowe attached to the project, the script for which the actor has admittedly not read. However, Grazer and Crowe have discussed ideas for the film, stating that they would like to approach it as a serious POW story along the lines of Stalag 17 (1953) or even the upcoming Hart's War (2002), rather than the comedy we all knew from so many years back. While seeming to be the smart approach, at the same time it would make it a completely different film similar to the series in name alone - which may mislead some audience members. Time will tell whether Imagine and Crowe will actually get Hogan's Heroes off the ground and into a viable cinematic story.

Revolution Studios to distribute Fugitive project

According to this week's The Hollywood Reporter, Revolution Studios will pick up the distribution rights for the yet unmade film The Billionaire Fugitive. Based on a Vanity Fair article, the film will follow the story of Robert Durst, a rich fugitive who was wanted for the murder of several individuals including his ex-wife and who was eventually captured. Bruce Willis' production company Cheyenne Enterprises is set to produce the film, with actor Richard Gere attached to star and director Stephen Frears (High Fidelity (2000), The Grifters (1990)) set to helm the feature.

Universal shelves Carrey project - for now

Universal has (at least temporarily) called off production on a new Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman film that was supposed to go into production this spring. Gary Ross (Pleasantville (1998)) was to direct the two actors in a film about a man who is haunted by the spirit of his dead wife. The reason for the delay is likely due to scheduling conflicts with the two performers, especially Kidman, who is currently shooting a film called Dogville before moving on to another film with Anthony Hopkins. Carrey has also moved on to other plans. No word yet on when the film will get rolling again, but the studio may instead opt for a late fall shooting date.

Monster's Ball director takes first star to the right

FilmStew.com is reporting that director Marc Forster, already garnering high praise for his film Monster's Ball (2001) will be helming the film Never Land, a story about Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie and how he found the inspiration to write the story which has become a children's classic. Screenwriter David Magee adapted the script from a stage play by Allan Knee, and Miramax will be developing the film. Shooting should begin as soon as the picture is cast.

More casting news for upcoming Daredevil

The project for the adaptation of the popular comic hero Daredevil is one hot property around Hollywood these days as casting news and rumors seem to buzz around and change from day to day. In latest developments, it is looking more and more likely that actor Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile (1999)) will be filling the shoes of character Kingpin in the film, which will also star Ben Affleck in the lead role as a blind lawyer who fights crime under his alter ego.

Crowe may head for the high seas with Peter Weir

Academy Award winning it actor Russell Crowe is in talks to star in director Peter Weir's (Witness (1985), The Truman Show (1998)) next project, Master and Commander for Twentieth Century Fox. If he signs on, Crowe would play a Royal Navy captain who is given his first ship to command, taking it out onto the high seas to do battle with pirates and French vessels during the time of Napoleon. The film would be an adaptation of a story by author Patrick O'Brian, who wrote a series of books about life at sea during this period. Master and Commander has been in the works for some time at Fox, and the studio has been negotiation with Crowe to come on board the project for a while. With luck and scheduling openings, Crowe will hopefully be able to sign on and get the film moving in the near future.

Crichton's Timeline finally moves forward

After much delay, the newest film adaptation of a Michael Crichton novel, Timeline is finally set to go into production in April. The project became a hot property last year when director Richard Donner (of the Lethal Weapon franchise) came on board to direct and actors Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious (2001), Joy Ride (2001)) and Gerard Butler (Dracula 2000 (2000)) were the first to join the cast. The producers had originally intended to shoot in Europe until the attacks of September 11th retracted Hollywood's tentacles a bit into closer, domestic location scouting. It now looks as though the film will go before cameras in Montreal, Canada as pre-production will soon be underway on the construction of sets for the medieval-themed flick. For those who haven't read the book, Timeline is the story of a team of archaeological workers who travel back in time to the very dangerous and almost alien world of the middle-ages in pursuit of one of their own who has disappeared there.

New Wallace and Gromit film aimes for 2004 release

Animated filmmaker Nick Park, famous for his clever Wallace and Gromit films and the wonderful poultry POW farce Chicken Run (2000) is looking to release a feature film of his most famous inventor and dog pair within two years. Rumored to be titled The Great Vegetable Plot, it will be the first full length film from Aardman Animations featuring the two characters, who starred in three very successful and Academy Award winning short films. Fans who can't wait quite that long will be able to see the two in a series of short, one minute films available on the Internet sometime this fall, featuring the dog Gromit demonstrating a series of inventions designed by Wallace, his friend and master. With luck, production on Aardman's planned Tortoise and the Hare film will come back to life sometime in the near future. Work on the film halted last year, and the project was shelved pending rewrites and retooling of the script, which the producers saw as flawed and not up to the quality of the previous films.

Ridley Scott ponders return to Alien franchise

Renowned filmmaker of moody and epic filmmaking, director Ridley Scott is considering returning to the successful Alien series of movies with a prequel. Scott directed the original Alien (1979), which essentially launched the modern genre of horror sci-fi, as a team of ore miners on board a deep space vessel had to try and survive against an alien creature that killed them off one by one. Sigourney Weaver, the lone survivor from the first film, has made a career of the franchise, starring in the following three sequels. Scott's idea would be to return to the beginnings of the species, and see how they were created and how they arrived at the original planet in the first place. Of the story ideas for a possible new film, Scott remarked "I'm seriously mulling it over. I think it would be a lot of fun, but the most important thing is to get the story right. We should go back to where the alien creatures were first found and explain how they were created. No one has ever explained why. I always figured a battleship carrying bio-mechanical organisms that could be weapons was sent into space with some space jockey who didn't last."

Sidney Poitier to receive honorary Oscar

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that veteran actor Sidney Poitier will receive a special award at this year's ceremony "for his extraordinary performance and unique presence on the screen, and for representing the motion picture industry with dignity, style and intelligence throughout the world." Poitier won an Academy Award back in 1964 for his role in Lilies in the Field, and he still stands as the only African-American to win the Oscar for Best Actor. The 74th Annual Academy Awards presentation takes place this year on March 24 at the Kodak Theatre and will be televised live beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST.

Howard Hughes projects go head to head with heavy hitters

One of the hottest properties circulating around Hollywood these days is the long awaited biopic of legendary billionaire Howard Hughes. The leading contenders to bring the life of the eccentric man to the screen had been the team of Jim Carrey and Memento (2001) director Christopher Nolan, who are currently backed financially by Castle Rock Entertainment to pursue making the film. Recently, it has come to light that powerhouse director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio may re-team from their recent Gangs of New York (2002) project to find financing for another version of the movie. DiCaprio has actually been attached to the movie for several years, ever since he teamed up with director Michael Mann to possibly helm the project. If the Scorsese version comes to light, Mann may possibly serve in a producer role. Time will tell if these long-delayed, competing Hughes stories will ever crawl out of Development Hell and make it onto the silver screen.

More Spielberg news than you can shake a stick at!

Audience favorite and Hollywood Midas touch director Steven Spielberg continues to make blockbuster film after film each year - and still shows no signs of slowing down. After releasing the hit A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) this past year and getting ready to visit screens again this year with Tom Cruise and Minority Report (2002), Spielberg is getting ready to go into production on a project entitled Catch Me If You Can, with Leonardo DiCaprio for a target release date of winter 2002. After the Golden Globes ceremony last week, the director commented (along with his wife Kate Capshaw and honoree Harrison Ford) that a long awaited new Indiana Jones film will be his next project after Catch. Variety has reported that Spielberg is looking to reteam with Cruise again soon for the World War II drama Ghost Soldiers, to be distributed by Dreamworks and Universal (returning to the ground explored in his Oscar winning film Saving Private Ryan in 1998). With all of these potential projects flying around his head, it's no wonder the man finally passed on his plans to bring the novel Memoirs of a Geisha to the big screen.