Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code” book and movie were both extremely controversial, which brought in the bucks like you couldn’t imagine ($758 million worldwide).  Now, Brown’s prequel to the “Da Vinci Code”, “Angels & Demons” is set to be made into a feature length movie.  Production on the film was slated to begin back in July of this year, and filming is scheduled to begin on February18, 2008.

Filming will undoubtedly get underway by the February 2008 target, as it was revealed today that  Ron Howard and Imagine Entertainment were granted the neccessary permits to begin filming in Rome.  While much of the story is set in the Vatican, “Angels & Demons” didn’t get approval to shoot there and will be instead recreating the Vatican scenes elsewhere within Rome.

It’s a good thing this one’s on the fast-track, as the studios may need every blockbuster they can muster up should a strike occur next summer.  So far, they’re planning on a December 2008 debut in theaters for “Angels & Demons.”

Tom Hanks will reprise his role as Tom Langdon in “Angels & Demons”, where his character tries to solve a murder and unravel a plot by an ancient group, the Illuminati, to blow up the Vatican during a papal conclave.

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Could someone over there at FOX make up their minds already?  “Hotel Chevalier”, the short 14-minute prequel to Wes Anderson’s “The Darjeeling Limited” was initially played ahead of the feature film at film festivals and press screenings, but when it was released to the public “Hotel Chevalier” was not shown, and was instead made available online as a free download at iTunes.  Well, now it seems that FOX is going to do right by the film and show the prequel ahead of “The Darjeeling Limited” screenings beginning this Friday.

The prequel will thus be playing before all showings, although it will still be available online for those who just can’t wait or who wish to obsessively check out Natalie Portman’s famously bare derrière.  Let’s hope that when it comes time for “The Darjeeling Limited” to head to DVD that they’ll have their act together and have the prequel packaged with it as well.

. Fox tells us that starting Friday you’ll be able to see Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman in Hotel Chevalier before all showings of The Darjeeling Limited. By the way, in addition to all the lovely Portman partial-skin, Chevalier is actually also really really good. If you saw Darjeeling without Chevalier, I’d suggest asking for your money back. It’s kind of like the iPhone price drop, only nobody’s handing out rebate coupons. 

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Remember “The Lone Ranger”, the classic 1950’s live action television show that was also a 1930’s radio program?  It’s coming back, but this time as a full-length feature film that will reprise the roles of a lone Texas Ranger and his sidekick, Tonto.   Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is set to team up with screenwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot to make this picture a reality.

Rossio and Elliot, for those not aware, are the writing duo behind the wildly popular “Pirates of the Caribbean” series.  Disney is hoping that they can turn this treasured classic into a modern-day money making machine, and are banking on Rossio and Elliot to make cowboys and Indians as popular as they did pirates.

So far no one will officially confirm it, but several sources have assured that “The Lone Ranger” might soon be making his way onto the big screen.

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If the latest buzz surrounding the Justice League movie proves to be true, the next Superman is going to be played by a British fellow by the name of Rupert Evans. Evans is certainly no stranger to comic books-turned-movies, having played agent John Meyers in Hellboy.

It’s pretty much been assured that Brandon Routh and Christian Bale won’t be returning to play Superman and Batman respectively, so Warner Brothers has been out on casting calls trying to find the next superheros.

DarkHorizons received a mysterious tip-off today from a source who claims to have been a part of the London casting sessions, and said”

“I’ve heard today that one of them has been cast, or I guess is about to be cast, as Superman. I don’t remember his audition, but I was out of the room for a lot of it. Anyway, the guy everyone is talking about is called Rupert Evans.”

Evans, 30, hasn’t done a whole lot since Hellboy, but he does have that look to him that would work well for the part of Superman. It’s a shame that can’t get Routh and Bale to reprise their roles, but the film should still do well at the box office when it is finally released in theaters.

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The quest for the next Menudo band is down to the last stretch. The 15 survivors of MTV’s “Making Menudo” auditions held last spring are already in Miami to begin their intense and immersive “Menudo Boot Camp”.

“Making Menudo” is a 10 episode MTV reality show that will feature young male musical artists as they compete to become the next boyband hit.

Each week, three selected finalists will be grouped together for 72 hrs to learn a surprise song that includes harmonies and dance routine. When the time is up, they are expected to perform onstage in front of a live audience of screaming fans.

Johnny Wright, of Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, will lead an elite group of accomplished music and talent artists to evaluate the performance of the group. In the end of each show, at least one finalist will be saying goodbye.

“Making Menudo” premiers on MTV this October 25 at 10:30pm ET/PT.

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Hear Music announced that they will be releasing James Taylor’s One Man Band CD/DVD  this  Nov 13 at all Starbucks Company-operated locations and traditional retailers in the US and Canada.

The accompanying DVD will include stories behind some of James’ beloved hits in the form of exclusive interviews, rare media footage, home movies, and photos from his personal archives. With One Man Band, James Taylor marks a return to an earlier, simpler style of performance.

The CD/DVD set will be globally available starting Nov 26, 2007.

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Director Ang Lee’s newest movie, “Lust, Caution”, which we’ve been talking about here for months now, has been barred from running for an Academy Award in 2008 for apparently breaking Foreign Language film rules.  Back in 2006, Lee was on top of the world after picking up the Best Director Oscar for the film “Brokeback Mountain”.

“Lust, Caution” was expected to compete for a prize at next year’s Academy Awards, but Academy bosses have now ruled that Lee’s film is ineligible because some of the film’s crew members were not Taiwanese.  Understandably, Ang Lee is upset, and he’s not alone.  Chen Chun-Jer, the acting director of the Taiwanese government’s film department, said  ”We and Ang Lee are disapointed… this movie was also popular in Taiwan.”

Taiwan’s Motion Picture and Drama Association have promptly filed an appeal to the decision are now awaiting a response.  If the ruling stands, Lee will have to wait for his next venture to have a chance at an Oscar again.

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The 11th Annual Hollywood Film Festival’s Hollywood Awards, which were held Monday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, named “300″ the 2007 movie of the year.  Taking the top prize, “300″ beat out summer blockbusters such as “Transformers”, “Spider-Man 3″, and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”

Other awards at the fest were also handed out, with The Hollywood World Award being given to the Romanian film “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”.  The top feature award went to “Gone With the Woman”, and the top documentary award went to “Knee Deep”.

Animation honors were given to “Ratatouille”, screenwriting to Christopher Hampton and Diablo Cody, cinematography to Stephen Goldblatt, visual effects to Scott Farrar, editing to Joe Hutshing, composing to Mark Isham, and production design to Dante Ferretti.  Special honors were also given to Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Connelly, Casey Affleck, Richard Gere, John Travolta, and Ellen Page for acting; Ben Affleck and Marc Forster for directing; Neil Meron and Craig Zadan for producing; and the cast of “Hairspray” for ensemble acting.
Congrats to all the award winners!

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The Exorcist is recognized by many as one of the scariest and best horror movies of all time. In fact, the classic 1973 film was won 2 Oscars, another 12 awards, and was nominated 14 more times. That in itself speaks volumes about the film and it’s quality, and would scare off any reasonable person from even attempting to match the original’s high-standard with a remake. But it appears that Warner Brothers, ever the cash-hungry studio, is eager to do a remake of The Exorcist, despite the failure of two mediocre Exorcist prequels in the past.

The source of the remake rumor is IESB, who has reported on comments that Linda Blair made at the recent International Horror and Sci-Fi Festival in Tempe, Arizona, which allegedly alluded to a remake of the film as being in the works.

Nothing is sacred anymore, especially if it means making a few cheap bucks. Warner Brothers is likely to make a handsome profit on an Exorcist remake, whether or not it meets the standards that the original set.

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It has been almost twenty years since the original Child’s Play was shown on the big screen, which means that almost enough time has passed for a new generation to enjoy a remake of the classic horror flick.  Now, Shock Till You Drop is reporting that Child’s Play producer David Kirschner is getting read to to remake the Chucky franchise, who told Shock:

“We’re discussing it with Don Mancini, who has written all of them with us from the beginning…the next one we’re going to do is we’re going back and remaking the first one and even pushing it further and making a very terrifying version of the first one, which is pretty scary as it is.”

That’s pretty cool.  Having the original screenwriter on board for a modernized remake is sure to please fans of the original film series, which producers are hoping will turn the remake into a box office success.

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Electronic Arts just recently launched Moetaku as the official definitive one stop destination for all things related to The Simpsons Game.

However, the rival Kotaku game blog forum cries foul and threatens to sue Moetaku. Both camps are now rallying for support.

Things are definitely heating up as EA’s The Simpsons Game gears up for its release this coming November 1, 2007.

Who are Kotaku , you may ask?, well they are one of the most popular video game sites in the world, owned by Gawker Co. Actually our site Screenhead, was once part of Gawker. We acquired it and turned it into one of the world’s most popular movie blogs.

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COMEDYSMACK is a free e-mail newsletter that discovers and delivers hilarious, side-splitting items five days a week. The daily jest are taken from Internet comedy sites and showcase the best in comedy films, television, books, CD releases, and live shows. Yes siree, COMEDYSMACK covers it all.

COMEDYSMACK in partnership with UGO premiers today with their Minotaur vs. Centaur feature. In this feature, well known celebrities in the course of a “normal” interview were asked who would win in a fight – a Minotaur armed with a trident or a Centaur armed with a crossbow. Celebrities faced with this difficult choice include George Clooney, Josh Hartnett, George Lopez, Ozzy Osbourne, and Tiger Woods.

Subscribers are invited to spread the mirth to their friends with its easy- to-use “Get Smacked” option. Funny stuff can also be shared with the ComedySmack editors by using the “Smack Us” tab.  These features and the complete COMEDYSMACK  archive can be found in the website.

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The house that hip-hop built will be opening again this coming Oct 25 10pm ET/PT.

In this season, Reverend Run and his family will be together again in one house as they prepare for a summer full of surprises. His daughters are ready to move to LA, while Run and Justine prepare their home for a possible new addition to the family. JoJo is soon to graduate from high school and is on a quest to bag a record label deal, Diggy is starting to like girls and Russy is growing up fast.

When circumstances pull Angela and Vanessa from their New York City apartment, they all land back at Run’s House for the summer, and Rev Run knows this could be the last time his entire family is under one roof.

Trailer available here.

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First Look Pictures just released the trailer on their soon to release comedy film, The Amateurs.

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The creators of the exhilarating comedies Night at The Museum and Reno 911 proudly present another outrageous comedy, Balls of Fury.

This newest spoof is about a down-on-his-luck pingpong player infiltrating the high staked, unsanctioned, underground, and unhinged world of clandestine ping-pong tournaments to seek revenge.

Balls of Fury stars George Lopez and Christopher Walken, of the The Prophesy series.

The DVD will be in stores this December 18, 2007.

Also contained in the DVD are:

• DELETED SCENES
• ALTERNATE ENDING
• BALLS OUT:  THE MAKING OF BALLS OF FURY
• UNDER THE BALLS: THE LIFE OF A BALL WRANGLER

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This is one DVD set that fans of director Stanley Kubrick will not want to pass up. Hitting stores tomorrow, October 23rd, is the special edition Stanley Kubrick Collection, featuring five films and 10 discs full of content. It’s available on both standard DVD and HD-DVD.

The five films included in the set are:

• 2001: A Space Odyssey - Special Edition (2-disc)
• A Clockwork Orange: Special Edition (2-disc)
• Eyes Wide Shut: Special Edition (2-disc)
• Full Metal Jacket: Deluxe Edition
• The Shining: Special Edition (2-disc)

Each of the films have been restored and remastered, and will include both archive and new bonus features. Also included in the set is the documentary “Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures“. Missing from the set are Lolita and Barry Lyndon, however, these titles will be released individually on October 23rd as well. No new release of Dr. Strangelove is planned, which is also not a part of this set. Eyes Wide Shut will include both rated and unrated versions, and all titles in the set (with the exception of Full Metal Jacket) will be available separately, including the documentary.

It’s available on Amazon.com right now at the reduced price of $54.99 (list price is $79.98).

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Beginning on December 5th in Los Angeles, the United States will be getting its very own Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival (JVAFF).  If you’re not familiar with the fest, it has been a successful event run annually in Paris, France for the past fifteen years, and is now making its first U.S. debut.

The event will run through December 15th at two historic venues - The Shrine Auditorium and the Los Angeles Theatre.  On the first day of the festival, Dec. 5, the Shrine Auditorium will host Jules Vern Day, an educational fair and exhibition for students and youth.  Over 3,000 students will attend on this date for free.  Day two of the event will feature the green carpet opening ceremony and awards.  The JVAFF’s French creators, Jean Christophe Jeauffre and Frederic Dieudonne, and event emcee Malcolm McDowell will welcome this year’s Jules Verne Award Honorees.  This year, Ted Turner will be honored with a Spirit of Nature Award, and Jean-Michel Cousteau will receive a Lifetime Achievement Ward.

JVAFF was begun 15 years ago with funding support from Jacques Cousteau, and was  “based on the idea of exploring and preserving the planet”, said Jeauffre.  “This was years before global warming, yet there was already the idea that change was urgently needed.  The festival has grown into something where science meets fiction - it’s about re-imagining ourselves, our way of life and our future for the better.  Building the energy to restore the planet is the greatest adventure of all time, a true celebration of life, and we can come together to act on it.  Like Jules Verne, whose generation faced the unknown frontiers of the industrial revolution, we are living in profoundily exciting times,” he continued.

If the success and prominence of Al Gore’s global warming initiatives, as the attention the issue has received in recent years, is anything to go by, this green carpet event is likely to be a hit. If you’re in L.A., check it out.  To find out more about the event, as well as an itinerary, visit their website at jvaff.org.

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Back in May of this year it was announced that Robert Rodriguez would be directing a remake of the 1968 film Barberella with Universal Studios, which originally starred Jane Fonda.  Fast-forward to today, and it looks like it may be awhile before we see a remake of this film, after Universal Studios decided to dump it.   It’s not a rumor at this point either - all parties involved have confirmed the parting of ways.

What is up in the air, however, are the exact reasons why Universal had a change of heart.  According to IGN Movies, there are two explanations floating about. First is that Universal started getting cold feet over Rodriguez’s decision to cast Rose McGowan in the leading role.  It is rumored that the studio was hoping for a bigger name star such as Jessica Alba or Halle Berry, and had no faith that McGowan could carry the film.  Rodriguez, however, is disputing that claim and, according to IGN, said that the project’s increasing budget was the reason for Universal’s pullout.  Universal initially agreed to a budget of $60 million, but it’s ending up near $82 million.  Rodriguez told IGN that Universal is still willing to make it for the initial $60 million agreement, but he is holding out for the full $83 million budget.  So the question at this point is, is anyone going to take him up on that, or will Barbarella soon be forgotten?

Rodriguez tells IGN that Universal is still willing to sign off on a $60 million Barbarella, but he’s still holding out for the full $82 million budget. Any takers?

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Magnolia Pictures will be offering a sneak preview of the war documentary film REDACTED on Nov 1, 2007.

Renowned film director Brian de Palma, of Scarface and The Untouchables, brings to you a vivid story of a group of American soldiers stationed in a checkpoint deep in Iraq. This film attempts to illuminate how the current conflict has deeply affected US soldiers in their every day encounter with the Iraqi people.

Brian de Palma’s style of blending video diaries, documentaries, surveillance footage, online testimonials, and news pieces is sure to give you a truly unique cinematic experience.

REDACTED premiers in NY theaters this coming Nov 16, 2007.

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First Look Pictures just announced the screening and press day schedule for the comedy film, The Amateurs.

Screenings are as follows:

• October 24, 4:30pm – Sunset Screening Room, 8730 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood
• November 5, 7:30pm – Raleigh Studios Fairbanks Screening Room, 650 N. Bronson Ave. , Hollywood
• November 14, 7:30pm – Raleigh Studios Fairbanks Screening Room, 650 N. Bronson Ave. , Hollywood

Actors Jeff Bridges and Ted Danson will be available for interviews on the movie’s Nov 14 press day at The Four Season Hotel, Beverly Hills. Interested parties can send their RSVP here.

Here is the official sypnosis:

Down-and-out divorcee Andy Sargentee (Jeff Bridges), with the help of his five motley friends, brainstorms a genius idea to make their dreams come true. They are going to rally their small town to produce an amateur adult film!  They think they’ve found the road to fame and fortune, but their fantasy quickly turns into a hilarious misadventure as they encounter more than a few bumps in the road. Their good natured attempts lead to the creation of the most un-adult, adult film ever.  See how THE AMATEURS bring an entire small town together, in the biggest comedic disaster turned boffo box office success.

The Amateurs will be in theaters on Dec 7, 2007.

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In support of the The WAR Soundtrack CD released last Sept 11, Legacy Records has made available to the public the “The War” podcasts.

The podcasts contain soundtracks from the just aired PBS TV-series, The War, a documentary on WWII as recounted by a few men and women during those turbulent years.

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The much awaited thriller movie, SAW IV, will premier in style.

A movie marathon showing all previous SAW movies (I,II,II) will be seen in selected theaters on Oct 25, 2007 before the midnight screening of SAW IV.

To find theaters hosting the SAW marathon near you, please check your local listings or visit www.saw4.com for further information. 

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Its official, Jamie Foxx will be joining CMA Awards Vocal Group of the Year Rascal Flatts for a performance during the  “The 41st Annual CMA Awards“ on Nov. 7 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network.

Jamie and the Rascal Flatts will do a duet on “She Goes All the Way”.

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