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During the mid-1970s, television producer Aaron Spelling and the writing duo of Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts hit upon the most spectacularly novel idea: Viewers loved watching women solve crimes. The eureka moment occurred in 1974 when the great and ludicrously beautiful Angie Dickinson scored a primetime hit with "Police Woman." While I'd argue Dickinson could've burned up the Nielsen ratings via weekly readings of Russian literature shot at the Bob's Big Boy in Burbank, she was a must-watch sensation as a glamorously attired detective. Though the scripts were rigorously formulaic for a '70s hour-long cop show, Dickinson's showbiz rep attracted a host of top tier guest stars; "Police Woman" didn't have much of a hook, but thanks to its star, it had plenty of sizzle.

It took some prodding (ABC execs Barry Diller and Michael Eisner abhorred Spelling's pitch), but "Charlie's Angels" became the breakout hit of the 1976 season.

Is Bad Boys II Michael Bay’s best-worst movie? Is it the most entertaining, so-bad-its-good mainstream action movie ever made?

If the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting different results, then one could argue Michael Bay is downright certifiable. After all, who announces their directorial debut with a movie as bold and brash as Bad Boys and proceeds to repeat, nay, magnify the same screenwriting mistakes in the critically panned sequel Bad Boys II? Then again, does it even matter? Despite being released eight years after the original, Bad Boys II may have been eviscerated by critics but proved to be bulletproof among the moviegoing masses. Instead of taking precise measures to tighten the story and bolster the witty banter between Miami Narcotics officers Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, Bay doubled down on the explosive action set-pieces and visceral chase sequences. The bet paid off so...

Hollywood is bursting with "what if" scenarios -- "Sliding Doors" moments where actors, writers, directors, and craftspeople almost made a certain project, or almost walked away from a job that would become huge for their careers. With the benefit of hindsight, these situations are often fun to think about -- especially if, as in the case in today's example, A) the two people competing for a part were vying for a memorable role in a well-known movie, and B) they both went on to have great careers, so the thought exercise doesn't feel mean-spirited or just plain sad.

In an oral history of "Zoolander" published by Vanity Fair in 2021, "Zoolander" writer, producer, director, and star Ben Stiller explained how Owen Wilson nearly didn't end up playing Hansel, Derek Zoolander's rival-male-model-turned-friend, and identified the surprising actor who almost took the role instead:

"We wrote Hansel for Owen Wilson. But at a certain point,...

Steven Weisberg, who edited films for directors like Alfonso Cuarón, Barry Sonnenfeld, Rodrigo García and others, has died at the age of 68.

Weisberg died on Oct. 16 at the Motion Picture and Television County House and Hospital. His ex-wife, Susan Ellicott, announced his death to The Hollywood Reporter. He was living at the Woodland Hills facility, receiving treatment for the last five years for early onset Alzheimer’s. He received that diagnosis at the age of 55.

Born in New York City on Jan. 16, 1955, Steven Charles Weisberg attended Syracuse University and Binghamton University. He began working as an editor in the 1980s, receiving his first credit as an associate editor on “Gaby: A True Story” in 1987.

He would work with Cuarón on “A Little Princess” in 1995, “Great Expectations” in 1998 and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” in 2004. Along with those films, he cut Barry Sonnenfeld’s Fox pilot for a live-action...

Steven Weisberg, a film editor who cut features for directors Alfonso Cuarón, Barry Sonnenfeld, Rodrigo García and others, has died. He was 68.

Weisberg died Oct. 16 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills after five years of care for early onset Alzheimer’s, his ex-wife, Susan Ellicott, announced. He was diagnosed when he was 55, she said.

Weisberg collaborated with Cuarón on A Little Princess (1995), Great Expectations (1998) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004); with Sonnenfeld on the 2001 Fox pilot for The Tick, Big Trouble (2002) and Men in Black II (2002); and with García on Mother and Child (2009) and Albert Nobbs (2011).

Born in New York City on Jan. 16, 1955, Steven Charles Weisberg attended the State University of New York at Binghamton and Syracuse University and received an associate editor credit on Gaby: A True Story (1987).

His résumé also included The Cable Guy (1996), Permanent Midnight (1998), Nurse Betty (2000), I Am David...

Steven Weisberg, a film editor whose career through the ’90s onward led him to collaborations with directors like Alfonso Cuarón, Barry Sonnenfeld and Barry Levinson, died Oct. 16 at the Motion Picture & Television Fund hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif. after several years of care for early onset Alzheimer’s. He was 68.

Weisberg’s death was confirmed by his ex-wife, Susan Ellicott.

Two of Cuarón’s early films, “Great Expectations” and “A Little Princess,” were edited by Weisberg. The two reunited for a foray into franchise filmmaking, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”

Weisberg also had a knack for editing studio comedies, with his first major feature credit being Ben Stiller’s directorial debut, the 1996 thriller “The Cable Guy.” Other notable credits include a string of Barry Sonnenfeld projects — the short-lived 2001 live-action series “The Tick” and his features “Big Trouble” and “Men in Black II” — as well as “Permanent Midnight,...

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There are ostensibly three trajectories for alumni of the “Real Housewives” franchise: bankruptcy, jail and in the more successful of cases, a slew of entrepreneurial ventures targeted at the stars’ loyal fanbases. On the heels of the Season 11 premiere of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” there’s no better time than now to try out all the best housewives-made products… or the ones that have survived, at least.

Some wives have charted surprisingly viable paths for themselves on the backs of their reality stardom, such as “The Real Housewives of New York City” star Bethenny Frankel and Beverly Hills’ Lisa Vanderpump. A handful of other housewives, however, never made it past a plot-line on the show.

There’s no question Hulu wants to get its viewers in the Halloween mood — the streaming service will add a fresh slate of horror movies to its collection once October hits. In addition to watching Jigsaw psychologically torture victims in “Saw,” “Saw 2” and “Saw 6,” audiences will also be able to see the original Hill House in the 1963 thriller “The Haunting.” For those in the mood for a classic, horror favorites from Alfred Hitchcock will also become available come Oct. 1, including “Rear Window,” “Psycho” and “The Birds.”

Anticipated Hulu Originals will also premiere this coming month. Season 2 of “Light as a Feather” will launch on the streamer on Oct. 4, while “Looking for Alaska,” based on John Green’s best-selling novel of the same name, will premiere on Oct. 18.

Scroll through the list below:

Oct. 1

60 Days In: Season 5

Alien Encounters: Season 2-3

American Pickers: Season 19

Basketball Wives La: Seasons 1-5

Biography: The...

Spooky season is upon us, and Hulu is getting into the spirit with a number of horror or Halloween-themed offerings on its October line-up.

Along with Hulu originals like the horror anthology “Into the Dark” and the second season of Stephen King’s “Castle Rock,” the streamer is also offering films from the “Saw,” “Blade” and “Hellraiser” franchises beginning next month. For the more faint of heart, Hulu is also offering three seasons of Food Network’s “Halloween Wars” and the surely adorable “Kids Halloween Baking Championship.”

Not specifically Halloween-themed, but potentially haunting: All six seasons of the original run of “The Hills” will be available to stream on Oct. 1 for those looking to revisit the halcyon days of reality television and questionable late-aughts fashion.

Also Read: Lizzy Caplan's Annie Wilkes Arrives, Causes Mayhem in Hulu's 'Castle Rock' Season 2 Teaser (Video)

Hulu is also debuting all seven...

Amazon Prime Video has confirmed that five original shows will be debuting new episodes on the streaming service in September. Among these are the first seasons of the groundbreaking animated series “Undone,” which will be available in both 4K and Hrd, and the German import “Chris Tall Presentes,” an unscripted series starring the comedian. Another animated series, “Niko And The Sword of Light,” returns for a sophomore season. And “Transparent” will sign off with a sung finale.

The Amazon original film “Late Night” will start streaming justt a few months after its successful theatrical run. Mindy Kaling both wrote and starred in this wry look at the world of TV, with Emma Thompson stealing scenes as the beleaguered host of a failing talk show.

Below is the full schedule of everything that is coming to Amazon Prime Video in September 2019. Unlike Netflix, Amazon does not disclose the shows and movies...

Amazon is out with its list of new additions coming to Prime Video next month, and you’ll want to mark your calendar for the epic musical finale of “Transparent,” coming Sept. 27.

“Chris Tall Presents…” — the first unscripted German Amazon Original which features six episodes of the comedian performing stand-up and introducing his friends as guests — will premiere at a date still to be determined. The same is the case for “Family Man,” a new Amazon Original series which, according to the streaming giant, tells the story of a middle-class man who works for a special cell of the National Investigation Agency.

Other Prime Originals include the first seasons of “El Corazón de Sergio Ramos,” about the Spanish soccer player, and the animated series “Undone.” “Rango,” “Legally Blonde” and “Saturday Night Fever” are among some of the already released movies that will now be available on Prime.

Adam Parfrey, whose Feral House publishing company was a resource for underground, extreme and what some may consider “forbidden” knowledge, has died. His death at age 61 was announced on the official Feral House Facebook page.

Born in Los Angeles into a show business family – his father was actor Woody Parfrey, whose extensive film and television career was often chronicled by his son via Facebook – Parfrey grew up in the punk culture of the ’70s and ’80s.

His edgy works for Amok Publishing soon gave way to his own imprint, Feral House, which was the source and authority for many Hollywood films that explored the underground, including the Tim Burton film Ed Wood, the American Hardcore feature documentary, and Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground, for which he also co-wrote the screenplay.

Parfrey was on the cutting edge of subjects that other publishers did not have...

Among the many American independent films made in the ‘90s, few reflect the climate better than “In the Soup.” Director Alexandre Rockwell’s black-and-white comedy, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, follows wannabe New York filmmaker Adolpho Rolo (a young Steve Buscemi) as he attempts to turn his 500-page screenplay into a movie starring his next-door neighbor Angelica (Jennifer Beals). Adolpho’s ambitions are exploited by the mysterious Joe (Seymour Cassel in one of his most endearing performances). The alternately charming and confrontational cigar-chomping raconteur proclaims his desire to produce Adolpho’s movie, while forcing him into a series of strange criminal antics, as Adolpho’s project drifts further away from his original intentions.

The scrappy movie resembles the indie-filmmaking energy at the time — not for nothing does Jim Jarmusch make a cameo — and remains a charming statement on the conflict between artistic passion and...

The screenwriter behind such family fare as Cool Runnings, Little Giants, and Snow Dogs, Tommy Swerdlow spent nearly two decades addicted to heroin and methadone, and with any addiction also comes the unceasing search for the next fix. He’s now channeled these experiences for his directorial debut, A Thousand Junkies, and we’re pleased to premiere the trailer today courtesy of The Orchard. Starring alongside co-writer Tj Bowen and the late Blake Heron–both of whom Swerdlow met in AA–one can’t imagine a more authentic rendering of such a life-consuming addiction than what this pitch-black buddy comedy captures.

“The film embodies a statement made by Jerry Stahl, writer of Permanent Midnight: a good friend who is a junkie will do all of your drugs and then spend the day helping you look for them,” John Fink said in our Tribeca Film Festival review. “A Thousand Junkies...

Television, film, and video games composer Daniel Licht, best known for his work on Showtime’s “Dexter,” died late Wednesday following a battle with cancer. He was 60. Originally from Detroit, Licht’s first major work was scoring the 1991 horror film “Children of the Night.” His compositions caught the attention of Clive Barker, who tapped Licht to score “Hellraiser: Bloodline.” Licht scored numerous horror films but also forayed into more mainstream fare like the Ben Stiller film “Permanent Midnight,” and indies like “The Winner” and “Cowboy Up.” Licht’s work on “Dexter” was well regarded, and each season’s soundtrack was released for sale.

Michael Grodner's The Icarus Line Must Die is set to have its World Premiere when it opens La’s Non Plussed Fest on July 14th. To mark the occasion Screen Anarchy was sent the trailer and a number of images which you may peruse below. You will find more info about the fest and ticket information here. The Icarus Line Must Die is a narrative feature inspired by the No Wave films of the late seventies/early eighties and explores the La underground music scene. The film tracks Joe Cardamone, front man of The Icarus Line, as he navigates his way through the ups and downs of the modern music landscape. Ariel Pink, Keith Morris (Black Flag/Circle Jerks) and Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight) are...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Joe Cardamone knows a thing or two about being in a lauded band with trouble and tragedy to spare. The former frontman of The Icarus Line, once billed by The Guardian as no less than “the greatest rock group of the 21st century,” struck out on his own back in 2015, so it’s only fitting that Michael Grodner’s narrative feature — appropriately titled “The Icarus Line Must Die” — will have its world premiere later this month after first starting filming that same year.

Di”The Icarus Line Must Die” is a narrative feature inspired by the No Wave films of the late ’70s and early ’80s and explores the La underground music scene. The film tracks Cardamone as a veiled version of himself — also a guy named Joe, also the frontman of a band called The Icarus Line — as he navigates his way through the ups and downs of the modern music landscape.

Punctuated with banter about the best places to score, which gas station bathroom is the best for shooting up, which neighborhoods have cops roaming, where in downtown can one get a bag of coke on a tight budget, and from whom can they steal to score the next fix, Tommy Swerdlow’s pitch-black slice of life A Thousand Junkies is a bleak, yet engaging look at a day in the life of three junkie friends. Simultaneously absurd, playful, and horrific, Trainspotting this is not.

Told as a matter-of-fact buddy comedy, the film is inspired by the real-life struggles of its stars. Director Tommy Swerdlow and co-writer Tj Bowen, along with friend Blake Heron, play Tommy, Tj and Blake, respectively, three guys that met randomly. Tommy is a successful screenwriter who occasionally uses his contacts for “get well,” a term they use to score a fix so that they can function.

Few film festivals in the world double as an acquisitions marketplace quite like the Toronto International Film Festival, which will screen more than 300 movies between September 8 and September 18. Most of these films have yet to land a U.S. distributor, and only a select group of titles will secure a distribution deal before the end of the fest.

Which movies are likely to be swarmed by buyers at Tiff 2016? Here are nine hot titles from the lineup that could be prime targets for acquisition execs.

“The Bad Batch”

Writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour’s follow-up to her hit debut “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” is billed as a “dystopian love story in a Texas wasteland.” The film follows a young girl named Samantha (Suki Waterhouse) who’s been banished from civilized society and ends up escaping from a community of cannibals. Produced by Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures, the film stars Keanu Reeves,...

Ben Stiller's professional onscreen career is officially turning 30 this year — that's roughly 412 in comedian years. In a business where funny people tend to quickly exhaust their limited charm and sink from telling jokes to becoming a punchline, the restless and versatile Stiller has managed to sustain one of the most consistent comic careers this side of Bob Hope. From his days as a bit player to his later emergence as a force of nature in front of the camera and behind the scenes (you have his production company Red...

Exclusive: Danny Masterson has joined Pierce Brosnan in the thriller feature Urge as cameras get set to roll this month in New York. Producer Aaron Kaufman (Machete Kills, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, Chef) is making his directorial debut with the film, about a group of friends on holiday on an island who get caught up in a dangerous new designer drug that makes them lose their ability to control their urges. Masterson will play Neal, the cutthroat but secretly lonely hedge fund tycoon who treats his friends to the island getaway. The That ’70s Show alum, who most recently starred on TBS’s comedy series Men At Work, is also producing Urge alongside Skip Williamson (Underworld) and Mark Neveldine (Crank) who are producing through their Blackmrkt Incorporated banner. Bridgeworks Media Capital, Tci and Tresoro Ventures are backing the project, with Tim Smith, Alastair Burlingham, Lee Vandermolen, Yoram Barzilai,...

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty looks like Forrest Gump on acid. That being said, I really want to see it. Ben Stiller has proven to be an adept dramatic actor (Permanent Midnight, The Royal Tenenbaums) and as a director he has done a fine job with Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, Zoolander, and Tropic Thunder. But, there never seemed to be anything behind the camera that was more than just workmanlike. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty appears to be Stiller breaking out of his directorial...

Breaking Bad is over and what a finale it was, although it may have been predictable based on what we knew from the flash forward at the start of the season, it still didn’t disappoint and was full of stirring and thrilling moments. More importantly, now that this is over, Netflix crucially need to up their game.

Hansel and Gretel and Texas Chainsaw, two pretty dire entries from earlier this year, just are not going to cut it against Argo and The Perks of Being a Wallflower regardless of who did what at the box office. Netflix seem to have the monopoly on quality catalogue titles this week with some little seen gems with Permanent Midnight and Orange County but this means nothing to the public and mostly registers with nerds like me.

This isn’t a suggestion that the company is in trouble at all but consider what...

The Panic in Needle Park

Written by Joan Dion and John Gregory Dunne; based on the book by James Mills

Directed by Jerry Schatzberg

USA, 1971

Al Pacino gives a riveting performance as Bobby, an energetic street hustler and heroin addict who forms a bizarre, yet accepting relationship with a homeless woman, Helen, played by Kitty Winn. The Panic in Needle Park is a gut-wrenching expose into the drug culture in New York City. American films of the late sixties, such as Easy Rider, Performance and The Trip, portrayed the edgy glamour and counter-culture boom of the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll revolution, but after the release of The Panic in Needle Park, filmmakers forecast the downward spiral of addiction. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll transgressed into heroin, prostitution and jail. To this day, no other film has topped the realistic portrayal of the drug culture. Shot in a documentary-like fashion,...

Although the results of our polls can be somewhat easy to predict, I have to admit that this time around I was pretty surprised by the outcome. Last week we asked Film Junk readers to pick their favourite Ben Stiller movie and in the end it was the Jim Carrey starring vehicle The Cable Guy that came out on top. Not only was this movie pretty poorly received when it was initially released, but Ben Stiller also has a very minor role in it (he did, however, direct it). So are Film Junkies saying that they prefer Stiller's direction over his acting? Well, he also directed the #2 film, Zoolander, although it is one of his biggest headlining roles as well. The Royal Tenenbaums placed third (another film in which he has a smaller role), while There's Something About Mary and Tropic Thunder rounded out the top 5. Permanent Midnight, one...

Owen Wilson is not known for his dramatic output. You can pretty much count the serious movies that he has been in on one hand: Armageddon, Permanent Midnight, The Minus Man, Behind Enemy Lines, and Marley And Me. For some of those, I am being generous in calling them serious. But, Wilson will be taking what could be his first starring role in a thriller in The Coup from writer/director John Erick Dowdle (Devil). Crime Scene Pictures will produce the film which Dowdle co-wrote with his...

"Who is that large dirty man in those disgustingly soiled clothes?" Get a longer look at Clive Owen playing Ernest Hemingway and Nicole Kidman as his journalist third wife Martha Gellhorn in the trailer for the upcoming HBO film "Hemingway & Gellhorn," below. Directed by Philip Kaufman (who hasn't helmed a film since the 2004 Ashley Judd thriller "Twisted") from a script by Jerry Stahl (of "Permanent Midnight") and Barbara Turner, the film traces the writer pair's tumultuous five-year marriage and their experiences covering the Spanish Civil War. The trailer appears mighty sumptuous while also sometimes veering perilously close to looking like a parody of a prestige period drama (consider the way Owen drawls "War correspondant?" while clutching a glass of whiskey). David Strathairn, Molly Parker, Rodrigo Santoro, Parker Posey and Metallica's Lars Ulrich (!) fill out the...

Nick still needs a Nora.

A new version of Dashiell Hammett's "The Thin Man" is moving forward, and director Rob Marshall has made key decisions about what the film will be like -- but some questions remain, such as who will play Johnny Depp's wife?

"I think anticipation [for the film] must be high," Marshall said while attending the Princess Grace Awards gala last week in New York. "People are even asking me, 'Are you going to write it?'"

Marshall won't be handling those duties -- screenwriter Billy Ray ("The Hunger Games," "Shattered Glass") is now aboard, after Jerry Stahl ("Permanent Midnight") and David Koepp ("Premium Rush," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"). "It's funny that those writers were even announced," Marshall said, "because we hadn't really started with either of them, with Jerry or David. Neither had written a word. Billy is the first writer who's actually writing a draft.

The Mountain is the name of the script by Helen Childress, and Ben Stiller wants to direct it.

Childress, which sounds like a fake name my friend Jessica and I came up with, wrote the 1992 ennui/angst Gen X flick Reality Bites in which Stiller starred. Apparently, The Mountain is a script version of the Edith Wharton's 1917 novel Summer, set in the early 1900s, in which a woman finds a strange object that makes her confront her horrific secreted past. The protagonist of the novel, Charity Royall, has a sexual awakening despite the horrible abuse she suffers at the hands of her husband - there's also a brooch and several men who treat her like shit. How exactly this has been turned into a "horror" story I'm not sure - unless you count early twentieth century mountain-people poverty as horrific, which I do.

Comedian Stiller may seem like an unlikely choice to direct horror,...

He may not be able to control what happens with The Lone Ranger’s budget worries, but Johnny Depp is much more firmly in charge of his plan to get a new take on The Thin Man into cinemas, hiring David Koepp to start writing a script for the film that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides director Rob Marshall will bring to life.Back in March, Depp engaged Permanent Midnight’s Jerry Stahl to take a crack at adapting Dashiel Hammett’s fifth and final novel, which appeared in 1934 and was almost immediately filmed with William Powell in the lead. But according to Deadline, Stahl never actually cranked anything out, so now the even more experienced Koepp is aboard instead.Koepp will reportedly go back to the source novel, which finds retired detective Nick Charles (the role Depp will play) marrying wealthy socialite Nora and generally boozing it...

I’ve reported on the Thin Man remake that Johnny Depp is attached to star in a couple times before. First, there was the news that “Permanent Midnight” author Jerry Stahl would be writing the new screenplay for the film. Then there was word that past Depp collaborator Rob Marshall would be stepping in to direct. A new round of updates on the development of this project seem to confirm that, yes, Marshall is still attached to sit in the director’s chair. However, it seems that Stahl never actually did any writing for the film, so the suits have gotten a new guy to start a script from scratch. According to Deadline Rockland, veteran screenwriter David Koepp has now been charged with the duty of updating the exploits of married P.I. team Nick and Nora Charles. Koepp’s name doesn’t really tell me much about what to expect from this movie. He...

With "The Lone Ranger" not so much riding into the sunset as being shot dead at high noon by the folks over at Disney, Johnny Depp will have to find something else to do and seems to be using the new space in his calendar to get one of the many projects he has in development moving. While it was initially announced that Jerry Stahl (”Bad Boys II,” "Permanent Midnight") was going to pen the remake/reboot/whatever of "The Thin Man," Deadline reports that no script has actually been written yet and that David Koepp has now been tasked to write…...

A few years ago I was at my local library (support yours please) looking for a good read. I came across some work by Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight) including I, Fatty. This book is a fictionalized autobiography of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, a famous silent film comedian, I was intrigued. After finishing the book a few nights later I began the inevitable Internet searches for more on Arbuckle, the not so fictionalized life. Needless to say what I found was pretty messed up. Arbuckle (1887-1933) I would soon learn was more than a star; he was a comedian, director and screenwriter who mentored Charlie Chaplin and discovered Buster Keaton and Bob Hope. He was also accused of rape and murder.

This week comes word that a TV movie The Day The Laughter Stopped is set to chronicle the sudden and tragic downfall of Arbuckle’s career after facing false accusations of rape and murder.

A trailer has been released for the new comedy heist film, Tower Heist, which was directed by Brett Ratner. I almost didn’t recognize Eddie Murphy without his animated Donkey suit on, where has be been hiding? It’s nice to see Ben Stiller playing someone who has a clue, I don’t want to hate on him because he’s actually a really great actor when given the right roles such as Greenburg, Permanent Midnight, Happy Gilmore (click). Does Casey Affleck know he’s in another Oceans movie? So many questions…

The film is set to come out on November 11th 2011, check out the trailer below:...

It's a long time since Woody Allen has had a success to match Midnight in Paris. In fact he never has. Opening in the Us on 22 May, at a cost of around $30m, it has already grossed in the region of $40m. Is that just Paris and "midnight"? Is it the amiable, lackadaisical air of the very light film? (If it wasn't on a string it might fly away.) Or is it Owen Wilson? He plays the screenwriter hoping to be more respectable who gets to meet Scott, Zelda, Hem and Gertrude Stein when a splendid antique car comes by on a back street at midnight? It helps a lot that Wilson isn't Woody. Allen cast himself as his romantic lead way too long, and it's refreshing to see Wilson – that rarity among male stars now in that he's a true blond – who looks smart enough to have written something,...

The Los Angeles Film Festival is in full swing and a couple of our gurus are right in the midst of things!

The Film Independent’s excellent La Film Fest is full-on happening right now in Downtown Los Angeles and there are at least a few events worth noting, if only (though not exclusively) for their guru-related involvement.

On June 23, the prolific and wise Josh Olson will publicly indulge in his specialty as part of the La Film Fest’s Poolside Chat: Film Rant at the downtown La Jw Marriott Ion Pool Bar at 8:00pm*.

Josh will be in the esteemed company of Illeana Douglas (actor, Grace of My Heart; creator/writer, Easy to Assemble), Jerry Stahl (writer, Permanent Midnight) and Daniel Waters (writer, Heathers). So sayeth Laff:

Sometimes you just want to blow off steam; and sometimes you need an audience there who’ll cheer you on. The...

After working together on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, director Rob Marshall and Johnny Depp will reunite for a remake of the 1934 mystery/comedy The Thin Man. Depp discussed Marshall as the director when the project was first announced back in October, but the Marshall confirmed his involvement in an official statement from Warner Bros.

[On Stranger Tides Producer] John [DeLuca] and I are overjoyed at the idea of working with Johnny again, especially on such a classy and classic project. We are also thrilled to be partnering this time with such wonderful producers as Christi Dembroski and Kevin McCormick, and we are looking forward to working with Warner Bros. to create a reinvention of a beloved story.

In The Thin Man, Depp will play former detective Nick Charles (originally portrayed by William Powell) who, along with his wife Nora (originally played by Myrna Loy) and their dog Asta, solves crimes and engages in witty banter.

Though this one was all but inevitable, there is now full confirmation that Rob Marshall is on board to direct the remake of The Thin Man, which will star his current Pirates cohort Johnny Depp.Permanent Midnight’s Jerry Stahl has penned the script for this new version of the 1934 original, maintaining a lot of the storyline about a former detective (William Powell in the ‘30s film) and his socialite wife (Myrna Loy) who somehow still manage to get tangled up in mysteries.It’s not clear quite how much will change or what will be updated in this new adaptation of Dashiel Hammett’s fifth and final novel, but Depp will take over the Powell role of Nick Charles.According to Variety, Marshall – who was badgered by Depp constantly on the set of On Stranger Tides to take the job – wants to honour the original film’s intent as part of the remake.

There must have been some sort of spark between Rob Marshall and Johnny Depp that occurred on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, for the two are set to reunite once again for a remake of the 1934 film The Thin Man. This project has been under development for some time and Depp has been attached to it as well. Depp has been vouching for the new Pirates director to helm The Thin Man and it seems he has got his wish. Permanent Midnight scribe Jerry Stahl has been hired to pen the screenplay based on the original Dashiell Hammett Novel.

Here is what the newly hired director had to say about the project in a statement released by Warner Brothers.

“John and I are overjoyed at the idea of working with Johnny again, especially on such a classy and classic project. We are also thrilled to...

Last October, while Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was still in production, we reported that leading man Johnny Depp was already urging Marshall to re-team with him to craft a remake of the classic detective comedy The Thin Man. Well Deadline’s revealed Marshall has officially signed on to helm the remake in which Depp will star as Nick Charles, a quirky detective whose partner in crime(solving) is his sassy wife Nora. Robb recently spoke with clear enthusiasm about the project:

John (DeLuca) and I are overjoyed at the idea of working with Johnny again, especially on such a classy and classic project… We are looking forward to working with Warner Bros. to create a reinvention of a beloved story.

For those unfamiliar, The Thin Man was a book scribed by Dashiell Hammett, the iconic novelist who inspired one of film noir’s most esteemed entries: The Maltese Falcon.

Johnny Depp must have really enjoyed his time with director Rob Marshall while making Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides because the two will now, officially, team up to remake the 1934 film The Thin Man. Depp had been developing the project for sometime and it was previously rumored [1] that he wanted Marshall on board. Obviously, that rumor was true. In addition we already knew that [2] Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight) would be writing the screenplay based on the original Dashiell Hammett novel but now he'll be backed by producers Marshall and John DeLuca. Read more about the film after the break. Warner Bros. issued the following, short and sweet, press release announcing the deal: Rob Marshall and John DeLuca have officially signed on to the Warner Bros. planned remake of The Thin Man. The pair will produce the film via their Lucamar Productions banner. Award-winning director Marshall is also confirmed to direct.

The kids return with the second of their Listener Appreciation shows, wherein three movies suggested by the listeners are examined.

First up, we take a look at the Canadian Heavy Metal, "Rock & Rule," an animated rock & roll story about weird mouse people caught in a Faustian plot from 1983. The flick features music by Lou Reed, Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop.

Then we get caught up in a journey to Lost Vegas in the retro, post-apocalyptic "Six-String Samurai," starring an annoying little kid and The Red Elvises, from 1998.

Finally, everything gets really weird and erotic in 1989's surreal, expressionist "Dr. Caligari," from the team of Stephen Sayadian (a.k.a. porn director Rinse Dream) and Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight, Alf, Night Dreams).

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(from left) Eva Green, Jessica Biel, Paula Patton, Eva Mendes and Kate Bosworth We'll kick things off today with Deadline's list of actresses reading for key parts in Sony Pictures' Total Recall remake, starring Colin Farrell. Kate Bosworth and Eva Mendes are said to be reading for the part of Lori, the femme fatale played by Sharon Stone in the original. Diane Kruger was also on Sony's list, but she has apparently opted out of the reading. Mendes, along with Paula Patton, is also reading for the role of Melina, previously played by Rachel Ticotin. Jessica Biel and and Eva Green are also in contention for Melina, who helps the protagonist get to the bottom of the futuristic scandal on Mars. No word yet on who might take on the film's most important female role: the woman with three breasts.

Deadline also reports that the script for the live action...

Chances are you’ve heard of The Thin Man already. First it was one of the most famous detective novels written by one of the most famous detective novel writers, and then it was a famous big screen adaptation from the 30s, back when film noir was all the rage. The novel, written by Dashiell Hammett, introduced the world to the characters of Nick and Nora Charles, a married couple who specialize in detective work. Or at least Nick does. Nora specializes more in providing banter. The film version spawned an entire series of sequels that went on to develop the Charles’ characters beyond what Hammett wrote in his original tale. Well now, in keeping with modern Hollywood’s modus operandi, The Thin Man is going to be remade. We wouldn’t want a possible franchise resurrection to sit on the shelf for too long. Johnny Depp will be playing the new version of Nick Charles as...

"Permanent Midnight" author and screenwriter Jerry Stahl has signed on to pen a script for "The Thin Man" remake at Warner Bros. Pictures says Heat Vision.

The 1934 film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, based on Dashiell Hammett's novel, follows an alcoholic former P.I. named Nick Charles and his wealthy heiress wife Nora who investigate a murder that involves an eccentric inventor and his bizarre family.

These polished and sophisticated society types spend as much time engaging in witty banter with each other as they do investigating the crime. Five sequels were produced, while David Niven and Maggie Smith's memorable roles in 1976 satire "Murder By Death" were directly inspired by the series.

The aim is to keep the period setting of the book, but adopt a contemporary sensibility. Johnny Depp is attached to star and produce while Rob Marshall is in negotiations to direct.

Christi Dembrowski and Kevin McCormick will also produce.

Last year, we reported that Depp wanted Rob Marshall to direct a new version of Dashiell Hammett’s novel The Thin Man. The actor had lobbied for the director after the two worked together on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. However, there has not been too much to report on since then. But know it looks like the film has a new screenwriter.

The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the news, also added that screenwriter Jerry Stahl has been hired to pen the script.

The book saw the Charles couple investigate a murder involving an eccentric inventor and his bizarre family. The studio put the remake into development in October, taking its time to find a writer who would give it a contemporary attitude but retain the period setting.

Depp will produce with his Infinitum Nihil partner Christi Dembrowski. Kevin McCormick is producing via his studio-based Langley Park.

We’re still not convinced Johnny Depp will completely commit to starring in a remake of seminal private eye classic The Thin Man, frankly because it’s a property that’s way cooler than he is right now and it’s strictly not a Tim Burton or Jack Sparrow type-movie, but Warner Bros seem optimistic as hell he will.

THR say they have just hired Jerry Stahl (Bad Boys II) to write the screenplay. Depp and his Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides director Rob Marshall (Potc 4) have been attached since October.

Based on the classic tale by Dashiell Hammett, The Thin Man would follow Depp as Nick Charles, a guy who marries into a wealthy family who allow him to retire and live a life of debauchery (if only we were all so lucky, eh?). There he becomes a loveable alcoholic who teams up with his socialite wife...

Once he's done getting ghoulish with his update of Dark Shadows, Johnny Depp wants to (slightly) lighten things up with a new version of The Thin Man. Depp and Warner Bros. have novelist/screenwriter Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight) now working on the update. Like the Oscar-nominated classic featuring William Powell and Myrna Loy, it will be based on the book by pulp mystery master Dashiell Hammett, but will also reportedly include elements of the non-Hammett movie sequels. Stahl was on the...

As previously reported, Johnny Depp has apparently either developed a thing for Dashiel Hammett or William Powell, preparing a new version of The Thin Man with Warner Bros. and On Stranger Tides' director Rob Marshall. The sozzled private eye project now has a writer: Jerry Stahl is taking a crack at The Thin Man's eccentric script.The Thin Man, you'll be well aware, was Hammett's fifth and final novel, published in 1934 and filmed the same year starring Powell as supposedly-retired gumshoe Nick Charles, and Myrna Loy as his wealthy socialite wife Nora (and "Skippy" as their Fox Terrier). Hammet never wrote a follow-up, but the brilliant, breezy, fast-talking murder mystery spawned five movie sequels, which eventually forgot that the titular skinny bloke wasn't actually Powell.Eighty years is a long time for a classic novel to go without an adaptation though, hence Depp's enthusiasm and today's news. Stahl is...

Last year, there was news that Johnny Depp wanted to star [1] in a new version of The Thin Man, based on the Dashiell Hammett novel that spawned a six-film series in the '30s and '40s. He roped in his Pirates of the Caribbean director Rob Marshall, but we haven't heard much about the project since. Would this one move forward or, like other films to which Johnny Depp has been attached over the years, would it hit the back burner? Right now, the film is taking a small step forward as a screenwriter has been hired. Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight) will adapt the novel for Warner Bros. THR [2] says that the idea is to create a script that "would give [The Thin Man] a contemporary attitude but retain the period setting." The story follows drunkard private eye Nick Charles as he and his wife Nora are drawn into a murder case involving a duplicitous family.