Universal Is Having a Devil Of a Time Finding a Director For ‘Furious 8’, After James Wan Was Implored To Return
Finding a new filmmaker to take the helm has proved incredibly difficult. After Wan opted not to return, Universal went to franchise staple Justin Lin, but he chose to direct Star Trek Beyond for Paramount instead. When that happened, Universal went back to Wan with “life-altering money” as part of a new deal, but he once again declined. Apparently, working with producer-star Vin Diesel was taxing, and the search for Wan’s replacement has grown frustrating. (COL)
Ridley Scott Has a Very Definite Plan About When the ‘Prometheus’ Movies Will Meet Up With ‘Alien’
The director, who is reportedly set to start shooting Prometheus 2 in January, said in an interview that he expects to make at least two more movies in the series, and possibly a third, meaning that there will be a total of either three or four Prometheus films before they connect with the Alien franchise. (UR)
FX Wants To Stay In Business With Denis Leary, Renews ‘Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll’
Ten-episode second season will return in 2016 with stars Leary, Elizabeth Gillies, John Corbett, Elaine Hendrix, Robert Kelly and John Ales. In addition to creating the show, Leary also serves as a writer, composer and a director, as well as an Executive Producer along with Jim Serpico. Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is produced by FX Productions and Fox 21 Television Studios. (CS)
New Line Lands Hot Spec Script ‘The Virginian’, Which Casts George Washington as Action Hero
Warner Bros. affiliate has closed a deal to acquire the script, a formative period action thriller about the Founding Father before he found his place in defiance of the British Army. The script is by Michael Gunn, a protege of Aaron Sorkin. This one has had more than its share of buzz around town, because agents of talent have asked to read it on behalf of their star clients, though there is no star attached at this stage. Donald De Line will produce. (DH)
ABC Nabs Baghdad-Set Military Drama Project From Shondaland and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Writer
Untitled show is set circa 2004 among an U.S. Army Medevac team who work out of a base camp in the Iraqi capital. The series revolves around team members who “get on each other’s nerves, sleep with the wrong people, navigate ‘office’ politics and party like there’s no tomorrow.” Zoanne Clack is writing the script for ABC Studios and Shondaland. Clack, Rhimes and Shondaland’s Besty Beers are exec producing for ABC Studios. (VAR)
‘Hellraiser’ Creator Brings Another Of His Properties To Television, Thanks To The CW
One of Clive Barker’s early novels, Weaveworld will be written and produced by Jack Kenny of Warehouse 13. In the TV adaptation, an app designer teams up with a young pastry chef who has just discovered that she is destined to be guardian of a mythological realm that can be accessed through a portal in an old Savannah mansion. Together, they fight an epic battle with evil forces who are vying for control of the magical world. (SF)
Just When You Thought Terry Gilliam Might Finally Make His Don Quixote Movie, It’s Been Delayed Again
After literally decades of trying to get his passion project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote made, the current iteration looked to star Jack O’Connell and John Hurt. But now, Hurt was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and while the actor’s prognosis is actually quite good, the larger issue is that no insurance company will cover him. (CB)
Michael Shannon and Jeff Nichols Are Working Together Yet Again, and They’re Both ‘Loving’ It
Loving will be the fifth collaboration between the actor and director, including the upcoming Midnight Special. Nichols’ new film chronicles the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, who married in 1958 in defiance of Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924, were arrested and exiled from the state, then took the case to the Supreme Court. Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga star. Nick Kroll has just joined the cast. (EMP)
Become a Peanuts Character With 20th Century Fox’s ‘Peanutize Me’ Site
Following in the fun footsteps of its marketing for The Simpsons Movie, 20th Century Fox is promoting the upcoming film The Peanuts Movie with an online avatar maker that invites visitors to create Peanuts versions of themselves. Peanutize Me asks users to craft their likeness from a selection of pre-determined phyisical features and clothing that holds true to Charles Schulz’s style — but it’s still plenty entertaining. (CO)
Screenwriters: Female Protagonists — Whoa, Man! You’re Writing Them All Wrong!
At some point, many male screenwriters throw up their hands and surrender. They stop bothering to imbue the same blood, sweat, bones and guts into their female characters that they do with their male characters. Instead, male-written screenplays feature the following pantheon of poorly conceived familiar character stereo/archetypes. (SM)