Jake Gyllenhaal and Benedict Cumberbatch Are Preparing For a ‘Current War’
The Oscar-nominated pair is in talks to portray George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison in the Weinstein Co.’s period drama about the 19th-century feud over the future of electricity. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl helmer Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is in discussions to direct. Michael Mitnick’s script centers on the electrical rivalry between Edison and Westinghouse in the late 1880s. (EW)
Steven Soderbergh Puts Off His Retirement a Bit Longer, Now Developing New Show For HBO
The prolific producer is developing Mosaic for the cable network, a series that will let viewers control the storyline. Details are being kept under wraps, but Sharon Stone is reportedly set to star, and the audience may be able to use an app that will determine the outcome of the plot. (TVL)
Today In Remake News: Sony Plans To Take Another Shot At ‘Men In Black’, but Without Will Smith
Veteran producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald said in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival that the plan is to revisit the franchise as a brand new trilogy, with the understanding that Smith — who starred as Agent J in the first three films — will not return. (COL)
Netflix Does the Inevitable, Orders 12 More Episodes Of ‘Black Mirror’
Prepare for more terrifying visions of the future. The online streaming giant has officially announced it’s picking up the buzzy sci-fi anthology series for a third season, to consist of 12 episodes. Keep in mind that this show has only put out six episodes (across two seasons) and a Christmas special to date. Netflix is nearly tripling the episode count in one fell swoop. (SF)
Add TV Impresario To Pitbull’s Resumé, as Fox Orders a Drama Series With Him Onboard as EP
Network is developing a drama series about the wealthy community in Miami from writer Sascha Penn and exec producer Armando Christian Perez (that would be Pitbull). Jonathan Levine will direct the project, which will follow teenage Willy as he transfers into the nicest private school in Miami and moves in with his uncle, a celebrity chef. The series, for which Fox bought the script with a penalty, hails from Endemol Shine Studios. (VAR)
Ridley Scott Reveals Title Of ‘Prometheus 2’, and It’s Not ‘Prometheus 2’
Seemingly out of nowhere, the director has revealed the somewhat unexpected title of his sequel to the 2012 film, saying in an interview that the follow-up now is called Alien: Paradise Lost. That by itself is practically a spoiler, indicating the film is more directly connected to the Alien universe than was its predecessor. He explained in the interview that the film will be more a prequel to 1979’s Alien, and the allusion to the poem by John Milton is intentional. (DH)
Ellen Page Finds a Director For Her Real-Life War Drama
Cinematographer turned director Reed Morano has come aboard to helm Lioness, which will star Page as Lance Corporal Leslie Martz, a U.S. Marine who was stationed in Haditha, Iraq, and sent to Afghanistan as the leader of the first Female Engagement Team. Determined to serve her country with the same valor and impact as the men she marches alongside, Martz soon finds herself fighting a war beyond the takedown of key insurgents and the Taliban. (THR)
Colin Trevorrow Continues To Fill Out His ‘Book Of Henry’ Cast, Adds Three More Names
Dean Norris, Lee Pace and Sarah Silverman have all signed on for the next film from the Jurassic World helmer. Little is known about the film outside of the fact that it began as an original screenplay from bestselling novelist Gregg Hurwitz. Naomi Watts has already signed on to play the lead role alongside young stars Jaeden Lieberher and Jacob Tremblay. It starts shooting in New York this month. (CS)
How Much Is A Social Media Influencer’s Audience Really Worth?
A lot more than you think. Advertisers pay for people, they pay for audiences, they pay for eyeballs, they pay for attention, they pay for trust, they pay for influence. More importantly, social media influencers distribute their own content to their followers. And in a world of disposable content, audience loyalty reigns supreme. (AA)
Screenwriters: ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’
The Oscar-nominated, 117-page screenplay by Wes Anderson, with a story credit to Anderson and Hugo Guinness. Script is final shooting draft. (GITS)