SSN Insider Gift Guide: Charitable Presents, Nine Most Buzzed About Films At Doc NYC Fest, Film Development For 11/20/14, McQueen To Direct ‘Widows’

SSN ORIGINALS

SSN Insider 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: Charitable Presents That Give Back

The holiday season is about giving (and eating and drinking and vacationing), so today’s installment looks at ten gift ideas that give back. Each item supports a different cause. (SSN)

The Nine Most Buzzed About Documentaries At This Year’s Doc NYC Festival

The fest, which celebrated its fifth anniversary this year, is one of the East Coast’s best film festivals; a lovely, oftentimes overlooked celebration of all things nonfiction. (SSN)

Film Development For 11/20/14: Daniel Bruhl Signs Up For ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ Shailene Woodley Joins Edward Snowden Drama, ‘Bond 24’ and More

New attachments are also announced for The Mountain Between Us and Money Monster, while a half dozen new projects move forward, including the Boston Marathon Bombing drama, Boston Strong. (SSN)

TODAY’S HEADLINES

Steve McQueen Is Still Doing That Paul Robeson Biopic, But It Appears He’ll Do This Other Thing, First

The Oscar-winner is re-teaming with New Regency to adapt the ‘80s British TV show Widows, about the wives of three dead bank robbers who combine with a fourth woman to stage a heist of their own. (SAA)

Jason Reitman and His Dad, Ivan, Are Getting Together With Nick Hornby For a New Flick

Hornby will write, Jason will direct and Ivan will produce I Would Only Rob Banks For My Family, based on a true story about a seemingly ordinary Texas family who pulled off two bold heists before they were caught attempting a third. (THR)

Jerry Bruckheimer Is Hoping the Third Time’s the Charm For ‘Global Frequency’ Adaptation

The mega-producer is behind an adaptation of the popular Warren Ellis-penned comic book, which has been attempted as a TV project twice before, without success. Rockne S. O’Bannon is writing the script. (DH)

The Academy’s Live Action Short Film Competition Just Got More Focused

The original list of 141 applicants has been cut down to a short list of 10, from which anywhere between three and five eventual nominees. Nominations will be announced January 15th. (VAR)

The ‘Zoolander 2’ Project Might Finally Be Going Forward, With Penelope Cruz Jumping Aboard

She joins Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell, all of whom will return from the first film, while Justin Theroux is attached to direct. No start date has yet been announced. (TP)

Now That ‘John Wick’ Is a Success, Keanu Reeves Is Looking At ‘The Panopticon’

The actor is in talks to star in Tarsem Singh’s action thriller, which sees an apparently ordinary man receive a weird package in the mail containing a pre-recorded message from himself, warning that the world is close to ending and that only he can save us all. (EMP)

Spike Lee’s Kickstarter Film, ‘Da Sweet Blood of Jesus,’ Finally Finds Itself a Distributor

Gravitas Ventures picked up North American rights to the film, which is Lee’s reinterpretation of Bill Gunn’s 1973 cult horror classic Ganja & Hess. Gravitas will release the film theatrically and on video on demand, starting on February 13, 2015.  (HV)