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Revolution Studios has tapped Michael Schiffer ("Crimson Tide") to pen the military action thriller "First Class" for Michael Davis to produce. Set against the backdrop of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., "First Class" revolves around a close-knit group of Navy first class midshipmen who discover an illegal operation under the military's radar in a nearby port-of-call. Together, they must use their training and leadership skills to put a stop to it, risking their careers and lives in the process. (full details)
TV scribe Jon Vitti has been hired to write "Dinner for Schmucks," DreamWorks' remake of Francis Veber's French comic hit "Le Diner de cons" ("The Dinner Game") starring Sacha Baron Cohen, aka Ali G. In the Gallic pic, a Paris publisher holds a weekly dinner party and challenges his friends to bring along the most pathetic guest possible. In the new version, Cohen will play a character said to possess such "extraordinary schmuckiness" that he's capable of ruining the life of anyone who spends more than a few minutes in his orbit. (<a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117911086?categoryId=13&cs=1" target="_blank">full details</a>)
"A Cool Breeze on the Underground" has blown into New Line Cinema, along with filmmakers Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber who wrote and directed The Butterfly Effect for the studio, and will polish and helm "Underground," which is being produced by Don Murphy. "Underground" is the first of five mystery novels by Don Winslow, each featuring the character Neal Carey, a 23-year-old graduate student whose college education is paid for by "The Bank," an exclusive New England institution that keeps its wealthy clients happy and out of trouble. The Bank also gives him an education on how be a private investigator. (<a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000643756" target="_blank">full details</a>)
Dimension Films has optioned feature rights to the short story "Adrift" by Koji Suzuki, author of the novel that spawned "The Ring". "Adrift" is the story of a fishing crew that comes across an abandoned yacht only to discover it's haunted. Suzuki's novel spawned several Japanese and Korean film adaptations before it inspired DreamWorks' 2002 remake. (<a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117911040?categoryId=13&cs=1" target="_blank">full details</a>).
Paramount has hired horror specialist Dave Kajganich ("Town Creek") to write its revival of "Pet Sematary" according to Variety. Kajganich has also been hired to write the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers for Warner and an update of 1979 ghost tale The Changeling for Focus Features. (full details)
Paramount has bought Rob Greenberg and Bill Corbett's comedy spec script, "Starship Dave". The story is launched with a massive fireball from space hitting New York's Central Park, followed by an ordinary man emerging unscathed from the gigantic crater. The man turns out to be a spaceship operated by 100 human-looking aliens who are one-quarter inch tall and seeking a way to save their planet. (full details)
Thanks to 'KarlChilders'.
