Che: "Steven Soderbergh will replace Terrence Malick as the director of "Che," the film about Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara that will star Benicio Del Toro. Soderbergh has committed to begin production in South America in August 2005, and he will supervise the writing of a new script..." (more info). Janis Joplin: "Alecia Moore, better known as the singer Pink, will make her screen starring debut as Joplin in a Penelope Spheeris-directed indie film that is eyeing a summer start date. That would likely put it ahead of "Piece of My Heart," the Joplin pic being developed by Paramount and Lakeshore as a star vehicle for Renee Zellweger..." (more info). Pimp My Ride: "Paramount is revving up development of a feature set in the world of customized cars, buying a pitch by thesp Michael Rapaport and producer Andre Harrell for MTV Films to produce. Move comes after the recent launch of "Pimp My Ride," the MTV cable skein hosted by rap star Xzibit and featuring vehicle makeovers..." (more info). Powderpuff Girls: "Disney has purchased the comedy pitch "Powderpuff Girls" from first-time scribe Cindy McCreery for Tapestry Films and "Smallville" producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Family laffer revolves around an NFL coach who's fired, and ends up moving back to his small town in Texas, where he coaches his tomboy daughter's all-girl football team in an all-boy's league..." (more info).
Sharky's Machine: "Warner Bros. and producer Basil Iwanyk are regreasing the gears of "Sharky's Machine." The studio has hired Jerry Stahl to script a remake of the Burt Reynolds film, which WB released in 1981 about a vice squad cop who assembles a team and goes after a group of brutal bad guys..." (more info). xXx 2: "Willem Dafoe has joined the cast of Revolution Studios' sequel "XXX: State of the Union". Dafoe will play George Deckert, a five-star general and secretary of defense. Lee Tamahori ("Die Another Day") begins production on the film in July, around Los Angeles, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., directing from a script by Simon Kinberg..." (more info).3001: "SNL regular Maya Rudolph and "Punk'd" standout Dax Shepard are close to lead roles in director Mike Judge's comedy opposite Luke Wilson for 20th Century Fox. Penned by Judge and Etan Cohen, "3001" centers on Joe Bowers (Wilson), an average American who is selected for a top-secret hibernation program that finds him waking up and living among a society 10 centuries in the future. He finds that civilization is so dumbed-down that he is the most intelligent person aliv..." (more info). Down in the Valley: "Ellen Burstyn has signed on to the indie drama "Down in the Valley" for writer-director David Jacobson. Shooting is under way in Los Angeles. Set in the San Fernando Valley, the project revolves around a delusional man (Edward Norton) who believes that he's a cowboy and the relationship he starts with a rebellious young woman (Evan Rachel Wood). Burstyn will play the foster mother of Norton's character..." (more info). Ice Princess: "Newcomer Trevor Blumas is lacing up his ice skates to star opposite Michelle Trachtenberg in "Ice Princess" for the Walt Disney Co. Shooting is scheduled to begin next week with Tim Fywell at the helm. "Ice Princess," follows a brainy ugly duckling (Trachtenberg) who realizes her dream of becoming a champion figure skater with the help of a disgraced coach and the boy (Blumas) who drives the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine..." (more info). The Pacifier: "Lauren Graham and Faith Ford are ready to tackle Adam Shankman's "The Pacifier" at the Walt Disney Co. and Spyglass Entertainment. Shooting starts this month in Vancouver on the project, which finds Vin Diesel toplining as an undercover agent hired to protect a government scientist and his family..." (more info). The Reinvention of Kate: "Walt Disney Co. has picked up the project as a pitch for a mid-six figure sum from writing pair Amy Rardin and Jessica O'Toole, who are now at work penning the screenplay. It's described as a comedy thriller about a young woman who works at a U.S. patent office. Everything in her life changes when someone applies for a patent that people around her are killing for..." (more info). This Means War: "Burr Steers has been tapped to rewrite and develop "This Means War," the long-gestating action-adventure comedy. The pitch revolved around two best friends who both fall in love with the same woman and then wreak havoc on Manhattan. Over the years, "War" has had myriad writers attached..." (more info).Batman Begins: A June 17th, 2005 release date is apparently being targeted according to HSX. Battlestar Galactica: Talk of Richard Hatch, and possibly other original series cast members, to appear in the new Galactica series are up at HNR. Bond 21: Sky News reports that Pierce Brosnan reportedly wants Keira Knightley to be the next Bond girl. Kill Bill, Vol. 2: An exclusive review of the soundtrack is up at QT Archives, whilst details of a post-credits sequence is up at IGN Filmforce. Posters: One sheets are up for Princess Diaries 2 & Around the World in 80 Days. Rahan: The Christophe Gans film begins shooting September '04 with a 40 millions euros budget, see Le Film Francais for details. Sideways: A rather odd clip from Alexander Payne's upcoming film with Paul Giamatti is up at JoBlo. Spider-Man 2: Some new hi-res stills from the sequel are up at Moviehole. The Simpsons: Controversy over cast payments and walkouts are brewing, see CNN for details. United States of Leland: Chris Klein talks about his new drama to Eclipse Magazine. Thanks to 'Adam', 'Philip', 'Patrick', 'Jay-V', 'Antoine', 'Sebastian', 'Berge', 'Michelle', 'Alan', 'JHBlade', 'HNR', 'Kellvin' & 'KarlChilders'
