"New Line has tapped Nicole Blonsky, a 17-year-old New Yorker, to star as Tracy Turnblad in its "Hairspray" feature. Thesp won the role following a nationwide search. The 4-foot-10 Blonsky -- who's been working at a Coldstone Creamery in Great Neck, N.Y. -- has performed in "Sweeney Todd," "Carmen," "Kiss Me Kate" and "Les Miserables" in Great Neck and has sung the National Anthem and "God Bless America" at a variety of events. Thesp joins John Travolta, Queen Latifah and Amanda Bynes in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, directed by Adam Shankman. Brittany Snow is in negotiations for the Amber role. Pic is set for a summer 2007 release..." (full details)
"Filmed Entertainment will launch its new young-adult genre division, Fox Atomic, with its first acquisition, John Stockwell's horror feature "Turistas," produced by 2929 Prods. Josh Duhamel, Melissa George and Olivia Wilde star in the tale of college-age backpackers who embark on a dream vacation along the Brazilian coast. After an accident leaves them stranded, they discover a beachside bar filled with revelers, only to end up drugged by the locals and two of them kidnapped..." (full details)
"With the Weinstein Co. effort under way to remake Akira Kurosawa's 1954 classic "The Seven Samurai," scribe John Fusco has been tapped to pen the script for the redux. "Samurai," which routinely shows up on crix lists of all-time best pics, is one of a trio of Asian classic remakes that Ziyi Zhang is in negotiations to star in for the Weinstein Co. While the action in "Seven Samurai" takes place in 16th century Japan, Kurosawa drew on the American western for inspiration. And many of Fusco's previous credits are drawn on that genre, including "Hidalgo," "Young Guns" and "Thunderheart"..." (full details)
