"Hector Babenco ("Carandiru", "At Play in the Field of the Lords") begins lensing "El Pasado" (The Past) on Monday for the next three months around Buenos Aires. Based on the Alan Pauls novel, it tells the story of a thirtysomething man (Gael Garcia Bernal) who, after breaking off a 13-year relationship with his girlfriend, sees his life spiral out of control. Analia Couceyro, Moro Anghileri, Ana Celentano and Betty Faria also star. The 20th Century Fox film opens next Summer..." (full details)
"Constantin Film is planning a franchise of feature films based on the popular "Freche Madchen" ("Sassy Girls"), a multi-author collection of youth novels. Writer-producer Ulrich Limmer, who wrote and produced Constantin's upcoming tyke pic "The Robber Hotzenplotz," will adapt the stories for the big screen. The first film will be based on the works of Bianka Minte-Konig, one of eight authors and writing duos who pen the series' books..." (full details)
"Producer Haruki Kadokawa & Director Yoshimitsu Morita will remake "Sanjuro," the 1962 "Yojimbo" sequel samurai swashbuckler helmed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune. The remake will star Yuji Oda ("Bayside Shakedown") with principal photography scheduled to start in mid-September in Japan for release in 2007. The original story follows a lone warrior who helps a group of bumbling samurai win comically rough justice against a corrupt official and his henchmen..." (full details)
