News Bites: Wednesday, May 26th 2004

By Garth Franklin Wednesday May 26th 2004 09:02PM

Altered States: "Warner Bros. has set screenwriter Fernley Phillips to write a remake of "Altered States," the 1980 Ken Russell-directed psychedelic sci-fi thriller. Greg Shapiro will produce. The original film starred William Hurt as a psychophysiologist who uses a sensory deprivation tank to put his mind back into more primitive states of human evolution, with catastrophic results..." (more info). Godspeed: "Harrison Ford is set to star in "Godspeed," an outer space-set thriller that is being put together by James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment. Cameron, who has not directed a regular feature since 1997's "Titanic," will not be at the helm but will produce the film. Scripted by Ryne Douglas Pearson, "Godspeed" takes place on an international space station, where a life-threatening situation develops that could kill all the inhabitants on the station. Pic will begin production in the fall..." (more info). Man on the Train: "Patrice Leconte's "Man on the Train" is getting an English-language makeover at Bob Cooper's Landscape Entertainment. Harley Peyton -- whose credits include "Less Than Zero," "Bandits" and "Twin Peaks" -- is penning the project. Man on the Train" is about two men -- opposites in every way -- who decide that the other man's life is the one they want..." (more info). Master of Space and Time: "Michel Gondry is directing an adaptation of the sci-fi thriller "Master of Space and Time" by Rudy Rucker. Jack Black is attached to star in the pic, which is in talks to land at DreamWorks. Last year, the French production company Midi Minuit optioned "Master of Space and Time," about two mad scientists who figure out how to control reality. Gondry became attached to the project due to his relationship with Midi Minuit..." (more info). Napoleon Dynamite: "Paramount Pictures/MTV has come on board to handle the international release of "Napoleon Dynamite." Fox Searchlight acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film at the Sundance Film Festival and will now release the picture domestically. Paramount/MTV and Searchlight will be billed as co-presenters of the film. An eccentric teen comedy directed and co-written by newcomer Jared Hess, the film is slated for release June 11..." (more info). Spy Hunter: "Zak Penn is in negotiations to write "Spy Hunter" for Universal Pictures and director John Woo. The film will star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the adaptation of Midway's long-running vidgame franchise. Pic follows the story of a former F-15 pilot recruited to become a member of Spy Hunters, an elite government agency that must defeat a cartel seeking world domination..." (more info).Batman Begins: Set pics from the Bat-flick are up at Superhero Hype, whilst I have been advised to keep a close eye out on the official site this weekend because there's talk something may just be happening. Catwoman: The international one-sheet is now online. DVD News: DavisDVD reports that "Van Helsing" will hit disc on October 12th, "Shrek 2" on November 2nd, "13 Going on 30" on August 3rd, and "Ella Enchanted on August 24th. Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban: More pics from the US premiere are up at IC Sefton. Ladder 49: Some footage from the new trailer is up at The Trades. Revenge of the Nerds: The 80's comedy classic is getting remade? Yikes. See Moviehole for details. The Longest Yard: Details on the Adam Sandler & Burty Reynolds led remake are up at Borderland News. The Ring 2: New script pages from the sequel have been reviewed, see Bloody Disgusting for more. The Stepford Wives: 21 new images from the Nicole Kidman flick are up at Rope of Silicon. The Village: The Sci Fi Channel is airing a documentary on M. Night Shyamalan titled, "Portrait Of A Filmmaker: M. Night Shyamalan". Episodes will air simultaneous to the release of Shyamalan's "The Village" this coming summer. Zorro 2: Filming is scheduled to take place from July 26th until December 6th, nearly five months - ouch!. Long time friend of the Director Martin Campbell, Phil Meheux will be again Director of Photography Thanks to 'Gustavo', 'SFP', 'Ooks', 'Julez', 'Alex', 'Felix' & 'Dust Bunny'

SHARE: