So we can cover as many films as possible, we thought we’d give you these quick updates on some of today’s smaller film announcements…
First it was known as Trouble Man before changing its name to Wichita, and then it just became the untitled movie that used to be called Wichita, but which is going to star Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. However it now appears the James Mangold directed movie, which has recently started filming, has got a new name – Knight & Day. The film is about about a woman (Diaz) whose seemingly harmless blind date turns her life upside-down when a super spy (Cruise) takes her on a worldwide journey to protect an important invention. (Source: Variety)
Justin Long has signed up to appear in The Conspirator, Robert Redford’s movie about a woman (Robin Wright Penn) accused of being part of the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, but her initially reluctant lawyer (James McAvoy) starts to believe she may be innocent. Long will play a soldier who lost a limb in the Civil War. He is McAvoy’s best friend and the voice of reason. Filming on The Conspirator starts later this month in Georgia. (Source: THR)
It appears that Juliane Hough, a former professional dancer on the US version of Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing With The Stars, has signed up to appear in Burlesque, the musical about a small town girl (Christina Aguilera) who hits it big at a neo-burlesque club in LA, after she’s taken under the wing of a former dancer (Cher). Hough has also tried to launch a country music career and will star in the remake of Footloose. (Source: Digital Spy)
Penelope helmer Mark Palansky has been tapped to direct Iron Jack, a script that sparked a bidding war last year. The story, set in the 1930s, centers on a renowned novelist and his quest for a legendary treasure. Sony paid $1.25 million for Johnny Rosenthal’s script, and will pay him a further $750,000 if the movie actually gets made. (Source: Variety)
Production company Bold FIlms has picked up Psy-Ops, which is being developed by Priest and Legion director Scott Stewart, along with Gus Kreiger. The movie is about a covert U.S. military unit of psychological operatives who specialise in exploiting their target’s deepest fears, but who discover something more terrifying than they could have imagined in the Amazon basin. The film is planned as the directorial debut of special effects whizz, Stuart Maschwitz. There’s no news on when they hope to start filming the movie. (Source: THR)