by Elisabeth Rappe – Cinematical.com

Supermax! It’s such a catchy word that not one, but two projects have borrowed it for their title. The first is David S. Goyer’s Supermax, which puts the Green Arrow behind bars and pits him against the villains of the DC universe. The other is a horror script from actors-turned-writers Mitch Rouse and Christopher Nelson, and that’s the one this particular Cinematical story is about.

Supermax does share some similarities with the Green Arrow script in that it’s about a maximum security prison that’s stocked full with unnatural individuals. Instead of DC villains, this one is full of the supernatural. The story centers around a skilled prison guard who is reassigned to the creepy facility just in time for a prison riot to break out. He’s forced to team up with one of the prison’s most horrifying inmates to survive, and fight his way out. Who or what that inmate is remains a mystery
Bloody Disgusting first broke the news that Supermax had been sold to Columbia, and now The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Rouse and Nelson will be seeing their nightmares come alive there. Production is set to begin in early 2010, and while many have predicted this Supermax will kill the DC one, I imagine that the issue will be fixed by one or both films changing their titles.

Mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano

ROBERT MENDOZA – Metro International

While Steven Soderbergh’s most recent effort is based on a true story, for his next feature he’s going back to using real people instead of actors

Mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano is about to exit the octagon and enter the big screen, debuting in Steven Soderbergh’s spy thriller, “Knockout.” The director of “The Informant!” and the “Ocean’s” franchise is building a reputation for translating the skills of nontraditional performers to film, including his last feature, “The Girlfriend Experience,” which follows professional porn star Sasha Grey as an escort girl dealing with involved relationship issues.

Sasha Grey

When we spoke with the director this spring, he said putting a real person into the mix can bring an authenticity to the dialogue that an actor might not.

“You read the transcript of our conversation, they’re awful,” he said, referring to his non-actors.

“They’re grammatically disastrous. What I like about these scenes is that they have this asymmetrical pattern.”

Soderbergh has dubbed his genre “fictionalized documentary,” but other directors are looking beyond the obvious financial positive of avoiding a $15 million payout to a marquee name.

Drew Barrymore cast many real-life roller derby girls and a musician, Landon Pigg, as a lead in her new film, “Whip It,” out Friday.

“I wanted to find a real musician, not an actor playing a musician,” she said while promoting the movie. “I always smell that fake chord playing, lip synching s—.”

by Alex Billington – FirstShowing.net

Electronic Arts has partnered with Universal Pictures to produce an adaptation of the video game Army of Two. Screenwriter Scott Z. Burns (of The Bourne Ultimatum) has been hired to write the adaptation with Scott Stuber (of The Break-Up, The Kingdom, Role Models) producing. Universal is fast-tracking the project and hopes to start production in 2009. In the game, players team up with a live or AI partner on two-man missions using two-man tactics to ultimately create an advantage that no enemy can withstand. The story focuses on the fictional story of two private military mercenaries “fight[ing] through war, political turmoil, and a conspiracy so vast it threatens the entire world” in a timeline spanning from 1993 to 2009.

Burns explains that “because people experience the game in pairs, playing two guys who go against the world, Scott and I agreed this format presented an opportunity to make a great buddy film.” So far, so good. “The ambiguity of these private military corporations lends weight to an intelligent thriller with relevance to what’s going on in the world right now. You have contractors with their own agendas, and two guys whose friendship supersedes all the politics. I told EA right off the bat I wasn’t a gamer, and that appealed to them because they didn’t want to simply replicate the game.” Another interesting statement, although not necessarily a good thing. This just means we can expect the movie to be a departure from the game.

Bey Logan

By Patrick Frater – HollywoodReporter.com

HONG KONG — Bey Logan has set “The Blood Bond” as the first movie to flow from his new production company following his imminent exit as the Weinstein Company’s Hong Kong-based vice president. The picture is a stylized Asian actioner to be shot in English.

Logan is one of the higher profile names covered by TWC’s notice last week that it would shed a further 35 staff jobs. His staff contract expires Oct. 1 and will not be renewed. TWC will also close the Hong Kong office that Logan headed.

Logan now shifts to a new deal which covers his own productions and an ongoing acquisitions consulting role for TWC and its Asian film fund.
“It has been a fascinating three years with TWC. This is not the end of my relationship with the company, nor is it an end to TWC’s business in Asia. Rather it is a new phase in both,” said Logan. “I have long said that I want to produce movies. Well, now I’m going to.”

Michael Biehn

Logan will produce “Blood Bond” through his Hong Kong-based B&E Productions label, in partnership with China’s ACE Studio and Fundamental Films. TWC has U.S. distribution rights and Logan is in advanced negotiations with Birch Tree Entertainment to handle international sales in other territories.

“Blood Bond” will be the directorial debut of Michael Biehn (“The Terminator,” “Planet Terror”) who will also star as a former special forces operative on a dangerous trek with the female bodyguard of a wounded spiritual teacher. The picture co-stars American stage actress Phoenix Chou and also features Chinese model and Taekwondo ace Zhang Lan-xin and veteran Hong Kong actor Simon Yam. Production begins Oct. 15 in China.

Zhang Lan-xin

Logan says his deal with TWC also covers remakes where “rights could be made available to B&C” for low-cost production in Asia. Another project on B&E’s slate is “Harlem Goes East,” a Blaxploitation movie set in China based on an original script.

TWC announced last week that, following a business review by consultancy Miller Buckfire, it would reduce staff through a process of layoffs and natural attrition. It did not specify who will be leaving. The company endured an earlier round of layoffs this year and now has slightly more than 100 employees. After the coming cutbacks it will sport a staff of 70-80.

Ashley Greene and Starfire

By David Bentley – CoventryTelegraph.net

Among the many proposed comic book adaptations in the holding pen at Warner Bros is the junior superhero team Teen Titans.

The line-up has until recently included Starfire, a princess from the planet Tamaran who can harness ultraviolet radiation and use it to fly and to create destructive bolts of energy. She also has superhuman strength and can assimilate other languages through physical contact.

On some forums, fans have put forward the name of Twilight actress Ashley Greene – who plays Alice Cullen in the vampire film franchise – as one possibility to play the character.

Greene isn’t a bad choice for the role. The 22-year-old’s Twilight credentials would also boost the profile of any Teen Titans movie.

Megan Fox has also been suggested for Starfire – although she seems to be a fan candidate for every available female comic book role – along with Jenna Dewan.

But it doesn’t look like the Teen Titans film will get made anytime soon. A live-action movie adaptation was announced back in May 2007, with Akiva Goldsman and Kerry Foster producing and Mark Verheiden writing the script. However, nothing has been heard about the project for a long time.

The Teen Titans comic first appeared in 1964 as a junior Justice League, comprising Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy, the respective sidekicks of Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Green Arrow.

In the 80s, the team was relaunched with the characters as college-age adults and new members including Cyborg, Starfire and Raven, while Robin matured into Nightwing.

Most recently, the comic was adapted into an animated TV series that ran from 2003-2006.

Verheiden had said of the proposed film: “One thing I can tell you is that there will be a Nightwing story and Robin is in it, too”, implying that Robin’s character arc would see him take on the Nightwing persona.

Heroes actor Milo Ventimiglia has said he would love to play Nightwing, as I reported last year.

A new comic book line-up for the Teen Titans is soon to be unveiled following the departure of Starfire, Cyborg and Wonder Girl.

The new team will be led by antihero Deathstroke, while former members Beast Boy and Raven are set to return.

Robin/Nightwing is no longer with the group, having now become the new Batman after the apparent death of Bruce Wayne.

We can only hope that Warner Bros’ new DC Entertainment division, tasked with bringing more DC Comics’ heroes to the screen, gives us some official news on the Teen Titans movie soon.

Ryan Reynolds as the Green Lantern

By David Bentley – CoventryTelegraph.net

Studio heads at Warner Bros are moving production of the Green Lantern movie from Sydney to Mexico after costs were escalated by the rising value of the Australian dollar.

Australian movie site Inside Film had earlier reported that the studio was planned to switch filming to Louisiana but it now says Mexico is the chosen location.

If filming went ahead Down Under, it would apparently add more than $20million US dollars to the budget. I reported earlier on the production being hit by the strengthening Australian currency.

But Warner Bros is said to be continuing to pay for hiring eight sound stages at Fox Studios in Sydney, where Green Lantern was to be made.

The movie, which will star Ryan Reynolds as the DC Comics hero, is set to begin filming early next year. It was originally scheduled to start in November.

Inside Film says that “as well as facing a rising Australian dollar, Green Lantern director Martin Campbell is also understood to have made substantial script amendments, which required a higher budget, placing further pressure on the production’s Australian base.”

Patrick Wilson

by Bob Starr – TheFlickCast.com

Jessica Biel

The A-Team cast continues to grow with the addition of Patrick Wilson who will play a CIA operative in the new film. Wilson joins the star lineup of Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson, Sharlto Copley and Jessica Biel.  If you don’t recognize Wilson’s name you’ll probably remember him best for his role as Night Owl II in Watchmen.

Wilson delivered a great performance as the second Night Owl. Not only did he convey a sense of mundane self-deprecation but in complete contrast brought some serious action scenes to the film as well. All that and he still found the time for a pretty good love scene with Silk Spectre II (Malin Ackerman). That range of acting should help Wilson craft a worth ally, or adversary, for The A-Team.

The A-Team rides into theaters June 11, 2010.

Robert Ginty

Robert Ginty, star of action films such as “The Exterminator” who also wrote, produced and directed, died of cancer Monday September 21, in Los Angeles. He was 60.

The rugged thespian was mostly known for his tough guy roles in B-movies, but in addition to writing and directing TV shows and films, he directed experimental theater productions and dabbled in painting and photography.

Ginty’s first major role were in Hal Ashby’s “Coming Home” and as recurring character on series “Baa Baa, Black Sheep.” More recently, he became a theater director, directing productions such as a Toronto rap/hip hop version of “A Clockwork Orange.”

Robert Ginty in Baa Baa Black Sheep

Among his TV roles were playing Thomas Craig Anderson on “The Paper Chase,” and recurring roles on “Hawaiian Heat” and “Falcon Crest.”

After starring in “The Exterminator” in 1980, Ginty went on to star in a string of action movies such as “Gold Raiders,” “Cop Target,” “The Alchemist,” “Gold Raiders,” “The Scarab” and “Exterminator 2.” He wrote, directed and starred in “The Bounty Hunter” and then began directing for episodic television.

Ginty was nominated for a Cable Ace award on HBO series “Dream On” and directed shows including “China Beach,” “Evening Shade,” “Nash Bridges,” “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” “Charmed” and “Xena: Warrior Princess.”

In recent years, his career took a different direction as he worked in Canada, France, Ireland and Italy as a theater director and as an artist in residence at Harvard U.

Born in New York, he studied acting at the Actors Studio and Yale, and then begin acting in theater productions. Moving to Hollywood, Ginty began guest starring in tv shows and appeared in small roles in the films “Bound for Glory” and “Two Minute Warning.”

He is survived by his wife Michelle and son James Francis, an actor.

By Mike Lucibella – FOX News

WASHINGTON — When Woody Harrelson escapes the living dead in “Zombieland,” a new movie opening this Friday, should he head for the hills or the mall? A recently published research paper suggests that he’s probably better off hiding in the mall to save his delicious brain.

The world is full of things that move in zombie-like fashion, such as particles flowing through a turbulent fluid or the unpredictable price changes of the stock market, so physicists seek insight into this behavior by creating so called “random walking” models.

Physicist Davide Cassi at the Università di Parma in Italy looked at how long an entity hiding in a complex structure could survive if being pursued by predatory random walkers. Cassi’s paper, recently published in the journal Physical Review E, is the first to describe a general principle of a prey’s likelihood to survive over time while hiding in an irregular structure.

Though the paper itself does not specifically refer to fleeing from zombies, it describes “the survival probability of immobile targets annihilated by random walkers.” The conclusions suggest that the people trapped in a mall in “Dawn of the Dead” may be better off than the folks stuck in a farmhouse in “Night of the Living Dead.”

Cassi found that the likelihood of survival when threatened by predatory random walkers is closely related to how complex the prey’s hideout is. The more twists and turns, the safer you’ll be. In structures that are highly complex and irregular, the chances of the predator coming into contact with its target shrinks down to almost zero.

Cassi formulates a model to describe the behavior of randomly moving particles as they travel through maze-like networks. He said that his work could apply to a wide variety of situations including the distribution of information through the internet and medicine spreading through the human body.”

There are a lot of applications of these results in a lot of fields of sciences,” Cassi said. “The most amazing field of applications of these results are in biology, biochemistry and other organisms.

“So remember, when the zombies come, flee to the biggest shopping mall you can find and remember that, using zombie movies as a guide, the undead often win.

This article was provided by Inside Science News Service, which is supported by the American Institute of Physics, a not-for-profit publisher of scientific journals.

Charlize Theron

Not much is known about the upcoming “The Dark Knight” sequel, but that’s not stopping rumors to be circulated on the internet. While there is no guarantee that any of them will come true, at least we know which actors and actresses would want to be part of the franchise.

Regarding Catwoman, several actresses, including Angelina Jolie, Rachel Weisz, Rhona Mitra and Megan Fox, have come forward about their interest to play the character. You can now add Charlize Theron to that list.

“It’s news to me,” Theron said about the rumor that she’s being considered for Catwoman. “But that’s kick-ass news. I like that. I think that what has happened to that franchise is amazing, and director Chris Nolan is a genius. So I would be an idiot to not consider that.”

Source(s): WorstPreviews, STV