Nicolas Cage Will Return for Ghost Rider Sequel

Although it was initially unclear whether a second Ghost Rider movie was really in the works, Nicolas Cage confirmed last night on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson that not only is a sequel to Ghost Rider happening, but Cage is 100% on board, having signed a contract with Columbia Pictures just yesterday.

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who helmed both Crank movies, are set to direct the project, tentatively titled Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance.  Cage will reprise his role as Marvel character Johnny Blaze – a stunt daredevil who must become the demon vigilante ‘Ghost Rider’ after selling his soul to Mephisto.

David Goyer wrote the sequel’s story, and Scott Gimple and Seth Hoffman have both written drafts of the script.

Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth heading up Marvel autograph event at Comic-Con

Autograph collectors will have some “super” opportunities at Comic-Con this week.

Marvel Studios announced a very special autograph session with the directors and stars of next year’s anticipated blockbusters “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

So who will show for this exclusive, Saturday event? “Thor” director Kenneth Branagh will bring stars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, who play Thor and Loki, to the Marvel booth. Immediately after, Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and director Joe Johnston will step in to represent “Captain America.”

The signing series kicks off at 11:15 a.m. on July 24, and continues through 4:30 p. m. Expect the lines to be amazingly long, and there will be 30-minute breaks built in to the schedule.

For more details, stop by the Marvel booth in the days leading up to Saturday’s event.

In the meantime, fans are still speculating about what we’ll see at Comic-Con related to these two projects. The biggest rumor is that Evans will show up in the Captain America suit (we’ve only seen artist renderings), especially since Johnston hasn’t filmed any footage yet. Branagh has, though, so expect to see some “Thor” footage. Just how finished the effects are, though, remains to be seen.

Radcliffe to Star in Thriller ‘Woman in Black’

Daniel Radcliffe is to star in Hammer Films’ gothic thriller The Woman in Black, according to various media reports.

The film, based on the book by Susan Hill, will be directed by James Watkins and adapted by Kick-Ass writer Jane Goldman. Per Variety, Radcliffe will play young lawyer Arthur Kipps, who is ordered to travel to a remote pocket of the UK to tend to a deceased client’s papers. Kipps soon begins to uncover the ghostly secrets of the house and local village.

Alliance Films will co-finance along with Hammer’s parent company, Exclusive Media Group. Exclusive Films International is handling international sales.

Simon Oakes is producing for Exclusive’s Hammer Films label as is Richard Jackson at Talisman Films.

Exclusive’s Nigel Sinclair and Guy East will serve as executive producers along with Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee.

Hill’s novel was adapted for the stage and is still running in London’s West End, more than 20 years after making its debut, notes the BBC.

Production is expected to begin in the fall.

TRICK ‘R TREAT

Starring	:	Quinn Lord, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Leslie Bibb
Director	:	Michael Dougherty
Language	:	English
Banner	:	Legendary Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Little Sam Films
Release Date	:	Aug 6 2010

Will Smith Wants to Play Cain, With A “Vampiric Twist”

When you are a powerful enough celebrity, you can will into being pretty much any movie you want, and then star in it.  That’s what Will Smith is doing with The Legend of Cain, a movie written by Caleeb Pinkett (his brother-in-law), Dan Knauf (Carnivale), and Andrea Berloff, which he plans to produce (with his wife) and star in.  Smith will play the titular Cain in “an epic re-telling of the Biblical sibling tale, this time with” – wait for it – “a vampiric twist.”

Sigh.  Somehow I thought Will Smith was above things like this, but I suppose everyone has to pay the bills somehow.

Overbrook Entertainment, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz are set to assist Smith with producing the movie, though no director or studio is yet attached to the project.

The biblical ‘Cain’ is, of course, Able’s brother, one of the two sons of Adam and Eve.  As told in the story of Genesis, Cain grows jealous of Able’s relationship with God and kills him in cold blood.  So… was Cain a vampire?  Is that what’s going on here?  I normally trust Will Smith’s judgment, but this just doesn’t sound like a winner to me.  As always, stay tuned.

Lost Chaplin film to be screened at Virginia Film Festival

l A 16MM print of a 1914 Keystone Cops short, purchased last year at a Michigan antiques sale, turned out to contain an early ‘lost’ 3 minute appearance by Charlie Chaplin as a bumbling Keystone Cop.
Film historian Paul Gierucki thought the Keystone short ‘A Thief Catcher’ he bought was of no particular significance and did not watch it for months after acquiring it. When he finally did lace it up it he was startled to see a figure emerge from the bushes whom he was quite certain was Chaplin, and consultation with another historian confirmed the mustachioed cop’s identity.
The discovery is the first new addition to Chaplin’s roster in 60 years. The film screens this weekend at the annual Slapsticon festival at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theater in Arlington, VA, just outside Washington, DC. Gierucki, head of restorations for CineMuseum LLC, plans to make ‘A Thief Catcher’ available to other festivals and on DVD. Hopefully, he’ll keep digging and will turn up that darned elusive director’s cut of ‘The Magnificent

The Concert (English Movie)

Director	Radu Mihaileanu
Writer	Radu Mihaileanu
Release Date	23-Jul-2010

Cast : Aleksei Guskov, Melanie Laurent, Dmitri Nazarov, Valeriy Barinov, Francois Berleand

Spoken Word (English Movie)

Director	Victor Nunez
Writer	William T. Conway, Joe Ray Sandoval
Release Date	23-Jul-2010

Cast : Kuno Becker, Miguel Sandoval, Ruben Blades, Persia White, Antonio Elias

Will Smith Wants to Play Cain, With A “Vampiric Twist”

When you are a powerful enough celebrity, you can will into being pretty much any movie you want, and then star in it. That’s what Will Smith is doing with The Legend of Cain, a movie written by Caleeb Pinkett (his brother-in-law), Dan Knauf (Carnivale), and Andrea Berloff, which he plans to produce (with his wife) and star in. Smith will play the titular Cain in “an epic re-telling of the Biblical sibling tale, this time with” – wait for it – “a vampiric twist.”

Sigh. Somehow I thought Will Smith was above things like this, but I suppose everyone has to pay the bills somehow.

Overbrook Entertainment, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz are set to assist Smith with producing the movie, though no director or studio is yet attached to the project.

The biblical ‘Cain’ is, of course, Able’s brother, one of the two sons of Adam and Eve. As told in the story of Genesis, Cain grows jealous of Able’s relationship with God and kills him in cold blood. So… was Cain a vampire? Is that what’s going on here? I normally trust Will Smith’s judgment, but this just doesn’t sound like a winner to me. As always, stay tuned.

Tom Cruise, Will Smith & More Meet For ‘Paper Wings’ Table Read

Tom Cruise, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, amongst other stars, were spotted together on Monday after gathering in West Hollywood at themed restaurant Saddle Ranch Chop House, which the celebrity trio closed down for what was reportedly a script meeting – leading many to believe a movie starring the Hollywood heavyweights was in the works.

However, not so fast, a rep for Will’s production company told.

“They were there, along with other actors, for a table read for a film. The project is called ‘Paper Wings’ and is being developed by Will’s production company, Overbrook Entertainment, which he runs with producing partners James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz,” a rep for Overbrook told Chunks on Tuesday.

Also spotted at the gathering were Eric Dane, Tom Arnold, Johnny Galecki and Jenna Elfman. Yet, the rep cautioned that people shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions just yet.

“Please note that any actor’s presence at this table read does not mean that they have officially signed onto this project,” the rep added.

Reese Witherspoon’s name was previously reported as Cruise’s possible co-star in the film, which follows a rodeo champ who falls for an aspiring country singer. News of the project first broke in March.

“They chose the Saddle Ranch for the table read because the story of the film involves a bull rider and a country singer,” the rep noted to Access.

Should a Tom & Will collaboration come to fruition, it’s something Cruise recently said he’d love to see happen.

“We’ve always wanted to work together,” Tom told Access at the “Knight and Day” premiere on June 16. “We’ve been looking for something to do for quite awhile.”

Ramona and Beezus (English Movie)

Producer	Denise Di Novi, Alison Greenspan
Director	Elizabeth Allen
Writer	Laurie Craig, Nick Pustay, Beverly Cleary
Release Date	23-Jul-2010 Cast : Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer Goodwin