Random Movie News and Rumors

[John McHenry]

Basically post weird tidbits you find that you think may interest others or the may not have scene.

Tom Cruise has some big shoes to fill. Some big, thickly accented, monster-hunting shoes.

Universal announced this week that the A-lister is attached to take the lead in a reboot of the previously Hugh Jackman-starring Van Helsing, which is one of several films on the studio's production slate. Thanks to his foray into Anne Rice territory, Cruise is no stranger to a big-screen bloodsucker, but going from vampire to vampire slayer? Now that's range.

This time around, to ensure that Cruise's incarnation fares better than Jackman's, the gothic reimagining is bringing in the big guns, enlisting the help of a couple of guys who know a thing or two about franchises.

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The reboot came about as a result of a two-year production deal Universal signed with writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, two names eminently familiar to movie geeks enthusiasts.

The writing team is not only the brain trust behind the forthcoming Star Trek 2, but also Transformers and Mission Impossible: III, where they previously teamed with Cruise. The dynamic duo was also recently brought in by Sony to give a once-over to the script for the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man.

In other words, they know what they're doing. Which is good news for their Van Helsing cohorts, Cruise included: While Jackman's stab at the slayer grossed more than $300 million worldwide, it wasn't exactly heralded as a creative masterpiece.

Show us what you can do, gentlemen.



Read more: Tom Cruise's Next Mission: Replacing Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing Reboot! - E! Online

I for one never expected Tom Cruise in this type of a movie.

 

[chefboyardee]

gary ross to direct a houdini movie.Since The Hunger Games recently passed the $600 million mark at the worldwide box office, director Gary Ross is in the envious position of having the Hollywood clout to basically do whatever he wants. He passed on the sequel Catching Fire (a job that went to I Am Legend helmer Francis Lawrence), but it appears he has his sights set on something a bit more magical. THR reports that Ross in in talks with Summit to direct Houdini, a film based on the popular book The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero, that will depict the famed magician as "part Indiana Jones and part Sherlock Holmes." Read on!

The premise revolves around Harry Houdini, the world-renowned escape artist, and his involvement with helping the Secret Service, local police organizations, and even whispers of him being a British spy. An early draft of the script was written by Catch Me If You Can writer Jeff Nathanson, but the newest incarnation of the story comes from Noah Oppenheim, who, if IMDB is to be believed, was a producer on "The Today Show" and will be making his screenwriting debut.

THR also points out the strange connection that Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence is working on his own film about Houdini, but the only details we have about that version is that it's supposed to be a period piece that "emphasizes his renowned showmanship." We'll see who pulls the rabbit out of the proverbial hat first, since apparently magician movies are having something of a comeback with Now You See Me and Burt Wonderstone coming soon. It's not clear if Houdini will be Ross' next project, but I'm looking forward to see what he ends up doing next because I really enjoyed The Hunger Games. Cool?