Instead, Howard opted to take a page out of history rather than the sketchbook of a 9-year old boy. In 1976, Lauda almost died after crashing in the second lap of the German Grand Prix, which the hotheaded Hunt would go on to win. Suffering a coma and bad burns, Lauda was back at it six weeks later determined to beat Hunt in several races. The movie will be in theaters this fall, but you can just go to Wikipedia now to see how it ends.

The studio is the second to pass. Universal was previously involved but pulled the plug just before going into production. In light of this, Javier Bardem left the project leaving producers with the task of finding some other guy to sling guns in that thing. (THR)

• Pearl Jam
• Skrillex
• Jay-Z
• The Hives
• Drake
• Afrojack
• And and handful more that I don’t really feel like acknowledging

Warner Bros, the quiet and sensitive studio that wears glasses and hangs out in the pottery classroom during lunch, has agreed to team up with Howard on at least one film based on Stephen King‘s The Dark Tower. Initial plans with Universal were for three films and two short-run TV series, and to throw a rager at Universal’s lake house after graduation. Whether or not more films or Javier Bardem‘s involvement are on the slate remains to be seen. However, producer Brian Grazer has mentioned that Warner Bros sister studio HBO (who Warners pretty much raised after their mom died and dad fell into the bottle) will handle the television adaptation.

Project is expected to go before cameras in first quarter of 2013. Which seems like forever in high school years. (Deadline)

Of course, this a very subjective list, so feel free to leave your vitriol and death threats in the comments.

War of the Worlds – Steven Spielberg

A great example of what I discussed in the introduction. This film isn’t awful, but it’s very unmemorable. It bears very little of Spielberg’s flourishes, other than it’s a huge production that’s competently directed. Of course, the same thing could be said about a film like Roland Emmerich’s The Day After Tomorrow, or even 2012. There’s not much of a story to be told here, and instead of getting a moving relationship between Tom Cruise’s character and his children, we get sap and explosions.

Jack – Francis Ford Coppola

And here’s one that doesn’t need the context of expectations to disappoint. This is just a bad movie. Directing Robin Williams, especially in a film like this, can’t be fun. The man swallows all the attention around him, except in the most reserved roles. Watching a 40 year-old Williams play a 10 year-old boy who copes with his problems by getting drunk doesn’t play to sentimentality, and isn’t all that interesting of a story. The whole thing plays to the fact that Jack is going to die young, and that looming fate makes it hard to view the movie as anything but sad.

While the project is nascent, it will be written by accomplished screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who has under his belt the TV series Fringe, A Beautiful Mind, The DaVinci Code, andI Am Legend. Helming the series will be longtime Goldsman collaborator and Arrested Development voiceover-doer Ron Howard. Two for two on big names so far.

Who will they get to play Holiday? I dunno. Val Kilmer had a very memorable turn as Holliday in Tombstone, but insurance companies are now reluctant to carry Kilmer projects because they are afraid he will eat the cast and crew. Also, they just don’t make chaps that big.

The field is too wide-open to even hazard a guess, but…what the hell:

John Stamos and Frankie Muniz both playing the legendary character in an Olsen sisters-type arrangement?

Howard has let it be known at Sony that he has no interest in filming Tom Hanks chasing after priests in The Lost Symbol. An insider tells Deadline, “He just didn’t want to do that thing over and over, the same character and the same stories.” Also, that hair.

Though Howard was eager to re-team with Hanks on the Somali pirate film based on the bestselling book A Captain’s Duty. But in the end, Sony’s Amy Pascal didn’t feel Howard was the right fit for the project. “Ron did want to direct the Somali pirate movie. But Amy felt she wanted a different director. Nothing personal,” an insider explained. One agent involved in the film said, “She wanted someone hotter and cooler.” The project was offered to Paul Greengrass, who is now in talks, but it seems to me that if you want someone hotter and cooler than Ron Howard, you need only look one place. The Fonz.

Click yonder links:

Meet The Captain America Writers (Movieline)

Couple Screws In Mini-Van (BarstoolSports)

Emma Watson‘s Gay Porn Double (Holytaco)

James Franco Sells The Air (FilmDrunk)

Vanessa Hudgens Poops Herself (CelebJihad)

Lonliness: The Game (Unreality)

Adam West On Comic Con (Moviefone)

Brad Cooper Is A Serious Actor (PopEater)

When Bieber Turns 50 (Smosh)

The Most Badass Game Characters Of All Time (Ranker)

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Gallery (BroBible)

Maxim’s Hot Assistant (Maxim)

Chris Evans Eyebrows Are Amazing (Pajiba)

Why Comic Con Isn’t For Geeks Anymore (NextMovie)

Insane MMA Fan Tattoos (CagePotato)

How To Score With J Lo (MadeMan)

Tropico 4 Looks Badass! (Gamefront)

George Lopez: Trend Of The Knight (TuVez)

The source material will be adapted by Dustin Lance Black, who has J. Edgar and Milk to his name. Howard’s Imagine Entertainment worked production on J. Edgar, though Clint Eastwood took the helm.

While Howard did lose an enormous project in The Dark Tower, he was busy enough even without that project that timing on Under the Banner of Heaven is a bit of a question. He’s currently prepping Rush with Chris Hemsworth right now, and recently announced his involvement in a film based on the Mad Magazine comic Spy. Vs. Spy. Don’t be surprised if this project takes priority over Spy Vs. Spy, because Krakauer beats Mad Magazine. Probably. Maybe. Who knows? (Deadline)

Producer Brian Grazer, out of solemn respect, will be keeping his hair at half-mast all week.

Javier Bardem was attached to star as gunslinger Roland Deschain, though it’s not immediately clear what this development does to his involvement. One would think that he’s a busy guy, but this project might be one that is worth hanging around for if it ever finds a home. Universal has a seemingly full slate of blockbusters on deck, so taking a chance on such an enormous undertaking doesn’t really seem to be in the cards right now.

Ron Howard has both Rush and the recently-announced Spy vs. Spy on the horizon, so it looks like he won’t be missing a beat with this disappointing news.  (Deadline)

The plan is for Howard and Hemsworth to get moving on this one early next year, seeing as how the Dark Tower project doesn’t really seem to be an obstacle to avoid in the near future. Thor 2 is set for July of 2013, so expect Hemsworth to move straight to that after completing Rush.

Rush focuses on the racing career of Niki Lauda, specifically his racing career and rivalry with British racer James Hunt. No others have been cast yet, but if Hemsworth is playing a guy named “Niki Lauda,” let’s just all assume that Alex Pettyfer is playing the other dude.

Howard will be joined in this production by David Koepp, who will produce and oversee the script written by John Kamps. And don’t worry, Imagine partner Brian Grazer will be producing as well, lest he get his feelings hurt. However, the film won’t get rolling in the near future, as Howard remains steadfast that The Dark Tower will film early next year, either with Universal or another studio willing to take on the production. Presumably, that means Rush will, along with Spy, take a backseat to The Dark Tower for quite some time.

While the Spy vs. Spy news is still breaking and appears to be a ways off, one thing is certain: This will not ensure that the “Arrested Development” movie gets moving any quicker.

Deadline describes the story as a “physical and highly visual action comedy,” which raises more questions than it does answers, but at least it won’t be a gritty reboot or an origin story. Oh, God. I hope it’s not an origin story. Do we really need a reason why these guys are after each other?

It’s looking likely that his next gig will be the direction of Rush, a biopic of Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda, who nearly died in a violent 1976 crash. The story will also examine the rivalry between the Austrian Lauda and British driver James Hunt. So it’s sorta like Days of Thunder. Sorta.

Talks are early on this one, but Howard seems to have gotten a taste for more action-oriented films between this, the abandoned Amnesty, and Dark Tower, which should come as little surprise considering the beating he took for his latest, The Dilemma.

If Kevin James pops up as a fat race car driver, I’m not only giving up on Howard, but people in general.

“We had to pull back to our September start date due to budget delays and ongoing story development and logistical issues, but Dark Tower is moving forward. We’re thinking of starting in early spring now. I can’t really say who’ll be in it yet, but Javier Bardem has shown a great deal of interest. We’ll know by the end of the summer, when our flashing green light goes solid.”

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa!! Whoa!!! Wait one exact minute. Brian Grazer said that Bardem was “locked in psychologically.” Are we now to believe that obtuse phrase means nothing? That’s the last time I trust an adult dressed as Bart Simpson.

So director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman are “regrouping” in order to figure out how to do adapt The Dark Tower, but cheaper. It’s not known yet what exactly this will entail, or whether or not this means Javier Bardem is still involved. A free money-saving tip to Ron Howard and co: Eat at Subway. You can get a variety of footlong subs for only five dollars! (The Hollywood Reporter)

Reportedly, Universal is worried about the ridiculous scope of their upcoming Dark Tower series, which will be told in three epic blockbuster movies and an epic, blockbuster TV series. (Unless the series airs on NBC as planned, but the budget would still be big.) Director/Producer Ron Howard must have been like, “so you have enough money for this, right?” To which Universal quickly responded, “sure, sure,” but the studio just looked its wallet and realized it doesn’t have that kind of cash on them, and they have a bunch of bills to pay this month… So Universal is apparently thinking about either finding a partner studio or selling the behemoth off entirely.

Casting is still in progress, though Javier Bardem is set to play Roland Deschain for the next 15-25 years or so. The books will be adapted by writer Akiva Goldsman. (Variety)

If this is the actual concept, then it should serve two grossly underserved constituencies: the “Lord of the Rings didn’t contain enough political espionage and car chases” faction, as well as the “Why didn’t Jason Bourne fight WAY more monsters?” tribe.

Additionally, it seems unlikely that this would be a suitable vehicle through which Howard can reintroduce America to his delightful deadpan narration style that so many fell in love with in”Arrested Development.”

Whatever this thing shakes out to be, don’t hold your breath for a near-term release, as Howard, Grazer and the rest of the Imagine team will have their hands full with three feature installments of The Dark Tower, as well as two short run TV series. Who would have thought that Stephen King would be able to produce such a rambling saga?

Above is the new trailer for Jon Favreau‘s Cowboys & Aliens, starring Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde and Harrison Ford. I like this new trailer. It’s got thrills, chills, cowpokes, alien folks. It gives you just enough to understand the complex, gun-based relationship between cattle rustlers and space invaders.

Based on a graphic novel – because of course it was – by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the film takes place in 1873, in the desert town of Absolution. Those old west towns have the friendliest names. A criminal with no memory of his past (Craig) must team up with the town sheriff (Ford) to stop aliens from destroying everyone. Olivia Wilde plays a girl character. It has a couple producers you probably haven’t heard of, like Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg.

The shoot-out comes to theaters July 29, 2011.

More news out of The Dark Tower camp. The Stephen King adaptation, which will be adapted into three movies and a TV series, and also probably a few video games, a series of books based on the movies of the books, and a set of Slurpee cups, has found a new writer for its TV arm. Mark Verheiden is a movie/TV/comic book writer who has penned everything from”Battlestar Galactica” to Superman comics. He’ll be teaming with Akiva Goldsman on the NBC series. Verheiden was also a supervising producer on “Heroes,” so maybe NBC is his kryptonite? I hope not.

Ron Howard will direct the Dark Tower series, which will bridge the gap between movies 1 & 2. God knows, if there are gaps between movies in a trilogy, something must fill the chronological void. Could you imagine watching Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith without watching the many different “Clone Wars” TV shows? Also, could you imagine re-watching Attack of the Clones? I cannot. (Deadline)

Bardem is in final talks to join the adaptation of the 7-book series, which will include three movies and two TV mini-series. Okay, but will there also be a web series and a couple Nintendo 3DS games? Rumors say this will be Bardem’s biggest payday ever, but with all the work ahead of him if he accepts, that’s hardly a surprise. Anything less than his biggest payday ever would be a serious bargain.

Ron Howard will direct the first movie this September with a script by Akiva Goldsman. They’re also both working on the first TV show episode. (Deadline)

So it’s with great optimism that I report that Ron Howard’s daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, is attempting to repair the damage to her family name by directing The Originals, which will be her first feature-length movie. She also wrote the script which is said to be “about 20somethings.” Here’s a little more about the plot:

“The film centers around a group of childhood friends who reunite in young adulthood when their former teacher falls into a coma, and has been described by Howard as ‘a Breakfast Club for my generation.’”

Maybe this will be enough to make America forget about Ron Howard’s numerous offenses against good taste and moral order. If that doesn’t work, narrating the Arrested Development” movie might do the trick. (via /Film)

“Javier Bardem, that’s what we’re hoping. We’re in the process of trying to put that together,” Grazer said, “We’re really just focused on Javier right now… He really wants to do it, so we’re absolutely rooting for him to do it.”

Why would Bardem have trepidations? He’s been known to drop out of larger fare tent-poles in the past and Howard’s take on The Dark Tower is one of the most ambitious projects out there. Whoever signs on for the lead role will have to commit to three movies and two television mini-series to bridge the gaps between films. That’s a long time to go without playing tortured artist types who women believe they can change. Hopefully he’ll be able to squeeze in a Natalie Portman film or two during downtime. (MTV)

Looks like screenwriter John August (Corpse Bride, lots of Tim Burton stuff) will take a stab at adapting The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft, an Image Comics series by Mac Carter. More than a year ago, there were rumors that Ron Howard wanted a go at Cthulhu, but he’s now adapting Stephen King‘s Dark Tower, which will span 3 movies, 2 TV series, and probably a 18 comic books, 4 giant Playstation games and an iPhone app that contains 80 webisodes. So he’s busy for awhile.

No director or stars are attached; this is still in very early stages. Meanwhile, Necronomicon-ners can check out At the Mountains of Madness, which is based on a Lovecraft novel and will be directed by Guillermo Del Toro. It’s coming to theaters… not soon. That’s being filmed this summer, so expect a wait on that too. Damn it, I hate waiting. (Empire Online)

Bardem has reportedly been offered the lead role of Roland Deschain, a gunslinger who goes on a quest to find the Dark Tower, and if he doesn’t succeed, the stakes are super duper high: humanity, civilization and post-apocalyptic Disneyland are all doomed. Universal is producing the project, which sounds ridiculously wide in scope. First it’s a theatrically released movie, then a TV mini-series to bridge us into the second movie, which will be followed by another TV mini-series, then the final movie. The idea is to have the same leading cast in all the incarnations. So if you’re interested, Mr. Bardin, get ready to be hanging out with Ron Howard for a long, long time… (Deadline)

Wanting Bale and getting Bale are two different things, especially because of the time commitment required by this project. The Dark Tower saga reportedly will entail a trilogy of films, with a TV miniseries airing between the episodes. Considering Bale is on the tail end of his Batman exploits, it’s not likely that he’ll be clamoring to sign up for another project that would kill his availability for the next six years or so. An announcement was set for this week as to who would play the role of Deschain was set for this week, but, though that deadline has come and gone, expect an announcement soon, possibly naming either Javier Bardem or Viggo Mortensen, neither of whom have had the mainstream success of Bale in recent years.

As for the female lead, the names being thrown around are Jennifer Carpenter, who is known for her portrayal of Deb on”Dexter” (please no) and French/Moroccan Ghita Tazi. Something tells me neither of these candidates would be quick to shy away from a Ron Howard three-picture deal.

Honestly, what the hell happened to Vince Vaughn? And no, I’m not making a joke about his weight. If I lived in Chicago and had access to the Italian beef and sausage combo on a daily basis, my ass would look a lot like Queen Latifah’s, so there’s no judgment there. Wha I am making a joke about is his career, which is also starting to look a lot like Queen Latifah’s.

It’s not like Vaughn was the next Peter Sellers, but he did star in some memorable films: Swingers, Old School, and Anchor Man, to name a few. His last decent film, The Wedding Crashers, was a critical and commercial success, bringing in close to $300 million. But it’s been six years since Vaughn’s been in something that didn’t suck less on screen than Chloë Sevigny. His latest film, The Dilemma, is currently tanking at the box office, which is due in no small part to the fact that it’s rocking a 25% favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critical reception isn’t everything, especially for a comedy. But considering that 25% is more than double what his last film scored, it’s clearly not an isolated incident.

Of his four previous films*, The Break-Up is the highest rated at 34%. Fours Christmases is next with 25%, followed by Fred Claus at 21% and rounded out with Couples Retreat at a whopping 12%. If you combine all four of those scores, the total is still seven points below Toy Story 3. I understand that not every attempt is going to be a hit. Making a film is extremely difficult work, and it’s easy for an asshole hack like myself to sit in my underwear and criticize via the Internet. But the fact that it’s easy for me to criticize doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Vaughn’s last five years of work are an embarrassment by any reasonable standard.

So, what caused Vaughn to pull an Adam Sandler? While there’s no telling for sure, it’s worth noting that Vaughn and his sister Victoria began Wild West Picture Show Productions in 2006, and the company was responsible for the five turds we’ve already discussed. This could just be a coincidence, but all things considered, it would be one hell of a fluke. Maybe the added responsibility of producing has clouded Vaughn’s judgment. Or perhaps he simply gave up all pretense of making a quality product and is now worried only about the bottom line. In either case, any moron (like myself) who knows how to use IMDB can spot the correlation between Vaughn’s career as a producer and a dramatic drop in the quality of his films.

To be clear, Vaughn is not only likable, but talented. That’s what makes the whole situation so frustrating. To see the guy who played Beanie Campbell in Old School sharing the screen with Paul Blart is depressing, and the fact that it’s in a romantic comedy just adds insult to injury. It’s one thing to see a struggling/washed up actor doing crap films to make ends meet. But Vaughn can literally do anything he wants, and he chooses to make Couples Retreat.

There may be hope for Vaughn, as there are rumors of an upcoming project with director David O. Russell. Although to put things into perspective, Ron Howard directed The Dilemma, so even a good director is no guarantee. But whatever happens, it’s high time Vince Vaughn decided to, once again, start making comedies that are actually funny.

Actually, scratch that. It’s high time Vaughn decided to start acting in comedies that are actually funny. He should leave the producing to someone else.

* Note: Into the Wild was not included because Vaughn did not have a starring role.

“I don’t know if it’s going to happen or not, but I’m developing with Akiva Goldsman, the guy who wrote A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man, a version of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series of fantasy stories And there is an element of it, if everything goes as planned, that we would like to do on tv. So we want to do part of it big screen, and then a lot of the character stuff — because Stephen King’s stuff is so interesting and fascinating, and instead of trying to wedge it into a movie, let the movies be adventure and action.”

If any other director was talking about a project of this magnitude, it would probably seem laughable, but Howard’s the kind of A-lister who could pull this off. And with a proposed cast that could see either Viggo Mortensen or Javier Bardem in the lead role, this is one to look out for. (Slashfilm)

From Academy Award winning director Ron Howard comes a January movie. The Dilemma is about a dilemma that’s very real, but it’s not funny. So they fill the movie with contrived B.S. that’s also not funny.

Ronny (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Kevin James) are couple friends. They’re best friends but they always hang out with their significant others too — Ronny’s wife Geneva (Winona Ryder) and Nick’s girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly). They talk about what it takes to really know someone, and they dance because you liked Kevin James dancing in Hitch.

Nick and Ronny have a car idea for GM. That’s the big job they work on in between relationship issues. I always wonder who comes up with the jobs people do in movies when they don’t actually matter. Did screenwriter Allan Loeb really think, “I really want to tell the story of electric engine designers in crisis?” Or did he say, “Let Ron Howard figure out what they do for a living.”

While scouting a location for his own proposal, Ronny catches Geneva making out with a dude we’ll later learn is Zip (Channing Tatum). Does he tell his best friend? Would it be more human to wait until all the pressure of the GM deal is over? Well, it’s a movie so any mature decision Ronny could make is off the table.

Remember when Vince Vaughn used to keep it real? No gimmicks, just breaking the tension of real relationships with comedy. To fill out two hours in The Dilemma, he has to fall into some poison plants that make his pee hurt, argue over the audience trick shot at a hockey game, and climb trees to spy on Zip.

Vaughn is out of things to riff about, so he does the speech from Miracle. Ronny makes up lies about what trouble he’s been in because he can’t tell Beth he’s planning a proposal and he can’t tell Nick what he knows. Dropping a wad of cash (intended for a ring) and keeping secrets make it look like Ronny’s gambling again. Misunderstanding circumstances is not the same as a joke.

The women give some powerhouse performances though. Geneva shows Ronny how she can turn on the tears if she has to claim Ronny made a pass at her to cover her ass. It’s pretty evil, but evil is not funny. Beth is the most amazing girlfriend ever. In the face of ridiculous behavior, she wants to be supportive and Ronny’s the ass to refuse. Queen Latifah talks about her lady wood in an embarrassing bit part, and it’s so funny that she says it twice. But Connelly and Ryder make something out of this nonsense.

There is some good drama in the resolution, but this ain’t the drama version. They had their chance to make a drama and they made the wrong choice.

Please let it be true! We, the staff of this site, along with the TV nerd public, are frankly getting antsy with all this speculation and half news. Either make the film or don’t! It could be fast, cheap, funny, and it would satisfy at least a loyal group of AD devotees. At this point it might almost be better to kill the project indefinitely and stop raising the hopes of a few thousand geeks who still fondly remember a show that went off the air five and a half years ago. And remember, if it’s budget issues that are slowing down production, THERE’S ALWAYS MONEY IN THE BANANA STAND!

(via MTV)

Director: Ron Howard

Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Kevin James, Channing Tatum

Synopsis: A man discovers that his best friend’s wife is having an affair.

Release Date: January 14, 2010