Russ Fischer

HIS CAREER IS NOT YET SPIRITED AWAY

UPDATED AT THE BOTTOM! When his son Goro was named director of the upcoming Ghibli Studios adaptation of Ursula K Le Guin’s Tales From Earthsea, fears about Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement grew. Would the most celebrated living animator give up active creative participation in Ghibli films? Today, the answer is definitively, wonderfully, ‘no’. Toho Studios has … Continue reading

DON’T PRINT THAT SHAZAM! MERCH JUST YET

Last week, Devin wrote about SciFi Wire writing about the New York Daily News writing about the rumour that Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to become either Shazam, Billy Batson, or both. Aaaaand…not so much. Speaking to IGN’s FIlm Force, Shazam! writer John August blew off that idea like Devin dismissing Jake’s chops in act … Continue reading

KEENER SAYS ‘WHAT’

Barry Levinson is making a new film with 2929 Entertainment called What Just Happened?, and Catherine Keener and Robin Wright-Penn have signed on to provide a desperately needed dose of talent. Why is the situation so desperate? Because the plot centers around a movie producer trying to survive in Hollywood while navigating yet another broken … Continue reading

SPARKS IGNITES NEW LINE

You could go to an amazingly romantic lake setting right at twilight, cover the surface of the water with rowboats meant for cuddlers and lovers, fill those boats with cash and still not have anywhere near as much money as New Line is still making off romance hit The Notebook. So it’s no surprise that … Continue reading

PLISSKIN ESCAPES TO NEW LINE

Earlier this week, Devin wrote about Gerard Butler stepping into the shoes of Snake Plisskin, to which the general reply was: OK, not the worst thing ever…who’s directing? We still don’t have a director for Ken Nolan’s script, but we do know that the film has landed at New Line. Several studios stuck hands out … Continue reading

BOND GOES BLIND

It’s been a quiet couple of years for Fernando Meirelles, who came out of the gate strong with City of God and followed up nice with The Constant Gardener. Now the Brazialian director has a third picture lined up: an adaptation of the novel Blindness by Jose Saramago. (Buy the book from CHUD!) (OK, maybe … Continue reading

CHEADLE FEELS KIND OF BLUE

Don Cheadle is an amazingly busy man. In addition to working on the book ‘Not On Our Watch’, which arose from his time in Africa working on Hotel Rwanda, his own Crescendo Productions has five pictures in the pipline, starting with Cheadle’s (new) directorial debut: a biography of legendary trumpeter Miles Davis. The Davis biopic … Continue reading