Today's Film News: From Fog To Funny

By Katey Rich

We've become pretty familiar with Errol Morris through his documentaries like The Fog of War and the upcoming Standard Operating Procedure, but for his next film the 60-year-old director has decided to shake things up. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Morris' next film will be a comedy, and what a doozy of a story it will be: "Its exotic plot is said to entail a range of subjects including a wingless bird, author Margaret Mitchell, a volcano and Laura Bush." Well, at least Morris himself thinks he's well-suited to the genre: "I'm a funny guy, and I'd like to make something funny now."

Snow Angels co-stars Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale are teaming up again, and this time they're bringing Poppa along for the ride. In Everybody's Fine, Robert De Niro will play a widower who must bond with his children all over again, taking each of them (Rockwell, Beckinsale and Drew Barrymore) on a road trip. Variety writes that the Miramax project is a remake of the Italian film, Stanno tutti bene.

We've become pretty familiar with Errol Morris through his documentaries like The Fog of War and the upcoming Standard Operating Procedure, but for his next film the 60-year-old director has decided to shake things up. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Morris' next film will be a comedy, and what a doozy of a story it will be: "Its exotic plot is said to entail a range of subjects including a wingless bird, author Margaret Mitchell, a volcano and Laura Bush." Well, at least Morris himself thinks he's well-suited to the genre: "I'm a funny guy, and I'd like to make something funny now."

Snow Angels co-stars Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale are teaming up again, and this time they're bringing Poppa along for the ride. In Everybody's Fine, Robert DeNIro will play a widower who must bond with his children all over again, taking each of them (Rockwell, Beckinsale and Drew Barrymore) on a road trip. Variety writes that the Miramax project is a remake of the Italian film, Stanno tutti bene.

We've got a new rule establishing itself in Hollywood-- every decade must have its own spin on Jane Austen. You'd think that the double-header of both Emma and Clueless in the 1990s would stave off further adaptations of the Austen novel, but not when there's a hip-hop musical to be made. Screen Gems, responsible for dance movies like Stomp The Yard and You Got Served. Like all literary adaptations should be, this film was inspired by a close reading of Austen's text... or, um, not. From Variety, "Screen Gems topper Clint Culpepper said he came up with the idea for Emma, which will likely be redubbed Emme, after watching the musicvideo "Lipgloss" by Lil Mama." Here's the YouTube link so you can get an idea of what's getting compared to literature these days.

And finally, Lakeshore Entertainment is working on starting a spy franchise similar to the Bourne movies, but this time their hero is a woman! The Reporter writes that Lakeshore will team up with France's TF1 to adapt Jean-Christophe Rufin's novel La parfum d'Adam, about a woman who unwittingly becomes involved in a worldwide ecoterrorism plot. Even more awesomely, Rufin is the co-founder of Doctors Without Borders, meaning he has all sorts of experience running around the world and negotiating with bad guys. If there's any guy able to take the King of the Spy Thriller mantle from Robert Ludlum, it's him.

We've got a new rule establishing itself in Hollywood-- every decade must have its own spin on Jane Austen. You'd think that the double-header of both Emma and Clueless in the 1990s would stave off further adaptations of the Austen novel, but not when there's a hip-hop musical to be made. Screen Gems, responsible for dance movies like Stomp the Yard and You Got Served, will be taking Emma to a similar urban setting. Like all literary adaptations should be, this film was inspired by a close reading of Austen's text... or, um, not. From Variety, "Screen Gems topper Clint Culpepper said he came up with the idea for Emma, which will likely be redubbed Emme, after watching the music video "Lipgloss" by Lil Mama." Here's the YouTube link so you can get an idea of what's getting compared to literature these days.

And finally, Lakeshore Entertainment plans to launch a spy franchise similar to the Bourne movies, but this time their hero is a woman! The Reporter writes that Lakeshore will team up with France's TF1 to adapt Jean-Christophe Rufin's novel La parfum d'Adam, about a woman who unwittingly becomes involved in a worldwide ecoterrorism plot. Even more awesomely, Rufin is the co-founder of Doctors Without Borders, meaning he has all sorts of experience running around the world and negotiating with bad guys. If there's any guy able to take the King of the Spy Thriller mantle from Robert Ludlum, it's him.