Today's Film News: George Clooney Sees Goats

By Katey Rich

George Clooney has said he's done with his "idiot trilogy" with the Coen Brothers, but he may be playing a fool of a different kind in Men Who Stare at Goats, a script that his Smoke House production company has picked up. The screenplay, written by British journalist and "This American Life" contributor Jon Ronson, is about a unit of the U.S. military that uses paranormal powers. The Variety article doesn't explain exactly what that means, but doesn't that make it more intriguing?

Elizabeth Banks, currently busy playing Laura Bush for Oliver Stone's W, will try her hand at producing for Pitch Perfect, an adaptation of Mickey Rapkin's non-fiction book about competitive college a capella. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Kay Cannon, a writer and occasional performer on "30 Rock," will pen the screenplay. Yet another one of those titles that sets the critics up for the punny pans-- "Pitch Perfect is Tone Deaf" or the like. Playing with fire!

This is getting like a bad joke: Production for David O. Russell's Nailed has once again shut down, with financial troubles continuing to plague the satiric comedy. Below-the-line workers were instructed not to come to set by their union, according to Variety, due to continuing financial troubles with the production company, Capitol Films. Filming is apparently scheduled to resume today, though at this rate, how long can that last before more troubles emerge or the money simply runs out?

And finally, the French are apparently just as willing to watch TV shows about spoiled Beverly Hills teenagers as we are. One of the top cartoons in that country, "Totally Spies!", will get a feature adaptation thanks to Marathon Media and Studio 37. The Hollywood Reporter writes that international sales will be handled at Cannes, so hopefully we in the States will finally get a look at what those snotty French think of one of America's snottiest zip codes.