A couple days ago the Producers Guild announced their picks for best picture of the year:

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk, and Slumdog Millionaire.

Today, The Directors Guild announced their picks.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk, and Slumdog Millionaire.

Notice a couple similarities?

With the Academy Award nominations coming on January 22 it’s worth noting that often in the past at least three of the five films picked by the Producers Guild wind up being Oscar choices as well.

So which of these films will make the cut? All of them? None of them?

What’s been left out?

While I’m certainly excited to see The Dark Knight getting the recognition it deserves, I am sad not to see Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road on either of these lists and hope that the Academy thinks twice before just following along with what everyone else has picked.

I’m sure you feel just as passionate about a film that’s not on this list as well, what is it?

The script by Bill Marsilli is an original story revolving around Captain Nemo as he creates his warship, the Nautilus.

The original was Disney’s first live-action film and was the second highest grossing film the year it was released. It also won three Oscars. Obviously, Disney is hoping to have a repeat performance.

Source: Variety

Hedlund had his debut in 2004’s Troy and has acted in large ensemble pieces since then. His other films include Friday Night Lights, Four Brothers, Eragon and Georgia Rule. He has long been considered on the very of breaking big and starring in this $150 million film could be the launching point he’s been looking for.

Other people interested in the role included Ryan Gosling and Chris Pine as well as Cloverfield’s Michael Stahl-David.

Hedlund will play the lead, a man who finds himself pulled into the computer world of Tron, retracing the steps of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges, who will be reprising the role) from the original film.

Source: hollywoodreporter.com

However, Warner Bros. is asking that the hearing be moved up as early as Monday siting “time is critical” as their reasons. Specifically, the comic book adaptation is scheduled for a March 6 bow, and the studio must soon commit tens of millions of dollars in marketing for a film that aren’t sure they’ll be able to release.

Feess made a preliminary ruling on Christmas Eve that Fox has a right to distribute the film. Feess found that producer Lawrence Gordon failed to acquitre Fox’s entire interest in the Alan Moore penned graphic novel, thereby leaving Fox without rights under the 1994 turnaround agreement.

In an off screen drama that would make Terry Gilliam cringe, the two studios are now battling over the key issue of whether that decision allows Fox to stop the film’s release or whether the parties should proceed to a trail over money damages.

Warner Bros. claims that Fox “abandoned” the Watchmen property and that Warners has spent more than $150 million to make and market the film in a “carefully choreographed” plan to peak moviegoers interest on March 6.

A status conference is scheduled for Friday morning on Feess’ Los Angeles courtroom to determine when the hearing will take place. The hearing is expected to last two to three days and could feature testimony from top studio executives like Warner Bros. domestic distribution head Dan Fellman.

If the injunction is granted, Warner Bros. would be barred from releasing the film, though it would likely appeal immediately. Feess has encouraged both parties to settle the dispute.

source: hollywoodreporter.com

Hayward will make his live-action debut with Jonah Hex, which is based on the DC Comics character.

The character of Hex (who is still set to be played by Josh Brolin), known for having the right side of his face disfigured and wearing a Confederate army uniform, was a rough-and-tumble gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter whose adventures always ended in blood. One incarnation of his comic book series saw the Western genre combined with supernatural elements, and it’s this aspect that was featured in Neveldine and Taylor’s script. The studio will likely keep the script, though it’s expected that Hayward will put his stamp on it.

Andrew Lazar’s Mad Chance and Akiva Goldsman’s Weed Road are producing.

Hayward, repped by UTA and manager Jason Grode, began his career as an animator on the Canadian TV series ReBoot before becoming a member of the Pixar family, where he worked on such films as Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo. He also was involved in Fox and Blue Sky’s animated film Robots.

With such an impressively animated resume, the real question now, is will these talents translate to a live-action gritty comic book based western flick?

Hayward made his directorial debut with 2008’s “Horton,” which grossed $154.5 million at the domestic box office.

Credit: Hollywood Reporter

This would not be Rourke’s first foray into comic book films, as he played Marv, the tough guy with a heart of gold, in Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City.

Sam Rockwell (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Frost/Nixon) is slated to play a British villain named Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and a rival of industrialist of Tony Stark.

Wow, first it was Downey, Jr. as the actor that is as in-demand as ever. Now Rourke with his Oscar buzz is part of two big casting announcements in less than the day - the other being in The Expendables.

Sources: Variety and The Hollywood Reporter

Mickey Rourke is the newest actor to be added to Sylvester Stallone’s next directorial effort. Already my pick for comeback of the year, Rourke will join Sly, and the call sheet of actors we’ve mentioned over the last few days and weeks. You have Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Forest Whitaker. Rourke will play an arms dealer who becomes the go-to guy for a group of mercenaries planning to topple a South American dictator.

The Expendables begins filming in March.

Source: Variety

The 3-D performance-capture films, based on Georges Remi’s comic books, which are being co-financed by Song Pictures Entertainment and Paramount Pictures, will center on Tintin’s globe trotting adventures as a fearless reporter. In the books, the Thompson Twins are a pair of incompetent, clumsy detectives who can only be told apart by the shape of their mustaches. Thompson, with a “p,” has a flat mustache, while Thomson, without the distinguishing letter, has a flared out version.

The casting was confirmed by Dawn Sedwick, Pegg’s agent in London, who was unable to confirm if the Twins would appear in both pics.

As previously reported, Andy Serkis will play Tintin’s sidekick Captain Haddock. The titular hero has yet to be cast. Thomas Sangster had been set for the role, but left the project when ti was delayed due to funding difficulties caused by the DreamWorks/Paramount split.

But whoever plays the reporter, with the names they’ve already lined up on this project, in front of and behind the camera these are sure to be two fantastic films.

Source: Variety

Nu Image/Millennium Films is producing the film. Avi Lerner, John Thompson and Kevin King Templeton are producing along with exec producers Boaz Davidson, Trevor Short and Danny Dimbort.

Stallone, who expressed his intention to woo Whitaker at the AFM in November, has been scouting locations for a February shoot. Reports about Stallone’s pursuit of “Demolition Man” co-star Sandra Bullock amount to, according to a Nu Image/Millennium spokesperson, merely wishful thinking for fans.

“Expendables” is the first project in Stallone’s two-picture deal with Nu Image/Millennium. He last wrote and directed “Rambo,” which mowed down $155 million in worldwide grosses.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Not only has Sylvester Stallone attracted Jason Statham and Jet Li to his project, but he’s been in talks with Forest Whitaker, Dolph Lundgren, and Gandhi. Well, Ben Kingsley, but close enough.

Now there’s no telling if Sly wants Kingsley to play the villainous dictator. If so, he could flashback to his Oscar-nominated performance in Sexy Beast. But even if he’s assisting Sly’s team of mercenaries, that’ll be fun too.

The Expendables is slated to be released in 2010. Man, and we’re just starting 2009. The anticipation’s killing me.

Source: JoBlo.com