News

Stars: Jon Voight, Aidan Cullen, Jamie Kennedy, Vail Bloom, Derick Van Orden, Matthew Davis, Sheri Carbone, Susan Coleman | Written by Mark Hefti | Directed by Patrick Alessandrin

Following the death of Gus (Jon Voight), his grandson Shaun (Aidan Cullen) can’t seem to let go. So when Gus appears at his own reception, unstartled by his unexpected appearance Shaun takes the opportunity to rekindle his relationship. Although he remains imperceptible to everyone apart from Shaun and his dog, Gus is able to interact once more offering guidance and telling jokes as if he never left.

It was always planned that Shaun would go on a trek with his grandfather to the top of a remote mountain, and inspired by Gus returning Shaun decides to complete the journey himself, taking with him his grandfather’s ashes. Although the idea is quickly dismissed by his father Kristopher (Jamie Kennedy) and mother Rachel (Vail...

Gerard Butler is in talks to play Kane in the languishing video game adaptation Kane & Lynch, with Nu Image/Millennium Films issuing an offer to Vin Diesel for the Lynch role. It isn't known if Vin Diesel plans on accepting the offer or not.

The project has been in development since 2007, with Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx once attached to play the title characters. The project fell apart in September 2010, when French director Patrick Alessandrin (District 13 Ultimatum) backed away, causing production to be postponed.

Skip Woods (Ten) and Kyle Ward (Machete Kills) wrote the screenplay based on the Eidos Interactive video game. The story follows two death row inmates who are sprung from prison to retrieve a stolen fortune. Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alter are producing, although it isn't known when shooting may begin.

Gerard Butler most recently starred in the action-thriller Olympus Has Fallen. He is currently gearing up to shoot Gods of Egypt.

After spending seven years as the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger is clearly trying to make up for lost time with his return to acting. He already has four films in the works (The Last Stand, The Expendables 2, The Tomb and Unknown Soldier) along with several other rumoured possibilities. Now he is adding yet another project to the pile as he has reportedly signed on to star in Ten, a new action movie from David Ayer (Harsh Times). The plot synopsis is as follows: "Ten revolves around the members of an elite DEA task force who depart from their usual operations and steal millions from a drug cartel safe house. Just when the team thinks they got away with it, someone begins to take out them out one by one." In other words, it's essentially yet another gritty cop drama from David Ayer, although in this case the script...

Well, he's back and Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to pile on the movie projects while old dudes blowing stuff up continues to be make money. He's got "The Expendables 2" coming this summer, "The Last Stand" and "The Tomb" looking set for 2013 and now he's tossing another movie on the slate.

Arnie will team with "Training Day" and "End Of Watch" helmer David Ayer for "Ten," a romantic comedy set the fast moving world of internet startups.....nah, who the fuck are we kidding? This is David Ayer, and of course, the story will center on an elite DEA task force who rob a drug cartel safe house, only find each member of the team starts getting taken down one by one. The script was penned by Skip Woods ( "Hitman," "X-Men Origins: The Wolverine," "The A-Team") so proceed with caution. Frankly, this sounds like any number of generic straight-to-dvd actioners, but...

Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Ayer? The guy who did “Commando” and the guy who wrote/directed gritty L.A. cop movies like “Training Day”, “Harsh Times”, and the upcoming “End of Watch”? Now this is a rather novel partnership. The two men are teaming up on a new action movie called “Ten”, from screenwriter Skip Woods (“Swordfish”). The project originally had Bruce Willis attached to star back in 2010. Willis and Schwarzenegger, by the way, are teaming up for the explosives-heavy “The Expendables 2″. Ayer will also be replacing Frenchman Patrick Alessandrin, who was previously attached to direct. In “Ten”, an elite DEA task force deals with the world’s deadliest drug cartels. Specializing in complex mobile operations, the team executes a tactical raid on a cartel safe house. What looks to be a typical raid turns out to be an elaborate theft operation, pre-planned by the DEA squad. After hiding millions in stolen cash,...

[1] So, that Americanized version of Pierre Morel's French thriller District 13 we reported on back in 2009 [2] is still happening, and it may have just found one of its stars. Paul Walker has entered negotiations to join the cast of the remake, which will be titled Brick Mansions and relocated to a city in the States (probably Chicago). But the news isn't all bad! Also on board is David Belle, who starred in the original and its sequel but will be playing a different character here. Plus, the script comes from Luc Besson, who co-wrote the original, and Robert Mark Kamen, who collaborated with Besson on Taken. More details after the jump. Brick Mansions will revolve around an undercover detective (Walker) going after a drug dealer who's stolen a weapon of mass destruction. He heads to a ghetto known as Brick Mansions to find the criminal, enlisting the help of...

With Dwayne Johnson already in talks to bring it as Roadblock in G.I. Joe 2, director Jon Chu is looking to up the slinky sex appeal of the film while also maintaining the action quotient. So, according to the Heat Vision Blog, he now has French actress Elodie Yung in talks to sign up.Yung is probably best known for her kick-ass portrayal of Tao in Patrick Alessandrin’s sequel District 13: Ultimatum, where she was a tattooed hard nut who took on corrupt cops and fought most notably using a knife in her ponytail.She’s wanted to play Jinx, a young woman from California who discovers family ties to a ninja clan during a trip to Japan and becomes a fully-fledged member after showing off her martial arts prowess. She’s recruited to the military team by fellow ninja Snake Eyes.From the looks of this, Chu and...

In this week's in-production column looks at the new project "Bump and Run," from first-time writer Stephen Schaller and up-and-coming French director Patrick Alessandrin, which is just now beginning pre-production. From Kickstarter, a film about a piece of equipment that became a Banksy art piece and the man who lives in it, the new film from "Noah's Arc" creator Patrik-Ian Polk, and what looks to be a gorgeous animated films ...

I thought this project was d-e-a-d-doomed, after the revolving door of directors and screenwriters hopping on and off this train over a short 2 to 3 month period last summer.

Last we talked about it, was in July 2010, when it was announced the director F. Gary Gray was no longer attached to direct it.

But let’s back up for a moment… follow the bouncing ball… initially, Simon Crane was hired to direct Lionsgate’s adaptation of the video game, Kane & Lynch, with Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx attached to star, but he dropped out due to “creative differences” with the studio.

Then, F. Gary Gray was approached by Lionsgate to helm the project. But Gray eventually moved on for what may have been similar reasons as Crane’s.

Then the job was then offered to Wayne Kramer; but it was later announced that he was no longer in the running.

Soon thereafter,...

Shaking off the doldrums of winter, productions are gearing up and casting decisions are raining down. Here’s the latest:

John C. Reilly is rumored to co-star in Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim’s movie adaptation of Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, a comedy show that memorably included Reilly as local advice anchor Dr. Steve Brule. Notably, Reilly is not lined up to reprise the role of the wine-guzzling buffoon, but rather will be playing a fellow named Taquito. Make of that what you will.

The movie, ambitiously titled Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, will likely be as oddball as the show – and as packed with celebrity guests. Early talk suggests Will Ferrell, Bob Odenkirk, Zach Galifianakis, Harrison Ford and Will Forte may make appearances. (Tracking Board via /Film)

If you somehow missed out on Tim and Eric’s absurdity, check out my personal favorite Brule...

Amanda Seyfried and John Cusack are reportedly onboard to star in Patrick Alessandrin's "The Bullet" reports Bleeding Cool.

The dark thriller follows a man only known as “The Clockmaker” who devises the ultimate plot of revenge against a seemingly random group of people by manipulating them to kill one another.

Shooting kicks off in Boston in April. Alessandrin helmed "District B-13: Ultimatum".

Amanda Seyfried's schedule is plenty packed these days, filming the futuristic thriller Now opposite Justin Timberlake, signing on recently for the kidnapping revenge film Gone, and getting ready to open her revisionist take on Red Riding Hood with director Catherine Hardwicke. But has she made room for one more movie in her lineup, to shoot in Boston this April? According to Boston film production sources (via Bleeding Cool) she has. They're hearing that director Patrick Alessandrin will be in the area come April to shoot The Bullet, which has Amanda Seyfriend and John Cusack on board to star. Here's the only information available about the plot: "The dark thriller about a man only known as .The Clockmaker. who devises the ultimate plot of revenge against a seemingly random group of people by manipulating them to kill one another. No word on whether Cusack will play the killer-- an interesting...

A big screen adaptation of the "Kane and Lynch" video game, starring Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx was supposed to begin filming last fall, but got indefinitely postponed after filmmakers started dropping out, including Simon Crane and Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum). IGN now caught up with Foxx, who said that he's still attached to the project. "We're doing a couple of rewrites but we're still doing it," he said. "And it should be a lot of fun, a lot of action." The last time we heard about the film, Lionsgate was looking for a director and have been considering Wayne Kramer (Running Scared), F. Gary Gray (Italian Job) and Antoine Fuqua (Brooklyn's Finest). The goal was to begin filming during the first quarter of 2011. Plot: Kane (Willis) is a mercenary. Lynch (Foxx) is a schizophrenic with no past. They meet while being transported to Death Row. When they are...

While at a promotional event on the Fox lot for the upcoming 3D CG-animated film "Rio," IGN caught up with Jamie Foxx and gave them a very brief update on the bigscreen adaptation of the Eidos videogame "Kane & Lynch."  The film follows Adam "Kane" Marcus, a mercenary who makes an unlikely alliance with a schizophrenic killer named James Lynch. The duo is forced on a mission to retrieve a stolen microchip.Foxx is set to play the schizophrenic killer James Lynch and Bruce Willis will portray the mercenary Adam "Kane" Marcus. The film was slated to start production this past August but was postponed indefinitely since French up-and-comer director Patrick Alessandrin left the project. At the moment there is no director attached to the project.According to Foxx the movie is still a go and he is still on it: "We're doing a couple of rewrites but we're still doing it.

Bruce Willis has a lot of history with producer Joe Roth, in a good way.

Many years ago, Willis backed out of Disney’s Broadway Brawler after production had started due to a clash with the director, Lee Grant. Willis was looking at a lawsuit and a rather expensive $17.5m bill for the scrapped production, until Roth persuaded him to make a three-picture deal instead. Willis made Armageddon for a reduced fee to help cover the costs on Brawler and then added The Sixth Sense and The Kid. Total worldwide box office takings for the three? $1.3bn.

Willis seems to have a sense of owing Roth the occasional favour and Deadline are reporting that the friendship that has grown up between them is part of the reason behind Willis signing to star in “Ten”, a drama to be directed by Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum) and scripted by Skip Woods (Wolverine,...

Uber badass Bruce Willis and producer Joe Roth (also the director of “Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise”), who have already teamed up in some capacity for seven movies, including “Armageddon” and “The Sixth Sense”, are at it again. Deadline reports that Willis will star in “Ten”, and upcoming drama produced by Roth. Not much is known about the actual plot, but Patrick Alessandrin (District B-13: Ultimatum”) is going to direct, and Skip Woods (“The A-Team”, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) wrote the script. All things considered, this sounds more like a fast-paced action movie than a drama, but I guess we’ll see how everything unfolds. “Ten” will begin shooting in December, with a budget of less than $35 million.

Bruce Willis joins Ten for producer Joe RothBruce Willis has attached himself to a new drama project entitled Ten, which Joe Roth will produce, according to Deadline New York.

Qed and producer Norton Herrick have committed to finance the movie, which will be produced with a $35 million budget. Patrick Alessandrin (District 13 Ultimatum) is directing the movie from a script by Skip Woods (The A-Team). There is no word on what the story of this new project will be, although it is said that a distributor will be set in the near future, with the movie to start shooting in December.

This news comes days after we reported that Joe Roth had set Rupert Sanders to direct the revisionist project Snow White and the Huntsman, which will offer an intriguing new take on the classic Snow White tale. The Huntsman, who originally had a cameo in the original story, will be...

Kane & Lynch, bad luck, guys! The future of the movie, based on Square Enix’s criminal action franchise, is (again!) in doubt, following the departure of director Patrick Alessandrin (man who was in charge for “District 13: Ultimatum” as well).

The movie has already lost director Simon Crane.

So, this actually means that the production on the film has stopped because of French director “falling off” the project.

As you already know, the story that centers on: “Kane is a mercenary. Lynch is a schizophrenic with no past.

They meet while being transported to Death Row. When they are attacked and kidnapped by Kane’s former team, the ill-matched duo is forced to retrieve a stolen microchip that may hold the key to Lynch’s true identity” was due to begin shooting next month.

Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx remain on board to play the title roles – Willis will play Kane,...

Drama seems to follow Kane & Lynch wherever they go. First, their debut action game--"Kane & Lynch: Dead Men"-- kicked up allegations of payola when then-editor Jeff Gerstmann was fired from Gamespot.com website after writing a negative review. Next up, a mini-controversy raged when Jamie Foxx was cast as James Lynch, who's a balding Caucasian schizophrenic in the game. Bruce Willis-who'd be playing Adam 'Kane' Marcus-fall more into type as the mercenary who falls into an uneasy criminal partnership with Lynch.

But, the most cursed thing about the third-person crime drama has been the game of musical chairs that's plagued the director spot. The first man set to helm the adaptation of the Io Interactive-developed game was Simon Crane, who served as stunt co-ordinator on "Salt" and both "Tomb Raider" movies. When he bailed, Wayne Kramer ("Running Scared") was being talked up to take the baton. In the same time period,...

Yes, you read that headline correctly. The most recent director for Kane & Lynch, Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum) has walked. This is only the latest directorial change for the video game adaptation that is to star Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx. Previous possible directors included Wayne Kramer and F. Gary Gray, and those men are both being sought as possible replacements for Alessandrin, along with Antoine Fuqua. Let's recap the history of the production, which is getting to be quite a mess. Stunt coordinator Simon Crane was originally set to direct, but he moved on and negotiations were reportedly underway with Wayne Kramer (Running Scared). Then, weeks later, F. Gary Gray was also said to be in talks. Finally, Patrick Alessandrin was hired, for real, and the film was set to shoot in October. Now the La Times cites multiple sources who say that Alessandrin has quit, and a spokeswoman...

The much discussed adaptation of Eidos Interactive's Kane & Lynch seemed to be a video game movie with a mountain of potential. With Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx in leading roles and an up-and-coming director in Patrick Alessandrin, Kane & Lynch was looking to continue the trend set by Prince of Persia by not completely sucking. Everything was set to start shooting next month, but unfortunately, the La Times is reporting that things aren't going quite as smoothly as we hoped. Director Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum) has left the project with only weeks left before production was set to start, and it's unclear whether it was his decision or not. The film's producers are currently scrambling to find a replacement, with two directors who were previously considered--Wayne Kramer (The Cooler, Running Scared) and F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen)-- in the running. The Times reports that...

At this moment in time, there has to be at least one million people would love to hop behind a camera and become a big time Hollywood movie director. However, no one wants to sit behind the camera for the big screen adaptation of the popular video game, Kane & Lynch.

According to the Los Angeles Times, French director Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum) has left the project about a month before production was going to begin. Alessandrin joins veteran stunt coordinator/second unit director Simon Crane as directors once slated to direct this film.

What to seems to be the problem though? Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx are presently attached to star as Kane and Lynch, and Lions Gate intends to release the film once its complete and following the surprising success of The Expendables, the public seems to be hungry for mindless, violent, over the top action films. As...

The film version of Kane & Lynch continues to have director woes. The newly appointed French director Patrick Alessandrin, who replaced Simon Crane, has parted ways with Kane & Lynch. The movie is based on the popular third-person multi-platform shooter from Eidos Interactive, starring Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx.

Simon Crane would have made his directorial debut with the film, but eventually he departed the project due to difficulties with the studio. He was supposed to be replaced by F. Gary Gray, only to have the studio hedge a bet on Alessandrin. Now it seems according to 24 Frames, that Gray (Italian Job) is back into the mix as well as Running Scared director Wayne Kramer but no director has been confirmed.

Kane & Lynch tells the story of a pair of Death Row inmates, an ex-mercenary named Adam “Kane” Marcus (Willis) and a schizophrenic criminal named James Seth Lynch (Foxx), that escape during...

Does anyone still truly care about the long-talked about feature film adaptation of the video game, Kane & Lynch?

Well, for those who still do, the La Times is reporting that the film has hit yet another roadblock, after director Patrick Alessandrin has left the project, just a month out of the slated start of production.

Read more on Kane & Lynch hits another roadblock, loses its director…...

French filmmaker Patrick Alessandrin ("District 13: Ultimatum") has dropped out of plans to direct a film adaptation of the video game series "Kane and Lynch" at Lionsgate and Nu Image/Millennium Films reports The Los Angeles Times.

Alessandrin is the latest in a series of director names linked to the project so far. His departure has forced producers to go back to the drawing board and led to doubts about whether the project will go ahead at all, certainly a planned production start date of next month has been pushed back into the first quarter of next year at the earliest. A Lionsgate spokesperson confirms to the paper that a "start date is Tbd".

The story follows the mercenary Adam 'Kane' Marcus (Bruce Willis) and aggressive, schizophrenic killer James Lynch (Jamie Foxx) teaming to retrieve a dangerous device as ransom payment to retrieve Kane's kidnapped wife and daughter. Kyle Ward penned the script.

Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx may be onboard for Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate's "Kane and Lynch" movie, but the film, which was looking for a director a few months ago and seemed to have found a winner with Frenchman Patrick Alessandrin of "District 13: Ultimatum," now has an open chair available once again and an October start date for production has reportedly been delayed.

The "Kane and Lynch" "director has not been chosen," and the "start date is Tbd," a Millenium spokeswoman told the Los Angeles Times. The studio's statement came following a report that production wouldn't begin until the first quarter of 2011 under the best of circumstances.

"Hancock" stunt coordinator Simon Crane had be tagged to helm the project at one point, and both "Law Abiding Citizen" director F. Gary Gray and Wayne Kramer, who oversaw the Harrison Ford flick "Crossing Over," had previously been mentioned as candidates...

Death row inmate buddies Kane and Lynch haven’t exactly had it easy trying to get from action video game to action big-screen movie. It’s been even harder holding onto a director. According to the LATimes, the latest director to sign up before signing off was “District 13′s” Patrick Alessandrin. Now that the Frenchman is off the project, Nu Image/Millennium is scrambling to find a replacement. Among the names on the studio’s list: F. Gary Gray and Wayne Kramer, both of who were, at one point or another, in the mix to direct. Also on the studio’s short list, Antoine Fuqua (“Shooter”). Originally slated for an October 2010 start date, “Kane and Lynch” has now been pushed to 2011, though the studio insists that an official start date has not been chosen yet. It’s kinda hard to start shooting a movie without a director, and there...

It is hardly breaking news to say that video game adaptations often struggle as films.

Everything from Super Mario Bros, through Street Fighter to Doom has struggled both critically and commercially, with even seemingly bankable fare like Prince of Persia misfiring.

Kane & Lynch, a third person shooter about two death row inmates who break out for a big bank job was hoped to be the project that would break the curse of the game adaptation, but this has now hit a director-related snag.

Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum) was attached to direct Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx, with shooting starting next month. According to the La Times, Alessandrin is now off the project and the producers are trying to find a replacement director.

F Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen, Be Cool) and Wayne Kramer (Crossing Over, The Cooler) were previously considered and are now back in the mix, as is Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua.

Lionsgate’s big-screen adaptation of the popular video game "Kane & Lynch" has hit a wall, as the studio is delaying the project because director Patrick Alessandrin has left the film, according to 24 Frames.

Alessandrin, who helmed "District 13: Ultimatum," was attached to direct, but sources said he's no longer involved. F. Gary Gray and Wayne Kramer were attached to the project previously as well.

"Kane & Lynch" centers on a character named Kane, a death row inmate who makes it out of prison and teams up with a medicated psychopath to retrieve a lost fortune. Kyle Ward wrote the screenplay.

French director Patrick Alessandrin has parted ways with Kane & Lynch, a film based on the popular third-person multi-platform shooter from Eidos Interactive, starring Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx, according to 24 Frames.

Running Scared director Wayne Kramer and The Italian Job director F. Gary Gray, who at various points were in talks to take the directing reins, are now back in consideration, but no director has been confirmed.

Kane & Lynch tells the story of two death row inmates who break out of jail and embark on a big bank job.

Kane & Lynch was ready to start shooting next month, but with the departure of Patrick Alessandrin, the movie is not likely to start production until the first quarter of 2011 at the earliest.

Kane & Lynch is in development and stars Bruce Willis, Jamie Foxx, Michael Biehn, Joel William Gonzales.

Kane & Lynch, a feature film adaptation of a sub-par video game about a pair of violent and mentally f*cked up Death Row inmates who escape and team up to retrieve a stolen fortune, has gone through a couple of directors now. And evidently, nobody seems to give a shit. According to La Times' 24 Frames, the latest helmer to walk away from the violent mayhem is French director Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum). We didn't even know he was in the driver's seat. Last we heard,...

Back in May, Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx were on board for the upcoming big screen adaptation of the "Kane and Lynch" video game. The movie had billboards hanging at the Cannes Film Festival, and Simon Crane was signed on to direct. Crane was then replaced with Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum), who was getting ready to begin filming in October. La Times is now reporting that Alessandrin is no longer attached to the project, and producers are scrambling to find his replacement. Wayne Kramer (Running Scared), F. Gary Gray (Italian Job) and Antoine Fuqua (Brooklyn's Finest) are being considered. As a result, the October start date has been pushed back likely until the first quarter of next year. Many believe there will be more obstacles ahead due to the fact that movies based on video games usually underperform. Plot: Kane (Willis) is a mercenary. Lynch (Foxx) is a schizophrenic with no past.

Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate are having a rough time finding someone to direct their adaptation of the Eidos video game Kane & Lynch. Stunt coordinator Simon Crane was set to make his directing debut on the flick, but dropped off in May. He was replaced by Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum), but 24 Frames reports that he has also left the project. This puts previous mentioned names Wayne Kramer (Running Scared) and F. Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen) back into the mix along with Antonie Fuqua (Training Day). Production was set to begin next month but has been pushed back indefinitely.

The film is set to star Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx as escaped convicts Adam “Kane” Marcus and James Seth Lynch. Kane is forced to team-up with the schizophrenic killer Lynch in order to break out of prison and find a stolen microchip.

Does anyone even care about a Kane & Lynch movie? That's the question I ask myself every single time I read news about this video property that's supposed to fast tracking into production soon. But now it appears as if Millennium has to go back to the directing drawing board.La Times has more:The movie from Avi Lerner's Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate (the former is financing, the latter distributing domestically), seemed all ready to start shooting next month, with French up-and-comer Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum") preparing to direct. But the latest turn has Alessandrin has fallen off the film, according to several sources familiar with the project, forcing producers to go back to the drawing board. "Running Scared" helmer Wayne Kramer and "Italian Job" director F. Gary Gray, who at various points were in talks to take the directing reins, are now back in the mix. Producers are also talking to Antoine Fuqua,...

Many films have difficulties on their way to the screen, with deals falling through and actors becoming attached then drifting away again. But it’s beginning to look like the universe just doesn’t want the movie adaptation of video game Kane & Lynch to make it to the screen, as yet another director – District 13: Ultimatum’s Patrick Alessandrin – has left the project.It all seemed to be going so well earlier: Kane & Lynch boasted an intriguing action concept about two death row inmates who escape from prison and get to work on a big bank job to help one of their families. And the game offered brand recognition to boot. Plus, the producers were able to secure Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx for the leads.But finding a director has been another story. Running Scared’s Wayne Kramer and Law Abiding Citizen’s F Gary Gray have both been...

Hollywood is fond of adapting popular video games into movies (despite them often being critical failures and box office disappointments) and it was no surprise that Eidos Interactive’s violent game Kane & Lynch would be getting the big-screen treatment.

With huge stars Bruce Willis and Jaimie Foxx signed on to star in the titular roles and director Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum) in-talks to direct, it seemed that Kane & Lynch was definitely on the way. However, as is often the case, things aren’t that simple, and the project has hit a major roadblock.

24 Frames reports that Kane & Lynch has been delayed – until the film can lock-down a director. The project was set to start shooting next month; however, it appears that the…

Click to continue reading ‘Kane & Lynch’ Delayed as Director Patrick Alessandrin Exits...

French up-and-coming director Patrick Alessandrin has left the video game adaptation's team only a month before the cameras were set to roll, forcing Lionsgate to pursue previously considered candidates. Kane & Lynch, the latest video game set to make the transition from console to silver screen, is in trouble. After a brief marketing push at several gaming and comics conventions this year, which included the first teaser posters and large-scale banner ads, it appeared fans were rather optimistic to see Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx take up the titles roles. Kane & Lynch, based on the wildly popular crime game, follows Adam "Kane" Marcus, a mercenary who makes an unlikely alliance with a schizophrenic killer named James Lynch. The duo is forced on a mission to retrieve a stolen...

It's been a long road for the Lionsgate adaptation of Eidos Entertainment's third person shooter Kane & Lynch to get to the screen, the project having been announced all the way back in early 2007 . Even with Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx attached in the main roles, Lionsgate and Millenium Films have been having troubles finding a director. According to the L.A. Times , Lionsgate had hired French filmmaker Patrick Alessandrin of District 13: Ultimatum to do the job with plans to start shooting next month--something we hadn't heard before--but at the same time, they report that Alessandrin is off the project and they're back to finding a new director with the names of F. Gary Gray ( The Italian Job ) and Wayne Kramer ( Running Scared ) being back on table, joined by Antoine...

Problems with another video game movie? No way! (That was sarcasm.) We got the sense from the news in June that no director had been chosen yet that Nu Image / Millennium Films' adaptation of the video game Kane & Lynch was having some troubles getting off the ground. Now 24 Frames has confirmed with their own sources that another director we didn't even know was attached - Patrick Alessandrin (of District 13: Ultimatum) - has dropped off. And while they say a few other names thrown around before are still in the mix, the planned October start date has been pushed back until at least the first quarter of 2011. Read on! 24 Frames says that other directors they're now trying to get involved with this once again include: Wayne Kramer (Running Scared), F. Gary Gray (Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen) who we wrote about in June, and Antoine Fuqua ...

F. Gary Gray last directed Law Abiding Citizen, a film that ambitiously tried to push how far an audience could get behind a violent, justifiably angry anti-hero. As with several of Gray's films, the idea was better than the execution, which ended up being silly more often than it was satisfying. Gray has also been part of the revolving door directorial staff of the Bruce Willis/Jamie Foxx videogame adaptation Kane & Lynch, but there are reports that he has left that project. (Leaving Patrick Alessandrin to direct, though Gray's name remains on IMDb.) Now Gray has a new project lined up: the mystery thriller Hair of the Dog. Variety says the Kirsten Elms screenplay is about " a successful executive who becomes the victim of a vicious blackmail scheme that threatens to destroy his family. But he discovers he is just a pawn in the midst of a much darker agenda.

I think it’s safe to say that this project is Doomed! The carousel of directors and screenwriters, hopping on and off this thing can’t be a good thing could it? I say they just dump it! It’s cursed

And what the heck is up with F. Gary Gray; First he’s on, then he’s off, then he’s on again, then he’s off again!

Follow the bouncing ball… As reported previously, Simon Crane was initially to direct Lionsgate’s adaptation of video game, Kane & Lynch, with Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx attached to star, but he dropped out due to “creative differences” with the studio.

Then, F. Gary Gray was approached by Lionsgte to helm the project. But Gray eventually moved on for what may have been similar reasons as Crane’s.

Then the job was offered to Wayne Kramer; a couple of months ago,...

'Twilight' star in talks to play 'high school bad girl.'

By Adam Rosenberg

Ashley Greene

Photo: Didier Messens/ WireImage

"Eclipse" opens Wednesday (June 30), and the stars of the "Twilight" series are preparing for some time away from Stephenie Meyer's sparkly vampire universe. With the two-part "Breaking Dawn" not shooting until the end of this year, the actors are free to pursue other projects. Ashley Greene is taking advantage of the break; she and "Hung" star Thomas Jane are both in talks to join Miley Cyrus and Demi Moore in "Lol."

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Ashley Hinshaw and George Finn have joined the cast as well. "Lol" is a remake of the 2008 French movie "Lol (Laughing Out Loud)," directed by Lisa Azuelos. The story follows Cyrus as a teenager who was recently dumped by her boyfriend (Finn) and must deal with her divorced mother (Moore) and a range...

'Twilight' star in talks to play 'high school bad girl.'

By Adam Rosenberg

Ashley Greene

Photo: Didier Messens/ WireImage

"Eclipse" opens Wednesday (June 30), and the stars of the "Twilight" series are preparing for some time away from Stephenie Meyer's sparkly vampire universe. With the two-part "Breaking Dawn" not shooting until the end of this year, the actors are free to pursue other projects. Ashley Greene is taking advantage of the break; she and "Hung" star Thomas Jane are both in talks to join Miley Cyrus and Demi Moore in "Lol."

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Ashley Hinshaw and George Finn have joined the cast as well. "Lol" is a remake of the 2008 French movie "Lol (Laughing Out Loud)," directed by Lisa Azuelos. The story follows Cyrus as a teenage high schooler, recently dumped by her boyfriend (Finn), who must deal with her divorced mother (Moore) and a range...

Chicago – Parkour is a type of physical discipline well suited for the cinema. It trains mere mortals to move like supermen. They can leap from one place to another, while overcoming formidable obstacles, without the need for any harnesses or special effects. The only tools used by parkour practitioners are their own bodies and their surrounding environment. Buster Keaton would’ve excelled at this.

I first discovered parkour upon my viewing of the original 2004 French thriller, “District B13,” which featured two spectacular athletes, Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle, performing the majority of their stunts. The film was terrific popcorn entertainment, blending crowd-pleasing action with a sobering political message, achieving an overall impact similar to Neill Blomkamp’s wholly unrelated “District 9.” Though its plot has often been compared to “Escape from New York,” the titular ghetto in “District B13” felt much more grounded in reality. Yet the film’s fight...

It sure seems that lots of actors were keen for a bit of Protection - the upcoming thriller about a mercenary Mexico City security operative forced to smuggle a judge under threat along with his family pursued by dodgy cops and drug barons out for their blood. Both The Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker , and Brit export Clive Owen lining up for the lead role and then dropping out. But now Dwayne Johnson has taken on the challenge - and it looks like the movie might finally get made.

Original director, Con Air's Simon West , is back on board, having dropped out when Walker walked from the project a while back. Following his departure, District 13: Ultimatum helmsman Patrick Alessandrin stepped in, but now West has elbowed him out the way to get his gig back.

And shooting is actually going to go ahead now Johnson and...

Action thriller Protection seems to be evolving faster than the half-human creature out of Splice: now Simon West is back on board to direct the movie.Sales company Im Global released a statement (picked up by Coming Soon) announcing that West had signed on to the project. So far, so standard press blather, but then you might recall he was on the project back when it was first touted at Cannes in 2009, with Paul Walker starring.Since then, it has been through the development wringer, with Walker and West dropping off to be replaced by Clive Owen and District 13: Ultimatum’s Patrick Alessandrin behind the camera. At least, until earlier this month, when Dwayne Johnson took over the lead.He’s starring as "Hombre", a disgraced former Special Forces soldier who sees a chance at redemption by locating and helping a judge’s 21-year-old daughter, who is under threat...

After playing musical chairs with its attached talent a couple times before, the action thriller Protection is on its third lead actor, Dwayne Johnson. Along with his casting came the departure of director Patrick Alessandrin, and that left the project without anyone at the helm. But a press release from Im Global today states that Simon West (Con-Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) will direct this story of Hombre (Johnson), a mercenary Mexico City security operative, who is forced to smuggle the daughter of a high ranking judge and the judge's chief legal counsel across the border while being pursued by corrupt cops and drug lords. This is a lower budget action film with only $35 million to spend on car chases, explosions and all that fun stuff, which is set to start shooting in New Mexico sometime this fall. However, no matter how many actor / director combinations the ...

Dallas Howard Joins The Help: Bryce Dallas Howard is about to make little girls scream with her role in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, but beyond that she has joined the cast of The Help, the big screen adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel set in Jackson, Mississippi. She joins previously cast Viola Davis and Emma Stone in a story set in the early 1960s exploring how the unspoken code of behavior governing Southern households is shattered when Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, an aspiring writer (Stone) interviews Aibileen (Davis), a maid who speaks candidly about her experiences. The interview sets off shock waves that reverberate across the entire community. Howard is in negotiations to play Hilly Holbrook, the ringleader of a group of 1960s upper-class women who treat their black maids poorly and wind up becoming the subjects of Eugenia's book. The film, written and directed by Stockett's childhood friend Tate Taylor,...

Simon West ("Con Air," "Tomb Raider") is officially set to direct the $35 million action thriller "Protection" for Robert Lawrence Productions and Im Global.

Set in Mexico City, Dwayne Johnson will play a disgraced former Special Forces soldier turned bodyguard of a judge's 21-year-old daughter who witnesses her father's murder at the hands of a member of a powerful Mexican cartel.

The pair go on the run across both sides of the border with the cartel's enforcers, who want to kill the girl before she can testify, in close pursuit.

West had previously been attached but left the project a while back. Clive Owen and director Patrick Alessandrin came onboard but both recently left. News of Johnson's involvement broke last week.

Brandon Noonan penned the script. Johnson, Stuart Ford, Robert Lawrence, Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray will produce. Filming kicks off this Fall in New Mexico.

The action thriller Protection was once to have starred Paul Walker, then Clive Owen before he bowed out and Dwayne Johnson stepped in. Now, after the actor's shuffle, it has a new director. But the new director is actually the old director: Simon West, who was on the project when Walker was the star, then exited, has returned to direct the film. A press release went out today saying that West is on board to shoot the film in New Mexico in the fall. He replaces District 13: Ultimatum helmer Patrick Alessandrin, who came onto the project when West left it some time ago. Weird turn of events. As the press release says, Johnson will star as ‘Hombre’ in the $35 million budgeted, high-octane tale of a mercenary Mexico City security operative forced to smuggle the daughter of an under-threat, high ranking judge and the judge’s chief legal counsel across...