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International football (soccer) and rugby trace their roots back to mid-19th Century Britain when the two sports diverged. The differences were codified when a group of students calling themselves the Football Association set down the Cambridge Rules in 1863, with one key point outlawing the use of hands to carry the ball. This drove a major wedge and advocates of the Rugby style of football (named after the school) went on to form the Rugby Union in 1870. A further split in the rugby faction led to Rugby League and Rugby Union. Football and Rugby League would become sports of the working class, while Rugby is perceived as more of an elitist game, played in public schools and at international tournaments. These class distinctions remained as football and rugby spread around the world, as summed up by the witticism: "Football is a gentleman's game played by hooligans; rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen.

The cast for Guy Ritchie's Young Sherlock series for Prime Video is beginning to take shape, as it has officially found it star to portray Mycroft Holmes.

Per Deadline, Max Irons has officially been cast as Sherlock Holmes' older brother, Mycroft Holmes. Irons is best known for starring as Joe Turner in the series Condor and as Jared Howe in the 2013 film, The Host. Irons joins an elite cast which includes Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock Holmes, Dnal Finn as James Moriarty, Joseph Fiennes as Silas Holmes, Natascha McElhone as Cordelia Holmes, Zine Tseng as Princess Gulun Shouan, and Colin Firth as Sir Bucephalus Hodge.

Related The Connection Between House and Sherlock Holmes, Explained

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Based on the series of novels written by Andy Lane, Ritchie's Young Sherlock is described as "as an irreverent,...

As House of the Dragon Season 2 comes to an end on August 4, Max subscribers will be wondering about what’s next. The Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service has a lot to offer in the upcoming month including as many classic and new content comes out on the service. Just like every month there is a lot of content on the way and just like every month, we have sorted out the best movies and TV shows you should invest your time in. So, here are the 7 best movies and TV shows coming to Max in August 2024.

Beetlejuice (August 1)

Beetlejuice is a fantasy comedy horror movie directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay co-written by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren. The 1988 film follows the story of a ghost married couple Barbara and Adam, who lead a peaceful life but when their house gets sold to new people, they call on the...

Academy Award-winner Colin Firth, is set to join Guy Ritchie's Young Sherlock series, joining an already star-studded cast.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Firth will star alongside Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Joseph Fiennes, Natascha McElhone, and Zine Tseng. Though not much is known about his character specifically, Firth will play the character Sir Bucephalus Hodge in the series set to release on Prime Video. The upcoming show is based off the Young Sherlock Holmes series of novels, by author Andy Lane. The series is said to be a reimagining of the character, similar in tone to Ritchie's two previous Sherlock Holmes films.

Related This Guy Ritchie Movie Gave Henry Cavill His Career-Defining Moment

One of Guy Ritchie's most underrated thrillers starred Henry Cavill in what is arguably the actor's best role.

The series will follow Sherlock Holmes as a teenager, who is "disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds...

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most profitable and adapted works, based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyles famous character. Guy Ritchie, who helmed Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes films, is expanding the universe with a series heading to Prime Video, and has just added a new cast member.

Per Deadline, Guy Ritchie's upcoming Sherlock Holmes series, titled Young Sherlock, has just tapped 3 Body Problem actress Zine Tseng as a lead for the series. The new series is based on Andy Lane's novels, and Guy Ritchie will direct and executive produce. The upcoming prequel has already found its new Holmes in Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who previously worked with Ritchie on his latest film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

Related Sherlock Holmes Series Watson Adds Star Trek: Discovery Star in Major Role

The cast for CBS' upcoming Sherlock Holmes series, Watson, continues to grow, adding stars from Star Trek: Discovery and So Help Me Todd.

Exclusive: A longtime passion project imagined by the late Steve McQueen has been revived.

Two decades after the iconic actor’s son Chad McQueen and family friend/Warner Bros exec Lance Sloan began development on the film Yucatan, Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer has been set as the screenwriter of the project that is now in early development at Netflix, we understand. Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey remain attached as producers under their Team Downey banner.

Both Netflix and Team Downey declined to comment.

McQueen’s vision involved a story about a renegade salvage expert’s search for Mayan treasure in the Yucatan Peninsula with him taking the lead. Details regarding where Dunnet-Alcocer will take the story are under wraps. Mexican writer Dunnet-Alcocer is working fresh with McQueen’s script, which was discovered years after his 1980 death as part of a collection of notebooks he left behind in a pair of trunks.

Having grown up in a religious family, Christian movie night was something that happened a lot more often than I care to admit. However, back when I was a teenager, my parents showed up one night with an unusually cool-looking DVD of a movie that had been recommended to them by a church leader. Curious to see what new kind of evangelical propaganda my parents had rented this time, I proceeded to watch the film with them expecting a heavy-handed snoozefest.

To my surprise, I was a few minutes in when Denzel Washington proceeded to dismember a band of cannibal raiders when I realized that this was in fact a real movie. My mom was horrified by the flick’s extreme violence and dark subject matter, but I instantly became a fan of the Hughes Brothers’ faith-based 2010 thriller, The Book of Eli. And with the film’s atomic apocalypse having...

Robert Downey Jr. has been active in the industry since his childhood. His career started with roles in movies made by his father, the underground filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., director of Putney Swope and other satirical comedies. Although Robert Downey Jr. is more often recognized for his performance as Tony Stark in the Iron Man movies and other MCU productions, he has never limited himself to playing the same type of character. On the contrary, he's constantly taking on both leading and supporting roles that are unrelated to his previous works.

With such an extensive and impressive catalog now, Downey Jr. is in much more than just ten great films. Some, like True Believer and Wonder Boys, come close to being included as the best of his movies that aren't in the MCU. And the ones included are so contrasting, that there's something for every taste. Fur has a different...

HBO Max and Warner Bros. are looking to build a Sherlock Holmes film-tv universe in the mold of the TV series offshoots of Suicide Squad and The Batman on the WarnerMedia streamer.

We hear that two potential spinoff series from the Warner Bros. movie franchise starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are in early development at HBO Max. Executive produced by Team Downey’s Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey, each of the proposed series would focus on a different character.

Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, and Team Downey’s Amanda Burrell are exec producing alongside Wigram Productions’ Lionel Wigram, who produced the two Sherlock Holmes films.

Unlike the Suicide Squad offshoot series Peacemaker and The Batman’s Penguin, which are built around existing characters, we hear the Sherlock Holmes spinoffs would revolve around characters that have not been introduced yet.

We hear the plan has been for the...

Showtime no longer will be making its drama pilot The President Is Missing, an adaptation of the novel by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson, from Christopher McQuarrie and Anthony Peckham.

The network had ordered the project to pilot, which was fully cast and ready to go when the coronavirus pandemic halted all production in mid-March. In light of the uncertainty surrounding production amid the pandemic, Showtime has opted not to move forward with the pilot.

The ViacomCBS premium network also recently decided not to proceed with the previously ordered second season of On Becoming a God In Central Florida, citing the impact of the pandemic-related production delays.

2020 Showtime Pilots & Series Orders

The President Is Missing pilot was to star David Oyelowo as a powerless and politically aimless vice president who unexpectedly becomes president halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret,...

Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s “The President Is Missing” will not be making it to the small screen, at least not at Showtime.

The premium cabler has decided not to move forward with its buzzy pilot which starred David Oyelowo and was based on the book of the same name by Clinton and Patterson, Variety has learned exclusively from Oyelowo’s co-star Ann Dowd.

Speaking at a junket for the new Netflix film “Rebecca,” Dowd revealed that a combination of Covid-19 and current political events were behind the prospective series’ demise. Another source close to the production confirmed that the pandemic played a significant part in the network’s decision.

“[Production] stopped midway and then because of the pandemic, the relevance of it, things needed to be changed in the writing because of what happens to the President. It just wouldn’t have worked. It would have had to have been re-conceived,...

Exclusive: Showtime has found its missing President. Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale) has been cast in the key role opposite David Oyelowo in The President Is Missing, Showtime’s drama pilot based on the novel by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson from Christopher McQuarrie and Anthony Peckham.

In The President Is Missing pilot, a powerless and politically aimless vice president (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes president halfway into his administration’s first term when President Jillian Stroud (Dowd) goes missing, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.

Ohio bred, Dowd’s Stroud is the daughter...

Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy) set as a series regular opposite David Oyelowo in The President Is Missing, Showtime’s drama pilot based on the novel by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson from Christopher McQuarrie and Anthony Peckham.

In The President Is Missing pilot, a powerless and politically aimless vice president (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes president halfway into his administration’s first term when President Jillian Stroud goes missing, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.

Rooker will play Greg Parkes, the Special Agent in Charge of the Vice Presidential Protection Detail. The...

Michael Rooker has been cast as a series regular in the Showtime drama pilot “The President Is Missing.”

Rooker joins previously announced lead David Oyelowo and cast members Janet McTeer, Medina Senghore, Paul Adelstein, and Gina Gallego in the pilot, which is based on the novel of the same name by James Patterson and Bill Clinton.

In the project, powerless and politically aimless Vice President James Martin (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes President halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by both friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.

Rooker will star as Greg Parkes, the Special...

Exclusive: Golden Globe, Tony and Olivier Award winner Janet McTeer (Ozark) has been cast as a lead opposite David Oyelowo in The President Is Missing, Showtime’s drama pilot based on the novel by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson from Christopher McQuarrie and Anthony Peckham.

McTeer is a series regular in the upcoming third season of Netflix’s Ozark, which has been completed, after recurring in Season 2. No one would comment, but her casting in The President Is Missing as a main series regular raises questions about her future on Ozark beyond Season 3.

In The President Is Missing pilot, a powerless and politically aimless vice president (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes president halfway into his administration’s first term when President Jillian Stroud goes missing, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by friends and enemies alike,...

Exclusive: Paul Adelstein (Scandal), Medina Senghore (Happy!) and Gina Gallego (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) are set as series regulars opposite David Oyelowo in The President Is Missing, Showtime’s drama series adaptation of the novel by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson from Christopher McQuarrie and Anthony Peckham.

In The President Is Missing pilot, a powerless and politically aimless vice president (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes president halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.

Adelstein will play Terry Pratt, Martin’s chief of staff. He is smart, loyal and in a permanent state of crisis.

David Oyelowo has been cast in a pilot for Showtime entitled The President is Missing, based on the 2018 book by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. Anthony Peckham is penning the adaptation. Here’s the synopsis for the story provided by Variety:

In The President Is Missing, a powerless and politically aimless Vice President (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes President halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by both friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.

This sounds like an intense and interesting story that could definitely lead to a great series. The pilot is still looking for a director,...

David Oyelowo will star in and executive produce Showtime’s adaptation of the novel “The President Is Missing” by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, the network announced on Tuesday.

In the project, which has been ordered to pilot, Oyelowo will play a powerless and politically aimless Vice President who unexpectedly becomes President halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary.

Per Showtime, “He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by both friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.”

“David brings such enormous depth, sensitivity and power to every role he plays,” Showtime...

David Oyelowo has been tapped for the lead role in “The President Is Missing” at Showtime, with the project receiving a pilot order at the premium cabler.

The project is based on the book of the same name by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, which was released last year. In “The President Is Missing,” a powerless and politically aimless Vice President (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes President halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by both friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.

“David brings such enormous depth, sensitivity and power to every role he plays,” said Gary Levine,...

David Oyelowo (Selma) is set to headline The President Is Missing, Showtime’s drama series adaptation of the novel by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson from Christopher McQuarrie and Anthony Peckham. With Oyelowo on board, the network has greenlighted the project to pilot, which is in pre-production and scheduled to shoot in 2020.

Oyelowo also will executive produce The President Is Missing alongside Oscar winner Christopher McQuarrie; Peckham, who penned the adaptation; Heather McQuarrie; as well as Clinton and Patterson.

In The President Is Missing, a powerless and politically aimless vice president (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes president halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive,...

Showtime has found its president.

David Oyelowo (Selma) has been tapped to star as a reluctant Potus in The President Is Missing, a Showtime drama pilot based on the bestselling novel by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson.

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The potential series tells the fictional story of a “powerless and politically aimless Vice President (played by Oyelowo) who...

While Christopher McQuarrie is gearing up for the herculean challenge of making two Mission: Impossible sequels back-to-back, he’s adding something else to his place: a TV series. Showtime has announced that the Oscar-winning Usual Suspects writer has come aboard the network’s drama series adaptation of The President Is Missing, based on the book of the same name by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson. At this point in time McQuarrie won’t be writing or directing, but he’ll be executive producing the series alongside Heather McQuarrie, Clinton, and Patterson, with Anthony Peckham (Invictus) also …...

“Mission Impossible: Fallout” director Christopher McQuarrie and “Invictus” screenwriter Anthony Peckham have joined Showtime’s upcoming adaption of “The President is Missing,” the debut novel from former President Bill Clinton and James Patterson.

McQuarrie will executive produce with Heather McQuarrie and the book’s authors.

“Christopher McQuarrie is a master of complex and compelling filmmaking. We feel so lucky to have ensnared him along with the supremely talented Tony Peckham to adapt ‘The President Is Missing,'” said Gary Levine, president of entertainment at Showtime. “They are both extremely enthusiastic about bringing this uniquely authentic political thriller to life on Showtime.”

Also Read: Showtime Is 'Still Bullish' on 'Halo' After Director Rupert Wyatt's Exit, Jana Winograde Says

“The President Is Missing,” a thriller co-written by the former president and the bestselling author, was published last June.

In “The President Is Missing,” a powerless and politically aimless vice...

Oscar winner Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and Anthony Peckham (Invictus) have boarded The President Is Missing, the drama series adaptation of the novel by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson. McQuarrie will executive produce the project, currently in development, with Heather McQuarrie and the book’s authors. Peckham will also executive produce and write the adaptation.

In The President is Missing, a powerless and politically aimless Vice President unexpectedly becomes President halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by both friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.

Showtime acquired the rights to the book,...

Christopher McQuarrie and Anthony Peckham have signed on to “The President Is Missing,” the drama series based on the novel of the same name by Bill Clinton and James Patterson currently in development at Showtime.

McQuarrie will executive produce with Heather McQuarrie, Clinton, and Patterson. Peckham will write the adaptation in addition to executive producing. Jillian Share will co-executive produce for the McQuarries’ Invisible Ink Productions. Bill Robinson and Leopoldo Gout will also executive produce.

“Christopher McQuarrie is a master of complex and compelling filmmaking. We feel so lucky to have ensnared him along with the supremely talented Tony Peckham to adapt ‘The President Is Missing,’” said Gary Levine, president of entertainment at Showtime Networks. “They are both extremely enthusiastic about bringing this uniquely authentic political thriller to life on Showtime.”

In the series, a powerless and politically aimless Vice President unexpectedly becomes President halfway into his administration’s first term,...

Showtime's The President Is Missing has solved its first mystery — the drama series has hired a writer.

Invictus and Sherlock Holmes writer Anthony Peckham will adapt the novel by former President Bill Clinton and James Patterson. The drama series has also tapped Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible — Fallout) as an executive producer.

"Christopher McQuarrie is a master of complex and compelling filmmaking. We feel so lucky to have ensnared him along with the supremely talented Tony Peckham to adapt The President Is Missing," Showtime Entertainment president Gary Levine said Thursday in a statement. "They are both extremely ...

Robert Downey Jr. still plans on making Sherlock Holmes 3, despite the project lingering in development for the past seven years. Shortly after starring in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man in 2008, Downey Jr. continued his astounding Hollywood comeback story by appearing in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes in 2009, co-starring Jude Law as Dr. Watson. The film was based on a script by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg, and it became an enormous commercial success, which is why Warner Bros. immediately commissioned a sequel.

Tony Sokol Jun 21, 2017

Warner Bros is pressing ahead with The Twilight Zone film, and a new writer has been hired...

Warner Bros. is unlocking the door with the key of imagination to the new The Twilight Zone movie. The studio announced that Christine Lavaf is on board to write the screenplay for the film.

Lavaf was one of the writers for Godzilla 2. She was an assistant to the showrunner on Fringe. Furthermore, last year she sold three original spec pilots including Netflix’s science fiction drama I’Human.

Warner Bros has been working on the new movie version of The Twilight Zone since 2009. Rand Ravich, Joby Harold, Anthony Peckham and Eli Coleite - who wrote episodes of the TV shows The River, Heroes and Crossing Jordan as well as The End - have all had a shot at writing the script. In 2013 it was announced that Joseph Kosinski, who directed Oblivion, would helm the film.

The first film version of Twilight Zone came out in 1983. It had four segments, each with a different director. The new movie will follow just one story that has various elements of The Twilight Zone universe.

The Twilight Zone was originally created and hosted by Rod Serling, who also created Night Gallery and wrote the screenplay for the classic fight film Requiem For A Heavyweight. The series ran on CBS from 1959 to 1964. Serling wrote or co-wrote 92 of the 156 episodes that aired and delivered the iconic opening and closing monologues.

The Twilight Zone movie is in the hands of Leonardo DiCaprio’s production house, Appian Way, along with his partner Jennifer Davisson and Michael Ireland. Sarah Schechter is overseeing the project for the studio.

Variety...

The Twilight Zone movie is finally starting to see some forward motion with the announcement of Christine Lavaf coming on board to write the screenplay. The project has been in development since 2009 at Warner Bros. and has had Rand Ravich, Anthony Peckham, and Joby Harlold as previous writers attached, but this is the first major development for the movie since 2013 when it was announced that Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion) was in talks to direct and that Anthony Peckham would be writing the screenplay.

Variety reports that Christine Lavaf will take over the reigns and write the newest screenplay for the "in development hell" Twilight Zone movie. Lavaf has recently sold three original pilots to FX, including I'Human with Nina Jacobsen's Color Force producing. In addition she was also in the writing room for Legendary's next Monsterverse movie Godzilla 2. She has also written or co-written Fringe: Tales From the Fringe for DC Comics.

If Kino Lorber's recent announcement that the complete The Outer Limits TV series is coming to Blu-ray has you nostalgic for a sci-fi/horror anthology series from the past, then you might be thrilled to hear that Warner Bros. is taking another step forward on their long in-development Twilight Zone movie.

Variety reports that Warner Bros. has set Christine Lavaf to pen a screenplay for the new Twilight Zone film, which will reportedly include a "single story line," as opposed to the multiple segments in 1983's The Twilight Zone: The Movie.

Along with Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Leonardo DiCaprio is set to produce The Twilight Zone movie through his company Appian Way. Back in 2013, Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion, Tron: Legacy) was in discussions to direct the movie from a screenplay by Anthony Peckham, but no deal was ever finalized and a new director has yet to be named.

In addition to...

Longtime agent Cliff Roberts has left Wme after working in the lit department for a decade, TheWrap has learned. Roberts has a client list that includes Oscar-winning co-writer and director Adam McKay (“The Big Short”), Rawson Thurber (“Central Intelligence”) and Morten Tyldum (“Passengers”), and writers such as Seth Grahame Smith, Carlton Cuse, Mark L. Smith, Anthony Peckham and Dana Fox. It is unknown how many of Roberts’ clients will remain at Wme. Also Read: Ufc Sold to Wme-img-Led Buyers for $4 Billion (Updated) It’s also rumored that Roberts will end up at CAA, however a rep for the agency...

It was around the time Pierre Bismuth won his Oscar as an original story creator on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind that he stumbled upon an unknown work by Edward Ruscha via a BBC documentary. This tape captured the artist as he created a fake rock dubbed “Rocky II,” a fiberglass/resin creation that ultimately replaced “Rocky I” once it was proven unsuitable for longevity in the desert (having been manufactured from wheat paste). It’s a fascinating discovery—a piece by a renowned figure that nobody’s seen or even knows exists because it’s missing from his resume of work. So, posing as a journalist in 2009 to enter a Ruscha retrospective, Bismuth confronts the pop artist with the titular question of his feature debut: Where Is Rocky II?

Ruscha admits its existence, bidding Bismuth “good luck” in finding it. So of course he drops everything to do exactly that.

Exclusive: Charlotte Mickie and her Toronto-based team have acquired international sales rights to The Ink Connection’s ‘fake fiction’ feature ahead of its European festival premiere in Switzerland.

Pierre Bismuth directed and Gregoire Gensollen produced Where Is Rocky II?, which will screen in Locarno’s Fuori Concorso section.

The film follows the efforts of Bismuth, who wrote the story to Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, in tracking down a fabled and undocumented work of art by Ed Ruscha.

When Bismuth heard that the renowned artist had created a rock out of resin, named it Rocky II and deposited it somewhere in California’s Mojave Desert in 1976, he hired a private investigator and two Hollywood screenwriters to find it and construct their own theories about the mystery.

The film debuted at Hot Docs in Toronto earlier this year and opened Art Basel’s film programme last month with an exclusive screening.

It features...

National Geographic Channel said this morning it’s getting back in bed with Scott Free Productions to produce an adaptation of Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's book Killing Patton. This iteration of their lucrative “Killing” franchise, focusing on the death of the World War II general, will be adapted by screenwriter Anthony Peckham (Sherlock, Invictus). The four-hour scripted project will, as had the book, explore the final year of the war and “recount the events…...

Earlier this week, Universal Pictures shifted the Untitled Matt Damon Bourne Sequel from July 15, 2016 to July 29, 2016, which brings Matt Damon back as Jason Bourne for the first time since 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum. The actor had stated for years that he will not revisit the role unless Paul Greengrass comes back to direct, but back in September, Universal announced that this long-awaited sequel is finally happening. Ever since then, fans have been wondering if the studio plans on showcasing both Matt Damon's Jason Bourne and Jeremy Renner's Aaron Cross from 2012's The Bourne Legacy in the same movie, since it isn't clear what is happening with the Untitled Jeremy Renner Bourne Sequel. During a new interview with Collider, producer Frank Marshall set the record straight, revealing that they have no plans to bring Jason Bourne and Aaron Cross together.

"We don't have plans for that. You never know.

Four years after the Warner Bros. heist adventure Yucatan was first announced, the project is moving forward with screenwriter Terry Rossio (The Lone Ranger, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) coming aboard to re-write the script. Anthony Peckham was first set to write the script when Robert Downey Jr. attached himself to star in 2010.

The story is based on a massive 1,700-page movie treatment written by legendary actor Steve McQueen in the 1960s, which he was developing as a starring vehicle for himself. The treatment was discovered in two leather-bound trunks by the actor's son Chad McQueen in 2005, 25 years after his death in 1980. The original treatment followed a salvage expert (Robert Downey Jr.) and his search for lost Mayan treasure in the Yucatan peninsula. No details have been given for the updated story, but Terry Rossio and actor/producer Robert Downey Jr. are using the original premise as a...

Oscar-nominated scribe Terry Rossio ("The Mask of Zorro," "Deja Vu," "Pirates of the Caribbean") has come onboard Warner Bros. Pictures and Team Downey's action adventure "Yucatan" which is being shaped as a potential Robert Downey Jr, star vehicle.

Based on a 1700-page treatment written by iconic actor Steve McQueen in the late 1960s, the story involved a renegade salvage expert's search for Mayan treasure in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Rossio and Downey Jr. are said to be using the original premise as a jumping-off point for a mind-bending adventure story. Rossio takes over from Anthony Peckham who previously had a go at the script.

Source: Deadline...

Top Five

Paramount Pictures has reportedly emerged as frontrunner to acquire the Chris Rock-directed "Top Five". The film, which just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, sparked a furious bidding war with the worldwide rights tipped to go for a whopping $12.5 million. That's a big jump up from the biggest deal of last year at the fest, the Keira Knightley film "Begin Again," which went for $7 million.

Rock, Rosario Dawson, Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Tracy Morgan, Cedric The Entertainer, Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Whoopi Goldberg and Jay Pharoah star in the film about a former stand up comedian turned film star about to be hit by a major change in his life. [Source: Deadline]

Chris Evans

Chris Evans has reconfirmed to Variety that the only films he plans to act in after his Marvel contract is up are films he intended to direct. As for that potential retirement from the role of Captain America,...

As his latest film, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring Alan Turing tale The Imitation Game, starts to generate serious buzz and continues its festival run, director Morten Tyldum is looking for a new challenge. He’s found it with the adaptation of William Gibson’s book Pattern Recognition.Gibson’s best-selling 2003 tome is set the year before and follows Cayce Pollard, a 32 year-old marketing consultant who has a psychological sensitivity to corporate symbols. The action takes place in London, Tokyo, and Moscow as Cayce judges the effectiveness of a proposed corporate symbol and is hired to seek the creators of film clips anonymously posted to the internet – which leads her to uncover a much deeper conspiracy.Anthony Peckham is writing the current draft of the script for a project that has been in development since 2004, when Peter Weir jumped aboard to co-wrote the first take for Warners alongside David Arata and D.B. Weiss.

Earlier this week, Universal Pictures announced that its sequel to 2012's action-thriller The Bourne Legacy has been shifted from a August 14, 2015 release to July 15, 2016, reportedly to make room for the studio's biopic Straight Outta Compton which took the August 14, 2015 slot. An unconfirmed report from Latino-Review claims the real reason for the delay is that Matt Damon has finally agreed to reprise his role as Jason Bourne.

It isn't clear how director Justin Lin managed to convince Matt Damon to come back, especially since the actor has repeatedly stated in the past that he will only return to the franchise if The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass is back at the helm. The actor did reveal last month that he is open to returning, if he and Paul Greengrass can find a story they like, even suggesting that fans submit their own stories to Universal Pictures.

The Bourne Legacy...

The Bourne Legacy was the fourth film in the Bourne franchise and the first without Matt Damon. Jeremy Renner ("The Avengers") took the lead, playing a new character, Aaron Cross. It did well enough at the box office to warrant a sequel. In November, Paramount hired director Justin Lin, who best known for his Fast & Furious work, to helm the sequel, which was written by Sherlock Holmes' writer Anthony Peckham. Yesterday, Paramount surprisingly announced that the film would be delayed. It was originally set to open August 14, 2015, but now it will be released on July 15, 2016. So, why the delay? El Mayimbe knows: Well clearly, times have changed. According to a deeply embedded trusted source, the reason Bourne 5 got pushed to July 15, 2016 is because Matt Damon is in fact back to play his signature role as Jason Bourne for director Justin Lin! Click Here For The Full...

Universal Pictures has shifted its Untitled Jason Bourne Sequel, a follow-up to 2012's The Bourne Legacy, from August 14, 2015 to July 15, 2016. The action sequel will go up against 20th Century Fox's Ice Age 5. The studio handed out the original August 14, 2015 release date back in December, although it isn't known why the push to 2016 was made

Jeremy Renner is reprising his Aaron Cross role from The Bourne Legacy, although no other cast members have been announced yet. Justin Lin is directing, with Andrew Baldwin coming aboard last month to rewrite the original script by Anthony Peckham (Sherlock Holmes).

Frank Marshall is producing withJustin Lin, Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith, although no plot details were have been released at this time.

The Bourne Legacy earned $276.1 million worldwide during its 2012 theatrical run, from a $125 million production budget.

The Bourne Legacy: Movie Pictures GalleryThe Bourne Legacy: Movie Pictures Gallery 1The Bourne Legacy: Movie Pictures...

Summer 2015 is going to get a little more breathing room. Universal will move Justin Lin's from August 14, 2015 to July 15, 2016. We reported a little over a month ago that Andrew Baldwin had come on board to write a new draft of the script. An early draft was handled by Anthony Peckham. Jeremy Renner is still on board to reprise his role as Aaron Cross. Whether the character will need his chems remains unknown. Universal has now given the August 14, 2015 to the Nwa biopic Straight Outta Compton, which will compete at the box office against "Untitled Armored Car Project" starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, and Kristen Wiig. The only competition against the new Bourne on July 15, 2016 is Ice Age 5. Hit the jump to check out the Straight Outta Compton cast photo featuring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Jason Mitchell, and Corey Hawkins, who star as Ice Cube, Eazy-e, and Dr. Dre, respectively.

In an extremely smart move from Universal, the next Bourne movie (which we’re calling Bourne 5 until an official title is announced) has been bumped from August 14th, 2015, to July 15th, 2016. Justin Lin (Fast & Furious 6) is still set to direct the movie, in which Jeremy Renner will reprise his lead role as enhanced secret agent Aaron Cross.

Last month, we heard that Black List scribe Andrew Baldwin was rewriting the script, originally by Sherlock Holmes screenwriter Anthony Peckham, so the release date change may have been a necessity instead of simply a move to increase the thriller’s chances of box office success. Had it stayed in its 2015 slot, Bourne 5 would have arrived one week after Goosebumps, Assassin’s Creed and Point Break, any of which could turn out to have considerable staying power. Now, it’s going up against Ice Age 5.

It’s unknown whether Rachel Weisz has...

Antoine Fuqua has been tapped by Fox to direct a thriller titled Narco Sub, from a script penned by David Guggenheim.  Plot details aren't public yet, but, according to Deadline, Narco Sub is set in the dangerous world of drug smuggling; The title, narco-sub or narco-submarine, refers to a type of custom-made ocean-going self-propelled submersible vessel built by drug traffickers outside the USA to smuggle drugs into the USA. Ridley Scott's Scott Free shingle will produce, alongside Genre Films's Simon Kinberg, who also revised the script along with Anthony Peckham. Elishia Holmes and Aditya Sood will exec produce.  Fuqua should be very comfortable here....

20th Century Fox has attached "The Equalizer" helmer Antoine Fuqua to direct the thriller "Narco Sub".

David Guggenheim penned the script, which Simon Kinberg and Anthony Peckham have since revised, which is set in the dangerous world of drug smuggling.

The title refers to the submersible crafts South American drug cartels use to ship cocaine into the United States.

Jules Daly, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Kinberg will produce.

Source: Deadline...

After several years in development, Narco Sub is finally moving forward, with director Antoine Fuqua attached to take the helm.

Not much is known about the story, although the title refers to the illegal, submersible crafts that drug cartels use to smuggle their products, particularly between Colombia and Mexico. These underwater ships are so small they are able to sneak past radar systems undetected.

We first reported on the project back in November 2011, when late filmmaker Tony Scott was attached to direct. Joe Carnahan was rumored to be circling the project in February 2013, and we reported in October that Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) was in early talks to direct, although it doesn't seem that a deal was ever reached.

Ridley Scott, Jules Daly and Michael Schaefer are producing for Scott Free Films, alongside Genre Films' Simon Kinberg.

David Guggenheim (Safe House) wrote the original screenplay, with Simon Kinberg...

Following the death of Top Gun director Tony Scott, several projects were left in limbo. One such film was the crime thriller Narco Sub, set in the always-dangerous world of drug smuggling. The title refers to custom-made ocean-going self-propelled submersible vessel built by drug traffickers to smuggle drugs, usually from Colombia to Mexico. Following Scott's death in 2011, the project laid dormant until last fall when Edge of Tomorrow and The Bourne Identity director was in early talks to be at the helm. Now Deadline reports 20th Century Fox and Scott Free have set Antoine Fuqua to take over the project now. Fuqua is just coming off The Equalizer with Denzel Washington (watch the first trailer) and has the boxing drama Southpaw with Jake Gyllenhaal coming up next. The script comes from David Guggenheim (who wrote Safe House) and has Simon Kinberg producing the film as well as revising the script with Anthony Peckham.

With "The Equalizer" coming this fall (check out the first trailer), and the boxing pic "Southpaw" starring Jake Gyllenhaal brewing, it looks like director Antoine Fuqua is putting another project on his plate. Deadline reports that Fuqua will take the helm of "Narco Sub," a movie formerly attached to the late Tony Scott, and one that once had Doug Liman taking a look at it. With a script from David Guggenheim ("Safe House"), with revisions by Simon Kinberg ("X-Men: Days Of Future Past") and Anthony Peckham ("Sherlock Holmes")  the story will center around the submersible vehicles South American drug cartels use to smuggle cocaine into the United States.  No word yet on if/when this might roll, and Fuqua is apparently also considering "The Magnificent Seven" remake at MGM (yep, it's still happening) so here's hoping "Narco Sub" is compelling enough to keep him away from that bad idea. And also catching Fuqua's eye?...

Exclusive: Fox has attached The Equalizer helmer Antoine Fuqua to direct Narco Sub, the David Guggenheim-scripted thriller that has long been a priority project at the studio. It’s set in the dangerous world of drug smuggling, and the title refers to the semi-submersible crafts that South American drug cartels have been using to ship cocaine into the U.S. without having to deal with land-based authorities. Related: Antoine Fuqua Closes Deal To Direct Kurt Sutter-Penned ‘Southpaw’ The pic will be produced by Scott Free’s Jules Daly, Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer and Genre Films’ Simon Kinberg. Elishia Holmes and Aditya Sood are exec producers. Kinberg had a hand in revising the script and Anthony Peckham as well. Fuqua is next directing Southpaw at The Weinstein Company, and his reteam with Training Day star Denzel Washington on The Equalizer has generated such strong buzz at Sony that...