The Inside Scoop with Ken Miyamoto
Columnist, gossip chief, and "resident answer man"
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MURPHY TO BE "STARSHIP DAVE"???

Director Brian Robbins ("The Shaggy Dog", "Hardball", "Norbit") and Eddie Murphy are reteaming on "Starship Dave" which is in pre-production at 20th Century Fox, according to Variety. "Starship Dave" is the story of a crew of miniature, human-looking aliens who are seeking a way to save their doomed world. Murphy will play the human spacecraft they travel in (Starship Dave) as well as the ship's captain. Shooting is scheduled to begin in March. Pete Segal was previously attached to direct the pic but has a scheduling conflict due to "Get Smart" which he's helming for Warner Bros. Okay, I'll say it first:  "WHAT?!?!"

17 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

COHEN TO HELM ANOTHER BRUCE LEE FLICK?

Rob Cohen has been set to helm "Rage & Fury" featuring the legendary Bruce Lee, the most influential and famous martial artist of all time, according to Production Weekly. Gustin Nash and Jesse Cale, penned the project which is scheduled to begin filming in late Spring 2007. Cohen ("The Fast & The Furious", "XXX", "Stealth") directed the 1993 biopic "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story". So is this a story about Lee's life again?  Not sure what "featuring the legendary Bruce Lee" means in this context.  Will have to wait and see.

17 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

STONE READY TO TAKE ON "JAWBREAKER"

Oliver Stone and Paramount Pictures are re-teaming for "Jawbreaker", a film that focused on America's response to the terrorist attacks with the invasion of Afghanistan and hunt for 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden, according to Variety. Cyrus Nowrasteh ("The Path to 9/11") is set to write a second draft of the script which is based in part on a memoir of the same name by Gary Bernsten, the CIA's pointman during the invasion. Stone and Par bought the book months ago and kept it hush-hush so that "World Trade Center" could open unencumbered in the U.S. and overseas. A first draft was written by Ralph Pezzullo.

16 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

RAMBO IN SUPREME COURT??

The Weinsteins are fueding over "Rambo IV" distribution rights, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In 2004, rights to produce the sequel were transferred by the Weinstein Co. to a predecessor of film producer Nu Image, which has the action sequel in active development with Sylvester Stallone to reprise his role. But in a suit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Weinsteins claim that Nu Image recently offered distribution rights to Lionsgate, even though the Weinstein Co. is supposed to have first right of refusal on the franchise.

16 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

RASUK JOINS MACY'S "KEEP COMING BACK"

Victor Rasuk ("Lords of Dogtown") is set to star opposite Salma Hayek in William H. Macy's directorial debut "Keep Coming Back", according to  Production Weekly. Written by Will Aldis, the script centers on a clean-cut Southern teenager with a good soul and a (literally) bad heart, which beats super-fast whenever he's in a state of passion or terror. As a result, he's under doctor's (Macy) orders to lead a dull and bland life -- or face death. Unable to cope with his boring and loveless life he decides to reinvent himself as a "bad boy," in order to win the heart of a stripper (Hayek) twice his age. Unable to control his passion he joins an Alcoholics Anonymous group pretending to be a recovering alcoholic just to be in the same room with her. Rasuk will play Hayek's teenage son. Production is tentatively slated for mid January.

16 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

FIRST LOOK AT SMITH IN "I AM LEGEND"

Here's our first look at Will Smith in the upcoming "I Am Legend".  Now most of you know that I have been following this project for quite some time... back when Arnold and Ridley Scott were attached.  I've voiced my dismay at Smith's casting.  But I must say, visually, this new look for Will Smith gives me a little hope.  Just a little thus far.  Also add Smith's latest dramatic role in "Pursuit of Happyness", which looks excellent.  Maybe he's finally steering clear of his Willisms.  Only problem for "I Am Legend" is that the original story of the last surviving member of the human race may have been turned into "a man is left on the deserted island of Manhattan to look for a cure that is plaguing mankind"... meaning, the human race still survives and he is left on this island, which is inhabited by a vampire-like strain of humans, in order to find some type of cure.  Noo!  It's all about him being the last man on Earth damnit!  Oh well....

13 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

ROGUE JOINS CAMERON FOR "SACTUM" 3D PIC

Rogue Pictures has pacted with James Cameron to co-write and produce "James Cameron's Sanctum," a live-action drama to be shot next spring in high-definition 3-D, according to Variety. Gary Johnstone will direct the pic revolving around a deep-sea diving team headed by a father and son. When the team heads to uncharted depths, a life-threatening crisis occurs. Cameron is rewriting the script with John Garvin. Despite the ambitious technology and undersea storyline, the film will be budgeted in the low $20 millions. While Cameron is preparing to direct the lavish 3-D drama "Avatar", he'll be actively involved in "Sanctum".

13 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

GOODMAN JOINS "DEATH SENTENCE"

John Goodman has joined the cast of the vigilante drama "Death Sentence" for director James Wan and 20th Century Fox, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film stars Kevin Bacon as a father out for revenge after his family is attacked in a gang-initiation crime. Aisha Tyler, Kelly Preston, Garrett Hedlund, Matthew O'Leary and Leigh Whannell also star. Shooting on the film is under way in Columbia, S.C. Goodman will play Bones Darly, an arms dealer and the boss of a drug ring that includes his two sons, Billy (Hedlund) and Joe (O'Leary).

13 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

BERG SIGNED FOR "HE COMES"

Peter Berg is almost signed to direct the Will Smith-led superhero drama "Tonight, He Comes", according to Production Weekly. Smith will play a tortured superhero who crash-lands in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and tries to transform himself by romancing an alluring housewife, causing chaos in the city. Script, originally by Vincent Ngo and rewritten by Vince Gilligan, has long been considered one of the best unproduced scripts in town. What a terrible title for a movie though.  How many jokes are going to be made by that one?

13 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

DEWAN FALLING FOR "NERDS"

Jenna Dewan is joining Ryan Pinkston and Nick Zano in Fox Atomic's remake of the 1984 comedy "Revenge of the Nerds", according to Reuters. In the new movie, Dewan plays an 18-year-old college freshman who catches the eye of nerd Max, played by the already-cast Christopher Marquette, on their first day at their new college. Pinkston is playing the role of Felch, a 15-year-old whiz kid who is in over his head as he enters his first year of college. Kyle Newman is directing.

13 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

STARGATE SG-1 GETS TWO DIRECT TO DVD MOVIES

MGM has granted a green light to produce two "Stargate: SG-1" movies, most likely for DVD, executive producer Brad Wright told TV Guide. The first will tie up most of the finale's loose threads -- "It's the climax of the Ori story line" -- and will be written-directed by exec producer Robert Cooper. The second film, penned by Wright, will involve time travel, and both projects should debut in the fall of 2007. Though no deals are signed, SG-1's stars are said to be "very eager" to continue. "They're not big-budget by any definition, but for us it's pretty good. As we've proven over the years, just give us little more money and we can make pretty good television, or DVDs" says Wright.

13 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

"DALLAS" CAST IS DROPPED!

The film adaptation of the hugely popular 70s series "Dallas", which was set to start shooting in November, has been put on hold as the movie is rebooted, according to Variety. The decision has been made to scrap the entire cast with the exception of John Travolta, who's still set to star as J.R. Ewing. Luke Wilson and Shirley MacLaine are definitely out, whilst talks have broken off with Meg Ryan who was in talks for a role Jennifer Lopez was originally attached to. Helmer Gurinder Chadha ("Bend It Like Beckham"), who took over the reins in April, is still attached but will make her final decision as to whether she'll direct the pic when the new cast comes together. The hope is to recast the pic and begin shooting as early as January. Robert Harling's script may be tweaked, but a major overhaul is not planned. Reasons include that Chadha was not happy with the cast, the $65 million budget is being slashed so actors with lower prices are being hired, and concern over the film's viability as a brand.

13 Oct 2006 by Ken M. comments (0)

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Ken Miyamoto