Up-n-coming, 9/18.

"In what is perhaps the perfect storm of talent for this project, John Hillcoat, director of the bloody fantastic Aussie western The Proposition (a favorite around these parts) is to direct an adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy's post apocalyptic knock out of a novel, The Road," reports Kurt Halfyard at Twitch. "Viggo Mortensen (on a roll with two dynamite Cronenberg films) is set to star and the adaptation is being written by the screenwriter of the tragically underseen Enduring Love."

With an adaptation of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged in the works (Vadim Perelman will be directing Angelina Jolie), now might be a good time to take a look at Harriet Rubin's primer on the history of the tome's reception over the past half century.

"At long last a film is being made of the life - and tragic death - of one this country's most ground-breaking and bewildering music-makers, Joe Meek," reports Chris Mugan in the Independent. Nick Moran is adapting James Hicks's play, Telstar.

At indieWIRE, Jason Guerrasio checks in on five films currently in production.

"A 1993 New Yorker story by John Seabrook called 'The Flash of Genius' is being made into a movie starring Greg Kinnear," notes Jason Kottke.

James Gray will be directing Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow in Two Lovers. Christopher Campbell has details at Cinematical.

"A Palestinian suicide bomber is the unlikely star of a new Israeli film billed by its director as an effort to destroy prejudices that fuel conflict in the Middle East," reports Allyn Fisher-Ilan, who talks with director Dror Zahavi for Reuters. Shabat Shalom Maradona (Good Sabbath Maradona) is scheduled for release early next year.

"Fight Club stars Brad Pitt and Ed Norton are to appear on screen together once again in a big screen adaptation of the BBC political drama series State of Play," notes the Guardian. "The Last King of Scotland's Kevin MacDonald will direct the Hollywood production, which will relocate the action from Westminster to Washington."

Also: "Sean Penn has signed on to play the assassinated gay politician Harvey Milk in a fact-based drama by Gus Van Sant."

"Roman Polanski has pulled out of a screen adaptation of Robert Harris's best-selling novel Pompeii." The BBC passes along news from Screen Daily.

"Jude Law is to play Shakespeare's Hamlet in London's West End, under the direction of Kenneth Branagh," reports the BBC. Related: "Just as King Lear is the greatest challenge for a senior actor, Hamlet is the supreme test for a performer in the earlier half of his career," writes Paul Taylor in the Independent, where he lists his six top performances.

Posted by dwhudson at September 18, 2007 10:11 AM