Cannes, 5/15.

It's a bit early in the day for a roundup, but Gregg Goldstein packs so much Wow! in his hot little item at the Hollywood Reporter that this entry cannot wait and will simply have to serve as a sort of Cannes ticker until this long day is done. The lede: "Werner Herzog and David Lynch are teaming for My Son, My Son, a horror-tinged murder drama based on a true story."

He's got a bit more on that one, but next: "In a separate development, Lynch's Absurda production company has attached Asia Argento and Udo Kier to star with Nick Nolte in Alejandro Jodorowsky's metaphysical gangster movie King Shot." That'll be a set to visit.

Goldstein also mentions that "Marilyn Manson is touted to appear as a prophet in the Sin City-style film, which producer Eric Bassett said has enough sex and violence to guarantee an NC-17 rating."

So, Werner Herzog: busy guy. A remake of Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant with Nicolas Cage in July; The Piano Tuner in the fall; then a "guerrilla-style digital video shoot on Coronado Island" with Lynch in March 09.

On a calmer front, the LA Weekly's Scott Foundas offers "A Brief History of the Directors' Fortnight," now celebrating its 40th anniversary, and gathers memories of the Quinzaine from the likes of Lisandro Alonso, Theo Angelopoulos, Cristi Puiu and more.

For the Guardian, Frank Cottrell Boyce meets Terence Davies to talk about Of Time and the City, a "movie that is among his best."

Cineuropa pulls its special section together.

"Sean Penn may be president of the Cannes Film Festival jury - but don't expect any buttoned-up presidential behavior from the Hollywood rebel." Angela Doland reports on yesterday's press conference for the AP. More from Charlotte Higgins in the Guardian.

IFC has acquired a pair of Cannes festival entries, Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale and Josh Safdie's The Pleasure of Being Robbed. Brian Brooks reports for indieWIRE.

"The big gun?" For Twitch's Todd Brown on his first day, it's new promo for Ong Bak 2.

Emmanuel Burdeau writes a first entry in Cahiers du cinéma's Cannes diary.

Online listening tip. The Observer's Jason Solomons.

IndieWIRE's Eugene Hernandez has notes on various press conferences: "Serious, Silly Intersect In First 24 Hours of 61st Cannes Festival."

Posted by dwhudson at May 15, 2008 1:14 AM