Movie Minesweeper - The Apparently, I'm A Hack Edition

Apparently, I'm a hack. I love films and I mean every word I type about them - doesn't that disqualify me from hackdom? Here's some links for you.

- Luc Besson has discussed Angel-A and sequels for The Transporter and Arthur and the Invisibles with MoviesOnline.

- Paid movie downloads have been classified as a niche only, and are predicted to never go mainstream. People still like those hard items purchased in those brick and mortar stores, I guess.

- Super Bad James Dynomite is being adapted by the Wayans. Shame.

- There are some slow-loading Strangers stills at Celebutopia, and at least two look appropriately creepy. The next great Boo! movie? Fingers in little Xs, people.

- Arrogantics have found a John Rambo still.

- Nintendo are holding a short film competition. Only US residents (Puerto Rico, as ever, aside) can enter.

- Jessica Biel and Forest Whitaker are to star in Timothy Linh Bui's Powder Blue.

- Chris Sivertson's Hippy was co-written by Lucky McKee - good - but will star Lindsay Lohan - bad.

- Maxim have published a list of, supposedly, the 100 most attractive women on the face of the earth. Many are movie stars. I think somebody should do a male equivalent - they'd get plenty of sales, hits, water cooler talk. Guy lists are normally limited to ten or so.

- You can preview Flight of the Conchords' HBO show now.

- Chow Yun Fat may return to the cast of Red Cliff, but where that leaves Tony Leung is anybody's guess. Taking the producers to court, I'd hope. [EDIT: Moises has pointed me to Monkeypeaches, where they report a Chinese newspaper's claims that Chow's role is to be a much smaller one, and Leung will keep the lead role]

- Momentum are to release Neil Burger's The Return over here in blighty. Good.

- A promo pic for Dario Argento's Mother of Tears has appeared in the Cannes edition of Variety. Tasty.

Roman - Finally!

Roman stars and is scripted by Lucky McKee, and is directed by Angela Bettis, and while not a direct sequel to May, as such, is a kind of 'companion piece'. The film also features key performances from Nectar Rose, seen in Serenity, and Kristen Bell, the title-star of Veronica Mars.

Today, Fangoria and Dread Central have both reported that the film will finally be released by Echo Bridge Entertainment at the end of March. Unfortunately, this will be direct to DVD, but fortunately, the film will come with a nice set of special features: a group commentary, deleted scenes, interviews and outtakes.

The trailer is online right now. Watch first, pre-order second.

Shyamalan Bending Air Toon Style

M. Night Shyamalan is off to a fantastical pseudo-asian world of elemental conjuring and mystical beasts - and I don't mean he's signed a deal with Sony.

Set up at Paramount, Shyamalan's next project looks set to be a live action adaptation of a cartoon action adventure series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. I didn't spot this twist coming, I have to admit. He's going to producer, write and direct the film, with two potential sequels lined up if the first is a sufficiently sized hit. His source material is, I'm told, something quite special - so now, I suppose, I'm going to have to check it out as soon as possible.

Of course, James Cameron's new movie is to be called Avatar too, and already Paramount and Fox - the films' respective studios - are amping up the fighting talk. Quoted in Variety, Paramount claim to have registed Avatar: The Last Airbender for Shyamalan, while Fox say, quite clearly, "We own the movie title Avatar. There won't be another film called Avatar coming from anyplace."

Shyamalan lost his title battle last time, having to opt for The Village while Lucky McKee was given use of it's original moniker, The Woods.

We might not be sure what they're called yet, but I think we're looking at two of 2009's better studio movies here. Excellent.

Saw IV Scribes

Horror Movies (California style) have named the writers who will be responsible for the script of Saw IV: Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, authors of Feast, and Thomas Fenton who has also written Red, Lucky McKee's next. The imdb also lists Marek Posival, but then again, the imdb is nothing more than mass delusion writ digital.

Saw IV is coming on the heels of some very tedious predecessors, but those scriptwriting names seem to be three steps in the right direction, at least.

Shooting starts in March, which seems to put Palud and Moreau out of the director's seats. Reports suggest that instead, David Hackl, second unit director on the third of those aforementioned tedious predecessors, is in "heavy negotiations" to direct. One big stride back?