It was almost a year ago that MGM broke the news that they were planning on updating the classic musical, Fame. Now Variety reports that MGM has finally hired Search for the Next Pussycat Doll dance director Kevin Tancheron to helm the remake. You might remember that back in May, sources had Andy Fickman signed to direct. I guess experience won out in the end, and producers Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi decided to go with someone who really knows their way around a 'pas de deux'.

The story will still take place in the famed New York High School of Performing Arts, and follow a group of students from auditions to graduation day. Part of why Fame stood out as one of my favorite musicals was that it was a bit grittier than your usual song and dance flick. Not everyone looked like a supermodel, and characters dealt with drug problems, abortions, and coercion into porn -- not exactly what you expect from a story about singing and dancing teens.

Casting has not started yet for the film, but open calls are already being arranged on both coasts. Tancheron might not have much directing experience, but he seems to have a soft spot in his heart for the story. Tancheron told Variety, "I grew up in this world; the characters in Fame are me and my best friends. I was the dancer with the number on my chest, I was the choreographer watching my friends dance, and then I produced and directed dancers." Since a remake is inevitable, I guess fans can take solace in the fact that at least it's no longer the guy who made She's the Man at the wheel.

We're now two steps closer to Disney's 're-imagining' of the kid's classic, Escape to Witch Mountain. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Ciarán Hinds (Stop Loss) and Alexander Ludwig (The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising) are signed to star in Race to Witch Mountain, the update of John Hough's 1975 film. Witch Mountain focused on two orphans with paranormal abilities, and was based on the 1968 sci-fi novel by Alexander Key.

For those who didn't come of age wishing to be witchy orphans, the storyline focused on mind-bending siblings Tia and Tony, whose alien origins had them on the run from an evil millionaire. This will mark the second attempt at a remake, with the first being for TV back in 1995. Matt Lopez (She's the Man) was in charge of the re-write and Andy Fickman was signed to direct back in July. Casting for Race to Witch Mountain started back in August, when Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson signed on for a role as a part time cab-driver and protector to the siblings. A little while later, Anna Sophia Robb was hired to play one of the 'spooky kids'. I can only guess that now that Ludwig is on board he will be taking over the part of Tony and Hinds will play the evil millionaire.

When the book was first adapted, there were plenty of complaints that Disney ignored most of the darker elements of the story. But Fickman has promised that this time around he is going to make, "a pretty bad-ass ride." Probably not how I would have described a movie from the man who directed The Game Plan; but you never know. Race to Witch Mountain is scheduled for release March 13th, 2009.

Poor Kim Richards. The former child star wasn't in too many films, but already one of them has been remade (Assault on Precinct 13, in which she briefly appears before memorably being gunned down) and another is on its way to the recycle bin. It's her best remembered, too: Escape to Witch Mountain. Previously we heard that Andy Fickman (She's the Man) would be directing a new version of the 1975 Disney pic, which was already redone once, for television, in 1995, and that Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock), who stars in Fickman's new movie, The Game Plan, would be starring as a cab driver who picks up a pair of siblings with supernatural powers. Now we've got at least one of the siblings, the one that Richards played in the original and its first sequel (but not its sequel, where she was replaced by Growing Pains' Tracey Gold). According to MTV Movies Blog, AnnaSophia Robb (The Bridge to Terrabitha) has been cast in the new movie, titled only Witch Mountain, though whether or not her character will be named "Tia" was not revealed. Also as of yet unknown: who will play her brother, Tony.

The most interesting thing that was clarified was that Witch Mountain is not really a remake. Fickman told MTV that he didn't want to mess with something he loved as a kid, so instead the new movie is more like another chapter in the story of Witch Mountain (sounds like Robb could be a new character after all). The director also regurgitated the usual line about how people who have seen the original and people who haven't can all enjoy this next installment. Fickman also said his movie will be more like Alexander Key's novel, meaning it will be much darker in tone, and that The Rock will be the one who helps the kids elude an evil millionaire who seeks to exploit them. He fills the shoes of the original film's Eddie Albert, who Fickman believes was a laughable protector for Tia and Tony. The director promises the not-remake will be "a pretty bad-ass ride." You know, just as you'd expect from a movie featuring The Rock and children.

I guess it was only a matter of time. Last month, Jessica Barnes posted that the 1975 Disney classic Escape to Witch Mountain was going to be remade. This is the second round of remakes, since the first was done in 1995. Andy Fickman, the guy behind Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical and the upcoming childcare comedy The Game Plan, was tapped to direct. Considering the fact that The Rock stars in the latter, it's no surprise that Variety is now reporting that he's following Fickman and taking on a role in Mountain.

As long as the negotiations continue to go smoothly, Dwayne Johnson will take on the role of a Las Vegas cab driver who picks up the magical siblings. That's about all we know. How Vegas and cabbies fits in is anyone's guess. If you remember, the original is about a few kids with mental powers who find out that they are actually aliens. I hope I'm wrong, but I have this image of some super-corrupt man taking the kids and making them a Vegas show act. I guess I should just be happy that my favorite Disney kid flicks seem to be off the radar. Whatever the case, it looks like Johnson has found his niche -- busying himself with a collection of family and adult comedy. Now, c'mon, who's itching to see this? Anyone?

To be honest, there is very little I remember from Escape To Witch Mountain, so the upcoming remake doesn't really have me worried that another childhood memory is about to be ruined. The Hollywood Reporter recently announced that Andy Fickman has signed to direct an updated version of the 1975 film, based on Alexander Key's sci-fi novel of the same name. The story centered on two siblings with paranormal abilities who are forced to go on the run as they try to figure out their "interstellar ancestry." Directed by John Hough, the film starred Ray Milland and Eddie Albert, with Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann as the galactic duo.

A script for the remake has already been completed by Matt Lopez, and Disney seems to be keeping this project in the family, since Lopez also wrote the script for their upcoming Adam Sandler comedy, Bedtime Stories. This is also Fickman's latest in a series of deals with the mouse, having already completed The Game Plan with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and having just signed for the family comedy Pool Rats. Fickman also seems to be all about the remakes lately, having reportedly signed to direct the Fame remake for MGM. Now that he seems to be a little preoccupied, maybe they are going to have to start looking elsewhere to revive their 80's musical. Disney has reportedly marked Witch Mountain as a high-profile project. Since they already have their script and their director, we should get word of casting soon.

Based on the description, I'm going to go out on a limb and say this one is like The Sandlot ... but for swimmers. With swimming slowly becoming the next go-to sport for big-screen "feel good" films, Disney has decided to hop in the water with Pool Rats; a new comedy to be directed by Andy Fickman. With a script being written by Fickman, Nichole Millard and Kathryn Price, project reunites the same creative team (writers, directors, producers) behind Disney's The Game Plan -- an upcoming family comedy staring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. While the filmmakers would like to produce a film that's in the vein of Meatballs or Little Darlings, expect the flick to still project Disney's family-friendly vibe (which kind of stinks, because I'd love to see a Sandlot-type film featuring a bunch of foul-mouthed knuckleheads).

Based on Fickman's own real-life experiences, the film will revolve around the "wild times" one man has while coaching a neighborhood league swim team during a summer that changes both his life and the lives of his swimmers. Pic follows in the footsteps of the Lionsgate film Pride, which received decent reviews, but failed to make any kind of splash when it hit theaters this past spring. For my money, I'm a huge fan of the little-seen indie The Big Bad Swim -- starring one of my favorite up-and-coming actresses, Jess Weixler (Teeth). That film is about a group of local folks who sign up for a swim class and, in turn, learn a lot about themselves and help change the lives of those around them. I'm not sure whether the film was ever picked up (I know it played a ton of film festivals), but if you ever get a chance, I highly recommend it. As far as Pool Rats goes, there's no cast or production start lined up yet; expect it to arrive at some point next summer while most of us are looking for a way to cool off during those ridiculously hot days.

It didn't seem all that long ago when we first had news that MGM was planning to dust off the 1980's musical Fame. Now, FilmJerk claims that sources report that Andy Fickman has been chosen to direct. Originally directed by Alan Parker (Evita, Pink Floyd The Wall), Fame centered on a high school for the performing arts in New York. If MGM has chosen Fickman to helm the remake, it certainly gives us an indication that MGM could be planning a little sanitizing of the original film's more gritty elements (drug abuse, pornography, and abortion). So far, Fickman has directed the Amanda Bynes comedy She's the Man, and the Disney football film The Game Plan with Dwayne Johnson -- with both films definitely falling into the category of family-friendly.

Say what you want about the original film (it's hard to overlook the excessive use of leg-warmers, I know), but at least Parker tried for just a slightly more realistic portrayal of struggling artists and the cost of success -- Well, at least as realistic as people bursting into musical numbers in the middle of a crowded NY intersection can be. Since nothing is definite yet, its way too early for purists to declare any changes to the original film as blasphemy -- although you can't blame them when you look at Fickman's track record so far.

Okay, so here's a film that should strike a chord with anyone who's ever dated a cheater, a player, a pimp or, well ... you get the idea. The Weinstein Co. has snatched up the spec script Muskrat Love as a potential directing vehicle for Andy Fickman (She's the Man). Launchpad Prods. and Underground Entertainment will help produce.

Written by Martin Sweeney, story follows an egotistical hot shot who is injected with monogamy serum by the best friend of a girl he recently shoved to the curb. Assuming they snag a dynamite actor for the lead role (I know he's in everything, but I could see Vince Vaughn tapping into his excellent Swingers performance and doing a fabulous job ... baby), then Muskrat Love could end up as a spicier (and perhaps a bit edgier) version of Liar Liar. If that's the case, then I'm definitely there.