After the gut-wrenching terror of No Country for Old Men (I haven't been that tense in a movie theater since, well, ever), I can safely say that I am incredibly relieved that the Coens' next film, Burn After Reading, looks like it is going to be a lot more fun. First Showing now has some stills from the Coens' black comedy, and it would appear that the brothers are returning to what I like to call their 'Raising Arizona roots.'

Burn is the story of a CIA agent (played by George Clooney) who is assigned to investigate the case of a former agent named Ozzie Cox (John Malkovich) who has taken his revenge on the agency by writing a tell-all memoir. When Cox's ex-wife (played by Tilda Swinton) steals the only copy and leaves it behind at her gym, the gym's owner (Frances McDormand) and star personal trainer (Brad Pitt) see an opportunity to engage in a little blackmail.

The Coen flick just got the nod to open the Venice Film Festival this year, but Burn will not be making an appearance at Cannes this year (which is a little strange considering the luck they had at the French festival last year). This makes it zero for two for Pitt now that his other high-profile film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, also failed to make the list for Cannes. Burn After Reading is scheduled for wide release on September 12th, 2008.

Even though a lot of fans of The Coen Brothers haven't been all that happy with the results of their collaborations with George Clooney (I think I was one of the eight people in the world who actually enjoyed Intolerable Cruelty.), I've still got a good feeling about their CIA comedy, Burn After Reading. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Focus Features will release the dark comedy on September 12th of this year.

Burn has an all-star cast including Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, and Tilda Swinton. I would guess that it's been like 'old home week' on set; we all know that Clooney and Pitt are buddies, and Swinton could be an honorary member of the boys club after her Oscar winning performance in Michael Clayton (and judging by her acceptance speech, she seems comfortable with a little verbal rough-housing).

The comedy stars Malkovich as Ozzie Cox, a CIA vet who gets fired for being an alcoholic, and writes out his revenge in a memoir. His soon-to-be ex-wife (Swinton) accidentally leaves the memoir at a gym, where it falls into the hands of a trainer, Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), and the gym's owner Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), who want to exploit the discovery. It sounds like a pretty 'fluffy' flick, but I think we could all use a break from the Coens' more "intense" point of view, wouldn't you agree, friendo?

If you thought the Coen Brothers were done with westerns following the terrific No Country for Old Men (which was more of a modern western then a classic western), think again: The boys are apparently gearing up to give us the mother of all Spaghetti Westerns. According to CinemaBlend, Joel Coen was recently quoted as saying, "We've written a western with a lot of violence in it. There's scalping and hanging ... it's good. Indians torturing people with ants, cutting their eyelids off. It's a proper western, a real western, set in the 1870s. It's got a scene that no one will ever forget because of one particular chicken." I don't know about you, but all I needed to hear was "Indians torturing people with ants" and I was immediately sold.

Now don't go licking your lips in anticipation just yet; the brothers still have a few other films to sort through. Next up for them will be Burn After Reading, which appears to be a lighter caper comedy starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand. From there, it's a little sketchy: IMDB has them in pre-production on Hail Caesar (with a description that goes "A 1920's theater troupe stages a production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar"), while both guys are also attached to write (but not yet direct) a film called Gambit that has Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley attached, with Lisa Bonet (of all people) in negotiations. So hopefully they'll toss one of these aside in order to give us some much-needed 1870s ant torture ... because I've been craving it for some time.

George Clooney is one of the busiest men in Hollywood. He's currently promoting his excellent new legal drama Michael Clayton. He's wrapping up acting and directing duties on Leatherheads, a 1920's football romantic comedy with John Krasinski and Renee Zelwegger. He's shooting the Coen Brothers' Burn After Reading, a CIA comedy co-starring Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton (so great in Clayton), John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand. In addition to all that, he's got to fly around the world in a jet made of gold and make the women of the world swoon 24/7. So yeah, the guy's got a lot going on. In fact, he's just decided that he has too much going on.

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Clooney has just dropped out of Joe Carnahan's White Jazz, a gritty tale of police corruption set in 1950s Los Angeles. Clooney was set to star in the independent film, which is based on the James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential) novel. White Jazz was expected to begin filming early next year, and was scheduled for a 2009 release date. Grant Heslov, Clooney's producing partner, says "It just simply came down to scheduling. George continues to believe in the project and in Joe." Clooney was set to be a producer on the film, and whether he'll remain involved in that capacity has not been announced. And those of you excited about the film, myself included, might not be too happy with this last sentence. According to a spokesperson at Warner Independent, where the film was set up -- White Jazz has dropped off its slate. Currently, there's no word from Carnahan, who, as of a couple days ago, was pretty pumped about starting production in January.

You may have noted my mention of a playwright named Beau Willimon last week. If not, it was in a post about a remake of the British miniseries The Jury, which Finding Neverland's Marc Forster will direct. I pointed out that Forster actually handpicked Willimon to be the screenwriter of that project after reading the guy's play Farragut North. The political drama is set to open on Broadway early next year with Jake Gyllenhaal starring and Mike Nichols directing, and I figured that eventually there'd be a movie in the works, possibly with that prestigious duo re-teamed for the big screen version. But no, it seems Gyllenhaal and Nichols just aren't good enough for Warner Bros., who owns the film rights. Instead they've cast some guy named Leonardo DiCaprio for the lead and are hoping to sign on some old television has-been named George Clooney to direct.

According to Variety, the project is also being produced by DiCaprio's company, Appian Way (The Aviator), and Clooney's company (with Grant Heslov), Smoke House (Leatherheads); both companies apparently teamed up after reading the script (were they at the same party as Forster?) and then together brought the thing to Warners. In the film, DiCaprio will play a young idealist working on a presidential campaign who ultimately ends up resorting to bad tactics like backstabbing and trickery. Basically, it sounds like the sad story of the common politico who still thinks there's room for Mr. Smith's out there, only to wake up and discover the real world of Washington. But as much as it sounds familiar, or obvious, or otherwise trite, it seems the play is somewhat autobiographical, as Willimon based it on his experience working on Howard Dean's 2004 campaign. Certainly the film would be a great timely release for 2008, but right now the film, which Willimon is adapting himself, doesn't have a clear start date. Hopefully Warners can grab DiCaprio as soon as he's done with Ridley Scott's Body of Lies and Clooney as soon as he's done with the Coen Brothers' Burn After Reading for a just-in-time Fall opening.

Because how can you go to sleep tonight without checking out at least one picture of Brad Pitt. I know I can't, and I'm sure you ladies out there are thinking the same thing. Unfortunately (for some), this image is of Brad Pitt all bloodied up -- or, as Peter Griffin (as Han Solo) would say: "Looking all penisy." And is it just me, or does Pitt look to be doing his best Val Kilmer impersonation? This photo showed up in (I believe) the NY Post today (although it could be the Daily News; not sure, the guy reading it next to me on the train was being "all penisy" with his paper), and it's a scene from the Coen Bros. new film Burn After Reading.

In case it's tough to see in the pic to the right (click on it for a larger version courtesy of Just Jared), Pitt's nose is bloody and he's holding a bike helmet. And as much as I'd like to say he's doing his best "I'm George Clooney, and I just got run over by a 1999 Mazda in Jersey," something tells me that's not what this scene is about. Coincidentally, Clooney is co-starring alongside Pitt in Burn After Reading, which tells of a CIA agent ( John Malkovich) whose soon-to-be ex wife ( Frances McDormand) steals a disc containing his memoirs, but accidentally leaves it at the gym where Pitt, a trainer, finds it and thinks he can use it to blackmail Malkovich. Clooney, on the other hand, plays an assassin hired by the CIA to "clean up" the mess. Burn After Reading will most likely hit theaters sometime next year.

Fear not ladies, he's OK! While driving his motorcycle in what appears to be Weehawken, New Jersey, George Clooney and friend Sarah Larson collided with another vehicle they were apparently trying to pass from the right-hand side, so says Variety. The accident occurred yesterday afternoon. Clooney suffered a broken rib and some scrapes, and Larson suffered a broken foot. Ouch. From the looks of it, Clooney sped up to pass a car on the right (something you're not allowed to do in Jersey), with intentions of making a right turn. However, the car beside him crossed into the right lane and collided with Clooney. No word on whether that car, a 1999 Mazda (this is Jersey, George, not Beverly Hills) had its turn signal on.

A spokesman for the Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, New Jersey said Clooney has "a broken rib, it's very painful and it'll take a long time to heal." Currently, Clooney has several films in different stages of production. He'd been shooting Leatherheads back in July (when images surfaced from the set), and according to IMDb he's currently filming the Coen Bros. next film, Burn After Reading. No word on whether either film will be delayed because of the accident (I'm not sure how long it takes for someone to be able to work with a broken rib -- never had one myself). The accident is still under investigation; right now it's a he said/she said sort of thing. Nothing against motorcycles, and the people that drive them, but here in New York folks just do what they want --riding between lanes, swerving in and out of traffic. It gets real annoying. But as long as everyone is fine, and not seriously injured -- that's what really counts. Clooney's next film, Michael Clayton, arrives in theaters next month.

Though we're only a few short weeks away from the debut of the new Coen Bros. pic, No Country for Old Men, at the Cannes Film Festival, all the talk of late has surrounded the casting of their next project, Burn After Reading. Following the news that George Clooney, Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt had signed on to star, comes word from The Hollywood Reporter that John Malkovich is in talks to star as Ozzie Cox, a CIA agent who loses the very important computer disk that holds his memoir. This will mark Malkovich's first-ever appearance in a Coen Bros. flick; personally, I feel this collaboration is long overdo.

With shooting to begin this August, plot details have been kept under wraps. However, word has it that McDormand will play Malkovich's estranged wife, and the person who steals the disk before accidentally leaving it at the gym. That's where Pitt's character (a personal trainer) comes into play; he attempts to use the disk to blackmail Cox. Meanwhile, Clooney will play a hitman hired by the CIA to "clean up" the entire situation. Based on this premise, it sounds like another fabulous Coen Bros. dark comedy, and the cast is as good as they come. No word yet on whether Coen favs Steve Buscemi and Billy Bob Thornton will make an appearance, but there's still plenty of time to announce more names as we creep closer to the pic's start date.

Looks like the Joel and Ethan Coen (ever wonder why Joel's name always comes first?) have decided to get serious for Focus Features and Working Title, the shingle that previously helped produce Coen flicks like Fargo, The Hudsucker Proxy and The Big Lebowski, among others. Following news that Brad Pitt is set to star alongside George Clooney and Frances McDormand in Burn After Reading, comes word from Variety that the Coen's will follow up that pic with one called A Serious Man. Described as a "dark comedy in the vein of Fargo," both Ethan and Joel intend on being credited as writers, producers and directors on the two films.

Seeing as A Serious Man is slated to be a serious dark comedy, one has to assume that Burn After Reading will go a different route. That film is said to revolve around a CIA agent who loses the computer disk in which his (or her) tell-all book is stored. In the Variety article, they mention that Brad Pitt will play a trainer at a gym (did we know that already?), while rumors suggest Clooney will play a killer of some sorts, and not the strikingly-handsome protagonist. Hmm, do you think McDormand will play the CIA agent? Or have the Coen's not decided on a star (ahem, Billy Bob) yet? And, with nothing else lined up after Burn, me wonders whether McDormand will sign up for back-to-back Coen flicks; perhaps she'll take on another Fargo-like role and win a second Oscar. These are good times for all you Coen fanatics out there; aside from the aforementioned two films, their latest, No Country for Old Men, will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month, before arriving in theaters later this fall.

After being second, third or fourth string in her recent roles, the ever-wonderful Frances McDormand is finally getting some top-billed goodness. The actress is set to star in two films for Focus Features. The first comes by way of a long-forgotten book by Winifred Watson -- Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Published in 1938, the book became a victim of WW2, but is now making a comeback in the UK. An adult Cinderella-like fairy tale, Pettigrew shares one day in the life of a down-trodden governess who is sent to the wrong house by her employment agency. There she meets Miss LaFosse, a cabaret singer, who gives her a taste of glamour. Adapted by Full Monty scribe Simon Beaufoy, the film will be directed by Bharat Nalluri this April in London.

After dipping her toe into old-style London elegance, McDormand will be heading to New York for her fifth cinematic collaboration with husband, Joel Coen. (Previous forays have included Raising Arizona and her Oscar-winner, Fargo.) She will star opposite ladies man, George Clooney, in the Coen brothers next film, Burn After Reading. So far, all we know is that it is a dark comedy about the CIA. Hopefully, hubbie and bro-in-law Coen have written a meaty role for McDormand, perhaps with Clooney as her love interest. While she's finally broken through to the sexy, it would be nice to see her getting juicy leading men.

So I'm reading through an interview with George Clooney over on AICN, when he divulged some very interesting information. As Martha reported recently, the Coen brothers are working on Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men as their next project. The film, a sort of Western noir about a man who stumbles upon bodies, heroin and a ton of cash while hunting, reportedly has Tommy Lee Jones (who's always reminded me of a more straight-edge Billy Bob Thornton) and Javier Bardem in talks to star.

Okay, great - but then why the hell is Clooney telling AICN that he's shooting a film with the Coen's this Spring? When asked about his collaboration with the brothers, Clooney replied, "I'm going to be doing another film with them probably in the Spring. It's called Burn After Reading. It's really fun, really funny." Say what? Could Clooney and the Coen's be shooting a film in the next couple of months that none of us had any idea even existed?

I know, way back when, they were all in talks to work on Suburbicon, and that Clooney was going to take over as director of the project...but something tells me this isn't the same film. If any of our loyal Cinematical readers has any info regarding Burn After Reading, please let us know in the comments.