You never know when the next Richard Linklater is going to pop up -- someone new who releases a simple, yet endearing indie flick. Perhaps it will be with new indie filmmaker David Mitchell. C & G News reports that the 33-year-old filmmaker is gearing up to make his feature debut with The Myth of the American Sleepover in Detroit this summer. The picture, which he started writing 4-5 years ago, "follows four characters as they navigate through metro Detroit during the final night on the final weekend of summer." Sound a little like Dazed and Confused? The new filmmaker goes on to describe it as "really a coming to age story. It's kind of along the lines of American Graffiti."

Although Mitchell lives in Los Angeles, he's heading back to Detroit for production: "We could have filmed elsewhere, but I really didn't want to do that. I really wanted it to have the feel of the neighborhoods and way it looks there. I have an emotional connection to it." This means that local Detroiters will have their shot at being cast in the movie. The production is looking for locals between the ages of 14 and 21, both male and female, for feature and supporting roles. Since this is an uber-indie feature, it's a no-pay labor of love, one that will reap cash for the players if the film does well. If you're interested, there's casting call info in the C & G story.

Now, assuming that Mitchell hasn't fallen victim to the ladies in sexy underwear sleepover cliche, I'm pretty keen to see what he makes of this. How about you?

I always get a little antsy around magicians who use dangerous props. While I don't doubt their abilities and talents, something can always go wrong. I have the same paranoia about using real guns full of blanks in film, which stems from a combination of Murder Most Foul and Brandon Lee's unfortunate death. (But even after the Roy Horn tiger incident, the same fear doesn't apply to huge, big-toothed animals. Go figure.) Having said all of this, I'm curious about the upcoming Magicians film coming from Peep Show scribes Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, and starring the same British comedic duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb.

The comedy plays into my worry-wart fears -- magician partners have a falling out after a guillotine trick isn't so tricky and accidentally decapitates their participant, who is the one magician's wife. That's a pretty decent start, if you ask me. A few years after going their separate ways, they go head-to-head at a magic contest. The trailer is now up on YouTube, and it looks quirky and amusing. However, there are mixed reviews coming by way of AICN spies. One liked it, while the other thought all the jokes fell flat. Now, it was an unfinished screener, so maybe they can tighten it up. But the realist in me is more likely to believe that the decapitation bits are funny, and what lies beyond the trailer is flat. I want to give it a chance, but it's sounding like a crap-shoot.