Over the last few years, Italian director Gabriele Muccino has been busy with superstar Will Smith. He helmed The Pursuit of Happyness, and just wrapped up Seven Pounds. Now The Hollywood Reporter posts that he's cooking up a Kramer vs. Kramer style film that may or may not involve Smith's production company, Overbrook.

The project, titled What I Know About Love, is being written by Muccino along with the writer of Sex and the City, Liz Tuccillo. The director says: "It's the story of a family's collapse, but with the complexity that relationships have today. It's a different world now, one that I think is more open and more destructive somehow."

Considering the fact that Smith has starred in both of Muccino's recent films, I imagine that there's a decent chance that this film could be led by the ol' Fresh Prince as well. Smith brings the butts to the seats. Whatever happens, this should keep the filmmaker busy for a while with familial issues. He's also got an immigrant film called Man & Wife in the works.

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Michael Ealy (Sleeper Cell) has joined the cast of Seven Pounds. The film re-unites The Pursuit of Happyness director Gabriele Muccino with his star Will Smith in another 'weepie' drama. Sitcom writer Grant Nieporte (8 Simple Rules ... for Dating My Daughter) wrote the story about "a suicidal IRS agent (Smith) who sets out to make amends by assuming the identity of his younger brother. His plans get complicated when he inadvertently falls in love." Ealy has signed to play the younger brother, and judging by the storyline for the film, I have a feeling we'll mainly be seeing him in flashbacks.

Last December, Monika had brought us the news that Rosario Dawson had signed to star as Smith's love interest (marking another reunion, but this time for the Men in Black II co-stars) and Woody Harrelson as a motel manager that becomes increasingly involved with the suicidal Smith. Ealy has just finished work on Spike Lee's WWII drama, Miracle at St. Anna's, about a group of African-American soldiers who are trapped in Tuscany during a Nazi massacre.

There isn't much time for Ealy to switch gears since Pounds is expected to begin shooting this month. Pounds is scheduled to hit theaters in late 2008, which would appear to be just in time to keep Smith in the running for an Oscar nomination. As for Ealy, it looks like his career is on an upswing -- from starring in things like Fast and the Furious 2 and Never Die Alone to working with Will Smith and Spike Lee in just four short years is an achievement in anybody's book.

With the latest casting announcement for Seven Pounds, there might not be a lot of fat added, but definitely a lot of weight. Variety reports that Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson are in final negotiations to co-star in the film with Will Smith. You might remember from the news of Smith's involvement that this project is once again teaming the actor with Pursuit of Happyness director Gabriele Muccino. Or, you might remember that this isn't about Weight Watchers meetings, but rather a man who finds love while trying to end his life.

Written by Grant Nieporte , the film focuses on Smith, a "guilt-ridden man who inadvertently falls in love while attempting to kill himself." Usually suicide is a private endeavor, so I don't see how he could fall in love during the process, unless he keeps someone prisoner to watch, or calls a hotline. Things get more interesting when you figure Dawson and Harrelson into the equation. She's playing "a love interest who suffers from a serious heart condition." Due to the use of "a," I guess she's not the suicide-laden interest. Harrelson, meanwhile, will be "a motel attendent who becomes intrigued by his suicidal new tenant."

It would be great if Woody could be the love interest, since he's supposed to be intrigued by Smith, but I imagine they'll find someone famous, beautiful, and female to cast in the role. If, of course, it isn't Dawson. But that would just be a million-hanky mess -- Smith is about to kill himself, but falls for this great women -- only to find out that she has a serious health condition and dies or something. That sounds beyond depressing. Production begins in January, so we'll find out who's lucky enough to get a suicidal love soon enough. As an aside: assuming they got married and had a family, what do they say when their kids asked them how they met?

I may have initially hated Miami Vice, but it might be time to take another look. Especially because it's taking Michael Mann a long time to make a follow-up (though it's normal for him to take a few years between films). Lately he's been concentrating on producing, overseeing such pics as The Kingdom, which is currently in theaters, and the upcoming Hancock, which stars Will Smith. According to Variety, though, Mann has found a project that he's interested in directing next year, and it's to be another vehicle for Smith, who Mann previously directed to an Oscar nom in Ali. The drama, titled Empire, will also reunite Mann with screenwriter John Logan, with whom he worked, as a producer, on The Aviator. The plot involves a "contemporary global media mogul."

Other than that job title for (I'm assuming) Smith's character, little is known. But with such a great team involved, I don't think we need to worry. They're all very talented and respected (even if Logan did write the recent version of The Time Machine), Columbia apparently dished out at least a million bucks for the must-be-amazing pitch and I trust that Mann will not disappoint me again in the future. Something about this project -- perhaps the hint of corporate and media dealings -- makes me think it will be most in line with Mann's The Insider, which I think is his best film, even though it doesn't have a lot of action nor does it have Pacino and DeNiro face to face. Empire also won't feature classic Hollywood icons, like the film noir Mann and Logan were recently said to be making, but with that in mind, I think I'm anticipating this new project on less-kitschy grounds. Meanwhile, I'm also hoping that Smith make this a priority over Seven Pounds, his presumed next film (following Hancock) that returns him to the care of Pursuit of Happyness director Gabriele Muccino. I guess it all could come down to which film Smith thinks offers him a better chance at another Oscar nom for 2009.

Say what you want about The Pursuit of Happyness, but it wasn't a bad movie. Gabriele Muccino's direction was pedestrian at best, yet the movie worked because of Will Smith's Oscar-nominated performance. And little Jaden Smith (real-life son of Will) is possibly the most adorable child actor in years. The movie wasn't quite as good as its promise of being Frank Capra's Kramer vs. Kramer, but it was entertaining -- and for a serious drama it really killed at the box office. Smith may be hoping for his third Academy Award nomination in 2009, as well as his billionth hit, because he's re-teaming with Muccino for a new pic titled Seven Pounds. It will star Smith as a man who finds love while attempting suicide, so it will probably be another BYOK (bring your own Kleenex) film. Aside from Muccino, Happyness' producers, Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, James Lassiter and Steve Tisch, are also on board (Smith is also a producer). However, the script is from somebody not associated with the previous film; it was written by sitcom writer Grant Nieporte (8 Simple Rules ... for Dating My Daughter).

Hopefully they can find a role for Jaden, but if not this should be about as good as Happyness. And like I said, it may be Smith's next chance for Oscar. It seems that lately he's becoming the Spielberg of actors, doing an action blockbuster here and a serious, well-acted drama there. Of course, he does the occasional comedy, too, even though his action pics are funny enough on their own. The pattern is working out well for the guy. His follow-up to last winter's Happyness is the apocalyptic action-horror pic I Am Legend, which arrives this December, and then he's got a super-hero movie called Hancock, which bows next year in Smith's typical 4th of July weekend slot. Hancock, which was originally going to be helmed by Muccino, also deals with a guy who is down on his luck, but for a summertime pic, it couldn't possibly be as heart-wrenching as Seven Pounds will likely be. Right? Seven Pounds is set to begin filming in February and is expected for a late 2008 release.

Ever since Italian director Gabriele Muccino officially arrived in the States with The Pursuit of Happyness (his first English-language film), he's been searching for the perfect project to follow up his U.S. studio debut. At one point he was attached to helm Tonight, He Comes -- another Will Smith pic set in Brooklyn, New York. Though he eventually left that film (to be replaced by Peter Berg), Muccino has decided to remain in Brooklyn and helm Man and Wife for Universal Pictures. Written by Lorene Scafaria, Variety calls the pic a love story which "stresses an immigrant's love for the U.S. -- something, I imagine, hits pretty close to home for Muccino.

The director adds, "Diving into this culture is something I've enjoyed doing, but there is nothing more universal than love, and this is about how love can wake a man up like nothing else." Love is a theme Muccino has been attracted to; in 2001 he wrote and directed One Last Kiss, which was later remade in America as The Last Kiss starring Zach Braff. He was also set to helm A Little Game of Consequence for Focus Features but, like with Tonight, He Comes, left the project (along cast members Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz)) when script issues were raised. Double Feature partners Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher (World Trade Center, Freedom Writers) will produce Man and Wife, which will begin production this summer in Brooklyn; currently, no cast officially attached.

It's no wonder the film is called A Little Game, because it's taken some strategic playing in order to get all the pieces to fit correctly. Only a few months after Focus Features lost control of the then Gabriele Muccino-directed flick -- causing Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz to abruptly vacate their roles and abandon the project -- Focus co-chair James Schamus has convinced Ang Lee to take over for Muccino and helm the film. According to Variety, Lee will begin production on A Little Game (based on the French play A Little Game of Consequence) as soon as he's finished with Lust, Caution, his directorial follow-up to Brokeback Mountain.

A Little Game originally fell apart after Carrey and Diaz voiced concern over the pic's third act, and when a rewrite wasn't up to par, the two split -- officially squashing all hope of the duo's much talked-about reunion after first pairing up on The Mask. Following the fall out, Schamus was desperate to get this thing made, going so far as to take on the rewrite himself and, now, pulling Lee onboard for his third straight pic with Focus, and 11th collaboration with Schamus.

Plot concerns an engaged Brooklyn couple who, because of a rumor, decide to pretend they've broken up in order to see what their friends and family really think of their relationship. No word yet on whether Carrey and Diaz will return (it's highly doubtful), but I couldn't see them together in the first place. Then again, I have a hard time picturing Diaz in any role that's worth my hard-earned dollars.

Domenico Procacci is a man of many talents. Well known for his producing abilities in Italy, he has now started up a production company in New York by the name of Last Kiss Productions. He created this company to continue to work in unison with director Gabriele Muccino in America -- of course, Muccino is the man responsible for The Pursuit of Happyness, last week's number one film. Muccino and Procacci are long time collaborators, although Procacci did not produce Happyness, yet still has no troubles applauding his colleague's success. Happyness marks the first time an Italian director has opened their film at number one in the United States.

Procacci created Last Kiss Productions to go beyond his work in Rome with Fandango productions (he also owns a restaurant and a record company baring the same name). Fandango produces his native Italian language films but Last Kiss will work on bringing Italian-based stories to the English language -- no subtitles necessary. His first English-speaking film, giving him co-producer credits, is Silk starring Kiera Knightly, which will arrive sometime next year.

We have a lot to look forward to. Procacci has a slew of new projects that are in production; many based on books from Italian novelists such as Alessandro Baricco (also wrote the novel that Silk is based off of) and Walter Veltroni's (Rome's mayor) novel La scoperta dell'alba (The Dawn Discovery). La scoperta dell'alba is about a man who travels back in time to 'Italy's terror plagued "years of lead" all by incidentally picking up a phone. Needless to say, I already bought my ticket.

What more can we expect from Procacci? A lot. He is even making his directorial debut in February with Lesson 21 -- shot in English. Even though I love listening to his films in Italian, a language not even comparable to English in beauty, I look forward to seeing how he translates his stories without using his native tongue. You?

Odds and ends from Thursday:

• If the BBC is correct, it looks like Brad Pitt's "interest" has turned into an official casting as far as that big-screen Americanized version of the BBC miniseries State of Play goes. Jim Abbott (writer and exec producer) confirmed Pitt's involvement after receiving a surprise phone call from the actor. Pitt will play a journalist named Cal McCaffrey who finds himself wrapped up in a murder conspiracy involving his former boss. [via Dark Horizons]
• What the hell is wrong with Tonight, He Comes? After going through THREE directors (Michael Mann, Jonathan Mostow, Gabriele Muccino), a new name is surfacing and we're praying this one actually sticks. According to Production Weekly, Peter Berg is close to helming the pic which finds Will Smith playing a superhero suffering through a mid-life crisis. If this is supposedly one of the "best unproduced scripts in town," then how come no one wants to direct it? Inquiring minds definitely want to know.
• Hey, remember how we told you that Orlando Bloom's character may not survive through a fourth Pirates installment? Well, Moviehole spoke with a rep for Disney who denied everything saying, "We are working closely with Disney and want you to know that while we cannot comment on specific plot points, such rumors are completely unfounded." Even if these rumors were true, it's not like Disney is going to come out and go, "That's it, you got us!" Personally, I say they kill off everyone except Captain Jack, then bring him back for a spin-off TV series on Cartoon Network called, The Adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow Jr. Whaddya think?

Twelve years after Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz starred opposite one another in The Mask, it appears the duo will reunite for A Little Game Without Consequence, to be directed by Gabriele Muccino. Based on a play (which was already adapted into a French film back in 2004), pic will mark Muccino's second English-language effort -- he also directed the upcoming Will Smith flick, The Pursuit of Happyness. (Yes Martha, it's still spelled wrong.) Muccino's 2001 Italian-language film, L'Ultimo Bacio, has its own American version (The Last Kiss) coming out this fall.

In Consequence, Carrey and Diaz will play a "seemingly perfect couple who pretend to break up shortly after their fifth anniversary, only to discover most of their friends and family didn't really like them as a couple in the first place." Heck, I don't blame them -- personally, I can't see them as a couple either. Production is set to begin in New York City this October, which means we can expect the film to hit theaters at some point towards the end of 2007.

[via Coming Soon]