I'll admit that for some silly reason seeing the poster for The Bank Job made me think that this flick might be a step above the usual Lock, Stock rip-off. Unfortunately, a new TV spot over at Coming Soon has me rethinking that position. CS is now hosting the new commercial for the crime caper and by the looks of things, this film is just going to be another paint-by-numbers British crime caper -- the legacy of Guy Ritchie lives on.

The Bank Job is based on the true story of the famous Baker Street Robbery. In 1971, over $900,000 was stolen from Lloyds Bank in London. The thieves were never caught and even stranger was the fact that a gag order was placed on the investigation. Well, 27 years later and director Roger Donaldson is claiming that finally the real story can be told. According to the film's writers and their "Deep Throat" source, the real reason for the heist was to cover up a scandal involving the Royal Family. The conspiracy theory also manages to incriminate high-ranking police officers, the secret service, politicians and a prominent member of the royal family.

So you can maybe understand why I'm a little disappointed that a fascinating story like this might be reduced to nothing but choppy editing and glib dialog. Screenwriters Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (Flushed Away) have been trying to get the story of the Baker Street Robbery to the screen for years, so hopefully they wanted to do it right. I guess I will have to wait and see when The Bank Job hits theaters later this month.

Check out the theatrical trailer for The Bank Job after the jump ...

Back in 2000, Michael Douglas was making news for teaming with MGM to bring the story of famous art frauds John Myatt and John Drewe to the big screen. The production deal, however, was never closed. Years later, producers Jay Weston and Fred Levinson have picked up Genuine Fakes, and according to The Guardian, they've asked international baby saver Clive Owen to play Myatt and retired killer tomato fighter George Clooney to take on Drewe -- the role originally set for Douglas. The screenplay is almost finished for the project, and is being written by the British duo responsible for Flushed Away and Excess Baggage -- scribes Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.

The film is said to be a cross between a thriller and crime comedy, as Weston describes: "Ian and Dick have created the most amazing outline for the screenplay. The film will be set in London, and they have come up with something that is a thrilling combination of The Thomas Crown Affair and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." I'm thinking an Ocean's sort of story, with a little spin on the crime. If they do nab the pair, I imagine it will be a good, long while until we hear more about this project. While Owen has a few upcoming projects to complete, Clooney has a number of actor, producer and director projects on the go. That being said, I hope they find the time -- they'd make a great pair of funny fraud-committers.

As the story goes, Myatt was an artist who was advertising painting copying, and Drewe convinced him to recreate some more famous works by artists like Paul Klee, Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse. Then, Drewe made false records for the paintings, and they were then sold at auction. In 1998, the pair was convicted of fraud and sent to prison; however, while Myatt admitted his guilt and got out after a brief 4-month stay, Drewe maintains his innocence and served a 6-year sentence. The latter still claims he is the victim of a conspiracy, while Myatt has gone on to work with the producers on this film, as well as creating a living out of his fakes.

Wow, now that was a nice surprise. Check out this rather lovely new trailer for Julie Taymor's Across the Universe and then come back and let me know what you think. To me it looks like 1969 meets Moulin Rouge ... or maybe Forrest Gump meets Sgt. Pepper. Either way I now have another movie title to add to my "oooh, gimme!" list for 2007. Written by veteran British wordsmiths Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, Across the Universe sure looks (despite my earlier comparisons) pretty darn unique!

It's a story of love, lust and innocence lost in the 1960's, it's a musical, and it's all Beatles music! Neat! (The stars are Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson and the luminous Evan Rachel Wood.) Sony hasn't nailed down a firm release date just yet, but "September" seems to be the general consensus right now. Frankly I'm pretty darn psyched to check this flick out -- and this is coming from a guy who spends most of his days knee-deep in monster movies and stoner comedies. (And if you've never seen Taymor's Titus, I just now thought of a flick you need to toss into your Netflix queue.)