It's a good thing Child Protective Services never saw Nim (Abigail Breslin) in action or there wouldn't be any movie. Nim would be quietly toiling away in school, perhaps going to the mall and texting her friends. But in the new PG-rated family film Nim's Island, she climbs trees (and volcanoes), swings through the jungle, cooks dinner using mealworms as a main ingredient, reads adventure stories and talks to animals. Nim's father, Jack (Gerard Butler), is a marine biologist who has set up residence on a remote, South Pacific island to study microorganisms. It's just the two of them, so when Jack goes off on a two-day expedition to find new samples, Nim insists on staying behind. But after a huge storm, Jack is left stranded in the middle of the ocean. And when "pirates" (really tourists) invade the island, and her father fails to return on schedule, Nim gets scared.

One of the films I've been itching to see, which can't even seem to get itself in front of the camera, is Jodie Foster's Flora Plum. For at least the last ten years, there has been buzz about this film, which was originally going to star Claire Danes, out of My So-Called Life and into Yale, and Russell Crowe. But just like bad luck has loomed in Terry Gilliam's world of filmmaking, Foster just can't seem to get it made.

Crowe injured himself and production stopped. He never returned to the project and later in 2002, there was word that Ewan McGregor was taking over. Again, it stopped. Yet Foster is still determined to get the film made. She talked with MTV, and is still very invested in getting it made. However, she's being wary about how much she says, for fear that she'll jinx herself. "My new superstition is to never mention it, because every time I do, my film falls apart." From there, she talks about finally jumping behind the camera again, over a decade since her last directorial effort, Home for the Holidays.

Gerard Butler. I always knew that some day you'd come walking back through my door. I never doubted that. Something made it inevitable.

Gerard Butler's "officially unofficial" fansite is hosting a bunch of high-resolution stills of Butler and Jodie Foster from the upcoming Nim's Island. I was going to post a bigger version of Butler and his bullwhip here, but my computer is protesting, so it's better if you head on over there to view them. (I cannot find where they originated from -- and the site is mum, so if I am slighting someone, I apologize.)

I have to say, Butler looks less than thrilled in most of these. I guess he has more poise than I do, and wasn't running around yelling "You betrayed Shiva!" the entire shoot. Or maybe he was, and just wore himself out. I dig the costume though, especially the boots.

In other Island news, the film is reaching out to children with the Nim's Island: Our World, A Reel Thinking Event. Hosted by Jeff Corwin, the special will be aired on Animal Planet on April 2nd at 10am PST/EST, as well as in schools across the country. It will go behind the scenes of the film, while educating about environmental issues, and encouraging students to come up with solutions. Animal Planet and Walden Media are also sponsoring a contest to implement one classroom's best earth-saving idea.

I really love that this film is avoiding the McDonalds and merchandising route, and is instead educating children on coral reefs and living green. What a lovely idea! I hope a similar marketing scheme accompanies Wall*E.

It seems so strange these days to see Jodie Foster doing slapstick comedy. She gets into lots of drama and action, but when was the last time she made you laugh? For me, it was those early days when she was involved in all things Disney, and when she had one Freaky Friday. (If you haven't yet, check out the retro trailer from Stars in Rewind.) Over 30 years later, she's jumping on the wacky wagon again, but this time for some more fantastical adventure.

You might remember that she's part of Nim's Island -- the Swiss Family Robinson sort of film that has her starring alongside Abigail Breslin (Nim) and Gerard Butler. The trailer, which has now popped up online over at Ace Showbiz, pretty much explains things -- her character is an agoraphobic adventure writer who has to face her fears when her biggest fan asks for her help. Nim and her dad (Butler) live on a remote island, and she's stranded when he gets lost at sea. Men then try to take over the island, so Nim asks Alex Rover for help -- the star of Foster's action books (who is played by Butler as well).

The trailer has Foster freaking out over the thought of leaving her house, which is compounded by the fact that her adventure won't take her just down the street for a coffee, but rather, across the world. An imagined Rover taunts her, getting her out of the house and into a number of adventures not only to reach Nim, but to help her save the island. It's complete family fare, with the cheesy trailer voice-over and everything, but I have to say -- it looks like the kind of film you could get lost in your goofy, youthful memories with. We'll find out soon enough. The film opens on April 4. Either way, it's nice to see Foster embrace her goofiness again.

Considering the fact that Jodie Foster has been acting since the '60s, it's pretty damned impressive that she just made this year's top ten highest-paid actresses list. But me, I'm a fan of the Foster before the big success, when she popped up on all the old-school television shows and even better -- when she had one hell of a freaky Friday. Since it just happens to be that same day, in honor of that great little film from 30+ years ago, not the La Lohan remake, I offer you Walt Disney's Freaky Friday.

Annabel and her mom aren't getting along, and both naively assume that the other has it easier. They wish that they could switch places, and poof! -- they do. This trailer just brings back memories -- I had completely forgotten about Foster's spastic faux waterskiing. But the kicker here -- the description of John Astin's character -- "a confused, male chauvinist." Gotta love chauvinism as a selling feature. Have a great weekend, folks!

Imagine living on a secret tropical island, chilling with a marine iguana, a sea turtle, and a sea lion, playing Swiss Family Robinson, and still having electricity to interact with the outside world on the Internet. (Granted, the last part doesn't really make sense -- how do you have net access with an island no one knows exist? Do you lay cables yourself?) While it's definitely not my cup of everyday tea, the situation makes for a pretty cool adventure, and a sweet gig for the uber-cute and talented Abigail Breslin.

Little Miss Sunshine recently wrapped filming Nim's Island, and USA Today has a first look at the production, which sees Breslin and Jodie Foster swinging through the trees and Gerard Butler looking like a pouty Indiana Jones. Based on the illustrated children's book by Wendy Orr and Kerry Millard, Nim's is about a girl and her marine biologist dad, who live on a secret island in paradise. Dad's ship gets lost at sea, and alone, she turns to e-mail and gets help from Alex Rover, an explorer and literary alter ego of a reclusive author (Foster). Butler plays both the dad and the imaginary Rover; as he explains: "When Nim reads a book about Alex Rover, suddenly I'm in an Arabian desert with evil captors, or I'm being tied up by African tribesmen." The 300 star sports his own Scottish accent for Alex, but throws on an American one to play dad. The tropical family film will hit theaters in April.

The latest film from Neil Jordan is called The Brave One, but I'd be willing to bet money that the working title was The Stranger, since the word stranger is used repeatedly throughout the film to describe the alienated condition of the main character, a sotto voce radio personality played by Jodie Foster who turns into a piece-packing thrill-killer after being beaten nearly to death by some punks in Central Park and seeing her fiancé murdered by the same punks. That premise is oddly dated, of course, thanks to the extreme Disneyfication of New York City in the 90s, and The Brave One isn't brave or creative enough to simply posit an alternate 2007 in which those reforms never happened. Instead, the pre-existing societal ills that fuel Foster's character are laid out during a radio commentary she gives over the opening credits: chief among them is the fact that the Plaza Hotel is being closed down and her memories of Eloise are being tarnished! This is Death Wish meets Sex and the City, with all the seriousness that implies.

By choosing not to paint a portrait of a New York roiled by crime again -- at one point, a radio caller notes that the emergence of the vigilante is actually welcome, since New York has become so dull -- the film has little recourse except to make Foster's character one of the most unlucky people alive: after the brutal beating and murder in the park by a small gang of hoods -- her fiancé is played in a few early scenes by Naveen Andrews -- she becomes, in short order, the victim of knife-wielding, would-be rapists on the subway, walks in on a first-degree murder in progress and must defend herself against the killer, and happens upon a murderous pimp who mistakes her for a hooker. It's like a blood-and-guts version of that Lindsay Lohan movie where the main character's luck inexplicably turns to pot overnight. As long as the film has trouble looking for Foster instead of Foster looking for trouble, it's not saying much, really. It's only when her character starts to enjoy the violence that things start to get (mildly) interesting.

I'm not really connecting with the appeal of The Brave One, which looks like just another revenge film elevated slightly in prestige by the Oscar-winning talents of Jodie Foster and director Neil Jordan (as well as the Oscar-winning talents of Mary Steenburgen and cinematographer Philippe Rousselot and the Oscar-nominated talents of Terrence Howard, composer Dario Marianelli and production designer Kristi Zea -- hey, maybe the movie is worth seeing). But I tend to disagree with the tastes of the majority, so the movie is probably connecting better with mainstream audiences. Even if it fails at the box office, though, one of its screenwriters, Cynthia Mort, will come out just fine. Aside from being executive producer of a new sex-filled HBO series, Tell Me You Love Me, which she is also writing, and aside from scripting that Nina Simone biopic, in which Mary J. Blige is starring, the writer has just sold a pitch to Oscar-winning producer Graham King (The Departed).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pitch was for a murder-mystery thriller. Of course, it currently has no title and there isn't anything yet known about the plot. All that was said of the idea is that the film will be a "fast-paced morality tale" and "akin to the thriller genre films of the 1980s" (not sure what films The Hollywood Reporter is referring to with that description). King, who will produce the film, once scripted, through his GK Films, did admit the story pitched is one of the most dynamic and provocative he's heard in awhile and that it is an idea he thought must be brought to the screen. He referred to Mort as being, "at the top of her game." The Brave One is premiering tonight at the Toronto Film Festival, and Tell Me You Love Me debuts on Sunday, so we shall soon find out if King is correct about Mort's status.

Is it just me, or is Jodie Foster sort of channeling her last victim-gets-tough movie, The Accused? She's got the tough look and the short, wild hair (not to mention that she barely looks like she's aged). Granted, she didn't grab a gun and enact her own brand of justice as Sarah Tobias, but there's more than one way to skin a cat. Back in January of 2006, Cinematical first posted about Foster's latest film, The Brave One (not to be confused with the other that pops up on IMDb). Helmed by Neil Jordan, the film follows Foster's character, Erica, who is brutally attacked while on a walk with her dog and lover and decides to seek revenge when she wakes up to find her dog gone and lover dead. Considering the gun in her hands in this new poster to the right, you can see that she isn't thinking about bringing them to court.

Earlier this month, Jessica Barnes blogged about the film's trailer, which you can see here. It definitely tells a lot about the story -- which you might find spoiling, or obvious. Then again, that might only be the beginning. Regardless, it looks like a pretty solid story about that other path you can take when tragedy strikes. Many of us talk about what we'd do if a loved one met a violent end, but it's another thing to have it happen, the reality staring you in the face. This also looks like a nice return to something meaty and serious for Foster. It's been a long time since she's had a role she could really shine in.

To be honest, I don't quite know what to think of the new trailer for The Brave One. Directed by Neil Jordan, the film stars Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, and Naveen Andrews, an actor who has been popping up all over the place lately. The story centers on Foster's character, who after the loss of a loved one, goes on a somewhat "Bronsonesque" revenge spree. If you like to remain unspoiled about these kinds of things you might want to skip the trailer for now; I took the plunge and now I think I know way too much about the movie already. Not to mention an ending that almost manages to unravel any mood that the trailer managed to set.

Luckily most of the cast is already busy with their next projects; Foster has already lined up a Leni Riefenstahl bio-pic, and the slightly less heavy film Nim's Island with Abigail Breslen (Little Miss Sunshine). Howard of course, is working on Iron Man with Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, but The Brave One works as a nice dramatic counterpoint to the hi-profile comic book movie. Jordan is set to direct the adaptation of the fantasy novel Heart Shaped Box as well as the horror flick Killing on Carnival Row. The Brave One is just one part of Warner Bros.' slate of dramas set for this fall, including In The Valley of Elah and Michael Clayton with George Clooney. WB should had taken a cue from Clooney's film on how to make a good suspense trailer -- the operative word being suspense.

[via firstshowing.net]

Is Gerard Butler an A-list star now? It certainly seems so, though I honestly don't feel like I could pick the guy out of a line-up even after sitting through 300. Variety is reporting that Butler has snagged the lead in the Fox Walden fantasy adventure Nim's Island, which we previously told you will feature Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin. The story involves a little girl who lives on a tropical island with her father, but ends up living there alone, fending for herself. The husband-wife directing team of Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett will be helming the project, from their own screenplay. It's set to begin filming in Australia.

It's also been announced that after Nim, Butler will be jumping into the world of Al Capone when he stars alongside Nic Cage in Capone Rising, the Untouchables prequel, which will be distributed by Paramount. It's not exactly clear at this point who Butler will be playing, but since he's British I assume it might be the Sean Connery role. Butler is also going to be leading a high-profile romantic dramedy, P.S. I Love You, opposite Hilary Swank. That one is getting a big Christmas release, and if that's not enough for you, he's also set to star in the thriller Game, which begins shooting in January. There's also been talk that if they actually go forward with a remake of John Carpenter's Escape from New York, Butler is the go-to guy for that. So, it looks like Hollywood has decided that he's our new star. Let's start getting used to him.

I had always really liked Felicity Huffman, one half of Hollywood power couple Filliam H. Muffman, as an actress. And then I saw her screeching, ridiculous work in the screeching, ridiculous movie Georgia Rule. I'm usually pretty forgiving for such cases of bad judgment -- but I just can't let this one slide. I'm going to need a couple great performances from Huffman to scrub miserable scenes like her roadside freakout in Rule from my mind. Hopefully she'll redeem herself in Phoebe in Wonderland, a comedy from first-time director Daniel Barnz (incorrectly listed as Ben in the Variety article announcing the film), who also wrote the screenplay. Huffman will join Patricia Clarkson, Bill "Not Paxton, dammit, it's Pullman!" Pullman, and Elle "Not Dakota, dammit, it's Elle!" Fanning for the movie.

Fanning will play "a rebellious little girl who clashes with the rule-obsessed authority figures in her life. She seeks enlightenment from her unconventional drama teacher," played by Clarkson. The announcement doesn't give further details, but if I had to guess, I'd wager Huffman and Pullman play Fanning's strict parents, and that her teacher helps her use her imagination to expand her horizons? Barnz, who apparently loves movies with the word "land" in the title, also wrote Sugarland, an upcoming lawyer drama about exploited migrant workers with Robert DeNiro and Jodie Foster. Foster will also direct that one. And let me just use this space here at the end of the article to beg you not to see Georgia Rule. Unless you're a fan of child molestation humor, there's better ways to spend your hard-earned cash. For shame, Huffman!

If you expected Mel Gibson to stick firmly behind the camera following his well-known and drunken tirade, guess again. Looks like the statute of limitations has worn off our collective distaste for the actor, and he's planning to celebrate by mounting a sequel to the 1994 flick Maverick. Word is that James Garner is interested in coming back -- but nothing on the participation of Jodie Foster has been offered thus far. (Which is a shame because Jodie, playing it light for a change, was one of the true highlights of Richard Donner's Maverick.)

According to Hollywood.com, Mr. Gibson is overstuffed with nifty new ideas for Maverick 2: "I think audiences will enjoy what we've got in mind. It won't be happening immediately, but I dare say, it'll happen." He then goes on to say that there'll be no more Mad Max or Lethal Weapon sequels because "there's nowhere to move with those characters." Right, but the characters in a sequel to a remake of an old Western series ... tons of latitude there. Kinda funny that he'd deride sequels with one breath while also floating teasers on a different sequel, but hey, Mel's always been a bit eccentric.

(For the record, this (Jewish) writer holds nothing against Mel Gibson for his nasty remarks. The guy said some stupid things, apologized for them, and moved on. Happens to "normal people" every day -- but it's still kinda tough to forget about it completely, you know? Having said that ... Maverick 2? The first one was cute enough, but ... nah.)

For seven years there have been efforts to get a biopic on Leni Riefenstahl up and running. The German director, who died a few years ago at the age of 101, was of course, infamous for her friendship with Hitler and her propaganda films for the Third Reich. She filmed rallies, the 1936 Olympics and even the German victory parade in Warsaw after the fall of the city. While she maintained throughout her years that she was naive about the crimes perpetrated by the Nazis, she's been accused of using concentration camp captives in her films and sent a note to Hitler after the fall of France: "Your deeds exceed the power of human imagination. They are without equal in the history of mankind. How can we ever thank you?" The reality of her knowledge probably fell somewhere in the middle.

Her actions made her shunned by most after the end of the war, and it's no surprise that she refused to sign a contract for Jodie Foster to make the project. The actress would not give Leni the right to axe aspects of the film she didn't agree with, and Riefenstahl actually preferred Sharon Stone over Foster to play herself. (Perhaps she would have had a change of heart after Basic Instinct 2?) With the director/photographer having passed away, the Guardian reports that the project is once again gearing up, with Foster set to star and Rupert Walters currently writing the script. With a director planned to be attached in the next few months, producer Gabriele Bacher hopes to get the film into production by the end of the year with the help of Foster's production company. There will, of course, be controversy over spotlighting Riefenstahl, but it should be intriguing. Considering the technical advancements she made in the film medium, I wonder if they will use her artistic vision and eye for imagery when filming her story.

Neil Jordan (who looks exactly like Terry Gilliam, no?) is set to adapt Joe Hill's novel Heart Shaped Box for the big screen. Jordan will direct as well, with Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman producing. Joe Hill is the son of horror master Stephen King, and it looks like the genes paid off; Hill's book has been very well received. Heart Shaped Box has nothing to do with Kurt Cobain, but it is about an aging rock star who loves spooky artifacts. He spots an ad on eBay for a suit that contains a ghost. The suit arrives, and - dun dun dah! - the ghost wants him dead. The book was released in February and was Hill's first novel, after an acclaimed run writing short stories.

I like Neil Jordan as a filmmaker, but the guy has fared very poorly when it comes to movies about ghosts. I don't know if you ever saw his High Spirits with Peter O'Toole and Steve Guttenberg, but - woof! The guy's got a spotty track record, but when he's on he makes some excellent films. Hopefully this new thriller is more The Crying Game than In Dreams. Jordan's next feature is The Brave One, another thriller, starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard. He's also got A Killing on Carnival Row in his future, which we recently told you about. That one sounds interesting! Did any of you read this Heart Shaped Box? Is it worth checking out?