June is here, and summer has more or less begun, even if we have to wait until June 21 for the official start date. I'm here in the Bay Area, under a blanket of fog, wearing a sweater (if you saw last year's wonderful Colma: The Musical, you'll get a visual) while everywhere else people are sunbathing and drinking frosty frappuccinos. No matter. I've spent many summers like this and I have my share of fond summer memories even if they happened in the freezing cold rather than the relaxing heat. I was just remembering back to my first summer here. I had a pretty laid-back, part-time job that allowed me to go to as many movies as I wanted. So this week I thought I would do a flashback to the summer of 1991. (Imagine a pre-Tarantino world!) Things started well with the 50th anniversary re-release of Citizen Kane, and although I'd seen it many times before (and since) I got to see it on the big screen for the first time.

Next up came the documentary Truth or Dare. I wasn't a particularly big Madonna fan, but there was one scene that made the movie an event. Warren Beatty (then dating Madonna) turns up in her dressing room and is nonplussed about the intruding cameras: "She doesn't want to live off-camera, much less talk. There's nothing to say off-camera. Why would you say something if it's off-camera? What point is there existing?" Little did we know that those words would come to define our country and culture in the 21st century.

My first thought should be to congratulate Halle Berry on her pregnancy, which she finally, officially announced on Access Hollywood Tuesday. But instead, I'm thinking primarily about John Singleton, who stands to lose by the news. The Boyz n the Hood director is having some bad luck of late -- in case you didn't hear, he accidentally killed a woman recently -- and Berry's bun in the oven has unfortunately affected Singleton's latest project. He was set to direct Tulia, a Southern courtroom drama with Berry and Billy Bob Thornton, but now, thanks to the actress' unavailability for the next six months or so, the film has been postponed -- if not canceled. According to TMZ, Lionsgate has definitely halted production, which was scheduled to begin shooting in October, with no word on when it would resume. The gossip news site did learn, though, that the project hasn't been shelved entirely.

I had been excited for Singleton when he took over Tulia from Carl Franklin. Here, I was thinking he could work with the reunited Berry and Thornton, who paired up on Monster's Ball, and direct the actress to another Oscar nomination (she won for Ball). And then his career would pick up again, proving that his status as youngest director to ever be nominated for the directing Oscar was not a fluke. Maybe it wouldn't get him another nomination, but it would hopefully get him enough respect to finally get him his Luke Cage greenlight. Now, even if Singleton does remain attached to Tulia, it won't be bringing him to any Academy Awards until at least 2010. Currently, Singleton is also having trouble as a producer. He worked with filmmaker Franc. Reyes on the new release Illegal Tender, which has only made $2.5 million in its first two weeks -- most of it earned opening weekend before a near-60% drop. Considering Reyes' previous film, Empire, grossed seven times that amount, Singleton could be blamed.

[via WENN]

Even though The Fast and the Furious films are not exactly classics of American cinema, apparently there's still some money to be made from the series -- so we probably should have seen this coming. Edmunds, a car enthusiast web site, is reporting that pre-production has begun on what could be the fourth film in the Furious franchise. Sources that have worked on the first three films told Edmunds that the fourth installment is "in development at Universal." So far there has yet to be any mention of a writer or director for the project, (previous directors in the series include Justin Lin and John Singleton) but it's not like it really matters. These films have never been about plot development and character study; all you really need is a crack team of stunt drivers.

Another film seemed inevitable after the not-so-subtle cameo by Vin Diesel at the end of Tokyo Drift (the third film in the series). According to Edmunds sources, the script will be reuniting characters from the first three films, including Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson. But it's not about the actors, it's all about the cars. Edmunds reports that there could be a reappearance of the 1970 Dodge Charger from the first film, as well as mention of a 1987 Buick GNX being included in the fun. Since my car knowledge is limited to what I've picked up from video games, I'll take their word for it that watching a Buick in action is something to look forward to. According to Edmunds, Universal is planning on a Summer 2008 release, but there has been no official word from the studio on the project. So stay tuned for any updates that come our way.

Filmmaker John Singleton was involved in a tragic car accident on Thursday that left one woman dead, says The L.A. Times. Police were quick to note that Mr. Singleton was completely sober at the time of the accident and also he was obeying the legal speed limit. L.A. Police spokesman Jason Lee explained that Mr. Singleton struck a 57-year-old woman named Constance Russell and also that the woman died from her injuries the following morning.

Apparently no files will be charged against Singleton -- the report claims that Ms. Russell was not navigating the road at a designated crosswalk -- but obviously this is tragic news all around. John Singleton is best known for breaking in with Boyz n the Hood. His other films include Higher Learning, Rosewood, Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Four Brothers. His next project looks to be a crime drama called Tulia, plus he's also been mentioned as the helmer on the long-discussed Luke Cage adaptation.

The Cinematical staff would like to extend its deepest sympathies to the family of Ms. Russell.

There has already been plenty of talk surrounding the casting of John Singleton's big- screen version of Luke Cage. But so far, there hasn't been much attention paid to Singleton's other superhero project, The Black Panther. But now, ReelzChannel has interviewed Singleton and the topic of Panther came up. In talking about actors who could tackle the role, Singelton told ReelzChannel "Chiwetel Ejiofor could do it". Eljiofor is a British actor of Nigerian descent, who has been landing some relatively high-profile roles recently. With American Gangster and David Mamet's Redbelt on the way, Ejiofor has already signed to star in the historical epic based on the life of Toussaint Louverture.

Panther was published by Marvel comics and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The hero first appeared in an issue of Fantastic Four back in 1966. The story centered on T'Challa, a superhero with a birthright to guard his homeland. As well as being a member of the super group The Avengers, he is the leader of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Battling your usual assortment of comic book villains, the story also slipped in some occasional political commentary -- even pitting the Panther against the Klu Klux Klan. The social undertones of the comic seem like a perfect fit for the politically outspoken director.

But, Panther could still be a long way off. Christopher had already given us the news that Singleton was going to direct the Halle Berry drama Tulia first, and then he is on to his other comic book adaptation Luke Cage. But Singleton has not entirely forgotten about Panther, since he at least seems to be thinking about casting. According to Reelz, gossips had already put forward Djimon Hounso as the lead contender for the role, and long before Wesley Snipes became Blade, he had also been interested in playing the hero. But since Singleton doesn't appear to have made up his mind yet, fans should probably speak up now -- don't you think?

Now that Carl Franklin has chosen The Maintenance Man as his next project, he is no longer attached to Tulia, the project reuniting Oscar-winner Halle Berry with her Monster's Ball co-star Billy Bob Thornton. Too bad, since it also would have reunited Franklin with his One False Move screenwriter/actor -- again, Thornton. Filling in for Franklin, according to Blackfilm.com, is John Singleton. While this isn't officially confirmed yet, it does make sense for the Boyz n the Hood director to take over a ready-made production while he waits and waits for that Luke Cage greenlight. If it is true, I wonder if Singleton will do another re-write of the screenplay, which was originally adapted by Karen Croner (Franklin's One True Thing) and then supposedly rewritten by Franklin.

As we told you back in March, Tulia is based on Nate Blakeslee's book Tulia: Race, Cocaine and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, which tells the true story of 46 racially profiled men arrested in a drug-less drug bust in Texas in 1999. Berry will play the lead attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense, a character Blackfilm.com notes is Indian, not African-American (it's true). Thornton also joined the project back in March, but we still don't know his role (Erik imagines he'll be the racist cop who aids in the conviction of the 46 men) and Blackfilm claims that Columbus Short (Stomp the Yard) may be added to the cast. The film was set to begin shooting back in April, but Thornton supposedly had a scheduling conflict. Hopefully Singleton, who is no stranger lately to race-based legal battles, won't need too much time to become acquainted with the project and it can start lensing soon.

One of the most ridiculous lawsuits I've ever seen come out of Hollywood is Frank Davis' claim that he was fired from the crew of 2 Fast 2 Furious because he's black. The assistant director, who had previously worked on Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Se7en and Next Friday, was officially canned by Universal because of "poor job performance," but Davis insisted that racial discrimination was the main reason he was let go. After five years of apparent unemployment, Davis' case, which was filed on his behalf by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, finally went to trial this month. On Thursday, a federal judge sided with the studio. Davis had already reached a confidential settlement with Universal, though, and it was likely only the EEOC that lost out. According to Nikki Finke, the main problem with both the EEOC's and Davis' claim was that 2 Fast 2 Furious director John Singleton sided with Universal on the issue.

Obviously. This is a movie that employed a black director, black stars (Tyrese Gibson; Ludacris), and I'd bet plenty of other black crew members. What next? Someone claims he was fired from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift for being Asian? I have to say one thing on Davis' behalf, though. Couldn't there have been some way for the assistant director to shape up and keep his job? He had filled the same position on many major productions for ten years and had even worked with Singleton on Baby Boy. Was his job performance really so terrible as to ruin his career? Personally, having seen 2 Fast 2 Furious, I think a lot more people should have been fired for poor job performance, especially Singleton, who was definitely not up to snuff on this one. And I haven't yet seen Paul Walker exhibit good job performance as an actor. Maybe Universal knows what I'm talking about and that's the reason they had to settle with Davis but not the EEOC.

The last time we heard about Luke Cage, back in February, director John Singleton (Boys n the Hood) said the comic adaptation is developing slowly because of the main character's skin color. Sure, such a statement makes little sense after the popularity of the Blade franchise, but then again, for every Blade movie, there's a Spawn or Steel or Meteor Man to make studios wary about black superheroes. Apparently, though, it may be even worse for a black superhero movie that also deals with black issues. Black Panther, which for years was said to be in the works with Wesley Snipes (before he became Blade), is another project that couldn't seem to get the greenlight, possibly because its main character deals with problems in Africa.

The person most rumored to play Luke Cage in Singleton's pic is Tyrese Gibson, and in a new interview to promote Transformers, the actor has confirmed that he's set to fill the character's shoes. He also says the movie is continuing development, with the script (by Ben Ramsey) currently in a rewrite stage. Gibson will be meeting with Singleton and others soon, though, to present the project to Sony and see if they can move forward. Personally I was hoping the project would add Cage's old partner Iron Fist in order to widen the appeal, but otherwise I'm excited about the progress, and I hope Sony is into what they have. Between his Shaft remake and 2 Fast 2 Furious, Singleton is losing a lot of credit as a good filmmaker, but if he can at least make a hit with Luke Cage, if not a great film, then he might be able to save himself from becoming a hero director for hire in the future.

Director John Singleton has given an interview to comicbookmovie.com, in which he expressed his frustrations at the long-gestating Luke Cage project. Wikipedia has a nice summation of the development history of the film since June 2003, if you're interested. When asked directly by the interviewer why Sony isn't jumping on this project and turning it out quickly, Singleton seems to lead with his gut reaction before pulling back a bit: "Well, because it's a black superhero and so studios still, some studios, don't understand that yeah, it is a black superhero but so what? He's a superhero. That hasn't been done yet."

He also adds the following: "We have a great script. We have a couple of great scripts. It's just a matter, like I said, some people have not got it yet. I'm not saying every studio on the board, some people haven't got it that multi-ethnic sells." Singleton also gives a rundown of what must be the most current synopsis of the project: "It's basically a guy that gets out of jail, basically breaks his way out of jail and he's basically a superman. He has to learn to be a hero for the sake of being a hero, not because somebody pays him to be a hero. What would an ex-con do if he had powers? He'd go back to the neighborhood and be like 'Okay, yeah, I'll help you but you've got to pay me.....he's going to be kind of a thug but then he's got to realize that you do things for the right thing, not just for profit."

The actor most often linked to the role of Cage is Tyrese Gibson, although the Wikipedia summary says that as recently as August 2006, he had not yet made any commitment to the role. Interest may rise if his performance in this summer's Transformers is notable. Terrence Howard is also rumored to be in negotiations to play the main villain in the film, a Cage foe named DiamondBack.

Note: This review was contributed by Deidre Woollard, editor of Weblogs, Inc. sister site, Luxist.

This is the second movie I have seen this summer that has a 1970s theme (the first was The Devil's Rejects). The screenwriters said that they imagined Four Brothers as an urban Western. It definitely has the feel of Clint Eastwood spaghetti Westerns; it's also reminiscent of the John Wayne movie, The Sons of Katie Elder, with just a touch of Shaft courtesy of a Motown-inspired soundtrack.

When Detroit do-gooder Evelyn Mercer is gunned down in a convenience store robbery, her four adopted sons come home to bury their mother and bang some heads. The four brothers are a multiracial group including Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), Angel (Tyrese Gibson), Jack (Garrett Hedlund), and Jeremiah (Andre Benjamin). We learn about the four boys as a local policeman (Terence Howard) narrates their backstories. The four are the most degenerate boys that Evelyn Mercer ever worked with, and because she couldn't place them in foster homes, she adopted them. The movie opens with a lot of very heartfelt grief and teasing/bonding between the boys. Then it's time for the ass-kicking to begin.