Stephen Herek Tagged Articles at Cinematical

It's like a light of a new day. It came from out of the blue -- breaking me out of the spell I was in, making all of my wishes come....true? I'm not ashamed to say it -- I am a huge fan of The Greatest American Hero. I would take on a job shining Robert Culp's shoes if given the opportunity, and William Katt is one of the big reasons that I own the movie Jawbreaker (even though he's only in it for a split second). Ralph Hinkley is my hero, and I'd pick him over Spider-Man, Superman, or even Wolverine (okay, maybe not the last one, if we're talking X-Men or X2).

So, am I happy or sad about the fact that Moviehole is reporting that the cinematic adaptation is a go? I'm not sure... They say that the film is now on-track to begin production this July, and that a casting call is being sent out to agents -- and they want "names." (I'm not sure if there is a name out there who can believably take either role...) Stephen Herek is set to direct, and while I'm not a fan of his recent work, he is the dude behind Critters, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, and The Mighty Ducks. As for the writers, the project reteams Bill & Ted scribe Chris Matheson with Herek, and adds Ryan Rowe (Charlie's Angels) to the mix.

Now, the big, ginormous issue I do have -- Pam Davidson is nowhere to be found. Moviehole says that the casting description says Hinkley is: "a high school history teacher in Tempe, Arizona, a bachelor who hasn't yet found the right girl." What the eff? I sure hope this is wrong, or that he finds Pam during the movie... Herek, Matheson, and Rowe -- If you mess this up, I will dress Katt up in the suit, and catapult him in your general direction!

So there's this young actress named Ashley Tisdale. You might recognize her from a number of television stints, blips in films like Donnie Darko, or from her time as Maddie Fitzpatrick in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody -- or better yet, her co-starring turn with Zac Efron and Vanessa Anne Hudgens in High School Musical and its sequel. Tisdale doesn't have a big starring track record, but she's had solid parts in ensemble pieces, so I'm surprised to share that The Hollywood Reporter has posted that her latest film -- a teen flick called Picture This -- is heading straight for DVD.

Tisdale will star as Mandy, a high school girl who is noticed by the most popular boy in school. He's throwing a party and invites her, but -- oh no! -- she's grounded. Oh, the turmoil of adolescence! Sure, it sounds like an incredibly simple movie, but it doesn't sound too much different than other teen fare to me. I'm not sure why it's not getting some bigger treatment, and why she would choose to act in a direct-to-DVD flick as her Musical follow-up.

The movie, which begins shooting in Montreal next week, will be directed by Stephen Herek, the man behind flicks like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. And, according to IMDb, he's also currently filming another DVD flick -- a Dead Like Me sequel. (Ugh, no!) The script for Picture This is coming from Temple Matthews, whose last script was the amazing, box office smash, Aloha, Scooby-Doo. Maybe Tisdale will rock the socks off MGM and get a big-screen starring role after this, but either way, she's got a sweet High School Musical career to keep her busy.