ToddGraff Tagged Articles at Cinematical

OK, so the music snob in me is not thrilled that someone like David Bowie would appear in a teen romance with a High School Musical star. But, luckily I don't take these things all that seriously and I'm sure I'll get over it. Variety reports that the music legend is currently in talks to star in the musical Will. Todd Graff (Camp) co-wrote the script with Josh Cagan and Graff will also direct.

The coming-of-age story centers on an outcast teen who befriends a like-minded girl who regrettably also runs with the popular crowd. Vanessa Hudgens plays the popular girl Sam, who after struggling with a stutter, has finally made it to the cool table. Liam Aiken will play her socially inept band mate. Remember this is a musical, so the story doesn't stop with the usual 'opposites attract' teen romance. The two then go on to "form an unlikely bond through their shared love of music. They assemble a like-minded crew of misfits and form a rock group to perform in a battle of the bands competition at their school."

The cast also includes Lisa Kudrow (who really does deserve to work more; the woman is hilarious), and Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights). Bowie is still in negotiations, so there is no word on which character he would be playing in the film. Part of me hopes it will just be a cameo, à la Zoolander. Will is set to start shooting in Austin, Texas in February and should hit theaters (with or without Mr. Ziggy Stardust) later this year.

Before the weekend hits, here are some just-made deals:

• The duo who brought us the likes of Chicken Little, Steve Bencich and Ron Friedman, have just sold their latest pitch, The Devil You Know, to 20th Century Fox. The film will be an adaptation of Nathan Hale's children's book, and while they're known for their animated films, this will be live-action. The books are about the Fell family, who share their house with a literal "little devil." The get fed up with his trouble-making, and call on Ms. Phisto (a spoof on Mary Poppins and Mephistopheles) to get rid of him and take his place. However, she proves to be more trouble -- she brings in boxes full of demons and calls a lake of fire and brimstone in the kitchen. How the pair are handling the adaptation is being kept under wraps, but hopefully it will maintain the charm and quirkiness of the original.
• The writer/director who brought us Camp in 2003, Todd Graff, is gearing up for another teen movie fueled by music. He is currently re-writing Josh Kagan's coming-of age dramedy -- Will. It is about an outcast in high school who befriends a popular girl because of their love for music. They bring together "a like-minded crew of misfits," form a rock group and plan to compete in their school's battle of the bands. Basically, it's just like Camp, but not at camp. Stay tuned for his upcoming films about misfits joining to form an air band for the local talent show, students doing a music internship over Spring break and wacky hi-jinx from a high school chorus class.
• In October, Mark Beall reported that Mark Waters, The House of Yes and Mean Girls, was going to be directing Walden's Media's upcoming film on Harry Houdini. Slowly but surely, the project is coming together and they've finally got a screenwriter. Variety has reported that Brett Merryman will be grabbing the pen to write the story about a 14-year-old boy who finds out that he is a Houdini descendant -- and decides to go on a quest to unlock the secrets of his famous ancestor. I'm waiting to see if the film gets the word "house" in it. Three out of the four films the screenwriter has been involved with have has it in the title.