Near the end of last week, Defamer spread the rumor that Picturehouse, once the indie arm of New Line Cinema and currently dangling from the edge of the hulking entity known as Warner Bros., has its days numbered. Now that New Line is history and Warners, like many studios, has faced increasing cutbacks, it may give short shrift to the shingles responsible for handling artier fare. Along with Picturehouse, this also includes Warner Independent Pictures, whose recent release slate includes David Gordon Green's magnificent Snow Angels.

Defamer suggested that Picturehouse president Bob Berney might wind up at WIP or head up a new, currently anonymous company. On Friday, Variety's Anne Thompson put it in more coherent terms: It appears quite likely that WIP and Picturehouse will merge together as a single company, with current WIP president Polly Cohen working alongside Berney. Whatever happens, let's just hope that the final result still leaves room for the sharp selection of independent and foreign titles that Picturehouse has handled since its birth three years ago. Defamer points out that Marion Cotillard's unexpected Oscar win for La Vie en Rose matters less than the flop of Run, Fatboy, Run, while the John Simpson-directed horror film Amusement might get dumped on DVD. It was just last year, however, that the company helped edgy fare like The Orphanage and Rocket Science get the sort of release most studios would never try. Let's hope that bravery lives on, somewhere.

Back when I first wrote about the planned Valerie Plame biopic, I said that I expected Nicole Kidman to be an immediate frontrunner to play Plame. And -- whaddya know -- today MTV Movies Blog found out the actress has, indeed, landed the part. Not only that, but they found out from the man directing the film -- none other than Doug Liman. Oh yes. It's on! Last March, Warner Bros. snagged the life rights for Plame and her husband Ambassador Joseph Wilson after "someone" outed Plame as a CIA agent following an op-ed piece in the New York Times her husband wrote in which he attacked the Bush administration. Hmmm ...

Liman admitted that Kidman was supposed to star in Mr. and Mrs. Smith as the latter, and that "we owe a movie together. That's an unrequited thing between me and an actor where I fell in love with them for a role and never get to consummate it." On how he plans to tell the highly-publicized story (remember "Scooter" Libby?), Liman said, "I have a really, really insane take on how to tell it. It's so outrageous. Ultimately, I'd be doing something no one has ever done before. Therefore it's automatically appealing to me. I'm just starting to explore whether [what I have in mind] is even possible to do." There's been no official announcement yet; last we heard the studio was jumping through some hoops in order to get this on the big screen, but it certainly appears as if it's moving along just fine. Doug Liman and Nicole Kidman? Next up, my prediction for Wilson is going to Richard Gere. What do you think about that pairing ... for this story?

Score one for Blu-ray! According to a press release, Warner Brothers has struck a deal to release all of their films exclusively on DVD and Blu-ray, beginning in May 2008. The studio will continue to release their films on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray until May, but from then on out they're going strictly with the latter. Which is great for me, seeing as I finally chose to side with Blu-ray this past Christmas when I received a PS3 from Santa. We'll have to see how this breaks down for HD-DVD in the long run, but having Warners exclusively on your side is definitely a great thing. Now, in your opinion, how big of a move is this? And is Blu-ray in a great position to finally win the format war? Check out the official press release below:

(January 4, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.

"Warner Bros.' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want," said Meyer. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers."

More after the jump ...

[via Engadget HD]

Wouldn't you love to go to a theme park that supplied robots to fulfill all of your fantasies or at least watch people go and fulfill their own? Michael Crichton wrote about that very experience in 1973 and now Billy Ray is writing his take on what an android fantasy amusement park would be like in the remake of Westworld for Warner Brothers. In the original film the theme park supplies three worlds in which humans can play in; a Western themepark, harboring the android of Yul Brynner (the dreamiest bald guy I've laid eyes on), a Medieval world and Roman world. Humans paid a hefty $1,000 admission ticket to be satisfied in any way they desired and the robots were programmed to comply. Unexpectedly, the android Brynner begins to rebel against the programming and begins to attack and kill the humans. Eventually, someone puts an end to the android violence (after three attempts, mind you) by sending the gun-slinging Yul Brynner to his death.

Ray, who most recently came out with the February release Breach, with Laura Linney and Chris Cooper, reported to SCI FI Wire that "I love the basic idea of the movie, which is that our amusements can kill us." He didn't give any thoughts as to eventual casting, however. Who would you cast as the gun-slinging android? I vote Bruce Willis circa the current issue of Vanity Fair or Billy Zane ... he was just so spectacular in Titanic.

The thing I like most about this poster is that I don't feel obliged to point out to you, once again, when the film opens. It's right there in big bold print. One thing I find a little odd is that Helena Bonham Carter, who you have to agree is a star, if not a major star, is not getting a prominent place in the press materials I've seen so far for the film. Yes, I know they clearly chose to focus on the kids for this poster, and I don't expect anyone to get bigger billing than the three main kids, obviously, but Bonham Carter is certainly a bigger name and a more recognizable face than whoever that scowling gentleman is on the right side, one down from Emma Watson. Can't the adults squeeze in here somewhere? Oh well. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opens on (see above.)

With all the discussion of digital production and films like the second Star Wars trilogy, Superman Returns or the upcoming Zodiac being shot entirely with digital equipment, another element of the process -- digital distribution and projection in theaters -- seems to get forgotten, or at the very least, relegated to the "sooner or later" category. But now, according to a recent Variety article, some companies, including theater chains AMC, Cinemark and Regal along with major film studios Universal and Warner Bros., are getting into digital distribution and projection in a big way.

The theater chains are forming a new group called the Digital Cinema Implementation Partners and will work with the studios to implement the technology. According to the article, DCIP is planning on deploying digital cinema projectors and servers into all AMC, Cinemark and Regal theaters starting in 2008. Not only that, DCIP technology partners Universal and Warner Bros. will work with DCIP and select a technology and develop a system of digital distribution to transport digital movie files securely to theaters for showing instead of using the current method -- sending a hard drive loaded with files.

They plan on making this technology available to any studio or exhibitor that wants to use it, and according to Warner Bros. exec VP of distribution and technology operations Darcy Antonellis, their motivation isn't to make money. "We're not looking to make money off of other studios," she said. Digital production and distribution is here to stay and its nice to see the major studios finally taking a proactive approach to implementing the technology. Although, I have to wonder how long the "we're not looking to make money" thing is going to last? After all, this is Hollywood.

As its been at least a full day or two since my last bit of movie-related technology news, I feel its time for some more. This time around we cover the recent and somewhat heated rivalry between competing High Def DVD standards (aka the HD DVD vs Blu- Ray debate) and a new technology that may help sway the "war" to one side or the other. As highlighted by a recent New York Times article, those busy tech gurus over at Warner Bros. (who I've written about before) have done it again -- maybe.

What have they done you ask? Well, they've invented, and plan to formally announce next week, a new kind of DVD disk that can be played on either HD DVD or Blu-Ray players. So, that means all those people waiting to see which shoe drops and which format finally dominates may not need to worry about it so much anymore -- that is, if the major studios besides Warner Bros. decide to hop onboard. They might -- I guess anything is possible, right? Although, I have a feeling there might be one major holdout at least ... Sony. I can't see them giving up their real or imagined market superiority with Blu-Ray.

Really, I'm not that worried about what format will eventually win. What I think will actually happen is that consumers will wait for these competing formats to burn themselves out and not pick a clear winner. By that time, we'll probably be able to download whatever programming we want from places like the iTunes store or XBox Live instead of worrying about having the right player to play this format or that one. If the companies that started this "war" don't watch out, they might just end up fighting themselves out of business.

A loud splash disturbs the outdoor pool one night at The Cove, a drab, built-for-economy apartment complex somewhere in low-rent Philadelphia. The apartment's stuttering super, Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) bounds out of his poolside bungalow, flashlight at the ready, thinking he's just caught one of the tenants in an unauthorized, off-hours cannonball. He's actually interrupted Story (Bryce Dallas Howard), a skinny dipper from the stars who has arrived in our world to complete a task so profound that she can't even articulate it. She can't articulate anything, in fact. Her role in the film will be to wander around aimlessly, speaking in a throaty hush and preferring to remain naked save for a man's button-up shirt that drops past her knees. Sometimes she gives off a seductive gaze and bares her long legs, while other times she wilts, as if her batteries are being drained by malevolent outside forces. She's like a cross between Annette Bening and E.T.

We eventually learn that she is a sea nymph from The Blue World, which sounds like a place you'd see on HBO's Real Sex, and she's come to deliver prognostications about the future of America. She can look someone in the eye and tell them exactly what happens in their future, and does so more than once, without even the courtesy of a spoiler warning. Why she crash landed at The Cove is a long story, matched in complexity only by the one about how she plans to return to her home planet. Her situation is so complicated that you wonder why she bothered making the trip; among other things, she must elude a wolfish predator with grass for fur, decipher complex symbology that will identify her Guardian and her Guild, and summon a giant eagle that can be ridden out of town like a flying carpet. Is this film derived from a bedtime story or the liner notes to a Led Zeppelin album?

Get those calendars out Potter fans -- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has been given an official release date of July 13th, 2007. Coincidentally (or not), the seventh and final Potter book is due out just a week earlier on July 7. Man, one can only imagine the amount of chaos that could potentially spawn out of having a book and a film released in the same week. For some reason, the term "Spontaneous Human Combustion" comes to mind. Hmm, I wonder why?

As Harry enters his fifth year at Hogwarts, things are definitely begining to change -- most notably his hormones. That's right, Harry has a crush. Awww. And if he's going to defeat Lord Voldemort, then our young wizard will have to strengthen his skills, while learning how to cope with an overwhelming menace called puberty.  

It will be interesting to see if both Warner Brothers and the book's publishers decide to stand by their dates. One would assume the book will either be delayed or released sooner, though I'd tend to lean towards the former in this case. Releasing them both at the same time would not only cause mass hysteria, but also confusion. Look for a movie in the summer and a final goodbye to Harry Potter in the fall.

 

Most fans have made it rather clear that a return to the Conan franchise would not be welcome without the man who made the role, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Largely, this is because it has been indicated that the coming sequel will focus around King Conan - an aged version of the classic hero - which means that an older Arnold fits the role perfectly (despite his continual efforts to stay in shape, fans would have a harder time arguing for the current Arnold to play a 20-year-old Barbarian). And the chances that the governor will return just got stronger, as a recent note from a Warner Brothers executive suggests that the company is interested in bringing back the star for a reprisal of his role - perhaps more than one reprisal, as a matter of fact. The statement closes with the following: "I can also tell you that if Arnold wants to make two more Conan films, we will gladly make that deal happen."

Sounds good to me. It seems like the big question at this point lies with the governor himself. Presuming he finds himself free of political obligation sometime in the near future, the role will apparently be waiting for him. And lets all be honest - while the idea of Arnold as a governor is fun, wouldn't we all much rather see him making a new Conan movie?

Because we don't have enough "Wow, weddings are so wacky!" movies, Warner Brothers has another one piping hot and ready to go. Their particular angle on wedding madness involves a crazy minister, a prenuptial class, a breakup, and a happily-ever-after: can you handle the anticipation?

Entitled License to Wed, the movie is going to start Mandy Moore and Robin Williams, but thankfully not as the couple. Instead, Williams plays the minister at Moore's character's church, who refuses to perform her wedding ceremony unless she and her husband take and pass a prenup class. Needless to say, they don't pass, it's the boy's fault, and they breakup. Don't worry, though - they get back together (I'm sure there are tears on both sides, and at least one person saying "Oh, darling, I was a fool!") and everything is lovely. While no one has yet been cast as the groom, talks for the role have just begun with The Office's John Krasinski.

Williams will start chewing scenery in May, under the guidance of Office and The Bernie Mac Show director Ken Kwapis.

Wilmer Valderrama who, with the merciful ending of That '70s Show is going movie crazy, has added yet another feature to his already full slate. This time, he's agreed with Warner Brothers to star in Unaccompanied Minors, a comedy set in a fictional airport. In the movie, a group of middle school students from broken homes find themselves stranded at the airport, and take the opportunity to "create a makeshift holiday." Hmm. Does anyone else see a problem here? The report says that Valderrama is going to star, but the thought of having the guy who is going to play Ponch pretend to be in middle school is more than a little laughable. So far, his costars are Brett Kelly (he's 13) and Tyler James Williams the star of Everybody Hates Chris who, quite reasonably, is also 13. Valderrama? 26.

At the moment, we're just going to have to fervently hope that the movie's "star" turns out to be an adult, for some reason. If it's not, all actors under 20 need to write nasty letters to the casting people at Warner's, because I'm sure at least one of them could match Valderrama's acting *cough* chops. Oh God, wait - do you think  Valderrama's character has been held back 13 times, or something? Is that really funny or really dumb? It's so hard to decide.

The New York Cosmos were one of the best, most popular teams in the now-defunct North American Soccer League (NASL). Owned by Warner Brothers, the team could afford to bring in some of the world's greatest soccer players (among them Pele and German great, Franz Beckenbauer), albeit when they were generally past their prime. The story of the team - and the NASL in general - is a fascinating one to soccer dorks like myself, but the fact that a pair of major companies have actually acquired distribution rights to a Cosmos movie is sort of mind-blowing (in a very good way).

The movie, a GreenStreet Films/Passion Pictures production, is called Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos and, thanks to Miramax, it will be hitting American theaters this spring. And, as if that isn't already exciting enough (trust me, it's exciting), ESPN shares the rights with Miramax, and hopes to air the movie on its channels this summer, in concert with coverage of the World Cup.

Man. What with Green Street Hooligans, Goal!, and now this, it's starting to look like Americans might...like soccer. Could it really be?