I suppose the more cynical among you could file this one away in the "unsubstantiated rumor" category. But what the heck, this a film blog, not the New York Times. So, in the interest of giving you, the important Cinematical reader, information about upcoming films as soon as we possibly can, here we go: according to a source, Neil Gaiman is apparently now set to make his feature film directorial debut later this year when he takes the reigns of a film adapted from his graphic novel Death: The High Cost of Living.

Film Ick says that Gaiman will be adapting his graphic novel for the screen and directing with production to start sometime in late Autumn in the U.K. -- even though, as the article states, the graphic novel takes place mainly in the U.S. At the site there's also several other bits and pieces of information, including that Gaiman will be including new story items in the film -- particularly an arc about roving Buddhist Monks -- that were not in the original graphic novel, some rumors about the potential casting of soon-to-be-everywhere Shia LaBeouf as male lead Sexton Funival and, of course, the big question of who will play the title character: Death herself.

As a huge fan of Neil Gaiman and everything he does, this graphic novel and its variations are of particular interest to me. Over the years, I've often thought about who I would like to see in a movie adaptation if one was ever made. Although I wasn't hugely impressed by what LaBeouf did with Chas Kramer in Constantine (much like a commenter at the Film Ick site) I do think he fits the part of Funival pretty well. As for Death, I would like to see Natalie Portman take on the role. What do you guys think?

OK, I'm not above using a sensationalistic headline to grab people's attention. It's not so much that actor Daniel Radcliffe wants to kill off the character he's played in four (soon to be five) films based on the books of J.K. Rowling, but he seems to think that's the logical place for the story to end. According to Sci Fi Wire, Radcliffe spoke to a group of journalists on November 6 via conference call from London, and had this to say when asked if he thought he would one day be playing a death scene for Harry. "That's a very good question," he said. "I like to think that I will. I think, personally, that's the only way [Rowling] could ever halt any call for her to keep writing [Harry Potter books], because, I mean, if Harry survives, she'll just be getting plagued by requests to write an eighth book for the rest of her life." Rowling has, in fact, stated that two characters will die in the final novel, and who's to say one of them won't be Harry himself?

Radcliffe went on to say that he sees a parallel between how Harry might die, and the death of another famous literary character. "I think it will be something to do with the fact that, maybe the only way Voldemort can be killed is if Harry is killed as well. "My friend sort of compared it to both [Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty] dying at the same time. But, obviously, he hasn't read the sequel [in which Holmes was revived]. So, yes, but that's the thing that I would sort of like to see coming." This seems to play into something Radcliffe said in an interview back in August, where he supposed that the mystical and personal connection between Harry and Voldemort might require both of them to die.

This certainly isn't the first (or even the second) time Radcliffe has suggested that Harry might be taking the old dirt nap by the end of the series. It was almost precisely a year ago that he voiced a similar opinion (as reported here on Cinematical). Maybe the Halloween season stirs up morbid thoughts for the young actor, though I suspect it has more to do with him not wanting to be stereotyped as Harry Potter for the rest of his career, and who can blame him. Radcliffe's decision to appear in a London stage production of Equus (again, you read it here on Cinematical) in a role that will require him to be nude on stage, reminded me of Christopher Reeve's decision to star in Monsignor. In that film, the star of the Superman series played a priest who, among other things, carried on an affair with a nun. It seemed like a calculated maneuver to distance himself somewhat from the role that had made him famous, and to prove that he was capable of other things as an actor.

As far as Rowling being "plagued" with demands from irate fans for the series to continue beyond the proposed seven novels, that's going to happen whether Harry survives or not. In the Harry Potter universe, death is only permanent when it is dramatically convenient. There's no reason to believe Harry couldn't die in one book, but get better in time for the next.

If somebody were to say to me "Mark, I'd like you to choose a writer-director and team him up with a movie producer to create the craziest, most whacked-out, amazing geek film possible," it'd be quite likely I'd respond "give me Neil Gaiman and Guillermo del Toro, please." In fact, I really can't imagine a more utterly insane yet amazingly talented union. Is it possible for this geek joy-dream to come true? Apparently, it is, as del Toro has agreed to produce (or at least executive produce) Neil Gaiman's Death: The High Cost of Living should the project ever find a real green-light. Gaiman himself would direct the project, because he doesn't want anyone save himself screwing up his classic work. Warner Brothers has the rights to the comic (as it was produced under a DC label and they've got a deal with DC comics), and as of right now nobody is sure which WB division would handle the project. Let's hope they can come to some sort of agreement, because I don't think the world can go much longer without a Neil Gaiman/Guillermo del Toro team-up. I know I can't, anyway.

We lost a great actor today, folks. At the age of 57, Bruno Kirby has passed away due to complications related to leukemia, after recently being diagnosed with the disease. Most of you probably remember Kirby as Billy Crystal's best pal in, personally, one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time, When Harry Met Sally. Or as Robin Williams' strict, yet hilarious nemesis in Good Morning, Vietnam.

Then you have one of his more classic roles as the wise-cracking New Yawker in City Slickers. As the news of his death hit me, the first image that popped into my head was that of a scene from Slickers when Kirby, Billy Crystal and Daniel Stern are out on the open range complaining about that annoying blinking VCR clock. Fed up with the conversation, Kirby goes, "Shut up! Just shut up! He doesn't get it! He'll never get it! It's been 4 hours! The cows can tape something by now! Forget about it please!"

I will never forget about that performance, and we will never forget about Bruno Kirby. Farewell my good man. Farewell.

Those of you who are die hard Harry Potter fans may want to close your eyes for this story, as it has to do with the death of your beloved hero. As J.K. Rowling finishes up the final book in her blockbuster series, all focus appears to be centered around one very important question: Will Harry Potter die?

Rowling has admitted that two characters will die in the seventh book, though one does get a reprieve. Hmm, is Harry one of those two characters? While folks like Stephen King and John Irving are against the death of the world's most famous boy wizard, Harry Potter himself is all for a kick-ass climactic death scene. That's right, Daniel Radcliffe wants Harry gone ... for good. According to the actor, "It may be the only way the evil Voldemort could be killed is if Harry dies, because there is a strong connection between them." Seems plausible. Then again, there was a strong connection between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader ...

[via Movie Blog]

According to the coroner's report, Chris Penn died from a combination of an enlarged heart and a deadly mix of multiple medications. Though they're calling it an accident, even with the release of this report, there are still a ton of questions unanswered. Did Penn intentionally overdose on his medication or was he just being careless with his health, not realizing it would lead to his demise?

The coroner's office lists the primary cause of death as "nonspecific cardiomyopathy" which, in non-doctor terms, means he had an enlarged heart which was under the influence of a ton of medications  including promethazine with codeine. Yet, with a heart weighing a few hundred grams more than average, Penn's assortment of meds did not include any sort of remedy for that problem. Promethazine prevents vomiting, while codeine kills pain - so why the hell was he taking that if the real issue was his heart? Perhaps we'll be provided with a clearer explanation when the full coroner's report is released in a few weeks.

Patrick Cranshaw, the man who played the lovable codger Blue in Old School, died yesterday at his home in Texas. Before vaulting to totally unexpected fame in his role as the oldest fraternity dude ever, Cranshaw had sustained a film and television career for nearly 50 years, playing mostly minor roles in films ranging from Bonnie and Clyde to Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and on TV shows like Boy Meets World and Mork & Mindy.

According to his manager, Cranshaw loved the recognition that Old School brought him, getting real pleasure of out the affection shown him by complete strangers. He was 86.