Dang it's pretty wild how just one little movie has turned Diablo Cody into the most discussed screenwriter since Joe Eszterhas. (I was going to say "...since David Mamet," but he's a playwright first.) The gal has a tons of projects in the percolation stage -- from the Showtime series The United States of Tara to the Fox-heavy thriller known as Jennifer's Body -- and now she's been hired by Steven Spielberg (once again) to turn one of his ideas into a movie. (It's only a matter of time before Spielberg forces Diablo Cody to marry Shia LaBeouf, isn't it?)

According to Variety, the untitled project is a comedy. Oh, also the "studio is keeping story details under such tight wraps that even dealmakers involved with the project were in the dark." That's it. An idea by Spielberg that Cody will adapt. No producers, actors, directors have been announced. And yet ... somehow I know that DreamWorks already has a hit on its hands.

In related news, I think Cody is really cute.

Just about every studio is still trying to find its Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter franchise, and here is DreamWorks' latest attempt. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they bought the rights to P.B. Kerr's Children of the Lamp series a while back. Lee Hall wrote a draft before the WGA strike, but the duty of adaptation has now been handed to Dave Guion and Michael Handelman. No time-frame or director has been set for the project.

Children of the Lamp is a series of four books that deals with a family of dijinn (known casually to Western culture as genies) who disguise themselves as humans, but can still grant wishes to humans. It centers around two young dijinn twins, John and Philippa Gaunt (nice nod to the Plantegenets there), and their challenges adapting to the world of magic and wish-granting. While honing their skills, they must often confront the powers of evil in order to keep the balance between good and evil. Their adventures take them from their childhood home in Manhattan to the snowy reaches of Nepal.

Yes, it sounds more than a little like Harry Potter, albeit with more globe-trekking. Hopefully, that's just a misconception born of Wikipedia and not a reflection of the actual books. Has anyone out there in Cinematical comment land actually read them, and can fill us in?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Robert Downey Jr. is in talks to star in Cowboys and Aliens, DreamWorks' adaptation of Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley's graphic novel. (Read Matt's original story on it.)

Downey Jr. would play Zeke Jackson, a former Union Army gunslinger, who is engaged in a battle against the Apache. But the battle between settlers and Native Americans is interrupted when an alien spaceship crashes into the Silver City prairie. Turns out, they have their eye on conquering Earth, forcing the warring westerners to form an uneasy alliance.

The project has been in and out of development for years, but apparently the latest draft is catching some A-list interest. As it was written by Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus, who were behind Iron Man and Children of Men, I am immediately expecting good things out of something that, if handled poorly, could be as bad as Wild Wild West. Good writers and a good actor like Downey Jr. could make this movie incredibly fun. This is how movies like the first Pirates of the Caribbean come about.

I have to say, between this and Downey Jr.'s rumored interest in a comic-based Sherlock Holmes, I wonder if he is going to plunge into Hugh Jackman levels of geekdom. They will have to start fighting each other to get to the best comic book scripts. And that should be a movie all its own.

Ben Stiller is set to produce and possibly star in DreamWorks' The Return of King Doug, a fantasy film based on the graphic novel by Greg Erb and Jason Oremland.

The graphic novel, which is being published by Oni Press, hasn't even hit the shelves yet before being snapped up by DreamWorks. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Erb and Oremland, screenwriting veterans fresh off two Disney projects, will also pen the script.

Doug is the story of a man who returns to the fantasy world he left 30 years ago. It sounds like it could be a more mature Narnia, or a rehash of Hook. Unfortunately, as the book is not due to be published until 2009, Oni's website has absolutely nothing on it. It's difficult to say what this might be like. Will it be a serious fantasy adventure? Call me unimaginative, but I cannot see Stiller as an Aragorn, proudly reclaiming his throne -- because you know he'll have to after 30 years away.

I have a big "Park City genre report" on the way, but here's some good news that has forced me to jump the gun just a little bit. One of the coolest surprises I saw last week was a Slamdance entry called Paranormal Activity. Now, being that I'm a ravenous horror nerd, I'd already heard (and read) a little bit about the flick -- and I was aware that there was strongly positive buzz from the hardcore horror hounds -- but I wasn't really prepared for how quietly, confidently creepy the flick would be.

I won't spoil anything, but I will say that Paranormal Activity is a great little horror flick, and it sure looks like the people at DreamWorks agree with the horror press. According to Variety, DW has acquired all domestic and remake rights to Paranormal Activity, which basically means we'll see a solid DVD release for the original, and a glossier remake that's not bad, but not as good as the original. The horror fans get two movies, everyone involved gets paid, and it's a nice story all around. Score one for the little guy who made a good movie. (Feel free to check out Kim's review here, and my full review right here.)

Congrats, Oren!

Here's the biggest problem most folks will have with Bee Movie: It's not Ratatouille. Both films have a lot in common with one another, except the latter is far greater in terms of story, character and overall charm. And if Ratatouille hadn't arrived only a few short months ago, I might have felt differently about Bee Movie. Instead, I walked away feeling a bit jaded, expecting more from a man who had entertained me for so many years on one of my favorite television shows of all time. But that's not to say Bee Movie is a bad film; it will most certainly entertain the youngsters with its colorful, larger-than-life spirit, and there are enough adult-orientated gems scattered throughout to make it worthy of your family's hard-earned cash. But when your kids turn to you and whisper, "I liked the one with the rat better," don't say I never told you so.

If you're not aware of this film by now, then I'd seriously take a look around because you might, quite literally, be living in a bubble. The film is co-written by, produced by and stars the voice of Jerry Seinfeld, and the man has been buzzing "Pssst ... Bee Movie -- pass it on ...) in our ears for months. When he wasn't dressed up in a giant bee costume, hanging from a construction crane in France, he was promoting the film through commercials, television shows. From what I hear, several people claim the man actually entered their dreams at one point to promote Bee Movie. It's been nearly a decade since Seinfeld (the television show) ended, and it might take another 10 years for the man to do something else. Problem is, after Bee Movie, I'm not sure we'd mind.

I have to say, there was a time when I would really look forward to a new Farrelly Brothers flick. But not long after There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber and Outside Providence (a personal favorite, which was written by the boys, who did not direct it), they began to lose it. The downward spiral began with Me, Myself and Irene, continued with Shallow Hal and bottomed out with Stuck on You. And it's real sad that I've come to the point where I've actually skipped their last two films, Fever Pitch (directed, but not written by) and The Heartbreak Kid. But some felt The Heartbreak Kid would be their rebound film; reuniting with Ben Stiller for the first time since Mary, the brothers were sure to find their magic again. Unfortunately, they did not. The film, which was predicted to open at number one this weekend with at least $20 million, came in at number two (with only $14 million) behind The Game Plan (a film in its second week; it grabbed $16.3 million).

The film marks the first "bomb" for DreamWorks this year, and who are they blaming for the lackluster opening? Yup, the critics. But if the critics -- and their harsh reviews (including one from our own James Rocchi) -- are to blame, then how do you explain the box office success that was Norbit? That film is currently sitting at a dreadful 9% at Rotten Tomatoes, while The Heartbreak Kid is at 30%. So did moviegoers all of a sudden decide to listen to the critics? Or is DreamWorks just looking to blame someone other than themselves and the Farrelly Brothers? Personally, with the success that Judd Apatow has had in these last two years, I really feel people expect more out of their comedy. That, coupled with poor placement and crappy-looking trailers, kept people away from Stiller and Co. this past weekend. But that's just my opinion ...

... so here's where I ask you: Why didn't you go see The Heartbreak Kid this weekend?

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Jamie Foxx is returning to the genre that brought him loads of acclaim and an Academy Award -- he has signed on for another musical biopic. Foxx will be portraying Nathaniel Anthony Ayers in The Soloist, the true story of "a homeless musician with schizophrenia who dreams of playing at Walt Disney Concert Hall." Wow. A 1) Homeless 2) Musician with 3) Mental Problems and 4) A Dream? Foxx is pretty much demanding the award here, isn't he? Can't we just give him the Oscar before production begins? They're probably polishing it up for him right now.

So how does this movie differ from all the other schmaltzy musical biopics? Producer Gary Foster tells the Los Angeles Times: "Midnight Cowboy is a perfect example of what we want this movie to feel like. It won't be slick and glossy. It's going to be emotional and real." He says that now, but I'll bet you $100 the movie ends with a teary-eyed audience jumping to its feet and bursting into applause. Joe Wright (director of the surprisingly non-boring Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice as well as the upcoming Knightley film Atonement) will direct the film. Susannah Grant (writer of a very solid run of chick flicks that includes 28 Days and Erin Brockovich) wrote the script, which is based on a 12-part series of articles by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez. The film will focus on the relationship between Ayers and Lopez. Lopez has yet to be cast, and his photo doesn't have any casting choices leaping out at me. Any ideas?

The pre-pre-production on Paramount's cinematic rendition of G.I. Joe has been a small powder-keg of controversy among the hardcore fans -- and they haven't even locked down a script yet! First there was a Latino Review report claiming that Skip Woods' screenplay was a certifiable slap in the face to the established fans, but then we got word that (at least) one more screenplay had been commissioned. And now with Transformers transforming '80s nostalgia into huge lumps of cash, Paramount looks to be interested in getting G.I. Joe rolling much sooner than later.

According to IESB and IGN Movies, it looks like Paramount / DreamWorks may have found their director in Stephen Sommers -- whom you'll no doubt remember from The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and (ugh) Van Helsing. (Confession time: I have a huge soft spot for Sommers' Deep Rising. Dang that's a dumb-fun flick.) Apparently the studio wants to rush this project into production (yep, that horrible impending strike strikes again) and they'll be combining Skip Woods' script with one penned by the team of David Elliot and Paul Lovett. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about the whole "rush into production" angle, but then again I wasn't raised on G.I. Joe cartoons so my interest in the project could be accurately described as "curious, but not much more."

Once the project actually kicks into production (or announces a few cast members) we'll be back to share the news. For previous reports on the live-action G.I. Joe project, check here, here and here.

I guess things are starting to gear up in earnest now In San Diego so that means we're going to be seeing more and more casting, deals and other news over the next four days. Hold on as I think its going to get a little bit crazy. After all, its is Comic-Con. Some recent news to hit Variety concerns Dreamworks' acquisition of two properties from Portland-based comic book and graphic novel publisher Oni Press.

According to the article, Dreamworks grabbed the rights to the Oni titles The Dammed and Courtney Crumrin for Producers Walter Parkes, Laurie McDonald and Eric Gitter at Closed on Mondays productions. No word yet on who will adapt the graphic novels for the screen or sit in the director's chair for the films. In case you're not familiar with the two series The Dammed, written by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt, concerns two rival gangs who must join forces to defeat a new and more terrifying evil that's invaded their town: a roving pack of demons.

Courtney Crumrin, a series written and illustrated by Ted Naifeh, consisting of 12 comic books compiled into three graphic novels revolves around a charming misfit who finds solace in her uncle's magical library after her social climbing parents uproot her and take her to live in her uncle's reportedly haunted house. I haven't read much of Crumrin but I'm a big fan of The Dammed so I'm pretty excited to hear Oni's getting the chance to have it on the big screen. I can't wait to see who ends up writing and directing the films as well as who eventually is cast. Maybe we'll even find out some more info over the next couple days? Hey, it is Comic-Con so really, anything is possible.