james lassiter Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The trades apparently read yesterday's tirade about their not being any news -- because as weird luck would have it, everything hit the wire as I was getting my Anderson Cooper fix. (I'm not making that up for the sake of cuteness, it's true. The evening is not complete until I discover I lost the 360 Challenge ... again) Now, to the headlines:

• Being the sole man alive never meant you couldn't get a franchise! Variety reports that Warner Bros is putting a prequel to I Am Legend into production. The prequel boasts the return of Will Smith and director Francis Lawrence, and is based on a script outline cooked up by Smith, Lawrence, and producers Akiva Goldsman and James Lassiter. Obviously, it takes place before the plague wiped out New York. I hope they go daring and all Terminator 3-ish, and show Smith as being the scientist responsible for the whole mess. I also hope they name it I Will Be Legend.
  

• Top Cow continues its slow takeover of comic book movies -- IESB reports that Fathom movie is back on, despite creator Michael Turner's untimely death. And reportedly, Cinematical's ever present friend Megan Fox has snagged the lead as Aspen Matthews. It's all from anonymous sources, but given that Magdalena and Witchblade are on their way, I wouldn't be surprised if it's made official before too long.

• Who needs Iron Man and Samuel L. Jackson cameos? September 30th brings, at long last, your chance to finally own David Hasselhoff's Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D on DVD. Don't think you can pick this up just anywhere, though, it's exclusive to Best Buy. But what price to pay for a cult classic?

Say what you want about The Pursuit of Happyness, but it wasn't a bad movie. Gabriele Muccino's direction was pedestrian at best, yet the movie worked because of Will Smith's Oscar-nominated performance. And little Jaden Smith (real-life son of Will) is possibly the most adorable child actor in years. The movie wasn't quite as good as its promise of being Frank Capra's Kramer vs. Kramer, but it was entertaining -- and for a serious drama it really killed at the box office. Smith may be hoping for his third Academy Award nomination in 2009, as well as his billionth hit, because he's re-teaming with Muccino for a new pic titled Seven Pounds. It will star Smith as a man who finds love while attempting suicide, so it will probably be another BYOK (bring your own Kleenex) film. Aside from Muccino, Happyness' producers, Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, James Lassiter and Steve Tisch, are also on board (Smith is also a producer). However, the script is from somebody not associated with the previous film; it was written by sitcom writer Grant Nieporte (8 Simple Rules ... for Dating My Daughter).

Hopefully they can find a role for Jaden, but if not this should be about as good as Happyness. And like I said, it may be Smith's next chance for Oscar. It seems that lately he's becoming the Spielberg of actors, doing an action blockbuster here and a serious, well-acted drama there. Of course, he does the occasional comedy, too, even though his action pics are funny enough on their own. The pattern is working out well for the guy. His follow-up to last winter's Happyness is the apocalyptic action-horror pic I Am Legend, which arrives this December, and then he's got a super-hero movie called Hancock, which bows next year in Smith's typical 4th of July weekend slot. Hancock, which was originally going to be helmed by Muccino, also deals with a guy who is down on his luck, but for a summertime pic, it couldn't possibly be as heart-wrenching as Seven Pounds will likely be. Right? Seven Pounds is set to begin filming in February and is expected for a late 2008 release.

One of the things that couples do is they look for other couples to hang out with. Why? Because men and women aren't crazy about their significant others strolling around town with single folk. So, couples plan activities with fellow couples -- they go to dinner, go bowling, go to a movie -- and it doesn't matter much if they have a ton in common as individuals, they're couples ... that's what counts. Well, Columbia Pictures has snatched up a pitch that places us inside the world of couples, but puts a bit of a spin on it.

Normally, when we see films that focus on couples, they're either breaking up, cheating on one another, complaining about kids, getting pregnant, hiding their love for one another from each others parents ... blah blah blah. However, My Wife Hates Your Wife -- which Will Smith will produce through his Overlook Entertainment alongside partner James Lassiter -- centers around two couples who do everything together until the ladies have a falling out. But, since the men are still good friends, they must now find a way to see each other in secret in order to avoid conflict from their partner. Gina Wendkos (The Princess Diaries) will pen the script, and there's a small chance Will Smith will star ... assuming he likes the script and it includes roles for everyone in his family. Seriously, I'm still waiting for Will Smith's pet fish to show up in a film alongside the Bad Boy. You think I'm joking -- just wait my friends. Just wait.

Bollywood's UTV Motion Pictures is really, really serious about getting involved with the American film industry. Yesterday there was an article in The New York Times about Will Smith's two-film collaboration with the company, and today Variety reported that UTV will -- in an agreement unrelated to the Smith deal -- co-produce Fox Searchlight's Chris Rock-directed Chloe in the Afternoon remake, I Think I Love My Wife.

The Smith deal, which is actually with Overbrook Entertainment, the company founded by Smith and partner James Lassiter, is interesting because the films will be India-based (with Sony managing worldwide distribution), and will in no way feature Smith's face. Instead, he and Lassiter will develop, cast and produce the films, while UTV will take care of financing (up to an level that hasn't been made public; beyond that point, Overbrook will be responsible for raising necessary money). The Fox deal, meanwhile, is strictly financial: UTV has provided $7 million of the movie's budget, and will also handle Indian distribution.