Now I understand why Thomas Jane didn't sign on for the Punisher sequel (no longer a sequel thanks to him). He's making history by making his feature directorial debut with a 3-D film titled The Dark Country. We already learned a month ago that the actor would be directing the film, for Sony's new Stage 6 label, but now Variety tells us the "noir thriller" will indeed be shot simultaneously in 3-D high definition and in 2-D high definition. The Dark Country isn't the first movie to be shot this way (though I'm unaware of the actual first), but the news nonetheless seems appropriate considering all the hype about this week's 3-D release of Beowulf. Since The Dark Country is currently shooting in New Mexico, it is likely to be released sometime next year, when it will still need to open on both 3-D and 2-D screens.

The movie, about a honeymoon turned nightmare, was written by Tab Murphy (Disney's Tarzan and Brother Bear) and it stars Jane, Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Chris Browning (3:10 to Yuma) and Lauren German (Hostel: Part II). The script had been reported as being adapted from a yet-to-be-published graphic novel by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), but as far as I can figure out, that information isn't true. Apparently there will be a graphic novel version, but it will be done by David Allcock, who also did the film's storyboards. For more information on the making of The Dark Country, you can turn to the production diary, which includes a whole ton of photos, some of which are rendered in 3-D.

If you're one of those people burned out from the steaming pile of nonsense Hollywood has churned out over the past few years, then boy do I have a treat for you. You want action? You want adventure? You want non-stop combat, complete with some of the most creative death-defying moves ever witnessed before on the big screen? Well, then you'll most certainly want to see The Bass Master -- a new comedy, picked up by Lionsgate, which delves deep inside the high-octane world of competitive bass fishing. I'll pause for a moment while you catch your breath ...

Ready? Okay. Tab Murphy (Tarzan, My Best Friend Is a Vampire) and Devin Maurer wrote the script, and Todd Garner will produce through his Broken Road Prods. Now, The Bass Master is not to be confused with the video game or that other Bass fishing flick (wait, there's actually two of them?) that Martha told us about last August. No, that film is based on the autobiography of one Mike Iaconelli (I believe he has tattoos which cause him to yell a lot) and called Fishing on the Edge: The Mike Iaconelli Story. Because what good is fishing if you're not fishing on the edge?

Here's my question to you: Is bass fishing so insane that we need two feature films about the sport?