New Projects by Albert Hughes, Francis Lawrence, and Jon S. Baird on the Way

We've never really had a chance to see Albert Hughes fly solo as a director, but maybe that's about to change. He's one half of the sibling duo behind Menace II Society, From Hell, and The Book of Eli, and now Albert is developing a new project that sounds pretty weird. While untitled, we know it will be penned by Dan Sebastian Wiedenhaupt and " is set in the era of 25,000 BC and centers on a young caveman and his wolf-dog."

Also part of the same THR report comes word that Francis Lawrence will follow-up his stint on The Hunger Games movies with an adaptation of The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France. Eric Jaeger's book centers on the last legal trial by combat in France, between Knight Jean de Carrouges and squire Jacques Le Gris.  De Carrouges accused Le Gris of raping his wife, and if he lost it would also mean her death for committing a false accusation.

And finally, Jon S. Baird (Filth) will take on a biopic on legendary comedy duo, Laurel & Hardy. Penned by Jeff Pope (Philomena), the film will follow Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's 1953 farewell tour of Britain. [The Scotsman via ThePlaylist]

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Production halted on Albert Hughes' 'Motor City'

And another Albert Hughes film crashes and burns. With filming a mere three weeks away, the plug has been pulled on his vengeance thriller, Motor City, possibly closing the book on what has been one of the more troubled productions of the year. Originally set for Dominic Cooper in the lead role of a guy seeking revenge on those who framed him, with the hook being that the protagonist only gets one line of dialogue. Cooper would eventually drop out, quickly followed by Jake Gyllenhaal and Jeremy Renner taking over before Gerard Butler was finally settled on. The film also lost Gary Oldman and Amber Heard, with new additions Mickey Rourke and Adrien Brody barely having signed on before the other shoe dropped.

Strangely enough, the reason for the shut down has nothing to do with all the casting woes, but some rather intricate behind-the-scenes dealings. Although no official release date has ever been announced, Warner Bros. had apparently given the film's producers a hard March 31st deadline. That date was set to coincide with the foreign distribution deals that were in place, but the producers realized that it gave them too short of a time window for successful post-production. With the admission that the March 31st date couldn't be hit, the film was unable to secure a bond, and that puts us where we are today.

Now, this in and of itself doesn't mean the movie is dead. The producers released a statement saying that the start date was being pushed back, and since Warner Bros. is merely doing distribution, Motor City should still have all of its funding. The problem is that a delay like this could cause them to lose the few stars they've managed to, and a downgrade in talent obviously could hurt the film's prospects of success. Most financiers I know don't want to invest in a money losing project, so we'll just have to wait and see how this whole thing develops. [Deadline]

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Adrien Brody speeds into 'Motory City' villain role

It's amazing how quickly Motor City went from one of the hottest properties in Hollywood to being just another "meh" crime thriller. Chad St. John's script made the Black List of best unproduced screenplays, and the film had a superb cast at one point with Dominic Cooper, Gary Oldman, and Amber Heard. But all three are now long gone, with the equally "meh" Gerard Butler now in the lead role. Now after a lengthy search, a replacement for Oldman has finally been found.

Adrien Brody will play the villainous crime lord in the story, a vengeance flick that will have Butler as a man released from prison and seeking payback against those who framed him. While Brody can't be expected to match the psychotic awesomeness Oldman brought as the bad guy in The Professional, he should still be able to put in interesting spin on the character. Plus he knows he'll get all the juiciest bits, as the film's biggest hook is that the protagonist only has one line of dialogue.

Albert Hughes is directing Motor City, with production set to begin next month. [Variety]

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Mickey Rourke set to join Gerard Butler in 'Motor City'

Hey, remember Motor City? That's the vengeance thriller from Black List scribe Chad St. John that somehow managed to piss off the casting gods? We've seen everybody from Dominic Cooper to Jake Gyllenhaal to Jeremy Renner and Clive Owen attached to the lead role, and all have come and gone. Gerard Butler moved into the spot back in March, immediately killing any of the high hopes any of us had for the film. And to add insult to injury, Gary Oldman and Amber Heard, who might have given the cast some real gravitas, left back in June. Well now there's a little bit of reason to get excited again.

Mickey Rourke has joined the film in what will likely be the villain role Oldman vacated. Deadline doesn't say the role he'll be playing one way or another, but it seems like a natural fit. Directed by Albert Hughes, the story centers on a petty crook who is framed and sent to prison, only to get out and start seeking a little revenge. In the meantime, his girl has hooked up with the crime boss who put him behind bars, and he has to try and get her back, too.  The cool part, and perhaps the one thing that may make Butler a solid choice, is that the lead character only has one line of dialogue for the entire movie.

I feel bad for Hughes, who has done nothing but face casting woes for the last two years(remember Akira?). Maybe the combination of Butler and Rourke will help set Motor City back on the right course.

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Albert Hughes' 'Motor City' loses Gary Oldman and Amber Heard

Albert Hughes must have really pissed off the casting gods in a past life or something. Forget all the problems he went through with the failed live-action Akira, he's having just as much trouble casting up his crime flick, Motor City. Things started off strong with fast rising star, Dominic Cooper, in the lead role. He moved on to do another film, which led to a string of attached talent including Chris Evans, Jake Gyllenhaal(for like a day), and Jeremy Renner before finally settling on Gerard Butler. And I do mean settling.

Now it's starting all over again, only it's with the supporting cast, which had sounded quite impressive. Amber Heard and Gary Oldman have departed the film, according to Variety. While they don't give any reasons why, it likely has to do with scheduling as both are too busy to wait on the delayed production to get started. Heard should begin filming on Machete Kills soon, while Oldman will be making The Dark Knight Rises press rounds in the coming weeks. He also has a couple of projects on the way.

Motor City still has a decent hook to it, as the Chad St. John scripted film follows a petty crook framed for murder, only to get out years later seeking some payback. What's so special about that? The main character only speaks one line of dialogue the entire time. We'll see where this ends up, and I imagine it won't take long to find replacements.

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Gerard Butler to take on 'Motor City'?

Has Albert Hughes's continuing casting headaches on Motor City finally come to an end? Dude can't catch a break! He went through the same crap while trying to set up Akira for Warner Brothers. He get cursed or somethin'? Initially set to star Chris Evans before getting passed to Dominic Cooper, he left for another film only to have Jake Gyllenhaal take over for a day. That led to the most recent talk of Jeremy Renner circling the lead role. Well, the latest to flirt with the vengeance thriller is Gerard Butler, with Variety reporting he's entered talks.

The most interesting part of all this to me has been watching the pursued actors start to skew older. Renner and Butler are both in their early 40s, a far cry from Gyllenhaal, Cooper, and Evans. With Amber Heard set to play the girlfriend of the main character, a petty crook who gets out of prison seeking revenge on the guy who framed him for the crime, the age gap is starting to widen. I wouldn't be surprised if Heard gets replaced at some point for somebody a bit older.  Gary Oldman will play the target of Butler's rage if the deal comes through.

With the script only calling for one line of dialogue by the main character, Butler seems like an odd fit. I'm guessing they'll be counting on him to bring some of the same macho charisma he brought as Leonidas in 300. Not sure it'll work, but we'll see. 

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Jeremy Renner speeding towards 'Motor City'?

If there's an actor in Hollywood who maybe has a doppelganger walking around out there, it has to be Jeremy Renner. With about half a dozen franchises to his credit, and now possibly joining The Counselor with Ridley Scott, Cormac McCarthy, and Michael Fassbender, it's a wonder he has time to breathe much less sign on to anything new. And yet, here his name is again as a possibility to take on the lead in Motor City, directed by Albert Hughes.

Oh, those poor Hughes Brothers and their continued casting woes. Chris Evans and Dominic Cooper have both been set for the lead at different points, and Jake Gyllenhaal had a cup of coffee in the role for literally one day before dropping out. What's the big deal? It's not as if it's a demanding part or anything. The story follows a man sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit, only to get out and seek revenge against those who put him there. Simple enough, right? Even better, the role only asks for one single line of dialogue. Plus you get to hang out on set with Gary Oldman and Amber Heard. What's the problem?

Renner certainly has the expressive body language and physicality the film seems to be calling for, definitely more than Gyllenhaal. He'd seem to be a perfect fit, but with his schedule this could be a hail mary.  [Twitch]

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Gary Oldman is back as the bad guy in Albert Hughes' crime flick, 'Motor City'

I love Gary Oldman, and am pleased as punch to finally see the versatile actor get the Oscar recognition he's so long deserved. But that's enough of him playing the good guy, ok? He'll be the altruistic Jim Gordon later this year in The Dark Knight Rises, and while I'm sure he'll be great, to me he's at his best when playing wacky villains. He'll get his shot to do it again as part of Albert Hughes' noirish crime thriller, Motor City.

Dominic Cooper(The Devil's Double) will take on the lead role, which if reports are true only has like one line of dialogue, as a small time criminal framed and sent to prison, only to get out years later and seek revenge. Along the way he'll try to rescue the woman he loves, played by Amber Heard, who is under the influence of Oldman's crime boss character. The highly lauded script comes from Chad St. John, with filming set to begin in April.

Before The Dark Knight Rises hits in July, Oldman will be seen next on the red carpet of the Academy Awards, vying for the Best Actor award for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. [THR]

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Sure Shots: Oldboy; Dominic Cooper; Steven Spielberg

* I don't buy into this idea that Rooney Mara is on the verge of becoming some huge star solely because of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Part of me believes the character won't play the same with her in the role as it did with Noomi Rapace. If it's going to happen for Mara, it'll be the films she does afterwards that will have to click with American audiences. One possibility could be Spike Lee's remake of Oldboy, which has Josh Brolin in line to star as a man who seeks answers(and bloodshed) after being held captive in a hotel room for 15 years. Mara would be up for the crucial female lead in the film, and if you've seen Park Chan-Wook's version you know the role is a juicy one. But then again, screenwriter Mark Protosevich could alter things a little bit and pull more from the original manga. Only time will tell. [Twitch]

* The Devil's Double? An absolute mess. But Dominic Cooper's dual performance as Uday Hussein and his body double? A thing of mad genius. Cooper is banking on the good buzz he received and turning it into a starring gig in Motor City, the film Albert Hughes jumped to after ditching on Warner Brothers' live-action Akira. Based on a minimal Black List script by Chad St. John, the film follows a small time crook framed for a crime and sent to jail. When he gets free, he wants revenge. Simple enough. So how "minimal" is this thing? The lead only has one line of dialogue. They couldn't get Nicolas Winding Refn to direct this? [Variety]

* Warner Brothers is looking to Steven Spielberg to direct their biblical epic, Gods and Kings, based on the life of Moses. Based on a script by Michael Green(Green Lantern) and Stuart Hazeldine, the story would follow the prophet from birth until his death supposedly at the age of 120. Whether or not Spielberg can actually take the job is another story, considering he's got his Lincoln biopic coming up, not to mention the big budget Robopocalypse afterwards. Spielberg has two high profile flicks for the end of 2011: The Adventures of Tintin and a possible Oscar contender in War Horse. [Deadline]

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