Cameron Crowe's Next Film with Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone Moves to 2015

Considering it doesn't even have a title and we really haven't seen much of it despite being in the works for years, Cameron Crowe's next film evacuating its Christmas Day slot and moving to 2015 shouldn't come as a surprise. But it has less to do with the movie not being ready and more to do with the crowded slate this holiday season and there being a better slot in the summer.

Sony has moved Crowe's comedy, formerly titled Deep Tiki, to May 29th 2015. Even with a powerhouse cast of Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, Bill Murray, and more, there was simply too much crowding on that date with Unbroken, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, Paddington, Unbroken, Selma, and Tim Burton's Big Eyes opening. Next year it faces much softer competition in Insidious Chapter 3 and Monster Trucks, hardly world beaters. The film takes place in Hawaii and follows a military contractor who returns to the site of his greatest career triumphs — the U.S. Space program in Honolulu, Hawaii — where he reconnects with a long-ago love while unexpectedly falling for the hard-charging Air Force watchdog assigned to him. In play is a complex satellite system being launched by an enigmatic billionaire with suspicious intentions. 

Jeff Blake, Sony's Chairman of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution agrees with the move, saying “Once we saw the film, we knew that it would make a perfect summer release. The movie is Cameron at his best." [TheWrap]

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Cameron Crowe's New Film with Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone

Last Christmas saw no less than half a dozen movies arrive on Christmas Day, an annoying trend that won't be going away any time soon. Never mind that with so many films coming out at the same time maybe one or two will make any money. But it's happening again later this year, and the crowded field just got tighter with the addition of Cameron Crowe's latest effort.

Crowe's untitled comedy, formerly known as Deep Tiki, has been set for December 25th, when it will face off against Hot Tub Time Machiene 2, Disney musical Into the Woods, and Angelina Jolie's Unbroken. And that doesn't include The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Annie, and Night at the Museum 3 which come out a week earlier.

Starring Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Bill Murray, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, and Alec Baldwin, Crowe's film tells the story of a military contractor (Cooper) on a secret launch mission in Hawaii. He teams up and begins to fall in love with an Air Force pilot (Stone) who helps him try and stop the launch, while facing the threat of island supernatural forces and a talking computer.

So you better get all that holiday shopping done early if you're planning to have the time to catch all of these flicks.

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Bill Murray Joining Emma Stone and Bradley Cooper in Cameron Crowe's Next Film

Filming has already begun on Cameron Crowe's upcoming comedy, formerly known as Deep Tiki, and while a cast of Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Alec Baldin, Danny McBride, and Jay Baruchel is impressive, it can always get better. The Wrap is reporting that Bill Murray is in talks for an unspecified role, making this the first time he's ever worked with Crowe.

In development for years, and once with Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon in the leads, the film now has Bradley Cooper starring as a military contractor stationed in Hawaii on a top secret mission involving a missile launch. Stone is the uptight Air Force pilot and liaison he teams up with to stop it. Tribal elders, talking computers, and mystical island forces are also part of the plot so there should be plenty of opportunity for Murray to stand out.

Murray has a busy few months ahead with Monuments Men, Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel, and St. Vincent de Van Nuys opposite Melissa McCarthy and Naomi Watts. Crowe's film should arrive some time in 2014.

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Jay Baruchel Joins Cameron Crowe's Untitled Comedy

Although it still doesn't have a title, filming has begun on the next film by Cameron Crowe. And as usual he's put together a great cast with Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Alec Baldwin, and Danny McBride on board, but there's still room for one more.

McBride's This is the End co-star Jay Baruchel has joined the romantic comedy, a new version of Crowe's unfinished film Deep Tiki. Cooper plays a military contractor in Hawaii who teams with an uptight Air Force pilot (Stone) to stop a missile launch. Tribal natives, mystical island forces, and a talking computer also play a role in what sounds like quite the departure for Crowe. Baruchel will play Cooper's step-brother, working with Crowe for the first time since his brief appearance in Almost Famous.

Baruchel will be seen next in the Robocop remake. [THR]

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Sure Shots: Abbie Cornish; Rachel McAdams; Robert Redford

* The last time Abbie Cornish was paired up with Colin Farrell it was in a mostly thankless role in Martin McDonagh's otherwise terrific Seven Psychopaths, so here's hoping the second time gives her a bit more to do. She'll join Farrell and Anthony Hopkins in Solace, a supernatural thriller that has been bouncing around in development Hell for more than a decade. Now under the guidance of director Afonso Poyart (2 Rabbits), the film has Hopkins as a retired doctor with psychic abilities who joins with the FBI to track down a similarly-powered killer. Sound weird enough for you? Filming on Solace begins next month. [Variety]

* Never let it be said that Rachel McAdams is an easy actress to predict. Her dance card for the year is wildly diverse, appearing in Terrence Malick's To the Wonder; hooking up with Noomi Rapace in Passion; dabbling in sci-fi with About Time; and entering the world of espionage in A Most Wanted Man. So what's next? How about the next film by Cameron Crowe? She'll join Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone in the untitled film, formerly known as Deep Tiki. The film, which has been in development since 2008, centers on a former soldier turned military contractor who, along with an uptight military liason, must get the blessing of Hawaiian tribal leaders before a satellite launch can take place. The tone is reportedly somewhere between Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire, which sounds a little off to me, but maybe this won't be quite as wild as it sounds. [THR]

* Even at the ripe old age of 76, Robert Redford is still out there willing to try new things. While he continues to direct his own niche brand of political thrillers, including The Company You Keep which opens tomorrow, Redford has ventured for the first time into superhero films by taking on a small role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Next up, he's set to star in The Old Man and the Gun, the latest film by David Lowery, director of the acclaimed Sundance hit Ain't Them Bodies Saints. Based on the 2003 New Yorker article by David Grann, the true story centers on Forrest Tucker, a bank robber born in 1920 who spent most of his life either in jail or escaping from it. Now at 78-years of age and living in a retirement home, he's still got the itch to rob banks. Lowery will also write the script, which is said to focus on a very specific period in Tucker's life.  It's another big career move for Lowery, who who was recently tapped by Disney to pen their remake of Pete's Dragon. [THR]

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Bradley Cooper in talks to join Emma Stone in Cameron Crowe's next film

With Silver Linings Playbook right around the corner and garnering some Oscar attention for Bradley Cooper, the actor is poised for the best run of his career. Of course he'll be running with the Wolfpack in The Hangover Part III next year, along with starring opposite Jennifer Lawrence again in Susanne Bier's Serena, and also has The Place Beyond the Pines with Ryan Gosling. And that's not even including working with David O. Russell on his next project. As great as his 2013 sounds, it's about to get even better.

Cooper is in talks to join Emma Stone in Cameron Crowe's untitled next film, which we learned last summer was his long-gestating Deep Tiki. Once set for Reese Witherspoon and Ben Stiller, the film centers on an ex-soldier turned military contractor who along with an uptight military liaison must secure the blessing of Hawaiian tribal elders before a satellite can be launched.

Silly plot? Absolutely, but the tone is said to be right in Crowe's emotional wheelhouse, and with Cooper and Stone he's got two likable stars that people will want to see together. Momentum is picking up on this one with filming set to begin next spring. [Deadline]

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Cameron Crowe adds J.B. Smoove to his next film, We Bought a Zoo

Whoever called TV the place where movie stars go to die(I can't remember who told me that once) apparently doesn't know JB Smoove. Not that he was ever a movie star, but the funnyman has used his scene stealing time on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm to really crank up his profile. Not only will he be appearing in David Gordon Green's comedy, The Sitter, later this year, but now he'll be popping up in Cameron Crowe's next flick, We Bought a Zoo.

As we know by now, the film is based on Benjamin Mee's 2008 memoir about the time he and his family spent running a broken down zoo.  The film stars Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Elle Fanning, Patrick Fugit, and Thomas Hayden Church. No word on yet on who Smoove will be playing, but you can bet your butt it'll be funny. As long as he sticks around on Curb Your Enthusiasm I don't care what he does. He might be the funniest guy on TV right now.

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Almost Famous star joins Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo

Suddenly it seems like there's a new bit of casting info on Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo every day. It's become the go to flick for movie news all of a sudden. After just learning that Scarlett Johansson would be joining Matt Damon in the adaptation of Benjamin Mee's memoir, now it's been revealed that Elle Fanning and Patrick Fugit are tagging along as well. 

Fugit has worked with Crowe before, playing a film version of Crowe himself, in 2000's Almost Famous. Since then his star has dimmed a bit, but he was great in both 2004's Saved, and in 2005's Wristcutters: A Love Story. He can most recently be seen in last year's Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. Fugit's role in the film has yet to be determined.

Fanning, the younger sister of Dakota, is taking on the role of 13-year old Lily, a girl working at the zoo's restaurant illegally. She can next be seen in Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, starring alongside Stephen Dorff.

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Sure Shots: Scarlett Johansson; Studio Ghibli; Mike White

* On Tuesday it was reported that Cameron Crowe's list of potential actresses to star opposite Matt Damon in his upcoming adaptation, We Bought a Zoo, had grown to four. One of the names on that list, Scarlett Johansson, is now in final talks. Zoo is the story of Benjamin Mee and his family, who spend their life savings to buy and fix up a rundown zoo filled with exotic animals. Johansson will likely be playing his wife.

* A few months ago it seemed as if Studio Ghibli, the studio behind many of acclaimed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's greatest animated features, was on it's last legs. The rumor, mostly pushed by Miyazaki himself, was that the studio needed a hit big time, and that a plan was already in place in case dissolution was necessary. Well, things must be looking up because the president of Studio Ghibli has announced another new project will be revealed on December 15th. It's widely assumed that this will be a new work from Miyazaki. A Porco Rosso sequel, maybe?

* We just learned that Lionsgate had Mike White(Year of the Dog) as their top choice to direct the Jane Austen/Zombie mash-up,Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, replacing the departed David O. Russell. Now a formal offer has been made, so expect  final cofirmation on that news in the  coming days. The question now turns to who will star...

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Four actresses top Cameron Crowe's wishlist for We Bought a Zoo

Cameron Crowe is slowly but surely putting together the pieces for his next film, We Bought a Zoo, based on Benjamin Mee's memoir about how he and his family spent their life savings to buy a run down zoo full of exotic animals. Matt Damon has been attached for the role of Benjamin for some time, along with Thomas Haden Church as Duncan Mee, and Colin Ford as Benjamin's son.

But who would be the female lead? Deadline is reporting that Crowe is leaning towards Scarlett Johansson, but others are on the list as well. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Amy Adams, and Rachel McAdams are also in contention.

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Crowe, Damon team-up for We Bought a Zoo

It's been a long time since we've seen anything from Cameron Crowe. 2005's Elizabethtown to be exact. It's been even longer since we've seen him working with Matt Damon. Like forever, since it's never happened. 20th Century Fox is looking to rectify that, by courting Damon to star in Crowe's next film, We Bought a Zoo.

Zoo is based on the memoir by Benjamin Mee, former writer for The Guardian, and his experiences after buying the rundown Dartmoor Zoological Park in England. He and his family bought the zoo after it was forced to close in 2006, worked to bring it back up to par and eventually reopening it later the next year.

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person who really dug Elizabethtown. Vanilla Sky is still on my shortlist of movies I walked out of. In general Cameron Crowe is pretty hit or miss with me. Say Anything is a classic, so is Almost Famous.  Vanilla Sky and Singles have permanent lodging in my doghouse. I like the sound of this one already.

We Bought a Zoo already has a release date of December 23, 2011 set.

You can read more of Variety's coverage of the story here.

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