Warren Beatty's Howard Hughes Film Underway; Alden Ehrenreich, Lily Collins Join Cast

For years, Hollywood royalty Warren Beatty has been trying to put together a biopic on Howard Hughes and not having much in the way of good luck. At one point the film looked to be coming together with Beatty writing, directing, and starring as the reclusive billionaire, but as he struggled to secure financing the project vanished into limbo. A few days ago, word started to leak that it may be back on, and now we know it's actually begun shooting. That sneaky Beatty!

Deadline reports that the film is now underway, with Alden Ehrenreich (Beautiful Creatures) and Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror) coming aboard to star. Collins replaces Felicity Jones, who was attached some time ago. Beatty's wife Annette Bening and Matthew Broderick are expected to appear, and there's some hope that Jack Nicholson can be lured in for a role.

The story doesn't seem to have a lot to do with Hughes, though. Instead, it focuses on Hughes' assistant (Ehrenreich) and his love interest, played by Collins. In the past we've also heard the plot could unfold mostly in flashback as Hughes recounts the love affair he had with a younger woman, presumably Collins' character. So we could be looking at a love triangle here, which would instantly set it apart from 2004's The Aviator.

Brett Ratner (!!!) is producing, along with New Regency who picked up the film a couple of years back. Beatty has already shot some footage but there's no word on when this is expected to be completed or hit theaters. Chances are Beatty will be keeping it close to the vest.

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Sure Shots: Jack Nicholson; Kit Harington; Sylvester Stallone

* You can't just pick any ol' body to play Robert Downey Jr.'s father. Whoever does it has to be someone of equal or greater stature, and one guy who certainly fits the bill is Jack Nicholson. Warner Bros. is looking for him to join Downey Jr. in The Judge, a new dramedy directed by David Dobkin and with the latest script written by Bill Dubuque. The film follows a successful attorney who returns home for his mother's funeral, only to learn that his father, a former judge now suffering from Alzheimer's, is the murder suspect. He must defend his old man in court, and in the process he'll learn some life lessons or something. Sounds potentially hilarious and bittersweet. No deals are in place, and Downey is set to meet with Nicholson next week to iron things out. [THR]

* Somebody somewhere seems to think Game of Thrones star Kit Harington has what it takes to be a star outside of the HBO series, but if Silent Hill: Revelation showed anything it's that he probably doesn't. He was pretty awful. Anyway, he'll have a chance to star in his biggest film yet as the lead in Paul W.S. Anderson's Pompeii. With a script rewrite by Julian Fellowes(Downtown Abbey), the story will follow the 2-day volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that buried the titular city. The plan is to basically make this like Titanic with liquid hot magma, as Harington will star as Milo, a slave who loves a rich senator's daughter, and must rescue her and his gladiator best friend when the eruption begins. It sounded awful a year ago, and it sounds just as awful now. Filming will likely begin early next year before filming on season 4 of Game of Thrones begins. [Variety]

* Noted indie auteur Sylvester Stallone has joined the cast of Reach Me, an independent film from his Cobra co-star, John Herzfeld(The Death and Life of Bobby Z). Stallone has already wrapped shooting on his role, which is being kept under wraps. Starring Nelly, Omari Hardwick, Danny Aiello, Rebekah Chaney, and Elizabeth Henstridge(who recently joined Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D.), the story follows a group of people who all have a connection to a self-help book written by a reclusive ex-football coach. [Variety]

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Warren Beatty's secret project is a Howard Hughes movie; Alec Baldwin, Jack Nicholson, Andrew Garfield to star?

Just a couple of days ago we learned that Warren Beatty was putting together some sort of comedy film for Paramount, which would see him returning to the writing/directing bit for the first time since 1998. It would also mark his return to acting since  2001's Town and Country, but nobody knew what the film would actually be. Showbiz411 was the first to get the scoop, and it looks like Beatty is putting together a potentially huge project centered around reclusive millionaire Howard Hughes.

It's been about seven years since the last great Hughes film, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator(2007's The Hoax was ok), which I personally am still crazy about. Beatty's movie doesn't appear to be a straight up biopic, focusing on an affair he had later in life with a much younger woman. Beatty will play the older Hughes, and according to Deadline he's gathering a remarkable cast. Jack Nicholson, Andrew Garfield, Beatty's wife Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, Evan Rachel Wood, Shia Labeouf, and Rooney Mara are all said to be meeting for roles right now. Supposedly the story will also take place partially in flashback, calling for someone to play a younger version of Hughes. That sounds like Garfield's bit already, doesn't it? It better not be Labeouf, that's all I'm going to say. Doesn't really sound like a comedy, does it?

Beatty's been planning this film for more than two decades, with a script having been hammered out by his Ishtar colleague, Elaine May. I'm assuming some rewrites will be in order it having sat on the shelf for so long, but this is definitely sounding like a film to watch.

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Trailer Time: How Do You Know, starring Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon

I got a chance to catch the trailer before James Brooks' latest rom-com, How Do You Know, a few days ago before Eat Pray Love. I was grimacing right from jumpstreet. Like most men, I have a natural aversion to lousy romantic comedies. It doesn't matter that my longtime crush, Reese Witherspoon, is in it. Or that Paul Rudd, an actor I've been a big fan of since Overnight Delivery, seems to be playing a role that usually suits him.

It just looks stale and worn out. Not to mention that I can practically smell the attempt this film is making to have it both ways. Rudd is trying very hard to bring some of the edge we've seen from him in stuff like Dinner for Schmucks or Role Models. But the lousy rom-com puff bits are just nauseating.  Don't even get me started on just how unappealing I find Owen Wilson in pretty much everything. He was good in Anaconda as a delicious snake treat. Jack Nicholson could be the one thing that makes this worth a looksie.

The story is basically a love triangle between a professional softball player(Witherspoon), a corporate executive(Rudd), and a majore league pitcher. My first thought? Witherspoon isn't nearly stout enough to be a pro softball player. Have you seen those chicks? 175lb women crammed into 150lb packaging.

How Do You Know will be released on December 17th, 2010. Check out the trailer below.

@ Yahoo! Video

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