Robert Redford and Jeffrey Wright to get Evangelical in 'Come Sunday'

Six years have passed since Jonathan Demme's last acclaimed feature, Rachel Getting Married, and in that time he's been busy with under-the-radar projects. But he's making a return now, recently finishing up the Henrik Ibsen adaptation Fear of Falling with Wallace Shawn, and now he's set to direct Come Sunday, a film about evangelical preachers that has two big names set to star.

THR reports that Jeffrey Wright and Robert Redford are eying the film, with Wright starring as the renowned Oklahoma minister, Carlton Pearson. Redford would play the hugely successful televangelist, Oral Roberts, in a role that is guaranteed to draw a lot of attention. Pearson drew attention with his claim that Hell didn't exist and that God would reconcile all sinners. He would soon be ousted from his position and lose everything, branded a heretic by his peers in 2004. Marcus Hinchey wrote the screenplay based on a This American Life broadcast.  Marc Forster had been attached to direct at one point but he remains on board as a producer.

Filming is set to being next year. 

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Meryl Streep Joins Diablo Cody-Penned Film Directed by Jonathan Demme

Although his name has been attached to a few other projects over the years, Jonathan Demme hasn't directed a dramatic feature since 2008's Rachel Getting Married, a film that earned Anne Hathaway an Oscar nomination. Now he's back with a new project, one that not only has Diablo Cody (Juno) writing the screenplay, but it will also star Meryl Streep.

The Wrap reports Streep, who knows a thing or two about Oscars, will star in Ricki and the Flash about "a woman who abandoned her family when she was younger to find fame and fortune in California. Decades later, she returns home to be a mother again." Definitely sounds promising, and with this much talent so early in the process it can only get better.

Studios are duking it out to secure the rights for this one with Universal and Fox 2000 throwing the most weight around. Expect it to get picked up soon.

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Jonathan Demme no longer directing Stephen King's '11/22/63/'

Stephen King adaptations are a dime a dozen, with at least a handful always floating around Hollywood at one point or another. It's gotten to the point where I no longer find them all that exciting, but one that caught my eye last year was 11/22/63, which had Jonathan Demme(Rachel Getting Married) attached to produce and direct. But in a recent chat with ThePlaylist, Demme revealed he's no longer taking the project on, leaving its status in some doubt.

Demme was at the Marrakech Film Festival(every place has a film festival now) when he broke the news of his departure. He also made it clear there was no ill will involved, and that the issue largely revolved around creative differences...

Demme: “This is a big book, with lots in it. And I loved certain parts of the book for the film more than Stephen did. We’re friends, and I had a lot of fun working on the script, but we were too apart on what we felt should be in and what should be out of the script.”

It's certainly an ambitious project, with the 850-page time travel story following an English teacher who makes the jump back and attempts to change the course of history by preventing Kennedy's murder. There's a lot more than that going on, as you might expect from a King novel, and the film would have made for an interesting mesh of sci-fi and historical genre elements. So 11/22/63 hits a holding pattern for now, but it probably won't be long until a new director is found.

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Anne Hathaway eyed for indie romantic drama, 'Song One'

Chances are that you've already had a chance to peep the Les Miserables trailer, and have no doubt heard Anne Hathaway's pipes in action. Her rendition of 'I Dreamed A Dream' was stunning, and made that film an instant "must see" for yours truly. With a blockbuster like The Dark Knight Rises right around the corner, Hathaway may be jumping back into the indie world, and reuniting with some old friends along the way.

Variety reports she may be producing and starring in Song One, a romantic drama about a young woman who returns home after her brother is injured, and meets his favorite musician. As the two become romantically linked, the musician draws inspiration from the two siblings. Kinda sounds like Hathaway may get called upon to carry another tune, doesn't it? Wouldn't you kinda have to have her sing now?

The film is being put together by a number of folks close to Hathaway's professional and personal life. Jonathan Demme, who directed Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married, will produce the film along with Marc Platt. The other producer on the film? Her fiance, Adam Schulman. Must be nice.  Kate Barker-Froyland will write the script and make her directorial debut, after having served as David Frankel's assistant on The Devil Wears Prada. 


Hathaway isn't officially on board yet, as a few pieces still need to fall into place to make it happen. Other than press commitments, Hathaway's schedule is mostly open, so if it all works out you can bet this will take top priority. Otherwise she's going to have a lot of people on her speed dial mighty pissed.

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Cate Blanchett, Josh Brolin, Nicole Kidman eyed for auto industry drama, 'Bloody Highways'

Back in 2000, a landmark settlement was made in the lawsuit against Ford and Firestone over the extreme number of rollover cases involving Ford SUVs traveling on Firestone tires. The case drew national attention, as both companies were accused of trying to cover up the defects that led to numerous deaths and injuries, the most high profile was that Donna Bailey, a 51 year old woman who is now completely paralyzed. The story of that case is now being brought to the big screen, and the producers have some high hopes for who will be a part of it.

Based on Adam Penneberg's book, Tragic Indifference, the film will be an Erin Brockovich-style story of how attorney Tab Turner fought for the victims of Ford and Firestone's screw-ups. Originally, Warner Brothers had the film with Michael Douglas set for the lead role of Turner. Now in turnaround, Douglas's production company still wants to see the movie made, but with Josh Brolin starring. They also have their eyes set on Cate Blanchett, Laura Linney, and Nicole Kidman in the Bailey role. Jonathan Demme(Rachel Getting Married) is the top contender to direct, with Bloody Highways likely to be the film's final title.

Basically this is a "wishlist" piece, so none of these players may end up in the movie at all. Still, this is a great story, and Turner is an interesting figure who continues to fight for the rights of those screwed by big institutions. Here's hoping we hear more about this film soon, and that it gets the backing and star power it'll need to continue. [Showbiz411]

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Jonathan Demme to direct documentary on musician Enzo Avitabile

Over the last decade or so, Jonathan Demme has been veering further away from theatrical features and focusing more than ever on producing high quality documentaries. As much as I have loved the man's feature films, from his days with Roger Corman to The Silence of the Lambs to 2008's Rachel Getting Married(wow, it's been 3 years already??), I can hardly complain when the man is clearly following a deeper passion. My personal favorite is the doc he made on President Jimmy Carter, Man from Plains. In particular, Demme has spent a good deal of time and energy chronicling the lives of musicians, such as the two films he's made with Neil Young.

Well now Demme has found a new favorite to follow, in jazz/world music fusion musician Enzo Avitabile. Set in Naples with the working title of "Enzo", Demme first got the idea after hearing one of Avitabile's tracks on the radio. Demme got in contact with the Naples mayor, Luigi de Magistris, who is backing the film and will have a cameo. Avitabile will perform a live concert in the film, which will also feature a host of other world music icons.

A jazz saxophonist, Avitabile has worked in the past with such greats as Tina Turner, James Brown, and Pino Daniele. In 2005, Avitabile and his band Bottari were nominated for the Audience Award in the BBC Awards for World Music. [Variety]

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