Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to star in the sci-fi thriller about a soldier who wakes up in the body of a commuter and must solve the mystery of a train explosion.

Philippe Rousselet and Mark Gordon are set to produce, but I’m most excited about the director – Duncan Jones who directed this year’s sleeper sci-fi hit, “Moon.”

If you haven’t seen that movie yet, check it out. It’s a real twisty-turny space odyssey, with similarities to “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Oh, by the way, Jones is David Bowie’s son.

And Jake Gyllenhaal … well, he can do no wrong as far as the film projects he’s choosing these days.

Source: Hollywood Reporter / Image: INF

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At the 2009 Screenwriting Expo, taking place right now through tomorrow in Los Angeles, ComingSoon.net asked “Star Trek” writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (pictured) whether they could offer any updates on a sequel.

"We’re rereading some of our favorite ‘Star Trek’ novels now and watching the original series again. The honest answer is we don’t know yet," Orci said. "We think it’s going to be a 2012 release, but I’m not sure.”

Added Kurtzman, “Originally, we thought we were going to have to have the script in by Christmas, but the release changed so certainly within the next eight months I’d say.”

As for where the story will go, Orci said, “They’re established now in the second movie and they’re finally a crew so it will resemble what you see in terms of they are already who they are.”

Orci and Kurtzman have also recently returned to TV, working on “Fringe” with their old pal J.J. Abrams, whom they wrote for on “Alias.” “When J.J. said he wanted to create a show with me, it’s like ‘Screw you buddy,’" Orci joked.

“Also, he had studio commitments to Warner Brothers and we wanted him to direct ‘Star Trek.’ We feared he wouldn’t be able to do it if we didn’t help fulfill those obligations, so we did. We wanted him to be as focused on it as he could be on that so we’re like, we’ll absolutely help you. We would have done it anyway, but also it freed him up to do ‘Star Trek.’”

Hmmm … there are plenty of ways for a sequel to go. Just off the top of my head, a few characters that might be featured include Harry Mudd, the Gorn, or Khan. Any ideas what you’d like to see in a sequel?

Image: INF; Source: ComingSoon.net

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“The scripts for the two films will be delivered very soon,” he revealed. “Then they’ll be budgeted, and then they’ll be cast. And they’ll be going when they’ve always said they would be, which is next spring – March or April.”

McKellen said director Guillermo del Toro told him that filming will take place over 383 days, and McKellen had this to say about the director: “He’s got that artistic autism! Jackson’s the same; they’re very, very, very alike. They also very different, but they’ve so much in common. They both can’t stand Hollywood and have wonderful imaginations, and they’re both obsessed with gore and fantasy. Both of them laugh a great deal. Guillermo’s one of the most brilliant men I’ve ever met. His English vocabulary is way superior to mine!”

Will Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) return for cameos, as has been speculated? Too soon to tell, but McKellen surmises not.

“Unforunately, there won’t be many of the actors going back, unless they’re going to put masks on and be disguised as dwarves! Andy Serkis is, at the moment, I think, the only other actor who’s doing this film.”

McKellen didn’t spill much more about the casting, including who would play the title character Bilbo Baggins. Others rumored to be cast include Ron Perlman, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, and Doug Jones.

I can’t wait until things are more firmed up, and we can actually start looking forward to the return of another Tolkien movie.

Image: New Line Productions; All Rights Reserved.

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Or so says director Sam Raimi: “We want to be really faithful to the game. We would have our writer, Robert Rodat, really craft an original story within that world that feels like a ‘World of WarCraft’ adventure. Only obviously, it’s very different ’cause it’s expanded and translated into the world of a motion picture."

While the plot originally centered on the Lich King, apparently that was recently changed. It’s unclear whether the film will be based on a central character or a new idea altogether. Says Raimi, “I think we would try and find touchstones within the game to make it accurate and true and choose one or some of the lands that are portrayed in the game with as much accuracy and authenticity as possible.”

I’m familiar with the World of Warcraft mythology, but I wonder if the movie will be enticing for people who aren’t familiar with the WoW universe…

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But no, this is a Disney movie and has nothing to do with "Seinfeld." It’s based on an original idea by studio production president Oren Aviv (pictured, left, with Bob Iger), and centers on a corporate hatchet man who wakes up one morning and finds he must follow the exact opposite of his normal routine. I’m sure all hilarity ensues.

"Nancy Drew" scribe Tiffany Paulsen has been hired to write it; I really like that movie, so that’s a good sign. She’s also attached to write "Further Adventures of Babysitting," Disney’s remake of the 1980s teen hit.

Aviv has a great record, too, including the "National Treasure" franchise, for which he received a story credit.

Image: INF; Source: Hollywood Reporter

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In 2007’s “Spider-Man 3,” Topher Grace played the gooey alien parasite that bonded with Peter Parker and caused all kinds of havoc.

As for Ross, he certainly has a diverse roster of films on his IMDB page, including:

• “Big” – Co-producer and writer
• “Mr. Baseball” – Writer
• “Dave” – Writer
• “Pleasantville” – Producer, Writer and Director
• “Seabiscuit” – Producer, Writer and Director
• “The Tale of Despereaux” – Producer and Writer

You can’t really pin him down to any one genre, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Image: Sony Pictures Entertainment

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For one thing, you have to educate everyone in how to pronounce it. And for another – raising hand here — anyone who writes about it will undoubtedly get it wrong at some point. It’s just a pain.

But even with the hard-to-pronounce-and-spell title, “Reykjavik-Rotterdam” sounds like a good film, especially with Mark Wahlberg onboard.

The remake, based on an Icelandic film directed by Oskar Jonasson that’s in the running for an Oscar, centers on a security guard and former alcohol smuggler on the Iceland-Netherlands route who’s lured back into illicit after encountering money woes.

Still, the American version of the film should have a title that Americans can read and pronounce. Just sayin’…

Image: INF; Source: Hollywood Reporter

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On the other hand, the other actor in the running, Rupert Grint of “Harry Potter” fame, actually looks more like the prince. Who would YOU like to see in the role?

Source: Transworld News

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Fox Searchlight is working on a movie deal about the legendary rockers, based on the upcoming memoir by Joey Ramone’s brother Mickey Leigh and longtime Ramones biographer Legs McNeil.

There’s a lot of rights issues to be worked out, but we’ll have a little faith that the project will move swimmingly towards theaters. Sure, they may have only known three chords, but they played the heck out of those chords, and these guys were undoubtedly the beginnings of punk rock.

Check out “End of the Century” for more on this groundbreaking band. And you don’t have to be sedated either!

Image: Amazon.com

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His book, “The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez,” has just been optioned by Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell and his producing partner (and brother-in-law) Nick Karaylannis.

Mickey Rourke, who attended Carlo’s book party last week at the Greenwich Hotel, will play the main character, and Carlo has said he’d like Hartnett for the other lead character.

Carlo was diagnosed with ALS in 2004, but has written two books since then, including “The Butcher: Anatomy of a Mafia Psychopath.”

Sounds like an interesting project, especially with Rourke and Hartnett in the lead roles. The two worked together on 2005’s “Sin City.”

Image: INF; Source: Showbiz411

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