Spike Lee and his production company, 40 Acres and a Mule, has nabbed the rights to "Now the Hell Will Start," a nonfiction book written by Brendan Koerner. Check out the book’s Web site here.
The true story follows Herman Perry, a black Army private during World War II who snapped and went AWOL after shooting an unarmed white lieutenant. Instead of facing the gallows, he ran deep into the Southeast Asian jungle and ended up living with the natives.
I haven’t read the book, but it sounds like a great story that will make a fantastic movie with …read more

What if you were a loser (hypothetically speaking, because no Film Gecko reader is a loser), and found a book on how to prevent an alien invasion of the Earth? And then had to use that knowledge when one actually occurs?
Such is the premise of “The How-To Guide for Saving the World,” an action comedy picked up by MGM with Barry Sonnenfeld attached to direct and produce.
Apparently, the script by BenDavid Grabinski landed enough votes among execs to make this year’s unofficial Black List of “most liked” screenplays.
More after the jump…

I can’t say that “The House Bunny” was my favorite movie of the year, but Anna Faris is so cute and sweet, it’s hard not to come away with a good feeling in your heart.
Now she’s lined up two projects. One is a romantic comedy called “20 Times a Lady.” Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan wrote the script, based on the book by Karyn Bosnak. It centers on a woman who journeys through her sexual past in an effort to find Mr. Right, wondering if a person’s sexual quota matters. I’m thinking of that scene in “Four Weddings …read more

I can’t tell you the number of times I had to endure the “Me Tarzan, you Jane” jokes growing up. Or upon learning my name, people would ask, “Where’s Tarzan?” Very funny, ha ha.
Anyway, pretty soon, we’ll all know where Tarzan is, because he’s making a comeback to the big screen. But don’t expect the same-old-same-old on this one.
Director Stephen Sommers (”The Mummy”) and screenwriter Stuart Beattie (”Australia”) are ditching the boy-raised-by-apes story for a 1930’s action caper with lots of romance.
They’re saying it’ll be similar to “Pirates of the Caribbean” with tanned-and-toned …read more

Maxim caught up with Ron Howard at a recent press junket for the upcoming movie “Frost/Nixon,” which follows a series of interviews that took place in the late ’70s between British journalist David Frost and President Richard Nixon.
For all you Bluth fans out there, Howard said an “Arrested Development” movie is definitely in a go mode! And they’ve got “a narrator who just can’t wait to get to the microphone,” giving a nod to himself, of course. And I, for one, can’t wait to see it in a theater. Check it out:

New Line has picked up the romantic comedy spec “Going the Distance,” written by former company script reader Geoff LaTulippe.
Here’s the cool thing: Nanette Burstein (pictured), who helmed the documentary/film fest darling “American Teen,” is attached to direct, while Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot are producing via their Offspring Entertainment.
Shankman became a household name, after directing “Hairspray.” Who else could breathe new life into John Travolta by making him a woman?
Some great people are helming this one, and I’m looking forward to it.
Image: American Teen, Paramount Vantage, 2008

In the oh-no-not-another-remake department, “The Karate Kid” remake is a go at Columbia, with Jaden Smith in the title role. That’s Jaden, pictured, along with his dad, Will Smith, at the Los Angeles premiere of “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” on Oct. 26, 2008. Look at that face!
Rumors have been circulating for a while, but a note landed in my inbox today confirming the casting of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s offspring. Jaden co-starred along with his dad in “The Pursuit of Happyness” (which I loved).
More after the jump…

Robert Sanchez over at IESB.com has the inside scoop on “Wonder Woman.” His source at WB Burbank says the Amazonian-Princess film might have a director: Joseph McGinty Nichol, a.k.a. McG.
Sanchez says he’s not sure if McG has been signed, whether he’s one of many names the studio is circulating, or whether McG himself is lobbying for the job. But Sanchez heard the story from a few other sources, as well.
McG has a few chops to his name, including “Terminator: Salvation,” which he’s currently working on with Christian Bale. He’s also an executive producer on “Supernatural,” …read more

“Death at a Funeral” has been on my To-Watch list for eons, but I’ve yet to get there yet. Has anyone seen the 2007 British flick?
I should watch it soon, so I can compare with the remake coming up. Chris Rock is on board to produce, star, and co-write the script with Aeysha Carr. Sidney Kimmel is part of the producing team.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new movie is an ensemble comedy that takes place in urban American. It centers on a funeral that devolves into a debacle of misplaced cadavers, indecent exposure and family …read more