That’s what happened with “Moneyball” a baseball drama being directed by Soderbergh and starring Brad Pitt (pictured, at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in May 2009).

The cast and crew were prepped to start shooting this week, but Columbia pulled the plug; co-chair Amy Pascal says she wasn’t comfortable with the script, which has changed a lot since the project was greenlit.

You have to wonder just what major changes were made to the script that Columbia would shut it down. The screenplay, adapted from Michael Lewis’ nonfiction book, follows the Oakland Athletics and their general manager Billy Beane, who assembled a contending ballclub despite a payroll much lower than most teams.

Pitt and comedian Demetri Martin had been cast, with other roles going to actual baseball players David Justice, Darryl Strawberry, Lenny Dykstra and others. 

So what will happen now? Over the weekend, Soderbergh shopped the project to Warner Bros. and Paramount. If neither bites, it could go back to Columbia with some major overhauls.

Image: INF

Post from: Film Gecko

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…

Jerry Weintraub will produce, along with James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz from a script by Chris Murphy.

Shooting will begin next year in Beijing and other cities. While the new film will be set in that exotic locale, it will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.

Good news? Jaden Smith is a gifted actor who brings a lot to any role he plays. I’ll look forward to seeing what he does with “The Karate Kid.”

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Post from: Film Gecko

Maybe Kirsten Dunst needs a serious project to help balance out “Spider-Man” 4 and 5. She’s making a documentary about how the nation votes, working with filmmaker Jacob Soboroff on the project.

Both Dunst and Soboroff are directing and producing the film, which explores why American voter participation lags behind turnout in other countries. Soboroff is the director of Why Tuesday?, a nonprofit organization that researches ways to increase voter turnout.

More after the jump…

“What we’re looking to do is give a nonpartisan look around the United States, and around the world, at how people are affected by voting systems, and what that means to the voters,” Soboroff said in a Yahoo story.

They interviewed the state’s chief elections officer, Secretary of State Al Jaeger, on Monday, and planned to interview other North Dakotans, the only state without voter registration.

“The older you get, it makes you feel more and more responsible for the power you have, especially being in the entertainment industry, and how delicate and important it is to use that power to influence people in a positive way,” said Dunst, 26.

Use your powers for good, Kirsten.

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Post from: Film Gecko

Not so. It’s actually a movie project about a guy who walks around with a beaver puppet on his hand, treating it like a human creature with human feelings. Those who’ve seen the script by Kyle Killen say it’s whimsical, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Lars and the Real Girl” springs to mind.

I can definitely see Steve Carell in something like that. It takes somebody with great timing to pull off a movie about a puppet.

Image: Newscom

Post from: Film Gecko