Variety is reporting that Universal Pictures and its specialty arm Focus Features have struck a deal to finance and sell a package of five movies to be made by the new independent production banner Tres, a partnership between the three Mexican filmmakers
Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu.
We talked about this possibility on one of our shows a few weeks ago, and now we can report that negotiations have been completed and Gerard Butler (300) will star opposite Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin in Fox Walden kids adventure “Nim’s Island,” based on Wendy Orr’s kids tome of the same name.
Several shows cancelled just this week by the major US networks are expected to do very well in the overseas markets, making execs wonder if new episodes might need to be made just for that market. Shows like “Jericho,” “Vanished” and “Drive” could be very well received. “The big question, though, is whether there is anything as fresh and innovative as what’s been out there in foreign for four or five years,” Fox Intl. TV prexy Marion Edwards said. “Is there, in short, another ‘CSI’ or ’24’ ?” Hey, CBS — get a clue, “Jericho” was well received in the US market and it was still cancelled after only one season.
The Hollywood money counters are holding their collective breaths and hoping that this weekend’s premiere of “Shrek the Third” will be another big box office bonanza for its studio, as “Spider Man 3” was for Sony over the last two weekends in a row.
Good news for ABC and “Lost” fans. The show has been showing a respectable, but slow climb in the ratings over the last several weeks. It is now averaging around a steady 12+ million viewers per week. Down by 2 million over its first season, but still respectable enough to keep ABC and its adverstisers happy.
Pakistan is now into making zombie movies. Their first with midget zombies was produced by — get ready for it — a Pakistani ice cream mogul. The film comes from writer-director Omer Ali Khan and is called “Zibahkhana,” which translated into English roughly means “Hell’s Ground”. It only took Khan one month to shoot the film and he just used one Hi-Def camera. It looks like a real gem in the vein of very early Romero, but it will seem creepier to a Western audience because they are speaking in Hindi-Urdu (wonder what “Braaaains” sounds like in Urdu?). The film is subtitled in English. Catch the trailer on YouTube.
This weekend is time for the big 2007 Fangoria Weekend of Horrors Convention in Burbank, CA. Guests will include Rob Zombie, Thomas Jane (who has opted out of the next Punisher movie — no reason given by the actor), Kill Bill’s Michael Madsen, Doug Bradley and many more. The event starts tonight and it’s still not too late to get on board. To learn more go to the Official Fangoria Website.
The new “Transformers” movie won’t be released until July 4th but it has already been nominated for the MTV Movie Award. You can make your choice for the best by going HERE.