Yesterday’s story of Penelope Cruz joining Lars von Trier’s Melancholia proved to be false, but here is another casting announcement with the actress. THR’s Heat Vision Blog is reporting (and since has taken down) that Penelope Cruz (Nine, Broken Embraces) will be joining Johnny Depp in the Rob Marshall-directed Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The film’s story “revolves around the Fountain of Youth.” Read the full story

In a press release Governor of Hawaii Linda Lingle announced a number of films that will start filming in the state. On the islands of Kaua’i and O’ahu this summer Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films will being shooting Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. This is the fourth installment of the series and will be directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine). The release also confirmed Clint Eastwood just wrapped Hereafter, a thriller starring Matt Damon. It also confirmed that Alexander Payne’s (Sideways, Election) latest film starring George Clooney, The Descendants has started pre-production. Check out the full press release below thanks to Coming Soon. Read the full story

With Nine being released very soon director Rob Marshall has been out and about doing press. Coming Soon had a chance to sit down with him and they uncovered some facts about the next entry into Pirates series, On Stranger Tides:

We’re still trying to figure out if it’s going to all happen. If it happens–I think Johnny’s doing a movie with Angelina Jolie in the spring [The Tourist] — so if it happens, we’ll start in the summer, and we’ll see. I’m excited. If it happens, it happens. I’d be thrilled. I just love Johnny and I’m excited about the genre.

When asked about where he would take the movie visually:

I would need a script first. It all comes from the script and the story. You serve the story and you find out what the story is and then you work from there, that’s it. It’s simple.

I can’t imagine this movie not being made, as the massive box office the previous three have accumulated. The only question is when…and nobody seems to have that figured out.

Do you want to see another entry into the Pirates series? What about with Marshall directing?

The third trailer for Rob Marshall’s (Chicago) Nine has premiered on Apple in HD. The film is a musical adaptation inspired by Fellini’s famous film and the original play. Check out the trailer with the all star cast of Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson and Sophia Lauren below. Read the full story

In July it was rumored that Chicago and upcoming Nine director Rob Marshall would possibly be directing the fourth entry into the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. According to an AICN report from a DGA screening of Nine, when Marshall was asked about the project he said “ya’know, it’s something that I was offered and never in the world thought I would do but then I was like ‘why not?’… I’m doing ‘Pirates of the Caribbean….” The story also mentioned how Marshall and Johnny Depp got together are excited to get to work on the film. This fourth entry will be based on Tim Powers’ pirate novel On Stranger Tides which was optioned by Disney years ago. You can find the plot below.

Read the full story

It looks as though we will be seeing a lot of Nine promotion on ABC. The Weinstein Company, still struggling to stay above financial waters it seems, has signed a pact with Disney/ABC Unlimited to pepper the high-profile Rob Marshall musical all over ABC television, whether it’s applying the song “Be Italian” (from the “Nine” musical) into Dancing With The Stars (matching dress ensembles included) or name-dropped in day-time soaps.

Disney will also offer a road block-style trailer on ABC and the majority of ABC/Disney own cable channels on November 22nd. ABC.com is even devoting a microsite to the film on the master Web site, “streaming of the movie trailer and a half-hour “Making of ‘Nine’” special.” [Variety]

This harks back to the way TWC handled the release of Inglourious Basterds, splitting the work with Universal, forfeiting most of the international take to the big studio.

While it’s a smart, “hedge you bets” kind of move that worked in the case of the $300 million grossing Basterds, it’s still a bet that may not pay off. But TWC and Disney are covering all media bases, from TV to Internet. “The audience is not just watching TV,” he said. “There’s a fragmentation. They’re also online, they’re accessing shows on Blackberrys. This allows us to say, this is the depth of programming we want to access. We want to go after audiences on several fronts,” said Francois Martin, senior vice president of marketing at the Weinstein Co. [Variety].

Even with his proposed movie version of Bioshock being put on hold due to budgetary concerns, Gore Verbinski remains a very busy man.  In post-production on his next movie Rango and with several other projects in development, he seems to be too busy for a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean.  Disney, however, wants this movie to happen.  This is where Rob Marshall comes in.

A story at Variety has pegged Marshall as being the director of the new Pirates movie.  Marshall previously directed the Best Picture winning Chicago and is currently in post production on his Daniel Day-Lewis 8 1/2 inspired musical Nine, and is now being courted by Disney to take over the franchise from Verbinski.  The story also says they want to begin filming before Johnny Depp begins filming Disney’s The Lone Ranger.  He may be the only returning lead, as both Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom said they will not return for a fourth installment.  Whether or not they change their minds and decide to return will have to wait and see.

To say I have no attachment to the Pirates series is an understatement.  I really don’t care for the first movie, go “meh” at the second one, and I’ve actually never seen the third one, because at that point I didn’t care.  News like this only further lessens my interest, with not having the original director or 2/3 of the lead team aboard, what’s the point?

What do you think of Rob Marshall directing a fourth film in the Pirates franchise?

The trailer for Rob Marshall’s (Chicago) Nine has premiered on Apple in HD and brings us the picture of the century (see above). The film is a musical adaptation inspired by Fellini’s famous film. Check out the trailer with the all star cast of Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson and Sophia Lauren after the jump along with 38 screen captures.

Check out the trailer and screencaps >>

Last Sunday Slumdog Millionaire swept the Academy Awards concluding the culmination of 2008 cinema. 2009 film is now upon us. It’s been a bit of a mix with the horrendous Paul Blart: Mall Cop kicking off the year, but so far, it’s left us with a couple gems (Taken and Coraline 3-D). It’s not too early to take a look at the films that we will be seeing in next year’s Academy Awards. If you are looking for a more mainstream/blockbuster films, check out my 50 Must-See Movies of 2009. If you want a list of higher caliber films, here are my predictions for the major 2010 Oscars categories:

Best Picture/Director

I’ve decided to lump these two categories together since it’s too early to separate them out. Here are 10 films that I can see being in the running with some other contenders after:

Martin Scorsese – Shutter Island (a.k.a. Ashecliffe

Plot: Drama is set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island. Leo DiCaprio leads an all-star cast, including Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams and Max von Sydow

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UPDATE: The list below was written in January of 2009. I suggest checking out our new list, 65 Must See Movies of 2010. Click the image below to see:

So 2008 is over, come on, it’s time to move on. Here are 50 great reasons to go to the theater this year:

January

My Bloody Valentine 3-D (Jan 16^th)

Synopsis: After surviving a fatal accident that claimed the lives of five of men in a mine shaft, Harry Warden performed a horrific killing spree on Valentines night in the town of Harmony, killing 22 people before he was shot to death.

Why You Should See It: Early screening reports have said there is more sex, limbs, and buckets of blood than one can handle. The 3-D gimmick is the only reason this is on my list. If implemented right it should be a great time at the movies.

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