Michael Bay has been many places in his cinematic career, and they usually involve explosions, but one territory yet to be dynamited on screen by the director is underwater. That could very well change. Paramount has snapped up an untitled pitch from Tom Wheeler (“Puss In Boots“) and Robbie Thompson (“Supernatural“) that will be produced by Bay’s Platinum Dunes and developed as potential vehicle for the filmmaker. There are no specific plot details just yet, but it’s described as a “real science adventure thriller with an undersea component.” So, think about that while you watch Bay smash robots together this summer in “Transformers: Age Of Extinction.” [THR]
Yet another Nicholas Sparks adaptation is on the way to fill your quote of manipulative, melodramatic tripe. George Tillman Jr. (“Faster,” “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete“) will bring “The Longest Ride” to the big screen, telling two stories: one about “an elderly man who lies trapped in a car accident, and, while fighting to remain conscious, sees visions of his deceased wife and their life together. The second centers on a high school senior who meets a young bull rider with a secret.” We’re sure those threads eventually converge in the most ludicrous way possible. Craig Bolotin (“Black Rain,” “Straight Talk“) has penned the script. [THR]
Roland Joffé, who previous film was the problem-saddled “Singularity,” is headed to the world of TV for an adaptation of “The Hunchback Of Notre Dame.” Titled “Ugly,” the series “will be set against the political, economic and social explosion of early 17th Century France.” Joffé is writing the script, but no word yet if he’ll also get behind the camera for an episode. We would presume so,, but he might be too busy: he’s also set to direct the eight-hour miniseries “Texas Rising” for A&E. [Deadline]
Lastly, “The Iceman” director Ariel Vromen has been tapped to helm the David Goyer produced “Somacell” for Warner Bros. Ashleigh Powell penned the script that is said to be in the ballpark of “Minority Report” and “Inception,” set in “a near future where violent criminals can be rehabilitated using technology that allows counselor to enter prisoners’ memories and influence them to change their actions. When one counselor starts to believe her patient is innocent, she unravels a terrifying conspiracy and maybe even her own reality.” [Variety]