– In distribution news, Atom Egoyan’s “Chloe” has been picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group. The drama, a tale of infidelity starring Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried, will be released in the first half of next year, although it’s unclear whether it’ll be released through Sony Pictures Classics, or via another route. We kind of hated it when we saw it at Toronto, but we’re glad to see that one of our favorites from the festival, and indeed the year, Tom Ford’s “A Single Man”, has solidified a release date through The Weinstein Company: the picture will be out in limited release on December 11th, and expand from there.
– Parker Posey has joined Danny Glover in the comedy “Highland Park,” currently shooting in Detroit. The movie focuses on a teacher (Glover) who wins the lottery, and decides to use his winnings to restore the local library. Hopefully it’s not your run-of-the-mill inspirational teacher movie – the film’s described as “a dark comedy,” so it may prove more subversive than the synopsis sounds. Posey will play a homecoming queen-turned-mayor. Interestingly, the movie will benefit the local community, as it’s intended to mirror the film’s plot, and result in the restoration and re-opening of the real- life McGregor Library in Detroit.
– “Amityville Horror” remake director Andrew Douglas is returning to the screen for the British/Spanish co-production “The Perfect Assassin,” from “The Orphanage” producers Joaquin Padro and Mar Targarona. Like Michael Mann’s recently announced “Waiting for Robert Capa,” the film takes place during the Spanish Civil War, although this is a thriller, based on the novel “Homage to a Firing Squad” by Tariq Goddard, about two hit squads sent to kill a politician. The script, by Paul Webb, the writer of Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” project, will shoot in Spain next Spring.
– Sebastien Gutierrez’s “Women in Trouble,” a sort-of Almodovar-meets-Russ-Meyer camp indie that we were pretty lukewarm on at SXSW, has debuted its final theatrical poster. It seems to be aiming for effortless ’70s cool, but comes off more as Maxim meets “He’s Just Not That Into You.” Which actually represents the film quite well, now we think of it… It hits in limited release on November 13th.
– The indie flick, “The Space Between,” has a cast in the shape of the always wonderful Melissa Leo (“Frozen River”), AnnaSophia Robb (“Bridge to Terabitha”) and Brad William Henke (“Choke”). The movie follows a flight attendant, played by Leo, who has to accompany a young Arab-American boy, played by newcomer Anthony Keyvan, across the country following the 9/11 attacks, as the boy searches for his father, who works at the World Trade Center, and is written and directed by Travis Fine, a former American Airlines pilot. Sounds a bit afterschool special to us, despite the strong cast…
– Lucy Liu will star in the Mexican-produced, English language movie “Nomads,” about a documentary filmmaker tracking subway suicides. She’ll star alongside John Cothran Jr. (“Black Snake Moan”), Tamlyn Tomita (“24”) and Tenoch Huerta (“Sin Nombre”).
– In a move that seems at least 1 year, 11 months, 29 days, 23 hours and 45 minutes past its sell-by date, Simon Cowell, Britain’s most punchable man, and judge/producer on “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent,” is teaming with former Paramount studio head Brad Weston and Matthew Vaughn to produce a biopic of the chunky opera star Paul Potts. The singer was a mobile phone salesman who was the first winner of “Britain’s Got Talent” with his rendition of “Nessun Dorma,” and has since gone on to perform all over the world. The movie, which will retain the British setting, is entitled “One Chance”, and has a script by “The Bucket List” screenwriter Justin Zackham, and looks set to be directed by Julian Jarrold (“Becoming Jane”, “Red Riding: 1974”). There’s no news on casting, but five’ll get you ten they want British TV star James Corden, also set to star in Brit List topper “Good Luck Anthony Belcher.”