— It’s been a while since we had an entry in the ‘college reunion’ sub-genre, that was briefly so popular after the success of “The Big Chill.” It looks like it’s making a comeback now, though, in the shape of “The Romantics,” written and directed by “Lonesome Jim” producer Galt Niederhoffer, who adapted it from her own novel. Katie Holmes takes the lead (replacing Liv Tyler, who originally had the part), fronting a pretty good cast also featuring Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Malin Akerman, Elijah Wood, Adam Brody and Jeremy Strong, in a story revolving around eight college friends who reunite in their 20s for a wedding. Filming begins in New York this week.
— Julia Roberts’ production company Red Om has bought the rights to the soon-to-be-published book “In the Neighborhood,” a non-fiction work by Peter Lovenheim, about a man who tries to establish a sense of community in his area by asking to stay at his neighbors’ houses. Red Om are partnering with India’s Reliance Big Entertainment on the project, along with a number of other possible versions, including “Mallory.” about the famous mountaineer George Mallory, and “The Journey of the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon,” a biopic of a young photographer who was murdered in Somalia, which last we checked has Daniel Radcliffe attached to star. It’s unknown if Roberts will take an acting role in any of the projects.
— Helen Mirren has joined the cast of the latest entry in the burgeoning “geriatric vengeance” genre, Robert Schwentke’s “Red,” Mirren joins Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman in the thriller, about a CIA agent with a dark secret, who has to flee from the current management, who are trying to cover up their past. Shooting begins in January.
— Along with “Battleships” and “Monopoly,” Hasbro’s ouija boards are set to be adapted into a movie, for Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes company, titled “Ouija.” The project now has a pair of writers, in the shape of J.J. Abrams proteges, and writers of the forthcoming “Tron: Legacy”, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The project is set to be a “supernatural action-adventure movie,” which will incorporate the rules of ouija boards into the plot. We’re quivering in our boots already for this sure-to-be, Academy-nominated classic.
Here’s some weirdness. Uuhhhhhhh….“Nowhere Boy” director Sam Taylor-Wood, 42, is engaged to the film’s star, 19-year-old, Aaron Johnson. Ok then….