We may live in the age of the international franchise, where American films open abroad weeks before domestic release to run up box office grosses, but there are still a few stars that are able to scare up some funding from studios, pre-existing material be damned. In fact, this morning sees news of two such stars bringing movies to life simply by virute of their name, though they’ll be dealing in opposite ends of the tonal spectrum.
First up, on the more dramatic end, Oscar winner Sandra Bullock is eying the starring role in an adaptation of Bob Kealing’s non-fiction chronicle of the famous plastic container, “Tupperware Unsealed.” The “Gravity” star, reports THR, would portray “trailblazing sales exec Brownie Wise” who oversaw the company’s rise when she “came up with the idea of having Tupperware parties. Soon those get-togethers were sweeping the nation and Wise became as popular as the product she was selling and in 1954 she also became the first woman to appear on the cover of ‘Business Week.’” “The Help” director Tate Taylor wrote the screenplay and is attached to direct the still-untitled film that would serve as his follow-up to the forthcoming James Brown biopic, “Get On Up.”
Despite recently signing up for a reunion with his pals and frequent collaborators, Adam McKay and “John C. Reilly” for “Border Guards,” Will Ferrell may have another job lined up for the future. Deadline reports TriStar – which still exists! – “has pre-emptively bought” a pitch – “The Yank” – that sees Ferrell as “a mild mannered insurance courier who gets caught up in a a consipiracy to steal the Crown Jewels in London.” Rising screenwriting duo Steve Pink and Jeff Morris will pen the script. Currently no director is attached.