We begin with the Daily Mail, where Baz Bamigboye has broken a quite a nice little story today: “British director Steve McQueen, whose acclaimed film 12 Years a Slave is a contender in the most exciting awards seasons for years, is to make a BBC drama series exploring the black experience in Britain. The filmmaker told me exclusively that he will gather a group of actors for a series of workshops to develop the programs, to be set in West London, where he was born, from the late Sixties to the present day.”
Johnnie To is preparing Design for Living, a musical with Chow Yun-fat, reports Kevin Ma at Film Biz Asia.
“Rebecca Miller will next direct Maggie’s Plan, a romantic comedy of manners that will star Frances Ha’s Greta Gerwig,” reports Deadline‘s Mike Fleming Jr.
“After steering Borderline Films partners Sean Durkin and Antonio Campos’s short and feature film projects to critical success, it’s now Josh Mond’s turn to step forward into the spotlight/director’s chair,” writes Ioncinema‘s Eric Lavallee. James White will feature Cynthia Nixon, Ron Livingston, Scott (Kid Cudi) Mescudi, Mackenzie Leigh, David Call and Christopher Abbott.
At Indiewire, Ziyad Saadi reports that Cinema Guild has picked up rights to Tsai Ming-liang’s Stray Dogs.
“Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all North American rights to Woody Allen’s Magic in the Moonlight, starring Eileen Atkins, Colin Firth, Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater, Simon McBurney, Emma Stone and Jacki Weaver,” reports Pat Saperstein in Variety. Adds the Guardian‘s Andrew Pulver: “SPC describe Magic as ‘a romantic comedy about an Englishman brought in to help unmask a possible swindle. Personal and professional complications ensue.'”
“Where on Earth do we begin with the saga that is the forever developing Richard Pryor biopic,” wonders the Playlist‘s Kevin Jagernauth. He manages to keep it brief and notes that Lee Daniels is currently in talks to take it on. Also: Kevin Smith has wrapped a horror film, Tusk, and plans to shoot Clerks 3 in May.
“Absolutely Fabulous is to return as a film, its creator Jennifer Saunders has confirmed.” Jasper Copping has the story in the Telegraph.
“Louis C.K. is finally releasing his unseen, black-and-white movie from 1998 that features young stars-in-the-making in J.B. Smoove, Steve Carrell, Amy Poehler, and Wanda Sykes,” reports Eric Levenson for the Wire. Tomorrow Night will be available at the comedian’s site for $5 beginning in February.
Mark Romanek is in talks to direct Casey Affleck in Boston Strangler,” reports Variety‘s Justin Kroll.
“Oscilloscope Laboratories has come to the table for Wayne Wang’s Soul of a Banquet, acquiring worldwide rights to the documentary while it is still in production,” reports Variety‘s Dave McNary.
“Elijah Wood has signed on for a lead role in Set Fire to the Stars, a film exploring the relationship between the poets Dylan Thomas and John Malcolm Brinnin,” reports Ben Beaumont-Thomas. Also in the Guardian, Ben Child: “The dramatic finale to bestselling Gillian Flynn psychological thriller Gone Girl has been completely rewritten for the highly anticipated upcoming film adaptation by acclaimed director David Fincher.”
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes won’t be out for another six months, but 20th Century Fox and director Matt Reeves are reuniting for a third film in the film series.” HitFix reports.
“David Simon, creator of the TV series The Wire and Treme, has reportedly finished the first draft of a musical based on the music of British-bred Irish rockers the Pogues.” Kory Grow reports for Rolling Stone.
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