Watch Ben Craig's Short'Modern Times'That Has Studios Buzzing« FirstShowing.net

If you're already wondering if the title has something to do with Charlie Chaplin, it does, but you'll find out exactly how once you watch it.Heat Visionrecently featured a short film that's been floating around the web since December calledModern Timesthat was conceived and directed by Scottish art directorBen
Craig. The reason it was featured is because its getting lots of buzz around Hollywood and subsequently Ben Craig has been pursued by studios like Warner Bros, Fox and Paramount for upcoming projects. The short can be seen below and, despite the name, is a futuristic sci-fi that film fanswillshouldfall instantly in love with.

Watch Ben Craig's shortModern Timesbelow and read the story about how he made it over onHeat Vision.

Wasn't that just wonderful? It kind of feels like2001: A Space Odyssey,Moonand J.J. Abrams'Star Trekall rolled into one, which is actually quite awesome. And now you know why it's also titledModern Times. Please tell me that's something that we'llactuallybe able to experience in our"near"future, because holy hell is that one amazing movie screen. Craig came up with this after thinking"who was going to {watch all} these old movies andwhere?"He learned by watching commercial shoots, then shot the live-action portion over a weekend. He then spent two more months in post-production, learning along the way. The result is obviously spectacular, I just hope he can successfully extend that same quality into a feature-length movie.

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Charlize Theron Takes'Snow White& the Huntsman'Over'J. Edgar'« FirstShowing.net

After considering two very different roles in two very different projects, it looks likeCharlize Theronhas finally made her choice. Though it had previously been mentioned Theron wasleaning towardstaking the role of Helen Gandy, a Justice Department file clerk who ended up being J. Edgar Hoover’s secretary in Clint Eastwood'sJ.Edgarbiopic, she's apparently chosen to play the evil queen inSnow White and the Huntsman. Since this Snow White project was meant to be filming by now, the delayed schedule must have conflicted with Eastwood's film, but another high profile project may have been a factor.More below!

This news of Theron finally signing on came in the form of another bit of casting forJ. EdgarfromDeadline."Gossip Girl starEd Westwickhas joined the cast as Agent Smith. Rather than being a manipulative villainous computer program in The Matrix, this character is a clean cut operative with writing skill and once Hoover discovers the man can write, he conscripts the agent to write the FBI director's biography. But complications arrise when Smith gets a little too close to the truth. But before that news came along with Theron's denial ofJ. Edgarand confirmation ofSnow White and the Huntsman, it had been said she turned down the historical drama for another big project.

Vulturereports that Theron apparently dropped out of the project because she's considering taking the lead role in Ridley Scott'sAlienprequel. The actress is supposed to have the script in hand this week a decision to follow shortly thereafter. However, it seems kind of strange to turn down a solid part for just the chance to take the lead role in another film, even if it is anAlienprequel. The studio wants a big name like Theron, but Scott is still sweet on Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). Despite Vulture's reliability, the news on theAlienprequel from all sources has been all over the place, and we'll just wait for some official news. We'll keep you posted as more information becomes available.

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Casting Tidbits: Jeremy Piven, Jennifer Lawrence& Kevin James« FirstShowing.net

Ok, so I still live with my parents, which I admit is bogus and sad. However I do have Casting Tidbits, and I still know how to party. But what I'd really like is to do"Wayne's World"for a living. It might happen. Yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt! First up,The WrapreportsJeremy Pvien("Entourage") andMike O'Malley("Glee") will star in the Miley Cyrus action comedySo Undercoverfrom director Tom Vaughan (What Happens in Vegas). The story follows a tough, street-smart private investigator (Cyrus) who's hired by the FBI to go undercover in a college sorority. Piven plays an FBI agent while O'Malley plays Cyrus' father.

Second,Deadlinehas a list of the young actresses who have emerged as the frontrunners to star alongside Taylor Lautner in thepreviously announcedadaptation ofIncarceron. The story follows a young boy (Lautner) who lives in a prison that is a complete society in a world stuck in the 17th century and run by computers. But things get interesting when the boy comes into contact with the prison warden's daughter, who kind of lives in a jail of her own, and they find a key that can change everything. Up for the role of the warden's daughter areBlake Lively(The Town),Jennifer Lawrence(fresh off an amazing performance in Winter's Bone) andEmma Watson(of theHarry Potterfranchise). We'll keep you posted when a decision is made.

Next,Deadlinehas word thatKevin Jameswill re-team withThe Zookeeperdirector Frank Coraci for yet another comedy. The two will collaborate on a currentlyuntitled projectthat follows a physics teacher who moonlights as a mixed martial arts fighter to raise money and save the music program his students love. But the stakes are even higher as he makes it all the way to the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Coraci has done some decent work with Adam Sandler inThe Wedding SingerandClick, but it's hard to find anything funny about Kevin James.

Finally,The WrapreportsRon Livingstonhas booked two new projects. First, the Office Space star has landed a role inThe Odd Life of Timothy Green. Director Peter Hedges (Dan in Real Life) will helm the film from a story by Ahmet Zappa about a couple unable to conceive (Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner) who bury their wishes for a baby in a box in their backyard. Some time later, they discover a child there, but the child is not all that it appears. It's not clear what role Livington will play. Additionally, the actor has also been cast inTen Year, the ensemble high school reunion drama featuring Justin Long, Channing Tatum, Kate Mara, Anthony Mackie and many more.

Well, that's all for this edition ofCasting Tidbits. Be sure to stay tuned for more casting updates on the way.

Kelly Osbourne co-stars as a sorority sister alongside Eloise Mumford, Lauren McKnight, Megan Park, Morgan Calhoun and Alexis Knapp.
Miley's"momager"Tish Cyrus will also produce, while Jodi Zuckerman-Weiner will exec produce for Cyrus' production company Hope Town Entertainment, along with Rob Cowan.

Piven next stars in Mark Pellington's indie drama"I Melt With You,"which will be one of the hottest acquisition titles at Sundance next week. He also plays a key role in Robert Rodriguez's latest"Spy Kids"sequel, and is set to star in the indie"Drift."

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Mysterious New Sci-Fi Project'Alien Sleeper Cell'in Development« FirstShowing.net

Maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of this than I should, but you never know, something like this could be the nextDistrict 9.Varietyposted a news article talking about producerBill Blockand his companyQEDInternational's upcoming line-up of projects, from aJust Causeadaptation toThe FieldstoCrosshair, but they also mention one in specific, without providingtoomany details. One project he's working on is calledAlien Sleeper Cell, written by newcomerMorgan Davis Foehl, an assistant editor onI Now Pronounce You Chuck& Larry, that deals with"otherworldly beasties."That's all they say and that's all we can find.

There really isn't anything else about thisAlien Sleeper Cellout there. What makes it interesting is that Bill Block was one half of the producing team (Peter Jackson the other) onDistrict 9. Now Block is a half of the producing team on this too, partnered with Adrian Askarieh'sPrime Universe Prods. Once the script is complete, Block's QED Intl. and Prime Universe will package the project and seek out independent financing or partner with a studio to fund it. So it's obviously in theveryearly development stages, butAlien Sleeper Cellsounds like something to keep our eye on, it might be pretty cool.Anyone hear anything about it?

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Jennifer Love Hewitt to Helm Ghostly Tale'Wait Till Helen Comes'« FirstShowing.net

After a hook-handed, fisherman killer never forgot what she did last summer,Jennifer Love Hewittwent on to become the"Ghost Whisperer"for all the geriatrics who watch CBS. Now the actress will go from ghost whispering to telling a ghost story asVarietyreports she is set to make her feature directorial debut withWait Till Helen Comes. Written by Sanchez Mandryk and based on thenovel of the same nameby Mary Downing Hahn, the story focuses on a family who has recently moved to the Maryland countryside where the tormented ghost of a little girl suddenly becomes involved with the young daughters of the family.

Even creepier is the house in which this family has moved was once a church and the little girl spirit only seems to be interesting in haunting the 12-year old daughter in the family, but forms an intimate though dangerous friendship with her 7-year-old stepsister. Sounds like this could end up like a mix ofThe Good Sonand countless ghost stories that use the innocence of children to make a dangerous spirit even more scary. If you're skeptical of Love Hewitt's directing talents, apparently the actress has had some experience behind the camera directing several episodes of"Ghost Whisperer,"so she's primed for a feature film now.Anyone interested?

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Ridley Scott's Alien Prequel'Prometheus'Ready to Launch in 2012« FirstShowing.net

Whoa - it's here, the official announcement that Ridley Scott'sAlienprequel (or, no longer anAlienprequel, you'll find outwhy) is in development.Deadlinereports that 20th Century Fox has officially announced the titlePrometheusand a release date ofMarch 9th, 2012. But here's the catch, it might not exactly be anAlienprequel after all, as it has morphed into something"more original."And this original idea apparently involves five major roles, one of which will be played byNoomi Rapace, the others haven't been cast, but actresses circling roles called"Vickers"areAngelina JolieandCharlize Theron. More quotes below!

As wealready know,Lost'sDamon Lindelofcame in last year to rewrite Jon Spaihts's original script that he initially drafted for Scott. Well, it expanded into"new directions"(as was hinted atin a recent update) and has become something else. So here's how it's explained in its current form by Ridley Scott himself:

"While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved anew, grand mythologyanduniversein which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien'sDNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film areunique, large and provocative. I couldn't be more pleased to have found the singular tale I'd been searching for, and finally return to this genre that's so close to my heart."

Wow, Lindelof must've struck someseriousgold, because it sounds like he's riled up Scott in a big way and even made sure to get Fox on-board ready to go with a 2012 release date. Deadline spoke to Lindelof who, as well, seemed ecstatic to even be working on the same project:"In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots, I was incredibly struck by just howoriginalRidley's vision was for this movie. It's daring, visceral and hopefully, the last thing anyone expects. When I sat in a movie theater as a kid, feet raised off the floor for fear that something might grab my ankles, I never dreamed in mywildest imaginationI would one day get to collaborate with the man responsible for it. Working alongside him has been nothing short ofa dream come true."And with that dream realized, together they're set to bring usPrometheusin 2012!

That's all the info Deadline has for now, also adding that"the other major roles will be cast shortly,"as I'm sure production will be aiming to get underway sometime soon this year. This probably explains why Jolie leftGravityand why Noomi Rapace (ofThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) was one of Scott's top contenders originally. This really sounds incredible, an entirely new sci-fi series from Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof that brings in new characters in a new universe. And I bet he'll somehow still sneak in an explanation for the"Spacey Jockey"fromAlien. Stay tuned for more updates as they arrive!Until then - what do you think?

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Jessica Biel + Four Others Now Shortlisted for'Dark Knight Rises'« FirstShowing.net

A rumor just cropped up atCollidersayingNaomi WattsandEva Greenhave possibly been cast in the two female roles in the anticipated sequelThe Dark Knight Rises. It was believed that Green snagged the role of female villainTalia al Ghul, daughter of Batman Begins villian Ra's al Ghul, while Watts would be playing love interestVicki Vale. However, those two names don't appear on Heat Vision'snew shortlistof actresses who are meeting with Nolan for the sequel. Those in the running include usual suspects likeKeira Knightley,Anne HathawayandJessica Biel, but there are some less known names mentioned to be in the running as well.

Also taking meetings with Christopher Nolan areKate Mara(We Are Marshall,127 Hours) andCharlotte Riley. ApparentlyGemma Arterton(Clash of the Titans) was also supposed to meet with Nolan, but herrecent castinginHansel and Gretel: Witch Huntersmay preclude her from even considering a role in the film. In addition, Watts and Green have been too busy shooting their own projects to meet with Nolan yet, so it's very unlikely that they're even close to snagging a role in the sequel just yet (though Watts was on theprevious shortlistof actresses in the running)

However, even if Collider is wrong about the casting, they were right about one thing. Apparently one of the female roles will indeed be Talia al Ghul, and if Tom Hardy ends up playing a villain like everyone expects, then we may have two villains for Batman to deal with again. As a point of interest, Charlotte Riley is actually engaged to Tom Hardy, so do what you will with that information. For now we'll just try to sit patiently until some official information gets released.Which of these ladies would you like inThe Dark Knight Rises?

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