At this rate my next headline will just be “PENIS PENIS VAGINA.” Anyway, looks like Brad Pitt/Steven Soderbergh’s adaptation of Moneyball, which Sony head Amy Pascal shelved three days before it was supposed to start shooting, will be moving forward without Steven Soderbergh. Pascal reportedly didn’t like Soderbergh’s idea to shoot documentary-style recreations of events from the non-fiction book using the real people involved. Aaron Sorkin (your parents’ Joss Whedon) has been hired to do a re-write.
The writer has been brought on to do a draft of the baseball drama, drawing on Steve Zaillian’s earlier take. The studio wants to move forward quickly with the new iteration, with Sorkin set to turn in his version as soon as next month. [THR]
It sounded like Steven Soderbergh had an idea to try something different, rather than going the usual studio route of trying to crowbar non-fiction reporting into a conventional narrative, a lá Fast Food Nation, and it sucks that we’ll never get to see it. But when it comes right down to it, this is still a book about baseball stats, which is right up there with Jon and Kate and American Idol on my list of things I absolutely, positively couldn’t give less of a sh-t about.
According to E.W., Fight Club/Benjamin Button director David Fincher is “in talks” to direct a Facebook movie. But don’t worry, it’s not “Facebook: The Movie,” it’s not about looking up girls who rejected you in high school and being happy they got fat, it’s about how Facebook was created.
Sources tell EW that producers are very high on securing the acclaimed director’s involvement on the project, which centers on the drama behind the Harvard dorm room creation of Facebook by founder Mark Zuckerberg and his roommates. Producers Scott Rudin, Mike DeLuca, and Kevin Spacey are hoping to get the film into production this year or first thing next year.
The script is still top secret, but it was written by Aaron Sorkin, who’s basically your parents’ Joss Whedon. If you don’t know what that means, just trust me that the explanation would be really boring. Anyway, I hope the Facebook movie is as good as DW Griffith’s 1926 classic, Radio (which was later reimagined as a retarded Cuba Gooding Jr. vehicle).
UPDATE: /Film now reports that the film is actually based on the book (set for release next month)
The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal, by Ben Mezrich, the guy who also wrote the book upon which 21 was based.
Dreamworks is quickly moving forward with The Trial of the Chicago 7, an Aaron Sorkin script about those accused of inciting the 1968 riots at the Democratic convention. Steven Spielberg and Paul Greengrass (Bourne series) were both mentioned as possible directors at one point, but today’s news is that they’re considering Ben Stiller. Yes, that Ben Stiller.
While the discussions for Stiller to helm the film are very much at the exploratory stage, the actor and DreamWorks are mulling whether such a pairing would work for both parties. A “Chicago” gig would mark a departure for Stiller, who has directed such successful comedies as “Tropic Thunder” and “Zoolander,” but has not helmed a serious political picture of this kind before. [THR]
I like this idea, but only if Will Ferrell or Sacha Cohen plays Abbie Hoffman and Robert Downey in blackface plays a Black Panther. I mean, because otherwise it’s probably gonna just be another baby boomer circle jerk movie. C’mon, everyone, let’s jump in the S.U.V. and relive the time we almost, like, changed things, maaaan. On the way we can listen to that new Dylan album where he plays ukelele with his dick.
“Next question - you, the tubby bitch eating Krispy Kreme.”
Cunty NY Times columnist Maureen Dowd recently called West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin to ask what a meeting between fictional West Wing president Jed Bartlet (played by Martin Sheen) and presidential candidate Barack Obama would be like. Sorkin wrote the whole thing out, and, ta da! one Dowd column in the can. Hey, Aaron, I have a couple days of movie news I could use your help with…
I’m including the full scene below. It’s a great way to find out what a celebrity thinks about politics, just in case you didn’t watch the Oscars, the Emmys, Oprah, The View, The Daily Show, Jay Leno, Dave Letterman, Hogan Knows Best, 24, Lost… well, pretty much anything other than The Hills. The Hills is always a nice break from politics, the downside is you have watch elementary school dropouts talk about laundry for half an hour.
BARACK OBAMA knocks on the front door of a 300-year-old New Hampshire farmhouse while his Secret Service detail waits in the driveway. The door opens and OBAMA is standing face to face with former President JED BARTLET.
BARTLET Senator.OBAMA Mr. President.
BARTLET You seem startled.
OBAMA I didn’t expect you to answer the door yourself.
BARTLET I didn’t expect you to be getting beat by John McCain and a Lancôme rep who thinks “The Flintstones” was based on a true story, so let’s call it even.
OBAMA Yes, sir.
Famous movie and TV writer guy Aaron Sorkin recently announced his plans to make a Facebook movie. It may sound like a crazy idea, but not to the billion people who’ve already uploaded videos on YouTube titled “Facebook: The Movie”. Sorkin, who last wrote Charlie Wilson’s War, released the statement via, what else, Facebook:
I’ve just agreed to write a movie for Sony and producer Scott Rudin about how Facebook was invented. I figured a good first step in my preparation would be finding out what Facebook is, so I’ve started this page. (Actually it was started by my researcher, Ian Reichbach, because my grandmother has more Internet savvy than I do and she’s been dead for 33 years.
And that joke’s been dead for 10.
I honestly don’t know how this works, which is why I’m here. If anyone has any questions I’d be happy to answer them as best I can. If anyone has any comments I’m glad to listen. And if anyone has any Facebook stories I think they might be helpful.
So there you have it, a Facebook movie. I guess the writing is on the wall! Get it? Writing on the wall? You know, because on Facebook… … Whatever, I was leaving anyway.
