Danny McBride will star in Hench, based on (what else) a graphic novel about “a football player who suffers a career-ending injury and needs a job. He signs on as henchman to a successful villain.” McBride will co-write with Eastbound & Down co-writer Shawn Harwell. So, pretty much Eastbound & Down the movie then. I’m okay with that. Danny McBride may not be athletic, but the man can sure swear. [Variety]
Columbia pictures bought the rights to the story of that dude who surrendered himself to Somali pirates in exchange for his crew’s freedom. Sounds good, but… wasn’t this already a South Park episode? [THR]
20th Century Fox hired Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall, Starship Troopers) to direct The Surrogate (not to be confused with The Surrogates). “Based on the 2004 book by Kathryn Mackel, the story centers on a couple desperate to have a child who find themselves in an unbearable position when they find out the surrogate they hired to carry their baby is insane.” Uh… don’t all pregnant chicks go insane? Anyway, Fox and Verhoeven is a good relationship, because no one can do trash like Paul Verhoeven. I ordered a “Verhoeven” at a Dutch brothel once. Once. [THR]
BOOM! Studios (which is disappointingly unaffliated with Michael Bay) is doing a comic book called “Die Hard: Year One” about the adventures of John McClane before he yippie kai yayed Hans Gruber’s foreign ass off the Nakatomi Towers. Let’s hope it stays a comic book. Though I can already see the Fox execs moving their leg around like a dog when you rub its tummy. [ComicsContinuum via /Film]
