Eat the Minions, Pray for Betty, and Love Toy Story 3
Producer Jerry Weintraub (Karate Kid (1984 and 2010) has pitched a remake of Oh, God! to Warner Brothers. He wants Betty White in the George Burns’ role, and Paul Rudd in the other lead. My guess: White has too much respect for Burns to take the offer, plus: Come on. I love Betty White. Everyone loves Betty White. But that woman is 88 years old: I know she can still kick a lot of ass, but a lead role in a major motion picture might be a little much. Maybe that’s ageist, but we’ve only got one Golden Girl left, people. Let’s try to preserve her a little longer. (Deadline)
Sony is re-teaming Ryan Murphy with his Eat, Pray, Love actress, Julie Roberts before Eat, Pray, Love is even released, reportedly offering Murphy $5 million to write and direct an untitled comedy that would have Roberts as a “working woman who is married to a stay-at-home husband. When she loses her job, their roles are reversed and she’s forced to finally adjust to motherhood.” Broad enough? At least it’s not a remake. Brad Pitt and Plan B will produce. (Deadline)
The Sixth Sense’s Haley Joel Osment has signed on to Sex Ed. The story follows a college graduate who dreams of teaching high school Algebra. Due to budget cuts though, he ends up teaching sexual education, which is something of a problem as he’s still a virgin. Here’s what Haley looks like these days:
A virgin? Not a huge stretch.
Doug Liman has attached himself to what I believe may be the fourth project in the last few months that he’s attached himself to. This one is an adaptation of the Monte Reel non-fiction book, The Last of the Tribe: The Epic Quest to Save a Lone Man in the Amazon. Maybe this one will be the one he eventually directs. (Variety)
Now with $342 milion, Toy Story 3 is officially the highest grossing Pixar movie to date, stateside. Those 3D ticket prices sure didn’t hurt. (FS)
After the huge opening of Despicable Me over the weekend, a sequel has now been greenlit, as well as shorts featuring The Minions. (Deadline)
Zac Efron has started his own production company, Ninja Runnin’ Wild (Really?), and he’s set up an untitled workplace comedy that the scribe for 17 Again will write. (THR)
Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace) is attached to direct Heretics, a movie inspired by an episode of NPR’s “This American Life,” about “Carlton Pearson, who was a rising star among evangelicals until he was ostracized by his own church and declared a heretic after he started preaching that there is no Hell.” (Variety)
Todd Solondz (Happiness, Life During War Time) is setting up his next picture, Dark Horse, and it’s apparently not controversial. A kindler, gentler Solondz? (The Playlist)
Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.
