Monday news take - April 14, 2008

 

New Monday, new week! Today, we have a bunch of cast and crew updates on several upcoming projects. Kristen Johnson joins a war of brides, while Shia LaBeouf signs up for another thriller. Also in the news, Zack Snyder is set to direct a family film, Lars van Trier gears up for his latest project, and an animated film starring an elephant still rules over the international box office. Enjoy…

Kristen Johnson enters 'Bride Wars'
According to The Hollywood Reporter, actress Kristen Johnson has signed on to star in Gary Winick’s “Bride Wars,” a comedy in which two best friends become bitter rivals after they accidentally plan their marriages on the same day.

Johnson will play the close friend of main character Emma (played by Anne Hathaway), one of the two brides. Kate Hudson stars as Emma’s rival Liv.     

Winick’s directorial credits include “13 Going on 30” and “Charlotte’s Web.” Filming for “Bride Wars” is currently under way in Boston.

Johnson is most famous for her role as Sally Solomon in TV’s “3rd Rock From The Sun.” Her career also includes big screen appearances in “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and “Strangers With Candy.”


LaBeouf goes to 'Dark Fields'
Newcomer Shia LaBeouf, star of “Disturbia” and “Transformers,” will take over the lead role in Universal’s upcoming thriller “Dark Fields,” Variety reported earlier today.

Based on a novel by Alan Glynn and directed by Neil Burger, the film centers on a young man who’s thrust into a series of mysterious events after taking a drug that boosts his intelligence.

Neil Burger, the man behind “The Illusionist,” will direct a script adapted by Leslie Dixon. Dixon’s writing credits include 2007’s “Hairspray” and “The Heartbreak Kid.”

LaBeouf will be seen next in Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” He recently wrapped principal photography for D.J. Caruso’s action thriller “Eagle Eye” and is currently filming “New York, I Love You.”


Snyder to direct animated film
Zack Snyder sure keeps himself busy. The director of “300” and upcoming action spectacle “Watchmen” is set to helm Warner Bros.’s animated film “Guardians of Ga’ Hoole,” according to Variety.

Based on children’s books by Kathryn Lasky, the film tells the story of a group of owls trying to prevent the destruction of their forest. The film has already entered production and should be ready for release sometime in 2009 or 2010.


'Who!' maintains foreign box office reigns
“Dr Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who!” snatched the top spot at the foreign box office for a third consecutive week, according to Variety. The 20th Century Fox animated film took in $10.6 million from ticket sales at 5,300 theaters.

Opening in second place this weekend was Robert Luketic’s “21,” which collected $8.1 million from five markets.

Other winners at the international box office included “Step Up 2 The Streets,” “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and France’s surprise hit “Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis.”


Von Trier ready to film 'Antichrist'
Lars von Trier is set to being filming “Antichrist” in Germany, Variety reported Monday. The film follows a couple who experience strange events after traveling to a cabin to recover from the death of their kid.