Daily news dose: James Franco books 'Shadows;' Cohen won't direct third 'XXX'

Here is your dose of film news for June 10, 2009:

• James Franco has signed on to star in Jay Anania's indie drama "In Praise of Shadows," in which the actor will play William Vincent, who journeys back to New York after spending some years in exile to keep the woman of his dreams out of the world of organized crime. (Variety)

• It's official: Rob Cohen will not reteam with Vin Diesel for the upcoming action sequel "XXX: The Return of Xander Cage." According to Variety, the director will helm New Regency's "Medieval" instead. No details about the script are released at this stage, but the trade says it's an action flick about "warriors from disparate cultures."

• Jonathan Goldstein ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") and John Francis Daley will write "Cal of the Wild" for DreamWorks. The comedy will make fun of the reality TV genre, including shows such as "Survivor." Vartiety says the project focuses on a cable TV star who is forced to battle for survival with his assistant when he's put in an unexpected, dangerous situation.

• Busy producer Frank Marshall ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") will enter the world of directing, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Marshall will helm "Right to Play," an ESPN Films documentary about Johann Olav Koss, a Norwegian speed-skating champ who launched the Right to Play organization, which tries to bring sports to kids in poor environments.

Ferris, Brancato to write third 'xXx'?

By now we all know Vin Diesel and Rob Cohen will return for a third "xXx," but the latest we've learned is that "Terminator Salvation" screenwriters Michael Ferris and John D. Brancato may write the screenplay for the sequel.

According to Variety, the writers recently pitched their idea for "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" to Columbia. The studio has been trying to fast-track the project ever since it was officially announced two months ago.

Besides "Salvation," Ferris and Brancato also teamed up for Jonathan Mostow's "Surrogates," which is currently filming. They also collaborated on films such as "Primeval," "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "Catwoman."

Cohen directed Diesel in the first film of the series in 2002, which pulled in $106.2 million domestically. They both refused to return for the 2005 sequel, which starred Ice Cube and totally crashed at the box office.

So, are you excited this project is moving along? Or do you think Xander Cage has no business blowing things up on the big screen? Post your opinions below.

Third ‘xXx’ movie to open in 2010?

While the return of Rob Cohen and Vin Diesel for a third “xXx” flick is not exactly news, here’s something that should excite die-hard fans of the franchise: the third film is planned for a 2010 release.

That’s right, Xander Cage may return to the big screen very soon. According to Collider, director Rob Cohen said he’s trying to get the project together for a 2009 shoot, with a release in the summer of 2010.

That is, if everything were to go according to plan, of course.

The new sequel is entitled “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage,” but plot details are unknown at this stage.

Cohen directed Diesel in the first film of the series in 2002, pulling in $106.2 million domestically. But they both refused to return for the 2005 sequel, which starred Ice Cube and totally crashed at the box office.

What do you think about this? Excited about this early return of Diesel? Sound off below. 

Diesel, Cohen to return for ‘XXX’ sequel

Although “xXx: State of the Union” was a major disaster, Columbia Pictures thinks it’s time to make another “xXx” sequel and bring back Vin Diesel, according to Variety.

Yes, you read right. A third film about the extreme sports athlete recruited by the government is in early developmental stages, with Diesel and director Rob Cohen back in the game.

Cohen directed Diesel in the first film of the series in 2002, pulling in $106.2 million domestically. But they both refused to return for the 2005 sequel, which starred Ice Cube and totally crashed at the box office.

Although the third flick has no script yet, the working title is “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage.” Plot details are unknown at this point.

Cohen most recently directed “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.” Diesel is currently onscreen in “Babylon A.D.” He will next be seen in Justin Lin’s “Fast & Furious.”

While I pretty much enjoyed the silliness of the first “xXx,” I’m not so sure this is such a great idea. I personally think Diesel agreed to return as Xander Cage because he desperately needs a hit. Oh well, we’ll see how it turns out.

What do you think? Should Xander Cage really return? Or couldn’t you care less? Sound off below.

‘The Mummy’ continues overseas box office reign

“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” topped the international box office for the second consecutive week with $56.1 million in 49 markets, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Rob Cohen’s sequel starring Brendan Fraser lifted its international cumulative to $141.1 million, reaching a worldwide total of $211.7 million. At No. 2, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” pulled in $35.1 million, bringing its overseas total to $263.1 million.

Pixar’s comuter-animated hit “WALL-E” finished in third place this weekend, collecting $18.1 million in 28 markets and lifting its cumulative gross to $121.6 million. Meanwhile, Universal’s musical “Mamma Mia!” took home $14.7 million in 24 territories (for a $173.4 million overseas total).

DreamWorks Animation’s family adventure “Kung Fu Panda” earned $8 million at No. 5, reaching an overseas cumulative gross of an impressive $347.5 million. Following in sixth place was Peter Berg’s action hit “Hancock,” which after this weekend’s earnings of $6.5 million brought its international total to $332.1 million.

Other results from the overseas box office: “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” snatched $5.7 million to climb to $31.4 million total; “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” pulled $3.6 million for a $253.7 million overseas total; “Wanted” scored $3 million to reach $120.6 million; and “The Happening” lifted its total to $94.8 million.

Rob Cohen spills ideas for ‘Mummy 4’

Although “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” just opened last week, director Rob Cohen is already thinking about a fourth installment in the popular series that started with Stephen Sommers’ “The Mummy” in 1999.

Whether there will be a fourth film all depends on how well this sequel ends up doing, Cohen told MTV News in a recent interview. But considering the film already took home $101.9 million worldwide this past weekend, chances are good we’ll see more mummy action in the near future.

Cohen also revealed some ideas he has for the next installment, including the relocation of the story to Latin America. “We now have it clear that the ‘Mummy’ franchise can travel,” he told MTV.

There’s one other thing Cohen talked about in the interview, but before I go on about it, please beware the following sentence contains a BIG spoiler (if you haven’t seen “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” yet).

Part of the story of another sequel would focus on Rick’s immortality, and how that helps him in battling another mummy or villain. For all of Cohen’s thoughts on a “Mummy 4” movie, head over to MTV right here.

Review: "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"

Seen on: August 2, 2008

The players: Director: Rob Cohen, Writers: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Cast: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, Michelle Yeoh, John Hannah, Luke Ford

Facts of interest: Third installment in the franchise that took off in 1999.

The plot: Rick and Evelyn O’Connell are pulled out of retired boredom and back into action when their son Alex, now a young explorer, is tricked into awakening the ruthless Dragon Emperor.

Our quick thoughts: With “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” director Rob Cohen picks up the franchise that was made popular by Stephen Sommers and gives it a whole new look, not only by attributing his different directing style to it, but also by taking the story to China, where the O’Connells have to face a new kind of mummy.

Click to read more ...

Box Office: 'Dark Knight' slashes 'Mummy'

By Franck Tabouring

Weekend of August 1 – August 3, 2008

“The Dark Knight” managed to fend off “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” at the North American box office with a weekend gross of $43.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” debuted in second place with $42.4 million, which is a little less than the $43.3 million opening weekend gross of “The Mummy” in 1999. Directed by Rob Cohen, the third installment in the franchise follows Brendan Fraser on his quest to take down China’s ruthless Han Emperor (played by Jet Li).

Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” continued its reign over the box office, lifting its domestic total to an impressive $394.8 million after only three weeks in release. Starring Christian Bale, the film follows Batman’s struggled to protect Gotham City from the madness of the Joker (Heath Ledger).  

Sony’s “Step Brothers” slipped to No. 3 this weekend, collecting $16.3 million and brining its total haul to $62.9 million after a two-week run. Directed by Adam McKay and produced by Judd Apatow, the film stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as two spoiled men who become competitive stepbrothers after their single parents decide to get married.

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Video Review: "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"

Welcome to the very first video review presented by The Screening Log. I hope you won't be too hard on us because we are still experimenting with video and fixing some obvious audio issues, so consider this as a test. We will try and post video reviews regularly to go along with our standard reviews, although the critics and their opinions may differ.

This first video takes a brief look at Rob Cohen's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," which follows "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns." It stars Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello and Jet Li, among others. Enjoy, and thank you for having patience. The audio will certainly turn out better in our next video review.

‘Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ web reviews

Rob Cohen returns to the big screen this weekend with “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” the third installment in the series starring Brendan Fraser as a legionnaire who battles evil creatures. The nation’s top critics pretty much trashed the flick, but let’s see what the online film fans have to say about the sequel. (Note: We will post our review and video review shortly).
 
• Scott Gwin at CinemaBlend: "Painfully unbalanced, "Dragon Emperor" takes itself too seriously in the drama department and not seriously enough when it comes to humor and action."

• Joblo's JimmyO: "No, the real problem with this film is just the constant barrage of over the top heroics and ridiculously lame dialogue. The special effects seem to be much better this time around, but after awhile it was just overkill."

• Brian Orndorf at Collider: "It's a rotten, stubborn directorial endeavor, and since Cohen has little appreciation for legitimate big screen magic, "Tomb" suffocates under the filmmaker's bile-slicked mandate that every single frame must contain a screaming or explosive element."

Click to read more ...