Steve Carell to star in Dan Fogelman's 'Imagine'

Dan Fogelman, screenwriter of "Cars," "Fred Claus" and "Bolt," will make his directorial debut with "Imagine," a comedy Steve Carell will star in. Fogelman also wrote the film Warner Bros. is developing.

Deadline says the story follows a musician who attempts to change his lifestyle after he reads an old letter John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote him. He heads out to reconnect with the son (Carell) he's never met.

Definitely sounds liks a charming story. Let's hope it's a comedy/drama along the lines of "Dan in Real Life." Fogelman, by the way, also penned Disney's "Tangled" and the upcoming "Crazy, Stupid, Love."

Early numbers show 'Schmucks' is big winner

Steve Carell and Paul Rudd are on track to lead the North American box office this weekend as "Dinner for Schmucks" scored approximatively $10 million Friday, this according to very early estimates.

Deadline reports "Schmucks" may make up to $27 million, but we'll get a better sense of what's possible tomorrow morning. "Inception" came in second Friday with $7.8 million, a rather good result.

At No. 3, it looks like "Salt" picked up $5.6 million for an estimated weekend of $18 million. New entries "Charlie St. Cloud" opened lower in fourth place with $5.3 million Friday. Again, these are estimates.

As for "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," it only bagged around $4.3 million, which could translate into a $12 million weekend.

Movie Review: "Dinner for Schmucks"

Seen on: July 30, 2010

The players: Director: Jay Roach, Writers: David Guion, Michael Handelman, Cast: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Lucy Punch

Facts of interest: Roach also helmed "Meet the Parents."

The plot: An executive invites a weird IRS employee to a dinner designed to make fun of idiot guests.

Our thoughts: I had high hopes for Jay Roach’s comedy remake “Dinner for Schmucks,” but unfortunately, I left the theater disappointed. I know it was a mistake to walk into this with very high expectations, but with this great of a cast and splendid source material, you would think they’d come up with something funnier and more refreshing. Alas, this one only goes down as a so-so remake.

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Movie Review: "Despicable Me"

Seen on: July 6, 2010

The players: Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Writer: Ken Daurio, Cast: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett

Facts of interest: None.

The plot: Gru is a villain who plans to steal the moon. But then he's faced with a new challenge: he must raise three orphan girls...

Our thoughts: Reviewing a movie is solely a subjective thing. It is the pure representation of one’s feelings and thoughts in written form, and nothing more. I decided to start off with this because many people out there still tend to verbally attack reviewers who hate a movie they love. Keep it cool folks, because we all like and dislike different things. Now, let me move on to my review…

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Kevin Bacon checks in with Steve Carell comedy

Kevin Bacon is the latest to join John Requa and Glenn Ficarra's upcoming untitled comedy starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Julianne Moore. The project is set up at Warner Bros., and Dan Fogelman ("Fred Claus," "Bolt") pened the script. The Hollywood Reporter says Emma Stone is also on board.

Carell will play a man who employs a life coach (Gosling) to save his marriage after his wife (Moore) announces she wants a divorce. Bacon will play a working colleague of Carell's wife. Bacon, who recently starred in "My One and Only," has "Super" and "Elephant White" coming soon.

Movie Review: "Date Night"

Seen on: April 6, 2010

The players: Director: Shawn Levy, Writer: Josh Klausner, Cast: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Common, Mila Kunis, Jame Franco

Facts of interest: None, really.

The plot: A married couple spends a night running around Manhattan after they're targeted by a group of ruthless criminals looking for a flash drive.

Our thoughts: Shawn Levy's new comedy "Date Night" certainly isn't as entertaining or hilarious as one might have hoped, but a handful of likable characters and the undeniable comic talent of Tina Fey and Steve Carell eventually help turn the film into a passable big-screen experience. To tell you the truth, without those two, this flick would be nothing short of an intolerable mess.

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'Dinner for Schmucks' trailer is not tasty

Someone out there thought it would be a great idea to remake France's comedy hit "Le diner de cons," and if I had the chance to, I would love to punch that someone. The first trailer for the Jay Roach-directed flick has landed online, and to tell you the truth, it looks like a solid dose of big-screen crap. At this stage, that's unfortunate, because the film boasts a cast I generally enjoy watching. The film opens July 23, 2010.

Of course, a lot of trailers are deceiving, and "Dinner for Schmucks" could end up being funny. That said, what I saw in this preview didn't even make me smile, and that's not exactly a good start. In the film, a bunch of friends organize a weekly dinner to which they invite the dumbest people they can find. Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis star. I wish I could say this looked tasty, but to me, it doesn't.

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Better trailer for 'Despicable Me' arrives

Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin's upcoming 3D-animated family flick "Despicable Me" will invade theaters July 9, 2010, and a brand-new feature trailer has just debuted online. To be honest, I'm still not convinced about this one, but then again, I have to admit this preview gives me higher hopes than its weak predecessors. Believe it or not, but I actually laughed twice or three times watching this one.

This feature preview reveals a lot more story and new characters, but it also includes a couple of solid jokes, which I hope are more frequent in the film. Steve Carell voices Gru, an evil man who plans to steal the moon. Gru runs into trouble when he unexpectedly encounters three orphan girls, and at the same time, he's also struggling to beat his greatest enemy Vector (Jason Segel), the world's greatest villain.

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Ryan Gosling boards dark Steve Carell comedy

Steve Carell will be joined by Ryan Gosling in John Requa and Glenn Ficarra's upcoming untitled comedy for Warner Bros. the script by Dan Fogelman ("Bolt") follows a father who is forced to deal with a marital crisis and keep up the relationship with his children.

Variety says Gosling will play a best friend of Carell's character. Gosling, who was last seen in "Lars and the Real Girl," will soon star in "Blue Valentine." Carell will next star in "Date Night," and Requa and Ficarra's new film is "I love you Phillip Morris."

'Bad Santa' duo to direct Steve Carell

John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, who delivered the insanely hilarious script for "Bad Santa," are in talks to direct an untitled comedy that will star Steve Carell. The project is set up at Warner Bros.

Variety says the script by Dan Fogelman ("Bolt" & "Cars") follows a father who is forced to deal with a marital crisis and keep up the relationship with his children. That's all we know about plot right now.

Requa and Ficarra latest directorial effort, "I Love You Phillip Morris" (with Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor), which will open in theaters soon. The duo also the hilarious remake of "Bad News Bears."