Easy A was one of the best high school comedies of recent years, and now writer Bert Royal has another script in development. It’s called The Wright Girls, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time star Gemma Arterton is attached to star. Based on a Japanese film called 2LDK, The Wright Girls follows “two young actresses who live together, pretend to be best friends and are co-stars on a successful television show. In reality, they detest each other and go to extreme and violent lengths to do one another in when they end up competing for the same movie role.” More below.

Sounds like this movie has a bit of a brutal streak to it, and it’s being described by The Hollywood Reporter (who provided the synopsis above) as a dark comedy-thriller. Interesting. Apparently Megan Fox was once attached to star, but she’s no longer involved with the movie.

Sadly, though, I can tell you the name of someone who actually is involved – and that’s Andy Fickman, who’s currently negotiating for the director’s chair. Fickman has directed movies like She’s The Man, The Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain, and You Again, which doesn’t exactly thrill me when I think about the prospects for The Wright Girls. I’m really holding out hope that the “dark comedy-thriller” descriptor is accurate and this doesn’t become just another drop in the bucket of throwaway romantic comedy nonsense.

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You may remember last month Paramount released the first image of Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters, which stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as the fairy tale siblings who have evolved into vengeful bounty hunters dedicated to exterminating witches following a traumatic incident involving a gingerbread house.

There was promise of a trailer soon after but more than a month on we still haven’t got one, and now we know why. Paramount has pushed the release date back from March 2012 to January 2013.

The reason for the delay is apparently due to Jeremy Renner. This time next year he will have been seen in The Avengers and The Bourne Legacy, and the (potential) success of both may spur audiences to see Renner hunting witches. While Renner can currently be seen in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol which is doing great business, that’s a Tom Cruise movie, so waiting until Renner has appeared in two more big action films may be a wise move.

Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) is directing, and Anchorman director Adam McKay is producing. As well as Renner and Arterton the movie also stars Famke Janssen (Jean Grey from X-Men) as the leader of the witches.

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Next Thursday Paramount will be releasing the first trailer for Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters, which stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as the fairy tale siblings who have evolved into vengeful bounty hunters dedicated to exterminating witches following a traumatic incident involving a gingerbread house.

In the meantime the studio has released the first official image from the movie, giving us a look at their costumes, and Gemma Arterton has taken part in a new interview where she says the film has a “Quentin Tarantino feel” to it.

From Entertainment Weekly:

How does this movie incorporate the original Brothers Grimm tale? Is that story kind of a prologue?
Yes, it continues it. You see a series of flashbacks with their experience of killing that first witch, which is brilliant. I remember being on set for the final few days of that. The candy house, and the witches are really repulsive and quite frightening. The make-up is out of this world. It’s this bone-chilling scene. Very dark. The girl who plays my character is brilliant, with the horrified expression she has.

Folk-tales like this have been told over and over again, changing every time. What’s the constant that your movie picks up?
They resonate with your fears, that’s how these fairy tales worked. They scared you into behaving. This one in particular is about abandonment and being lost and parents leaving you. The heart of it is that these kids grow up to be bloodthirsty witch hunters. It’s a bit tongue in cheek, really. What would Hansel and Gretel be in 15 years time?

Though it’s comedic, deep down it’s about abused kids becoming kind of hyper-responsible?
But it’s also very, very dark, and bloodthirsty and there’s a lot of cursing. It’s kind of got a [Quentin] Tarantino feel, really.

What differentiates the brother and sister?
Gretel is much more in tune with her spiritual side. Hansel is a typical action hero, cheeky, funny, a womanizer. She’s much more of a thinker, intense, internal and bit more open-minded than he is.

You can read the full interview here.

Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) is directing, and Anchorman director Adam McKay is producing. Paramount has scheduled the release date for March 2, 2012, and as well as Renner and Arterton the movie also stars Famke Janssen (Jean Grey from X-Men) as the leader of the witches.

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Today Warner Bros. announced that principal photography has officially begun on Clash of the Titans 2 (expected to be titled Wrath of the Titans, but the studio hasn’t made it official).

In a press release they included a plot synopsis of the movie and a list of both returning and new cast members, which surprisingly doesn’t include Gemma Arterton (Io). The actress is currently filming Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters so her role in Titans may be small, or maybe she isn’t returning at all.

Anyhow, you can read the plot details below:

Returning to star in the film are Sam Worthington (“Avatar”) as Perseus, and Academy Award® nominees Ralph Fiennes (“The English Patient,” the “Harry Potter” films) as Hades and Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List,” “Unknown”) as Zeus.

A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus—the demigod son of Zeus—is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius.

Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity’s lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld.

Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth.

Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

Joining Worthington, Fiennes and Neeson in the international cast are Danny Huston (“Robin Hood”), reprising his role as Poseidon, god of the sea; Edgar Ramírez (“The Bourne Ultimatum,” TV miniseries “Carlos”) as the traitorous god of war, Ares; Bill Nighy (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1″) as Hephaestus, whose twisted, lame figure belies his Olympian origins; Toby Kebbell (“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”) as Agenor, imprisoned thief and son of Poseidon who joins Perseus on his journey to Tartarus; and Rosamund Pike (“Barney’s Version”) as Andromeda, the princess whose life Perseus once saved, and who now, as a queen, follows Perseus into battle.

Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles) is directing, and filming will take place in studios outside London. The production will later shoot on location in Surrey, South Wales and in the Spanish Canary Islands on the island of Tenerife. The film is currently scheduled for release in March 2012.

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According to Box Office Mojo Warner Bros. has pushed the release date of Clash of the Titans 2 back a week from March 23, 2012 to March 30, 2012. The move is likely to give the movie breathing room as in it’s old date it was up against Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games, which is edging closer to filming.

The sequel, currently titled Wrath of the Titans, sees the return of Sam Worthington as Perseus and Gemma Arterton as Io. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes will also return as Zeus and Hades, and new addition Rosamund Pike will play Andromeda.

Director Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles) recently commented on what direction he wants to take the next film, saying:

For me, taking Greek mythology and all that fantasy and putting it in a real world that’s epic, like Gladiator, like a big Ridley Scott movie, and taking all that fantasy and putting it in, grounding it, making it feel real, that’s the movie that I wanted to see when I walked into Clash 1 and that’s the movie that Clash 2 is gonna be. That’s what I was looking for, I was looking to come in and have a real, intense, visceral kick-ass experience with spectacle but grounded, with great actors, and that’s what the second one will be.

Dan Mazeau (worked on The Flash script for Warner Bros.) and David Johnson (Red Riding Hood) have been working alongside Green Lantern writer Greg Berlanti on the script, so it should be an improvement on the first film.

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Everything we have heard about Wrath of the Titans so far suggests it will be an improvement on the first film. They have a new director in Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles), new writers, and there will be no last minute 3D conversion.

In a recent interview Liebesman gave an update on the sequel and said it will shoot for 78 days starting next month. He also revealed that while he won’t be shooting in 3D, there will be 3D stereographer on set and the entire production has been conceived as a 3D movie.

From Collider:

What’s it like to get the keys to the Titans franchise?
Well it’s exciting because I think—again Louis Letterier is one of my mentors from NYU, so I’d never say anything bad about him ‘cause he has taught me a ton of sh*t—I think the first Clash was a missed opportunity. I think the second one…we’ve got a great cast, the same cast, and I want to ground it in a similar reality to say Battle: LA, like have that real grit to it. And within that, you have the fantastical creatures. So really bring it down to something recognizable, realistic in the costume and the way it’s shot and the lighting, lots of atmosphere like what Ridley Scott does, and put fantasy into that. ‘Cause I haven’t seen that in this genre, I haven’t seen fantasy in something that looks like Gladiator.

What can you tell fans to excite them after they were maybe burned by the first film?
For me, taking Greek mythology and all that fantasy and putting it in a real world that’s epic, like Gladiator, like a big Ridley Scott movie, and taking all that fantasy and putting it in, grounding it, making it feel real, that’s the movie that I wanted to see when I walked into Clash 1 and that’s the movie that Clash 2 is gonna be. That’s what I was looking for, I was looking to come in and have a real, intense, visceral kick-ass experience with spectacle but grounded, with great actors, and that’s what the second one will be.

You can read and watch the ful interview here.

A Gladiator-style Greek epic sounds interesting. Despite it’s fault I rather enjoyed Clash of the Titans, and I hope the sequel includes the missed opportunities such as Titans actually clashing and a bit more action from the Gods.

Wrath of the Titans sees the return of Sam Worthington as Perseus and Gemma Arterton as Io. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes will also return as Zeus and Hades, and new addition Rosamund Pike will play Andromeda. Warner Bros. has the release date set for March 30th 2012.

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As The Joker blew up the only female lead in The Dark Knight Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan are currently on the hunt for actresses to fill two roles in The Dark Knight Rises. One is said to be a villain, and the other a love interest.

Today new details have emerged on which actresses will be testing for the roles in the upcoming weeks, and speculation as to who they will play.

From Heat Vision:

Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel are due to test for roles in the Warner Bros. superhero tentpole in the next two weeks. Also testing are relative newcomers Kate Mara and Charlotte Riley. Hot British actress Gemma Arterton has also scheduled to test but, Arterton just landed the female lead in Paramount’s Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and might now have scheduling issues.

Dark Knight Rises needs to fill two big female roles, a villain and a love interest. Sources say one character is Talia, the daughter of villain Ra’s Al Ghul, who was portrayed by Liam Neeson in Nolan’s first Gotham-set crime pic Batman Begins. In the comic books, Talia is both Batman’s lover and antagonist, ultimately siring his alter ego Bruce Wayne’s son.

Knightley, Hathaway and Biel are familiar to most, however the names people might not be aware of are Kate Mara and Charlotte Riley. Mara recently appeared in 127 Hours and is the sister of Rooney Mara (currently shooting David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Riley is engaged to Tom Hardy, who co-starred in Nolan’s Inception and will play a currently unknown role in The Dark Knight Rises (i’m sure he’ll have a great honeymoon if he gets her a role in one of the most anticipated movies of 2012).

We will probably hear more casting news over the upcoming weeks as the movie gears up for a May shoot. Which actress would you like to appear in The Dark Knight Rises? Do you like the idea of Ra’s Al Ghul’s daughter possibly coming back for revenge?

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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has released their long list of nominations for their February 13^th awards ceremony. Since they are generally considered the British Oscars, they are more than worth taking note of.

Black Swan and The King’s Speech lead the long list with 15 potential nominations each. Of course, that means very little at this point, as Winona Ryder (Black Swan) and Guy Pearce (The King’s Speech) will almost certainly not make it to the short list.

Five actors nabbed two long list nominations: Leonardo Dicaprio (Inception and Shutter Island), Gemma Arterton (The Disappearance of Alice Creed and Tamara Drewe), Andrew Garfield (The Social Network and Never Let Me Go), Rosamund Pike (Barney’s Version and Made in Dagenham), and Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech and Alice in Wonderland).  The interesting part is that it is very possible that none of those five will make it to the short list. Nothing is written in stone just yet.

You can find the BAFTAs long list here.

The official nominations will be released on January 18th.

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According to Heat Vision Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia) will be joining Jeremy Renner in Paramount’s Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Arterton will play Gretel, sister to Jeremy Renner’s Hansel. Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) and Eva Green (Casino Royale) were also said to be in talks for the role, and Renner himself said in September that Noomi Rapace (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) would star alongside him, but it seems things didn’t work out for whatever reason and now Arterton has landed the role.

The project is described as “a dark action movie that picks up with the fairy tale siblings years after the traumatic childhood incident has turned them into bounty hunters” which is a…different take on the German fairy tale. Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) is directing and the aim is to begin shooting in Berlin in March, although Renner will be needed on The Avengers set in May and Arterton will probably be filming Wrath of the Titans sometime soon, so there will be no room for delays.

Heat Vision speculate that Paramount could give Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters a Halloween 2011 release, or possibly a January opening. Either would be suitable for some hard-R fairy tale witch hunting.

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According to Box Office Mojo Warner Bros. has set the Wrath of the Titans release date for March 30th 2012. Clash of the Titans was released April 2nd 2010, so it will hit roughly two years after the first film.

Wrath of the Titans will be directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles) and will see the return of Sam Worthington as Perseus and Gemma Arterton as Io. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes will also return as Zeus and Hades.

Not a lot is known about the storyline, although Neeson confirmed that the film will under-go a “whole revamping”. Dan Mazeau (worked on The Flash script for Warner Bros.) and David Johnson (Red Riding Hood) have been working alongside Green Lantern writer Greg Berlanti on the script, so it should be an improvement on the first film.

Warner Bros. intend to shoot the film in 3D this time, and have learned their lesson after the first film was criticized for the rushed 3D conversion.

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