We’d forgotten all about this thing when it was announced a few years ago (months?), but Fred Durst’s inspirational sports drama, “The Longshots” starring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer is coming to theaters this summer on July 25. Palmer plays an 11 year old who leads her to team to victory in the Pop Warner Football tournament and it’s based on…wait for it, a true story. This is Durst’s second directorial effort, the first was, “The Education of Charlie Banks” that still hasn’t gotten a proper release outside of showing at last year’s Tribeca film festival.
A teaser poster for Werner Herzog’s seemingly unnecessary remake of “The Bad Lieutenant” starring Nicolas Cage in Harvey Keitel’s original role as a drug depraved, crooked cop has emerged. We love Herzog and all, but we still think this is a a bad idea. [MTV]
Shots of Sacha Baron Cohen as the fabulously gay Austrian reporter Bruno trying to score an interview with fellow Austrian, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, have hit the web. [JustJared]
German director Uwe Boll is once again crying foul. The wide release for his upcoming bad taste satire, “Postal” has been cancelled at the last minute. Of course he’s calling the move a conspiracy. “We were prepared to open on 1500 screens all across America on May 23rd. Any multiplex in the U.S. should have space for us, but they’re afraid,” Boll said. ‘Postal’ was going to go toe-to-toe with Indy 4 this weekend before the cancellation.[CinemaBlend]
In a New York Times profile this past weekend on Boll’s recent media problems, one writer who got his ass stomped in a boxing match against the director refused to comment about him. Or at least, kinda did. The guy’s essentially a real life troll,” wrote Rich Kyanka of the comedy Web site Something Awful. “Boll wants people to talk about him so he can get free publicity.” He added, “I’m not going to feed him.” [NYTimes]
As the Gray Lady also notes, “Anvil! The Story of Anvil,” about30-year-old unheralded heavy-metal band Anvil has been chosen as the centerpiece of the Los Angeles Film Festival next month. And the film and band land in Brooklyn on May 31, as part of the Sundance Institute at BAM series. [NYTimes]
Like Sundance and SXSW before it, buyers are wary and sales are slow at Cannes 2008, however some sales are happening. Focus Features International. did buy Gus Van Sant’s “Milk,” the portrait of slain and openly gay San Franciscan Mayor Harvey Milk starring Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch for many European markets. The Coen brothers’ “A Serious Man,” in pre-production was sold to similar markets as well. [Variety]
Notable film score composer John Williams is evidently working on “soundtracks for “Superman: Man of Steel, ” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” “Jurassic Park IV,” and all scheduled for his touch.” [Boston Globe/via Slash]
Remember “Youth in Revolt,” starring Michael Cera to be directed by Miguel Arteta (“Chuck And Buck,” “Star Maps”) Well Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Jean Smart and M. Emmet Walsh have joined the cast of the film. [Variety]