Source Code writer Ben Ripley bringing Flatliners back to life

Source Code writer Ben Ripley has been hired to rewrite 1990 thriller Flatliners for Columbia Pictures.The original saw a bunch of medical students (played by a bunch of soon to be megastars including Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon) experimenting on their bodies by taking themselves to the brink of death.As you can imagine, their playing-God tomfoolery gets them into trouble, and they all start to experience bizarre phenomena in their waking lives. Seriously, why don't they give trainee scientists a copy of Frankenstein on their first day?Laurence Mark (Julie & Julia, The Lookout) will produce, but there's no word on a director at this stage (Joel Schumacher called the shots first time round).Ripley's Source Code was one of the most refreshingly intelligent sci-fiers since, well, Moon. He'd done little of note before that though, with a couple of Species sequels and a TV movie to his name.Will he come up with a searingly intelligent new take on Flatliners that'll launch the next wave of A-list stars? Or is this just a lame attempt to resuscitate an old idea in the hope of scoring a new franchise to replace Final Destination?Only time will tell, but we're hoping this'll be much more Source Code than Species: The Awakening...

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to Live on in Monthly L.A. Residency

Edgar Wright’s geek fantasy epic Scott Pilgrim vs. the World may have biffed with mainstream audiences last year, but it’s earned a dedicated fan following since, granting it bona fide cult status. That cult will have the opportunity to worship at the altar of Scott Pilgrim starting next month, when L.A.’s New Beverly Cinema begins screening it in a monthly midnight residency. The news comes courtesy of the theater’s Twitter feed, while programmer Julia Marchese tells Movieline the monthly midnight screenings begin Friday, September 23. (New Beverly owner Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs also screen regularly.) So mark your calendars and dust off those hipster tees and Ramona Flowers wigs, kids! Scott Pilgrim cos-play will be encouraged. [@newbeverly]

The 2011 VMAs: A Guide For Movie Fans!

FROM NEXTMOVIE: We don't know about you guys, but we're glad all that drama between Kanye West and Taylor Swift is finally over, because now the MTV Video Music Awards can get back to focusing on what's really important: movies. Oh, sure, the VMAs, which air this Sunday live on MTV at 9 p.m. ET, are technically about great music, incredible live performances and a celebration of the intersection of pop and culture. But for movie fans, there's a whole lot more to the VMAs than just awards or music -- there's also the video part. And that means movie stars, which is why we've put together our second annual Movie Lover's Guide to the VMAs to help you keep track of all the Hollywood flavor on Sunday night. Read the full guide at NextMovie!

DeWitt Joins Neighborhood Watch

She'll be Ben Stiller's wifeIt would appear that after spending years languishing in development, sci-fi comedy Neighborhood Watch (we'll keep spelling it the American way for now) is kicking into high gear. Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn are already aboard and Rosemarie DeWitt is in negotiations to join the cast. With the current script draft written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (and polished by Tropic Thunder's Justin Theroux), Watch will follow Stiller as a man who moves from the big city to the 'burbs. Naturally, he expects the pace of life to slow down considerably, but he reckons without the local neighbourhood watch group, which, he discovers, has to deal with a somewhat more unusual problem than burglars and vandalism. How so? Aliens suddenly invade the area. Vaughn is playing one of the other men who make up the Watch and now, according to Variety, DeWitt is eyeing the role of Stiller's wife. Hot Rod's Akiva Schaffer will be calling the shots and hopefully enjoying more box office success than the underrated stunt comedy received, since we want to see him getting more work. DeWitt was last seen in The Company Men and will crop up in the likes of Kenneth Lonergan's long-delayed drama Margaret and next year's Disney fantasy The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

Bryan Cranston Aims To Direct Home Again

He's writing the script, too.... Though this latest story may have you convinced that the website is gradually morphing in to the Bryan Cranston Fan Zone ("Cran-ing in additional Cranston news than anybody since 2009!"), bear around. Because not quite happy with doing sterling focus on US TV drama Breaking Bad and snagging roles inside a batch of a few of the more exciting movies either going to hit movie theaters or in route, he's now searching revisit the director's chair to have an adaptation of David Wiltse's novel Home Again. And that has written the script? Why, one Bryan Cranston! It isn't really this type of large shot considering he authored, directed and created a movie in 1999 known as Last Chance. Cheap he's been honing his megaphone abilities via instances of both his old show, Malcolm in the centre and current telly gig Breaking Bad. Based on the actor, he's likely to alter the book's title because he evolves the script. And that he layed out the plot inside a talk to Hollywood. com: It's essentially an extremely strong father-boy story, along with a murder-mystery. An FBI agent who all of a sudden quits the department and takes his boy and the wife and moves to his home town of Cascade, Nebraska, to rekindle family values and give consideration now. He's been employed by the FBI for a long time, so he's been home occasionally. And the boy has become 16, very sensitive, and appears upon his father like kind of a stranger... After which there is a murder that occurs within the little town they proceed to, which kills the father's whole stance on, 'Things are better during these small cities!' After which things solve, and essentially, the daddy and boy get together in the finish and save one another psychologically and literally. "There is no word on when he may get began shooting, since his schedule is rather packed at this time. But apparently he's wishing to obtain things moving the coming year.

Disney pulls 'Lone Ranger' reins

''The Lone Ranger'' was always envisioned as a high-profile tentpole for Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer. But the Mouse House and producer are now trying to rein in the costs of the actioner before the price to produce the pic gallops away from them. Despite reports that Disney has pulled the plug on the bigscreen adaptation that will have Gore Verbinski helm Armie Hammer as the masked man and Johnny Depp co-star as Tonto, the pic is far from dead at the studio, sources close to the production told Variety. Both parties are looking to trim the film's escalating budget to get it closer to the $200 million that Disney was looking to spend to make the movie, currently skedded to shoot in October. Film will shoot in New Mexico, which will offer the studio tax breaks. Scrutinizing the budget shouldn't come as much of a surprise, with studios often combing over a film's costs before a film gets the greenlight, especially at cost-conscious congloms. Disney has been high on the prospects of working with Depp again on a potential new franchise, after the fourth ''Pirates'' pic hauled in more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. ''Lone Ranger'' already has been dated for a Dec. 21, 2012 release, and the film started promoting Depp in the film as far back as 2008. But Disney chief Robert Iger hasn't been shy in wanting to lassoe in higher production costs at the studio. In an earnings call with investors this week, he said rising pricetags of Disney's pics might cause the company to reduce the number of films it produces moving forward. But he added that, ''We feel we're better off by reducing the size of the slate and making films that are bigger and increasingly more risky.'' The studio is currently opening its coffers to finish ''John Carter'' and ''Oz, the Great and Powerful.'' ''Lone Ranger'' was expected to be one of the tentpoles that Disney was expected to start promoting Aug. 19-21 at the D23 Expo, held at the Anaheim Convention Center. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

Report: Desperate Average women To Finish After 2011-2012 Season

FIRST Released: August 5, 2011 5:21 PM EDT La, Calif. -- Desperate Average women might be visiting an finish, according to an alternative report. The lengthy-running primetime soapy drama, starring Avoi Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Teri Hatcher and Marcia Mix, will conclude in May of 2012, TV Line reported on Friday. Sources told the web site that people from the cast are presently being told concerning the finish from the series, which ABC is anticipated to verify to journalists on Sunday once the network hosts its part of the tv Experts Association Summer time Session. A repetition for ABC, however, told Access Hollywood that reviews were speculative and official word is decreasing on Sunday. Desperate Average women, which centers round the lives from the citizens of Wisteria Lane, started about the network in 2004. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved.These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

New Rise From The Planet From The Apes poster

twentieth century Fox has launched a replacement-sheet poster for that worldwide discharge of Rise From The Planet From The Apes also it informs a significantly bigger story compared to US posters.Whereas previous posters have tended to pay attention to the smoothness of Caesar (performed with a motion-taken Andy Serkis), this second worldwide poster bundles shots of James Franco and Freida Pinto and fight moments about the Golden Gate Bridge.Rise From The Planet From The Apes is launched within the United kingdom on 11 August 2011.

Lisa Kudrow Wishing More Buddies Arrived At Web Therapy

By Jolie LashBEVERLY Hillsides, Calif. -- Lisa Kudrow is wishing a few of her old Buddies can make a pit stop on her behalf Showtime series, Web Therapy. Yeah. Well see who turns up, Lisa told reporters following a Showtime Web Therapy part of the tv Experts Association Session in Beverly Hillsides on Thursday, when requested if shed asked a few of her former Buddies co-stars to look on her behalf new show. Courteney Cox already got aboard, filming a cameo like a psychic when Web Therapy was strictly an internet series, and Lisa stated shes requested a few of the others, but rejected to show those she released purports to. Lisa, consequently, hasnt yet been requested to reprise her role as Dr. Amy on Courteneys Cougar Town. Oh, I have no idea. That hasnt show up, she stated. When requested concerning the recent move by many people stars from film to television, Lisa stated it is not a brand new trend on her. She and her former Buddies really recognized the richness of fabric on television in their NBC comedy heyday. All of us had that have throughout Buddies. These were very generous about letting us set off and do films after which get married return and get married like, all possess a meal together and say, Woah, movies are for that wild birds. This really is great, the meals better, the hrs are better, she stated. On Web Therapy, which presently airs on Tuesdays at 11 PM on Showtime, Lisa plays the neurotic Fiona Wallis, a self-centered counselor, who'll only conduct periods online inside a brief under-five-minute format. The actress stated she really takes inspiration from people in politics to obtain her character perfect. Heres what it's to organize, I did previously watch political figures. Im not kidding. I actually do, because sometimes the thing is them plus they dont appear to become making sense, but theyre very authoritative within the nonsense theyre saying, Lisa described. They remain on message and that i believed that would be also an interesting factor to increase a counselor who just psychologically bullies you. Additionally to Web Therapy, Lisa confirmed she's focusing on the following season from the NBC show, Who Do You Consider You're? this program that spotlights celebs because they trace their loved ones roots. Were shooting Season 3 at this time, she stated, before observing that NBC requested her to not reveal names of the stars signed on for the following season. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved.These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.