Jeremy Renner Starring in Paramount's Mission: Impossible IV« FirstShowing.net

Although a casting search began this week, Paramount has castJeremy Renneras the lead opposite Tom Cruise in the upcomingMission: Impossible IV, being directed by Pixar's Brad Bird.Deadlineexplains:"Paramount has struggled to find the right co-star to play an operative opposite Cruise, and one factor was selecting an actor who could potentially carry the series down the line, should Cruise's Ethan Hunt character not continue."That might happen sooner than later, so Renner would replace Hunt. Actors like Tom Hardy and Chris Pine were considered, so they chose Renner who"has the grit, maturity and chops"for the role.

Between playing Hawkeye inThe Avengers, Ben Affleck'sThe Town, and now this, Jeremy Renner is set to explode into the mainstream after his Oscar nominated role inThe Hurt Locker. The studio felt that Renner had a"Daniel Craig quality"that they liked, so you can obviously see the direction they want to take this series. Shooting is expected to begin this fall in Vancouver, Prague, Dubai and the US. The latest draft of the screenplay was written by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec (both of shows like"Happy Town"and"Life of Mars"). Paramount has already scheduled a release date forMission: Impossible IVinDecember 2011. I like Renner, he's a great actor, I just hope he fits perfectly into theMission: Impossibleworld.Your thoughts?

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New Back to the Future Poster for UK's Theatrical Re-Release« FirstShowing.net

From time to time I wonder what it would have been like to be caught up in the world of movie news during the times ofStar WarsandIndiana Jones. Unless (heaven forbid) a remake of those films comes along, my writing on those topics is usually limited to pop culture references and random regurgitation of videos and infographics. However, today I'm lucky enough to direct your attention to a brand new (yet familiar) postervia EmpireforBack to the Future, a favorite of mine which is getting a theatrical re-release this October in the United Kingdom only to celebrate the25th Anniversaryof Marty McFly's adventures through time.

Don't forget that in addition to this re-release, theBack to the FutureTrilogy on Blu-Rayarrives in October!

The poster uses imagery reminiscent of Drew Struzan'soriginal posters(including the famous stylized title font) but with a sharper photographic edge. Honestly, since this is one of my favorite movies of all-time, I'm beyond frustrated that the US won't be privy to a theatrical re-release of this classic flick. I mean ifGreasegets a damn sing-along theatrical re-release (after it already hit theatersagainover ten years ago) then why the hell shouldn'tBack to the Futureget the same respect here in the US? While there are special events likeWe're Going Back: Celebrating the 25th Anniversarybeing held in Burbank, those of us in the US will just have to settle for theBlu-Ray release of the trilogywhen it hits shelves inOctober. That's nottoobad, is it?

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TWC Finds a Writer for 'American Werewolf in London' Remake« FirstShowing.net

I don't get it. Universal'sThe Wolfmanflopped hard to barely earn$62 millionthis year, and just because Taylor Lautner is"hot"right now doesn't mean werewolves are the in thing. Yet, Hollywood keeps it coming, and they keep making these damn movies just becauseTwilightis the in thing and remakes are the safe way (really?) to earn some cash from making movies. It wasofficially confirmedlast summer that The Weinstein Company (akaTWC) had acquired the remake rights and was developing a remake to John Landis' seminal horror-comedy classicAn American Werewolf in London, but that's about all we knew about it then.

Today's update, to make things even worse, comes from24 Framesand is another one of those sketchy"it's not really newsyet, but it almost is"kind of stories. They say that Dimension Films, the production arm of TWC, is"in talks"with writerFernley Phillips(of onlyThe Number 23previously) to write the remake's script. They also add that he'll give it a"modern spin."Bloody-Disgustingalso adds that"our own sources tell us that Bob and Harvey Weinstein are really looking todepartfrom John Landis' 1981 horror comedy."Ugh, I'm already sick of hearing this. Why, why, why? That's all I can think about. The original is perfect!

When I firstwrote about this remakelast year, I admittedly hadn't seenAn American Werewolf in London, but that was a problem I needed to fix so I fired up the Blu-Ray just a few months later. I'm now proud to say that Landis' horror-comedy classic is actually one of my favorite horror movies of all-time, it really was perfect, totally enjoyable from start to finish, anddamndid it look good on Blu-Ray (get it you haven't yet!). I'm sure they can sucker a few people in to see this when it comes out, but really, I'm not expecting anything good and I'm frustrated that this"modern"remake is even being considered. Can we evenhopefor the best?

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Steve Carell& Sandra Bullock Cast in 'The Abstinence Teacher'« FirstShowing.net

Back in December of 2006it was announcedthe directing duo ofJonathan DaytonandValerie Faris' would be following up their indie hitLittle Miss Sunshinewith an adaptation ofTom Perrotta's novelThe Abstinence Teacherfor Warner Independent, but since that section of WB has sincegone belly-up, the project has been in limbo. NowProduction Weeklyreports (viaThe Playlist) the project seems to be back in working order asSteve CarellandSandra Bullockare now attached to the story of a woman who works as a sex-ed teacher in Middle America whose values conflict with the conservative nature of where she lives.

Set in a town of good schools, wholesome family values and a thriving real estate climate, Ruth Ramsey (the role likely for Bullock), a human sexuality teacher, finds herself under fire for believing"pleasure is good, shame is bad, and knowledge is power."Meanwhile, her daughter's soccer coach and former rocker/stoner Tim Mason (the role presumably for Carell) belongs to an evangelical church that isn't too fond of Ruth's teaching style. In defense of her own beliefs, Ruth charges that the church shouldn't be taking its message outside of the church itself. And so Ruth and Tim are pitted against each other in a small-town culture war.

Sounds like something different for both Carell and Bullock, so I'm certainly interested. However, it remains to be seen how soon Dayton and Faris will get to this project since theirother comedy projectWill, starring Zach Galifianakis and Paul Rudd, is also on their slate.Little Miss Sunshinewas one of my favorite indies a few years ago, so I can't wait to see what Dayton and Faris have in store with their sophomore effort.Cool?

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