Did Steven Spielberg settle on his leading man for 'War Horse'?

According to Collider, yes he did:

Steven Spielberg finally decided on his next project last month, an adaptation of the Michael Morpungo children’s novel War Horse. In a sign of forward motion, Eddie Redmayne (The Yellow Handkerchief) is reportedly “locked” for the lead role of Albert. The book tells the story of a boy, Albert, and his horse, Joey; the pair are separated when Joey is sold to the army, though not even World War I can keep them apart.

Redmayne has been acting steadily since 2006, though this should thrust him onto a much more public stage. The Playlist compares it to Spielberg trusting a young Christian Bale to anchor 1988’s Empire in the Sun — a good omen, indeed. 2011 will be a big year for Spielberg: he just wrapped production on The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, which is set for release on December 23, 2011, while War Horse will hit theaters a few months earlier on August 10, 2011. Check out the book synopsis after the jump.

-Spielberg has had an eye for young talent in the past, so this sounds good to me...thoughts?

Behold the Teaser Trailer for Super 8!

Here you go:

-Thoughts?

More details emerge on that J.J. Abrams teaser attached to 'Iron Man 2'...

...including that it is indeed the collaboration with Steven Spielberg that was announced recently, and that it is not 'Cloverfield 2'. Here's some details from The Hollywood Reporter:

What if Stephen King and J.K. Rowling brainstormed an idea together? Just how big would the potential audience be?

Cosmic.

Well, moviemaking heavyweights J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg began collaborating on a hush-hush project a year ago called "Super 8" that they concocted from discussions of their own early filmmaking experiences. Despite Bad Robot's Cheney-level secrecy, bits and pieces about the project (some right, some wrong) started bubbling up last week.

Well, I saw the teaser trailer last night, and here's what I can finally tell you:

Abrams has written the original script and will direct the film this fall for a summer 2011 release through Paramount, where Bad Robot resides. Spielberg is producing the project, which will be in the $45 million-$50 million range.

It has nothing to do with "Cloverfield" and will be shot traditionally (i.e. not hand-held). It's potentially a huge movie for Paramount, despite its midrange budget, which is why it's got a slot during Paramount's already crowded 2011 summer slate.

The studio will have to fit it in with "Thor," "Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom," "Transformers 3," "First Avenger: Captain America" and the Abrams-produced "Mission: Impossible IV." And "Star Trek 2" isn't expected until June 29, 2012, with an as-yet-unfinished screenplay by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof, so Abrams could still direct that after "Super 8" if he chose (which, technically, he hasn't yet).

But on to the trailer.

It's 90 seconds long and plays out with utter simplicity. I'll leave it to others to ruin the surprises for the multitudes flocking to see it run in front of "Iron Man 2's" midnight screenings tonight (the trailer is not actually attached to the "IM2" reels, though they are locked away together in combo-locked canisters as they're delivered this morning to theaters at 8 a.m.).

But it's straightforward, effective and very, very enticing. Abrams shot it independently of the actual film shoot about a month ago, and the Bad Robot team cut together the teaser while putting together his new NBC series "Undercovers" and the trailer for their November release "Morning Glory" over the past month.

In terms of tweaking audience appetite for absolutely having to see the movie, Abrams and Spielberg are masters. This quick, visceral and creepy tease of "Super 8" certainly does the trick.

What it doesn't let anyone in on is the plot of the movie or the rest of the context that we had heard actually generated the idea. Namely, the possibility that a group of kids in 1979 are playing around making movies with their Super 8 cameras (as Abrams and Spielberg did as kids) and accidentally capture something ... sinister, on film.

Now, despite all our requests, Abrams and camp have refused to confirm anything about the plot. Abrams has said he doesn't want to comment on this -- he'd rather maintain the mystery and let the images speak for themselves.

Fair enough, and certainly expected. So take all these plot descriptions you're reading around the web with a giant heap of salt.

But the project is being produced by Amblin along with Bad Robot. So if you can imagine the supernatural styles of current BR and early '80s Spielberg combined, you should have a pretty good idea of where all this is going.

Bad Robot's first feature project, "Cloverfield," was rolled out in a similarly out-of-nowhere fashion, its teaser also filmed and cut together independent of the movie shoot. That teaser was thrown on the front of "Transformers" when it hit theaters in the summer of 2007. That monster movie ultimately grossed $168 million worldwide for Paramount when it opened in January 2008.

But again, "Super 8" has nothing to do with "Cloverfield." And "Super 8" is a solo J.J. Abrams movie, something we've never seen before and something sure to play much bigger.

For added pleasure, if you want to get an explanation from Abrams himself about why he handles his creative life with such passionate protectiveness, check out the TED speech he gave two years ago about the Mystery Box.

As for "Super 8," we're all gonna have to wait another year until that mysterious train pulls into the station.

-I've heard what's in the teaser, and it's genius in its simplicity, so this is just another reason to check out 'Iron Man 2' tonight or tomorrow...thoughts?

Steven Spielberg chooses his next project behind the camera!

Here's what it is, according to Coming Soon:

Steven Spielberg has chosen to next direct War Horse. Dreamworks Pictures acquired the rights to Michael Morpurgo's World War I novel of the same name in December.

Scholastic describes the title as follows:

In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey´s courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?

The studio has set an August 10, 2011 release for the film.

-Not my first choice for him, but it doesn't sound bad...thoughts?

Is J.J. Abrams teaming up with Steven Spielberg for his next project?

Possibly, according to Coming Soon:

Vulture reports that J.J. Abrams will next direct a project that will be "both a tribute to and a collaboration with Steven Spielberg ." According to the site, the script is a "a tip of the hat to [Spielberg's] movies of the 70's and early 80's."

If the project moves forward, Abrams would direct from his own script starting early fall for Paramount Pictures.

The project reportedly "will deal with everyday people whose personal relationships are tested when they are thrown up against extraordinarily fantastic - and possibly other-worldly - events."

The movie is expected to have a low budget, but won't have shaky cam like Cloverfield.

-Could be an interesting set of minds working together...thoughts?

Steven Spielberg steps away from a certain giant rabbit...

...as in, he's not going to be remaking 'Harvey'. From Variety:

Steven Spielberg has officially withdrawn from "Harvey." He spent the past half year developing the picture, which was to be his first directing vehicle for the reconstituted DreamWorks.

Spielberg delivered the news this week to 20th Century Fox, which had earmarked soundstages on the Fox lot in anticipation of an early 2010 production start. One of the biggest challenges has been setting a star to play Elwood P. Dowd, the character played by James Stewart in the 1950 film.

Spielberg's first choice was Tom Hanks, but the actor wanted no part of taking over a role played by the iconic star.

-Thoughts?

Steven Spielberg to go to the Crichton well again, this time for a Pirate movie

Here's another movie that Spielberg has in the works to produce and maybe direct (no comment on whether or not Mr. Spielberg's time could be better spent elsewhere) in the near future. This is what Variety had to say on the matter:

DreamWorks Studios has acquired the film rights to Michael Crichton's final tome "Pirate Latitudes" for Steven Spielberg to produce and potentially direct.

David Koepp will adapt for the bigscreen. Crichton completed the period action-adventure before his death last November.

Manuscript, which HarperCollins plans to publish on Nov. 24, was found in completed form by Crichton's assistant.

Set in 1665, "Pirate Latitudes" revolves around a daring plan to infiltrate Port Royal, one of the world's richest and most notorious cities, and raid a Spanish galleon filled with treasure.

Spielberg, Crichton and Koepp have a long history of working together. Crichton penned "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World," both of which Koepp adapted for Spielberg to direct.

Crichton and Spielberg also collaborated on the TV series "E.R."

"Michael Crichton was one of our greatest storytellers who expanded all of our imaginations with his books, films, and television," Spielberg said.

"With the 'E.R.' series and 'Jurassic Park' series, I enjoyed one of the best collaborations of my career. Now with 'Pirate Latitudes,' I and all of us at DreamWorks have the chance to be excited about bringing this new Michael Crichton work to the screen," Spielberg continued.

Acquisition was announced by DreamWorks CEO-Co-chair Stacey Snider.

-Thoughts?

Don't expect to see Spielberg tackle that Lincoln movie anytime soon...

Those hoping for Steven Spielberg to get around to his Lincoln biopic or his sci-fi movie 'Interstellar' will have to wait quite a bit more, as Steve is going the remake route by turning the play and subsequent film adaptation of 'Harvey' into a movie. Read all of the details here, but I think this could be an interesting project for him.
-Thoughts?

Today's News: Spielberg begins to line up his next directorial project, Jeremy Renner joins Ben Affleck's 2nd outing behind the camera, and more...

In the news:

Steven Spielberg may be going the secret agent route for his next film.

The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner is poised to act in Ben Affleck's next directorial outing.

Paul Haggis has Russell Crowe in mind for his next film, which he is writing and directing.

Ron Howard may next be tackling a movie based on a book by the author of the Jason Bourne books.

Next year's romantic comedy to be released on Valentine's Day (aptly titled, you guessed it, Valentine's Day) adds some new names to its star studded cast.

Matthew McConaughey might be going the indie route for his next film.

Another romantic comedy seems to be in the works for Jennifer Aniston.

Aaron Eckhart gets a crew for his alien invasion film 'Battle: L.A.'.

-Thoughts?

Spielberg's Tintin movie gets a release date

Which we can see in this article from Variety:
Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" will hit U.S. theaters in December 2011 -- long after bowing internationally.
Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment unveiled plans to release the motion capture pic Stateside on Dec. 23, 2011. But in an unusual move, film will launch internationally in late October and early November 2011, with Sony Pictures Releasing Intl. handling Continental Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America and India, and Paramount distributing the film in Asia, Australia, the U.K. and all other English-speaking territories.
The two studios also revealed that they will release "Tintin" in 3-D, a move that had been mulled for several months. Insiders said the dailies convinced them that 3-D would offer the best rendition.
Film, which began production in late January, is the first of a planned series based on the iconic character created by Georges Remi, better known to the world by his pen name "Herge." The second feature in the series is scheduled to be directed by Peter Jackson.
The decision signals the two studios' belief that the property, which has been translated into 70 languages, shows stronger potential overseas than domestically. Not surprisingly, the film's cast skews international with Brit Jamie Bell starring as the intrepid young reporter. Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook round out the cast.
Spielberg, Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy are producing the pic, which will compete for North American audiences against Warner Bros.' "Happy Feet 2" and Disney/Pixar's "The Bear and the Bow." Nick Rodwell, Stephane Sperry and Ken Kamins are exec producing.
-Thoughts?

Steven Spielberg bringing a Martin Luther King Jr. Biopic to the big screen?

Indeed he is, according to Variety:
DreamWorks has acquired the life rights to Martin Luther King Jr. and is bringing a biopic on the slain civil rights leader to the bigscreen.
Steven Spielberg, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones will produce.
King, who was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis at the age of 39, copyrighted his speeches, books and famous works during his lifetime. The DreamWorks project marks the first film to be authorized by King's estate and gives the producers the right to utilize King's intellectual property -- including his famous "I Have a Dream" speech delivered during the 1963 March on Washington -- to create the definitive portrait of his life.
"We are all honored that the King Estate is giving us the opportunity to tell the story of these defining, historic events," Spielberg said. "It is our hope that the creative power of film and the impact of Dr. King's life can combine to present a story of undeniable power that we can all be proud of."
A King film has been a longtime dream for Spielberg and DreamWorks CEO and co-chairman Stacey Snider, who has been working feverishly on acquiring the rights since exiting Paramount Pictures and setting up a solo enterprise.
King's son Dexter, who is chairman and CEO of the King Estate, has been embroiled in a legal tussle with his siblings Bernice King and Martin Luther King III over who controls the personal papers of their late mother, Coretta Scott King, among other things.
King, who was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination, was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.
"In trying to tackle such an ambitious project, the question we had to ask ourselves is, 'Why now?' " Snider said. "The answer lies in MLK's own words: 'All progress is precarious.' With every step forward, new obstacles emerge and we must never forget that his life and his teachings continue to challenge us every day to stand up to hatred and inequality."
De Passe was an executive producer on the miniseries "Lonesome Dove."
Jones has been a central figure in developing and managing the intellectual property of King. He also exec produced "King: Montgomery to Memphis" for CNN and "Assassinated: Bobby Kennedy & Martin Luther King, Jr." for TBS.
Jones and de Passe co-produced the 2009 Commander in Chief's Inaugural Ball.
-You have to wonder if Spielberg will end up directing this, but for now, pretend you have the say...who would you pick to write this, direct this, and play MLK?
-I'll throw in my two cents right now and say that Spielberg would be a fine choice for directing, but if not him, I'd go with Frank Darabount (who could also write it) or Cameron Crowe (same for writing), with Cuba Gooding Jr. getting his career back on track playing King. Feel free to mock my picks in the comment section...