CASSANDRA CLARE’S “THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS” GETTING READY FOR THE BIG-SCREEN TREATMENT

(From Sara Gundell at Portland examiner.com..thanks Sara)

It looks like the movie adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series is about to get serious.

Clare revealed earlier this year that the movie rights to her series had been optioned. Now, Variety reports that Unique Features is partnering with Constantin Film on the project.

According to Variety, they’ve hired Jessica Postigo to write a script based on the three books in Clare’s series: City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass. Martin Moszkowicz is set to be executive producer.

Earlier this year, Clare also announced that she was working on a fourth book in The Mortal Instruments, this time focusing on Simon — the newly turned vampire best friend of Clary. The City of Fallen Angels is due out in March 2011.

Learn more about what Clare has in store for the series in Portland Books Examiner’s exclusive interview.

Read the rest HERE

 (geektyrant.com) Anthony Hopkins is in talks to join Kenneth Branagh’s Thor as Odin, the father of the titular Norse hero. If this comes to pass, you can chalk up another point for the Marvel Studios casting team; the number of high caliber actors signed for comic book films over the past few years has been dizzying.

Interesting note: BleedingCool reported back in June that actor/comedian Brian Blessed was cast as Odin in the film. Either something fell through, or their sources were misinformed, but in any case Hopkins is considering the role as we speak.

If true, Hopkins would join the already-cast Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), and Tom Hiddleston (Loki). You can next see Sir Anthony on the big screen in future Captain America director Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman.

SIN CITY 2 TO START SHOOTING LATE NEXT YEAR

Mania.com talked to producer Stephen L’Heureux of Solipsist Films about his upcoming projects and he brought up the much talked about Sin City 2, which always seems to have a production starting date of “next year”. That’s what was said last year, and the year before.

L’Heureux confirmed for us that the long-awaited sequel ‘Sin City 2′ will go into production in the second half of 2010. Unlike the first movie, which used the graphic novels as both screenplay and story boards, the sequel will be based on an original script by Miller. As with the original, Miller will co-direct with Robert Rodriguez.

Read more HERE

NOT HIS TYPICAL GHOST STORY (OR MOVIE)

(nytimes.com) THINGS that go bump — and much, much worse — in the night have never fazed Peter Jackson. Far from it. At this point in his career, two decades and counting, a film without some form of ghoulie, ghostie or long-leggedy beastie (preferably in quantity) just wouldn’t seem like a Peter Jackson movie at all. So it’s reassuring, in a disquieting sort of way, that his latest film, “The Lovely Bones,” is a ghost story.

Mr. Jackson has, in the past, done remarkable work with the uneasy departed, from the flesh-eating zombies of “Dead Alive” (1992) to the ectoplasmic pranksters of “The Frighteners” (1996) to, perhaps most memorably, the army of irritable spirits who come to the aid of Aragorn and Gandalf in the climactic battle of “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003). The ghost in “The Lovely Bones” (Dec. 11), based on Alice Sebold’s popular 2002 novel, isn’t as alarming as the specters Mr. Jackson usually traffics in: she’s a 14-year-old puzzled to have had her life ended abruptly by a neighborhood pervert, and she doesn’t so much haunt her family as look after them, from the lofty, helpless perspective of the afterlife.

On the evidence of a few minutes of footage provided by the studio and an exceptionally handsome trailer, Mr. Jackson appears to have made the attempt to be faithful to Ms. Sebold’s wistful, lyrical tone, but there are indications, too, that he hasn’t entirely abandoned his hyperbolic horror style: the looming close-ups, the ominous shadows, the fast, vertiginous tracking shots.

Read more HERE

I’m so excited for ‘City of Bones’ the movie, I’m reading the series now, and I just LOVE IT! Also, ‘The Lovely Bones’ is one of my favorite books, so I can’t wait to see it on the big screen, especially because Peter Jackson is directing it.

What did you think about today’s movie news? Are you excited for these upcoming movies, like ‘City of Bones’ and ‘The Lovely Bones’? Also, are you a fan of Anthony Hopkins, will you see Thor? Lastly, are you excited about Sin City 2?