From left, Prime, Hill.Courtesy of Hasbro; Getty Images
Jonah Hill to Improvise With Enormous CGI Robots?
Bay Poised to Climb Hill: It appears that Michael Bay has swirled the fine wine of Transformers 2, taken a tiny sip, and declared that it “needs more dick jokes.†Thus the blockbuster sequel might be getting a hearty helping of Judd Apatow’s bastard child, Jonah Hill. Judging by the casting sheet IESB weaseled out of DreamWorks, you can expect Hill to play Shia LaBeouf’s conspiracy-nut Princeton roommate. Wait, we accept that giant sentient transforming space robots have attacked civilization once again, but seriously, Shia and Jonah got into Princeton? [EW, IESB]
Invisible Coming to America: Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera will star in An Invisible Sign of My Own, a coming-of-age story directed by Marilyn Argrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom) and based on Aimee Bender’s quirky novel. It seems we’re not the only ones who look at Ugly Betty and think, “That girl was born to play a tweaked-out obsessive-compulsive math teacher.†[HR]
Pitt Likes Beautiful Boys: Brad Pitt’s Plan B has acquired the rights to Beautiful Boy, David Sheff’s memoir about being the father of a crystal-meth addict. While Plan B was at it, they also acquired Tweak, Nic Sheff’s memoir about being a crystal-meth addict. Plan B is now in the market for a memoir about living next door to a crystal-meth addict. (Proposed title: Neighbor to Madness: How Nic Sheff Borrowed My Lawn Mower and Also Was Addicted to Meth.) [Variety]
Surnow and Loceff to Phone It In: In a fit of lazy inspiration, United Artists has tapped 24 co-creator Joel Surnow to develop a spy thriller with Casino Royale’s Martin Campbell onboard to direct. Surnow: “Uh, some guy who might be Tom Cruise, he spies and stuff.†Campbell: “Also, explosions.†[Variety]
Miramax Goes Into Debt: Miramax will remake the Israeli thriller The Debt, the story of three Mossad agents who pursue a Nazi war criminal across Europe in the sixties. Layer Cake’s director Matthew Vaughn and his writing partner, Jane Goldman, wrote the script, proving they’re the Bo Jackson of screenwriting after churning out last year’s Stardust. [HR]