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It’s the End of the World As Seth Rogen Knows It
Apocalypse Soon: Score another victory for the Internet! Mandate is turning Seth Rogen’s YouTube short “Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse†into a feature film. As with the original short conceived by Evan Goldberg and Jason Stone, the story revolves around two friends (Rogen and Jay Baruchel) who survive the apocalypse only to drive each other cuh-razy. As part of the deal, Mandate gave the guys final cut, thus paving the way for a full-on seven-hour improvised theatrical release. Suckers! [HR]
Three Get Janky: Mike Epps and Terry Crews are set to star in Ice Cube’s Janky Promoters, with Friday After Next’s Marcus Raboy onboard to direct. Story centers on two sketchy — or, “janky,†if you will — promoters (Cube and Epps) who get in over their heads when they book a big-time hip-hop act. The mystery act, whose deal has yet to close, should be announced tomorrow. We’re still hoping for Taylor Hicks but would totally settle for a more relevant star like David Archuleta. [HR]
Evigan Burning Bright: Step Up 2 the Streets’ Briana Evigan will play the lead in Sobini Films’ Burning Bright, the story of, um, a woman who wakes up during a hurricane to find a tiger in her house trying to eat her autistic little brother? This should finally satisfy all those people who keep complaining that there’s no good “crazy hurricane tiger run amok tryin’ to eat autistic kid†movies nowadays. [HR]
Heigl Plans Escape: Katherine Heigl will produce and star in the feature adaptation of Carolyn Jessop’s memoir, Escape. We’re all about movies where heroines bring down polygamist sects, and the story of Warren Jeffs’s downfall is no exception. Suck it, questionable tenets of other people’s religions! [Variety]
Williams a Prince?: We almost had a heart attack when we misread this headline as “Robin Williams joins Prince of Persia,†but he’s actually in discussions to lend his frenzied boomer-pleasing mania to David Mamet’s adaptation of The Prince of Providence. True story, based on Michael Stanton’s 2003 book, follows the ups and downs of one of America’s longest serving mayors. If this biopic does well look for Fiscal Responsibility: The Mike Bloomberg Story in 2011. [HR]