the industry

Vera Farmiga and George Clooney to Join Mile-High Club

The Air Up There: Vera Farmiga has joined George Clooney in Jason Reitman’s upcoming comedy Up in the Air. The story focuses on a stressed out human-resources executive (Clooney) whose only joy in life becomes the prospect of reaching a million frequent-flier miles, a goal he single-mindedly pursues as the rest of his life falls apart. Farmiga’s character plays an equally busy businesswoman who falls for Clooney in airports and hotels across the country. Thanks to Toby Flenderson and now Clooney, we can unequivocally say that human-resources comedy is here to stay. [Variety]

Twice Bitten: Summit Entertainment officially gave New Moon, the sequel to Twilight, the green light this week, just one day after the original came out. In this sequel Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) must leave Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) to keep her safe from other vampires. New Moon is the second of four vampire love books by Stephenie Meyer, all of which Summit is expected to turn into movies. Your little sister hasn’t been this psyched since Friday. [Variety]

Casting Couch: George Lopez and Billy Ray Cyrus have signed on to join Jackie Chan in his rip-roaring comedy The Spy Next Door. The movie centers on Chan, who is asked to babysit his neighbor’s children and must protect them from secret agents after one of the kids accidentally downloads a confidential spy code. Lopez and Cyrus will play two CIA agents, giving this movie more demographic appeal (Asians, Hispanics, Rednecks) than anything since Revenge of the Nerds. [Variety]

It’s a Deal: French director Pascal Laugier, who is on tap to direct a remake of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, will also head up Paramount Vantage’s horror thriller Details from his own script. The story centers on a young woman who disappears after awakening supernatural forces that inhabit the random patterns of everyday objects. The script was rewritten from its original version, when it was about an ambiguously gay men’s magazine that put Kevin Federline on its cover. [Variety]

Leap to Dublin: Hilary and Jackie director Anand Tucker is in talks to direct Amy Adams in Spyglass’ upcoming Leap Year. The romantic comedy tells the story of a woman who comes up with a plan to travel to Dublin to propose to a man on February 29, when according to Irish tradition the man must say yes, but she encounters trouble along the way. [HR]

Finally, a Cop Drama: NBC’s drama pilot Lost and Found has picked up Josh Cooke to co-star and Michael Engler to direct. The show focuses on an offbeat L.A. detective who butts heads with her superiors and, as punishment, is sent to work on John and Jane Doe cases. Cooke plays her shrink. Because if TV needs anything right now, it’s another cop drama. [HR]

Vera Farmiga and George Clooney to Join Mile-High Club