Family Feud: Fox Searchlight has given the green light to a comedy written and directed by mumblecore mavens Jay and Mark Duplass. At one point called Safety Man, the film will center on a budding love affair between a man (John C. Reilly) and a lady (Marisa Tomei) that her son (Jonah Hill) is out to destroy. This actually sounds like it could be pretty funny. Not as funny as the idea of Hill coming out of Tomei, but still funny. [HR]
Brad Pitt Disappears: Director James Gray (We Own the Night) has come onboard to helm Paramount’s The Lost of City of Z. Adapted from a book by The New Yorker’s David Grann, the movie will star Brad Pitt as a British soldier and spy who leaves England for the Amazon. Once in the trees, he becomes obsessed by an ancient civilization he calls Z. Along with his son, he heads into the Amazon in search of Z, only to be never seen again. Let’s hope one of Pitt’s 32 sons gets a chance to make his acting debut alongside Pops. [Variety]
That Rocks: New Line has nabbed the screen rights for Broadway musical Rock of Ages, a love story featuring the best of eighties rock anthems. Chris D’Arienzo, who wrote the musical, will write and direct the movie, which focuses on a couple who falls in live in a Sunset Strip rock club but is eventually torn apart by the rock-and-roll lifestyle. The show features awesomely bad songs from Journey, Twisted Sister, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, and REO Speedwagon. Clearly, Styx got shafted. [Variety]
RoboPets: John Stevenson, who most recently directed Kung Fu Panda, will helm the film adaptation of Grant Morrison’s comic We3. The story focuses on a dog, a cat, and a rabbit who are given prototype combat suits as part of a experiment. But the animals escape and set off on a difficult journey home. The film will have an R rating, according to producer Don Murphy, who sought to assure fans that We3 won’t be remotely like the lovable Kung Fu Panda. He said, “It’s not going to be cutesy. There’s killer rabbits and stuff,†which was actually all your little brother needed to hear. [ShockTilYouDrop]
Bolly-toons: Disney International has snatched up three animated series from Indian cartoon makes DQ Entertainment. Details are slim on Twisted Whiskers, Ratman, and Sandra, but we’re guessing that puffy shirts are involved. [Variety]