Take No … : Mark Wahlberg will star in the thriller Prisoners as a Boston man who takes matters into his own hands after his daughter and her best friend are kidnapped. The vigilante flick is, of course, well-trod territory, so we hope Wahlberg and screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski realize the importance of developing a kick-ass “give me back my son†type of climactic quote. [Variety]
Taking Pictures: It looks like now pretty much every idle thought Zack Snyder is having gets turned into a movie: The Last Photograph, based on an original idea by Snyder, is set to go at Warner Bros. with Sergei Bodrov directing. The movie follows two men who, inspired by a photograph, to travel to war-torn Afghanistan. And by “photograph†we’re guessing they really mean “treasure map.†[Variety]
He’s Back: Darren Star has signed a two-year first-look deal with HBO, under which he will develop a series and overlook projects from other writers. According to Star, “I can say from my fortunate experience that there is nothing in the world quite like having a series on HBO.†Better than a series on ABC, Fox, or NBC, at least. [HR]
Eighties Andrew: Andrew McCarthy will play music exec Rick Rodes, young Lily Rodes’s father, in the upcoming Gossip Girl spinoff. As the report points out, “Co-starring on a show set in the ‘80s is fitting for McCarthy, who was a big ‘80s movie star, appearing in such features as St. Elmo’s Fire, Pretty in Pink and Less Than Zero.†And Weekend at Bernie’s! [HR]
Human Haley: Jackie Earle Haley has joined the cast of Human Target, a Fox pilot based on the DC Comics publication. The plot revolves around Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), who becomes a “human target†for a fee, taking on the identities of those in danger. Haley will play Chance’s information gatherer. [HR]
Post-Chipmunk Cinema: Director Tom Dey is developing a big-screen take on “Marmaduke†— the classic comic strip about an ill-behaved Great Dane that has been running since 1954 — for Fox. It’s still unknown if the movie will be live-action, animated, or a little of both, but producers do apparently want to rush this thing out before every person on the planet who is even vaguely aware of “Marmaduke†is no more. [HR]