Epstein’s Story: Producer David Permut is moving ahead on a biopic of Brian Epstein, who discovered and managed the Beatles until he died of a drug overdose in 1967, at the age of 32. The film will be based on Tony Gittelson’s script A Life in the Day. If you’ll notice, Beatles-related entertainment activity — from album reissues and the Rock Band game to the Weinstein Company’s John Lennon biopic, Nowhere Boy, and the proposed Yellow Submarine remake — has been particularly active recently. Which means if you’ve got a screenplay in which Ringo Starr falls in love with a sexy vampire sitting in your drawer, now’s the time to pull it out. [Variety]
Soul Movie: Malcolm Spellman (Dead Presidents) is writing a film adaptation of Soul Train for Warner Bros., with the involvement of the show’s former host Don Cornelius. The story will take place in the eighties and will revolve around a kid from inner-city L.A. with “popping†skills who is vying to join a Soul Train tour. (Or, in Spellman-speak, “This guy is a serious popper with street edge, and he wants to get on that tour, with the hottest of the hot.â€) So what does this mean for our script based on MTV’s The Grind? [Variety]
Hope I Die Before I Get Old: Pete Townshend is writing a new musical, Floss, about getting old. The plot revolves around a troubled marriage: Walter, a former musician, cashes in when one of his songs is used in a car commercial, and then he attempts to return to music with unpleasant results. Townshend is aiming for a 2011 premiere and says some of the songs will probably end up on a new Who album. Get ready for some balls-to-the-walls alimony jams. [Billboard]
Mother Figure: Susan Sarandon is in talks to join Oliver Stone’s Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps as Shia LaBeouf’s mother. No word on what she’ll be doing, but considering her previous experience with Justin Timberlake, she’ll surely be prepared for anything. [Variety]
More X’s: Hey, there’s going to be a third XXX movie! And Vin Diesel is coming back for it! And the guys who wrote Terminator Salvation are writing it! Also, Ericson Core is directing, and at some point Diesel will probably parachute out of a plane with a snowboard and a gyro. [HR]
Outlook Is Bleek: And in even more exciting, highly relevant news, Memphis Bleek has a new album out. Who? Why, that nice fellow who’s been hanging around Jay-Z for his entire career. It’s called The Process E2, is an independent release, and will feature Rick Ross, Pharrell, and Jay himself. Will this cement Bleek’s reputation as the most accomplished weed carrier in history? [Billboard]