Ex Marks the Spot: 20th Century Fox has acquired the rights to Jane Heller’s novel An Ex to Grind, which will be adapted for the big screen as a romantic comedy with Cameron Diaz and Benicio Del Toro attached to star as a “warring couple.†Del Toro would play a star athlete who gets injured and becomes a couch potato while his wife (Diaz) ascends from waitress to business hot shot. She wants to divorce him but, in order to avoid paying alimony, she instead plots to find a new wife to replace her (naturally) — which backfires when the replacement “restores the man she fell for.†And to add insult to injury, the replacement is Jessica Biel. [Deadline]
’Time’ for Tour: Erykah Badu will go out on tour this summer, joined by a rotating set of openers including N.E.R.D., Bilal, Janelle Monae, and Questlove. The tour, called “Out My Mind, Just in Time†after the last track on her most recent album, begins May 22 in Atlanta. We’ve got a feeling everyone’s gonna get real quiet when she starts playing “Window Seat.†[Billboard]
Blimp Reveal: M.I.A.’s next album will be released June 29, an announcement she made via a blimp that flew over the crowd at Coachella during Jay-Z’s set. We’re sure Lady Gaga will be the first in line to pick up a copy. [Pitchfork]
Blimp Reveal: M.I.A.’s next album will be released June 29, an announcement she made via a blimp that flew over the crowd at Coachella during Jay-Z’s set. We’re sure Lady Gaga will be the first in line to pick up a copy. [Pitchfork]
Braga, Meet Nova: Brannon Braga (Star Trek, 24, FlashForward) will serve as executive producer/showrunner of the Steven Spielberg/Peter Chernin prehistoric drama Terra Nova, which reportedly has already been given a thirteen-episode order from Fox. The show is centered on a family from 100 years in the future that travels back in time 150 years to a prehistoric Earth ruled by dinosaurs. Michael Ausiello says Kyle Chandler has been offered the lead in the project, but we’re just going to pretend he doesn’t know what he’s talking about so we can remain blissfully in denial about the fact that Friday Night Lights is actually going to end. [Deadline]
Fishburne Re-ups: Laurence Fishburne has renewed his contract and will remain on CSI through next season. The release states: “In the upcoming Season 10 finale, Fishburne will face off against two serial killers in a battle of wits that will conclude in a life-and-death cliffhanger.†Just our two cents, CBS, but perhaps next time wait to announce the star will be back for another season until after the big life-and-death cliffhanger. [HR]
In the Books: Aisha Tyler has nabbed the lead opposite Laura Benanti in CBS’s comedy pilot Open Books, which also features Scott Foley. Tyler will play a waitress/actress who is best friends with Benanti’s New York boutique publishing house book editor. Foley is a “free-spirited writer†who once had a fling with Benanti’s character. Bohemian love triangle, here we come. [Deadline]