Ben Affleck is in talks to write, direct and star in an adaptation of Dennis Lehane‘s Prohibition Era novel Live by Night. The story is set in Boston and centers on Joe Coughlin, who rebels against his cop father and becomes a career criminal, eventually joining a mobster. He rises up the ranks as the action moves to Tampa, Fla., then Cuba and features rumrunners, femme fatales, betrayals and good men committing plenty of sin. Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone was also an adaptation of a Lehane novel. [THR]
Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro are returning to their Rocky and Raging Bull roots in Grudge Match. I can’t quite tell by Deadline’s article if this is meant to be a comedy or drama, but the story will find Stallone and De Niro playing two retired brawlers looking to get back in the ring for one more fight. Kevin Hart (Think Like a Man) will play the fight promoter that gets them back together and his involvement has me thinking comedy more than drama as does the fact it will be directed by Peter Segal (Get Smart, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps). [Deadline]
Glenn Close, James Franco and Brit Marling will star in The Grace that Keeps this World, an adaptation of the Tom Bailey novel with Azazel Jacobs directing from a script by Matthew Aldrich. The story follows a father and his sons as they prepare for the upcoming hunting season. Family conflicts arise when a rookie environmental cop begins an investigation of hunting violations that reveals a family divided by their life choices. [Deadline]
Jodie Foster‘s last directing gig was The Beaver and she’s finally getting back behind the camera with the drama Money Monster, which follows a TV personality whose insider trading tips have made him the money guru of Wall Street. When a viewer who lost all of his family’s money on a bad tip from the money expert decides to hold him hostage on air, ratings soar as the entire country tunes into this media frenzy. So far no cast is attached. [Variety]
Finally, we have some new release dates from Warner Bros. and Paramount. Here’s the list:
- Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters – January 25, 2013
- The Incredible Burt Wonderstone – March 15, 2013
- The Conjuring – July 19, 2013
- We’re the Millers – August 9, 2013
- Prisoners – September 20, 2013
You can get more information on any of those titles by giving them a click and you can check out the full release calendar here.
I have also updated the design of the DVD and Blu-ray release date calendars, separating Blu-ray from DVD. If you haven’t het given the new design a look click here.
