Friday, February 15, 2008

'Transformers 2,' 'Justice League Of America,' 'Lost' Sort Out What's Next After Writers' Strike



Oliver Stone Vietnam drama, 'Da Vinci Code' follow-up are also up in the air following months-long work stoppage.





Three months and billions of dollars in damages later, the writers' strike is officially over, as 92.5 percent of Writers Guild of America members voted to approve a new contract Tuesday.

But as writers everywhere shout, "Woo-hoo!," fans are left asking, "What now?" As in, what can they expect out of their favorite shows and filmmakers?

"It's going to be brutal trying to get the town started up, figuring out which movies are still happening, which TV shows are going to try to finish their seasons," screenwriter John August ("Big Fish," "Charlie's Angels") wrote last week on his blog. "You know when there's a big evacuation — fire, hurricane — and the residents are finally allowed back to their houses? It will be like that."

We sifted through some of the remains to find out what was still left standing.

Executives close to several major films derailed by the strike, including Oliver Stone's Vietnam drama "Pinkville" and Michael Bay's "Transformers 2," told MTV News that there are no status updates relating to their projects. Representatives from Ixtlan, a production company associated with "Pinkville," admitted they are unsure of what will happen with the drama, particularly given that Stone has already been linked in reports to another film, "Bush," a biopic of the current president.

Likewise, DreamWorks Studios claims to have no production office set up for the "Transformers" sequel, despite Bay's controversial claim that he wrote the script for the feature during the strike.

Other films — such as the "Da Vinci Code" follow-up, "Angels & Demons," which will reunite the cast and crew from the 2006 worldwide phenomenon; and "Nine," with Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Marion Cotillard — have been pushed back to 2009, according to sources at the studios.

Perhaps the biggest semi-permanent casualty of the strike is Johnny Depp's "Shantaram," which centered on a former heroin addict who reinvents himself as a Bombay doctor. The film was originally supposed to begin filming in February, before an incomplete script forced Depp to sign on to another project, Michael Mann's "Public Enemies." Two independent sources close to the project told MTV News that there is no current movement on the film and that it remains on hold indefinitely.

The "Justice League of America" movie, meanwhile, which was put on hold last month, could still move forward with its current cast (including Adam Brody as the Flash and Common as the Green Lantern) as early as the summer, according to Variety.

On the TV front, news is more concrete as it pertains to the current television season. Shows such as "Desperate Housewives," "The Office," "30 Rock" and "House" should all return to the airwaves with new episodes (as many as six to eight) before the summer, according to statements made to Entertainment Weekly.

Other shows, such as "24" and "Heroes," will almost certainly not return until next year, due to the serial nature of their programming.

ABC's "Lost" currently has eight episodes completed, only two of which have already aired (the third debuts Thursday night [February 14]). With the actors currently on standby, it is the writers' "intention of making sure ... more episodes [are produced] this season," executive producer Damon Lindelof told EW.

"How many and how they will be aired is a conversation we'll be having with our bosses," he told the magazine, "but as soon as we've got a plan, we'll tell the fans first."

Check out everything we've got on "Pinkville."

For breaking movies news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.

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Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz To March On Washington



Bassist hopes to help raise awareness of children's plight for Uganda Lobby Day.





On February 26, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz will march on Washington, D.C., along with more than 1,000 young activists, in an attempt to help end the 22-year civil war in northern Uganda.

The event, called "Uganda Lobby Day," is sponsored by Invisible Children, the not-for-profit organization aimed at raising awareness of the plight of children displaced by the bloody war in the Central African nation. Wentz will be part of a group that is scheduled to meet with members of Congress, to urge them to declare open support for the ongoing Ugandan peace talks, and to appropriate funds for the displaced.

"All of the volunteers — including Pete — will break up into smaller groups, and go talk to their respective senators and representatives. For example, Pete is from Illinois and lives in California, so he could talk to Senators Obama or [Barbara] Boxer," Invisible Children spokesman Kenny Laubbacher told MTV News. "The goal is to meet with them and say, 'We know about the situation in Uganda and we want you, as our representative, to do something about it.' "

Last year, Invisible Children lobbied to have the U.S. government dispatch a senior advisor to the region — something Wentz told MTV News about when we spoke with him at the opening of his bar, Angels & Kings, in May — and by the summer, the State Department had appointed Tim Shortley to oversee talks taking place in Juba, Sudan, between the government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army. The two sides have warred for more than two decades.

"Last year was a huge example of the power young people can have, and it showed that our representatives will listen to us if we make them," Laubbacher said. "This year, our goal is just as big, because we don't want the issue of Uganda to disappear from minds of the public, or our elected officials."

And it certainly won't if Wentz and his bandmates have anything to say about it. Last July, they made a humanitarian trip to the nation with Invisible Children, and ended up shooting a video for the song "I'm Like A Lawyer With The Way I'm Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You)." And then, just last week, FOB frontman Patrick Stump took the stage at the Roots' pre-Grammy jam session in Los Angeles wearing an Invisible Children T-shirt.

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'Twilight' Finds Its Latest Victims: Nikki Reed, Rachelle Lefevre Added To Cast



Cam Cigandet, Michael Welch will also appear in highly anticipated book-turned-movie.





In the best-selling book "Twilight," tormented teen Isabella Swan learns the dark secrets of charismatic vampire Edward Cullen mere moments after he looks deep into her eyes and asks: "Do I dazzle you?" Now, the film version has landed several dazzling new names of its own.

MTV News has confirmed that Nikki Reed ("Thirteen"), Rachelle Lefevre ("What About Brian"), Cam Cigandet ("The O.C.") and Michael Welch ("Joan of Arcadia") have been cast in the soon-to-shoot flick based on Stephenie Meyer's bestseller. They join the previously cast Justin Chon, Anna Kendrick, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart — who revealed to us recently that the film will aim to launch a franchise based on the series' novels.

The biggest of these new names is Reed, who will be reuniting with "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke after working with her on "Lords of Dogtown" and the film that launched both of their careers, 2003's "Thirteen." The 19-year-old actress will be playing Rosalie Hale, a 90-year-old vampire with the perpetual appearance of an 18-year-old. A close friend of Edward's (Pattinson), Rosalie rolls into Forks High School in the family's silver Volvo, sits with the Cullen clan in the cafeteria and shares a complicated love story with Emmett and Edward Cullen.

Although Lefevre is an acting veteran with nearly 40 TV and film credits in the U.S. and her native Canada, the highly anticipated "Twilight" will likely become the biggest role of her young career. Following appearances on everything from "Brian" to "CSI: NY" to "How I Met Your Mother," she'll appear in the flick as Victoria, one of the ruthless vampire villains of the series. Lefevre's red hair would seem to be spot-on for the flame-headed, catlike vampire who assists James in an attack on Bella that will make her thirst for a bloody revenge of her own in the sequels.

Speaking of James, the tracker vampire who insists on human blood rather than the animals many vampires use to suppress their hunger, the pivotal role has been assigned to Cigandet (pronounced gee-gone-DAY). A hunky 25-year-old born in the novel's setting of Washington state, Cigandet portrayed surfer Kevin Volchok on "The O.C." and was most recently seen in the flick "Who's Your Caddy?" In the "Twilight" universe, joining the ranks of the undead does wonders for your looks — accordingly, James is described as an unremarkable human transformed into an average-looking vampire.

Welch, meanwhile, will play Mike Newton, one of several Forks High students who find themselves competing for Bella's attention when she moves to the rain-soaked town. Described as having a baby face, the human asks Bella to the big school dance, then resorts to copying Edward's style in order to win her heart. His story is also expected to continue into the "Twilight" film sequels.

In the next few weeks, several of the film's key characters are expected to be cast, including Jasper Hale, Billy Black, Jacob Black and Charlie Swan. The mysterious Cullen family, meanwhile, is expected to be revealed next week.

"Twilight" is currently beginning production in the Portland, Oregon, area and is targeting a late 2008/ early 2009 release.

Check out everything we've got on "Twilight."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.

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