Locke & Key (Movie) - It's A Trilogy

MTV brings us word from Robert Orci concerning the rumor:

Latino Review had reported on Friday that "Locke & Key" is in the process of being turned into a live-action film trilogy after the TV series failed to be picked up by Fox. While we were skeptically hopeful of that news at the time, producer Roberto Orci has confirmed that the trilogy is actually happening. Click on after the jump for more details. 

One fan tweeted at Orci, who is reportedly producing and writing the script for the "Locke & Key" films with Alex Kurtzman, and asked him to clarify if the rumors were true. He did just that but nothing more, simply tweeting, "true."

 

Locke & Key (TV) - Not On TV, But The Big Screen

The series was previously dropped by Fox in favor of "American Horror Story". The Latino Review, however, brings us word that it may still make it to the big screen:

After Mark Romanek directed the brilliant pilot LOCKE AND KEY for Fox TV one would have thought it would get picked up but NO, the project was dropped in favor of AMERICAN HORROR STORY. But fear not, the geniuses at Universal who have spent over $200m on the new Keanu Reeves film 47 RONIN and then pushed it until the end of 2013 (and still counting) have decided to pick it up as a feature- a trilogy as a matter of fact. The comics are published by IDW who were responsible for the stunning failure of 30 DAYS OF NIGHT and now that LOCKE AND KEY failed as a TV show they are going to allow Universal to do it as a movie. If it works it will be the second haunted house film that Universal does next year, having agreed to finance Guillermo del Toro’s original script CRIMSON PEAK (he is only producing) which does for Haunted Houses what Wonder did for bread. The original comics are wonderful, written by Stephen King Junior, aka Joe Hill. The movie will be produced and written by Kurtzman and Orci the team behind this year’s monster hit PEOPLE LIKE US. Sounds like some tasty beans to us. Que Bueno!

Wolfenstein (Movie) - It's On!

SANTA MONICA, CA, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 – Panorama Media and Samuel Hadida announced today the production of CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN. The action-adventure film, inspired by the iconic game franchise, is written and will be directed by Academy Award® winner Roger Avary. Hadida will produce through his Davis Films Productions, and global sales will be handled by Panorama’s Marc Butan and Kimberly Fox. Talks with U.S. distributors are underway. 

CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN is an action adventure film in the vein of CAPTAIN AMERICA and INGLORIOUS BASTERDS. The story follows a young US Army Captain and a British Special Agent on a top secret mission to Castle Wolfenstein, where Hitler will be for the unveiling of a new secret weapon. After reaching the Castle, our heroes are confronted with Himmler’s SS Paranormal Division and must fight, not only for their survival, but for a mission that could alter the course of the War. 

Hadida explained, “With Roger at the helm, we expect everyone will join us for a wild and fun cinematic ride that will grab contemporary film audiences with the same irreverent, hip, over the top approach that Roger brought to PULP FICTION and the other films he has either written or directed. It is a big action adventure but also strongly character driven and based on a very solid story.” 

Fox stated, “We are thrilled to be in business with Samuel and Roger on this amazing project. We have known Samuel for years as a distributor and as a producer who knows the pulse of the marketplace, from his productions of TRUE ROMANCE through the RESIDENT EVIL pictures, and including Roger’s KILLING ZOE and RULES OF ATTRACTION. Both Samuel and Roger bring a really fun sensibility to the screen, and WOLFENSTEIN gives them the perfect opportunity.” 

Hadida added, “The film involves a classic assault on the bad guys, who are nominally Nazis, more evocative of INGLORIUS BASTERDS than the actual World War II. It is a vaguely futuristic retro world as fun as CAPTAIN AMERICA, which has recently been reintroduced to the world audience with great success.” 

Avary noted, “I’ve been playing the WOLFENSTEIN games since I was a kid, and feel that their outlandish sensibility has deeply influenced my own writing and directing throughout my career. I have always thought WOLFENSTEIN, transformed and opened for the screen to wider audiences not familiar with the games, would be a major cinematic experience, which is why I introduced it to Samuel. He bought the rights, and I could not be happier that we are now embarking on this adventure.” 

Panorama is licensing distribution rights at the current American Film Market now underway in Santa Monica.

Cell (Movie) - Stephen King Book Adapted, John Cusack To Star

Screen Daily brings us word that Cargo Entertainment is adapting King's 2006 novel for the big screen:

New York and LA-based Cargo Entertainment arranged financing on Cell and president of distribution Mark Lindsay will introduce what is expected to become one of the buzz titles of the AFM to international buyers. Paradigm represents US rights. 

Former Dimension Films president of production and 1408 executive Richard Saperstein will produce through his Genre Company alongside colleagues Brian Witten and Shara Kay.  

Cell is based on King’s bestseller about a father’s odyssey to find his wife and son in the wake of a catastrophic pulse transmitted via mobile phones.

"Enormous" (Comic) - Movie And Web Adaptations Coming

The Hollywood Reporter brings us the following news about the multi-target adaptation of the comic "Enormous" by Adrian Askarieh and Andre Ovredal:

Askarieh and Ovredal plan on creating a high-end digital Web series, a TV show and a feature film in a bid to tell the enormous Enormous story and explore how humans react and cope with survival from multiple points of views and from multiple settings around the planet. 

The duo are hoping to create something in tone of Cloverfield and The Walking Dead, focusing on strong characters and complicated relationships with the monsters as the background. 

Ovredal will direct the productions, while Askarieh produces via his Prime Universe banner. Prime universe's Scott Kinney will serve as co-producer on all projects.

Midnight Mass (Comic) - Coming To NBC

Deadline has the following regarding Vertigo's comic being adapted for television:

NBC has put in development Midnight, Mass., a drama series based on characters from the Vertigo comic books and graphic novels published by DC Entertainment. Snow White And The Huntsman co-writer Evan Daugherty will write the adaptation, produced by Warner Bros. TV and Bill Gerber‘s Gerber Pictures, which has received a script commitment. 

The Midnight, Mass. comics creator John Rozum will serve as an executive consultant on the TV project, about a sophisticated, sexy, globe-trotting husband and wife paranormal investigator team — based in Midnight, Massachusetts — that takes on supernatural foes, macabre mysteries and the most frightening creature of all: marriage. Feature producer Gerber (Gran Torino) executive produces, with Daugherty co-executive producing.