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Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman will star in “The Roses,” a reimagining of the 1989 classic “The War of the Roses.” The dark comedy, which is currently in development, will be directed by Jay Roach (“Bombshell,” “Meet the Parents”) and is written by Tony McNamara (“Poor Things,” “The Great”) based on the novel by Warren Adler.

The film follows picture-perfect couple Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Colman), who have successful careers, great kids and an enviable sex life. But underneath the façade of the perfect family is a tinderbox of competition and resentment that’s ignited when Theo’s professional dreams come crashing down.

“‘The Roses’ is a wildly funny, bigger than life, and yet deeply human story,” said Searchlight president Matthew Greenfield announcing the project. “With Jay at the helm, and Benedict and Olivia and Tony, we have a dream team bringing it to life.”

Cumberbatch will produce under his SunnyMarch...

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog) and Olivia Colman (The Favourite) have been tapped to star in The Roses, a reimagining of the 1989 classic The War of the Roses that Jay Roach (Bombshell) will direct for Searchlight Pictures.

Currently in development, the dark comedy’s logline is as follows: Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Colman): successful careers, great kids, an enviable sex life. But underneath the façade of the perfect family is a tinderbox of competition and resentments that’s ignited when Theo’s professional dreams come crashing down.

Directed by Danny DeVito and starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, the original film adaptation of The War of the Roses was released by 20th Century Fox in 1989, garnering a BAFTA and three Golden Globe nominations, including for Best Motion Picture, among other accolades.

Tony McNamara (Poor Things) has scripted Searchlight’s new take...

Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain,” one of the buzziest movies to premiere so far at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, has sold to Searchlight in a huge $10 million deal.

Given the warm reception in Park City, the film sparked an all-night bidding war among several distributions to land global rights, with the deal closing early Sunday morning.

Eisenberg directed “A Real Pain” in addition to starring alongside Kieran Culkin. They play cousins whose tour through Poland in honor of their grandmother sparks some serious family rivalry. Their co-stars include Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy and Daniel Oreskes.

“A Real Pain” is one of two movies that Eisenberg is headlining at this year’s festival — the other is Bleecker Street’s wacky comedy “Sasquatch Sunset.” The actor says “A Real Pain” is an acutely personal story. In the film, the cousins end up joining a Holocaust tour,...

Probably in response to yesterday's underwhelming small-res debut, Dreamworks have released higher res versions along with a couple of new shots from their upcoming Fright Night remake.

The first promo for the series finale for "Smallville" employs a bit of the original John Williams score.

"BioWare™ will create an anime feature film adapted from one of the video game series "Mass Effect". Production has already begun with a Summer 2012 release planned..." (full details)

"An animation studio's managing director has issued a tweet indicating the "Happy Feet" sequel is "experiencing delays"..." (full details)

"Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" is said to be shooting with the accelerated 48 frames-per-second rate that James Cameron plans to employ on his "Avatar" sequels..." (full details)

"In celebration of “Top Gun’s” 25th anniversary, AMC Theatres is re-screening the ‘80s action thriller across the country on Saturday, April 30 at 12:30 p.m. and Monday, May 2nd at 7 p.

Chris Wedge is one of the outstanding animation directors of his generation. The founder of Blue Sky Studios and director of both Robots and Ice Age, he is both often celebrated and emulated with, frankly, very little success. He also, somewhat less famously, voiced the loveable acorn obsessed squirrel Scrat in Ice Age. But it seems Wedge is keen not to stand still and is intent upon testing his directorial skills in the live-action arena.

And, rather than tackling a remake or 3D comic-book adaptation, as is almost compulsory in Hollywood at the moment, he has optioned an account of the first observed aeroplane flight of one Alberto Santos-Dumant.

Santos-Dumant was a Brazilian living in Paris who displayed the very first heavier than air flying machine (the Wright brothers operated marginally earlier, in secret, and using a far more perfunctory craft) to dazzled onlookers, and marked the zenith of an...

Ready for another adaptation? We know you are, so check this out! Ice Age helmer, Chris Wedge and his Wedge Works World Wide banner have acquired Paul Hoffman‘s tome Wings of Madness: Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Invention of Flight.

At this moment we know that Paul Hoffman’s book chronicles “the science and history of early aviation and offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind of an extraordinary and tormented man, vividly depicting the sights and sounds of turn-of-the-century Paris.” If you like this description, check out the rest of this report for more details.

And here they are: “On the eve of the centennial of the Wright brothers’ historic flights at Kitty Hawk, a new generation will learn about the other man who was once hailed worldwide as the conqueror of the air-Alberto Santos-Dumont. Because the Wright brothers worked in secrecy, word of their first flights had...

[1] No, don't worry -- Wings of Madness isn't a sequel to Wings of Desire.* Rather, it's a book about aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont, written by science writer and former Discover editor Paul Hoffman. Santos-Dumont was a Brazilian living in France who invented one of the first airplanes, independently of the Wright Brothers. His story will be brought to the big screen by Chris Wedge, who has just optioned the biography. Wedge is best known as the director of Robots and the Ice Age franchise and the voice of Ice Age's Scrat. Read more about Wings of Madness after the jump. Here's the book synopsis for Wings of Madness: Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Invention of Flight (via Collider [2]): On the eve of the centennial of the Wright brothers’ historic flights at Kitty Hawk, a new generation will learn about the other man who was once hailed worldwide as the...

Chris Wedge, the director of Ice Age and Robots, is set to direct his first live-action film. Wedge's production company has purchased the rights to Paul Hoffman's book, Wings of Madness: Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Invention of Flight. The book tells "the life story of the Brazilian inventor. A man who was obsessed with flight, he made innovations in the aviation field that include things like the first sports plane, and some say that he was more innovative than even the famous Wright brothers."

Here’s the book’s plot description, thanks to Amazon:

“Almost unknown today except in his native Brazil (where he is a revered figure), Alberto Santos-Dumont was known throughout the world as ‘a maverick among contemporary aeronauts.’ Obsessed with the idea of flight from an early age, Santos-Dumont (1873-1932) was an eccentric genius whose inherited wealth allowed him to live in luxury in fin-de-siecle Paris,...

He’s had a decent amount of success in the animated field by and directing Ice Age and Robots for Blue Sky Studios, but Chris Wedge is about to make the move into live-action with a historical project, acquired by his production company, WedgeWorks.

Variety says that it’s an adaptation of Paul Hoffman’s non-fiction book, Wings of Madness: Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Invention of Flight, which tells the life story of the Brazilian inventor. A man who was obsessed with flight, he made innovations in the aviation field that include things like the first sports plane, and some say that he was more innovative than even the famous Wright brothers.

This would be Wedge’s first live-action project, but he’s not out of the animation game just yet: later this year, Blue Sky and Fox will be releasing his next film, The Legend of the Leaf Men,...

Tough chicks who kick butt. The continued popularity explosion of paranormal Ya. Male wizards. Hard-boiled detective stories with fantasy settings. These were the most dominant urban fantasy trends this year, and they’ll continue well into 2011.

Standouts include J.L. Bryan’s Jenny Pox about a girl who kills people with her touch. It’s a welcome change from the emo, vegetarian vampires that populate Ya novels; highly recommended reading. Brandon Sanderson and Paul Hoffman showed us the darker side of epic fantasy, while Jocelynn Drake and Kelly Meding proved that their female protagonists kick just as much butt as the boys do. Thomas Sniegoski sent us on another adventure with angel-turned-human Pi, Remy Chandler, and Joe Hill gave us another compelling protagonist with Ig, a human who grows horns.

My top pick, as with 2009, goes to Kill the Dead, the second volume in the Sandman Slim series. We continued...

Lindsay Lohan must face a two-hour deposition hearing next month. The "Mean Girls" actress faces further questions about a 2007 car chase after Tracie Rice, a passenger in the vehicle being pursued by the star, launched a civil action against her, which is due to go to trial next month. The incident involved the 23-year-old star allegedly jumping into a car containing three male passengers and driving at high speed down the Pacific Coast Highway, pursuing the vehicle which Tracie was traveling in with Michelle Peck, whose daughter is the actress' former assistant.

Although Lindsay, who was jailed for driving under the influence (DUI) following the incident, has already faced questioning about what happened, legal representatives for Tracie, who is suing for assault, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional, argue that she hasn't answered essential questions about her substance abuse and if she feels remorseful. Her attorney Paul Hoffman said, "This...

Lindsay Lohan will have to answer more questions about a 2007 car chase that landed her in jail, including inquiries about drug use at the time, a judge ruled Thursday.Lohan's answers will be used in a civil lawsuit filed against the actress by a woman who claims she suffered emotional distress after the incident, which prompted a criminal case that still haunts the "Mean Girls" star.Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard A. Stone ordered Lohan to sit for a two-hour deposition next month. The judge approved a request by Lohan's attorney to allow the questioning to happen after July 6, when a criminal judge will decide whether Lohan violated her probation by missing a court hearing in May.Tracie Rice, who was a passenger in a car being chased by Lohan in July 2007, sued the actress for assault, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress a month later.

There’s a reason so many fantasy writers are turning to the dark side these days: It works. Terry Goodkind’s tree-slaughtering Sword Of Truth series only really comes to life when it descends into sadomasochism, and George R.R. Martin’s brilliant Song Of Ice And Fire series is a catalog of misery and woe. It could be a fluke, or it could be the general modern tendency to equate narrative cruelty with depth, but for whatever reason, Paul Hoffman’s newest novel, The Left Hand Of God, certainly delivers the terrible goods. Thankfully, unlike Goodkind, Hoffman has more ...

Lindsay Lohan Mum On Drug Use

Lindsay Lohan refused to say under oath whether she was under the influence of drugs when she went on a wild chase down Pacific Coast Highway in 2007 ... TMZ has learned.  And we've now obtained the police report from the incident showing Lindsay's urine tested positive for cocaine.

The lawyer for Tracie Rice, a passenger in the car Lindsay was chasing, claims during her deposition last month, LiLo refused to answer questions "regarding her drug use and/or possession on the day of the incident."

In legal papers obtained by TMZ, Rice's lawyer, Paul Hoffman, claims Lindsay invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to answer the question.

As TMZ previously reported, when police pulled Lindsay over they allegedly found traces of cocaine in her pants pocket.  She was charged with possession of cocaine but ultimately that charge was dropped when Lindsay pled...

Lindsay Lohan refused to say under oath whether she was under the influence of drugs when she went on a wild chase down Pacific Coast Highway in 2007 ... TMZ has learned.  And we've now obtained the police report from the incident showing Lindsay's urine tested positive for cocaine. The lawyer for Tracie Rice , a passenger in the car Lindsay was chasing, claims during her deposition last month, LiLo refused to answer questions "regarding her drug use...

Last night's Gossip Girl didn't have many shocking moments, but there were plenty of racy scenes, quality character moments and major story lines beginning to slowly build up.

While much of its buzz stems from its "Omg" factor, Gossip Girl has become, at its heart, a character-driven show, and "The Lady Vanished" proved why it's one of our favorites.

Who would have thought Chair would be the most adult couple on the show, including the actual adults? Season One, this is not ... and we're loving every second of them.

Chuck and Blair were the focal point of the episode, with a scandalous Jenny side plot and Dan and Vanessa doing their crazy thing somewhere else. But first ... Serenate.

The episode begins with Serena, Nate, whipped cream and strawberries, and no pants. Wow. Not one to be outdone, Blair moans loudly from upstairs to get their attention.

All in the first five minutes!

Chicago – The DVD Round-Up is back with a collection of foreign films, indie flicks, a documentary, and a Kathy Griffin stand-up special. The key word for 2010 is diversity and there’s no DVD column more embracing of the variety of titles at your local store than the Round-Up.

“Kathy Griffin: She’ll Cut a Bitch” and “You, The Living” were released on January 12th, 2010.

“Chevolution” was released on January 19th, 2010.

“B-Girl,” “Fireball,” “Import Export,” and “Wushu” were released on January 26th, 2010.

“Kathy Griffin: She’ll Cut a Bitch”

Photo credit: Shout Factory

Synopsis: “The Emmy-Nominated special comes to DVD! Two-time Emmy Award-winning and self-proclaimed “D-Lister” Kathy Griffin’s latest comedy special takes you backstage in Hollywood — from the Emmys to the Grammys and even to Cher’s Malibu mansion! Appearing before a sold-out crowd at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, Griffin is in top form...

Next week's Gossip Girl, "The Debarted," is the last of the calendar year, and between the photo gallery we posted yesterday and the pair of sneak previews we've got for you below, it looks like the third-season CW series is going into its holiday break on a serious bang.

In the first clip, Blair knows best when it comes to Chuck and why he's acting strangely. It's the anniversary of his father's death, and even Chuck must have feelings ... right?

The Debarted Sneak Preview #1

In the second clip, after the jump, the friendship of Nate and Dan is entertaining as always as they talk about the always-pressing subject that is Dan's love life. Nate, the oracle of relationship advice, hatches a plan to help Dan snag Vanessa from that douche Paul Hoffman ...

The Debarted Sneak Preview #2...