1. A “major star” is interested in playing Herod the Great in Mary, Mother of the Christ, and has asked for the role to be beefed up, perhaps by adding a scene where Herod “show[s] up at the scene of the slaughter of the innocents, and then make[s] a speech to one of the dead babies.” — Barbara Nicolosi
2. MySpace and some British film types have come up with a plan to release Faintheart simultaneously in theatres and online, for free, one week before the DVD comes out in February. The film is “a romantic comedy about people who re-enact Viking battles.” — Hollywood Reporter
3. Brett Ratner says reports that he was on the verge of directing the Conan the Barbarian reboot were premature, and he still plans to make Beverly Hills Cop IV first. — Patrick Goldstein
4. Justin Chadwick, who most recently directed The Other Boleyn Girl, has signed on to direct Ironbow: The Legend of William Tell. He will be working from a script by Jay Wolpert, whose credits include The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) and the original Pirates of the Caribbean (2003). — Hollywood Reporter
5. The first photos have surfaced from the Austrian set of Season of the Witch, which stars Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman as 14th-century knights who have taken custody of a girl who is thought to be a witch responsible for spreading the Black Plague. — Moziplussz.hu, ComingSoon.net
6. I recently discovered that a Christian company in the States has been making a low-budget film based on the Arthurian legends, called Pendragon: Sword of His Father. It comes out on DVD next week, and the trailer is online. I have no idea what to expect. — Burns Family Studios
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In