Time for a few more newsy quickies.
1. Yay, more adventurous archaeologists! Nicole Kidman is attached to The Eighth Wonder, an “action-adventure” that “centers on an archeological discovery that sets off a globe-spanning race.” Simon Kinberg, who came thisclose to working with Kidman on Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), will write the script. — Hollywood Reporter
2. I have never been to Disneyland, so I have no idea what goes on in the “Tomorrowland” section of that theme park, but I do get a kick out of the retro-futurism of the Tomorrowland DVD set that came out a few years ago — so I am intrigued by the news that Disney may be developing a movie based on that section of the theme park, similar to what they did with Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-2007), and hopefully not so similar to what they did with The Haunted Mansion (2003) and The Country Bears (2002). Then again, Brian De Palma’s Mission to Mars (2000) was supposedly based on the Tomorrowland section of the park, and look how that turned out. Ah well. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is attached to star in the new film. — Variety
3. Two weeks ago, it was announced that real-life couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly would be playing Charles Darwin and his wife Emma in Jon Amiel’s Creation. Now comes word that Joseph Fiennes and Rosamund Pike are also playing the Darwins, in a film called Mrs. Darwin. Both films are set to come out in 2009, which will mark the 200th anniversary of Mr. Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. — WENN
4. The documentary Cubers, which concerns people who can solve the Rubik’s Cube in less than 30 seconds, premiered last Sunday at the Atlantic Film Festival. I’ve never been able to solve it that quickly, but I was the Rubik’s Cube champion at Vancouver Christian Elementary School in 1982, back when I was in grade six, so I’d certainly be interested in seeing this film. — FilmStew.com
5. Tobey Maguire has reportedly signed a deal to shoot two more Spider-Man sequels back-to-back, but only on the condition that he be given “family time” with his two-year-old daughter during the six-month shoot. — London Times
6. The makers of Fifty Dead Men Walking continue to be criticized for being allegedly too cozy with the IRA. For some reason I find myself wondering how this situation compares to that of The Battle of Algiers (1966), which was also produced in connection with the terrorists whose actions were dramatized in the film. — Hollywood Reporter
7. Zachary Pincus-Roth looks at how the cell phone has affected the writing of movies and TV shows. Sometimes it provides a handy shortcut, but as often as not, writers have to come up with clever or contrived ways to prevent their characters from communicating with each other. — Los Angeles Times
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