Sequel Buzz

The planned sequel/reboot of the Vacation franchise by New Line Cinema has found it's team in John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.
The studio has entered negotiations to hand the reins of the project to John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the team behind the Vacation script, as well as the New Line hit Horrible Bosses and the studio's upcoming Horrible Bosses 2 and Burt Wonderstone. Daley is an actor-turned-writer who has appeared in shows such as Freaks and Geeks, Kitchen Confidential and Bones. Goldstein worked on comedies such as The New Adventures of Old Christine and $#*! My Dad Says as a writer-supervising producer. The duo's big break came on New Line's Horrible Bosses, which grossed more than $200 million worldwide last summer. The Warner Bros.-owned studio moved quickly to lock up Daley and Goldstein, who are busy writing a Bosses sequel and worked on the Steve Carell-Jim Carrey magician comedy Burt Wonderstone, which is currently in production. …

The follow-up to 2007's I Am Legend is finally beginning to gain momentum.  Check below for the skinny...
Arash Amel has been hired to write a screenplay for I Am Legend 2 for Warner Bros. Will Smith is on board to produce through his Overbrook Entertainment shingle, with the potential once again to star. Akiva Goldsman, who co-wrote and produced I Am Legend, also will return as a producer. The 2007 horror thriller starred Smith as the last surviving human in a New York cityscape overrun by monsters that survived the plague that killed most of humanity. Co-written by Mark Protosevich and directed by Francis Lawrence, it grossed $585 million worldwide. It is unclear how the storyline will be developed in the new project since Smith's character, Robert Neville, perished at the end of the first film. The CAA-repped Amel has the action thriller The Expatriate in production, and his screenplay Grace of Monaco is in development. Smith produced Fox's recent release This Means Wa…

NBC has officially picked up a 13 episode order for Brad Fuller's Hannibal TV series.  To my great pleasure, the series will revolve around the first novel, Red Dragon (my personal favorite), and deal with Dr. Hannibal Lecter and FBI agent Will Graham.  Graham's character was most recently portrayed by Edward Norton and originally played by CSI's William Peterson.  It is yet to be determined who will don the face mask as Hannibal.

The logline...
One-hour contemporary thriller series featuring the classic characters from Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon – FBI agent Will Graham and his mentor Dr. Hannibal Lecter – who are re-introduced at the beginning of their budding relationship. Source: Entertainment Weekly

It appears that Jonathan Liebesman (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) will be directing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot for Platinum Dunes.  I expect this to be very Transformers-esque -- and that's not a good thing.  I want more than just a flashy fireworks display for my beloved Turtles.
"Battle: Los Angeles" helmer Jonathan Liebesman is in negotiations to direct Paramount's live-action reboot of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."  Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form would produce for Platinum Dunes.  Plot details are being kept under wraps except that it would be a new reimaging of the famous comic and cartoon series.  Josh Applbaum and Andre Nemec penned the script.  Liebesman's next film "Wrath of the Titans" bows March 30. Source: Variety

Although two sequels are in the works for the Cabin Fever franchise (Patient Zero and Outbreak), some early poster artwork for Patient Zero, which is actually a prequel, has been released as well as the reveal of who will helm the direct-to-video sequel.

It appears that comic book artist Karre Andrews will be directing the project.

Source: Shock Till You Drop

Dan Aykroyd is coming to terms with the possibility of recasting Bill Murray in Ghostbusters 3 if Murray can't come to an agreement on the film.

The absurdly charming one-time Ghostbuster and Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd was in the Empire office today for a webchat, and as well as shaking the hand of everyone in the building (including a bewildered delivery man) and being an all-round hero, he also answered a few questions.
As you might have guessed, a couple were about the much-talked-about Ghostbusters 3, and here are some interesting tidbits about just that. 
[Talking about the reclusive Rick Moranis] "If we can get the script to Ghostbusters 3 right, then it would definitely have Moranis as a major component. None of us would want to do the movie without having him as a participant."
Even more intriguingly, Aykroyd hinted that Bill Murray may not return as Peter Venkman, and that the character could be played by a different actor, a la Jack Ryan.
[Talking about Ghostbusters…

So it's pretty much official now: Michael Keaton wants very much to reprise his infamous Beetlejuice role.
Shock asked him for the latest on the project and to see how close the sequel was to becoming a reality.  "It's a reality in the sense that I met with Michael Keaton last week," Grahame-Smith told us.  "We talked for a couple of hours and talked about big picture stuff.  It's a priority for Warner Bros.  It's a priority for Tim.  Right now, I am writing an animated movie for Tim based on an idea of mine.  Then I adapt Unholy Night [based on the upcoming book].  The third I am hoping is Beetlejuice in terms of writing schedule." And what was Keaton's excitement level like? "Huge," the writer added, "he's been wanting to do it for 20 years and he'll talk to anybody about it who will listen.  I really told him, I have a huge reverence for Tim and a huge reverence for that film in general.  I don't think we should d…

Here’s some sad, yet interesting news – it appears that the powers that be will movie forward with a new Home Alone flick, just not the one we were expecting or hoping for…
So much for those rumours placing Macaulay Culkin back in the McAllister household (in a sequel to the original “Home Alone” that would’ve had the filthy rich former child star play father to a mischievous youngster like the one he played in Chris Columbus’s original; still, never know, it could happen. Did anyone think a fourth “American Pie” would happen, with the original cast, after all those direct-to-video spin-off movies!?). The next “Home Alone” won’t be a big screen venture with any original players (and likely no Wet Bandit).
“Home Alone 5″, like the previous installment in the kid-vs.-crooks film series, is being produced for television. But unlike that awful fourth installment , ABC Family have gone out of their way to place the project in the hands of some talented folks – if only because even studio…

Looks as if plans for a sequel to The Karate Kid remake are under full-swing now -- seeing as a writer has been tapped to pen the script.  Welcome aboard, Zak Penn.
Columbia Pictures has tapped "The Incredible Hulk" scribe Zak Penn to rewrite its untitled sequel to 2010's surprise hit "The Karate Kid." Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris were hired to write a sequel just weeks after director Harald Zwart's "Karate Kid" reboot took in $55.6 million domestically over its opening weekend. China-set pic went on to gross $359 million worldwide. While plot details remain under wraps, original stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan are expected to reprise their roles, though no deals are currently in place. Overbrook Entertainment principals Will Smith, James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz and Jada Pinkett Smith will produce with Jerry Weintraub, while Sony exec DeVon Franklin will oversee the project for the studio. Source: Variety

The new trailer for Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man has been released. And, wow, am I totally blown away. It's looking much better than I anticipated. Can't wait.

The hunt has ended for the search for a new screenwriter for MGM's RoboCop redux.
MGM has hired Gran Torino screenwriter Nick Schenk to work on the screenplay for RoboCop. Jose Padilha is attached to direct the action sci-fi reboot.
The CAA-repped Schenk had been working with Padilha, who co-wrote and directed Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, on the action thriller Tri-Border. The writer also has the original drama The Judge set up at Warner Bros. with Team Downey producing.
MGM has been developing a new take on the RoboCop franchise, which launched with the 1987 film directed by Paul Verhoeven, for years. The studio is hoping for a summer start, but no one has yet been cast in the title role. Source: THR