Ricky Gervais to host the Golden Globes...and the Oscars?!?

That’s what he says, though it could just be a goof. Deadline has more:

Ricky Gervais had Hollywood buzzing in January with his no-holds-barred hosting stint on NBC’s Golden Globes telecast. He ripped enough folks — from Charlie Sheen to Robert Downey to Johnny Depp to God — that few thought the host Hollywood Foreign Press Association would want him back for a third.

Apparently, though, NBC has other ideas about it: The British comedian said at the Edinburgh International Television Festival today that the network has asked him to host again, saying he is considering it “but I shouldn’t do it.” NBC declined to comment on the matter.

“I love NBC, I love the fact they stuck by me through it,” Gervais said, adding, “I don’t think I should do it. What am I going back as?” Gervais wasn’t done yet at the annual TV confab.

He also revealed that he was approached about hosting the Oscars, though it’s unclear whether that was before or after the Academy announced Brett Ratner and Don Mischer would produce the Oscarcast — normally the producers make the call on the host.

Ghostbusters 3 could go forward without Bill Murray?

Apparently so, according to Coming Soon:

After years of rumors, it appears that Ghostbuster 3 is finally moving forward and will likely do so with or without Bill Murray's involvement. Dan Aykroyd appeared on The Dennis Miller Show to discuss the project, dropping specific details about the sequel, hinting that the plan is to film in Spring of 2012 no matter what happens casting-wise.

"Yes, we will be doing the movie and hopefully with Mr. Murray," he says, "That is our hope. We have an excellent script. What we have to remember is that 'Ghostbusters' is bigger than any one component, although Billy was absolutely the lead and contributive to it in a massive way, as was the director and Harold [Ramis], myself and Sigourney [Weaver]. The concept is much larger than any individual role and the promise of 'Ghostbusters 3' is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood."

Could Ryan Gosling be in Terrence Malick's new film, thus delaying Logan's Run?

Well, The Playlist seems to believe it's a possibility:

Is Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling‘s upcoming modern adaptation of classic sci-fi “Logan’s Run” set to be delayed by a teaming between the latter and renowned auteur Terrence Malick? Apparently so, according to Film School Rejects, who were on hand at a Q&A with the director for his latest effort “Drive.”

Refn and Gosling are already set to reunite later this year for the Bangkok-set noir “Only God Forgives” and had planned to directly follow that up with “Logan’s Run.” Refn, however, now reveals that his love affair with Gosling will be set aside for the actor to squeeze in a film with Malick between his two projects.

What Malick project might Refn be referring to? The short answer is: we’re not sure. Earlier this week, it was reported that Christian Bale will himself be reuniting with Malick for a new, mysterious project that is said to feature a cast smaller than even his untitled next effort aka “The Burial.” It was noted at the time, though, that the film would “center around two leads, one male (Bale) and one female.” Whether this is the same project Gosling is being linked to now is anyone’s guess really but it’s definitely safe to say the once-dormant director is well and truly back in the game.

Woody Allen's next film is going to be set in Munich?

The Hollywood Reporter says that it just might:

Woody Allen is doing his version of the grand European tour.

His Midnight in Paris is still in theaters, the director is still shooting The Bop Decameron, set in Rome, but Allen is already making plans to head to Germany for his next project.

Bavaria studios in Munich is in negotiations with Allen to play the backdrop for his next, still-untitled project, which would shoot next summer.

Bavaria is set to come on board as a co-financier for the film, said to be budgeted at around $25 million.

As is always the case with a Woody Allen film at this stage in pre-production, plot and potential cast are top secret.

Allen's Midnight in Paris opened this year's Festival de Cannes to rave reviews and has gone on to become the director's most commercially successful film, earning more than $50 million in North America alone.

The Bop Decameron boasts an even-more impressive cast than Midnight headliners Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, featuring Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Penelope Cruz and Alec Baldwin among its ensemble cast.

-Joey's Two Cents: It's no secret how much I enjoy Allen's work, so seeing where this newfound resurgence takes him is very intriguing to someone like me who finds even the least regarded Woody work to be worth my time...thoughts?

Tom Cruise is going to be a cowboy?

Perhaps, according to Collider:

What do you do when you’re offered the chance to direct Thor 2? You agree to direct a cowboy movie. At least that’s the vibe I’m getting from this latest news, courtesy of Variety, who claim Game of Thrones director Brian Kirk is circling Paper Wings, a rodeo drama about a rootin’ tootin’ bull riding champ who falls in love with a country singer. Think 8 Seconds meets Pure Country meets Top Gun. And speaking of Top Gun, word is Maverick himself has stepped in and offered his services on the project, going so far as to select Kirk for the gig. He may even star in the film. More after the jump.

Are we on the verge of Mike Myers making a 4th Austin Powers film?

Most sites say yes, but Deadline says to calm down a bit:

After the Hitfix website reported that Mike Myers had signed a deal to do a fourth Austin Powers film, other websites are running wild with it. What's really going on? Well, I wouldn't necessarily dress for the premiere just yet. No deal has yet been signed, and top New Line brass are surprised the whole thing has reared up after they made Myers an offer six months to a year ago, and hear nothing. Forgive New Line for being skeptical: The film company thought it was well on the way to another Austin Powers installment when it made a deal in 2008 with Myers to collaborate with Mike McCullers for a Dr. Evil film that was to focus on his relationship with son Scotty (Seth Green), meant to be an unabashed homage to Myers' father, whose Brit influence basically prodded Myers to create the British agent Austin Powers character in the first place. Then, Myers' screen creation, The Love Guru, opened to $13 million in June 2008 against the nearly $40 million that Steve Carell's Get Smart grossed with Steve Carell. Myers went AWOL, surfacing only for a small role in Inglourious Basterds. McCullers never moved forward with the script.

Could Cameron Crowe one day do a Say Anything sequel?

Well, he kind of teased at the possibility recently, according to The Film Stage:

Cameron Crowe seems to be using the next twelve months as the launchpad for a return to the spotlight, with two documentaries and a new feature all coming from the director, after he had been gone since Elizabethtown bombed in 2005. If this barrage of projects pays off, he might end up going back to familiar territory, as ThompsonOnHollywood learned from him that a sequel to his 1989 hit Say Anything… might become a reality.

The idea of follow-ups to movies that you wouldn’t expect to have a sequel isn’t all that new —Before Sunset is one of the more famous examples — but I still can’t say in all honesty that I ever imagined this. His details on it are admittedly scant, but this seems to be the first we’ve heard of it. His quote on the project can be read below:

“I do kind of think there might be another chapter to that. I’ve thought about it from time to time, and talked to John Cusack about it. Lloyd Dobler might be back. It’s the only thing I’ve written that I would consider doing that with.”

Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell could be working together real soon...

...according to The Playlist:

...and then there was one. With Elizabeth Banks, Kirsten Dunst, Blake Lively, Rooney Mara, Rachel McAdams, Andrea Riseborough, Olivia Wilde and Jennifer Lawrence all vying and testing for the coveted female lead role in David O. Russell‘s “The Silver Linings Playbook,” one name has risen above the others. Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence seems to have impressed the director where the others have failed, taking the frontrunner position according to Deadline.

We were definitely bummed when the “Winter’s Bone” star bailed on Oliver Stone‘s “Savages” to make way for “The Hunger Games,” but this finds the actress back into meatier territory after her recent vacations in tentpole land. The plot involves Pat Peoples (to be played by Mark Wahlberg), a former high school teacher who, after being released from a four-year stint in a mental institution, moves back in with his mother; he then seeks to remake himself, finding the titular silver linings in his life. The role that Lawrence will take is that of a depressed neighbour, who after the death of her husband, goes on wild sexual spree, loses her job and eventually becomes friends with and a love interest for Pat.

Of course, Lawrence is currently very busy shooting “The Hunger Games” in the lead role of Katniss Everdeen, but should the contracts get signed, sealed and delivered, she will transition straight to Russell’s film which is gearing up for a fall shoot. It’s certainly a rock solid casting choice for Russell, who could really have chosen anybody he wanted, and for Lawrence, another smart move by the actress who is quickly diversifying her IMDb page.

"Friday Night Lights" to conclude on the big screen?

Possibly, according to TV LINE:

“Friday Night Lights” may be going into overtime in a big way. The Emmy-nominated drama — which wraps its fifth and final season on NBC tonight — may continue on the big screen.

I know what you’re thinking: There already was an FNL movie with Billy Bob Thornton in the lead. Well, this one would pick up where the small screen version left off and center on Coach Taylor and Tami, as played by Emmy nominees Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton (who portrayed the same role opposite Thornton in the original flick).

Here's some info on the lost projects of Terrence Malick!

The Playlist has the extended breakdown:

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps legendary filmmaker Terrence Malick knew this when he worried aloud and said in his last interview in the 1970s, “From this point on. I’m being watched. That could trip me up.” Malick wasn’t referring to detectives—though cinephiles possibly could have used some in the ‘80s and ‘90s. This was in reference to critics, audiences and studios coming to the realization that after “Badlands” and “Days of Heaven,” Malick was possibly the most important American filmmaker alive.

Such existential worries, plus studio pressures on the project “Q” forced Malick to fly the coop, pulling one of cinema’s greatest disappearing acts, one that would last 20 years. “I think the more applause he got, the more frightened he got,” screenwriter pal Bill Witliff said of Malick’s departure in a 1995 Los Angeles magazine interview. “I knew he wasn’t long for this business,” producer Don Simpson, who’d hung out with Malick on “Days of Heaven,” said in the same article. “He never loved the movies - he was more the philosopher.”

But longtime editor Billy Weber, who has worked on every Malick film to date, said the vacation was never meant to be two decades long. “He just got waylaid for 20 years,” he said on the “Days of Heaven” commentary track for Criterion. Furthermore, ideas that Malick was reciting poetry, painting or had called it quits were dead wrong. He was working throughout the entire period and wrote several screenplays. “Terry’s continually working, He has a project he’s been working on for 30 years and he just doesn’t talk about it,” Jack Fisk said on the same commentary track, likely referring to “Q” or what became “The Tree of Life.”

Could Andy Serkis be in the conversation for an acting nomination again?

The Hollywood Reporter seems to think so:

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, with its photoreal visual effects, is sure to be a major factor in this year's visual effects Oscar race. The bigger awards question surrounding the film, which 20th Century Fox will release Aug. 5, is whether Andy Serkis, the actor who portrays the ape Caesar, will be considered a contender for an acting nomination.

That honor eluded him ten years ago when he played the tragic creature Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. That role, however, did launch an ongoing Hollywood debate about how much an actor contributes to CG characters who are created through performance capture.

WETA Digital, the Wellington, N.Z.-based VFX company behind both Rings and Apes, has always maintained that the actor drives the performance of its CG creations. "Performance capture (is) really (designed) to give you the actors' moment--the spontaneity, the thought, the insight that really comes from an actor who really truly understands his role," says WETA's four-time Oscar winning VFX supervisor Joe Letteri.

The Academy denies talking to Oprah about hosting the Oscars...

...according to this in The Hollywood Reporter:

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hasn’t zeroed in on Oprah Winfrey to host its 84th Academy Awards -- despite reports that hit the web Friday that had Winfrey in talks to take on the high-profile gig.

“The camera loves Oprah. Oprah’s a genius. But it’s not true, and I don’t know where that story even came from,” Academy presidentTom Sherak tells THR, responding to stories that began with a Chicago Sun-Times post that claimed “Winfrey is topping the list of candidates to host the 84th Oscars."

The Dark Knight Rises may have a Teaser by this time next week...

...since the rumors are swirling that it will be attached to the last Harry Potter flick. This was the day that most speculated it would show up in theaters, so it makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't say it's set in stone, but don't bet against it. There should also be the first poster dropping around the same time, so our first taste of Christopher Nolan's bat swan song are rapidly approaching!

-Thoughts?

Will Paul Feig be taking over the Bridget Jones franchise?

Perhaps, according to The Playlist:

With “Bridesmaids” picking up rave reviews and recently crossing the $150 million barrier, making it the highest-grossing film of producer Judd Apatow‘s career, it’s not surprising that director Paul Feig has swiftly become the hottest comedy director in town. He’s working with Jon Hamm and Melissa McCarthy, the breakouts of that project, on a new comedy again reteaming with Apatow, and dropped hints that he may spend the end of this year rebooting a comedy franchise.

Spike Lee might now be directing the potential remake of Oldboy...

...as per this from Collider:

Much like its protagonist Oh Daesu, the remake of Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy is very hard to kill (provided the opponent is a thug in a long corridor). Last November, we reported that Mandate Pictures was still interested in the remake and loved the script by Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) turned in. The studio was looking at Steven Spielberg, Matthew Vaughn, and Danny Boyle to take the director’s chair, but now a new name has gone on the list. Twitch reports that Spike Lee is in talks to direct the film. While I think an American remake of Oldboy is a bad idea, it could still be a hit and if it gives Lee the boost he needs to make more personal films, then so be it.

Jamie Foxx could be Quentin Tarantino's Django...

...but the source is not exactly rock solid in my eyes. The Playlist has more:

Yes, this bit of news is coming just from a tweet right now, but it comes from someone who has been on point for some of the biggest news surrounding Quentin Tarantino‘s “Django Unchained” thus far. Former Creative Screenwriting magazine Senior Editor and host of “The Q&A” podcast Jeff Goldsmith tweeted yesterday evening, “Will Smith is out! Inside sources tell me that Tarantino has chosen Oscar winner @iamjamiefoxx to play Django! #fb” If you have your doubts, Goldsmith was one of, if not the first person to tweet about Will Smith‘s interest in Quentin Tarantino’s Spaghetti Western slavery epic. And he also was hip to Leonardo DiCaprio‘s involvement before it got to the trades. Clearly, Goldsmith’s sources are pretty well informed.

While Quentin Tarantino actively sought out Will Smith for the lead role—with the actor’s longtime home Sony landing the foreign film rights in an effort to lure Smith—the writing has been on the wall for a while now. With days turning to weeks, it quickly became apparent Smith might not be so hot on the role and assortment of other names including Jamie Foxx, Idris Elba and Chris Tucker began entering the mix. In fact, if you like a good conspiracy, there have been some suggestions that the Weinsteins involvement in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Scientology skewering “The Master” put Smith off of working with the studio completely, but of course, that’s just a rumor. However, Foxx stepping into the lead role is frankly, just as strong a substitute both from both a business and artistic standpoint.

Could David O. Russell be tackling a fairy tale?

Perhaps in a way, according to the A.V. Club:

Now that David O. Russell has walked out of the video game adaptation Uncharted, he’s once more been released into the wild to let his primary animal instincts take over—namely, sniffing around projects and engaging in potentially fruitless mating rituals. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the latest film that has briefly caught Russell’s attention is Maleficent, perhaps the eldest of the now-several Sleeping Beauty adaptations in the works. Though you probably shouldn’t put much stock in it for obvious reasons, Russell is said to be “circling” the film that would likely star Angelina Jolie in the titular evil witch role. It’s also highly possible, however, that Russell will be repelled by the scent of Tim Burton, who left Maleficent recently after spending many months marking his territory.

Wait...Jurassic Park 4 hasn't gone extinct yet?

Apparently not (and sorry for the pun), as you can see via Heat Vision:

Steven Spielberg has dinosaurs back on the brain lately. In addition to the impending launch of the television series Terra Nova on Fox in the fall, Spielberg has been meeting with screenwriter Mark Protosevich to kick around ideas for how to re-boot the Jurassic Park franchise.

Several years ago, the Oscar-winning director worked with Protosevich on a potential remake of Chan-wook Park's Oldboy that was to star Will Smith. That film ran into rights problems and didn't come to fruition, but Spielberg, who directed the first two Jurassic Park films and was an executive producer on the third, has since met twice with Protosevich to fashion a story for a potential fourth film in the franchise.

Darren Aronofsky wants Christian Bale to star in his Noah epic?

So it seems, according to Vulture:

Just how do you float a $130 million movie about the end of the world with no movie stars? If you’re Noah director Darren Aronofsky, you try to attach one, ASAP.
Vulture hears that Aronofsky is in talks with Christian Bale about possibly starring in his take on Noah's Ark, to help secure studio backing for it. Presumably, Aronofsky wants Bale for the lead, even though Noah was 600 years old when the Great Flood hit, and Bale is only 37.

Comic-Con might be a little lighter than usual this year...

...according to The Playlist:

The comic/geek crowd are either the most important group to court for genre films or their influence is overstated; it really depends on who you ask. In recent years, the very vocal contingent has generally been thought of as essential to making sure more challenging or niche fare finds an audience or least makes its budget back, but a series of disappointments and flops have the studios reconsidering. Last year, Edgar Wright‘s “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” was met with widespread geek acclaim only for the Universal film to sputter at the box office (though to be fair, the marketing for that film did little to embrace anybody outside the core of fans). “Sucker Punch” got major buzz and died on the vine this past spring, while “Tron: Legacy” played modestly despite nerds flipping for footage that Disney teased as early as 2008 (though yes, it has done enough to convince the studio get a sequel moving). And both “Skyline” and “Let Me In” faltered when they hit screens later in the year, after doing the San Diego Comic-Con rounds.

However—this year at least—the tide is shifting. The New York Times reports that Warner Bros, Marvel, DreamWorks, Disney and The Weinstein Company will be no-shows this year, meaning that some major movies coming out in 2012 won’t be given an early push. For those traveling across the country to attend SDCC, this year’s lineup—at least on the film front—will have some huge, disappointing gaps.