Monday, August 13

• Movie newz: Gandolfini goes back to HBO, Biggie Smalls has a director, and Scorsese's Stones doc gets pushed

  Actor James Gandolfini, aka Tony Soprano, is heading back to HBO. That's right, the man who defined the New Jersey mob (at least on TV) is doing a movie for the network that made him.

  Gandolofini has signed on to play another controversial Jerseyite-- basketball/athletic gear marketing figure Sonny Vaccaro, who signed Michael Jordan's first million-dollar deal with Nike and launched the careers of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant with his summer camp to showcase up and coming high school talent. The drama ABCD camp will be written by David Aaron Cohen (Friday Night Lights)...

  ...Notorious, the biopic about the Biggie Smalls,which started a national open casting this weekend for its lead, has found its director. Longtime Biggie Smalls fan George Tillman Jr. (Men of Honor, Soul Food) will direct the script by Cheo Hodari Coker (the journalist who wrote B.I.G.'s biography) and Reggie Rock Blythewood. Hip-hop musician and mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs will produce...

  ...Martin Scorsese's Shine a Light, has been postposed until April. The concert film about The Rolling Stones was originally supposed to open next month, but Paramount is claiming it wants more time to properly coordinate marketing with Scorses and the Stones, who are curently on tour in Europe.

  Source: Variety.

  
  

  Posted 08/13/2007 by Heather

  Related: Martin Scorsese | James Gandolfini | George Tillman Jr. | Notorious | ABCD Camp | Shine a Light

Saturday, August 11

• Are you the next B.I.G.?

  Casting is under way for Notorious, the biopic about the life and death of theNotorious B.I.G. The project, which is being produced by B.I.G.'s mother and his two former managers, is kicking the search for its B.I.G. into high gear.

  Because they feel that finding an actor that can physically and emotionally represent the slain rapper is such a challenge, they are opening the casting to unknowns as well as professional actors. Says B.I.G.'s manager, "In the typical Hollywood world, no one came to mind outside of Forest Whitaker who could capture the essence entirely." Unfortunately, Whitaker is over 20 years older than B.I.G. was when he was killed.

  Interested parties who feel they can capture the essence of B.I.G. are encouraged to submit audition videos starting 12AM PST tonight at www.biggiecasting.com.

  Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

  
  

  Posted 08/11/2007 by Heather

  Related: Notorious