After nearly two years of rumors and speculation, Jack Sparrow is finally getting himself a dad. Fans of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series may scratch their heads after watching next week’s “Dead Man’s Chest,” wondering what happened to the fatherly cameo by Rolling Stones guitarist — and inspiration for Johnny Depp‘s character — Keith Richards. According to series director Gore Verbinski, however, the Richards cameo as Jack Sparrow’s father was never intended for film number two. “It was actually Johnny’s idea to put Keith in the film, because all his observational work was done on Keith for his character,” Verbinski explained. “So, we’ve written a little cameo, and Keith has scheduled us into his tour, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.” Verbinski added that Richards’ recent Sparrow-like mishap, which had him falling from a coconut tree in Fiji, shouldn’t stall their plans. “Apparently he’s doing really well, and we’ll shoot him in September.” In other news, the third film has a name: “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” Explained series producer Jerry Bruckheimer: “It’s [Depp and Richards'] journey, and when you see the [second] picture you’ll understand what I’m talking about. It’s their journey, based on the cliffhanger that’s in the second one.” …
Cosmic rays forever altered the lives of “The Fantastic Four,” and now creative forces are similarly transforming the superhero family. “It probably will be darker,” revealed actress Kerry Washington, who will return as blinded Thing paramour Alicia Masters in the 2005 film’s sequel. “They have handed in two different scripts, and they are trying now to take the best of both. So we’re not exactly sure yet what it’s going to look like.” Two factors that are certain to be in the movie, however, are planetary devourer Galactus and his gray-skinned herald. “You would think that the Silver Surfer would be its own movie franchise, because people really love that character,” Washington said of the Surfer/Galactus story line that will intersect with the characters of returning stars Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Ioan Gruffudd and Michael Chiklis. “I think it’s really exciting that they’re bringing that to ‘Fantastic Four.’ I think it’ll be huge.” …
Leonardo DiCaprio is looking to drop out. No, the reclusive actor is not quitting the business, but his Appian Way production house has hired playwright Craig Lucas to develop a biopic on 1960s acid guru and “tune in, turn on, drop out” counterculture icon Timothy Leary, according to The Hollywood Reporter. DiCaprio is considering starring in the movie about Leary, whom he befriended before the LSD advocate’s death in 1996. Lucas will work on the script — which will focus on Leary’s life between his enrollment at West Point in the early 1940s and his escape from prison in 1970 — with Leary archivist Michael Horowitz. …
You might know 27-year-old rising star Andy Samberg from his work on “Saturday Night Live” — you’ve probably seen him professing his love for cupcakes and “The Chronicles of Narnia” in “Lazy Sunday,” a spoof clip that took off via viral video. Soon, however, he’ll be crashing his way onto the silver screen. “I’m working on a movie called ‘Hot Rod’ with Paramount that we’re shooting this summer, and hopefully it will come out,” he grinned. “It’s about a wannabe daredevil dude who is terrible at stunts.” Samberg will star as the bumbling not-so-Evel Knievel, alongside “Deadwood” veteran Ian McShane, for producer Lorne Michaels. “I’m looking forward to a stunt double crashing into things, and then me lying back down on the ground and going, ‘Ahh, that was painful.’ There will probably be a lot of that,” he laughed. “But really slickly edited.” The film is expected in theaters sometime in 2007. …
Owen Wilson wants to make a promise to his fans: He and Vince Vaughn will be crashing something again really soon. Their re-teaming, however, most likely won’t come in the comedy “Outsourced,” which Wilson expects will be stuck in development hell for the foreseeable future. “I know that they’ve written a script,” he said of the flick about two workers who travel to Mexico to reclaim their jobs. “There was talk of Vince and I working on it, but I’m not sure if that’s gonna happen.” Wilson said he and Vaughn stay in touch as they try to find another script like last year’s smash, “Wedding Crashers,” but they’re waiting to see how several projects — including one that would put them back in their beloved tuxedos — turn out. “I don’t know if it’ll be ‘Wedding Crashers 2′ or what … but Vince and I will definitely work on something together. I don’t know if it will be a direct sequel to that or if we would start over with some new characters, but that’s definitely something that’s nice to know, that you can work together again, because we had such a good time.” …
Two versions of “The Hills Have Eyes” made you close your lids tight, two similar tales of “The Omen” made you fear the name Damien, and double-barreled “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” movies made you promise to never wear leather again. Now another horror remake is on the way, and it might have audiences fearing what they’ll find under their Christmas trees. “It’s ‘Black Christmas,’ and it’s a big horror movie,” 20-year-old Michelle Trachtenberg said of the recently filmed remake of a 1974 classic. “It’s about a bunch of sorority girls running around, getting killed in a house.” Laughing, she added: “My character is sort of like a sarcastic, alcoholic bitch, and she gives the killer a run for his money.” Co-starring fellow up-and-comers Oliver Hudson, Katie Cassidy and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Trachtenberg said the Vancouver, British Columbia, film set actually wasn’t horrific at all — it was more like a giant party. “It wasn’t all that scary. It was just a lot of fun. It was more like a sorority experience.” The flick is due in theaters in November — just in time for the holidays. …
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Anthony Hopkins began production this week on his first directorial effort in nearly a decade, with Christian Slater toplining a cast that includes John Turturro, Michael Clarke Duncan and Jeffrey Tambor. “It’s called ‘Slipstream’ at this time,” Slater said of the project, where he plays a middle-aged screenwriter whose fragile mental state has him being visited by the characters in his latest script. “I play a couple of characters, actually. It’s a very cerebral movie. I think I play a part of Anthony Hopkins’ subconscious,” Slater said. “It’s something he wrote and something very personal to him, so I’m grateful to be a part of it.” The former Hannibal Lecter hasn’t been in the director’s chair since 1996′s little-seen “August.” “He’s certainly very excited,” Slater beamed about Hopkins. “I’ve talked to him a few times, and he seems to be pretty enthusiastic.” The film is due in theaters next year. …
Jerry Bruckheimer has bestowed his golden touch on some of the biggest blockbusters of all time, including “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Armageddon.” Now he’s turning his attention to the video game title “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.” “It’s an adventure,” Bruckheimer said of the third-person action series, about a fresh-faced adventurer and the mysterious Dagger of Time. “I love adventures, and this has young, interesting characters on a quest. I love that. And it’s with magical powers, so that’s a wonderful start.” Game designer Jordan Mechner and screenwriter Jeffrey Nachmanoff (“The Day After Tomorrow”) are plucking certain elements from the game for a largely original script, following the template Bruckheimer used while peripherally basing “Pirates” on the popular Disney ride. “We’re working on the screenplay,” Bruckheimer revealed. “It’s coming along quite well, and hopefully once it’s finished, we will move it into production.”
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