Bird Parts vs. Wolf Parts: Just to show everyone how over this whole Twilight thing she is, Catherine Hardwicke is in talks to direct James Patterson’s Maximum Ride, an altogether different young-adult fantasy title with franchise potential. The series concerns the battle between a group of part-bird-part-human teens called the Flock and their enemies, the part-human-part-wolf crew the Erasers. This sounds even dumber than Twilight, meaning it’ll probably make twice as much money. [HR]
We Got the Beats: Jesse Eisenberg is set to play Allen Ginsberg in Beat-generation flick Kill Your Darlings. Chris Evans will play Jack Kerouac and Ben Whishaw will play Lucien Carr, whose killing of David Kammerer will play a central part in the film. The William S. Burroughs role hasn’t been slotted yet, meaning there’s plenty of time for production team Killer Films to pull off more questionable casting. [Variety]
Mao’s Gonna Be Ticked Off: Chow Yun Fat will play Confucius in a biopic backed by the Chinese government, slated for this year in order to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic and Confucius’$2 2,560th birthday. This is part of a sharp governmental shift toward celebrating Confucius, who was condemned by Mao. Quick question: What is official Chinese government policy on Mark Wahlberg? [Variety]
Ledger Videos: Two music videos that Heath Ledger directed will be released this year: a clip for “King Rat,” a bonus track off Modest Mouse’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, animated by Daniel Auber, a member of Ledger’s art collective the Massive; and one for “Quicksand,” a David Bowie cover done by Grace Woodroofe to promote her Ben Harper–produced debut album. [Billboard]
Together Through Bob: Bob Dylan’s previously announced new album now has a name — Together Through Life — and an official release date (April 28). In an interview posted on his site, Dylan explains how the album was influenced by fifties Chess records and how the new music “sticks in your head like a toothache.” Awesome! [Billboard]
