Ghost Buster: Hugh Jackman will star in and produce Ghostopolis, an adaptation of an upcoming graphic novel from Doug TenNapel. The protagonist is an employee of the Supernatural Immigration Task Force whose job it is to send escaped ghosts back to Ghostopolis; when a little boy is sent back by mistake, the ghost hunter has to bring him back, alongside a female ghost and former love interest. Wow, Jackman’s doing a movie this soon after the surely exhausting Wolverine shoot and promotional campaign? We hope his thumbs aren’t too sore. [HR]
The McCarthy Empire: Next up in the line of Oprah-created TV personalities like Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray is … Jenny McCarthy? The Playmate turned autism activist (she’s written two best-selling books on her son’s struggle with the disease) has signed a long-term deal with Oprah’s Harpo Productions to develop a string of projects, most notably a syndicated talk show that McCarthy will host. We hope, although we’re not optimistic, that it will borrow elements from the classic mid-nineties relationship-based talk show McCarthy co-hosted, Singled Out. [HR]
Good Ben: Ben Stiller has his next directing project, Help Me Spread Goodness. The plot concerns a Chicago banker who is swindled in a Nigerian Internet scam; the movie would look to get its yuks in while highlighting the serious issues plaguing Nigeria and other African countries. Most urgently, we assume, how hard it is for deposed African princes to get taken seriously these days. [Variety]
When Did They Invent AC?: Philippe Martinez’s confusing-sounding, CGI- and green-screen-heavy postapocalyptic thriller Tribes of October is getting rolling. In the movie’s future version of New York, the city is plagued by heat storms from a nearby desert, and any technology made after 1960 no longer works (unclear if this has anything to do with the heat storms); meanwhile, a detective (Ray Stevenson) targets a Mafia don (James Caan) who himself is targeting the decaying NYPD, led by Robert Duvall. Oh, also, Stevenson is searching for the love of his life, played by Jaime King. We assume he does so using nothing more powerful than late-fifties novelty item X-Ray Specs. [HR]
Sutherland Power Team: Donald Sutherland, his son Rossif Sutherland, Rebecca Romijn, and Sarah Roemer will star in romantic comedy Love Child, about an ex-con attempting to go straight. This is the first time Donald and Rossif will co-star. So, did everyone know about this other Sutherland? And are we out of the loop on any more Sutherlands? Please inform immediately. [Variety]
Yep, Pretty Much: Sugar Ray is coming back — their first album in six years, Music for Cougars, is out June 21. Awesomely, front man Mark McGrath has not lost any of that trademark candor: Says the erstwhile Extra host, “I know people aren’t sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for a Sugar Ray record.” [Billboard]
