the industry

Industry Roundup: Sarah Silverman, Gere, Topher

Let’s Dance: Sarah Silverman is in negotiations to join the indie dramedy Take This Waltz, starring Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams. The film, written and directed by Sarah Polley, will follow a young woman (Williams) whose infidelity struggles lead her to the discovery that she is “addicted to the honeymoon period of her relationships.” Silverman will play the sister of Williams’ character… kidding! She’ll play Rogen’s sister, duh. [Variety]

Double Team: Richard Gere and Topher Grace will star in The Double, a spy thriller that centers on the investigation of the murder of a senator in Washington at the hands of “a Soviet assassin long thought to be dead.” Gere’s retired CIA operative will team with Grace’s young FBI agent to find the killer. Screenwriter Michael Brandt will make his directorial debut with the film, which was written by Brandt and writing partner Derek Haas (Wanted, 3:10 to Yuma). The casting is sure to excite fervent Gere Heads with bad tastes in their mouths since Nights in Rodanthe, and Videogum.com. [HR]

Commando Redux: 20th Century Fox is moving forward with a remake of Commando, charging David Ayer (Training Day) with writing and directing a new version of the 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger film which catapulted him to stardom. Ayer will be putting his own “real-world spin” on the original story, as the plot will be centered on a retired elite special forces operative who sees his daughter get kidnapped and is told she’ll die unless he gets on a plane and “kills the rival of a nasty exiled dictator.” So it sounds like “real-world spin” is basically just code for “more boring” since in the original, of course, Schwarzenegger took down everyone everywhere. [Deadline]

Six It Is: ABC has ordered six episodes of The Six, a game show which originated in Russia in which teams work together to solve “nontrivial logic puzzles” within 60 seconds. “When was the last time you saw a group dynamic that wasn’t about backstabbing?” Merv Griffin Entertainment TV president Roy Bank said to promote the show. Eh, nice try, Roy, but we’ll stick with Jersey Shore. [HR]

Inferno For Kids: Juan Jose Campanella - who directed The Secret in Their Eyes, this year’s Oscar winner for best foreign-language film - will make his English-language directing debut with Heck, an adaptation of a children’s fantasy novel. Heck, written by Dale E. Basye, is described as a “kids’ version of Dante’s Inferno.” What great news since when we read the Inferno, all we could think about was how awesome it would be if someone could find a way to make its cheery tone and fun plot into a film accessible for kids. [Heat Vision/HR]

Idol Worship: The American Idols Live! 2010 tour will begin July 1 in Auburn Hills, Michigan and stop in 49 cities before finishing September 14 in Pittsburgh. The top 10 finalists will all be along for the fun, though good luck staying awake in the audience without the presence of the loopy Seacrest/bitchy Simon/flirty Kara triumvirate. [Billboard]

Happy News For Perry
: Lionsgate has acquired the rights to an 11th Tyler Perry film, Madea’s Big Happy Family, which is scheduled for an April 22, 2011 release. Presumably this will be followed by Madea’s Too Big Happy Family. [Deadline]

Cosgrove Makes The Leap: Paramount has hired screenwriter Emma Forrest to work on the script for How Could You Do This To Me?, a family comedy for the studio’s Nickelodeon film label constructed as a vehicle for iCarly’s Miranda Cosgrove, who is trying to make the jump to the big screen. The story is focused on a teenage girl (Cosgrove) whose life actually improves when her parents get divorced; when they try to get back together, she tries to keep them apart. Seems appropriate that a tween star who is basically the Anti-Lohan will star in what sounds like the anti-Parent Trap. [HR]

Industry Roundup: Sarah Silverman, Gere, Topher