Movie & TV News: Screwtape Letters, Wonder Woman, Wallace & Gromit, Brando, Electric Mist/Confederate Dead, Harold & Kumar, Nottingham, Mike Fright, Comic Previews

The Screwtape Letters
Variety says that Ralph Winter Productions and Walden Media will adapt the C.S. Lewis novel, "The Screwtape Letters." The 1942 book is a series of notes from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his diabolical nephew, Wormwood. Screwtape advises his protege about the finer points of undermining faith and promoting sin. The film will mark the second collaboration on a Lewis project, after "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe."

Wonder Woman

The Hollywood Reporter (via Mania) tells us that Warner Brothers Pictures is buying a spec script by Matthew Jennison and Brent Strickland about Wonder Woman. While the studio has Joss Whedon writing (with an eye to direct) a similar project, this is said to be a pre-emptive measure in keep the script off the market and defer any future legal action. The new script is set in World War II, while Whedon's piece is set in the present day. Executives were reportedly
"impressed with the new script."

Wallace & Gromit
There is, according to Reuters, a new Wallace & Gromit adventure is in the making. Arthur Sheriff , Aardman spokesman, said: "It could be television, it could be a feature film. That depends on how the storyline develops. It will go into production as soon as he [creator Nick Park] has finished writing it."

Brando
On May 1 & 2 a new two-part documentary will air on the Turner
Classic Movies network about Marlon Brando. James Caan, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, Angie Dickinson, Edward Norton and Dennis Hopper will join in the tribute, which will also feature never-before-seen footage of Brando at work and play, and rarely-seen in-depth interviews with the actor. Also included will be a look at Brando's involvement in civil rights and features interviews with Native American leaders and Black Panther officials, who the movie legend worked with and befriended.

In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead
Tommy Lee Jones is starring in director Bertrand Tavernier's "In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead," based on the novel by James Lee Burke. Jones plays Cajun detective Dave Robicheaux, who is trying to link the murder of a local hooker to New Orleans mobster. Production starts in April in Louisiana on the script by Mary Olson-Kromolowski and Jerzy Kromolowski.

Harold and Kumar
David Krumholtz, Neil Patrick Harris, Rob Corddry, Christopher Meloni, Ed Helms, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jack Conley, Roger Bart, Danneel Harris and Eric Winter have joined the cast of the sequel. Of course John Cho and Kal Penn will return as the story picks up the same morning that Harold's love, Maria (Paula Garces, also back) sets off for Amsterdam. The pair pursue her until an overzealous passenger mistakes Kumar for a terrorist, the plane is diverted and the boys are off on a new escapade from Guantanamo Bay through the Deep South. Harold and Kumar meet wackos, jerks and whores as they are pursued by the Department of Homeland Security all the way into Bush Country. Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg will direct from their own script.

Nottingham
Universal Pictures will bring this revisionist take on the legend of Robin Hood with Russell Crowe attached to play the Sheriff of Nottingham to the big screen. Crowe's character heads an investigation of a series of murders in which Robin Hood is the
prime suspect. Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris are producing. Reiff said: "Part of the strength of the script was the simple idea of doing Robin Hood by making the sheriff the good guy."

Mike Fright: Stand Up!