Pen To Paper: Love gurus and family funnies

Michael De Luca - the man who held the purse strings for Zathura and the upcoming Nic Cage leather-clad comic adap Ghost Rider - is developing an adaptation of The Game: Undercover In The Secret Society Of Pick-Up Artists.

The novel by Neil Strauss pulls back the curtain on the bizarre underworld of fellas whose lives revolve around the science of picking up women. Columbia have roped in About A Boy scribbler Chris Weisz to pen the screenplay.

Led by love guru Mystery, the collection of Casanovas have their own language – an AFC (average frustrated chump) will struggle to entice an HB (hot babe) if he doesn’t stick to the mantra FMAC (find, meet, attract, close).

So, is it Swingers for the new millennium or just a POC? (Pile of…you get the idea).

New Line has snaffled up a pitch called All Boxed Up, a comedy about a retired couple who decide to sell the family home. To add to the hilarity, the wrinklies invite the whole family over for a weekend to help them pack.

From an idea by Ross Venokur - the man behind upcoming comedy-animation Space Chimps and a co-writer on Ben Stiller rib-tickler Night At The Museum - the flick is being put together by Just Friends producers JC Spink and Chris Bender.

As always, keep it here for any casting updates…

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.