Movie News Round-Up

Pirates in 3D, a vampire James Bond, a sci-fi field trip, and another “next project” for Tim Burton

Sci-Fi Field Trip
Ivan Reitman’s production company Montecito and Paramount have snapped up a sci-fi comedy adventure pitch called Field Trip , written by Jordan Cahan. The story is known to involve time travel, a high school teacher and his students, says The Hollywood Reporter . But will there be snogging at the back at the back of the bus? Surely the real question is not whether it’ll be in 3D, but when will they announce it’ll be in 3D?

Vampire James Bond Movies Coming Our Way
Hollywood has already got its teeth into Blood Oath , a Penguin vampire novel which is only published in the US today. Warp Films has picked up the rights to the vampire action novel written by Christopher Farnsworth, which features a kind of bloodsucking James Bond, reports Heat Vision Blog . A mix of political thriller and supernatural action, Oath is about vampire Nathaniel Cade, who’s captured by the US Army after the Civil War and is forced to swear an oath to President Andrew Johnson, and has been protecting the president ever since. Warp’s Lucas Foster reckons, “It’s a big idea and it’s an idea that in the wrong hands could have been cheesy. [Fansworth] did a very good job of making the reader, and me, buy it. It’s the right tone between thriller and improbable fantasy.” Surely the real question is not whether it’ll be in 3D, but when will they announce it’ll be in 3D?

Cinderella Will Go To The Ball Again
Disney has pitched a seven-digit deal to acquire the rights for a live action version of Cinderella , written by The Devil Wears Prada scribe Aline Brosh, according to Deadline New York . Surely the real question is not whether it’ll be in 3D, but when will they announce it’ll be in 3D?

It’s Mai Life For Tim Burton
According to The Latino Review , Tim Burton is set to direct a film version of the Japanese manga Mai , the Psychic Girl, about a 14-year-old Japanese girl with powerful psychic abilities. Quite how he’s going to fit this in between all his other “next” projects – Dark Shadows , The Addams Family , Maleficent – is unclear, but Latino Review is confidently stating Burton is actively developing the project (it actually sounds like the kind of thing he’d produce for his old mate Henry Selick to animate if you ask us). Surely the real question is not whether it’ll be in 3D, but when will they announce it’ll be in 3D?

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.