I read an interview with Woody Allen recently in which he talked about how he releases his movies during the summer because he thinks big tentpole movies are moronic and smart people need something else to see. Whatever you think about that, it's true that a lot of comic-book movies are targeted at younger kids, and maybe you want something rated a hard R. Something like Woody Allen might make if he'd come up in Gen X. I recommend Wanderlust, David Wain's commune comedy that functions as something of a companion piece to his Wet Hot American Summer and a spiritual successor to Caddyshack and Stripes.
Ethan Hawke tried to break into the TV game back in the spring with the CIA procedural Exit Strategy, but Fox didn’t pick it up. Now Hawke’s giving it another whirl: he’s signed on to Blue Tilt, an NBC cop show starring two detectives balancing work with their families. Vincent D’Onofrio, who’s got some experience as a TV cop from Law & Order: Criminal Intent, will play Hawke’s partner. Think carefully before rejecting this one, NBC: If it doesn’t work out, Hawke could very well decide to write another novel. Grade: B+ [HR]
Snoop Dogg is going to star in a movie! The man of a million cameos is attached to the title role in The Legend of Fillmore Slim, a biopic about the bluesman/pimp known both as “The West Coast Godfather of the Game” and “The Pope of Pimping.” When reached for comment on the role, Snoop explained that “it should be pretty pimpin’ pimpin’.” Grade: A [Deadline]
Bradley Cooper is in talks to replace Mark Wahlberg in David O. Russell's The Silver Linings Playbook, about a former high school teacher institutionalized for depression and released into the care of his mother (trend alert!). Cooper is negotiating for the part of the teacher and, in related news, his Limitless costarRobert De Niro will probably also join the movie in some capacity. Wahlberg is reportedly leaving the project to play another cop in Allen Hughes' Broken City. Grade: B- [Deadline]
