Weekly Chatter: TDK Casting, Earl and the Chipmunks, Epic Controversy and more…

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on March 10, 2007

Hollywood is like high school, there are always those chosen beautiful few who get all the attention, the smart kids work behind the scenes in the AV club, and of course there is plenty of gossip to go around. Who is dating who? Who is having who’s baby? Who is gay? These are all things that plague both our high schoolers and our celebrities… Alright, that is enough. Let’s get on with some good ole’ Hollywood sludge.

The Dark Knight scores the better looking Gyllenhaal
This seems to be the news of the week, even though it just dropped yesterday. Christopher Nolan and crew may have finally found a replacement for that sweet girl who lives at Tom Cruise’s house now. Maggie Gyllenhaal is said to be in final negotiations to take over the role of Rachel Dawes, the assistant DA to Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent and love interest of Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne. My take — this is a great development! Maggie will do wonders for the film, as opposed to that other actress whose name need not be spoken. She has a bit more charisma and should mix well — or at least we can all hope so.

300 sparks Controversy, still does $27 mil on Friday
A heated debate has been raging over the last few days over at my own blog, The Columbus Movie Guy, as to the historical accuracy of 300 and its portrayal of Persians as savages. Of course, as these things go, everyone seems to have their own opinions. But that doesn’t seem to be slowing down the film at the Box Office, as ComingSoon.net has reported that 300 is already off to an estimate $27.7 million start on Friday. This is great, but as they point out, it may not be enough to eclipse the $68 million dollar record set last year by Ice Age: The Meltdown. I say give it a few days, then you will know.

Jason Lee to join “Chipmunks”
While Jason Lee’s mustache continues to haunt your television sets with the hit comedy My Name is Earl, his voice may begin to haunt your local cineplex with a few upcoming romps into the world of CGI. The first is a live-action adaptation of the popular cartoon Underdog, where Lee voices the iconic hound. The second is the recently announced live-action adaptation of Alvin and the Chipmunks. The only hitch to the “Alvin” flick is that so far, it looks as if Lee will star as a real character. Do I have that right? Jason Lee as Dave Seville — isn’t that just like Breckin Meyer as Jon in Garfield? It makes me shudder…

New Pirates Trailer Dances with the Stars
As our friends at CHUD report, the new trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End will debut on Monday March 19 at 8pm during Dancing with The Stars on ABC. Also, in their ever-growing need to further promote the film, Disney has released a “Pirate Player” that will automatically countdown to the trailer’s online release then play the trailer. We picked one up, and it can be seen below:

That’s the news. Keep it locked here at FSR for more reviews, news and painfully sharp opinions!

Technorati Tags: Dark Knight, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Christopher Nolan, Batman, 300, Controversy, Box Office, Jason Lee, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Casting, Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney