Haunted Newsreel

Brad Caleb Kane has signed on to write a feature-length adaptation of Elizabeth Kostova's novel "The Historian" for Sony, Variety.com reports. Kane, who has done stints as a vocalist (Aladdin) and an actor (Starship Troopers, an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), has been making a name for himself as a screenwriter with These City Walls, a script that has been making the rounds in Hollywood. Kostova's novel involves a teenage girl delving into the work of her father: discovering the truth about Vlad the Impaler. Said producer Douglas Wick regarding their choice of screenwriter: "One of the things we've been looking for is someone who could not only capture the visceral, sexy part of the story, but who also has the talent to make it credible."

Variety.com reports that Universal and Imagine Entertainment have hired David S. Goyer (Blade: Trinity, The Invisible) to write and direct a new adaptation/sequel to H.G. Wells' classic novel "The Invisible Man." The film would follow the nephew of the original Invisible Man as he uses his uncle's invisibility formula to aid British intelligence during WWII (thus giving the plot some resemblance to 1942's Invisible Agent). Regarding the project, Goyer said, "I've always been a fan of the original H.G. Wells book as well as the Universal film and felt the property was ripe for reimagining." Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind) will produce the film. Universal previously produced a string of Invisible Man movies in the 1930s and 1940s, starting with James Whale's The Invisible Man (1933).

DVDActive has learned that MGM will be releasing a brand-new two-disc special edition of their 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This edition will feature a commentary by director Philip Kaufman, four featurettes (including what I presume to be a making-of, entitled "Re-Visitors From Outer Space or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Pod"), and the original theatrical trailer. No word yet on whether the commentary is a rehash from the previous DVD release of this film. Invasion of the Body Snatchers stars Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, and Veronica Cartwright. The Collector's Edition DVD comes out on August 7th, a week and a half before the August 17th theatrical release of Warner Bros.' not-a-remake The Invasion.

Fangoria.com has received the cover art for the new two-disc special edition of Dario Argento's The Stendhal Syndrome, which is set to be released by Blue Underground on September 25th. The DVD will come with a new DTS 6.1-ES English soundtrack, as well as Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Italian soundtracks. Blue Underground's edition will run at an uncut 119 minutes, three minutes longer than the current Troma edition. Disc 1 will also contain the film's trailer, while Disc 2 will house featurettes on Argento, Sergio Stivaletti, Luigi Cozzi, and others involved in the production.(read more...)