Soderbergh- Clooney?

[Ernie]

well i don't think it will be Julia Roberts, ahem....but we all must love Cheadle, am i wrong?

Not at all, Cheadle is fucking perfect. I've already put Tishmingo Blues on my to see list on IMDB without a plot description or any actors other than Cheadle listed. It will be cool to see what he can do.

[MacGuffin]

John C. Reilly & Diego Luna in WB's Criminal

John C. Reilly (Chicago) and Diego Luna (Y Tu Mamá También) are in talks to topline the Warner Bros. Pictures feature Criminal (aka "Nine Queens") for Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney's Section Eight Productions. The Hollywood Reporter reports that the project, a remake of an Argentine feature, begins production in June with Gregory Jacobs directing.

Criminal is a con artist caper thriller about two men (Reilly and Luna) who team on a scam involving a forged set of extremely valuable stamps, the Nine Queens.

Jacobs, Soderbergh's longtime first assistant director, co-wrote the English version of the screenplay with Soderbergh. Soderbergh and Clooney will produce, with Section Eight's Jennifer Fox and Ben Cosgrove executive producing.

[polkablues]

Having seen the original Nine Queens, I have to say I like the casting choices.

[MacGuffin]

Jennifer Government: Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney have renewed their option for the movie rights to Max Barry's book. They're apparently burning through screenwriters, rejecting one adaptation script after another until they get one they really like.

[kotte]

Section Eight excites me.

[MacGuffin]

Nicole Kidman Has Other Powers as Well?
Source: BBC Films

BBC Films is reporting that producing partners George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh have snapped up the rights to Barbara Goldsmith's book, "Other Powers: The Age Of Suffrage, Spiritualism And The Scandalous Victoria Woodhull."

Ms. Woodhull was a champion of women's rights in the U.S. and even ran for presidential office back in 1872.

Soderbergh may direct, with word that Nicole Kidman is keen to play the title role. Apparently Nicole has also recommended her Aussie pal Naomi Watts for the part of Woodhull's freewheeling sister, Tennessee.

[Stefen]

Nicole Kidman Has Other Powers as Well?
Source: BBC Films

BBC Films is reporting that producing partners George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh have snapped up the rights to Barbara Goldsmith's book, "Other Powers: The Age Of Suffrage, Spiritualism And The Scandalous Victoria Woodhull."

Ms. Woodhull was a champion of women's rights in the U.S. and even ran for presidential office back in 1872.

Soderbergh may direct, with word that Nicole Kidman is keen to play the title role. Apparently Nicole has also recommended her Aussie pal Naomi Watts for the part of Woodhull's freewheeling sister, Tennessee.

This will rock if it is ever made. the book is great. But I think Kidman should play Tennesse and Watts should play Victoria.

[MacGuffin]

Clooney and Heslov hang new shingle

George Clooney and Grant Heslov have teamed up to form film and television production company Smoke House and have signed a first-look production and development deal with Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Television.

Clooney and Heslov are coming off a successful partnership on "Good Night, and Good Luck," the 2005 movie that Clooney and Heslov co-wrote, Clooney directed and Heslov produced. The film received six Academy Award nominations, including for best picture, director and original screenplay. The Producers Guild of America honored Heslov with the Stanley Kramer Award for producing the film, and he and Clooney received the Paul Selvin Award from the WGA for their screenplay.

The movie was made under the banner of Section Eight, the production company started by Clooney and Steven Soderbergh in 2000. Though the company had a mixed record -- it produced such hits as "Ocean's Eleven" and "Ocean's Twelve" with Jerry Weintraub, critically acclaimed fare including "Syriana" and "Far From Heaven" and such duds as "Rumor Has It" and "Welcome to Collinwood" -- it was well regarded, known for nurturing filmmakers, upholding artistic integrity and championing risky and thought-provoking pictures.

The shutting down of Section Eight came about partly because the business aspect of the company was starting to weigh down the filmmakers.

"We decided that three years ago, the minute it becomes a business we're going to get out," Clooney said in January. "It doesn't mean that I won't continue to make films, it doesn't mean that Steven and I won't continue to work together either. You've got to thin the herd after awhile and start again, so it's not all meetings about posters and contracts."

Heslov, a former actor, joined Section Eight five years ago as a development executive for the film division. He subsequently became president of Section Eight Television, where he served as an executive producer with Clooney and Soderbergh on the Washington lobbyist satire "K Street" and "Unscripted," which followed three struggling actors in Hollywood.

The existing Section Eight film slate will continue to be produced by Soderbergh and Section Eight president Jennifer Fox.

Smoke House's deal goes into effect Aug. 1 and is for three years.

The deal keeps Clooney on the Warners lot and, on the TV side, returns him to the company that gave him his breakthrough with "ER." The move also builds up Warner Bros. Television, which already has a slew of deals with such powerful producers as Jerry Bruckheimer, John Wells and J.J. Abrams.

Clooney signed his first producing deal with WBTV in 1998, while he was still on "ER." Under the two-year pact for his company Maysville Pictures, he executive produced the CBS restaging of "Fail Safe."