Last year it was Snow White, this year it is the White House, and next year it looks to be all about visiting the white peaks of Mount Everest. Very cliche stuff indeed, but I did not write any of it. Hollywood did, and that is what brings us to today’s big story–there will be a second Everest film coming down the pipe, this one with Christian Bale.
Deadline broke the story this morning that The Dark Knight Rises star will be leading the cast of Everest which has him attempting to survive blinding storm-like conditions during a climb to the top of Everest in 1996. This is based on true accounts remembered in Jon Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air, and that is all we know at this time aside from the director, Baltasar Kormakur, who was chosen from helming a similar-style survival pic entitled The Deep that no one saw…because it was in Swedish.
As alluded to earlier, Everest is the second such movie currently in development. Tom Hardy recently found himself attached to play the man who first scaled the mountain in a 1920′s period feature under the same name. Jumper’s Doug Liman is directing that one for Sony Pictures, and while both offerings can be crazy different the bigger question looms as to whether the mountain is big enough for both Batman and Bane.
There is some Tom Hardy news to be had today as the actor continues skirting low and big budget films. Today’s story is in regards to the little guys as he has boarded a pic from director Steven Knight called Locke. The project is being billed as a real-time thriller that takes place over 90 minutes as a man attempts to save his life after receiving a mysterious phone call. Further details are light at this time.
It looks like the Splinter Cell movie in development has just moved closer to reality as Ubisoft has partnered with New Regency to help develop the Tom Hardy-starrer. If this sounds a bit familiar, that is because it should as the same video game publisher is also teaming with New Regency on their upcoming big screen adaptation of Assassin’s Creed. Details on both projects remain scarce at this time, but such partnerships should be recognized as a giant step toward the realization of Ubisoft’s theatrical goals. Details on the deal after the jump. 
John Hillcoat’s Lawless just hit theaters nationwide earlier today and judging from the promotional materials it would appear that there would be a lot of talking that would take advantage of its A-list cast, but it was quite the opposite. Rather be defined by its true story, this film ultimately sold itself as a big screen adaptation of something that belonged in the Boardwalk Empire universe. While the HBO drama showcases more of a sales-based segment of Prohibition, Lawless demonstrated the supply side beyond what we see in the award-winning television series which is different enough to win some fans. 
The reviews for Lawless are in! Word is that the John-Hillcoat period feature based in prohibition-era Virgina is worth the view as two-thirds of critics buy into this retelling of the Bondurant family’s tale. Big props are being rewarded for acting and the gangster element, but apparently this is a ‘bait and switch’ scenario here as what appeared to be a class-A story is almost alarmingly heavy on the action. 
We often hear a lot about A-listers teaming up to produce a ‘passion project’ that none of them star in, but this one seems a little too high-profile to pass up the recognition. Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Tom Hardy are set to produce a project about animal trafficking. Warner Bros. is backing this movie which will ideally showcase a Blood Diamond-like setup where consumers really have no idea what mania they help drive. 
The Long Red Road is getting a feature film. That is what we are hearing today as the Brett C. Leonard play looks to be headed to the big screen. While no one is attached to direct the project at this time, it has managed to attract some recognizable faces to lead the production via The Dark Knight Rises’ Tom Hardy and Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Shannon. 
One of the more anticipated period offerings of the fall has to be John Hillcoat’s Lawless. The movie tells the true story of the Bondurants who ran a bootlegging operation during Prohibition. There are some new featurettes out that profile the historical events at the center of this feature which has already received some pretty decent reviews. The first video chronicles how the outlaws were in effect the good guys and the second explains the backdrop a little bit more. 
If you are one of those people who cannot wait for The Dark Knight Rises to hit theaters later this month, the following featurette is a must-see. It has the movie’s incredible cast and crew discussing the film’s backdrop and characters. Pretty much it serves as a video version of those 50 pages of production notes the internet has been talking about this week.
The third trailer for The Dark Knight Rises just hit the web earlier tonight. This one shows a bit more Tom Hardy’s Bane who we still barely understand, but it works. Christopher Nolan is a genius–the end.