Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Promote Circle Peter Bergs Lone Survivor Emmett/Furla Financing For Universal

EXCLUSIVE: Emmett/Furla Films is originating aboard to invest in Lone Survivor, and director Peter Berg is within talks with Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Promote to experience three from the four lead Navy Closes. Universal Pictures, which developed the film, will distribute. An adaptation from the book by Marcus Luttrell, Lone Survivor informs the harrowing story of methods Luttrell and the Navy SEAL team people fought against to remain alive after being ambushed in Afghanistan in 2005 by Taliban forces throughout a covert mission within the Hindu Kush mountain region, in which the team visited kill a terrorist leader. Wahlberg will have Luttrell in Berg’s followup to Battleship, which stars Kitsch. Berg and Universal first started developing the project at Universal once the filmmaker signed on for Battleship. At that time, movies with sand inside them and war weren’t working, however the opening-weekend grosses of Act Of Valor indicate that audiences are once more hungry for heroic war tales, especially individuals including Navy Closes. Kathryn Bigelow and The new sony Pictures are becoming going ahead having a drama turning round the Navy SEAL Team 6′s search and killing of 9/11 terror attack mastermind Osama bin Laden. Lone Survivor is really a different film, but it's likely to get going ahead this fall. Berg and Film 44 partner Sarah Aubrey, Akiva Goldsman, Craig Spikings is going to be producers in addition to Randall Emmett and George Furla. Wahlberg will probably be involved with a creating capacity also. Berg, who covered the center East terrain formerly using the taut drama The Dominion, has make the focus on that one. He authored the Lone Survivorscript after embedding having a SEAL team for any month in Iraq, an event that actually gave him an opportunity to observe how they get the job done. Berg desired to result in the film immediately, but 2 yrs ago the studio made him a good deal: direct Battleship after which follow with Lone Survivor. The timing hasn’t hurt, whatsoever. Bin Ladens dying has removed the way in which with this, a film that'll be an unapologetically loyal film that honors and pays homage for an incredible number of badass men that do this,” Berg explained last May. “The film is going to be a little like Black Hawk Lower, however it will concentrate on the quartet, that is less men than that film. The mission looked like the murder mission that got bin Laden, but things got complicated once they went into three kids as well as an old guy, Berg explained. Underneath the rules of engagement, they might have wiped out them, however they made the decision to allow them go and place their chances, despite the fact that they understood these folks may likely talk. Soon after, the mission needed to be aborted once the Closes found themselves under fire from about 250 Al-Qaeda soldiers. Once the dust removed and following a save helicopter was inflated with a rocket-powered grenade, 15 SEAL people were wiped out, and also the lone survivor was Luttrell. An enormous land assault was completed, but at that time Marcus was introduced to shelter by an Afghan tribe that fought against from the Taliban until Luttrell might be saved, Berg stated. The teams leader, Mike Murphy, was posthumously granted the Congressional Medal of Recognition. This puts Emmett/Furla Films principals into another major feature. They're preparing 2 Guns with Denzel Washington and Wahlberg for Universal the Sylvester Stallone-Arnold Schwarzenegger-starrer The Tomb for Lionsgate/Summit the romantic comedy Rule #1, with Reese Witherspoon the experienceOrthriller Empire Condition starring Dwayne Manley and Lucky Strike, that is in discussions to star Vince Vaughn and become directed by Tony Scott, with EFF creating with Scott Free Productions. EFF just wrapped the thriller Damaged City with Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Johnson, which Fox will release in The month of january the Stephen Frears-directed comedy Lay The Favourite with Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, Zeta-Johnson and Vaughn, that the Weinstein Company acquired after its Sundance premiere the thriller Frozen Ground with John Cusack, Nicolas Cage and Vanessa Hudgens the drama Fire With Fire with Josh Duhamel, Willis and Rosario Dawson the experience-thriller Self employed with Robert P Niro, Forest Whitaker and Curtis 50 Cent Jackson and also the David Ayer-directed mystery crime thriller Finish Of Watch, which lately obtained a $two million advance and $20 million P&Dedication from Open Road.

From the ball game

Stacy Keibler, George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux unwind in the Evening Before party. Minka Kelly and Rosario Dawson Viola Davis and Julius Tennon with Tom Hanks Ryan and Britta Kavanaugh meet Can Be and Timothy Olyphant. Paula Patton, Kate Hudson and Fergie Michael Douglas and Ken SchererBryan Cranston and Ben Stiller Saturday's tenth annual Evening Before party adopted two traditions: wall-to-wall showbiz heavyhitters inside a high-energy mood, as well as an evening of impressive fund-raising. The fete in the Beverly Hillsides Hotel elevated $5.5 million for that Movie & Television Fund, contributing to a lot more than $50 million elevated in the past nine occasions.MPTF's Ken Scherer saluted Jeffrey Katzenberg for those that he's done, including his idea for that event about ten years ago. "It is Jeffrey's vision with this type of party," stated Scherer.Following the first event in 2003, Katzenberg stated, "I believe we hit a house run."And also the home runs ongoing Saturday by having an all-star team attending. Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider brought within the Reliance group including Anil Ambani. J.J. Abrams talked with George Lucas, while Meryl Streep huddled with Ron Meyer. Elton John literally knocked into Taye Diggs.Wendi Deng got her apple iphone -- including a Hello Cat situation -- to consider an image of George Clooney, Stacy Keibler and Li Bingbing, but Katzenberg gallantly required the apple iphone and clicked the photo so Deng could join the audience.One of many representing the professional branch were Jim Gianopulos, Ryan Kavanaugh, Leslie Moonves, Take advantage of Moore, Shaun Robinov, Wealthy Ross, Tom Rothman, Shaun Small, Howard Stringer and Harvey Weinstein.Also interacting were Chris Columbus, Christopher Dodd, Mike Gores, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, Laurie MacDonald and Walter Parkes, and Ron Nicita and Paula Wagner. The thesp region was large and incorporated Leonardo DiCaprio, Gary Oldman, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone and Max von Sydow.MPTF's Bob Beitcher said, "All of the galleries, the heavens, film, television, independent producers, studio professionals are here. It is the one event where they are able to come, they are fully aware there is no paparazzi, they are totally protected, they are able to speak with one another pretty freely."Searching to another ten years, Beitcher stated, "You never know? But we must keep reinventing ourselves." Indeed, the MPTF lately introduced the aim of raising $350 million for that fund.Out of the box now tradition, Evening Before partygoers had themselves captured pics of using the Target dog, although Chris Rock introduced, "I am a Walmart guy." Contact Shalini Dore at shali.dore@variety.com

New John Carter featurette online

Disney has launched a brand new opening featurette for approaching sci-fi blockbuster John Carter, by which cast and crew discuss the film alongside various clips of shiny new footage.The brand new clips show the grand scale where the storyline is performed out, with Taylor Kitsch's Mars-stranded hero jumping his way in one conflict to another. However, regardless of the grand action moments, Kitsch can also be keen to indicate that, "as large because this is, it's a classic character-driven story."Have a look in the new featurette below... Everybody appears at pains to indicate how influential the initial John Carter story was, as though to express, "don't believe simply because you have often seen The Exorcist, you don't have to make use of this."Nevertheless, it most likely does not help the film looks staggeringly like Episode I when it comes to its general aesthetic. Let us just hope the dialogue, action, casting... well, virtually everything is preferable to the re-launched prequel.John Carter opens within the United kingdom on 9 March 2012.

Oscars could be a Kodak-free moment

By the time the Kodak Theatre comes to life for the Oscars, it may no longer be the Kodak Theatre. Naming rights for the home of the Academy Awards could be up for grabs before the Academy Awards take place as sponsor Eastman Kodak, in the throes of bankruptcy, has petitioned the court to have its name removed as early as Feb. 15, when a hearing is set on the matter. That would leave just 11 days before the live broadcast of the 84th Academy Awards. Kodak, which has held the rights since the Hollywood & Highland-based theater opened in 2001, would save a rumored $4 million a year if the court lets it out of the contract. How quickly that request could be implemented -- and whether the theater could secure another sponsor in time for the Oscars -- isn't yet clear. A lawyer from KattenMuchinRosenman, which represents lease-holder CIM, declined to comment. The Academy has no say in the matter -- that is, until CIM arranges an alternative, whereupon AMPAS has veto power. "That is between CIM and whomever they get. That is not an Academy decision," Academy president Tom Sherak said at Wednesday's ballot-mailing ceremony in Beverly Hills, adding: "The Academy has a (contractual) right to make sure the name fits." Winning the rights could be a relative steal, considering the $700 million Farmers Insurance paid last year for putting its name on the new downtown football stadium. Besides the global TV exposure of the Oscars, the theatre is located in a complex with abundant foot traffic. Kodak's proposed withdrawal comes at a time when CIM has seen its most prestigious client exercising its right to shop for another venue, too; AMPAS has reportedly been talking with the Nokia Theatre as an alternative, though Sherak said talks with CIM were still ongoing. "The thinking was, if we have this right, let's exercise it and then let's go back and talk to them," Sherak explained. "We don't necessarily want to leave Hollywood." Contact Christy Grosz at christy.grosz@variety.com