Big Momma’s House 3 and the rest of the week’s film and TV news.
-Move over Tyler Perry and don’t even think about making another Norbit Eddie Murphy: Martin Lawrence may be climbing back into his fat suit for Big Momma’s House 3. Fox announced that a writer has been hired to pen a third installment in this surprisingly successful franchise-the first two films grossed a combined $312 worldwide-and once the script is turned in, the studio will likely sit down with Lawrence and decide how many zeroes to put on his paycheck.
-Rashida Jones‘ career continues its upward trajectory from The Office supporting player to feature-film star. The actress just closed a deal to star in the comedy Monogamy, about a couple whose relationship hits a rough patch. Set to go before cameras latest this year, the independently-produced movie is expected to debut in early 2010.
-Now that Disney has acquired Marvel Comics, look for the Time Warner-owned DC Comics to start being more aggressive about turning the company’s various comic books into big-budget summer spectacles. Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds, is about to go into production in January and now the studio has announced that Guy Ritchie-the ex-Mr. Madonna who is currently helming the studio’s Christmas blockbuster Sherlock Holmes-is attached to direct a feature about the bad-ass interstellar bounty hunter Lobo. No casting has been announced yet, but considering the character’s build and attitude, may we suggest Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson?
-In addition to Lobo, another B-list DC hero will be making a trip to the big screen: Deadman, the spirit of a murdered acrobat who enters the bodies of the living to fight crime. Guillermo Del Toro is on hand to produce and Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel will be making his Hollywood debut behind the camera.
-One more bit of comics news. The Iron Man team of director Jon Favreau and leading man Robert Downey Jr. are currently in talks to get the long-delayed adaptation of the 2006 graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens. The film’s story is basically summed up by its title: when a spaceship crashes down in 19th century Arizona, a squad of cowboys rides into battle against the alien visitors.
-Former pop star Naturi Naughton grabbed attention earlier this year for her ferocious turn as Lil’ Kim in the Notorious B.I.G. biopic, Notorious and has a major role in the remake of Fame, set to hit theaters next month. Clearly people are paying attention to the buzz, because Naughton just won a part opposite Ice Cube, Bow Wow and Brandon T. Jackson in the upcoming comedy, Lottery Ticket, about a guy (Bow Wow) who discovers he has a winning lottery ticket, but has to deal with an assortment of money-hungry friends and hangers-on before he can claim his prize.
-You can’t keep a good one-man wrecking machine down. Two years after reviving John Rambo for a fourth bone-crushing adventure, Sylvester Stallone will direct and star in another installment, this one sending the battle-scarred Vietnam vet into Mexico in pursuit of a young girl kidnapped by drug lords.
-Martin Scorsese becomes the latest high-profile director to enter into business with HBO. The legendary New York filmmaker will produce and direct the pilot for the network’s new series Boardwalk Empire, an 11-episode series set in 1920s Atlantic City. Steve Buscemi stars as a political mover and shaker with a shady background and he’s backed up by a cast that includes Michael Pitt, Kelly Macdonald and Dabney Coleman.
