John Singleton & Ice Cube Together Again for NWA Biopic?

I can't believe a biopic for gangster rap's most notorious crew hasn't been made yet.  We've seen the late Biggie Smallz get the film tribute, and a biopic for the late Tupac Shakur is on the way, seems only fair the fellas from Compton, CA get their just due.

Turns out director John Singleton is going to be the filmmaker who brings N.W.A to the silver screen, in a reunion of sorts with his Boyz 'N the Hood star Ice Cube.

Click to read more ...

John Singleton Directing Taylor Lautner's 'Abduction'

We'll see if Taylor Lautner maintains his current status as a big time movie star. The trouble is, he hasn't done anything. He's been a part of Twilight, and they nearly replaced him before New Moon. But something flipped a switch last November; I have no idea what it was, because he's not any good in New Moon. Ever since, though, he's been linked to tons of stuff.

In addition to playing Stretch Armstrong for Imagine and Universal, Lautner made the upcoming Abduction happen. He liked Shawn Christensen's script and once he was attached a bidding war ensued. Now there's a director for the project, according to Deadline. Lionsgate has reportedly hired John Singleton for the project, a guy I've always thought had more talent than some of his movies showcased. Some of that is because he kind of became a for-hire guy instead of a filmmaker who did his own projects mostly without interference. He was the first black director nominated for an Oscar, and the youngest, as well.

Click to read more ...

'A-Team' Bounced to 2010, John Singleton Goes AWOL

Oh, there is fool-pityin' to be done: Variety reports that the hyped-up A-Team movie has been put on ice for a while, the result, it seems, of a plan not coming together. John Singleton was supposed to direct and in a move of almost childlike insistence, Ice Cube kept dropping hints about how much he wanted to play B.A. Baracus. You know the cracked-out neighbor lady in Boyz N The Hood? That's about what his groveling was like. Cube vowed to make it his own creation...but he was keeping the mohawk.But now we'll have to wait until July 2010 for an A-Team movie, although I'm sure a lot of you would just as soon keep waiting and waiting and waiting. Fox does want it to happen, however, so much so that the script is still going through re-writes, presumably so that the subtleties embodied by Face, Hannibal, "Howling Mad" Murdock, and B.A. Baracus can be adequately aligned. After all, they were four men living all together, but they were all alone. (Is that the right show?)The timing of all these rewrites doesn't mesh with Singleton's schedule so he's out, and a new director will have to go back to the drawing board.And the hits keep on coming: In the same article, Fox announced a Christmas 2009 release for Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel. That's really the title. Expect greatness.

A-Plus Casting Rumors for 'The A-Team'

I took a day or so to process this casting because I had a strong opinion that the movie wasn't a great idea. The latest casting news, however, might have changed my tune. The upcoming A-Team movie may have just landed Tyrese Gibson in the role of B.A. Baracus, the character made famous by Mr. T. And if the other rumors have legs, you might see Woody Harrelson as Murdock and Bruce Willis as Col. Hannibal Smith.

John Singleton will direct The A-Team, which is beginning to sound less and less like an inauthentic 80s cover and more and more like a complete reinvention. That's the only way to go to make this movie legitimate, and you could argue now that you have a better A-Team than the one NBC launched 25 years ago. Granted, those three names sound almost like a casting wish list, but bear in mind that even wish lists usually go way overboard and are almost never executable. The A-Team, though, has believability and merit; CHUD recently chatted with Gibson, who says he's excited by the opportunity, although the project would have to fit into his increasingly busy schedule.

Click to read more ...