Movie News 30/03/09

• It’s 10 year since this week The Matrix was released. It’s easy to forget how important that film was. It brought effects and sci-fi storytelling into a new era. I’ll be watching the trilogy this week, methinks.

• Uma Thurman (Medusa), Pierce Brosnan (Chiron), Sean Bean (Zeus) and Kevin McKidd (Poseidon) have been cast in the Christopher Columbus’ fantasy adventure film Percy Jackson. The story follows Poseidon’s 12-year-old half-human son, who “embarks on a quest across modern-day America to save his mother, return Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt and prevent a deadly war between the gods.”

• Houdini is set to become an action hero. Based on a controversial novel about the magician’s life, plans are afoot to make an action movie with Houdini in the central role. Might be interesting…

• Ron Howard may be dipping his toes in horror next (as if The DaVinci Code wasn’t horrific enough) - he is looking at adapting The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft.

• Ricki Gervais is putting together a project about some young door-to-door insurance salesmen for Prudential Insurance in the Reading of the 1970s - where Gervais was a teenager. The Man From The Pru is likely to feature Gervais in a supporting role.

• In order to raise the tuition to send her young son to private school, a mom starts an unusual business - a biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up service - with her unreliable sister. Sunshine Cleaning stars the luvly Amy Adams and is on a limited Indie release at the mo. Not sure about an Irish release just yet.

• Nicole Kidman will star in Woody Allen’s 2010 film, joining the already announced cast of Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins and Naomi Watts. Having seen the brilliant Vicki Christina Barcelona, I am once again excited about the work of Woody Allen. His next film, Whatever Works, is released in June.

And now, two trailers…

• Here’s Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock (Liev Schreiber is in it a bit - we love him):

• Here’s Monsters vs Aliens, which is tearing up the box office at the moment: