TITLE: Miracle at St. Anna
DIRECTED BY: Spike Lee
STARS: Derek Luke, Laz Alonzo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: In 1944, a group of black American soldiers were trapped behind enemy lines in occupied Italy ... and their ordeal is the key to unraveling a mysterious murder in the present day. With James McBride adapting his own novel for the big screen, Miracle at St Anna would already be intriguing ...

WHY WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT: ... But the fact Spike Lee's in the director's chair seals the deal to make this one of the must-see films this year at Toronto. All controversy aside (and that's saying a lot, considering how firmly Lee challenged Clint Eastwood's judgment about race and representation in Eastwood's World War II films), Lee's great with actors, tackles tough material head-on and has even turned into a great action and suspense director in recent years. If any filmmaker's been able to turn their complicated, complex, challenging love for America into fascinating moviemaking, it's Lee -- and we can't wait to see this film.

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I was already all sorts of excited for 500 Days of Summer, mostly because it stars two of the coolest actors in the business: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. Gordon-Levitt has mad talent and a pretty unbeatable taste in projects (though G.I. Joe is an eyebrow-raiser); Deschanel is just all-around wonderful and charming -- yes, even in The Happening. I'd be psyched to watch them in anything, but I'm especially psyched to watch them in an elaborate fantasy musical, which is what 500 Days of Summer has turned out to be.

This is from an MTV story, which has a detailed plot synopsis, and descriptions of some of the film's highlights. Those apparently include a scene with fifteen (15) Zooey Deschanel body doubles, and several choreographed dance numbers led by Gordon-Levitt. The movie is a fractured, stream-of-consciousness narrative about a guy who looks back on his long relationship with the girl who just dumped him (that would be Deschanel's Summer), his reminiscences taking on the flavor of a pop musical.

This is particularly exciting news, since Zooey Deschanel is, among other things, a dynamite singer -- if you haven't checked out She & Him, her wonderful 60's-pop collaboration with indie singer-songwriter M. Ward, you're missing out. She has a sweet, lovely voice, and the songs are killer; try "This is Not a Test." I should also note that Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel worked together before either of them was a Name, in the solid, underseen psych-ward drama Manic.

The IMDb isn't the most reliable source for this sort of information, but it has the movie as being in post-production -- which makes sense since it started shooting in early May. Might it show up at Toronto this September?

After the whole Spike Lee vs. Clint Eastwood kerfuffle, it's great to finally see a glimpse of Lee's new World War II movie, Miracle at St. Anna. The trailer for the film has just shown up on Yahoo! and it looks just as great as I'd hoped it would. Of course, it's difficult to tell the quality of a war movie based on its trailer -- war movies from Hollywood typically all look the same at the marketing stage -- but I have a strong feeling this will at the very least be one of the more interesting war movies we've seen in some time. Coming from the unique perspective of Lee, we're hopefully bound for some things we haven't even seen before.

I like that the trailer begins in a bank that kinda resembles the one from Lee's previous feature, Inside Man. And that it takes a moment to reveal that it's a war movie. I guess now that we see Joseph Gordon-Levitt's role more clearly (he's not even listed on the film's IMDb page), it seems as though St. Anna may involve more of a present story than I had expected. Perhaps his interview with the main character, Hector (Laz Alonso), will be interwoven with the story, like the interrogation sequences of Inside Man? Nah, Lee would never repeat himself so blatantly, would he?

The Miracle of St. Anna marches into theaters September 26.

Oh man, this one is like an indie hipster's dream come true. According to EW, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and my future wife (in an alternate universe) Zooey Deschanel have signed on to star opposite one another in 500 Days of Summer, for Fox Searchlight. The film, which is said to be going into production this spring, tells the story of a woman who doesn't believe in love and the man who falls hopelessly in love with her. Sounds kinda like the opposite of every relationship I've ever seen. Kidding! I kid. We all love everything.

Music video director Marc Webb will direct the indie, which means a cool, hip soundtrack is all but certain. I love both these kids, so I'm sure we'll get some adorable moments out of this one. Only possible downside: It was written by the guys behind The Pink Panther 2, which may or may not be a bad thing seeing as the Panther sequel hasn't come out yet. Zooey can next be seen opposite Mark Wahlberg in M. Night's upcoming end-of-the-world flick, The Happening. Meanwhile, you can catch Gordon-Levitt in that new Iraq drama Stop-Loss.

(But seriously now -- how can you not love a girl named Zooey?)

Hours after Warner Bros and Leo DiCaprio grabbed Akira, we have the lead casting courtesy of Ain't It Cool News.

If your first thought upon hearing that DiCaprio was producing was "I bet he stars in it, too," well, you would be right. DiCaprio will reportedly be playing the lead character, Kaneda.

Set to star opposite him as Tetsuo is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is well on his way to the A-List these days -- and will probably be the next a geek hero in the Christian Bale mold after G.I. Joe.

Again, I'm completely unfamiliar with the book, so you'll have to tell me whether this is casting perfection or a complete disaster. Both are fine young actors, so I can't imagine it is the latter, but I know how bitter a pill it can be to see a beloved character miscast. I'd also like to hear who else you would like to see added to the roster.

MTV Movies Blog has the brand new poster for Stop-Loss, the upcoming film from director Kimberly Peirce. Outside of an episode of The L Word, Peirce hasn't directed anything since her highly acclaimed 1999 feature debut Boys Don't Cry -- the film that won Hilary Swank her first Oscar. The script for Stop-Loss was written by Peirce and Mark Richard (Huff), and the film stars Ryan Phillippe (whom I had never liked until last year's excellent Breach), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (one of the best young actors working -- see Brick, Mysterious Skin, and The Lookout!), and Channing Tatum (I intentionally missed Step Up, but he was great in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints).

Stop-Loss deals with soldiers who are "stop-lossed," meaning they are ordered to return to combat, even though they have completed their enlistment contracts. Phillippe plays a soldier who stands up to the government and refuses to return to battle. It is an MTV Films production, and the poster plays up the cast's beefcake angle, making the film look like Dawson's Creek Goes to Iraq. But I have a feeling it's going to be much better than that. I've been waiting to see another film from Peirce for a long while, and the trailer gives me goose bumps every time I see it. Stop-Loss is set for release on March 28th.

Who gets to fight in 2008? Find out below ...

Finally! News regarding Justice League! And the news is ... that news should be coming later this week! That's right, according to an article over at Entertainment Weekly, Warner Brothers has until January 15 to decide whether to officially greenlight Justice League of America for a spring production -- and summer 2009 release -- or hold off on making any decisions until the strike is over. EW claims filmmakers are not happy with the script, that they'd like another rewrite, and are still debating whether to move forward as is. Apparently all seven superheroes have been cast, but word is Warners isn't exactly thrilled that they'd be risking upwards of $200 million on such a young crop of names. Will the project move forward? Will it get delayed? Will we ever find out either way? Stay tuned ...

Casting rumors regarding the much-hyped G.I. Joe flick have been flying here, there and everywhere. CHUD responds to an earlier IGN story that claimed Sam Worthington (Avatar) was up for the role of Duke in the flick, with recent indie darling Joseph Gordon-Levitt being looked at to play Duke's best friend. CHUD has heard that the Worthington rumor was indeed true, however the deal never worked out. And as far as Gordon-Levitt goes, well, that piece of info comes with a pretty major spoiler. Hear that? Major spoiler ahead. Do not keep reading if you don't want to read a major spoiler. Well, apparently, in the latest script, Duke's best friend turns out to be none other than Cobra Commander. Which means, yes, that Gordon-Levitt is being looked at for the role of villain. Fanboys -- whaddya think about that ridiculous plot twist?

UPDATE: We've removed the Bond 22 info at the request of Rotten Tomatoes.

I'm a big fan of author Bret Easton Ellis' work. Since many of his novels rely on the inner workings of characters' minds, they can be difficult to adapt to the big screen. The film version of Less Than Zero made cocaine addiction look like Pretty in Pink. I know I'm in the minority, but I detested Mary Harron's American Psycho. The only adaptation I feel got Ellis exactly right was Roger Avary's excellent take on The Rules of Attraction. Now three more films are going to try and re-create Ellis' world. Darren Star is working on The Frog King with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. There is no director yet, but a movie version of Lunar Park has been announced. And director Gregor Jordan (Ned Kelly) has put together a cast for the film translation of Ellis' 1995 novel The Informers.

The Hollywood Reporter writes that Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, and Superman himself Brandon Routh are in "various stages of negotiation" to star in the ensemble film. The Informers is set in Los Angeles in 1983 and it tracks seven stories. The major characters are: a movie executive (played by Thornton), his wife (Basinger), his mistress, a rock star, a kidnapper, and a vampire (Routh, apparently looking to darken up his image). Rounding out the cast are Ashley Olsen as a "sexually promiscuous girl" (doesn't it seem like those twins are getting a ton of work these days?), Jon Foster (Stay Alive), Austin Nichols (John Monad on the baffling John From Cincinnati), and Lou Taylor Pucci (star of the very good Thumbsucker and the not very good Chumscrubber -- yes, they're different movies). Sounds like it could be a great flick! Now, whatever happened to Roger Avary's planned Glamorama movie? I would love to see that come to light. Did Zoolander steal its thunder?

With yet another indie role sliding onto his plate, Joseph Gordon-Levitt really has become the Indie King. He's slid past the terribly cliche and ever-rampant path of child actor-turned-unstable-adult, and is building an amazing indie career for himself. In May, I told you about The Frog King, his lone comedic project in a sea of drama. The film, which is letting the actor slip into the role of a wanna-be writer trying to win back his girlfriend, will be tv-great Darren Star's directorial debut, with a screenplay adapted by Bret Easton Ellis. But before he films that, he is going to star in Uncertainty -- a new film from The Deep End's David Siegel and Scott McGehee.

The project sounds pretty interesting. The directorial pair wrote a script for the film, but it is just an outline -- the actors will be developing the dialogue with them. The story focuses on a young couple trying to make a big decision during the Fourth of July in New York City. As The Hollywood Reporter describes it: "the film is split into two versions of the same Fourth of July in New York, presenting a new series of unexpected choices the characters make." I imagine that means we'll see the paths of both possible decisions. Although we know Gordon-Levitt is starring, there is no word on who his co-star is. However, I imagine we'll find out soon, since the production is currently underway in New York.

When I started to read this piece of news, I was shocked. Could Disney have actually picked Joseph Gordon-Levitt to be in the movie about Maddy? After 3rd Rock from the Sun, maybe, but not after Mysterious Skin. While it's a great film, it pretty much solidified the actor as a non-Disney variety. But no, this isn't a literal frog story with warts and ribbits. This is the Adam Davies variety -- a story about publishing and ego that came out of the author's work at Random House.

The Frog King follows Harry, a man of privilege who is farting around in publishing, hating the politics and pretension that surround his work. This inspires him to come in late, spike his coffee and be a general ass -- a mindset that seeps into his relationship with Evie, an editorial assistant. He wants her, but he also wants to cheat on her. The story sounds interesting and reviews seem to agree; however, they also agree that the book came up short. So, if you're making it into a movie and you want to caulk up the plot holes about private advantage, New York City and masculine ego, who do you turn to?

Bret Easton Ellis. The author of American Psycho and Rules of Attraction is penning the adaptation. But that's not all. Darren Star, the creator of shows like 90210 and Sex and the City will make his directorial debut with it. Between Gordon-Levitt and Easton Ellis, this should be a great film -- as long as Star shows some talent behind the camera. At the very least, it should be better than what was originally planned. According to an article here, when the author was tapped to adapt the novel, Joshua Jackson was attached to star. I don't really have anything against Pacey, but he's really no comparison to the star of Brick.

The Lookout, which is open now in theaters near and far, is a smart, intricate heist flick with a twist: the bad guys tag Chris Pratt, former golden boy/star athlete and currently recovering head trauma patient, to help them with achieve their goal of robbing the small rural bank where Chris is the night janitor. Cinematical recently sat down with Frank, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter (Out of Sight, Get Shorty) who both wrote and directed The Lookout, to talk about the film.

Cinematical: The first thing I wanted to talk to you about was making that transition from screenwriter to director – what motivated you to do that and the process of making that happen.

SCOTT FRANK: Well, I'd say first of all that I'm probably the least bitter screenwriter in all of Hollywood. I had my share of horrible experiences, but for the most part I feel like I've had a great ride, and I'm really happy and comfortable with my life. And I'd started off wanting to direct, I'd always assumed I would.

What happened to me was, I've got three kids kind of close together, they were all young and it was really hard, as you know, for me to think about leaving home to do directing. I've seen it with friends, and it's so disruptive to their personal lives. It's really hard on your marriage and your family, and so I waited and waited. But I really became too comfortable and so into this groove that I became a victim of my own inertia.

And then I stared to feel myself growing older and the way to feel younger is to keep learning and to scare the hell out of myself. And the one thing I'd been directly avoiding was directing -- I'd been sort of hiding in my comfort level and the needs of my family. Then my wife said, quit hiding behind us, if you want to do this do it now. And I could see, 20 years from now, looking back and feeling I was too careful, and I made a career out of pleasing others, and I knew I wasn't going to like the way that made me feel. And so I decided to make the leap.

More after the jump ...

Have yourself a little indie niblet:

• Who would've ever thought of Eddie Vedder as the voice of inspiration for young men suffering from severe head trauma? It seems that Jospeh Gordon-Levitt, who has morphed from the quirky kid on 3rd Rock into a pretty powerful indie actor, listened to Pearl Jam non-stop to get in character for The Lookout, which Kim reviewed recently. According to what the actor told VH1: "I always design an arsenal of songs to go with every character I play, and I had never done it before with only picking one band. But for some reason, just because [the character's] mind goes in circles, [it seemed appropriate]." I think that would be a great jump to a new sort of special feature: the songs, films, goodies that an actor uses to get into character. I'd love to know what music Gordon-Levitt used for his other films.
• Entrapment director Jon Amiel is set to direct the upcoming 105 Degrees and Rising for Overture Films and Echo Lake Productions. The film is about the fall of Saigon in 1975, and it brings together a number of story arcs dealing with characters who are trying to escape South Vietnam as U.S. control ended -- up through the evacuation of the last Americans and some South Vietnamese by helicopter from the roof of the American Embassy. The script has been penned by William M. Akers, the same guy who brought us...Ernest Rides Again. To give the guy credit, his last work in 2002 was an historical story, but it's still surprising. As for the title of the film -- it's part of a code broadcast on Armed Forces Radio. It seems that this quote, followed by part of Bing Crosby's White Christmas was a sign to get the heck out of dodge, pronto.
• Lastly, Spain is starting to look into its laws on child actors after Madrid's child protection ombudsman asked parliament to create some by-laws to protect them. The limits requested: that children can only work fewer than 5 hours a day, that they can only work between the hours of 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. and that the types of work they can do must be specified. According to Carmen Gonzalez Madrid, the ombudsman's assistant: "A child doesn't have the maturity to assimilate certain frustrations that an adult could do, such as why today he is in Vogue and tomorrow he isn't." Hmm, I think Dakota Fanning would have a few words for him on the matter!

What would you do if your entire life as you know it was changed in the blink of an eye? It doesn't take much, really ... just a few minutes of bad judgment and a smattering of bad luck and BOOM! -- everything's changed. The Lookout, directed by Oscar-nommed screenwriter Scott Frank in his directorial debut, turns a lens to that question through the story of Chris Pratt (Jospeh Gordon-Levitt), one-time high school ice hockey star and all around popular rich guy, whose life is forever altered after a car wreck that kills his best friend and the friend's date, and causes Chris to have a severe closed head injury.

When we meet Chris, he is working a mundane job as the night janitor of a small local bank, and the only friends he has are Deputy Ted (Sergio Di Zio) the local night shift cop who stops by the bank each evening to check on Chris and bring him donuts, and Lewis (Jeff Daniels), Chris' roommate, a blind man who Chris met at the head trauma rehab school he attends. Chris makes his way from one day to the next almost on autopilot, and his greatest wish is to be able to turn back the clock, undo everything and just have his old life back.

Odds and ends from Thursday:

• According to the Hollywood Reporter, two more actors will be joining Ryan Phillippe in Kimberly Pierce's (Boys Don't Cry) drama Stop Loss. Pic, which revolves around a solider (Phillippe) who returns home from Iraq, only to be called back through the military's stop-loss program, has enlisted Timothy Olyphant and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to join its cast. Olyphant will play a "no-nonsense military man," while Gordon-Levitt takes on the role of a returning solider whose personal life is falling apart.
• THINKFilms has nabbed all North American distribution rights for 10 Items or Less, directed by Brad Silberling. The character comedy, which stars Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega, revolves around a picky big-time actor whose reluctance to take on certain roles leaves him suffering through a dry-spell. While considering a role as a supermarket manager, he slowly develops a close relationship with the shop's feisty cashier and, based on the description, it appears the two learn some life-lessons along the way.
• Okay, the best line from the new Casino Royale trailer definitely belongs to Eva Green. While sitting across from Bond (Daniel Craig) on a train, talking business, she goes "I will keep my eye on our governments money and off your perfectly-formed ass." Brilliant! Best. Line. Ever. And that's just a tiny bit worth of this fantastic trailer. If you're one of those people who still needs to be convinced of Casino Royale's awesomeness, then you simply must check out the new rock-your-socks-off preview over on Moviefone. Trust me on this ... it's worth it.

You may not have noticed, but everyone and his brother had something nice to say about Rian Johnson's directorial debut, Brick, when it was released earlier this year. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (AKA The Kid from Third Rock Who It Turns Out Is a Really Good Actor) as a high school gumshoe, the movie pushed all the right smart, hard-boiled, creative buttons, and pleased audiences and critics alike, even winning a Special Jury Prize at Sundance in 2005. Plus, the thing cost only $500,000. I don't think Michael Bay can even tie his shoes on that kind of a budget.

If you're someone who a)loved the movie, or b)hasn't seen it, we're here to help: Just give us the best caption for the above photo, and we'll send you a brand, spanking new copy of the just-released DVD. Who says we never did anything for you?

Put your entries in the comments; the contest closes at 5pm ET Friday.