You Knew it Had to Happen

Now that the writer's strike has ended Ron Howard and Tom Hanks are scheduled to begin work on the film version of Angels and Demons. Tentative release date is Spring 2009.

In other movie news, Midnight Meat Train, the film based on Clive Barker's tale of the same name is set to be release this May. Stephanie Meyer's Twilight is set for release this Winter. June will see the release of M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening and we'll all see if he has learned from the mistake that was Lady in the Water. If anything, at least Zooey Deschanel will brighten up the screen. 

Also in June, James McAvoy stars opposite Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie in Wanted, the American directorial debut by Timur Bekmambetov - director of the Russian smash hit Nightwatch.

Finally, in July, Guillermo del Toro's Helloboy 2, The Dark Knight, and X-Files 2!

Random and interesting: If you care, Fred Durst makes his directorial debut with Comback starring Ice Cube ... hm. Dating advice turns to comedy in He's Just Not That Into You (hey, it stars Bradley Cooper, so I'm there). Jose Saramago's Blindness has also been adapted for the big screen and will be directed by Fernando Meirelles, the same man who brought us The Constant Gardener. Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva are in and Dakota and Elle Fanning are out, of the film adaptation of Jodi Piccoult's My Sister's Keeper. The role would have required the elder Fanning to shave her head, something she was not prepared to do for the role. And what is he thinking? Mathieu Kassovitz - Audrey Tatou's love interest in Amelie and director of the fantastic French film Crimson Rivers - starring Jean Reno and based on the book by Jean Christophe Grange - wrote and directed the upcoming Babylon A.D. starring Vin Diesel. Look, I admit that I like Vin, but he's not made the best career choices since Pitch Black. Kassovitz, on the other hand, most recently directed Gothika. We'll see what happens, right?