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Fresh off of Blade Runner 2049, Dave Bautista will now lend his voice in multiple roles on the animated action-comedy Groove Tails, about an underground world where mice engage in competitive street dancing. Deadline reports that Bautista will join Jamie Foxx in the movie that will be directed by How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda 2 animator Cameron Hood.

Johnny Mack developed the story and wrote the first draft of the script with rewrites coming from Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow.

Right now, Bautista is shooting Marvel’s Avengers 4 and can next be seen in Infinity War. The former professional wrestler and bodybuilder has stayed busy as he currently is developing an action-comedy franchise that he will star in and produce.

Exclusive: Dave Bautista, of Blade Runner 2049 and Guardians of the Galaxy, will lend his voice in multiple roles on the animated action-comedy Groove Tails, which has Jamie Foxx starring and producing. It’s set in a world where mice engage in a competitive street dance competition. How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda 2 animator Cameron Hood is attached to direct the project. Johnny Mack developed the story and wrote the first draft of the script with the most…...

Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Ambi Pictures will finance and produce a remake of Christopher Nolan’s iconic, twist-laden film Memento.

Writer/director Christopher Nolan adapted Memento from a short story by his brother Jonathan Nolan titled “Memento Mori”, and the unusual, neo-noir psychological thriller took audiences by storm upon release in 2000 and has since achieved cult hit status with a fervent following.

Starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano, Memento was lauded for its nonlinear narrative structure and motifs of memory, perception, grief, and self-deception. The film was a box office success and received numerous accolades, including Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.

Nolan’s original Memento follows Leonard (played by Guy Pearce) who is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty, however, of locating his wife’s killer is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare,...

Jamie Foxx has signed on to voice the lead character in CGI animated family film Groove Tails, from Ambi Group and Imprint Entertainment.

Foxx will also produce the film with Imprint’s Michael Becker and Ambi principals Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi. The script was written by Johnny Mack, who will also serve as an executive producer. Cameron Hood (co-director of Megamind) will direct.

Ambi’s Aic Studios in Toronto will animate and produce the film and Ambi Distribution, the worldwide sales arm of the Ambi Group, will oversee worldwide distribution.

Groove Tails, is about the world of competitive street dance competitions for mice. Foxx will voice lead character Biggz, who tries to regain his confidence for dance and pay off his debt to a club while cleaning up the streets from the alley cats and winning the love of a girl.

Said Iervolino: “As one of the most multidimensional and accomplished entertainers of our generation, everything...

Jamie Foxx has signed on to voice the lead character (Biggz) in the new CGI animated family film “Groove Tails” and will produce the movie with Michael Becker of Imprint Entertainment and Ambi principals Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi (“Septembers of Shiraz,” James Franco’s “In Dubious Battle,” “The Humbling”). The script was written by Johnny Mack ("Real Husbands of Hollywood"), who will also serve as an executive producer. And award winning writer, director and animator, Cameron Hood ("The Prince of Egypt", "Kung Fu Panda 2", "Megamind", "Despicable Me 2"), is set to direct. "Groove...

Despite his usually tough appearance on screens, Jamie Foxx is no stranger to family films thanks to the Rio movies and last year’s Annie. He’s taking a further step for a new animation, producing and providing the voice for a streetwise dancing mouse in Groove Tails.He’s teamed up with indie company Ambi and director Cameron Hood to work on the new film, which finds him voicing Biggz, a mouse who has hit some hard times. In serious cheese debt to more dangerous rodent hoodlums, he finds himself caught up in the competitive world of street dancing. Whether that means he’ll be showing off his moves against humans (unlikely, given the size difference) or other animals (more promising – less chance to be squished by a wayward shoe) has yet to be decided.And though this will be Hood’s first directorial effort, he boasts experience from DreamWorks and Illumination Entertainment,...

It was announced today that Billy Crudup (“Almost Famous,” “Watchmen”), Anton Yelchin (“Star Trek,” “Terminator Salvation,” “Like Crazy”), Selena Gomez (“Spring Breakers”) and Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix” trilogy, “Contagion, “Man of Steel”) will star alongside William H. Macy (“Fargo”) and Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”) in Unified Pictures’ music drama Rudderless. Macy is making his feature directorial debut, directing “Rudderless.”

The film is being produced by Keith Kjarval through his Unified Pictures production/finance banner. Brad Greiner, through his Amberdale production banner, is also producing alongside Kjarval and Unified.

Mimi Steinbauer’s Radiant Films International is handling foreign sales on the project and will introduce the feature film to buyers at the upcoming Cannes Film Market in May.

“Rudderless” is a musical drama about the power of a parent’s love. When a grieving father in a downward spiral stumbles across a box of his deceased son’s original music, he forms a band,...

The Bible is getting animated. Noah's Ark will tell the Musical story of the animals who are saved by a giant flood from the point of view of a meerkat. Yes, it's a musical, which sounds weird until you realize The Lion King is a musical. In fact, a guy who has written his share of animated musicals Philip Lazebnik, is writing this story as well - he also wrote Mulan, Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt (which was about Moses). Sharing the director's chair (which is common in animated movies) are John Stevenson, the director of Kung Fu Panda, and Cameron Hood, who was an animator on Prince of Egypt as well as Kung Fu Panda 2 and How to Train Your Dragon. 

What's notable is that there is a big epic Oscar-y live-action movie about Noah's Ark being made right now, too, starring Russell Crowe as Noah and...

Unified Pictures has hired John Stevenson and Cameron Hood for their upcoming animated musical "Noah’s Ark".

The story recounts the Biblical tale from the animal’s points of view, specifically a meerkat who leads a band of creatures to the promise of safety on the ark.

Philip Lazebnik wrote the screenplay. Stevenson will executive produce while Hood will co-direct.

Source: Screen Daily...

John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda, Shrek) and Cameron Hood (Megamind, First Flight) have been tapped for upcoming CG-animated musical feature Noah’s Ark, Unified Pictures announced Thursday. Stevenson, a 2009 Academy Award nominee for animated feature Kung Fu Panda, will head up the creative on the film and executive produce while Hood will co-direct. Photos: 10 Inappropriately Sexy Cartoon Characters The film, written by Philip Lazebnik (The Prince of Egypt, Mulan and Pocahontas), tells the well-known Biblical tale from the perspective on the animals aboard the boat. The story follows a Meerkat named Gilbert, who is chosen to

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Jim Dooley has scored "When A Stranger Calls", "The Ring", "The Amityville Horror" and now he takes on the "Neighbors From Hell", the highly anticipated animated horror/comedy that hits TBS June 7th at 10Pm e.s.t. HorrorBid sat down with the composer to talk about his latest project...

You say the Neighbors From Hell main title is very unique, what makes it different from other main titles you have worked on to date?

For the main title I was directed to make it ‘Sherwood Schwartz’-style, which are those classic catchy titles from the 70s that told you in 30 seconds Exactly what the show was about such as Gilligan’s Island and the Brady Bunch. I’m proud of this one because it quickly gives a great sense of the overall mood and characters, in a really fun comedic way driven by another catchy song. It’s country meets heavy metal,...

Ben Stiller will voice a character in DreamWorks Animation's superhero comedy Master Mind. The trades have also confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey will be in the flick – the two were rumored to be involved last August. Stiller is also producing the movie through his Red Hour Films. The satiric film, written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, concerns a brilliant superhero villain who loses his life's purpose when he accidentally kills his good-guy nemesis. It’s the first screenplay for Schoolcraft and Simons and the project has gone through a couple of directors already — Gary Trousdale (Beauty and the Beast) to animators Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson. Stiller recently confirmed, in an interview with MTV, that Tom McGrath, who collaborated with the actor on the two Madagascar flicks, will be directing. DreamWorks has set November 5, 2010 release date and says the title may still change.

DreamWorks has decided to produce their own animated take on super-heroes with Master Mind. Entertainment Weekly is now reporting that Robert Downey, Jr. may lend his voice as the lead character, opposite Tina Fey.

According to IMDb, the film is a “satirical take on super-hero movies, in which a notorious villain loses his oomph after he accidentally kills his nemesis.” It will be directed by Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson (First Flight) from a script by newcomers Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons. Ben Stiller’s production company, Red Hour Films, will co-produce with DreamWorks. Paramount Pictures has this penciled in as a 2010 release.

Downey has previously worked on animated fare, including Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly.

Not even a week after Robert Downey Jr. was announced as the star of a new DreamWorks animated flick, word comes that the movie now has to start searching for a new director.

Moviehole is reporting this weekend that Kyle Jefferson and Cameron Hood were attached to direct Master Mind for a while, but that they have not been on board for a few months. What probably happened here was that news never filtered out about the departure of the filmmakers and when Downey's signing was announced - making this project front page news for a few minutes - the two directors were wrongly being attributed. I can't imagine why else this news would break now if it did indeed happen months ago.

Master Mind sounds like an inverse Incredibles: Downey would play an evil superhero villain who accidentally vanquishes his heroic archenemy and realizes he has nothing left to live for.

It's not too hard to find some super-sympathetic villains right now. You can travel the Internet waves and check out Dr. Horrible, or head to toon town and watch The Monarch and the other Guild of Calamitous Intent members in Venture Brothers. You can see dudes sending in applications to the evil organizations, bad guys storm the wrong building, and even crappy reassignments that suck one's loathing hatred out of their job. These incarnations are great, addictive pieces of fun.

Could the same be said of Ben Stiller's forays into the fold? (*cough* Mystery Men) Not really. But would it help with Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey? Entertainment Weekly posts that both actors are looking into joining Stiller's animated villain film, Master Mind. (Christopher blogged about it here, last year.) The premise is simple. A villain accidentally kills the guy he's arching, and loses his will to live.

Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey are in talks to lend their voices to DreamWorks's upcoming animated comedy Master Mind. The movie, a superhero satire, focuses on a villain who loses purpose after accidentally killing his archenemy Uberman. Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson have signed on to direct Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons's screenplay. Ben Stiller's Red (more)...

Robert Downey Jr. has reaped the benefit of "Iron Man" success with the streaming in of casting roles. After being assigned to portray legendary detective in Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes", the Academy Award-nominee for 1992 "Chaplin" is being linked to DreamWorks' animation "Master Mind".

The 43-year-old actor allegedly is in talks to lend his voice to a super-villain who loses his will to fight after he accidentally kills his archenemy. For this feature film project, he may be teaming up with "Baby Mama" star Tina Fey, who is also touted for a role in the movie, and will be collaborating once again with his "Tropic Thunder" co-star Ben Stiller who serves as "Master Mind" producer.

Originally, "Master Mind" will be made into a live-action film. However, Stiller has chosen to turn it into an animated one saying, "It's a script that my company Red Hour got that was written as...

DreamWorks Animation has acquired Alan Schoolcraft & Brent Simons' superhero sendup spec Master Mind, with Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld producing through their Red Hour Films banner.

DreamWorks Animation veterans Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson are attached to make their feature film directorial debut with Master Mind, a satirical take on the superhero genre centering on a supervillain who loses his joie de vivre after accidentally killing his archrival, Uberman, in the opening scene of the movie.

"They have put the film on the fast track, which in animation terms means it will be coming out in the next 15-20 years," Stiller joked.

The project marks the first time Stiller has collaborated with DWA in a production capacity. He voiced Alex the lion in DWA's Madagascar and in the upcoming Madagascar: The Crate Escape.

Chris Kuser will shepherd the project for DWA.

Red Hour's Lara Breay, who brought the project into the shingle, will oversee development.

"(Stiller's) creativity and signature sense of humor will lend itself perfectly to this project," DWA CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said.

The largest short film festival and market in North America announced its award winners Tuesday. This year, the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market (ShortFest) screened more than 333 shorts in competition featuring 74 world premieres, 56 North American premieres and 16 U.S. premieres. The fest racked up more than 2,500 filmmaker submissions, from more than 48 countries. Three jury awards were presented, including a Panavision grand jury award to Hubert Davis for "Aruba"; a best of festival award to Hisham Zaman for "Bawke"; and a future filmmaker award to Alex Weil for the animated CG film "One Rat Short". Audience awards for favorite live-action short went to Vince Marcello for "Zombie Prom" and Leonid Prudovsky for "Dark Night;" the favorite documentary short went to Desiree Handal for "Chicken"; and DreamWorks Animation staffers Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson won favorite animated short for "First Flight".

A tiny bird will hop onto silver screens before DreamWorks Animation's upcoming computer-animated comedy Over the Hedge. The studio said Wednesday that it will debut First Flight in select theaters showing its latest 3-D animated family film May 19. Flight centers on a frazzled office worker whose life is forever altered by an unexpected encounter with a feathered fledgling. The new seven-minute CG toon is directed by DWA veterans Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson. The directors showed their short to DWA chief Jeffrey Katzenberg a few months ago. After viewing it, Katzenberg came back 20 minutes later to tell the directors he wanted it to open in front of Hedge.