Jrs' Sequel Buzz Thread

“I just saw [producer] Frank Marshall, and we were talking about it,” Damon said in a group interview today in Pasadena, Calif., where he was promoting his History Channel special The People Speak. “Then I’ve talked to [Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum director] Paul Greengrass quite a bit about that.”

During press rounds for Ultimatum, Damon and Greengrass joked that a fourth film would have to be called The Bourne Redundancy, because the character has already found his identity. For his part, Damon says he’s interested in reprising the action-hero role, but won’t commit before confirming the quality of the script.

“Oh yeah, we won’t do it unless it’s good,” Damon added. “Promise.”

The literary world was able to continue the Bourne series even after Ludlum’s death: Eric Van Lustbader wrote The Bourne Betrayal, The Bourne Deception, The Bourne Legacy and The Bourne Sanction. “I didn’t read those,” Damon said.

Since a script is still a long way off, Damon has not had to hit the gym to get back into fighting shape. He will, when the time comes, if necessary, he said. “Not yet,” he said. “None us have kind of seen [a script] yet, and Paul’s still cutting a movie that we worked on, so we’ll get together and talk about it.”

I’ll start with the good stuff. You’re going to see a trailer sooner than later. Attached to Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds on August 21st, in fact.

I’ve spoken to my reps at Universal and have been informed the release shift had much to do with box office potential.

In its November 6th slot, the Joe Johnston film would have been going up against Disney’s A Christmas Carol, whereas in February it faces little competition (although The Cabin in the Woods opens one week earlier). Futhermore, from a marketing standpoint, Universal wanted to ensure all of the FX were complete so they could use them in the ad campaign.

Disney is on the verge of putting Rob Marshall in as director of a fourth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” a move that puts the film on track for a 2010 production start, with Johnny Depp back as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney have been meeting with a number of directors in recent weeks, because the studio wants to pull the “Pirates” film together and have Depp star in it before he does “The Lone Ranger” for the producer and the studio. While Marshall’s involvement wasn’t immediately confirmed, sources said things look good enough that the studio has begun casting new characters that will appear in the picture.

It is big business for Disney, as the “Pirates” trilogy grossed $2.6 billion worldwide with Verbinski at the helm. Sources say unless things break down at the last moment, Marshall will be steering the pirate vehicle’s next installment.

"I've sketched out two ideas for the next installment," Twohy explained. "Vin and I have decided on one approach of those two, and there's some interest at the studio level but it would be as a PG-13 film, and we don't want to do that anymore. That's one of the concessions we thought we made with 'Riddick' that we shouldn't have made. We also spent too much money and we were too ambitions, so yes, if we do go back to a third one, it will be focused again, hopefully again the same way that 'Pitch Black' was, and we'll spend less money doing it. We're just trying to figure out how much less we can do it for, because I don't think Vin is going to work for scale again."

“There’s a great script and it’s going to be pretty wild. It’s going to be in 3D,” she said diplomatically. “They figured out a lot of stuff. We start shooting in September, they’ve got it all figured out at this point.”

Anderson has really been getting prepared to make his return to directing the franchise since the first movie, especially with the 3D factor being added to the equation. “He’s been really studying it and seeing all the different things they have and watching every 3D movie ever made pretty much,” Milla told us. “Especially for a movie like this, because it’s wild and a lot of action and a lot of potential for 3D to use the medium at its best. Paul has been going to every 3D company and he’s now signed a deal to go with Jim Cameron’s 3D company–they did ‘Avatar’–It should be pretty interesting. I’ve never actually seen a 3D movie.”

“I probably won’t comment on that just because they keep a pretty tight rein on what they are letting out,” Norton said in a group interview today.

Deferring to Marvel suggests a cordial relationship with the studio. Rumors surrounded the release of The Incredible Hulk that Norton was not happy with the final cut. Already he seemed an unusual participant in a major superhero movie, and the scant press he did fueled rumors that he preferred an alternate cut of the film. Now he is suggesting that he’s following company orders.

“I’ll let them [address it],” Norton said.

Our Marvel Movie mole has informed Nuke The Fridge of yet another cameo in the upcoming “Iron Man 2” film due out next summer. Our confidential source first reported that Stan Lee will make a brief appearance in the second Iron Man film as Larry King. Now rumor has it that Edward Norton will have a possible cameo as both Bruce Banner and the Hulk.