The director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Spellbound," which followed a spelling bee, is turning his attention to an indie feature about high school debating. "Rocket Science" centers on 15-year-old Hal Hefner (Reece Thompson), who despite his terrible stuttering joins a high school debate team. Tatiana Siegel reports in the Hollywood Reporter.

Movie crews were forced to abandon several major film productions to escape Hurricane Katrina, which has devastated part of the southern US. "Deja Vu," starring Denzel Washington, and "The Guardian," with Kevin Costner, were among the films preparing to shoot in New Orleans, BBC reports.

Haley Joel Osment is returning to movies, taking a starring role in the indie coming-of-age feature "Home of the Giants." Rusty Gorman is writing and directing. Production begins this summer in North Carolina. Borys Kit reports in the Hollywood Reporter.

Lions Gate has announced that production has begun on Tyler Perry's "Madea's Family Reunion" in Atlanta, starring Perry, Rochelle Aytes, Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Boris Kodjoe, Lynn Whitfield, Blair Underwood, Jenifer Lewis, Tangi Miller, Cicely Tyson and Keke Palmer. The film is Perry's follow-up to "Diary of a Mad Black Woman."

Ray McKinnon, Director of the Oscar winning short The "Accountant", and 2004 Sundance feature "Chrystal", has a new film in the works, "Randy and the Mob." The film is "about a good ol' boy who lands in hot water with some low-life mobsters, who then must seek help from his estranged, identical, but gay twin brother." Cinematical reports.

Hollywood North reports that Kevin Smith has signed on to direct a feature length film version of the Canadian television high school series, Degrassi: The Next generation. Smith also recently appeared on the series which celebrated it’s 25th year on the air and is set to shoot in Toronto in late-August.

Lions Gate Films and Twisted Pictures have kicked off production of "Saw 2", the sequel to its successful horror thriller released last Halloween. The new edition, set for release this Halloween, marks the debut feature for co-writer/director Darren Lynn Bousman and it stars Donnie Walhberg, Franky G., and Glenn Plummer, with Dina Meyer, Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith returning. The company will be looking for international buyers next week at the Cannes Market.

"The Birds," one of Alfred Hitchcock's most celebrated horror thrillers, looks set to fly again as a remake. The 1963 original starred Tippi Hedren as the icy blonde fighting against avians terrorising a Californian town. The new version is to be produced by Michael Bay, better known as the director of Hollywood action flicks such as "Pearl Harbor," "Armageddon" and "The Rock." The Guardian reports.

Focus Features' Rogue Pictures has announced the start of production next month of the new Haxan Films' movie, "Altered." Eduardo Sanchez, co-director and co-writer of "The Blair Witch Project" will direct the movie, written by Jamie Nash from a story by Sanchez and Nash. Focus Features holds the worldwide rigths to the project, and Rogue will release the movie next year. The film is being produced by Robin Cowie and Gregg Hale and executive produced by Bob Eick. Matt Compton, Jeff Johnsen, and Mike Monello are co-producing.

Adam Kaufman will star in the film with Catherine Mangan, Brad William Hanke, Mile Williams, Paul McCarthy Boyington, and James Gammon. The film is described as the story of, "an all-new tale of horror which began in 1990, when a group of men's lives were forever altered. The story continues fifteen years later, over the course of one evening of unrelenting terror for the still-traumatized survivors."

The life of late Joy Division singer Ian Curtis is to be made into a film, it has been announced. The Manchester-based production is called Touching From A Distance, after a book by Curtis's widow Deborah which forms the basis for the film. Michael Osborn reports for BBC.

“The Other Side”
Begins Filming In Miami
In-Too-Deep Drama Co-Stars

Academy Award-Nominee Chazz Palminteri & Michael Rapaport

"Lions Gate Entertainment and Discovery Channel's Discovery Docs unit have teamed to co-produce a documentary from director Werner Herzog about the gruesome death last year of grizzly bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell. 'Grizzly Man' is the first feature from Lions Gate's newly formed documentary unit," Andrew Wallenstein writes for the Hollywood Reporter.

"They came from 'between jobs' and their parents' basements. More than 200 people, mostly men, stood in line outside Metreon in San Francisco on Monday for a chance to be contestants on the Independent Film Channel's game show, 'Ultimate Film Fanatic,'" Delfin Vigil reports in the San Francisco Chronicle.

InDigEnt has announced that its latest project, Jeff Stanzler's latest film. The film is described as, "a powerful drama about an Arab cab driver that picks up a troubled professional woman (Penn), with unexpected results."

The new film is produced by Karen Jaroneski ("Gypsy 83, "Edge of Seventeen") and Gary Winick and Jake Abraham of InDigEnt. The executive producers are Mark Waters, Jonathan Sehring, Caroline Kaplan, and John Sloss. Production is set to begin in New York City on Friday, September 10th.

"Jeff Stanzler's screenplay completely rocked me in a way I hadn't been affected by a script in many years," said executive producer Mark Waters, in a statement. "What at first seemed like a simple, straightforward two-character drama managed to become grippingly suspenseful like a mystery, socially relevant without preaching, and ultimately gut-wrenchingly emotional.
With Robin Wright Penn, Jeff has found the rare actress capable of bringing the incredible complexity of the character of Phoebe to life."

The word on Jarmusch's latest:

Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton and Chloe Sevigny are joining the cast of director Jim Jarmusch's untitled movie that is to begin shooting next month. Bill Murray is already on board. Details of the script are being kept under wraps. The film will shoot in upstate New York and is expected to be budgeted at $8 million-$10 million.

"Shekhar Kapur is planning a sequel to Elizabeth, with Cate Blanchett reprising her Oscar-nominated role as the virgin queen, according to reports on the Empire website," The Guardian reports.

Hollywood Reporter/Reuters reports that Jim Jarmusch is set to reteam with Bill Murray for a comedy to shoot this summer in upstate New York. Budget is estimated at $8-$10 million. No word on what the script is about or what other cast is attached.

Antidote Films and This is That are producing the new film from Julian Goldberger ("trans"). The companies announced today that Paul Giamatti, Sarah Polley, and Michael Pitt will star in Goldberger's new film, "The Hawk is Dying". The script was adapted by Goldberger from Harry Crews' novel.

Roman Polanski is taking on "Oliver Twist" with Ben Kingsley as Fagin and Barney Clark as Oliver, according to Variety. The film is set to begin production in mid-July in Prague, with distribution in a number of territories (France, U.K., Italy) already set. Summit is selling the movie internationally.

A new doc by CameraPlanet's Steve Rosenbaum, dubbed "Inside the Bubble," wll offer a peak into John Kerry's presidential campaign. The movie, according to Variety, is an outgrowth of CameraPlanet's TV show, "The Staffers."

HBO and Killer Films have announced that Gretchen Mol will star in Mary Harron's "The Ballad of Bettie Page." Harron and Guinevere Turner wrote the script. Lori Keith Douglas is producing. [via HBO]