Weekly Ketchup: "Batman Begins" News, Clooney's "Pet" Project, Mel's Troubles, and More!

by | August 4, 2006 | Comments

In this week’s ketchup: "Batman Begins" sequel happenings once again rule the news; George Clooney will star in the "Pet Sematary" remake; the butt-kicking babes of "DOA: Dead or Alive" are on display; and the Mel Gibson DUI fallout continues. Fun!

In other news, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are ready to team up again; Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson also will re-team; Hugh Jackman surprises no one by doing a big screen musical; and Mel Gibson has friends in high places. Read on for details:


George "The Man" Clooney is in for some scary "Sematary" stuff


The Week’s Most Popular News:

Multiple Villains in "Batman Begins" Sequel?
By now you’ve obviously heard the news that Heath Ledger is expected to play The Joker in the "Batman Begins" sequel, and IGN FilmForce has just a little few droplets of fresh news on the flick. Let’s just say that if you were hoping for another Jack Nicholson-style Joker, you might end up disappointed.

"Batman Begins" Sequel: New Title (And Joker Casting Confirmation!)
We’ve just heard big news on the "Batman Begins" sequel front, and it includes confirmation of the director, casting of the Joker, and the new title for the next "Batman Begins" installment!

George Clooney Digs "Pet Sematary"
Now here’s a piece of news that’s pretty cool, if only because I love horror movies and I’ve always dug George Clooney. Seems the movie star has been tagged to star in Paramount’s remake of "Pet Sematary," which (of course) is based on the Stephen King novel of the same (misspelled) name.

Photo Gallery Update: "DOA: Dead Or Alive" and Its Butt-Kicking Beauties
In light of recent RT server problems, here’s a gift from us to you: the newly updated "DOA: Dead or Alive" photo gallery! Browse pics of the five lethal leading ladies in all their high-kicking, sword-wielding, tequila-drinking action…and yes, there are bikinis.

Mel Gibson Meltdown Provokes Hollywood’s Ire
Mel Gibson, no stranger to controversy, has done himself a doozy after a Friday morning DUI arrest allegedly spiraled into the anti-Semetic rant heard ’round Hollywood.

In Other News:

  • Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who play NASCAR buddies in this week’s release, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," have already signed on to pair again in "Step Brothers," to be directed by "Talladega" helmer Adam McKay and co-scripted by McKay and Ferrell. The duo will play grown men who live at home, whose single parents get together and marry, making them…step brothers…
  • In another reteaming, Owen Wilson and frequent collaborator Wes Anderson are set to reunite on "The Darjeeling Limited," with Wilson as one of three brothers on a trek across India. Anderson will direct and co-write the script with pals Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman.
  • Macaulay Culkin will return to the big screen in the surprisingly unappetizing-sounding "Sex and Breakfast," starring alongside Eliza Dushku and Kuno Becker in a story about a couple in therapy who are prescribed — what else? — group sex in order to save their relationship.
  • Hugh Jackman is in talks to produce and star in a remake of the 1956 musical, "Carousel;" Jackman has his eye on the role of Billy Bigelow, a role the sometimes-stage actor sang before at Carnegie Hall.
  • Respectable thesps Ed Harris and Gabriel Byrne have joined previously inked stars Ed Burns and Shannyn Sossamon in the cast of "One Missed Call," a remake of a 2003 J-horror flick about a co-ed who receives a premonition of her own death — via voicemail.
  • Ridley Scott’s got a few more actors on board for his "American Gangster," a 1970s drug drama based on the life of a real drug kingpin. Joining Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe will be Carla Gugino, RZA, and "ATL" actor-rapper T.I.
  • Word has it that the sobriety-challenged Mel Gibson has jumped aboard the production of "Lethal Weapon 5," which the actor-turned-director had, until recently (read: until the events of last week) not considered joining. But, since his Holocaust mini-series has been cancelled, Gibson’s schedule has cleared up — and it wouldn’t hurt on the PR front to give fans another "Lethal Weapon."
  • But lest you feel sorry for Gibson and his loose-lipped fiasco, the erstwhile Mad Max has had a few high-profile friends come out in his support. Jodie Foster, Gibson’s co-star in the riverboat gamble "Maverick," swears he’s not an anti-Semite, and blames his drunken rant of last week on his long-fought battle with alcoholism. Furthermore, producer pal Dean Devlin — a Jew himself — stands by Gibson, telling the LA Times, "If Mel is an anti-Semite, then he spends a lot of time with us, which makes no sense."


Mel Gibson: clawing his way out of the hole he dug himself last week

Author: Nick Hershey