Random Movie News to Know – The Week of August 8 - 14 2011

Has Disney fallen on hard times, or is it just bad timing for Jerry Bruckheimer's production of 'The Lone Ranger' starring Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp? This week it was revealed that Disney has shelved the project after concerns arose about the estimated $230 million budget. On the heels of two Disney flops with 'Cars 2' and 'Winnie the Pooh' as well as other on the fence big budget productions already underway Disney has been a bit more skittish towards the production. It is currently unclear whether the production has been canceled for good, or whether it has just been pushed aside to wait for a more advantageous time.

With the Harry Potter series now in the rear-view mirror director David Yates and writer Steve Kloves have moved on to new projects. The pair has found themselves together again though as they begin work bringing yet another piece of literature to life. The pair are currently in talks to bring Stephen King's hefty novel 'The Stand' to fruition in a deal that will likely spread the behemoth out across multiple films. Still little is known about the project but given their track record Yates and Kloves have a line of films that are right up their alley.

If talking cartoon animals are you thing you may be excited to hear this week it was announced that the rumored spin-off of 'Madagascar' starring the films gang of wise-cracking penguins has begun to gain traction. The film, which was previously rumored to be set for a March 2012 release date this week announced that director Simon Smith would be taking up the project. Simon Smith was best known for his co-directing of Dreamwork's 'Bee Movie.'

On an equally childish note, this week brought us some rather unfortunate news as the long lost comedic actor Mike Myers has resurfaced. The Saturday Night Live alumn responsible for the 2008 travesty 'The Love Guru' had remained off the radar since until this week when he dropped a bombshell Austin Powers 4. Myers has not released much information on the next film in a line that many were quite happy with having ended so it is hard to say what can be expected. Can Myers refresh a stale series, or will the juvenile antics find Austin Power joining 'The Love Guru' in infamy.

This week's trailer comes from a film I recently had the opportunity to catch at an early screening. '50/50' Stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anna Kendrick and is slated for release in late September.