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

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

by RT Staff | August 04, 2006

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

Related Items

Movie:	Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
	DOA: Dead or Alive
	Carousel
	Pet Sematary
	The Dark Knight
Celeb:	Tip Harris
	John C. Reilly
	Will Ferrell
	RZA
	Mel Gibson
	Macaulay Culkin
	Owen Wilson
	Hugh Jackman
	Wes Anderson
	George Clooney
	Jodie Foster
	Dean Devlin

(1-8 of 8 posts) | Reply

Mikeal420 writes:
on Aug 05 2006 08:53 AM

[b]Wes Andreson need Owen Wilson[/b]
I'm a bit nervous about the new Wes Anderson movie. I've been a long fan of Wes Anderson and the Wilson brother's films, but "Aquatic" was a let down. It was well directed and had very clever story, but it lacked the well written and well executed jokes of his former films, maybe it would of been better if he focused it as an adventure rather a comedy. I realized what was lacking in that fim was Owen Wilson was not involved in the script. Wilson has long been underrated for his sarcasticly dry humor that more than often works, even in his buddy flicks with Jacky Chan. If he is not involved in the writing for "Darjeeling" as was the case in "Aquatic", I fear it would be missing the humor that make Anderson's films work.

(Reply to this)

unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Aug 05 2006 11:30 AM

I think The Darjeeling Limited sounds pretty sweet. I'm not really a fan of J-horror films but with the addition of Ed Harris and Gabriel Byrne I'm starting to get excited for One Missed Call. I've been looking forward to American Gangster for a long time now and I really like the addition of Carla Gugino but I don't really give a shit about the other two.

(Reply to this)

dylan21484nj writes:
on Aug 05 2006 11:53 AM

wait, Mel Gibson had a Holocaust miniseries in the works? anyone else not surprised? i'm waiting for his Ten Commandments remake. only this time, Gibson changes the ending so the Jews don't escape so "it has a happy ending."

(Reply to this)

themazz007 writes:
on Aug 05 2006 12:16 PM

In reply to this comment (#841498)
[b]Look...[/b]
C'mon. The poor guy was raised by a borderline psychotic, alcoholic Aussie scum-f%#k. Mel is obviously sick and needs some help. Good for him to recognize it. I do not believe that ANYBODY'S "true self" is that of hate. I think the voice of hate is that person's OWN pain and self-loathing speaking. In this particular case, alcohol was the catalyst...does it excuse it? No. But let's cut the guy some slack. Sure he's a bit of an egomaniacal freak...but hasn't the poor bastard been in the public eye since he was in his early twenties? The dude need's a break from it. I hope he disappears for awhile and focuses on himself and his family and leaves Hollywood behind. He doesn't need it anymore.

(Reply to this)

dylan21484nj writes:
on Aug 06 2006 09:48 AM

In reply to this comment (#841501)
way to take a joke to heart, you fun-draining cancer.

(Reply to this)

sneppo writes:
on Aug 06 2006 05:20 PM

Um, Mel Gibson was going to be doing a Holocaust mini-series???

WTF? Was this going to be about how the Holocaust never happened and the jews made it up.

lol, mels a wanker.

(Reply to this)

Merlin235 writes:
on Aug 07 2006 07:07 AM

Actually, Mel has publically acknowledged that the Holocaust happened. I think you are confusing him and his father.

(Reply to this)

sneppo writes:
on Aug 07 2006 05:26 PM

In reply to this comment (#841504)
Oh ok. My mistake. I was just confusing him for another worse Neo Nazi.

(Reply to this)

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