News

Keanu Reeves starred in the 1991 action movie Point Break, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It features Reeves as FBI Agent Johnny Utah, who goes on an undercover mission to investigate the identities of a group of bank robbers, only to end up forming a complicated friendship with the group’s leader, Bodhi, played by Patrick Swayze.

According to Rick King, who co-wrote the movie’s story, he initially pitched the concept as Tom Cruise joining the FBI. Moreover, the project was initially conceived under a different director with Johnny Depp among the young actors considered for the lead role. Here is what Point Break could have been without Keanu Reeves.

Keanu Reeves’ Point Break Was Pitched as Tom Cruise Joins the FBI with Johnny Depp

Point Break is an action drama movie set against the backdrop of Malibu beaches with surfers moonlighting as bank robbers in LA. The movie was a commercial success,...

Gene Hackman angrily bolted out of his chair and came at me. I swear he wanted to throw a punch.

This was Puerto Rico in 2000, during rehearsals for Under Suspicion, which my good buddy Stephen Hopkins was prepping to direct with stars Gene, Morgan Freeman, Monica Bellucci and Thomas Jane.

Those weeks of private rehearsals remain one of the greatest pleasures in my long career. Stephen, Gene, Morgan and I spent our days on an upper floor of a San Juan hotel, closed from recent hurricane damage, in a space the production built out to be identical to the actual set we would later use. It was mostly just the four of us every day for three weeks.

Stephen later told me, “If only I could have stopped you” from saying what I said to Gene. This screenplay was very much like a stage play. Stephen had sat with me...

Our hearts are broken.

So many dear pals lost homes in the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles and Pacific Palisades. Many were neighbors, Hollywood pals and friends from my 20-plus years of sobriety in the 12-step recovery community, which has had an enormous presence in the Palisades and Malibu for decades. First, let me say, my wife Ruthanne and I are safe. We moved out of the Palisades some years ago. We bought a home across from a park near downtown Culver City, but we spent 28 good years in the Palisades.

My love affair with Pali started when I was 8 and lived in Philadelphia. My father died, and every summer mom sent me to the Palisades to spend a month with good ‘ol Uncle Bob. He lived on Grenola Street with a front porch that overlooked the ocean where he’d sit and listen to a young Vin Scully calling Los Angeles Dodger games.

When I saw on Deadline that filming has wrapped on an action thriller called Turbulence, my first thought was, “Is it a remake?” This despite the fact that there have been multiple films with the title Turbulence over the years. I thought it might have something to do with the 1997 film with the title, which starred Lauren Holly as a flight attendant stuck on a plane with a serial killer played by Ray Liotta. As it turns out, the new Turbulence doesn’t have anything to do with that franchise… but it is a hot air balloon thriller that stars Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) and Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), so it might make for an interesting viewing experience.

Coming our way from the team behind the recent action film No Way Up, including director Claudio Faeh (Northmen: A Viking Saga) and writer Andy Mayson, who is also producing the film,...

Exclusive: Filming has wrapped in the UK on under-the-radar action-thriller Turbulence, starring Olga Kurylenko (Oblivion), Jeremy Irvine (Treadstone), Hera Hilmar (See) and Kelsey Grammer (Frasier).

The film reunites the team behind 2024 action film No Way Up, including director Claudio Faeh (Northmen: A Viking Saga) and writer Andy Mayson, who also produces.

The synopsis reads: “Young married couple Zach and Emmy decide to take a hot air balloon trip across the Italian Dolomites to rekindle their relationship. When they and pilot Harry are joined by a third passenger, Julia, events unfold in ways they could never imagine five thousand meters in the air.”

The film was shot on location in the Dolomites and London, with studio shooting at Twickenham studios. It is now in post-production.

Will Clarke and Andy Mayson (Altitude) produce alongside and Molly Conners and Amanda Bowers (Phiphen). Altitude is handling international sales.

Executive producers are Altitude, Phiphen (Richard J. Berthy and Jane Sinisi), Head Gear and Metrol Technology (Phil Hunt and Compton Ross), Green & Blue (Frank Kaminski and Philip Nauck), M2 Media Post (Michael Bassick and Michael Laundon), Twickenham Studios, Leeshon Alexander, Peter Iliff, Rick Dugdale, Claudio Faeh and Jeremy Irvine.

Olga Kurylenko is represented by Independent Talent Group and Agence Adequat, Irvine by Independent Talent Group, UTA and Schreck Rose, and Hilmar by 42, Rogue Management and CAA. Grammer is represented by UTA and Vault Entertainment.

Kathryn Bigelow’s action movie Point Break has received a brand-new streaming update for next month. The 1991 cult classic was led by Keanu Reeves and the late Patrick Swayze as they portrayed the respective roles of FBI Agent Johnny Utah, and surfer Bodhi.

Beginning on Dec. 1, 20th Century Fox’s Point Break movie will officially be available to stream on Paramount+. The story centers around an FBI Agent who goes undercover to infiltrate a group of surfers, who are suspected to be involved in a recent string of bank robberies. Leading the surfers is the charismatic Bodhi, who likes living on the edge. However, while doing the mission, Johnny develops a complex friendship with Bodhi, leading him to get drawn into their lifestyle and philosophies. To make matters difficult, Johnny also unexpectedly falls in love with a female surfer, who’s close to the gang.

Related 'That's What Makes It...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Canary Black is a spy action thriller film directed by Pierre Morel from a screenplay by Matthew Kennedy. The Prime Video film follows Avery Graves, an exceptional CIA agent whose husband is kidnapped by terrorists to blackmail her into stealing sensitive information that would betray her country. Canary Black stars Kate Beckinsale in the lead role with Rupert Friend, Ray Stevenson, Saffron Burrows, Ben Miles, and Michael Brandon starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the explosive action, thrilling story, and compelling characters in Canary Black here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Salt (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Columbia Pictures

Salt is a spy action thriller film directed by Phillip Noyce from a screenplay by Kurt Wimmer. The 2010 film follows Evelyn Salt, an exceptional CIA agent who is wrongfully accused of killing the Russian president.

Exclusive: Brand management company Foundation Media Partners is leading development, packaging, and production on a new slate of projects for cheerleading and dance team company Varsity Spirit.

Among the projects is a new movie from Point Break and Varsity Blues scribe Peter Iliff, an animation featuring Morgan Simianer, the breakout star of Netflix docuseries Cheer, and a college football documentary narrated by Bill Courtney, the subject of Oscar-winning documentary Undefeated.

The brand expansion for Varsity Spirit will cover film, TV, music, live events, publishing, podcasts, documentaries, and hybrid content.

The feature film is a sports drama written by Iliff and is targeted toward young women. Set under the lights of a major university, the film “lives at the intersection of football and cheer, ushering audiences into the spirit world from a new perspective”. Iliff most recently scripted 2022 Antonio Banderas movie The Enforcer.

The feature documentary,...

It’s hard to believe today, after Speed and four Matrix movies, and four John Wick movies, but there

was a time when Keanu Reeves was not considered viable as an action star, especially after his portrayal

of lovable time-traveling doofus Ted Theodore Logan in Bill & Ted’S Excellent Adventure.

But that perception radically changed in 1991 with the adrenaline extravaganza Point Break, which

featured Reeves as an FBI agent hot on the trail of some bank-robbing surfers led by Patrick Swayze. But how exactly did this preposterous combination ever reach the beach? Grab your board and catch a wave as we find out Wtf Happened to this movie!

The idea for Point Break first surfaced in the mind of filmmaker Rick King [The Killing Time] after he

saw a newspaper article declaring Los Angeles as the bank-robbing capital of America thanks to the

getaway convenience provided by the city’s numerous freeways.

(Welcome to Movies Are Gay, a Pride Month series where we explore the intentional, or accidental, ways Lgbtqia+ themes, characters, and creatives have shaped cinema.)

I knew "Point Break" was gay before I ever saw it. I came to Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 action flick decades late, after stumbling across a Twitter thread in which someone posed a thrilling question to bisexual men specifically: what movie do you consider your queer awakening? I clicked through the replies expecting a variety of answers, but was surprised to see one title again and again: "Point Break."

To be fair, even if I hadn't had the heads up, I would've caught onto the simmering homoeroticism of "Point Break" pretty quickly. The movie, which is currently streaming on Pluto TV, walks the fine line between camp and serious action, drama, and romance, and does so beautifully. It stars a young Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze,...

Stars: Antonio Banderas, Kate Bosworth, Mojean Aria, Alexis Ren, Zolee Griggs, Natalie Burn, 2 Chainz, Mark Rhino Smith, Luke Bouchier, Aaron Cohen | Written by W. Peter Iliff | Directed by Richard Hughes

Not to be confused with the Clint Eastwood Enforcer (1976) or the Humphrey Bogart Enforcer (1951), this cheap and cheerful crime thriller stars Antonio Banderas as a strong-arm man who turns against his employers. As such, it’s entirely watchable and made with a degree of style, but it’s also predictably generic and occasionally laughable in its simplicity.

The Enforcer opens with one of those prologue sequences that immediately gives away the ending, as Banderas’ Cuda (short for Barracuda) reflects on what brought him to his current blood-soaked state. The rest of the story is then told in flashback, with Cuda taking new enforcer Stray under his wing, while working for slinky Miami mob boss Estelle.

Meanwhile, frustrated by his...

Miami kingpin Estelle (Kate Bosworth) is looking for insurance. Not because she doesn’t trust her usual muscle Cuda (Antonio Banderas) anymore, but because she’s not sure how much time he has left in the tank let alone how well he’s going to adapt to a world running on online currency. Stuck in jail for a decade, his return is therefore just in time to train his replacement: a street fighter named Stray (Mojean Aria) who makes a living always battling above his weight class. The assumption is that he already has what it takes physically to handle himself when collecting Estelle’s taxes from the gangsters and lowlifes operating in her territory. So, if he learns even a fraction of Cuda’s patience and experience, he’ll turn out just fine.

Director Richard Hughes and screenwriter W. Peter Iliff ensure we know Stray isn’t necessarily built for that world,...

“Tough guy with heart of gold” is the cliché that provides the gist to “The Enforcer,” and nothing much turns up to refresh or complicate that hoary hook. This criminal-underworld thriller benefits from Antonio Banderas’ star charisma as a veteran mob strong-arm who turns against his own organization in order to rescue an imperiled teen. Richard Hughes’ feature directorial debut also elevates matters somewhat with a slick and stylish presentation. But the results remain too hogtied by original “Point Break” scribe W. Peter Iliff’s routine, elemental screenplay to rise above the level of disposable genre fodder.

Cuda (Banderas) is just out of prison, having dutifully taken the heat for deeds done in service to Miami syndicate boss Estelle (Kate Bosworth). He hopes to restore relations with his 15-year-old daughter, but she’s wary after his long absence, his ex-wife outright hostile. Perhaps as a regretful result, he takes a...

Exclusive: Filming has begun in Thessaloniki, Greece, on noir thriller movie The Enforcer with cast additions including Mojean Aria (See), Zolee Griggs (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Alexis Ren (Deported), and Aaron Cohen (John Wick: Chapter 2).

Previously announced as starring are Antonio Banderas, Kate Bosworth and rapper 2 Chainz.

A noir thriller set in Miami, the film follows an enforcer who discovers his femme fatale boss has branched out into cyber sex trafficking, putting a young runaway he’s befriended at risk. He sacrifices everything to save the young girl from the deadly organization he’s spent his life building.

Directed by Richard Hughes (Found) and written by W. Peter Iliff (Point Break), the film is produced by Rob Van Norden, Yariv Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger and Les Weldon of Millennium Media and Natalie Burn of Born to Burn Films. Executive producers for Millennium Media Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson and Trevor Short.

Kate Bosworth and 2 Chainz, the latter making his feature acting debut, have joined Antonio Banderas in Millennium’s crime thriller The Enforcer.

Richard Hughes is on board as director for the project, which is being sold at the Cannes virtual market.

Written by Peter Iliff, the story follows an enformer who discovers his femme fatale boss is now engaged in cybersex trafficking. This puts a young runaway at risk and the enforcer must now put everything on the line to safe the girl from the crime organization he has spent his life working for.

Banderas is the enforcer while Bosworth is the femme fatale....

Richard Hughes to direct from screenplay by W. Peter Iliff.

Kate Bosworth and rap star 2 Chainz have joined Antonio Banderas on Millennium Media’s noir thriller The Enforcer ahead of a sales launch at the virtual Cannes market.

Millennium Media is producing and anticipates a strong response from global buyers. Richard Hughes will direct from a script by W. Peter Iliff, whose career credits include Point Break, Patriot Games, and Varsity Blues.

Producing The Enforcer are Rob Van Norden, Yariv Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger and Les Weldon of Millennium Media, and Natalie Burn of Born to Burn Films.

Richard Hughes to direct from screenplay by Point Break and Patriot Games writer W. Peter Iliff.

Millennium Media has dropped a hot project into the virtual Cannes market, announcing that it is producing and will kick off talks with global buyers on noir thriller The Enforcer starring Antonio Banderas.

Richard Hughes will direct from a screenplay by Point Break and Patriot Games writer W. Peter Iliff. Rob Van Norden, Yariv Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, and Les Weldon of Millennium Media are producing alongside Natalie Burn of Born to Burn Films. Executive Producers for Millennium Media are Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson,...

Every Friday, we’re recommending an older movie that’s available to stream or download and worth seeing again through the lens of our current moment. We’re calling the series “Revisiting Hours” — consider this Rolling Stone’s unofficial film club. This week: April Wolfe on Kathyrn Bigelow’s cops-robbers-and-surfers masterpiece Point Break.

Maybe you’ve heard of “the female gaze.” Here’s a quick primer on what it’s not: a leering camera that zeroes in on and hypersexualizes a woman’s body parts. (That would be the male gaze.

Before Friday Night Lights, both the movie and hit TV series of the same name, fans got a glimpse at the football-crazed way of life in West Texas in the 1999 film Varsity Blues. The R-rated movie, one of the first under the nascent MTV Films banner, was a modest hit, earning $52.8 million from a $16 million budget, and now it seems we may be returning to this world with a sequel set in modern-day. While nothing is set in stone, James Van Der Beek hinted in a recent interview that there are talks under way to continue this story.

The actor made this surprising revelation during a Facebook Live Q&A with Yahoo! Movies, when a fan asked, since everything is getting a remake or a sequel these days, what are the chances that a new Varsity Blues movie may happen. There was talk of a Varsity Blues TV series happening with Cmt,...

Country Music Television is aiming to get the blues. Deadline reports Cmt and Paramount Television are developing a Varsity Blues TV show, based on the 1999 film of the same name. The feature starred Dawson's Creek's James Van Der Beek as second string Quarterback, Jonathan Moxon or "Mox."Cmt has ordered a script from original film scribe, W. Peter Iliff. The writer's other work includes Rites of Passage, Under Suspicion, Patriot Games, and Point Break. The movie cast also included Jon Voight, Scott Caan, Richard Lineback, Tiffany C. Love, Amy Smart, and Thomas F. Duffy, as well as the late Paul Walker and Ron Lester.Read More…...

Seventeen years after James Van Der Beek uttered those five immortal words (“I don’t want… your life”), Cmt is eyeing a TV version of Varsity Blues.

RelatedNashville Creator Teases Season 5 Premiere Date on Cmt

Per our sister site Deadline, Cmt has ordered a script for a potential series based on the 1999 football movie. The film’s original writer, W. Peter Iliff, will also write the small-screen adaptation. Paramount TV will produce.

Varsity Blues starred Van Der Beek as Jonathan “Mox” Moxon, a Texas high school quarterback with big dreams of attending Brown University. The film also starred Jon Voight,...

Clear eyes, full hearts—wait, wrong show! But fear not, Friday Night Lights devotees: Cmt is ready to fill the football TV show void in your heart that's been there ever since Coach Taylor delivered his final inspirational speech with a new show inspired by another classic high school football movie, Varsity Blues. E! News has confirmed that the network has ordered a script from Varsity Blues writer W. Peter Iliff, so the project is in the verrry early days of development—but still, you could soon have another Texas high school football drama to convince all your friends to watch. Varsity Blues, which hit theaters in 1999, stars James Van Der Beek as a back-up quarterback who must step in...

“Varsity Blues” is the latest film to potentially become a TV series, TheWrap has learned. CMT has ordered a script of the project written W. Peter Iliff, who wrote the 1999 film starring James Van Der Beek. The project hails from Paramount TV, the television arm of the studio that released the original film. Van Der Beek starred as a backup quarterback who’s tasked with leading his high school football team to victory after the starting quarterback is injured. Butting heads with his onscreen father, Van Der Beek uttered the immortal and.

Add Cmt to the reboot craze. The Viacom-owned country music-themed cable network is developing a new take on 1999 high school football movie Varsity Blues, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The cable network is teaming with Paramount Television and writer W. Peter Iliff, who penned the James Van Der Beek starrer, to develop a new take. Cmt has ordered a script for the project. The original movie starred Dawson's Creek grad Van Der Beek as Jonathan Moxon, a back-up quarterback who takes over a team of misfits against an abusive coach — and his father, who only

read more...

Stars: Luke Bracey, Edgar Ramirez, Ray Winstone, Teresa Palmer, Matias Varela, Clemens Schick, Tobias Santelmann, Max Thieriot, Delroy Lindo | Written by Rick King, W. Peter Iliff, Kurt Wimmer | Directed by Ericson Core

Now I’m not that adverse to remakes and reboots as some and, if I’m honest, the 1991 version of Point Break is not as special to me as it is to others – in fact Bigelow’s film never really gelled with me, so I approached this redux with a really open mind. Turns out I shouldn’t have bothered!

Taking its cue from Kathryn Bigelow’s original movie, this remake of Point Break once again tells the story of Johnny Utah (Bracey), a young FBI agent who infiltrates a cunning team of thrill-seeking elite athletes – led by the charismatic Bodhi (Ramirez) – who are suspected of carrying out a spate of crimes in extremely unusual ways…

However Ericson Core...

Writer-director W. Peter Iliff has signed with Apa for film and television. Iliff is best known for his original screenplay Point Break, which starred Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. Warner Bros is working on a remake of the cult classic to open on Christmas Day. Iliff sold his surfer crime thriller Glass Axes to Netflix last year and is attached to three scripted series set up at Ucp, Relativity, and Electus and reality series Hot To Engage at Lighthouse Entertainment…...

Gerard Butler might take the leap into an extreme sports remake of Point Break. They can - just about - lose the surfing, but here's five things that can't change, says Ellie Violet Bramley

• News: Gerard Butler in talks for Point Break remake

• Blog: Point Break remake drives fans to breaking point

Reports out today that Gerard Butler is in talks for the role of bodacious badguy Bodhi in a remake of 1991 action cult classic, Point Break, have left us worried. For many, this stalwart of 90s filmic history is a "holy cow that Hollywood ought to leave well alone".

But, it's too late. Kathryn Bigelow's bovine will be re-written by Kurt Wimmer, of Salt and Final Recall fame, and will be directed by The Fast and the Furious's director of photography, Ericson Core.

It's going to be hard to please those for whom this should be an untouchable,...

Alcon Entertainment has been talking about a sequel to Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 "Point Break" film, starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, since 2007. And now comes word that the company will instead develop a remake and has signed Ericson Core to direct the new movie. Core last directed Mark Wahlberg's "Invincible" football film. He was also the cinematographer on such movies as "Fast and Furious" and Ben Affleck's "Daredevil." Other contenders for the job were "The Dark Knight" cinematographer Wally Pfister and Peter Iliff, who wrote the first movie. Kurt Wimmer (Total Recall, Law Abiding Citizen) wrote the script for the "Point Break" remake, which will be set in the international world of extreme sports and will once again focus on an FBI agent infiltrating a crime ring. The plan is to begin shooting at the end of the year.

Point Break

Written by W. Peter Iliff

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

USA, 1991

Here’s the thing about Point Break, it’s not nearly as bad as you might have heard. For all of its ridiculous qualities like the presidential masks, a climax that involves skydiving, and Keanu Reeves playing a former college football star turned FBI agent named Johnny Utah, Point Break is still an achingly fun, tightly wound action thriller.

New to L.A., Johnny is assigned to the FBI’s bank robbery unit. He and his partner Angelo (Gary Busey at his nutty best) are assigned to catch a group of highly efficient bank robbers known as the ex presidents. Angelo’s theory is that they are group of tight knit surfers who leave town as soon as summer and surfing season is over. Johnny goes under cover as a lawyer searching for meaning and ends up falling...

*full disclosure: a Blu-ray copy of this film was provided by Magnet Releasing for review. Director: W. Peter Iliff. Writers: Rick Halsey and W. Peter Iliff. Cast: Wes Bentley, Kate Maberly, Ryan Donowho, Christian Slater, Stephen Dorff, Briana Evigan, Travis Van Winkle, Carly Schroeder, Ashley Hinshaw and Guy Burnet. A rite of passage is often a transition from adolescence into adulthood. The Jewish people celebrate this transition of a boy into puberty with a Bat Mitzvah. Mozoltov! In W. Peter Iliff's (Point Break) Rites of Passage, there is very little ceremony or celebration. Instead, there is fractured storyline, weak acting and a film that seems to spin its tires, rather than moving forward. This title released October 16th through home video formats and this review is your friendly warning to stay away from this title. To elaborate more on rites of passage, these rituals usually brought initiates into groups more fully.

Sex, drugs, and an ancient ritual... anthropology 101 can be a killer! And you'll be seeing confirmation of that once the new flick Rites of Passage hits DVD October 16th from Magnet Releasing.

Directed by:W. Peter Iliff, the film stars Wes Bentley, Christian Slater, Stephen Dorff , Kate Maberly, and Ryan Donowho

Synopsis:

Nathan (Ryan Donowho), an anthropology student, invites a few of his classmates and their professor (Stephen Dorff) to his family’s abandoned ranch—once a sacred Chumash burial ground—to recreate an ancient ceremony. There they meet Nathan’s psychotic older brother Benny (Wes Bentley) and drug fueled Delgado (Christian Slater). The students then embark on a rite of passage that no one will ever forget.

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Find your passage in the comments section below.

If you’ve seen her in Duncan Jones’ Source Code, you’ll know how brilliant she is. If you’ve seen her in Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone, you’ll know how brilliant she is. If you’ve seen her in Shane Black’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, you’ll know how brilliant she is.

Michelle Monaghan is one of the most promising rising stars in the past few years, and she has deservedly been getting the attention she much deserves, which is fantastic.

Variety are now reporting that Monaghan is set to co-lead a new indie psychological thriller, Fast Flash To Bang Time, which W. Peter Iliff (Point Break, Patriot Games) will direct from his own script. The film,

“is set in Las Vegas, the last stop for FBI agents who have screwed up past assignments. Story follows a pair of troubled agents as they search for a killer and a kidnapped infant,...

[1] Emma Stone has been moving into more dramatic territory lately with parts in The Help and Gangster Squad, but she may be returning to her comedy roots soon. The actress has entered talks to star in He's Fuckin' Perfect, a comedy by first time feature writer Lauryn Kahn. The film is being produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions, where Kahn has worked for the past several years as McKay's assistant. He's Fuckin' Perfect revolves around a pessimistic woman who uses her social media know-how to research her friends' dates and help them weed out the losers. But when she stumbles across the ideal man, she convinces her friend to dump him so that she can claim him for herself, using her Internet savvy to turn herself into his perfect match. [Deadline [2]] After the jump, Michelle Monaghan is a sex-addicted FBI agent, Alice Eve is a homewrecker,...

Radha Mitchell's Next

Radha Mitchell ("Pitch Black," "Silent Hill") has been cast in both Tara Subkoff's indie feature "Playdate" and Scott Walker's thriller "The Frozen Ground". 'Playdate' begins filming mid-November in Los Angeles, no plot details forthcoming.

Mitchell will segue from that into 'Frozen' playing the wife of Nicolas Cage's detective character as he searches for a serial killer with the help of an escaped victim. [Source: Risky Biz Blog]

Fast Flash to Bang Time

Michelle Monaghan ("M:i-3," "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang") is now negotiating to star in W. Peter Iliff's "Fast Flash to Bang Time"

The actress will play one of two troubled FBI agents in Las Vegas searching for a killer and a kidnapped infant. Her character is addicted to sex while her partner has a coke habit. [Source: Variety]

Over the Wall

Melissa Leo and Hayden Panettiere have joined the cast of Steven Christopher Young's indie dramatic...

[1] Though Christian Slater's IMDb resume shows that he's been keeping himself busy over the past few years, it's been a while since he's released a high-profile film project. (I definitely did not remember that Without Men was ever a thing until I looked over Slater's filmography.) His upcoming horror flick Playback probably won't be the one to change that trend, but if you miss seeing the True Romance star on the big screen, you'll want to keep an eye for it out during the first quarter of next year. Magnet Releasing has just picked up the U.S. rights to the thriller, which was directed by Michael Nickles and also stars Toby Hemingway, Johnny Pacar, and rising star [2] Ambyr Childers. The story revolves around high school students who discover a disturbing secret in their hometown's history, awakening an evil spirit. Not the most inspired of concepts, but maybe it'll be fun.

In 2007, we learned that Peter Iliff ("Point Break" writer) was planning to write and direct a $20-$30 million sequel to "Point Break," the 1991 film that was directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and starred Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Then came word in 2008 that filming was about to begin with "Speed" director Jan de Bont in the helmers chair. That didn't happen, but the film kept moving forward. The following year, Australian actor Damian Walshe-Howling (Ned Kelly, Macbeth) revealed that he was cast as the villain in "Point Break: Indo." A few months later, the project was dead. And now comes word that a follow-up is being discussed again, despite the fact that Swayze has passed away and Reeves is not interested in reprising his role. Twitch website claims that the studio has decided to develop a remake rather than a sequel. There is currently no director or actors on board,...

Kathryn Bigelow's Point Break is a cult classic action flick that has enjoyed a solid shelf life over the years. It was brought back into the spotlight in 2007 by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in Hot Fuzz, and shortly after that we started hearing rumours about a possible sequel [1] that might take place in Indonesia. At the time, the original film's writer Peter Iliff was going to write and direct, but this was all a couple of years before Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. His death ultimately eliminated any possibility of a sequel, but now it seems that Point Break may be staging a comeback in a whole new way. Yep, that's right... as a remake. The good folks over at Twitch [2] recently caught wind of a Point Break remake being set up over at Rgm Entertainment, the same production company that was looking to do a sequel.

Kurt Wimmer, in spite of being responsible for a large amount of bad films, manages to keep getting work in Hollywood. One of his biggest projects to date isn’t even out yet, and that’s the Len Wiseman-directed remake of Total Recall, which will be opening in August 2012. This is after the release of him having a big hit with the Angelina Jolie thriller Salt, a movie that pulled in a lot of money at the box office — and less than a year before that was Law Abiding Citizen, which was also a hit. So, his success isn’t hard to figure out, it might just be hard to fully comprehend.

Now, Twitch has heard that the man behind Equilibrium will be writing a remake of Point Break for producers Rgm Entertainment. Information on it is a little slim at the moment, but that same story says that...

[We are currently working to verify this story through a third party source. Until we do it should be treated strictly as a rumor.]In 1991 Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow made a big splash with Point Break. The Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves surfer / heist movie was a guilty pleasure for a great many people and developed a loyal cult, so much so that the film has never really gone away and the rights holders have been looking to capitalize on the title again ever since.The last attempt to bring back Point Break began in 2007 when word came out that original writer Peter Iliff was on board to write and direct a sequel set in Indonesia. Iliff was later replaced by Speed...

Exclusive: Don Buchwald & Associates, the agency best known for repping Sirius Xm Radio’s signature star Howard Stern, is joining forces with West Coast based talent agency Fortitude. Fortitude founders/partners Ben Press and Michael McConnell and Db&A executive vice president Julia Buchwald will serves as co-heads of Don Buchwald & Associates/Fortitude. The consolidated companies will operate out of Db&A’s existing space at 6500 Wilshire Blvd. Db&A will remain in its Gotham offices, where it has its broadcast, commercial, voiceover, theater, legal and business affairs departments and talent and lit departments. Formed four years ago, Fortitude has lit and talent clients that include Joss Stone, Angela Lansbury, Peter Iliff, Julia Jones, Crispin Glover, Daisy Lowe, Mario Van Peebles, Elle Macpherson, Cymphonique Miller, Cybill Shepherd, Jordan Bridges, Sean Patrick Flanery, Loren Dean, Lolita Davidovich, Romeo Miller and Kathleen Quinlan. Db&A, which is 35 years old, has a talent list that includes Ethan Suplee,...

Blockbuster – the one-time giant in the home video rental business which went bankrupt last September – was bought at auction this past week by Dish Network for $320 million. According to Dish, it intends to combine its wireless technology with Blockbuster’s brand name recognition, studio relationships and digital rights to re-establish Blockbuster as a player in the direct-to-home market against Netflix and newer contenders like Amazon and a Warner Bros. online rental service to be offered on Facebook.

However this plays out long-term, the auction buy is the last page in a final chapter begun back in September when Blockbuster busted. To trot out the old cliché, it’s the – everybody now — end of an era.

The business Blockbuster used to be in seemed revolutionary in its day, though it seems almost quaint now; come Friday, some delegate from the family would trot to the neighborhood video store hoping to get...

She is certainly becoming a modern-day scream queen. The sexy Briana Evigan doesn't seem content unless she's being chased by serial killers or hunted by tigers. With a slew of genre and genre-related credits under her belt including the sub-par slasher remake 'Sorority Row', the freaky sci-fi follow-up 'S. Darko', the tiger hungry tale 'Burning Bright' and the home invasion thriller 'Mother's Day' the girl has already completed work on 'Rites of Passage', the new thriller from 'Point Break' scribe W. Peter Iliff. Wes Bentley, Kate Maberly, Ryan Donowho, Christian Slater and Stephen Dorff all star along with Brian Evigan (below) who plays hot party girl Penelope....

English Actress Kate Maberly Also In Cast Stephen Dorff, who might be experiencing a career renaissance after his turn in Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere,” is joining Christian Slater in the indie thriller “Rites of Passage.” Dorff and Slater, as well as another comeback kid Wes Bentley (who kicked a heroin habit in the last few years) and Kate Maberly ("Finding Neverland"), will be under the direction of screenwriter Peter Iliff (“Patriot Games," “Varsity Blues”). Also penned by Iliff, 'Passage' will serve as his directorial debut. Based on a story conceived by the writer/director and Rick Halsey, the plot “centers on an…...

Christian Slater, Stephen Dorff, Wes Bentley, Kate Maberly, Ryan Donowho, Travis Van Winkle, Angelic Zambrana and Ashley Hinshaw have all joined the cast of the new thriller "Rites of Passage" reports Variety.

The story follows a young anthropology student seeking a traditional ceremony to mark his entry into manhood. He and his partying classmates to a ranch owned by his older brother (Slater) where he indulges in a drug-fuelled life that indulges in some ancient Indian rituals.

"Point Break" and "Patriot Games" scribe W. Peter Iliff makes his directorial debut on the project.

Shooting kicks off this week while Mark Canton, Jonathan Sachar, David Hopwood and W.D. Johnson will produce.

Christian Slater, Stephen Dorff, Wes Bentley and Kate Maberly will star in independent thriller Rites of Passage , which will mark the directorial debut of screenwriter Peter Iliff ( Point Break , Patriot Games ). Written by Iliff, the film "centers on an anthropology bookworm who laments his place in a society that lacks a ceremony to mark his transition into manhood and leads his hard-partying, stressed-out classmates to his family's abandoned ranch -- where his brother (Slater) lives in a psychotic world of drugs, guilt and Chumash Indian rituals." Production starts this week on the film.

Christian Slater has signed onto "Rites of Passage," and indie thriller with Stephen Dorff, Wes Bentley and Kate Maberly. The film marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Peter Iliff ("Point Break," "Patriot Games"). Mark Canton produces with Jonathan Sachar, David Hopwood and W.D. Johnson. Financing for the project will come from Johnson's new company, Demarest Films. According to Variety, the screenplay by Illiff tells of an anthropology bookworm who laments his place in a society that lacks a ceremony to mark his transition into manhood and leads his hard-partying, stressed-out classmates to his family's abandoned ranch -- where his brother lives in a psychotic world of drugs, guilt and Chumash Indian rituals.

According to Variety, DreamWorks has greenlit the robot boxing movie Real Steel with Aussie A-lister and Wolverine actor, Hugh Jackman, confirmed to star. We reported on Jackman’s possible involvement with Real Steel back in October, but this is the first official confirmation of his role. The sci-fi film will feature Jackman as a retired boxer who reconnects with his estranged son after he becomes a promoter for a robot boxing league. The film is based on a short story by sci-fi author Richard Matheson, and has already seen a small screen adaptation via a 1963 Twilight Zone episode.

Besides Jackman’s casting, there were a number of interesting tidbits in the Variety article. For instance, Real Steel will be DreamWorks’ first feature film since the company was refinanced by Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider. Because it will be the first post-Paramount DreamWorks production, there is sure to be...

Variety.com is reporting that screenwriter Peter Iliff (”Patriot Games,” “Varsity Blues,” and “Under Suspicion”) has been tapped to pen an adaptation of the hit action gameshow “American Gladiators” for the big screen. The story would focus on the TV show’s characters as super-powered superheroes. “American Gladiators” first debuted on TV in 1988 and has since been broadcast in more than 90 countries around the world. NBC recently revived the show in 2008, in which contestants battle against the Gladiators in physical and athletic challenges. Scott Mednick is producing, and “American Gladiators” creator Johnny Ferraro is on board for the projects, which is being targeted for a tentative 2011 [...]...

If you are counting the seconds until the new big screen remake of American Gladiators hits a theater near you, please seek immediate medical attention or the nearest clergyman for guidance.

Screenwriter Peter Iliff has developed a script for the project. The TV tough guys and gals will be turned into "superheroes" in the new movie.

That's it? Isn't that obvious? What the hell else were they going to be?

- A bunch of muscleheaded meatwads pretending to be British nannies in order to see their estranged children.

- Sinewy wimp-eaters who must constantly pull a bus with their teeth at a speed of at least 30 mph or it will explode.

Or perhaps the storyline could go something like this: A ruthless mob boss looking to bump off a key witness traveling overseas plants twelve Gladiators injected with anger inducing pheromones on his plane and unleashes them over the ocean.

Writer Peter Iliff has been hired to adapt a big-screen version of "American Gladiators."The film, which will feature the muscle-bound characters as superheroes, will be based on the TV show that first aired in 1988 and has been broadcast in more than 90 countries. NBC aired a primetime revival of the show in 2008.According to Variety, Scott Mednick is producing, and "American Gladiators" creator Johnny Ferraro is executive producing.Mednick is shooting for a 2011 release.Iliff wrote the 1991 cult surfer film "Point Break" and recently wrote a sequel to the film which will be directed by Jeff Wadlow.