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Given that he’s probably the main draw (the human one, at least) for its massive summer hope Jurassic World, it’s perhaps not that surprising that Universal would want to stay in the Chris Pratt business. The studio has acted quickly to snap up a pitch that could potentially star the actor, The Real McCoy. Bill Dubuque, who wrote The Judge, worked on the idea based on a suggestion from producer Tom McNulty, with the pair teaming up to sell Pratt on the concept. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s a story about real-life bootlegger Bill McCoy, who became the inspiration for the phrase “the real McCoy” referring to his unsullied liquor. McCoy himself was ironically a non-drinker who prided himself on never having to pay protection money to anyone, criminal or otherwise, as he smuggled alcohol during Prohibition in the United States. A character based on the...

Chris Pratt is adding yet another Indiana Jones-esque role to his potential docket. After proving himself to be a fantastic leading man in Guardians of the Galaxy, the actor has been sought after for a number of big roles, most of which are of the ruggedly handsome, charming, and daring type. That trend continues with The Real McCoy, a pitch that THR reports Universal Pictures just picked up for a cool $1.5 million with Pratt attached to star. Written by Bill Dubuque (The Judge), the pitch centers on real-life bootlegger Bill McCoy, who prided himself on being an “honest lawbreaker” during Prohibition, selling merchandise that was uncut and clean, spawning the phrase “The real McCoy.” [caption id="attachment_338439" align="alignright" width="360"] Image via Universal/caption] The project is in the very early stages and is only a pitch at this point, with Tom McNulty and Michael De Luca producing. It’s possible that, by the time this project becomes “real” (ie.

Whenever hearing the phrase "the real McCoy," it always makes me think of an 80s TV show in the same vein as "MacGyver." In reality, it's just a turn of phrase inspired by real life bootlegger Bill McCoy, and it was used to specify when the liquor hadn't been dulled down. Now THR reports The Real McCoy will become a feature film after Universal Pictures won a bidding war against Warner Bros. Pictures to land the pitch that has Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World star Chris Pratt attached to star. The pitch comes from The Judge scribe Bill Dubuque, and it was intriguing enough to land a solid seven figure deal. As of now, there aren't many details on the project, other than that it focuses on the life of Bill McCoy and his bootlegging days. The idea came from producer Tom McNulty, caught the interest of Michael De Luca,...

Universal has won a battle against Warner Bros. Pictures for the rights to the Chris Pratt pitch "The Real McCoy".

Bill Dubuque ("The Judge") penned the pitch with the studios aggressively bidding this week, Universal ultimately winning with a $1.5 million against $3 million deal.

The story centers on bootlegger Bill McCoy, whose life inspired the phrase "the real McCoy". Tom McNulty, who will produce the film alongside Michael De Luca, came up with the idea which he took to Dubuque and Pratt.

Source: THR...

OddLot Entertainment has picked up Adam R. Perlman and Graham Sack's romantic comedy spec script "Septillion to One" which Alexander Payne is circling (but not officially attached) to direct. Tom McNulty, Gigi Pritzker and Linda McDonough are producing.

The film is inspired by the true story of Joan Ginther, who won the Texas State Lottery four times and took home more than $20 million thanks parrtly to a PhD in statistics from Stanford.

The story follows an overzealous former FBI agent who has been relegated to the fraud unit of the Texas State Lottery. He begins investigating a beautiful and shrewd woman who had inexplicably defied all odds and hit the lottery jackpot three times.

He realizes the odds are over one in a billion for this to happen, creating a game of cat-and-mouse with the suspect, with whom he ultimately falls head over heels in love.

Scheduling is reportedly an issue for Payne,...

OddLot Entertainment has won a heated auction for rights to Adam R. Perlman and Graham Sack’s spec script “Septillion to One,” which has Alexander Payne circling to direct, TheWrap has learned. OddLot will produce and finance the romantic comedy, which the company intends to fast-track as its slate is thin and the deal featured aggressive progress-to-production language. Tom McNulty will produce through his MC2 banner along with Linda McDonough of Marquee Entertainment and OddLot’s Gigi Pritzker. Payne is not officially attached to direct at this time but the story has drawn his interest, according to multiple sources. Scheduling may prove to be.

Warner Bros. Pictures has hired Richard Cordiner to script a film adaptation of Nicholas de Monchaux's non-fiction novel "Spacesuit".

The book deals with the unsung heroes of the Apollo space program — a team of Playtex bra and girdle designers who successfully built the iconic spacesuit.

This band of outsiders - including former TV repairman, a car mechanic, and some spirited seamstresses - accomplished what various aerospace giants could not.

Marc Shmuger and Tom McNulty will produce.

Source: Deadline...

Timecop is traveling through time to the present. The ultimate great bad movie Timecop, which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, Ron Silver and Gloria Reuben, is getting the reboot treatment from Universal Pictures.

Marc Shmuger and Tom McNulty are developing the project, which is based on a Dark Horse comic of the same name. No word on the plot of the film, but it will presumably follow a corrupt political scheme, where one police officer must enforce the laws of time travel. I have to admit, I’m kind of excited about the prospect.

Timecop: It's been nearly 20 years since Jean-Claude Van Damme starred in Peter Hyams' enjoyable time-traveling action movie Timecop, and now Universal wants to reboot it. The project is in the early stages of development, with producers Marc Shmuger and Tom McNulty on board, but no writers hired yet. The original followed an officer for a government agency in charge of time travel as he searched to find those responsible for the death of his wife. Sadly, Van Damme is not involved with the reboot. [Heat Vision] We're the Millers Trailer: Jennifer Aniston strips and Jason Sudeikis deals drugs in the raunchy road-trip comedy We're the Millers, due out in the U.S. on August 9. They form a fake family, along with Emma Roberts and Will Poulter, in order to transport...

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Universal is planning a remake of Timecop, the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme time travel action movie. The franchise reboot is being produced by Marc Shmuger and Tom McNulty.

Dark Horse’s official description of the series reads:

“You can change the past, the future, your future. Then imagine Max Walker, one of the Time Enforcement Commission’s toughest and most extreme cops. But as nasty as Walker’s methods are, even he may not be able to stop a nefarious plot to destroy the future as we know it.”

Timecop was adapted from the Dark Horse comics and first released in 1994 with Jean-Claude Van Damme in the lead. The film went on to have a TV spinoff in 1997, though it was short-lived, and a direct-to-video sequel Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision in 2003.

Got any ideas for who should be the lead this time around?

Source: THR...

Universal Pictures has begun development on a rebooted Timecop movie.

Marc Shmuger and Tom McNulty will produce the new film based on the Dark Horse Comics property, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The 1994 film was considered a major success for star Jean-Claude Van Damme. It went on to spawn a short-lived television show and a straight-to-video sequel, Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision, in 2003.

The property is set in a future in which time travel is policed by the Time Enforcement Commission.

Officer Max Walker is known for his brutal efficiency, but he finds himself struggling to prevent a plot by a corrupt politician to forever change the future.

Universal is currently seeking writers for the project. Van Damme is not involved.

Watch a trailer for the 1994 Timecop below:...

News Simon Brew 23 May 2013 - 06:35

Timecop is heading back to the big screen, without Jean-Claude Van Damme's involvement...

Before The Expendables 2 and Kung Fu Panda 2 came along, the highest grossing film of Jean-Claude Van Damme's career at the Us box office was Timecop. Comfortably one of his best movies, Timecop was originally based on a story published by Dark Horse Comics, and The Hollywood Reporter has now broken the news that a fresh take on the material is in the works.

The project is in the early stages, and thus far there's no writer attached to the film. It's being produced by Marc Shmuger and Tom McNulty, though. It's also already clear that Jean-Claude Van Damme is not involved in the project. Whether they eventually sneak in a cameo for him if this one makes it to fruition remains to be seen.

More news on...

The 1994 sci-fi action-thriller Timecop is getting the reboot treatment at Universal Pictures. The studio is seeking writers to craft a completely re-imagined concept and story. Marc Shmuger (We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks) and Tom McNulty (The Watch) are producing.

Jean-Claude Van Damme starred in the original as a security company agent who regulates time travel. He tangles with a corrupt politician (Ron Silver) with ties to his past. Jean-Claude Van Damme will not be a part of this project.

The original is based on the Dark Horse Comics series created by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Mike Richardson went on to produce films such as Hellboy, 30 Days of Night, and R.I.P.D., while Mark Verheiden has made his mark on the small screen, producing shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, and Falling Skies. There is no word whether they will be involved in the reboot.

Timecop also spawned a...

Dark Horse Comics' Timecop is heading back the big screen. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Universal Pictures is currently developing the property for a franchise reboot with Marc Shmuger and Tom McNulty producing. "What a dream: to travel through time," Dark Horse's official description of the series reads, "You can change the past, the future, your future. Then imagine Max Walker, one of the Time Enforcement Commission's toughest and most extreme cops. But as nasty as Walker's methods are, even he may not be able to stop a nefarious plot to destroy the future as we know it." Originally published as a three-part story in the "Dark Horse Comics" anthology series, Timecop was adapted for the big screen in 1994 with Jean-Claude...

Joe Carnahan ("The Grey," "Smokin' Aces") is in negotiations to direct "Sugar Bandits" at Universal Pictures.

Chuck Hogan is adapting his own novel "Devils in Exile" for the script, which centers on Iraq War veteran Neal Maven who is now living in Boston and stuck in dead-end jobs.

Maven and some other soldiers team up in a scheme to rip off local drug dealers, destroying the product and grabbing their money.

Marc Shmuger and Tom McNulty are producing.

Source: Heat Vision...

New poster for The Watch, starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade 20th Century Fox's comedy opens July 27th, looking to land laughs galore under the helm of Akiva Shaffer, who helms from the writing by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg from the story by Jared Stern. Rosemarie Dewitt, Nicholas Braun, Will Forte, Billy Crudup, Doug Jones and Jorma Taccone also star in the film about a group of dads who join a neighborhood watch in order to get time away from their families but are left to defend themselves from an alien invasion. 21 Laps' Shawn Levy produces the film previously known as Neighborhood Watch alongside Tom McNulty.

The second poster has arrived for Neighborhood Watch, starring Akiva Schaffer Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Rosemarie Dewitt, Nicholas Braun, , Billy Crudup, Doug Jones and Jorma Taccone. Neighborhood Watch is about a group of dads who join a neighborhood watch in order to get time away from their families but are left to defend themselves from an alien invasion. Akiva Schaffer directs from the script by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and the story by Jared Stern. Pic is produced by Shawn Levy and Tom McNulty. Become part of the Neighborhood Watch when it opens via 20th Century Fox on July 27th.

We've got some casting additions for you today.  Here they are at a glance: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) will headline Smashed-director James Ponsoldt's Spectacular Now. Rebekah Brandes (Bellflower) to join  indie horror-thriller pic, Nothing to Fear for producer Slash, the former guitarist from Guns N' Roses. Tristan Wilds (Red Tails) and Melonie Diaz (Be Kind Rewind) will join Fruitvale, an indie drama about a real-life, controversial police shooting, to be produced by Forest Whitaker. Hit the jump for more on each project. Via Variety, Woodley will join the coming-0f-age dramedy, Spectacular Now, an adaptation of Tim Tharp's award-winning novel.  After fours years in development, the picture looks like it's ready to move forward with the addition of Woodley and Ponsoldt.  The plot of Spectacular Now centers on a teenage girl (Woodley) who talks an alcoholic high school senior out of his life philosophy of "living in the moment.

Poster and trailer for Neighborhood Watch, starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Billy Crudup! IMDb has premiered the trailer for the Akiva Schaffer-directed science fiction comedy which opens on July 27th via 20th Century Fox. We also have the poster up below, courtesy of our friends over at IMPAwards.com. Neighborhood Watch is about a group of dads who join a neighborhood watch in order to get time away from their families but stumble upon a plot to destroy the world. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote the script for the Shawn Levy and Tom McNulty produced pic, based on the story by Jared Stern. Check out the poster below the trailer.