The Hollywood Reporter says that Josh Brolin is pursuing producing and starring in a big screen remake of the oft-filmed 1831 Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Tim Burton has expressed interest in directing, if he approves the script now being written by the scribes who have penned the next Sherlock Holmes feature film. Click here for more

Given the fact that legions of James Bond scholars and authors have pored over every aspect of the literary and cinematic 007, it's impressive that spy novelist Jeremy Duns has uncovered some very rare early script treatments for Casino Royale, Ian Fleming's first novel. The scripts were written by legendary screenwriter Ben Hecht, and through the torturous legacy of the novel, virtually all of his contributions would be discarded over the decades. Click here for the fascinating story

(For in-depth coverage of the 1967 screen version of Casino Royale, see Cinema Retro issue #6)

Legendary film critic Roger Ebert has not been able to speak for years, the result of necessary surgery that robbed him of his power of speech. In an interview, Ebert discusses how he has overcome this frustrating situation by using the new media such as Facebook and Twitter to communicate through his writing. Click here to read

Craig in Casino Royale

By Lee Pfeiffer

Times certainly have changed. The idea of Sean Connery going in drag for any cause would probably have meant the end of his career in the 1960s. However, Daniel Craig is self-assured enough to do so in a bold, powerful new ad campaign designed to shed light on the inequities that still exist between men and women, both in the workplace and in society in general. The Bond-like spot has Craig being interviewed by an unseen Judi Dench. It's quite an eye-opening bit of film that helps to register the fact that, in many ways, women are still second class citizens even in modern, industrialized countries. As for Craig's drag garb, he fares much better than George Sanders when he did the same in The Kremlin Letter.  (Note to all of our gay Cinema Retro contributors: stop salivating and keep writing!) Click here to view

Kubrick on the set of The Shining

Stanley Kubrick died this week in 1999. The master filmmaker had only recently completed his final film Eyes Wide Shut. Click here for a video tribute to the legendary director.

Character actor Frank Alesia has died at age 65. He appeared in numerous beach party movies of the 1960s, appearing with Frankie Avalaon and Annette Funicello. He also appeared in the films Riot on the Sunset Strip and R.P.M. as well as TV series such as Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Laverne and Shirley and The Odd Couple. Alesia also became a successful producer and director of TV shows in the 1970s. He received an Emmy nomination for his direction of the kid's TV show Captain Kangaroo. For more click here

WWW.CINEMARETRO.COM- PROUDLY CELEBRATING THREE CONSECUTIVE WEEKS AS A CHARLIE SHEEN NEWS-FREE ZONE!

By John Exshaw

Saturday, 26 February, saw the triumphant return of director Rex Ingram – or at any rate, his most celebrated film – to the city of his birth, as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse thundered once more across the big screen at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Last seen at the same venue in 1993 (the centenary of Ingram’s birth), the film was showing as part of the recently-concluded Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, and, as on that previous occasion, the score was again performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, this time under the direction of David Brophy.

Ingram’s masterpiece not only propelled Rudolph Valentino and Alice Terry to international stardom but made Ingram himself the leading director of his day, with complete power over all future projects and his own studio in the south of France. But while Valentino has retained his iconic status – albeit of a somewhat dubious and necrophiliac character – Ingram’s reputation (along with that of scriptwriter June Mathis, the driving force behind The Four Horsemen), has been allowed to slide into undeserved obscurity. Even this showing, in his native city, was billed as a 90^th. anniversary of the film itself, rather than as a tribute to Ingram; had it been screened here last year, as it was in July at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in L.A., it could at least have been promoted as commemorating the 60^th. anniversary of Ingram’s death in 1950.

Be that as it may, The Four Horsemen proceeded to play to a gratifyingly full house at the NCH – and on an evening when people might otherwise have been expected – at least by self-regarding politicians – to show some passing interest in the results of the general election, held the day before. Then again, perhaps Ingram’s film, itself allegorical, struck a chord in a country recently devastated by its own version of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Greed, Cronyism, Clerical Criminality, and the IMF. With tickets ranging from a not-inconsiderable €25-€35, the screening also proved something of a recession-buster, attracting an audience comprised largely of the well-heeled, together with a sprinkling of the self-consciously “orty”, all hoping not to be noticed in their look-at-me outfits and silly hats.

When Oscar had revered comedians such as Bob Hope, Billy Crystal and Johnny Carson as hosts for the broadcasts, ratings were golden.

The web site Studio Briefing reports that an anonymous, high-ranking member of A.M.P.A.S. agrees with most critics that the choice of Anne Hathaway and James Franco as hosts of this year's Oscar ceremonies was a poor one. Academy President Tom Sherak was defensive, to a point, saying that  the board must trust the judgments of the producers. Sherak did concede, however, that the chemistry between Franco and Hathaway was off. For more click here

John Travolta will reunite with the cast of the hit 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter on the April 17 TV Land Awards show. Travolta rose to stardom in the series, which helped him land his Oscar-nominated role in Saturday Night Fever. For more click here

Anyone who has participated in interviews for documentaries knows that their views can be distorted by the editing process. Rusty Lemorande, who was a production executive on the hit 1980 comedy Caddyshack, participated in an A&E network documentary about the making of the film. He is now suing the network and production company for editing his comments to make it appear as though he was spying on cast and crew members during production of the film. For more click here

Despite breaking barriers in the areas of science and race, the various Star Trek shows have always punted when it came to introducing openly gay characters. The franchise producer, Brannon Braga says he feels the show's executives were guilty of repeatedly concentrating on other social issues. Attempts were actually made to bring gay characters into the series, but they were always vetoed. Braga says that he feels if those same scripts were presented today, they would have been accepted. Actor George Takei, who was a regular in the original series, came out some years ago and now lives an openly gay lifestyle. For more click here

Warner Brothers is planning to reboot the Fletch film series. Chevy Chase starred in the 1985 original and its sequel in 1989, playing a reporter with a penchant for acting as detective and solving crimes. The new series includes rights to all 11 Fletch books by author Gregory McDonald. The original films have a substantial following. For more click here

Hollywood's appetite for reviving classic movie monsters continues with several high-profile Frankenstein films in various stages of production. One, titled This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein will be a modern retelling of the tale designed to capitalized on the young audience who have gone bonkers for the Twilight films. The biggest challenge will be just fitting the title on theater marquees. For more click here

George Lucas may have lost the knack of making great Star Wars movies but he sure as hell knows how to sell toys based on the franchise. The revenue from the kiddie market set a new record for a year in which a movie was not released. The gross sales surpassed $500 million. For more click here

A Toronto businessman who has acquired the rights to market Marilyn Monroe's image says his goal is to see her back on the big screen- in a new movie. The plan is to use today's digital technology to allow Monroe to "star" in brand new films. He also said that he's upscaling the Monroe image by being more selective about what products her face will appear on. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Entertainment writer Jeff Sneider accuses Johnny Depp of the worst charge that can be leveled at a leading man: "You're no longer cool!" Sneider backs up his charge by accusing Depp of bypassing the kinds of interesting roles he used to play in order to portray similar eccentrics in big-budget schlock like the Disney Pirates movies. Depp has agreed to play Tonto in a Lone Ranger pic and Barnabas Collins in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows. Other critics have accused Depp of being on automatic pilot in recent years and allowing commercial appeal to trump artistic integrity. Nicholas Cage has faced similar criticism for appearing in critically-lambasted family films at the expense of the praise he once enjoyed for starring in more original, off-beat fare. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Published by McFarland, $45) 315 pages, Illustrated (B&W),  ISBN 978-0-7864-4216-4 Also available as an E book.

Cinema Retro contributor Bradley (who, along with Gil Colon, conducted the William Peter Blatty interview in issue #19), spent over ten years compiling this in-depth look at the screen work of the master writer. Matheson cooperated fully and provides the foreword. Although other books have been written about this master of sci-fi and horror, this is by far the most comprehensive look at his work. Bradley provides the background stories on the making of The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Last Man on Earth, The Omega Man, Trilogy of Terror, Duel and the other memorable films derived from Matheson’s creative mind. The book also covers Matheson’s work in TV from an episode of ‘The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.’ to his classic entries in ‘The Twilight Zone’.  There’s also coverage of the misfires, as well, which often prove to be even more interesting to read about. The book boasts an extensive index and bibliography.  If you admire Matheson’s work, this book can be considered as essential.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON 

Bland and Blander: critics were unimpressed with hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway.

By Lee Pfeiffer

We hate to say "We told you so" but...we told you so. A.M.P.A.S. quixotic obsession with getting a youthful audience for the Oscar broadcast has flopped. The bizarre choices of James Franco and Anne Hathaway as hosts earned scorn from critics around the globe and the maddening race to keep the running time as short as possible resulted in winners being cut off at inopportune moments, if they had a chance to say a word at all. The bottom line is that the show's ratings flopped- especially among the younger viewers who were the target audience. Also generating criticism was Supporting Actress winner Melissa Leo's "accidental" dropping of the "F bomb" in her acceptance speech- a timeworn tradition for those seeking to ensure some additional press the next morning. For the New York Times review click here

One of the few remaining genuine sex symbols of old Hollywood has died. Jane Russell has passed away at age 89. She rose to fame long before her first major film, The Outlaw, was released. The movie was deemed so controversial that it took years to complete and release. It was the brainchild of Howard Hughes, who had championed Russell as a future star- although his efforts never went beyond centering on her sizable breasts, which became the focal point of The Outlaw's ad campaign. Russell made many films before retiring in the late 1960s, though only one of them-Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Marilyn Monroe- won acclaim from critics. She was also a popular pin-up girl and singer who performed in variety show formats. In later years, she battled alcoholism before turning to religious faith and charity work. For more click here

When movie fans think about the frequent on-screen collaborations between Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, there is generally one film that is overlooked. Frankie and Dino made an uncredited cameo at the end of The Road to Hong Kong. The 1962 film represented the last of the legendary Road movies starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Here is a rare behind the scenes photo from the Cinema Retro archives.