Sony Pictures has hired Secretariat director Randall Wallace to develop an adaptation of Todd Burpo’s best selling book, Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, according to Variety.
The supposedly real-life book is about Colton Burpo, who says he visited heaven after a near death experience during an appendectomy. No one believes the boy until he starts telling stories identifying people who have died. Although many will already be rolling their eyes, it’s the sort of movie that will play extremely well in the American heartland.
Joe Roth and Sparkle’s T.D. Jakes are producing, with Chris Parker (Battle of The Year: The Dream Team) providing the screenplay. Wallace is also in talks to helm Walden Media’s WWII movie The Conscientious Objector and is writing Gunslingers, which has Vince Vaughn attached to star.
Jason Momoa was tipped to break out with Conan The Barbarian, but that unfortunately didn’t happen. However maybe he’ll have more luck with Wolves, as 
Adrien Brody is in negotiations to play the villain in Motor City for Warner Bros. and director Albert Hughes. The actor replaces Gary Oldman, who was in talks to star back in February before bowing out. Brody doesn’t seems like a natural replacement for Oldman, but hopefully it’ll work.
The idea of making a movie about Cleopatra with Angelina Jolie starring certainly has the ability to attract major directing talent, but it’s having difficulty keeping hold of them. It was first announced with James Cameron attached to helm, but he had to drop out when he signed a huge deal with Fox that meant he had to concentrate on Avatar sequels.
After winning an Oscar for writing Traffic, Stephen Gaghan moved into directing with Syriana. Now 
Director Neil Burger (Limitless, The Illusionist) is in talks to make Summit Entertainment’s Divergent, a property that has drawn comparisons to Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games, according to 
The opening film of the 56th BFI London Film Festival has been announced, and it’ll be Tim Burton’s stop-motion movie Frankenweenie getting the honour, with the film receiving its European Premiere at the LFF Opening Night Gala on Wednesday October 10th.
