· R.I.P. Youssef Chahine: One of the most prominent filmmakers of the Arab world passed away at his home on Sunday. Walker presented his Silence… We’re Rolling in April 2002. The New York Times reports.
· Minneapolis rooted River Road Entertainment (Brokeback Mountain, Into the Wild) has signed on to produce a biopic on The Runaways, a 70s rock band fronted by Joan Jett and Lita Ford. Joan Jett has signed on to executive produce, and Floria Sigismondi will write and direct. This should be good. Variety reports.
· Ain’t It Cool led me to a Times Online interview with the elusive George Lucas. You can love or hate the man, but his influence he has had on the film industry is undeniable.
· One of the biggest bits of film archive news I can remember hit this week. A print of the orginal version of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, thought lost since 1927, has been found in Argentina. This is incredibly exciting. It’s apparent by the images that have been released that the print is in rough shape, but given the current technology available, I’m sure a definitive version with all of the ‘lost’ footage is imminent. I can’t wait to see this. Read more at Die Zeit here and here.
· Our intern Evan sent me to Ain’t it Cool News to check out the Channel Four ad for their upcoming Stanley Kubrick series. They went to great lengths to recreate the set of The Shining and even found lookalikes for many of the cast and crew members. Take a look.
