2010 could see Pitt in as many as 3 films.

Welcome to the first of what I hope to make numerous features on a look into the future of actors and directors as to what we can expect down the road from them.  I thought it fitting to start off with a look at my favorite actor, Brad Pitt.

Pitt could, in all honesty, be considered one of the best actors never to win an Oscar.  With titles such as ‘A River Runs Through It,’ ‘Fight Club,’ ‘Troy,’ ‘Babel’ and the Oceans movies, as well as a dearth of others, under his belt, there is no doubt that he is one of the most sought after actors in the business.

The first of what is on tap for Pitt is releasing this month in ‘Inglorious Basterds.’  The Quinten Tarantino film has already recieved mixed reviews but I, for one, am extremely excited for this movie.  Tarantino and Pitt collaborating together is a godsend to the movie industry and these two unique talents should make Basterds an extremely entertaining film.

In 2010, he is attached to three movies thus far.  The first of these is ‘The Tree of Life,’ a period piece in which he plays the father three brothers.  The movie follows Jack, through childhood and framed by Jack’s adult life.  The movie will also feature Jessica Chastain as his wife and Sean Penn as the adult Jack.

The next is ‘The Lost City of Z,’ a film based on the book by David Grann.  In the movie, Pitt plays Col. Percy Fawcett, a British colonel who disappeared while trying to find the legendary Lost City of Z in the 1920s.  Pitt will also be producing this movie, which is in pre-production, and it will be directed and adapted for the screen by James Gray.

The third of 2010 is a film that Pitt is rumored to be attached to, ‘The Sparrow.’  The film is based off of a novel by Mary Doria Russell and is the story of a Jesuit priest accompanying a space crew to a distant planet after Earth recieves its first contact from aliens.

In 2011, Pitt has been attached to the floundering adaptation of Michael Lewis’s book, ‘Moneyball.’  Pitt will play Oakland Athletics General Manager, Billy Beane, and will chronicle Beane’s successful attempt at putting together a baseball team on a budget, based upon the recommendations of a computer-generated analysis to draft players.

Finally, in 2012, Pitt has been rumored to be attached to George Miller’s adaptation of Homer’s ‘The Odyssey.’

There are a number of projects in development that Pitt has been tied to (the Steve McQueen biopic, World War Z, The Book of Joe) but none have been confirmed as of yet.

One thing is for sure.  Brad Pitt’s momentum is gaining and it seems to be only a matter of time before he garners the ever elusive Academy Award.

The Alien franchise returns to its roots with Scott.

In a move that has been long-rumored, Ridley Scott has officially signed on to direct the Twentieth Century Fox’s ‘Alien’ Prequel.

Though Spaihts has not yet had a film made, he has become Hollywood’s “go-to guy” for space thrillers, also being attached to Warner Brothers’ ‘Shadown 19′ which has Keaneu Reeves starring as well as ‘Passengers’ which Reeves hired him to write.  The latter script is the one that landed him the job with Fox to pen the prequel, including a pitch that both Fox and Scott fell in love with.

IMDB.com lists the prequel as slated for 2011, which would put it out after Scott’s releases of Robin Hood and his adaptation of  Tom Epperson’s novel, The Kind One.

To add fuel to the fire, I’m very excited about this news.  The original ‘Alien’ movie stands head and shoulders above the rest of the franchise as well as still being the gold standard in the sci fi and horror genres.  To hear that Scott is once again attached to the franchise is encouraging news to a franchise that has, throughout the years, seen the world in which it is set become very deep and very rich.  Time will tell how this will play out, but I can see this being a very positive step forward for a franchise that has, sadly, languished of late.

It promises to be an interesting viral game, to be sure.  The site is launched with a press release written on a napkin that sees Tony Stark telling his faithful assistant, Pepper Potts, to “post exactly as is.”  When you join the team, you fill out a faux job application that I can only assume leads you further in.  To see exactly, click here.

Howard will direct the fourth of Ludlum's books to reach the big screen.

The novel is to be adapted by David Self and will be produced by Brian Grazer, amongst others.

The novel, which follows a CIA operative who witnesses the execution of his partner and lover for being a KGB double agent, will join the Bourne Trilogy as novels of the late Robert Ludlum to be adapted into screen plays.

Howard, fresh off of Angels and Demons, seems to be a natural fit for this role as he has really began perfecting his craft in the directing world in his recent movies.  Self’s most notable work was the Tom Hanks film, Road to Perdition, has also written The Wolf Man, which is currently in post-production, and has been tied to the RoboCop reboot as well.

Personally, I am a large fan of Ludlum’s books as well as Howard’s work, so I’m excited to see exactly how this plays out.  Howard always seems to be able to attract fantastic casts and, personally, I thought that Self’s work on Road to Perdition was brilliant.  Time will tell as to how this will all play out, but Universal certainly has the project off to an encouraging start so far.  So what do you think?  Is this a good move?

I like movies.  No…Scratch that…I love movies.

From classics to foreign films to blockbuster films — it doesn’t matter.  If it’s a movie, for the most part, I’ll give it a chance.  So this new blog is intended to be my attempt at sharing my love of cinema and my perspective on movies with all of you.  You may not always agree with it, you may not always get the insider information you would get on other movie sites but, hopefully, you’ll at least be marginally entertained.  Enjoy!

– Blake Benzel