Stuff You Need to Know for Thursday, January 15, 2009

Update: Amazon has Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Series for $64.99, which is 68% off. Only available today and while stocks last. Thought you would want to know.

So we’re back talking about Rowan Atkinson again. And why not? Anyway this time it’s because there’s footage on the BBC website of him in Oliver! As we mentioned last March, he’s Fagin in the new West End production. Mostly the footage is of him talking about theatre–which is cool on its own–but it also gives you glimpses of his performance. Would love to see that. Check it out here.

BBC Three is getting a sketch comedy show with Matthew Horne and James Corden (Gavin and Stacey) and a sitcom featuring the sick sick sick We Are Klang. I’m already afraid. Source.

Cate Blanchett is playing another monarch: Richard II. The War of the Roses is a two-part, eight hour play that’s an “amalgam of Shakespeare’s history plays about the Plantagenet dynasty.” You can read Variety’s review of the show here.

CBS Films is certainly drawing on some interesting star power to get their first film underway: Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford. Fraser plays a guy whose two children have an incurable genetic condition who seeks out Ford as the doctor who might be able to save them. Production starts in April.

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Jackie Chan as Mr. Miyagi? Maybe. He’s talking about signing on to the Karate Kid remake. Harald Zwart (Agent Cody Banks) has come on board to helm. Source.

Chevy Chase is going to be on Chuck for three episodes. Man, I miss Chevy Chase. You remember Chevy Chase? He was a comedy genius. Source.

The previously mentioned Crazies remake staring Timothy Olyphant will have Radha Mitchell (Pitch Black) playing his wife. Source.

Steinbeck’s East of Eden is getting adapted at Universal. Tom Hooper (director of John Adams) is on tap to helm and Christopher Hampton (Atonement) is scribing it. Previously, Ron Howard was to helm and Paul Attanasio (Homicide) had been on hand to scribe. Filming is supposed to kick off some time this year.

Harry Endo, who played forensic scientist Che Fong on Hawaii Five-O died last Friday of a stroke at age 87.

More theatre that I would kill to see: Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon in Eugene Ionesco’s Exit the King, starting in March on Broadway. Apparently Rush helped translate the play. Source.

Mariska Hargitay has had a lung partially collapse. But apparently it’s not going to affect her SVU appearances, so I assume she’s going to be fine.

Iron Man 2 might get Black Widow as well. The current rumor has Emily Blunt (Charlie Wilson’s War) in the role. Anytime we get above a certain number of characters, I start to get a little fidgety. I’m feeling a little fidgety, I don’t know about you.

Prison Break is cancelled but there’s a real ending planned. Fox also hints that Fringe will be renewed.

Pushing Daisies finishing up as a movie? I hope they’re thinking direct to video, that seems more plausible. Source.

A Steve McQueen biopic? Apparently so, and it will cover his Hollywood career. Producers Michael Cerenzie and Christine Peters have snagged the rights to Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel by Marshall Terrill. No directors or anything attached yet.

The tenth season of Top Gear is coming to DVD. Yes, Region 1. Wild, I know. It’s coming out April 21st. No pre-order yet, but stay tuned. This will indeed include the Botswana special from that series.

Warner Brothers is asking all its departments to trim 10% off their budgets. This could be due to the recession or it could be that they’re trying to find money to pay off Fox so this Watchmen thing will go away. Source.