Aaron Ryder of Donnie Darko and Monster fame is set to run FilmNation Entertainment’s newly established production arm. He will start by kicking off production on two projects.

First up is the thriller The Raven which is set in the last days of Edgar Allen Poe’s life. The famous poet gets wrapped up in a serial killer investigation. The second is the Matt O’Neil-scripted Bull Rush which is being co-produced with Newmarket.

No starting dates for either project were given.

After months of rumors, AICN now carries confirmation that British stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have been cast as the detective duo Thomson and Thomson in Tintin.

The pair join Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock, though the main character himself remains to be cast. Steven Spielberg is directing the 3D, $135 million CG motion-capture film that will be based on the two-part “The Secret of the Unicorn” and “Red Rackham’s Treasure” books by Herge.

The Thomson twins are the comic relief in the series. They have a subplot in the above books, dealing with a kleptomaniac who has been lifting wallets from all around town.

The first installment is due out 2010.

Variety reports that Jared Bush’s music-themed drama project Soundtrack is being developed for NBC. The drama series will revolve around a misguided man, who just lost his job and whose ex-girlfriend got engaged to someone else, who finds his life suddenly starts being accompanied by music in his head.

Interestingly, he starts to hear the same iconic song over and over again and has to figure out its significance to make it go away… but then the next track comes along.

“I was trying to find a way to combine TV and music in an organic way,” Bush said. “What we come to realize in the show is this guy has been given an opportunity to start his life over, and this music will help him find a way to become truly happy.”

Variety carries word that HBO and Warner Bros. are set to produce an American remake of British TV drama Shameless. It is reported that original show creator Paul Abbott had long been in talks with various US networks in recent years about such a deal, with NBC previously coming close to setting up a project.

The drama series, which began in 2004, was set on a public housing estate in Manchester and followed the Gallagher clan, lead by alcohol and drug abuser Frank.

John Wells of ER fame is set to produce the remake.

Following up on our last report, it appears Sandra Bullock won’t be in Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables. However, Stallone himself has confirmed that Oscar winner Forest Whitaker will be a part of the cast after all.

Whitaker is now set to play the CIA liaison who sends the group of mercenaries to South America to overthrow an evil dictator. The cast also includes Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and many others.

Stallone also revealed that he is trying to get Sir Ben Kingsley onboard the project. Shooting begins next month.

Screenhead is hosting a giveaway for Supercop, the Dragon Dynasty label; another high-flying action packed adventure starring Jackie Chan. Supercop arrives onto DVD shelves in a two disc ultimate edition January 13, 2009 from The Weinstein Company and Genius Products.  

Supercop tells the adrenaline-fueled story of a Hong Kong police officer who teams with a beautiful but “by the book” agent in order to bring down the region’s most notorious and merciless drug cartel.  Going undercover as siblings, the unlikely duo must utilize use their explosive kung fu skills and resourcefulness to dissolve the infamous syndicate. 

Supercop features the legendary kung fu master, Jackie Chan (The Forbidden Kingdom, Rush Hour) and Michelle Yeoh (The Mummy 3, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), and co-stars Maggie Cheung (Jet Li’s Hero).  The martial arts movie is directed by Stanley Tong (Mr. Magoo).

Post your name and Screenhead will pick the winner Wednesday, January 14, 2009.

The Producers Guild of America has announced its nominations with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk and Slumdog Millionaire as contenders for PGA’s top feature award.

The PGA’s announcement appears to be of the norm with nominees for its Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award include Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall and Cean Chaffin for Benjamin Button; Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven and Emma Thomas for The Dark Knight; Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner for Frost/Nixon; Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen for Milk; and Christopher Colson for Slumdog Millionaire.

The group also announced its documentary feature nominees, which the category was launched last year. The nominees are Simon Chin for Man on Wire, Julie Bilson Ahlberg and Errol Morris for Standard Operating Procedure (a Screenhead giveaway), and Carl Deal and Tia Lessin for Trouble the Water.

For a complete list of nominations, go to PGA official website here.

Horton Hears a Who director, Jimmy Hayward, is set to take on a live-action DC Comic character Jonah Hex for Warner Bros.

Busy and versatile actor Josh Brolin is attached to star in the film. The studio plans to put the movie into production in March or April.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the character of Hex, known for having the right side of his face disfigured and wearing a Confederate army uniform, was a rough-and-tumble gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter whose adventures always ended in blood. One incarnation of his comic book series saw the Western genre combined with supernatural elements, which is likely to set the stage with Hayward’s own touch.

Hayward is a member of the Pixar family, where he worked on such films as Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo. He also had his finger in the animated film Robots.

Horton was Hayward’s first adventure as a director, which did quite well at the box office.

This is quite a casting coup for Law Abiding Citizen with the following actors signing up: Michael Gambon, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney and Theresa Randle. 

F. Gary Gray is directing the vigilante movie with Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx already attached to star. The film has been through multiple re-writes with Sheldon Turner (The Longest Yard) taking his turn before the January 21 start date.  

The movie centers on a district attorney who orchestrates a plea bargain that sets free the killers of another man’s family. The aggrieved victim then seeks personal justice from the D.A.

Bye Bye Birdie is in for a remake boost by Adam Shankman after his fairy tale hit Bedtime Stories.

Perhaps, movie folks didn’t know that Shankman is a musical veteran, who will take on Birdie.  The musical centers on Conrad Birdie, a popular singer whose character is based loosely on Elvis Presley. He’s about to be shipped off to the army, but as part of a publicity stunt, he agrees to one last encounter with a fan before he goes to war.

According to Hollywood Reporter, the 1958 musical has had several screen adaptations, including an Ann-Margret and Dick Van Dyke version in 1963 and a television movie starring Jason Alexander in 1995.

Columbia has been creating a remake for quite some time, even developing a logline re-imagining the title character as a hip-hop star. Such notable names as John Chu (Step Up 2 the Streets) and Tina Fey (SNL) has been attached to write new versions.

Shankman will easily manage Birdie as a veteran choreographer who reinforced his musical repertoire by producing and directing the Hairspray remake in 2007. He is filling is dance card rather quickly with two other projects, taking on as director for Bob: The Musical for Disney and The 8th Voyage of Sinbad for Columbia.