Rumored to hit in December earlier this year, it looks like Sony/Columbia have indeed slotted Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck’s “The Tourist” for a December 10 bow.

A romantic spy drama based on the 2005 French film “Anthony Zimmer,” this U.S. version (directed by Von Donnersmarck (a German and the same man behind “The Lives Of Others”) follows a bumbling American tourist (Depp) as he finds himself romantically involved with an international spy (Jolie) in what sounds very much in the vein of a Hitchcockian tale, but likely isn’t the case (it’s a fun little story, but isn’t all that meaty). Some sites will tell you that this means “The Tourist” is chasing an Oscar bid, but clearly they haven’t read the script. While not bad by any means, certainly enjoyable, and the version that will hit the screen is probably less fluffy than the version we read, Sony’s move is probably more akin to Warner Bros. placing “Sherlock Holmes” in December last year. The holiday season has become the new tentpole month and “The Tourist” should be engaging, but escapist entertainment that does well at the box-office, but is unlikely to pull in any Academy statuettes. Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff, Paul Bettany and Rufus Sewell co-star in the pic which shot in Venice earlier this year. [Source]

Johnny Depp’s fourth open-water adventure, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,’ will be shot in Disney Digital 3-D.

Captain Jack Sparrow might have to learn a new seafaring ditty that goes a little something like, “Yo-ho-ho, a bottle of rum and a pair of your finest 3-D glasses.” Yes, Johnny Depp’s fourth open-water adventure, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” will be shot in Disney Digital 3-D, the studio has announced.

That brings the total number of 3-D releases in the next two years to, oh, approximately 6,000 (not really, though it certainly feels that way). The noteworthy development for “Pirates,” then, is not that it will hit theaters as a 3-D movie but that it will be shot in three-dimensions rather than converted during post-production.

The 3-D conversion process has become one of the more controversial trends in Hollywood. Converted films, like “Alice in Wonderland” or “Clash of the Titans,” can have a sort of pop-up picture-book effect that is more jarring than it is an effective visual and storytelling addition. That hasn’t stopped other big-budget films shot with 2-D cameras from jumping on the 3-D conversion bandwagon and the premium ticket prices that can be sold as a result. Upcoming converted films include “Piranha 3-D,” “The Last Airbender,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and “The Green Hornet.”   Read full article.

Alice has jumped back down the rabbit hole to Wonderland, and it’s a whole lot more surreal. Mark Salisbury joins Tim Burton and Johnny Depp on the set of their new 3D extravaganza .

In a cavernous soundstage at Culver City Studios in Los Angeles in November 2008, Johnny Depp stands before a massive green backdrop wearing a frizzy orange wig, turquoise frock-coat over a red waistcoat, and a chequered kilt complete with sporran. On his legs he has striped socks, one blue and turquoise, the other red and cream. On his head is a top hat, with hatpins and price tag tucked into a silk ribbon. In his hands he wields a huge broadsword that is almost as tall as he is. With his white-painted face, rouged cheeks and fluorescent green contact lenses, Depp is almost unrecognisable. But as Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter, he is suitably freaky. No surprise really, given that the man behind the camera is Tim Burton and together he and Depp have, over the past two decades, created a memorable series of onscreen oddballs, including Edward Scissorhands and Willy Wonka.

Next to Depp is Alice herself, played by the Australian newcomer Mia Wasikowska, but looking quite unlike any Alice you have ever seen. In a Joan of Arc suit of armour, tight blond curls cascading past her shoulders, a steely-eyed Wasikowska sits atop a green animal-shaped box on poles, being carried by men dressed entirely in green, brandishing her own sword to the imaginary hordes of the Red Queen’s army; playing-cards loyal to Helena Bonham Carter’s monstrous-headed monarch that will be added to the scene via computer-generated imagery (CGI) in the coming months. ‘There’s definitely not a whole lot to draw from in terms of your environment,’ Wasikowska admits during a break in filming. ‘It’s good that it leaves a lot of room for your own imagination, but it is kind of hard to jump into a moment. You have to imagine you’re sitting on a beast, it’s all dark and gloomy and there’s one army here, the Red Army, and another army here, the White Army.’  Read full article.

Don’t expect just breathtaking special effects and an all-star cast when Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland opens on March 5. The visionary director has turned the Lewis Carroll classic into a psychological adventure, too.

A new Disney trailer reveals the 3-D epic fantasy’s central character to be truly mad. With his shrill laugh, green eyes and flaming red hair, Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the Mad Hatter may just rival Heath Ledger’s sinister take on the Joker.

“He’s a fascinating character,” says Depp of the depraved dandy. “He’s mad. He’s unpredictable.”   Read full article.

Tim Burton’s 3D promotional trailer for Walt Disney Pictures’ “Alice in Wonderland” has been the talk of Comic-Con, thanks in part to the surprise cameo appearance of Johnny Depp at a panel on Thursday.

Depp plays The Mad Hatter in the new film, which debuts in theaters in March 2010. Burton made his first appearance at the giant comic book and pop culture convention here since the 1970s, when Comic-Con involved slides of the “Superman” movie.

The director joked that he brought slides of his vacation because he didn’t have much film footage of the new “Alice.” He then sat down with Reuters to talk about the new film.

Q: Can you explain your vision for “Alice in Wonderland”?  Read full article.