Werner Herzog Remaking Bad Lieutenant With Nic Cage

Just when you thought that there’s nothing left that could possibly surprise you, the news hits that Werner Herzog is remaking Bad Lieutenant.

And if a Herzog remake of the Abel Ferrara ultra-gritty flick isn’t bizarre enough, Variety is reporting that Nic Cage is going to be taking on the lead role that Harvey Keitel made famous back in 1992.

The original was rated UK:18 (NC-17 in the USA) for its depiction of a corrupt police officer going through a plummet into the abyss with boatloads of drugs, sex, and gambling.  One particularly scarring scene (among many) featured a naked, crying Keitel in a church both chiding and asking for forgiveness to a vision of Christ.

Cage is not averse to remakes — the actor starred in redos such as City Of Angels, The Wicker Man, and Gone In 60 Seconds.

Mad World: Donnie Darko Sequel In The Works

It’s a mad world, indeed.

Velvet Octopus is working on selling a sequel to the cult favorite Donnie Darko at Cannes, according to Screen Daily.  Neither writer-director Richard Kelly or star Jake Gyllenhaal will be involved in the unholy project.  We suspect older sis Maggie (a.k.a. Elizabeth Darko) will also steer clear of this one.

Instead, the sequel, S. Darko, will star Sparkle Motion dancer supreme Daveigh Chase reprising her role as little sister Samantha. 

According to the report, the flick takes places seven years after the first one “when little sister Samantha Darko and her best friend Corey are now 18 and on a roadtrip to Los Angeles when they are plagued by bizarre visions.”

“I am a great admirer of Richard Kelly’s film and hope to create a similar world of blurred fantasy and reality,” said helmer Chris Fisher, somewhat contradicting himself by taking the job.

“I think there is a new generation of cinema-goers who will be very excited to see this film,” added Simon Crowe of Velvet Octopus.

Without any trace of irony, Crowe explained that “Donnie’s not in [the new film] but there are meteorites and rabbits.”

Scarlett Johansson And Ryan Reynolds Are Engaged

It looks like both Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds will be breaking a lot of hearts in the near future — the two are engaged to be married, according to published reports.

It’s not particularly new news either.  The two have apparently been engaged “for a little while,” but they’ve kept their intentions under wraps because “they want to keep things private,” an anonymous source that’s supposedly close to Ms. Johansson told E! Online.

Mr. Reynolds had previously been engaged for a lengthy period of time to Alanis Morissette, but obviously it did not quite work out between the two.

A wedding date has not been announced.

Scarlett will be seen next in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, while Reynolds will hit the big screen in Fireflies In The Garden.

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