With the 3-D version of James Cameron’s 1997 record breaker “Titanic” hitting theaters this week, some cynics might think money-hungry Hollywood has reached a new low. But they haven’t heard that plans are in the works for a sequel to “Twins.” The movie, in which Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito starred as unlikely brothers, got little critical love when it came out in 1988. But that never stopped years of rumors of a sequel. And one has finally been announced.
Schwarzenegger and DeVito have already signed up to star in “Triplets” — along with Eddie Murphy.
Yes, you read that right.
I can’t even remember the last time Murphy was in a good movie. And it seemed as if the entire country breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped down from Oscar-hosting duties earlier this year.
That might be the most disappointing casting news to come out of Hollywood in the last few days. Other announcements have been more intriguing. Woody Allen, for example, is reportedly talking to a pair of actors about roles in his next film, to be shot in early 2013. The auteur would like Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett to star in his latest European adventure.
One of the business’s most talented writers matched with one of its handsomest men? I’m not the only one who would stand in line to see that. Allen hasn’t yet decided where he’ll film, though he’s mentioned Copenhagen and Munich as possibilities — he’s found it easier to retain creative control by getting funding in Europe.
His next film, the follow-up to the successful “Midnight in Paris,” will come to theaters this summer. “To Rome with Love” stars Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page and Greta Gerwig. Allen himself will also appear in his film, the first time he’s done so since 2006’s “Scoop.”
He was the subject of one of the most bizarre casting announcements of the year recently, when news broke that he would play the starring role in John Turturro’s “Fading Gigolo.”
Meanwhile, after the wild success of “The Hunger Games,” Hollywood looks forward to its next likely blockbuster, “The Avengers.” That comes to cinemas May 4, and its stars are already working on their characters’ next films. “Iron Man 3” will start shooting in North Carolina just weeks after “The Avengers” opens, in which Robert Downey Jr. also reprises his role as Tony Stark. It looks as if Scarlett Johansson will be filming in N.C., too, so those who thought her character Black Widow would die in “The Avengers” seem to be wrong.
Marvel is searching for a director for the “Captain America” sequel right now, and they’re looking beyond the big screen: “Community” directors Anthony and Joseph Russo are reportedly being considered.
They already went that route for the “Thor” sequel: After “Monster” director Patty Jenkins left the project, Marvel hired “Game of Thrones” director Alan Taylor. The HBO series, of course, returns to the small screen Sunday night.
Kelly Jane Torrance is The Washington Examiner movie critic. Her reviews appear weekly and she can be reached at [email protected].
