* Somebody has sucked dry all the creative juices running through Hollywood. With a handful of Dracula projects already in development, Sony Pictures is looking to add one more, only they hope to turn theirs into a period piece franchise. Written by Jason Keller(Mirror Mirror), his take will focus on the the vampire's origin story, but other details remain scarce. With Gary Shore's Dracula Year Zero already out there, this makes two origin stories competing to see which gets completed first. Do I get a vote? Hopefully neither will see the light of day. Vampire movies have been overused to the point where they need to be buried for at least a decade. [Deadline]
* The Blind Side director John Lee Hancock is in early talks to direct Saving Mr. Banks, based on the true story behind Disney's attempts to get author P.L. Travers to sell them the film rights to her 1934 novel, Mary Poppins. Written by Kelly Marcel, with the screenplay appearing on the Black List of the best unproduced screenplays, the story will detail Travers' deeply personal connection to the story of the mystical nanny, leading to her resistance in selling the rights. Travers is a fascinating figure, so I'm pretty excited about this one, especially since it's being housed by Walt Disney who already own many of the Mary Poppins rights. Travers(real name Helen Goff) idolized Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie, and his influence is felt on the Poppins story. [Deadline]
* Last year proved to be huge for rising French actress, Lea Seydoux. Appearing in two of 2011's most acclaimed films of wildly different genres, Midnight in Paris and Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, Seydoux is looking like a star to keep a close eye on. Variety reports she has now joined the cast of Blue is a Hot Color, from Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche(Games of Love and Chance) and starring Adele Exarchopoulos, the story follows a young woman who unexpectedly falls in love with another female and must face the judgement of her friends of family. Seydoux has two films due out later this year, and recently signed on to star opposite Vincent Cassell in a new version of Beauty and the Beast.
