* Well, this should come as no surprise that studios are scrambling to try and take advantage of the Olympics fever before it totally evaporates, but this next film is just plain ridiculous. Jon Turteltaub(National Treasure) is set to direct Beached, about a fat four year old boy who falls into the water during a family vacation and I guess is presumed dead. Instead he survives and is raised by whales, ultimately becoming an Olympic swimmer. Seriously. Fox 2000 owns this piece of watery crap, picking up the script originally written by Ted Griffin(Ocean's Eleven) way back in 1997. Turteltaub will rewrite the script, and I assume this will be his next project after Last Vegas wraps. [THR]
* The great Sam Shepard has joined the already terrific ensemble for August: Osage County, John Wells' adaptation of Tracy Letts' award-winning stageplay. Already boasting Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin and more, Shepard will play Beverly Weston, the alcoholic patriarch of the family whose disappearance brings all the women back home to Oklahoma and face some hard truths. Filming is set to begin next month. [Variety]
* You can never go wrong adding Jennifer Jason Leigh to any film, so her presence in James Ponsoldt's adaptation of The Spectacular Now is certainly welcome. Written by the (500) Days of Summer duo of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the film stars Miles Teller(Rabbit Hole) as a hard-paryting high schooler who attempts to transform a social outcast, played by Shailene Woodley. Leigh will play Woodley's mother, with Brie Larson as Woodley's best friend. [Variety]
