* House of Flying Daggers director Zhang Yimou is in talks to helm Quasimodo, Warner Bros. long-developing update on Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Josh Brolin has been attached for a couple of years to star in the film written by Kieran and Michele Mulroney, which follows the deformed bell ringer of the Notre Dame Cathedral, who falls in love with a gypsy girl framed for murder. Yimou is an exciting visual filmmaker whose films are always colorful and whimsical, so hopefully he can add something fresh to a story that we've seen adapted numerous times. [Variety]
* Cameron Crowe's retooling of his shelved comedy Deep Tiki is coming together fast, and this version is beginning to sound more promising the last. With Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, and Danny McBride set to star, the latest to circle the project is Alec Baldwin. He's in talks to join the Hawaii-set romantic comedy, which has Cooper as a defense contractor who must work with a military liaison to secure the blessing of tribal leaders before a satellite launch can take place on their land. It's unclear what role Baldwin would take, but the fall shoot fits into his busy schedule that has seen him turning down a lot of projects recently. [Deadline]
* Harry Potter director David Yates must have a gangster itch he needs to scratch. Specifically it's an Al Capone itch, and he's been actively developing the Capone film Cicero for quite some time, and progress on it continues at this point. But now he's in talks to lead Universal's forever-brewing Scarface remake, which is also based on the life of Capone. Several writers have taken a stab at the script over the years, including David Ayer (End of Watch), who have the monumental task of living up to the 1932 and 1983 films, which are both considered mobster movie classics. Yates had been set to direct WB's Tarzan relaunch as his next gig, but when production on that was recently shut down he found that a huge hole in his schedule had just opened up. [Deadline]
