News

Newsbites: The reimagined characters edition!

Christianity Today April 6, 2009

1. Two – not one, but two – movies about the Easter Bunny are now in the works. Universal is developing I Hop, a live-action film about “an out-of-work slacker who, while driving home late one night, runs over the Easter Bunny. When the bunny can’t hop because his leg is broken, the slacker must train to take over the job and save Easter.” Meanwhile, Sony Animation has picked up Hip Hop, in which “the Easter Bunny decides to retire and hides out as a pet with a suburban family, turning their lives upside down.” – Variety, Hollywood Reporter

2. Emma Stone is in talks to star in Easy A, a modernized high-school version of The Scarlet Letter. The film “centers on a student who sees her life paralleling Hawthorne’s heroine Hester Prynne after she pretends to be the school slut in hopes that she’ll benefit from the notion she’s promiscuous.” – Variety

3. NBC is developing Dorothy Gale, a modernized version of The Wizard of Oz. The show will follow “the story of Dorothy, a girl from Kansas who tries to tackle modern-day Manhattan (her version of the Emerald City). Dorothy finds a job in the art world – and must deal with a wicked boss.” – Variety

4. Emily Blunt, who is playing the Princess of Lilliputia opposite Jack Black’s Lemuel Gulliver in the upcoming Gulliver’s Travels, says the film will show how Gulliver “contemporizes the whole palace setup” when he comes to Lilliput. – MTV Movies Blog

5. Photos of Nicolas Cage in his modernized Sorcerer’s Apprentice garb surfaced on the internet recently, prompting some people to compare his get-up to Hugh Jackman’s outfit in Van Helsing (2004). – Cartoon Brew, Just Jared

6. Vanessa Redgrave has joined the cast of Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood as Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, mother of Kings Richard and John; the character was famously played by Katherine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter (1968). John himself is being played by Oscar Isaac, who played Joseph in The Nativity Story (2006). Meanwhile, Russell Crowe recently revealed that he has cut off the hair that he had been growing for the title role. – Hollywood Reporter, WENN

7. The lobbying by Nightmare of Elm Street fans has paid off: Jackie Earle Haley, most recently seen as Rorschach in Watchmen, will play Freddy Krueger in the remake of Wes Craven’s 1984 horror film. – Variety, Hollywood Reporter

8. Ellen DeGeneres will play Mother Nature in an original comedy being developed by Walden Media, in which the character “will return to Earth for the first time since the planet’s creation.” – Hollywood Reporter

Our Latest

The Bulletin

Attitudes Toward Israel, Kash Patel’s Lawsuit, and John Mark Comer’s Fame

Clarissa Moll, Russell Moore

Americans’ growing frustrations with Israel, Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for $250 million, and the popularity of John Mark Comer.

News

How a Kidnapping Changed a Theologian’s Mind

Interview by Emmanuel Nwachukwu

An interview with Sunday Bobai Agang about the lessons he learned from his abduction last month.

On America’s 250th, Remember Liberty Denied

Thomas S. Kidd

Three history books on the US slave trade.

News

What Christian Athletes Can’t Do

An NBA player’s fall resurrects an old anxiety: When does talking about faith become “detrimental conduct”?

News

Facing Arrest, Cuban Christian Influencers Continue Call for Freedom

Hannah Herrera

Young people are using social media to spread the gospel and denounce the Communist regime.

Public Theology Project

Against the Casinofication of the Church

The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins told me about problems that feel eerily similar to what I see in the church.

Wire Story

The Religion Gender Gap Among the Young Is Disappearing

Bob Smietana - Religion News Service

Women still dominate church pews, but studies find that devotion among Gen Z women has cooled to levels on par with Gen Z men.

Just War Theory Is Supposed to Be Frustrating

The venerable theological tradition makes war slower, riskier, costlier, and less efficient—and that’s the point.

addApple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseellipseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squarefolderGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastprintremoveRSSRSSSaveSavesaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube