2012 Movie Preview: Blockbusters, from 'The Hunger Games' to 'The Dark Dark evening Rises'

With 2011 within the dying cycle, selection time to anticipate 2012. All this week, Moviefone will preview the apparently endless method to obtain large-time films striking theaters through the following 12 several days -- from 'The Demon Inside' to 'Django Unchained' and all things in between. Next: the 12 blockbusters to check out for next season. 2012 Preview: Blockbusters 'John Carter''The Hunger Games''Marvel's The Avengers''Dark Shadows' & 'Frankenweenie''Men in Black 3''Snow White-colored & the Huntsman''Jack the big Killer''Abraham Lincoln subsequently subsequently: Vampire Hunter''G.I. Joe: Retaliation''The Amazing Spider-Guy''The Dark Dark evening Increases''Cloud Atlas'Dishonorable Mention: 'Ghost Driver: Spirit of Vengeance' See All Moviefone Galleries » EARLIER: 2012 Movie Preview: Comedies [Photo: Warner Bros.] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Brad Pitt Reveals What He, Sony Did to Save 'Moneyball'

Brad Pitt recalls it as "a dark weened for all of us." It was June 2009, and Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal and CEO Michael Lynton had pulled the plug on "Moneyball" only days before it was to go before cameras with Steven Soderbergh directing and Pitt starring, after five years of development and months of preproduction."It was really hard," recalls Pascal. "It was hard making that decision. It was really hard making it OK with Brad. I feel terrible because I think Steven Soderbergh is a wonderful director."But she couldn't go along with Soderbergh's last-minute rewrite of the script by Steven Zaillian, which had been built on an earlier script by Stan Chervin. Soderbergh planned to take a semi-documentary approach to what was already a sports story with questionable commercial appeal -- at a studio budget approaching $60 million."It was just a case of honest creative differences because that script didn't reflect all of our hopes and Sony's hopes and ambitions developed prior to Soderbergh coming on," says producer Michael De Luca, who had been working on the project since 2004 with producer Rachael Horovitz, who had acquired rights to Michael Lewis' best-selling novel in 2003.With $10 million already invested, Sony offered to let Pitt and Soderbergh take the movie in turnaround to another studio if they could make a deal for the $60 million production before it unraveled -- which meant in a matter of days. After a frantic weekend of activity led by Pitt's and Soderbergh's agents, however, there were no takers."Moneyball" had struck out; few films had ever come back from such a shutdown.Pitt was unhappy because he had a passion to play Billy Beane, the unconventional GM of the Oakland Athletics baseball club. "I'm a sucker for injustice stories," says Pitt, "and wanting to right the injustice."But Pitt was also realistic. "I understood that the numbers didn't add up for what Steven wanted to do with it," he says, adding that "the studio is the one writing the check, so I don't take offense to that."Neither Pitt nor Pascal, however, wanted to give up on "Moneyball."Pascal decided "Moneyball" would need additional leadership and work on the script to get it back on track. At the time, Sony was in production on "The Social Network," on which De Luca was also a producer. Pascal asked "Network" producer Scott Rudin and writer Aaron Sorkin to get involved with the baseball-themed story, and Pitt agreed to produce as well as star. "This was really complex, unconventional material," says Pitt, "so the more guns, the better. The more bright minds we have on this, the better."Pitt and Pascal each credit the other for reviving the movie. Pitt, says Pascal, is the "soul and spirit of this movie. He is the driving force behind it, in all of its troubled times and all the best times. He championed it all the way and never lost heart.""I was just glad they didn't scuttle it," says Pitt, "that instead what happened was Amy Pascal became our patron saint. She kept us alive."Pascal brought the budget down to $50 million, which included the $10 million already spent as well as Pitt's salary, which reportedly was more than $10 million. That left less than $30 million for all of the other cast salaries and to make the movie.Before accepting the assignment, Sorkin called Zaillian, who was on vacation in Rome when his phone rang. "I was standing on a side street just around the corner from the Pantheon," says Zaillian, recalling that Sorkin said "he was being asked to write some new scenes. And I said: 'That's better than dismantling the script. Try not to do that, if you can.' What I remembered most about the conversation was when I asked him what he'd do if I was calling to tell him what he was telling me. Without much hesitation, he said, 'I'd burn the studio down.' "Sorkin is an ardent baseball fan and had created the late-1990s TV series "Sports Night," so he was up for the challenge. "I was hired for three weeks and then again for another three weeks, and that turned into a year and a half," says Sorkin, who began revising the script while in his Boston hotel room during filming of "Network."Even after Sorkin's return to L.A., the work continued. "Brad would ride his motorcycle over to my house being chased by a couple carloads of paparazzi," recalls Sorkin. "I wanted Brad to do most of the talking. He'd speak generally about his love of character-driven movies from the '70s."Pitt had been a fan of Lewis' book but wasn't sure at first if he wanted to star after reading Chervin's early script. "They were trying for something more commercial, more comedic," says Pitt. "In reading the book and doing my research, I became obsessed with the deeper meaning within the book and a value system that was out of whack."Pitt meant that big-city teams have much more money for top players than small-market teams. He committed after a new script was written by Zaillian, which gave him the character he wanted to play: "It was a character I hadn't seen in a long time that was verbose, competitive and sharp."Although sorry to see Soderbergh go, Pitt still wanted to play Beane if they could find the right director and approach.So Sony began the search. As numerous names were tossed out, Pitt made a suggestion. "My dear friend Catherine Keener said, 'You've got to talk to Bennett Miller,' " he recalls.Miller, who hadn't directed since 2005's "Capote," is notoriously picky. "I got a call from [CAA's] Bryan Lourd asking if I was interested in baseball," he says. "I said I used to be. He said, 'If you're interested in taking a look at this thing, Brad would be interested in talking to you about it.'"Miller, who had met Pitt when trying to put together an earlier film, thought it over for three weeks. He read Lewis' book, Chervin's draft, Zaillian's script and Sorkin's, then flew to L.A. full of doubt about doing a studio film with "strong and powerful personalities." He wondered, "Would I be able to do what I'm interested in doing?"Miller isn't a baseball fanatic, and he pitched Pitt on the idea of making a movie that was "subversive to the genre. It's not really a conventional sports movie. It puts all that stuff on its head.""I wasn't interested in making a sports movie, just recycling tropes and convention," adds Miller. "Then I'd just be a gun for hire, working for the studio. But the question was, How do you avoid that? Brad said it will be a Trojan horse. We will give them the gift of a Hollywood movie starring Brad Pitt that's going to be real entertainment, but inside it is some cargo that is not really accepted in a vintage way, something that they don't anticipate."Pascal also signed off on Miller's concept, explaining that the director "had a wonderful vision for the movie. Scott, Rachael and Mike and I all believed he was fantastic with actors, and this movie was going to be about performance and getting inside the characters because it was really a character study."So Miller got the go-ahead to assemble his team, while Zaillian and Sorkin continued, separately, to write new pages. Each sent their contributions to Miller, who would then edit them together."Passing a script back and forth, obviously, isn't the most enjoyable way to work and is usually a recipe for disaster," Zaillian says of their tag-team approach. "Important things can get lost in the shuffle. But at the end of the day, difficult as it was, it worked.""Steve and I were now working at the same time," says Sorkin, "concentrating on different runs of scenes. It wasn't an ideal situation, but the point was, 'Whatever it takes to cross the finish line.' We were both courting the same girl, but we'd both invested way too much at that point to let ego stop us."Rudin, meanwhile, served as a kind of coach, overseeing work on the script and providing Miller with insights almost always in tune with the director's goals.For his crew, Miller looked for crafts people interested in making a studio film with an indie spirit. Cinematographer Wally Pfister had just worked with director Christopher Nolan on the big-budget "Inception," for which he won an Oscar, but had started on indies like Memento and as a news-documentary photographer in Washington."He had a sensibility that suits me and the film," says Miller. "The film has a quality not so much of telling a story but observing a story. The films I like are the ones that are not pedantic, that are not in your face, but the ones that reveal a story. He's never artificial."Production designer Jess Gonchor had collaborated with the Coen brothers on movies with an indie spirit such as "No Country for Old Men." For "Moneyball," Gonchor says: "We just wanted to keep it real. It was something real that happened that we were re-creating."Working on a razor-thin budget, he created the underbelly of the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum -- the players' locker room, the weight room, the coach's offices and a video room that became an extension of Billy Beane's office -- right on a Sony soundstage.Since there was no money to shoot in the eight different ballparks the A's visited, Gonchor dressed Dodger Stadium for three intense days of production to cover all those bases. He had less than two weeks to shoot the exteriors in the Oakland Coliseum, sometimes shooting at night because the A's were playing during the day. Other shots of Oakland actually were done in Long Beach and Glendale. They had a single day to shoot a crucial scene in Boston's Fenway Park, and it rained that day. The gloomy sky became a backdrop.Every set, location, uniform and piece of equipment had to be approved by Major League Baseball, which was cooperating with Sony, making the situation more complex. But Gonchor says they never interfered and often added ways to make the film more authentic.When Soderbergh proposed mixing interviews with real players into his story, he was shut down. But in his own quest for authenticity, Miller hired real players, scouts, umpires, executives and groundskeepers, whom he then mixed in with his actors.When his own schedule opened up, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who had starred in Miller's "Capote," called to say, "Have you cast the role yet of Art Howe?" Miller recalls, "We were on the verge of casting it, but had not yet, so I said, 'I'd love you to do it.' "For Peter Brand, the unlikely math genius recruited by Beane, Miller turned to Jonah Hill, whom he had known for five years. Hill was "desperate to change things," the director explains. "He was very funny in movies like 'The 40 Year Old Virgin,' but he had become stuck in that box and he wanted out of that box.""I love making comedies," says Hill. "It's amazing and a gift, but I am eager to do different types of roles. My worst fear is that at the end of my career they would say, 'He only did one thing over and over again.' I hope I'm going to have the opportunity to do many different things." (See "Inside Jonah Hill's Head," below.)Miller's biggest challenge was finding the right girl to play Beane's daughter. He saw dozens of young actresses before 13-year-old Kerris Dorsey came in and blew him away. "Not only was she perfect out of the gate," says Miller, "but the song she sang sent chills down my spine because it was impossibly perfect in every way."Her song, Lenka's "The Show," and the instrumental track "The Mighty Rio Grande" by This Will Destroy You are the only music among 23 pieces in the film that were not written by composer Mychael Danna. His goal was not to lay on music to force an emotional response but rather to use music to support the story. "It was important to Bennett and I that the music come from the material," says Danna, a Canadian who also worked on "Capote." "Baseball is a tradition-loving sport, and we wanted to use traditional [instruments] but come up with a new, slightly unexpected take."When principal photography ended after 58 days, Miller faced his greatest challenge: editing down not only footage he had shot but also hundreds of hours of archival material. He laughed when a Sony executive presented him with a postproduction schedule lasting 12 weeks. "I looked at it for 15 seconds and said, 'That's ridiculous,' " Miller says. "That's not going to happen."Instead, he spent the next 36 weeks editing in Los Angeles while working with his producers and two writers to refine the final script.Pitt frequently came by. "I'm really into the structure and putting together the puzzle and seeing what was working and what wasn't," he says. "I enjoy it, but I don't dictate."When Miller finally presented his director's cut, he was nervous about how it would be received. His cut was long and had an indie sensibility. He knew it wasn't a typical glossy commercial movie.It turned out he didn't need to worry. "There was such a great feeling when the lights came up and everyone felt we had done the right thing," recalls De Luca. "This was a movie that deserved its day in court."The test audience and a focus group afterward confirmed the feeling that the screening had evoked in the producers and studio executives."It was very emotional," says Horovitz. "I remember Amy Pascal and I both being teary-eyed when we saw the director's cut.""It scored beyond people's imagination and expectations," says Miller of the movie, which has gone on to beat the odds, grossing more than $74?million domestically and nearly $100 million worldwide since its Sept. 23 release. "We lived to fight another day." The Hollywood Reporter

How Tom Cruise and Sean Penn Got Their Big Breaks

"The Hollywood Reporter's" review of "Taps" in 1981 showed prescient understatement when it said the supporting cast demonstrated a "potential for future assignments."That would include the unknown pair of Tom Cruise, then 19, and Sean Penn, 21.The film, which grossed $35.9 million domestically and marks the 30th anniversary of its release Dec. 18, was about military academy students who initiate an armed occupation to save their school from real estate developers.The lead cadet role had gone to Timothy Hutton, 21, who'd won a supporting actor Oscar for "Ordinary People" just months earlier.Producer Stanley Jaffe says Cruise originally had been set to play a background character but was shifted to a key role when he impressed director Harold Becker during the four weeks of rehearsal that resembled a boot camp."He was out-marching the other cadets on the parade field," said Becker in 2004.Penn was chosen after being spotted starring as the timid son of an abusive father in the small Broadway play "Heartland."The trio formed an incredibly potent cast. "It's that thing some people have," says Jaffe. "If you knew how to describe it, you'd bottle it."Cruise's next role was in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Outsiders," Hutton's was in Sidney Lumet's "Daniel," and Penn got a major career boost when he played Jeff Spicoli in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."Although the Amy Heckerling comedy brought Penn much more attention, he told biographer Richard T. Kelly he looks back fondly on working with Cruise and Hutton because it "was like I'd gone to high school, and now 'Taps' was college for me. And it was Fraternity Row." The Hollywood Reporter

Christoph Waltz on 'Carnage,' Roman Polanski, Quentin Tarantino and 'The Three Musketeers'

Good timing for Team 'Carnage.' On Thursday morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association nominated Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster in the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy category at the Golden Globes, less than 24 hours before the new Roman Polanski film is scheduled to arrive in limited release. Kismet! Unfortunately, 'Carnage's' best performer, Christoph Waltz, didn't bask in the glow of the Globes. Not that Waltz probably minds. As he told Moviefone last month, the idea of running the four co-stars of 'Carnage' (John C. Reilly completes the foursome) as anything other than supporting actors and actresses for award consideration was "ludicrous." Which might as well be another name for the Golden Globes. Based on the hit play by Yasmina Reza -- the Broadway version of which won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2009 -- 'Carnage' focuses on two increasingly inebriated and hostile couples, the Longstreets (Reilly and Foster) and the Cowans (Waltz and Winslet), who meet at in a Brooklyn apartment to discuss the fight their sons got in on the playground. Waltz, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 'Inglourious Basterds' in 2009, plays Alan Cowan, a calculating and detached business shark who cuts through much of the discussions that ensue with a cold-hearted clarity. Though what else would you expect from the guy who played Hans Landa. Waltz rang up Moviefone last month to discuss 'Carnage,' debate whether the film is too theatrical, his busy year of four releases, and 'Django Unchained.' How familiar were you with the play before accepting the role? Well, I've seen it. I've seen it once. The Broadway version? No, I saw it years before! I know Americans have that tendency to consider the Broadway version the original. It's not! It's five or six years after the original. The original was in Zurich, and oddly enough, even though it was written in French, it was in German -- the original. I saw it there. What, if anything, do you remember about that production? I remember that I just loved the parts. I loved the roles. I loved the characters. Even though I rarely do that, I thought, "Hmm, hmm, I could play either one." [Laughs] These are meaty roles in the film, with lots of dialogue. It feels very theatrical at times... Well, no, I disagree. I'm sorry to interrupt. I don't think the movie is theatrical. Because what would that be? On the contrary, I think it is highly cinematic. As cinematic as it gets. Just because it's a confined space doesn't mean it's not cinematic. Just because the camera movements are not from thirty-foot cranes swooping over Death Valley and behind the racing stagecoach doesn't mean it's not cinematic. Everything affords a little more attention to detail. But, I wonder -- and it would be an interesting discussion to entertain for some time -- I wonder whether that's not actually more cinematic than technological efforts to prove the point. I would agree with that. I meant that the performances themselves are -- well, not stagey, because that might be an insult... Well, not necessarily. OK, well, it's just that you don't often see broad performances like these in typical movies. Yes, yes. Absolutely. Yet, the confinement of the space, I claim, doesn't make it less cinematic. And I wonder whether it's not to the contrary. You were born in Austria, you shot the film in Paris and it takes place in NY. And the NY aspect of it is key, because the couples are very specific Park Slope-types. How did you get inside the mindset of the slick Park Slope shark when you're not filming here? That really is a huge compliment, because you, as a NYer, think that. That means something. If someone who has visited NY twice for three days says, "Well, it reminded me of NY!" That would be meaningless. You saying that is a huge compliment. It's a difficult thing to accomplish, especially not being in NY for the shoot. Well, it is. We wanted that and we worked on it. Polanski is not just a master of where to place the camera, he's also a master at creating very specific atmospheres and guiding you to a very specific behavior. That's what the attempt was, let's call it such. Apparently, according to you, it was successful. So, thank you! [Laughs] Well, you're welcome. How much preparation did you do before? Was there an extreme amount of rehearsals? We had two weeks of rehearsals. Which is, for the regular movie, a luxury. For this, it was just barely enough. But not because we had more problems to solve. After eight days we started run-throughs of the whole thing. Had we rehearsed another week or two, we could have performed it on the stage. That could be next -- you four can go on a nationwide tour. That would be fun. [Laughs] You're working with three other major actors -- two other Oscar winners and an Oscar nominee -- so... Did we fight? Well, yes. Was there any competition between you four? No, no. That's the one complement Roman paid us, and he doesn't do that lightly. At one point we asked him, "Can you tell us a little bit how it is, how it's going, how we are?" And he said, "Do you want me to stroke your ego?" Sorta grinning, because it's a quote from the play. The one big compliment he paid us was that he's never worked with a group of actors where there was no oneupmanship. And he's absolutely right! Yet, I credit him with putting this group of actors together. Why do you think Polanski keeps drawing in such major acting talent? Well, you know, really, not every actor is drawn to him, by the way. There have been incidents where the actors have said, "Sorry, I can't do this," and left. It's where your preferences are. I don't think you're an idiot if you can't cope with that. It's really where your preferences are, and where they are is a matter of choice. There are actors who choose not to work that way. It's their right! I just happen to love it. This overly precise, 100-percent concrete, to-the-point, and, in a way, almost pedantic approach to what it is that we're doing. It does make a difference whether you're here or there, even if the distance between the two is a half an inch. It does make a difference. It's up to you to decide how far you want to get into the details. How does his style compare to, say, Quentin Tarantino? I wouldn't compare them at all. It would be one of the silliest attempts ever. How would you compare a race horse to a -- no, that's already casting a value. How would you compare -- I don't know -- a horse to a bicycle? Well, they both move places. They both can get you somewhere. They both move, exactly! If you put in a little effort they move faster. You had a lengthy career before 'Inglourious Basterds,' but that movie put you on the map for American audiences. How do you keep that momentum and goodwill from 'Basterds' consistent? It's not been that long. The discussion would be really interesting about ten years from now. It has been two years and it has been developing nicely. Apart from the fact that I'm really thrilled and happy about it and grateful still, it's ... I don't know. I work with people who are fantastic. All of them. I don't work with many people around me. Agents and publicists. I don't travel with an entourage. I don't believe in that. But I work with the best. And "best" means best for me. It might be not the best for the next guy, but what do I care about the next guy? Again, same thing: it's always about what it is that we want to do and not how we want to push myself in the foreground. That might be a result or not. That's not something to be anticipated. We just want to do the good work. ;Carnage' is the fourth film of yours getting released this year. It has been a comically busy year for you ... That's a good way of putting it. [Laughs] ... so was there a strategy or anything with these choices? No, no. There are certain criteria by which you arrive at a decision, and they're not fixed. They're not law. They're not gospel. These criteria are dynamic -- let's put it that way. It needs to be the right combination of things and people. There's no big mystery. You go very much by your feeling. As you said, I've been around the block for a week-and-a-half already, so your instincts are not just your inspiration, but based on experience. You can be totally wrong. Of course you can! But, with some experience -- and you do try to keep your sense of humor and common sense -- usually you take a step in the right direction. Even though it might not be the hoped for grand success, but you can't win them all. That sounds like maybe 'The Three Musketeers.' I know that was a disappointment both financially and critically. That happens. It's part of the game. You've got 'Django Unchained' coming up. It was reported that you were injured while training, so is it safe to say this role is way more physical than Hans Landa was? It's a Western. Things happen in a Western. You don't do a Western on a bicycle. Even though, in 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' there's this big sequence on a bicycle! Of course, that's one of the most famous scene in the whole movie. Exactly. So, I guess you can do a Western on a bicycle. But you were on a horse. Yeah. But it's OK. It wasn't a big deal. Back to 'Carnage,' before we say goodbye: I know Sony is planning on running all four of you in the supporting categories... Anything else would be ludicrous! The degree to which I, personally -- I speak for myself -- depended on the others, and I think the way the others depended on the others, anything wouldn't make any sense whatsoever. Anything else is completely out of the question. You might as well run all four of us for Best Sound Design. [Photo: AFP/Getty] 2012 Golden Globe Nominees Best Actor in a DramaBest Actor in a DramaBest Actor in a DramaBest Actor in a DramaBest Actor in a DramaBest Actress in a DramaBest Actress in a DramaBest Actress in a DramaBest Actress in a DramaBest Actress in a DramaBest Actor in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actor in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actor in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actor in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actor in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actress in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actress in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actress in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actress in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actress in a Comedy/MusicalBest Supporting ActorBest Supporting ActorBest Supporting Actor'A Dangerous Method'Best Supporting ActorBest Supporting ActressBest Supporting ActressBest Supporting ActressBest Supporting ActressBest Supporting ActressBest DirectorBest DirectorBest DirectorBest DirectorBest Director See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Abercrombie & Fitch Slams 'The Situation' in Detailed Lawsuit Response (Analysis)

Comediennes Mo Gaffney, Nancy Lee Grahn and Morgan Walsh are encouraging a cat fight.our editor recommends'The View' Plans 'One Life to Live' Special for Series Finale'The Talk's' Julie Chen Admits to Signing a 'Generous' Pre-nup on 'Howard Stern' (Video)'The Talk' Hits Season High, Sets NY Holiday ShowsHolly Robinson Peete Talks About Her Surprise Axing From 'The Talk'; What Went Wrong With Show The actresses are set to launch Back Talk,a new web series for UCBcomedy.com,the Upright Citizens Brigade online comedy channel. The show will poke fun at what happens behind the scenes at women's talk shows such as The View and The Talk. PHOTOS: 'The Talk's' Memorable Guest Hosts "It's everything you've always wanted to see behind the scenes at a women's talk show ... except the topless parts," Gaffney said of the series, which is set to begin filming in March with a target May premiere date. Added Walsh,"Finally, a women's talk show where no one listens!" Matt Walsh(The Hangover, Veep) will direct Gaffney (Absolutely Fabulous, House of Lies), Grahn (General Hospital) and Walsh (Childrens Hospital, High Road). Media Sparks Entertainment's Stacey Parks will serve as a producer. STORY:'The View' Plans 'One Life to Live' Special for Series Finale The actors have performed live versions of the show at the UCB Theater, with guests includingJulie Bowen(Modern Family),Anthony Geary(General Hospital)andLea Thompson(Caroline in the City). Though there are no immediate plans to adapt the project for television, that trajectory is becoming more common. Just last month, FX teamed with UCB co-founderAmy Poehler to bring cult Web series Broad City to TV. Poehler will EP the project created by and starring UCB alums Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer. Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com Twitter: @LaceyVRose PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery The Talk: Memorable Guest Hosts Related Topics The View The Talk

Toronto Film Critics Name 'The Tree of Life' Best Movie of the Year

The Producers Guild of America announced Tuesday it will honor Angelina Jolie's Bosnian war film In the Land of Blood and Honey with the 2012 Stanley Kramer Award at the guild's annual awards ceremony on Jan. 21.our editor recommendsAngelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Lend Support To '72 Days' at a Casual Private Party Angelina Jolie and Luc Besson Thriller Lands at UniversalAngelina Jolie Explains Choosing 'Blood and Honey' for Directorial Debut (Video) PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie's Top 10 Red Carpet Looks The award was established in 2002 following the death of legendary director and producer Stanley Kramer--whose films included The Caine Mutiny, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Judgment at Nuremberg, High Noon and The Defiant Ones--and recognizes a motion picture, producer or other individual whose "achievement or contribution illuminates provocative social issues in an accessible and elevating fashion." PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie and Hollywood's 10 Highest-Paid Actresses Films previously receiving the Kramer award include The Great Debaters, An Iconventient Truth, Hotel Rwanda and Antwone Fisher. Last year, Sean Penn became the first individual to receive the award. In the Land of Blood and Honey, which marks Jolie's directorial debut and opens in select theaters Dec. 23, follows the story of a Muslim woman and Serb policeman who are dating when the Bosnian war breaks out, and what ensues when she is taken to a Serbian rape camp where he is now in charge. Jolie both directed and penned the script, and primarily cast Bosnian actors. THR COVER STORY: Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Yuh Nelson are the Newest Members of a Very Small Club "In the Land of Blood and Honey is an extraordinary film that portrays a complex love story set against the terrors of the Bosnian war, especially towards women. This film truly embraces the legacy of Stanley Kramer," PGA presidents Hawk Koch and Mark Gordon said. Jolie and Graham King's GK Films partnered in financing and producing the film, which FilmDistrict, a sister company of GK Films, is distributing in the U.S. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Angelina Jolie's Top 10 Red Carpet Looks Related Topics

Controversial Video Shows Superstar Recording Artists Singing the Glories of File-Sharing (Video)

Lifetime"Against the Wall" Lifetime has decided not to order a second season of Against the Wall.our editor recommendsAgainst the Wall: TV Review Cast member Brandon Quinn tweeted the news late Friday evening, writing, "I'd like to thank @lifetimetv, the #AgainsttheWallwriters and the Amazing fans of Against The Wall but unfortunately we've been canceled :(." The writers addressed the news shortly thereafter, writing on their Twitter account, "guessing many of you saw @BrandonJQuinn's tweet -- just found out we won't be coming back for a second season." Starring Rachael Carpani as a Chicago cop who joins the internal affairs division, the procedural debuted in July to underwhelming numbers, drawing 1.8 million total viewers to its premiere episode following Drop Dead Diva. THR's television critic Tim Goodman gave a positive review of the hourlong series: "Breakout star Rachael Carpani and ambitious creators could vault this procedural above the pack." The Universal Cable Prods. series was created by Annie Brummer and co-stars Quinn, Andrew Walker, Marisa Ramirez, Kathy Baker, Treat Williams and Chris Johnson. The decision comes at a time when Lifetime is investing in remakes with core audiences like Steel Magnolias and The Blue Lagoon, with high-profile names attached. The female-skewing cable net has also given pilot orders to Modern Love by Jenny Bicks and American Housewife with Melanie Griffith, and has picked up The Client List with Jennifer Love Hewitt to series. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Summer TV Preview 2011: 'Teen Wolf,' 'The Glee Project' and more Lifetime

TOLDJA! Harrison Ford Set To Play Branch Rickey In Jackie Robinson Film 42

Deadline revealed yesterday that Legendary Pictures was courting Harrison Ford to play Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers GM who with Jackie Robinson broke the color line in baseball in 1947. Legendary has announced that Ford is set, and that they’ve cast Chadwick Boseman to play the Hall of Fame second baseman who had a profound impact on the Civil Rights movement. Brian Helgeland wrote the script and will direct. Here’s the release: Burbank, CA December 9, 2011 Legendary Pictures announced today that it has cast Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford to star in the companys film based upon historys most celebrated baseball figure, Jackie Robinson. Boseman will depict the iconic baseball star, paying tribute to the legacy and impact Robinson made when he became the first African American Major League Baseball player. Ford will star as Branch Rickey, the innovative Major League Baseball executive who is best known for breaking MLBs color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to a minor league contract in 1945. Two years later, at the start of the 1947 major league baseball season, Robinson was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers major league baseball team with the help of Rickey. Rickey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967. Chadwick Boseman is best known for his performance in Universal Pictures THE EXPRESS. Boseman also just completed a lead in the independent feature KILL HOLE. On television he was a regular on the NBC series Persons Unknown. He is represented by Michael Greene at Greene & Associates, and Melanie Cook of Ziffren Brittenham. Ford most recently starred in COWBOYS & ALIENS and is best known for starring in the INDIANA JONES and STAR WARS franchises as well as AIR FORCE ONE and THE FUGITIVE. Ford was a Best Actor Oscar nominee for his role in the 1985 feature film WITNESS. Ford is represented by Jim Berkus at United Talent Agency and Skip Brittenham of Ziffren Brittenham. Brian Helgeland (LA CONFIDENTIAL / MYSTIC RIVER) will write and direct, with Legendarys Chairman and CEO, Thomas Tull, producing, and Legendarys Chief Creative Officer and President, Jon Jashni, serving as executive producer. Dick Cook, former Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, will also serve as an executive producer. Legendary worked early on in development with Robinsons widow, Rachel Robinson, to ensure the movie adaptation of the famed players story is authentic.

Paris Jackson Lines Up First Feature Film Role Alongside Larry King

First Published: December 9, 2011 3:49 PM EST Credit: C-It Entertainment Group, LLC LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Paris Jackson on the cover of Lundons BridgeJust last week, at the Las Vegas premiere of Cirque Du Soliels Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour, Paris Jackson told Access Hollywood she planned to follow in her fathers footsteps and enter the entertainment world as an actress. And now, Access has confirmed the 13-year-old has lined up her first feature film role. Paris will star as an as yet undisclosed human character in Lundons Bridge and the Three Keys, a live action feature film, based on a childrens book series by Dennis H. Christen. According to the books description on Amazon, the story surrounds the war between the land and the sea. Ancient sea-magic turns a dolphin into a human, an evil spell changes a teenage boy into a dragonfly and a once good and loving jellyfish queen becomes an evil fairy godmother. This modern day adventure forces an unsuspecting family to become the weapon to fight the war which rages on the land and under the sea, the description reads. Paris is also featured on the book cover. The film will also feature the voices of Larry King as King Pom, his wife, Shawn King as Queen Dalina,and Joey Fatone as Paco, a sea horse. The project is currently in production and no release date is currently available. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

RATINGS RAT RACE: Rules, Park & Rec Hit Lows; Grimm Does OK In Thursday Test

Another hard-to-untangle night, marked with local NFL pre-emptions. CBS posted big gains at 9 PM and 10 PM but they will likely be erased in the finals because the network’s fast nationals were inflated by a big football game in Pittsburgh. The Big Bang Theory (4.7/14) was the least impacted as the game started at 8:25 PM on the East Coast. The comedy returned after three weeks of repeats down 11%. Rules Of Engagement (3.2/9) was also down 11% from its last original three weeks ago to post a season low. Because of the game, Rules will likely be adjusted down, so the season low is expected to stick. Not expected to stick are the double-digit bumps for Person Of Interest (3.0/8, up 15% from 3 weeks ago) and The Mentalist (3.0/8, up 20%), which reflect game-related ratings inflation. For now, CBS is tracking as No.1 in 18-49 and total viewers for the night. After an uptick last week, NBC’s soon-to-be-benched comedy Community (1.5/4) was down 12%. Parks & Recreation (1.7/6) was down 6% for a series low. The Office (2.9/8) and Whitney (1.9/5) were flat, tied with their season lows. With little promotion, a special airing of Grimm (1.6/4) in the 10 PM period matched its 18-49 delivery in its regular Friday 9 PM slot last week. It was up 23% from Prime Suspect‘s demo performance last week to post NBC’s highest 18-49 rating in the Thursday 10 PM hour in 11 weeks. Another Grimm original airs tonight. Fox’s The X Factor result show (3.0/8) was down a tenth from last week. Bones (2.7/X) was also down a tenth. Its fast-national rating may have been inflated a little by a football preemption in Cleveland whose impact is expected to be small and limited mostly to the 9 PM hour. ABC aired a hotchpotch of unscripted programs, Wipeout (1.9/5), America’s Funniest Home Videos (1.9/5) and The Great Big American Auction special (1.4/4).

Exclusive First Look: Crazy iCarly Fan Nora Dershlit Is Back for "iStill Psycho"

iCarly iCarly's biggest fan Nora Dershlit is on the loose again! Nickelodeon will premiere "iStill Psycho," the sequel to last year's summer hit "iPsycho," on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8/7c. After being thrown in the slammer, Nora (Danielle Morrow), their fan-turned-tormentor, will be released just in time for New Year's Eve. Watch iCarly clips and interviews But when Carly (Miranda Cosgrove) and the gang go to court to see what they can do to keep her behind bars, Nora and her crazy parents capture them once more for a little end-of-the-year party. More Mad Libs? More Maurice? Forced random dancing? Nooooooo! Check out TVGuide.com's exclusive image to see how "excited" Carly and Fred (Nathan Kress) are to be reunited with Nora. The original "iPsycho" premiered to 7.5 million viewers in June 2010. Are you excited to see Nora back?

Jolie & Besson: Together Finally?

She's in talks for his new thrillerThough he usually specialises in high concept action films and thriller, Luc Besson has nonetheless been in a position to attract solid star wattage to defend myself against charge roles. And something of his approaching projects seems to become exactly the same, with Julia Roberts apparently in foretells star.Hardly anything else is famous concerning the film (not really the title), besides the proven fact that it's apparently a large-scale thriller which has its roots in true scientific elements. Who votes to have an action-packed tech-fest set round the Large Hadron Collider?Besson, that has been shepherding more projects like a producer nowadays, has written and intends to direct that one once he's finished doing the press models for his last pointing gig, much talked about biopic The Woman. Jolie, meanwhile, is busy pimping her very own writing/pointing/creating job, Bosnian war drama Within The Land Of Bloodstream And Honey. She's got various future projects competing on her attention such as the large new undertake Nefertiti, Sleeping Beauty-adjacent fantasy Maleficent and Ridley Scott's Gertrude Bell drama, but in the sounds of Deadline's report, Jolie will make the Besson film her next priority when the deal is sealed.