Updates on Wonder Woman, Speed Racer, Logan’s Run and much more

Here are some updates on projects that action film-maestro Joel Silver (producer of The Matrix Trilogy, Lethal Weapon, Predator) has on his plate. There’s some really exciting stuff he’s involved with. Silver also produces medium budget horror films for fun (and some cheddar), with his Dark Castle Entertainment shingle.

Here ya go:
Return to House on Haunted Hill
Silver’s role: executive producer and producer
Release date: September of 2007
This film is a sequel to the 1999 remake of The House on Haunted Hill. Horror film icon Jeffrey Combs returns as Dr. Richard Benjamin Vannacutt, along with Andrew Pleavin, Cerina Vincen, and Amanda Righetti among the new group of people who go to the house and discover the terrifying truth inside.

The Invasion
Silver’s role: executive producer and producer
Release date: August 17, 2007
Nicole Kidman stars as a Washington shrink who unearths the origin of an alien epidemic and discovers her son might be the only way it can be stopped. Casino Royale veterans Daniel Craig and Jeffrey Wright join Kidman in The Invasion, which was previously titled Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and The Visiting, along with rapper-turned-actor Q-Tip, Jeremy Northam, Veronica Cartwright, Malin Akerman, Alexis Raben and Jackson Bond as Kidman’s mysterious son Oliver.

The Brave One
Silver’s role: producer
Release date: September 14, 2007
This is another action thriller that’s completed filming, and is due later this year. Jodie Foster stars as a woman struggling to recover from a brutal attack by setting out on a mission of revenge.The Brave One also stars Lost’s Naveen Andrews, Mary Steenburgen, and Oscar nominee Terrence Howard.

Whiteout
Silver’s role: producer
Release date: Sometime in 2008
U.S. Marshal Kate Beckinsale tracks a killer in Antarctica, as the sun is about to set for six months. Supposedly Reese Witherspoon was to be the star of this film, but I couldn’t confirm that. The story is based on a graphic novel from a few years ago. Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment is also producing, and it will be directed by Dominic Sena, who helmed Swordfish for Silver in 2001. Whiteout, which is currently in principal photography, also stars Columbus Short and Tom Skerritt.

Twilight
Silver’s role: executive producer
Should be airing later in 2007
Twilight is a television pilot Silver is producing for Warner Bros. Television Entertainment. It revolves around a vampire lands work as a private investigator and falls for a mortal woman. It stars Amber Valletta, Rade Serbedzija, Shannon Lucio, Alex O’Loughlin, Brandon Molale, and Benjamín Benítez.

Logan’s Run
Silver’s role: producer
Release date: Due sometime in 2007, but since a director isn’t confirmed yet, I doubt it.
Everyone’s favorite in development hell, sci-fi remake. This film has been in development since about 2000, when Leonardo DiCaprio was going to play Logan. The film revolves around a society that imposes a mandatory death sentence for all citizen’s turning 21, and a young man named Logan who plots a daring escape on the eve of his fateful birthday. Apparently, this project has been shelved by Warner Brothers for now. Bryan Singer was slated to direct at one point recently, but he’s probably swamped with Superman: The Man of Steel (2009), Valkyrie (2009) about a true-life plot to assassinate Hitler, and You Want Me to Kill Him?, which is due later in 2007. Paul Todisco and Bryan Singer have completed the latest screenplay, but this one will probably not happen for some time guys. But please check out the original Logan’s Run from 1976, starring Jenny Agutter and Michael York, it’s fantastic! (A photo from the original Logan’s Run accompanies this article.)

Speed Racer
Silver’s role: producer
Release date: May 9, 2008
Ok boys and girls… This film is going to be bad ass. Silver has gotten “the boys” Andy and Larry Wachowski to not only co-produce, but helm the movie. Emile Hirsch (The Girl Next Door) stars as Speed, along with Lost’s Matthew Fox as Racer X, and Susan Sarandon, John Goodman and Christina Ricci along for the ride. The film is based on the classic 1960’s Japanese animated series chronicling the aspirations of a young race car driver as he attempts to obtain glory, with the help of his family and the Mach 5, the advanced car created by his father. Principal photography begins on June 5th in Berlin, Germany.

Wonder Woman
Silver’s role: executive producer and producer
Release date: Due sometime in 2009
Joss Whedon has apparently exited this project, based on the DC Comic and one of my favorite series growing up, about an Amazon princess that comes to the world of Man, and becomes Paradise Island’s emissary to civilization. Actresses that have been considered for the title role include Underworld’s Kate Beckinsale, Cobie Smulders, and even American Idol’s Katharine McPhee. Wonder Woman was supposed to get going for a 2007 release, but creative differences have put Whedon and the movie, on the slow track.