The 23rd James Bond film is in a go mode! No word on the plot, but the film has three writers on board: Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who co-wrote the past four Bond films, and Peter Morgan, who wrote "Frost/Nixon."

Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of Eon Productions Ltd. will produce.

The movie will once again star Daniel Craig as Agent 007, and the three-writers theme melds with the last two pictures, "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace." Purvis and Wade drafted the script, which then got the onceover from "Crash" writer-director Paul Haggis.

Interesting that Morgan has quite a few period movies on his IMDB page, including "Henry VIII," "The Last King of Scotland," "The Queen," and "The Other Boleyn Girl." Not sure if that means anything in terms of Bond, though.

At any rate, it can’t get here soon enough for me. I’m already suffering from Bond withdrawal.

Image: Sony Pictures, 2008; Source: Hollywood Reporter

Is Josh Brolin having a great streak, or what? He’ll be playing the title role in DC Comics’ “Jonah Hex,” a former confederate soldier-turned hardened bounty hunter and gunslinger. Yeah, I can see him in that role.

John Malkovich has also signed for the film, playing Turnball, a wealthy Southern plantation owner whose son is killed by Union soldiers during the Civil War. He blames Hex for the tragedy.

Jimmy Hayward is directing the pic, with “Crank” scribes Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor penning the screenplay. Shooting is scheduled to start this spring with a 2010 release date.

I’m not familiar with the character of Jonah Hex. Any thoughts on whether Brolin will do justice to the role?

Image: Newscom

Wheeeeeee … "Candy Land" is coming to the big screen courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Yep, Variety is reporting that the classic board game will soon be a live-action movie with Kevin Lima directing and Etan Cohen on board as writer.

I’m just not really feelin’ this one, people. Would it be a kid’s movie? A fantasy movie like "Enchanted"?

I’m guessing the second one, because Lima most recently directed Amy Adams in "Enchanted." Then again, Cohen recently wrote "Tropic Thunder," so that’s a pretty big stretch between those two movies!

Image: Amazon

Ever wish you could plan your own funeral while you’re still alive – so you can enjoy it? Yeah, me either. But Felix "Bush" Breazeale did just that in 1938.

The true story of the Tennessee recluse is being made into a feature film by the Zanuck Co. titled "Get Low."

Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek are already on board, and Bill Murray and Lucas Black just joined the cast, as well. They’ll play partners at the funeral home.

The Variety story is calling it a "dramatic thriller," but with those two as funeral directors, you have to wonder if there’s going to be some humorous moments, too.

Directed and written by Aaron Schneider, the film starts shooting in Georgia this week.

Image: Broken Flowers, copyright Focus Features, LLC; All Rights Reserved, 2005

Spike Lee and his production company, 40 Acres and a Mule, has nabbed the rights to "Now the Hell Will Start," a nonfiction book written by Brendan Koerner. Check out the book’s Web site here.

The true story follows Herman Perry, a black Army private during World War II who snapped and went AWOL after shooting an unarmed white lieutenant. Instead of facing the gallows, he ran deep into the Southeast Asian jungle and ended up living with the natives.

I haven’t read the book, but it sounds like a great story that will make a fantastic movie with Spike Lee at the helm. I wonder who they’ll get to play the main character. I kind of hope it’s not Will Smith, because I can’t really see him in that role.

I picture someone more like Derek Luke (pictured). In fact, I’d bet that he might end up in the role, because “Miracle at St. Anna,” in which Luke starred, was also a 40 Acres and a Film movie.

Any thoughts on that? Think I’m right?

Image: Miracle at St. Anna, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2008

An "Arrested Development" movie has been brewing for some time now, and it looks like forces may be rallying to actually make it happen.

At a recent Uprights Citizens Brigade show, Jeffrey Tambor – who played George Bluth, Sr. in the Fox TV series – said Michael Cera will be in the big-screen movie, even if he has to call him on the phone and order him to be on that set!

My son and I just started watching "Arrested Development" recently, and have to say it’s easy to get sucked into the crazy scenarios of the Bluth family. Having Ron Howard’s voiceover doesn’t hurt either.

In fact, Ron Howard is onboard as director of the Fox Searchlight movie, with Mitchell Hurwitz (who also exec-produced and wrote the TV series) as writer and Jennifer Dana and Brian Grazer as producers (both of whom produced the TV series). They’re looking at a 2010 release date. Maybe.

What are your thoughts on this? Think it’ll actually happen? With Ron Howard and Brian Grazer involved, I’m sure it will happen one way or another. Maybe.

Image: Amazon.com; Source: TVSquad.com

Jimmy Hayward, who directed the animated "Horton Hears a Who!" will take a different turn with his next project. He’ll be directing the live-action "Jonah Hex" from Warner Bros.

Josh Brolin is attached to star in the western-centric film, which previously had Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor ("Crank") on board as directors. The duo, who penned the script, bowed out over creative differences in November.

Hex is a DC Comics character known for having the right side of his face disfigured and wearing a Confederate army uniform. He’s a rough-and-tumble gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter whose adventures always ended in blood. There’s also a supernatural element to the character.

Quite the difference from "Horton"! And yeah, I can totally see Josh Brolin in that role.

"Jonah Hex" is scheduled for a 2010 release date.

Image: Jimmy Hayward, Horton Hears a Who, 20th Century Fox Film Corp., 2008; Source: The Hollywood Reporter

John Curran is set to direct "The Beautiful and the Damned," a Film Department period drama that will star Keira Knightley. It begins production in March, with a release date of 2010. (Curran is pictured with Mark Ruffalo on the set of "We Don’t Live Here Anymore.")

Instead of big wigs and giant dresses, Knightley will play Zelda Fitzgerald in the 1920s. "The Damned and the Beautiful," penned by Hanna Weg, follows the turbulent marriage of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his schizophrenic wife Zelda Sayre.

It seems unbelievable that Keira Knightley is only 23. She’s done so many movies!

And Fitzgerald has become quite the hot property in Hollywood these days. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was inspired by his short story, and Baz Luhrmann recently acquired rights to turn "The Great Gatsby" into a new film.

Curran previously helmed "The Painted Veil" and "We Don’t Live Here Anymore."

Image: Warner Independent Pictures, 2004; Source: Variety.com

Tony Stark suffering from identity issues? You know, I kind of wondered about that when his identity was revealed at the end of "Iron Man." Apparently, that will be a major plotpoint in "Iron Man 2."

While working on the script for the sequel, screenwriter Justin Theroux told MTV.com that the main theme of "Iron Man 2" will indeed be the issue of identity.

"It’s something that we’ve made a real decision to run towards rather than away from," said Theroux. I wonder what that means exactly…that maybe Tony isn’t sure about this whole Iron Man thing and wants out…?

"Iron Man 2" is scheduled for a May 7, 2010 release date, with Robert Downey Jr. once again playing the title role.

Image: Iron Man, Paramount Pictures, 2008

What if you were a loser (hypothetically speaking, because no Film Gecko reader is a loser), and found a book on how to prevent an alien invasion of the Earth? And then had to use that knowledge when one actually occurs?

Such is the premise of “The How-To Guide for Saving the World,” an action comedy picked up by MGM with Barry Sonnenfeld attached to direct and produce.

Apparently, the script by BenDavid Grabinski landed enough votes among execs to make this year’s unofficial Black List of “most liked” screenplays.

More after the jump…

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