Pre-Cannes round-up (SCR, DH, VAR, THR)

By Nancy Tartaglione

With less than a week to go before the start of the Cannes Film Festival and its concurrent Market, casting, project and deal news continues to ramp up. Below is a round up of what's hot this morning.

Screen reports that Brendan Fraser has signed onto the family action film "William Tell: 3D", which Arclight will introduce to Cannes buyers. Nick Hurran is directing with Todd Moyer producing as is Arclight chief Gary Hamilton.

Per Screen, Anna Paquin is in talks to play Tell's wife and Til Schweiger is lined up as the feared local dignitary Hermann Gessler.

Principal photography is expected to start on Oct 1.

Meanwhile, Deadline reports that Fraser will star in "Four Kings," which is being billed as a "sweeping epic historical drama" set against the French and Indian War. Executive produced by Todd Moyer and James Holt, the film is produced by Jeff Sackman from a project developed by Telefilm Canada.

Fraser will play a wealthy Brit colonel who self-finances the war in the hope of creating a utopian society in what is now Canada.

That film is to start production in Toronto in August. Deadline has more here on other Fraser projects.

Magnolia International will start sales next week on a "twisted tale of young love" starring Juno Temple, Riley Keough, Cara Seymour and Kylie Minogue, Screen further reports.

The Bradley Rust Gray-directed "Jack and Diane" is currently in post. Magnolia has worldwide rights. See Screen for more.

Also per Screen, former Formula One racing champion Niki Lauda's near fatal 1976 crash is at the heart of two rival film projects.

Screenwriter Peter Morgan has just completed a draft about the championship season when Lauda had the British driver James Hunt as his main rival for the Formula One trophy, says Screen. Lauda has met with Morgan on the project with certain legalities to be worked out. No producer or director is as yet attached, says Screen citing Austrian press reports.

Meanwhile, Harald Reichebner of European Enterprises and Hannes Schalle of Moonlake Entertainment have announced plans for a summer 2011 shoot for their own look at the same period in Lauda's life entitled "33 Days (To Hell And Back)."

According to Screen, Joe Coppoletta will direct. Schalle told Screen that Lauda has "assured his full support for the project." Financing is expected to be finalized during Cannes while the production is looking to sign Daniel Bruhl and Yvonne Catterfeld to appear opposite "Harry Potter" star Tom Felton as James Hunt.

The script for "33 Days" was partly inspired by Schalle's 2010 TV documentary "Against All Odds," which told Lauda's story as part of a feature about sports comebacks.

SCR:

In an ironic twist, Peter Morgan's mother-in-law Dr. Therese von Schwarzenberg also appeared in Schalle's film speaking about she managed to leave the confines of her wheelchair after a skiing accident and walk again after two years.

Screen has more here.

Icon Entertainment Intl. has taken worldwide rights to spoof pic "The Biggest Movie of All Time 3D," Variety reports. The film, which Icon will shop to buyers in Cannes, is from writer-directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer and producer Peter Safran who previously collaborated on "Scary Movie," "Vampires Suck" and "Meet the Spartans."

Finally, Deadline reports that QED International has closed a deal with CAA for Arnold Schwarzenegger's next film, "Cry Macho." QED will go to Cannes as the exclusive dealmaker for the film which, Deadline says, gives Schwarzenegger a $12.5 million payday plus 25% first dollar gross.

Al Ruddy is producing with Brad Furman directing the story of a horse breeder who won the Kentucky Derby but whose wife and child get killed.

Per Deadline's description, he "sinks into an alcoholic depression and winds up working for a hedge fund jerk who offers him a choice of getting fired or bringing back the rich guy's son living with the ex-wife in Mexico. Unexpected plot twists ensue, including an Arnold-and-kid road trip back home."

See Deadline here for more.

The Hollywood Reporter also spoke with Ruddy about the project, here.

**This article was compiled using reports from Screen, Deadline, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. The original stories can be accessed by clicking the hyperlinks in the text above.