Poster: The Lovely Bones

DreamWorks just released the first poster for Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. We posted the trailer way back in August, but this one is aiming squarely for award season, and as with most of Jackson’s work, it is visually stunning. The film also features Saoirse Ronan, who at 15 already has an Oscar-nomination for her work in Atonement, and the early buzz is she may be a contender for this as well. The Lovely Bones is due out December 11th, and I’m expecting big things. Poster (and a few stills) courtesy of Yahoo after the jump.

Disney and Universal Pick New Chairmen

Disney Studios stayed in the news yesterday as the Mouse House officially named Rich Ross as the replacement for former Disney chairman Dick Cook. The move had been somewhat expected as the head of Disney Channels Worldwide emerged as the favorite shortly after Cook left the company.

According to Variety, Ross has been largely responsible for Disney’s branding efforts over the last five years, and is likely to focus on building franchises that can not only become tentpoles at the box office but transfer to other media. Ross will be in charge of the company’s live-action and animated feature labels, including Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone, Miramax, Marvel Entertainment and Pixar. Ross will also oversee its music group and theater productions including Broadway and tours like High School Musical and Disney on Ice.

Dick Cook Out At Disney, Could Johnny Depp Follow?

After a relatively quiet week in Hollywood, Disney dropped a bombshell Friday night as they announced Dick Cook was out as their chairman. The official company line maintains that Cook left the company as reported by THR, meanwhile Nikki Finke and others are reporting that the former chairman was forced out by President and CEO Bob Iger. I’m more inclined to believe Cook was fired, but this move is arguably more important for the impact it may have on Johnny Depp’s future in Pirates of the Caribbean as well as Pixar and Marvel entertainment.

So Are 3D Movies A Gimmick?

With the incredible recent popularity and profitability of 3D movies, the real unanswered question is of their long term viability. Right now there is no real consensus as to whether stereoscopic filmmaking will be the way of the future or just a gimmicky flavor of the month. Dreamworks head Jeffrey Katzenberg (looking a bit like Gonzo) laid out his vision for the industry’s future at the 3D Entertainment Summit that would see a rise in ticket prices as well.

Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau Play Cowboys and Aliens

After having so much fun together working on Iron Man and its sequel Jon Favreau has apparently joined Robert Downey Jr. on an adaptation of Cowboys and Aliens. According to the new blog at The Hollywood Reporter, the director has joined the Dreamworks/Universal project which RDJ has been attached to for over a year. It’s only fair that as soon as Eric goes on vacation one of his favorite actor-director combos decide to work together again.

Spielberg to Produce Halo Movie?

Obed told you last week that a live-action Halo movie was far from dead, and according to sources reported by IESB, none other than Steven Spielberg is in negotiations to produce the reincarnated film version of Master Chief.

Trailer: The Lovely Bones

The first trailer for Peter Jackson’s adapation of “The Lovely Bones” from Alice Sebold is out courtesy of Dreamworks. This is one of those books that people keep recommending to me but I’ve never got around to reading, but I can say the trailer looks fantastic. It has a promising cast including Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Surandon, Stanley Tucci and Michael Imperioli with the screenwriting coming from frequent Jackson contributors Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens.

Check out the trailer at apple.com or check after the jump.