The adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s critically acclaimed 2001 novel, The Corrections, has long been in the making, and has recently transitioned from its initial expected film adaptation to be turned into a series for HBO.

We heard late last year that the brilliant Ewan McGregor had signed on to join Chris Cooper and Dianne Wiest for the project, which is being co-written by Franzen and the Oscar-nominated writer-director Noah Baumbach.

Now comes the excellent news, via The Playlist, Deadline, and the Daily Mail, that the already terrific casting continues with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Greta Gerwig, and Bruce Norris all in talks to join the project too.

Courtesy of Waterstones, the original novel’s plot looks a little like this:

“From the author of ‘Freedom’, a panoramic vision of America at the beginning of the 21st century, seen through the turbulent lives of the Lambert family. The Corrections is now seen by many as one of the greatest American novels of the last decade. The Lamberts — Enid and Alfred and their three grown-up children — are a troubled family living in a troubled age. Alfred is ill and as his condition worsens the whole family must face the failures, secrets and long-buried hurts that haunt them if they are to make the corrections that each desperately needs. Stretching from the Midwest in the mid-century to Wall Street and Eastern Europe in the age of globalised greed, ‘The Corrections’ brings an old-time America of freight trains and civic duty into wild collision with the era of home surveillance, hands-off parenting, do-it-yourself mental healthcare, and New Economy millionaires. It announces Jonathan Franzen as one of the most brilliant interpreters of American society and the American soul.”

Cooper and Wiest are set to play the parents of the Lambert family; McGregor is to play Chip, the middle son; and Gyllenhall is in talks for the role of Denise, the youngest child, a bisexual Philadelphia chef. Ifans would be taking a cameo as a Lithuanian gangster drawing Chip into his world; Norris would play the eldest son, Gary; and Gerwig would play Chip’s film producer girlfriend.

The exact nature of the project until now has been kept under wraps, but it seems that the intentions are now becoming clear, with a two-hour pilot planned under Baumbach’s direction, and then if all goes well and everyone is impressed, a further four seasons each made up of ten hour-long episodes, which is certainly a significant adaptation. Franzen’s original novel is quite a long book at more than five hundred pages, but a four season-long adaptation suggests that the intention is to add more to the characters’ stories than is in the Franzen’s original, which I’m really excited about.

I’m a really big fan of Gyllenhaal’s, so the news that she’s in talks to join the already brilliant cast is definitely exciting. Getting to see her, McGregor, and the whole cast for four full-length seasons of HBO quality (you can’t deny HBO’s impeccable programming) is a prospect almost too good to be true. More news as we get it.

One of the handful of British talents well known and loved on beyond our shores, and in my opinion one of the finest actors working at the moment, Ewan McGregor is now set to join Oscar-nominated writer-director Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s acclaimed novel, The Corrections, Deadline report.

The adaptation has been set up at HBO, with the first episode already scripted by both Franzen and Baumbach, and the latter is set to direct the pilot, which is brilliant news. McGregor is joining Chris Cooper (American Beauty, The Town) and Dianne Wiest (Edward Scissorhands) in what is shaping up to be a fantastic cast.

Published back in 2001, Franzen’s original novel,

“revolves around the troubles of a Midwestern couple (Cooper and Wiest), and their three adult children as they trace their lives from the mid-20th century to “one last Christmas” together near the turn of the millennium. McGregor will play Chip, the middle child, a Marxist academic who lost his tenure-track position over an affair with a student and now works for a Lithuanian crime boss defrauding American investors.”

Baumbach and Franzen are also serving as producers alongside Oscar-winning producer Scott Rudin, whose credits include The Social Network, Moneyball, and No Country For Old Men (the last of which he won his Oscar for), and who’s worked with Baumbach several times in the past, including on his most recent films, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Greenberg.

Though I’ve not yet read Franzen’s novel, I have coincidentally enough just had it come through the post after ordering it a week ago, and am now looking forward to reading it even more. It’s meant to be a brilliant novel, and it’s shaping up to be a brilliant adaptation by the sounds of it.

McGregor will next be seen in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire, due out on 20th January next year, followed by Salmon Fishing in the Yemen on 9th March, both very much anticipated. With The Corrections expected to air on HBO in 2013, the next two years are looking pretty brilliant for the actor.

It would appear that Noah Baumbach clicked creatively with the star of his previous feature, Ben Stiller (so good as the whiney misanthrope Greenberg in the director’s film of the same name). The two are already in the process of putting together a new project.

Vulture is reporting that the two are working on a comedy called While We’re Young, which look’s to also include another co-star from Greenberg (Mumblecore queen Greta Gerwig) along with newly-announced Oscar co-host James Franco and Cate Blanchett.

Little is known about the script other than it’s a relationship tale about two twenty-something’s who forge a bond with an uptight documentarian and his wife, inspiring them to live it up a little, which inevitably, goes drastically wrong.

Scott Rudin (who has produced Baumbach’s last two features) is back onboard for this one too.

Who better than Carla Gugino to partner Jim Carrey in the big screen adaptation of the classic kids book I’ve never heard of, Mr Popper’s Penguins?

Not so long ago we reported that Carrey had pipped Owen Wilson and Jack Black to the post of Mr Popper who, according to Variety,

…is a high-powered, New York business man who suddenly inherits six penguins. Taking care of the animals is no easy matter, and he quickly hits major hurtles, both at home and at work.

But along the way, he learns the value of family and friendship–human and otherwise.

Do they mean hurdles? Or a lot of little things that are hurtling? Do they mean a load of sheep? Or is it a clever play on hurdles which hurt. I quite like that actually. Hurtles.

Anyway, stepping out from the glass house for a moment, the 1938 book is apparently well loved and despite living in the shadow of a proposed version of the book which was to have starred Ben Stiller directed by Noah Baumbach (which, if it had gone ahead, means this story would have been about Greta Gerwig getting the part Gugino is up for), Mark Waters is all set to direct the film for 20th Century Fox.

Variety is both the spice of life and the sauce of this news.

We reported in February that Ben Stiller was being lined up to front a heist movie for Universal, now it appears several changes have been made to the project, with a new director lined up.

Deadline have today confirmed that Universal have green lit the project, now titled Tower Heist. Ben Stiller has inked a deal to star, with Brett Ratner taking on directing duties.

Synopsis: Tower Heist centres on the overworked manager (Stiller) of a luxury building who, along with other staff, lost their pensions to a Bernie Madoff-like Wall Street crook. It so happens that the fraudster is being held under house arrest in the luxury penthouse apartment upstairs, and the manager and four cohorts figure a heist will make them whole.

In an interview with Deadline, Ratner was quoted as saying:

It has become the quintessential New York heist movie, where a bunch of blue collar employees in a tower building pull off the ultimate heist.

It’s been reported that Adam Cooper & Bill Collage, Russell Gewirtz, Rawson Thurber, Ted Griffin, Leslie Dixon, Noah Baumbach and Jeff Nathanson have all contributed to the film’s script.

Imagine Entertainment will produce, with Universal handling distribution.

Jim Carrey has officially been cast in the kids film, Mr. Poppers Penguins, Deadline are reporting.

Carrey beat out other contenders, including Jack Black and Owen Wilson, to nab the lead role in a film that was originally set to be a collaboration between director Noah Baumbach and Ben Stiller.

Mr. Poppers Penguins centres on a modest house painter (Carrey) who receives from Admiral Drake’s Antartartica explorations a penguin in the mail. Well, one penguin turns into 12 Adelie penguins and the Poppers find the only way to keep everyone fed and a roof over their heads is to turn the penguins into performers.

Mark Waters is set to direct from a script that was initially penned by Jared Stern, with Sean Anders and John Morris brought in to add some finishing touches.

Carrey has a number of projects in various stages of development, so it’s unclear exactly when production on Mr. Poppers Penguins will start.

20th Century Fox will handle distribution.

In their mocking of Jeffrey Katzenberg’s, the CEO of Dreamworks Animation, Deadline overlooked an intriguing snippet of information regarding the studio’s Madagascar 3. In a memo from Katzenberg, who appears to have in turn missed another memo describing the death of txt tlk, he explains

“Met with Mad3 team to review 60pgs of rewrite done by Noah Bombach that are exc!!!”

Noah Baumbach seems a strange choice to oversee rewrites on an animated sequel as he is better known for writing movies about dysfunctional and unwholesome characters. In a world where Being John Malkovich’s Charlie Kaufman can polish the script of Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom, however, anything’s possible.

That said, in terms of a dysfunctional family you can’t get more dysfunctional than a sushi-eating lion, a zebra suffering an identity crisis, a brooding hippo and her paranoid giraffe love interest. With Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa proving a well executed surprise, the appointment of Baumbach to the series can only be a good thing, Madagascar working at its best during its main character’s bonkers interactions.

Also contained within the memo was information pertaining to 2013′s How to Train Your Dragon 2, Katzenberg describing how he had also “Met with Dragons2 team and Dean pitched out next chapter…. very smart /interesting /ambitious.” With Dreamworks’ recent high quality output, we can only hope that such care and attention to detail will extend to their upcoming releases.

Madagascar 3, a part in which was thankfully turned down by Victoria Beckham last year, is due for release in 2012.

Before the world descends into football fever why not catch up with all the latest film chatter with your weekly edition of the Mouth Off podcast?

Bit of a special one tonight as we have an exclusive interview with the director of the forthcoming film Death and Cremation, Justin Steele, whose generosity and candour was a breath of fresh air and the stories he tells of getting an original horror film made, as well as working with Brad Dourif and Jeremy Sumpter are really worth a listen.

We’d like to thank Justin for his time, you can find the interview at the end of the podcast, or you can download the MP3 right here. The trailer for the film is included below and I’d point you to the official website here.

In addition to the interview we’ve got reviews of Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg and Christopher Smith’s Black Death and Craig Skinner and Brendon Connelly join me in discussing the merits (or not) of watching a film on a phone, as well as our usual Ripped from the Crypt selections.

You may have seen we now have a HeyUGuys forum so click here to talk about the films, news items or the Ripped from the Crypt choices we make this week.

Click here to subscribe or listen to the Mouth Off feed in iTunes, where you can also find our older episodes.

I hope you enjoy it, do let us know what you want to hear, or if you agree or disagree with us – leave your comments here, or email us on MouthOff@heyuguys.co.uk

Here’s the trailer for Justin Steele’s Death and Cremation,

And our usual Ripped from the Crypt selections, First up Craig bucked trends and nominated the TV series Homicide: Life on the Streets,

I chose the 2007 film The Living Wake,

Brendon chose the film The Cremator (original title: Spalovac mrtvol)

Greenberg is a clever, cautious and ultimately beautiful film which benefits from the twin talents of Ben Stiller and Greta Grewig under Noah Baumbach’s assured direction.

Fans of the director will find his new film replete with understated performances and a naturalistic tone, rendered here wonderfully. Equally, detractors won’t be converted, but this is not Baumbach’s film, that honour goes to one of the actors.

The overriding theme of Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg is stated and restated by Ben Stiller’s character, the titular Roger Greenberg, as he is buffeted and harrassed by friends old and new. ‘I’m just trying to do nothing right now’ is his stock response, and much of the film pivots on the cause and effect of this inaction.

It begins as Florence’s story, Greta Gerwig impressing effortlessly in every moment on screen, and it is her relationship with her employee’s brother (Stiller) which leads us through the film, from their initial awkwardness to their blossoming relationship and entwining lives. Greenberg, believing himself to have his demons bloodied and left behind him after a voluntary spell in hospital comes to realise that he is not ready to face the future, but with Florence a future presents itself.

Greta Gerwig is the star of this film, illuminating those whom she orbits. Though the painfully erosive lack of self esteem threatens to overwhelm her character at each turn it is her ability to appear completely without artifice that disarms; her nakedness is a masterclass in naturalistic acting, and her woman on the edge of nervous laughter is worth the price of the admission. Her performance as Florence is so important to the film as the merest hint of an agenda from wither Gerwig or Baumbach would shatter the illusion.

It is easy to become passive while watching this film, as its fabric is made up of the merits of an inactive life, but Greenberg’s steady momentum allows the characters to crackle and spark off each other, never losing the audience during the time they spend focusing inwards. Witness the moment old friends and one time bandmates Greenberg and Rhys Ifans’s Ivan meet up after years apart and I struggled to think of a time either actor had done better work, and this was just one moment among many.

It is only when a film like this comes along that we get a reminder of the ability that Ben Stiller has, that he is so much more than his blockbusting persona offers, and while franchise hopping will keep him solvent I hope he takes this detour again. Baumbach understands the power of an understated performance and manages to keep Stiller’s comedy rage at bay here, giving his emotional one man tug-of-war resonance which plays perfectly with Jennifer Jason Leigh (Baumbach’s co-writer and cast as Greenberg’s one that got away), Ifans and, of course, Gerwig.

It is the love story of Greenberg and Florence, but there is so much more to it than that. Baumbach and Stiller combine to make Greenberg a loathsome yet disarming character and the film is at its best when the small details of their affair are played out.

They bond over a sick dog, break up over Florence’s ‘racy’ past (a story told of an inconsequential night out which goes wrong is Gerwig’s triumph – seriously, I wanted to stop the film and have the projectionist play it back – it is that good) and their strange chemistry engages on a visual and emotional level as we watch the attraction and repelling go back and forth.

Seriously, just go and see it. It’s worth your time. If this is your first time seeing Greta Gerwig in a film you’ll fall in love, mumblecore mainstream or not, Greenberg is a treat, and sits among the towering blockbusters of this summer waiting to be discovered.

Greenberg is out in the UK tomorrow, so there’s no excuse.

Noah Baumbach’s triumphant return to the cinema sees Ben Stiller give an amazing performance as Roger Greenberg, a reclusive, introverted failed musician searching for a guiding light, whom he finds in the painfully shy Florence (Greta Gerwig).

Greenberg is their story, and is out in UK cinemas on the 11th of June, and to celebrate we’ve got some prizes to give away.

The main prize is a goodie bag which includes a t-shirt, a journal and a soundtrack CD by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. There are three copies of the soundtrack CD for the runners up.

To be in with a chance to win you need to become a fan of HeyUGuys and Greenberg on Facebook (if you have an account) and answer the following question using the form below.

Complete the title for this previous Noah Baumbach film: The Squid and the ______.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• This competition is open to the UK only.
• Only one entry per household will be counted.
• The competition will close Friday 18th June at 23.59 GMT.
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received.

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

Here’s the synopsis for the film,

Greenberg brings actor Ben Stiller together with Academy Award-nominated writer/director Noah Baumbach (“The Squid and the Whale”) to tell the funny and moving tale of Roger Greenberg.

Roger Greenberg [Ben Stiller], single, fortyish and at a crossroads in his life, finds himself in Los Angeles, house-sitting for six weeks for his more successful/married-with-children brother. In search of a place to restart his life, Greenberg tries to reconnect with old friends including his former band mate Ivan [Rhys Ifans]. But old friends aren’t necessarily still best friends, and Greenberg soon finds himself spending more and more time with his brother’s personal assistant Florence [Greta Gerwig], an aspiring singer and also something of a lost soul. Despite his best attempts not to be drawn in, Greenberg and Florence manage to forge a connection, and Greenberg realizes he may at last have found a reason to be happy.

Here’s the new trailer for Ben Stiller’s latest movie, Greenberg which is directed by Noah Baumbach. The movie also stars Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Messina, Brie Larson, Juno Temple and is directed by Noah Baumback.

Greenberg seems to have moved away from Stiller’s usual style of comedy and has become somewhat darker than we’re used to. I’ve added the trailer below the synopsis. Let us know what you think in the comments below. You can check out this trailer in HD on the Apple website.

Greenberg (Ben Stiller) is at a crossroads in his life. Out of a job and none too interested in finding one, he agrees to housesit for his younger and more successful brother, thereby getting a free place to stay in Los Angeles. Once settled in, Greenberg sets out to reconnect with his old friend and former bandmate Ivan (Rhys Ifans). But times have changed, and old friends aren’t necessarily still best friends, so Greenberg finds himself spending more and more time instead with his brother’s personal assistant Florence (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring singer and herself something of a lost soul. As their relationship develops through a series of embarrassingly awkward romantic encounters, even someone as irascible as Greenberg might have at last found a reason to be happy.