Brian De Palma to reopen Boston Stranglers case
Brian De Palma has long had a thing for the notorious. The Scarface director has signed on to take the helm of The Boston Stranglers, an adaptation of a non-fiction book about Albert DeSalvo, the man who confessed to a series of murders in the Boston area during the 1960s. De Palma similarly plumbed real-life-derived atrocities in Casualties Of War and the recent commercial disappointments Redacted and The Black Dahlia. His last hit was Mission: Impossible in 1996.
The Strangler case continues to stir debate. Many question whether DeSalvo — a publicity hound who confessed to the murders and was later stabbed to death while incarcerated on unrelated charges — was the actual killer. The murders were the basis of a 1968 movie that starred Tony Curtis as DeSalvo and Henry Fonda as the detective pursuing him. That version was based on an earlier book by Gerold Frank. Several TV and DVD movies have been derived from the events.
The latest version is based on Susan Kelly’s book The Boston Stranglers: The Public Conviction Of Albert DeSalvo and the True Story Of Eleven Shocking Murders. It will be produced by Gale Anne Hurd, who produced the June 13 release The Incredible Hulk.
Mac, Baldwin take trip to Madagascar sequel
The original cast of the animated hit Madagascar will be joined by new names such as Bernie Mac and Alec Baldwin in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, which is scheduled for a November 7 release.
Among those reprising their roles from DreamWorks Animation’s 2005 film are Ben Stiller as Alex the lion, Chris Rock as Marty the zebra, and David Schwimmer as Melman the giraffe.
Mac (The Bernie Mac Show) joins the cast as Zuba, Alex’s dad and head of the pride, while Baldwin (30 Rock) will play Makunga, a challenger to Zuba.
Additionally, comedian Sherri Shepherd (The View) will play Alex’s mom, while singer Will.i.am, of the funk group Black Eyed Peas is on board as Moto Moto, a watering hole lothario.
In the new story, Alex, Marty, Melman and their fellow zoo refugees find themselves marooned in Madagascar. They make it to Africa, where they encounter species of their own kind for the first time. Despite underwhelming reviews, Madagascar grossed over $193 million at the North American box office.
