03.10.08: '10,000 BC' Clubs The Competition, Sandler Reteams With Apatow & Coppola Casts Gallo

Roland Emmerich’s prehistoric mish-mash of mammoths and ancient civilisations, 10,000 BC, speared $35.7 million over the weekend to install itself firmly at No. 1. The weekend's other big opener, Martin Lawrence comedy College Road Trip, trailed Emmerich’s loincloth spectacular in second place with $14 million, while Will Ferrell’s basketball comedy Semi-Pro continued its lame run, plummeting 62 percent in week two and adding $5.8 million to its meager $24.7 million total. At this rate, chalk the basketball comedy up as Ferrell’s first bona-fide flop. More at Variety

Dark Knight Director Talks Ledger
Christopher Nolan, who cast Heath Ledger in his final role as The Joker, discusses the late star and his performance as The Dark Knight's unhinged, facepaint-smeared Bat-nemesis. “It’s stunning, it’s iconic, it’s going to just blow people away,” says Nolan of the Aussie actor's Joker turn. More at The New York Times

Sandler, Rogen Up For Apatow Comedy
Judd Apatow has wrangled Adam Sandler, Knocked Up star Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann (not difficult where that's concerned – she is his wife) for the next comedy he plans to direct. It’ll be Apatow’s second film with Sandler after the pair co-wrote Don’t Mess With Zohan together. For now, Hollywood’s current crown prince of comedy is keeping the plot under wraps. More at Variety

Coppola Casts Gallo in Tetro
In a truly mouth-watering collaboration – at least for fans of tyro auteurs working with bizarro actors – Francis Ford Coppola has slotted in Vincent Gallo alongside Javier Bardem and Maribel Verdu for Tetro. The Brown Bunny star-director will play the title role in Coppola’s Buenos Aires-set tale of a family ripped apart by rivalries and betrayal. “I know choosing Vincent Gallo to star in my film will raise a few eyebrows,” surmised Coppola in classic understatement, “but I’m betting that seeing him in the role will open some eyes.” More at Variety

Justin Long Heads To Hell
Justin Long is joining Alison Lohman in Sam Raimi’s supernatural thriller Drag Me To Hell. The Live Free Or Die Hard star will play the boyfriend of Lohman’s character, who finds herself afflicted by a pesky supernatural curse. More at Variety