For starters, I had no idea that a fourth Austin Powers film was even on the horizon. So imagine my surprise when the Boston Globe reported that Gisele Bündchen was in talks to star in the latest installment of Mike Myers' spy franchise. According to the Globe, Bündchen has already been given a script and her agent is arranging meetings with Myers and producer Jay Roach.

Myers first spoke about another Austin Powers film back when he was still prepping The Love Guru with Jessica Alba. Myers had told MTV, "We're developing a fourth [movie], entirely from Dr. Evil's point of view." Myers also said that he would only be working on a Powers film in his spare time. Judging by Myers' slate for 2009 it doesn't look like he is going to have much free time; the actor is still attached to star in the Keith Moon biopic, See Me Feel Me: Keith Moon Naked for Your Pleasure, as well as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (both films are scheduled for release in 2009).

Although Rob Vlock's first novel, which is set on Madison Avenue, is still making the rounds at lit houses in New York City, it's already been optioned for a feature treatment -- which should help its publishing possibilities just a little. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Jay Roach, the director behind both the Austin Powers and Meet the Parents films, has optioned Off Strategy. He will produce it at Sony, and has set up Jon Poll as the director. Poll worked as an editor on many of Roach's films, and has his first directorial feature, Charlie Bartlett, getting released next February.

The two comparable titles that are floating around this project are, believe it or not, You've Got Mail and The 40-Year-Old Virgin -- just a bit of a contrast. Basically, the studio wants it to be the modern AOL-named romcom, but THR sources say the humor is similar to Virgin. The story centers on relationships and romance, but from a male perspective. Specifically, it's about "an ad copywriter who falls for a woman who turns out to be a client with whom the copywriter already has an acrimonious phone relationship." So that's where the Mail comes in -- that acrimony through the invisible nature of technology.

Now the question remains: what sort of humor from Virgin will the piece have? Is the guy a virgin? Does he have friends who play videogames while playing the "You know how I know you're gay?" game? And who would star? Personally, I'd love to see someone like Campbell Scott, but he doesn't have the huge pull necessary for romcom history, and I'm thinking they'll want to go younger. Maybe Jake Gyllenhaal?

I was talking with a friend the other day about the shocking decline in the quality of Kevin Spacey's films. It seems as though that Oscar for American Beauty was some sort of horrific curse, sending him into a long run of ill-advised, disastrous movie projects. Look at the man's filmography pre and then post Beauty. It's distressing! But Variety is reporting on a flick that sounds like it might turn things around. HBO Films' Recount will tell the story of the Florida results in the 2000 election, one of the most controversial political events of recent years. As Monika recently told you, Sydney Pollack was supposed to direct but dropped out due to "an undisclosed illness." Jay Roach, a director primarily known for broad comedy (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Meet the Parents, and their lesser sequels), will now direct. Danny Strong wrote the screenplay. The film will document "the legal and political maneuvering from the point of view of both the Bush and Gore camps."

Spacey will star as Ron Klain, "former chief of staff to vice president Al Gore and one of the lead attorneys who challenged the voting results in Florida." In addition to Spacey, Recount has lined up one hell of a supporting cast: Laura Dern will play Katherine Harris, the Florida secretary of state who certified that George W. Bush had won the state. Denis Leary (what went wrong on this season of Rescue Me, DL?) plays Michael Whouley, a Democrat pollster. John Hurt plays Warren Christopher, a key player for Gore. Tom Wilkinson plays James Baker, brought in by the Republicans to see that the disputed results held up. And two Christopher Guest alums will duke it out in the courtroom. Ed Begley, Jr will play David Boies, the lawyer who appealed the results and argued for the Democrats. Bob Balaban plays Ben Ginsberg, head attorney for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. See what I mean about that supporting cast? You won't have to demand a Recount -- look for the film on HBO during the 2008 presidential election.

Emmy-nominated Rainn Wilson is heating up in Hollywood, somewhat competing with his Office co-stars Steve Carell, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer for most movie deals. His latest is Renaissance Men, which he co-wrote with actor Matt Ross (HBO's Big Love) and just sold to Universal. In the comedy, Wilson and Ross will play losers (Wilson claims he can't write about winners) who think they've killed their community theater co-star and so hideout at a Renaissance fair. Wilson describes it as, "a bit like We're No Angels, only funny." He also claims that Renaissance fairs are fascinating because, "everyone has been to one, but no one really knows what makes them tick."

I'll be the first to admit I've never been to a Ren fair, but I did have some friends in high school that were into them -- sometimes they even brought their crossbows to school (fortunately not in the view of teachers). These were the same kids who wouldn't let me play role-playing games because I wouldn't take them seriously enough. So, yeah, I'm all for making a mockery out of the whole thing. Wilson was a D&D player and a Ren fair attendee as a teen, so he has the experience to use as a foundation and the ability to make fun of himself while making fun of those people who are into Ren fair stuff.

Wilson will co-produce with director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents). There is so far no one attached to direct. Roach has a lot of stuff lined up, including producing Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno movie, but unless he goes ahead soon with another Austin Powers sequel or the "comedic Vertigo movie", he should go ahead and helm Renaissance Men. As for Wilson, he's got the comedies Juno, The Rocker, Girlfriend Experience and Bonzai Shadowhands, which he also wrote. Unlike some people, I think Wilson can do more than play Dwight Schrute types -- I loved him as a very un-Dwight-like guy in Baadasssss! -- and can't wait to see how his starring roles turn out. However, I do think Hollywood might want to typecast the guy and I hope the studios don't try and force him to stick with his Office shtick in every movie he's in.

Boy, people love money don't they? This week has already seen its share of ridiculous lawsuits, but this one, another stemming from Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, seems particularly frivolous. You know the guy who runs away from Sacha Baron Cohen when "Borat" tries to hug him on the streets of New York? The one who is seen, as court documents put it, "fleeing in apparent terror, screaming for Mr. Cohen to 'go away'?" Well, that guy is suing 20th Century Fox, seeking "unspecified damages." He claims the filmmakers used his likeness without his consent, "causing emotional damage that he continues to suffer." Referred to as "John Doe" in the suit, but outed as 31 year-old Jeffrey Lemerond at thesmokinggun, Lemerond has apparently been in a permanent state of "public ridicule, degradation, and humiliation." Riiight.

This is, of course, not the first time the makers of Borat have been sued. The two frat boys who were shown in the film drinking heavily and being racist morons had their suit thrown out back in February (thank God). In November, two residents of a Romanian village sued Fox for $30 million, claiming the Kazakhstan scenes in the film, shot in Romania, depicted them as "rapists, abortionists, prostitutes and thieves." A man in South Carolina sued over a bathroom scene that didn't even make it into the film. Lemerond's scene was in the Borat trailer, where his face was pixilated. His face was visible in the film itself. Lemerond filed, and immediately withdrew, a nearly identical suit in January -- that one listed director Larry Charles, producer Jay Roach, and Cohen as defendants. His current suit names only 20th Century Fox. Lemerond has not asked for a specific dollar amount, but doesn't hesitate to point out the huge box office grosses and DVD sales of the film. I wonder what, if any, effect these suits are having on gathering footage for the planned Bruno movie?

Just this morning I posted about Mike Myers and Jay Roach chatting up another possible Austin Powers sequel. On the heels of more groovy baby shenanigans, Roach has been tapped for another comedy. This is an original project from writer Ken Kaufman. If you're not familiar with the name, this is his resume -- In the Army Now, Muppets from Space, Space Cowboys, The Missing and Curious George. Considering the first three, this has the potential to be a decent flick, especially since Roach is responsible for Austin Powers and Meet the Parents.

An "off-center comedy," the winning pitch is about two party animals and friends who are close like brothers. However, one dies in a fluke accident, and the other flings himself into the throes of grief. That is, until he comes across someone else who could be the dead friend's doppelganger -- if he was taller and less nerdy. Looking to replace his friend, the guy tries to corrupt him and make this short nerd into his beloved friend. Unfortunately, since it's in the process of being written, that's all we know about the movie.

But that doesn't have to stop us from imagining the roles. Since they're party lovers, let's assume two twenty or thirty-somethings -- one of whom can look short or tall, nerdy or party animal-like. The first person to pop in my head is Eric Christian Olsen, the guy who played Gunter in Beerfest and the sex-loving Kenny in The Last Kiss. Maybe team him with Seth Green, who can pull off younger and should have a distraction from all of his Robot Chicken and Family Guy work? (He's short, and could always be given stilts!) Yeah, I'm at a loss. Any suggestions?

There is an interesting story in the LA Times this weekend discussing films that have been shut down by their studios, mainly Believe It of Not! and Used Guys. Both of these movies were  killed mostly because of rising production costs, but they also were both to star Jim Carrey, one of the most expensive actors in Hollywood. Now, on a movie with a budget above $100 million, as each had, Carrey's salary is only about a minor percentage of the costs, but it is still rather high for someone who couldn't draw audiences to his last two movies (Fun With Dick and Jane and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events). Used Guys was an especially costly film as far as talent goes, with Carrey's salary joined by Ben Stiller's and director Jay Roach's. The three cut their prices and the film was still too expensive (supposedly their combined salary still took up half the budget). When asked to cut more, the stars refused and the film died.

There has been a lot of talk in the media over the past year about stars not being worth their fee and about stars not drawing like they used to. Both of these things might be true, and obviously Stiller has had a good run of bombs over the years (his slump ended with Meet the Fockers), so why can't the stars see it? Are they really in need of all that $20 million can buy? Or are they simply greedy businessmen who no longer care about the art, the craft and the audience? I may come across as anti-capitalist with this reasoning, but certainly in a supply and demand world, the demand is the more important part. And demand for stars is just not there anymore.

If I was to buy a ticket for Used Guys, it wouldn't be because of Carrey and Stiller, and definitely not because of Roach, who hasn't shown any extra-spectacular talent to warrant a big salary. I would have bought the ticket because I thought the movie would be funny, or that the story would be entertaining. With a comedy more than most films, the actors do contribute to the funny, but with so much comic talent in Hollywood right now, there are no two actors who are made for any of the comedic roles. Used Guys could likely be made with the leads replaced by the Wilson Brothers, Steve Carrell, Vince Vaughn, Jack Black, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, the Wayans Brothers, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell or a number of younger, B-list stars. The movie would be a different movie depending on the combination, but as long as the script was good, it would be good, right? Think of some of your favorite movies and some that you think are the funniest. Do they have huge stars? I bet if they do, the stars weren't yet stars when the film was made.

[via Hollywood Wiretap]

Odds and ends from Tuesday:

• Hey, at least someone's involvement with Lindsay Lohan didn't end in rehab. Chris Pine, who co-starred with Lohan in Just My Luck, is in final negotiations to star in an untitled post-apocalyptic thriller with the Pastor brothers set to write and direct. Pic will revolve around four friends who, while trying to escape a viral pandemic in the American West, discover that it's not the virus they should be escaping, but each other. Recently, Alex Pastor was awarded the Sundance jury prize for his international short, The Natural Route (or La Ruta Natural). Here's hoping this new route propels these boys to bigger and better places.
• What is it about Las Vegas that's just so funny? The sex? The crime? The drugs? The booze? The bankruptcy? Actually, all of that is pretty hilarious -- strike that first sentence. 20th Century Fox has pre-emptively dropped a boat-load of money on a comedy pitch by Dana Fox (no relation ... I think) with Michael Aguilar and Dean Georgaris set to produce. The plot for Untitled Vegas Comedy (has a nice ring to it, right?) is being kept under wraps, but folks are saying it's a romantic comedy in the vein of Wedding Crashers. This leads us to assume it will have something to do with all of those Vegas quickie weddings and three-legged trapeze artists. Okay, so the three-legged trapeze artist was my idea ... but a boy can dream, right?
•  I've always said that if Robert Downey Jr. were ever to become a school principal, life as we know it would get a whole lot cooler. While the actor will not be a real-life principal, he has signed up to play one in a film called Charlie Bartlett. Also starring Hope Davis, Anton Yelchin, Kat Dennings and Tyler Hilton, the coming-of-age dark comedy will focus on a wealthy teen who charms his way into becoming his school's resident "psychiatrist." Jon Poll, who has edited for Jay Roach on films like Meet the Fockers and Austin Powers in Goldmember, will make his directorial debut.