MTV snagged an exclusive photo from the mysterious Where the Wild Things Are, which they spotted at the New York Licensing Expo. Click on the tantalizing photo on the right to see the whole thing over on MTV. It isn't very big, but it is one of those evocative images that makes you absolutely crazy to see this movie. It really is perfect -- from the wolf suit down to those mysterious monster paws.

The rumors still abound about it. The fact that it is appearing at the Licensing Expo gives one hope that we will see it, and that they won't actually recast a child they have featured on the advertising. To catch you up, Kim talked to Tom Noonan at Cannes. He thought the film would be released as Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers had intended it to be.

Yet, as Monika reported at the beginning of June, Warner Bros is prepping a month of reshoots. It was unclear how much was being changed, but new casting calls went out for various stand-in roles. That suggests that it is more than a few pick-up shots, and that all the whispers of unhappiness and drastic alterations are true. The silence from all involved (with the exception Noonan and Forrest Whitaker) doesn't help. At least we can enjoy the picture and wonder.

[via Empire]

From Cannes last week, Kim shared a discussion with Tom Noonan about Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are. Although she wasn't able to ask about the whole Wild kerfuffle that has been going on, between test screenings and release dates, she said: "He seemed to think the film will be released in his current iteration, though of course, if that's not the case, he wouldn't necessarily be in the loop."

No, it looks like he wasn't. According to Bloody Disgusting, Warner Brothers has scheduled reshoots for Jonze's film, which will take place in Los Angeles from June 5-30. They say: "It is unclear how much is being reshot, but there are new casting calls out for various stand-in roles."

Considering the fact that test screenings reduced some kids to tears, begging to be let out of the screening, I imagine the reshoots will try to wipe away the scary bits. That'll be good for sensitive young tykes, but not so much for adults, and those who said positive things about the test screenings. Maybe they can just put out two; it would be a shame for the original vision to go to waste. Then again, all of this depends on SAG not striking.

What do you guys think? Should kids get a less-scary version? And, what should be done with Jonze's original vision?

Things have been quiet in the land of the monsters. Too quiet. But support for the the film came from an unexpected source -- Forest Whitaker. He actually provides a voice for one of the monsters, Ira. "He puts the holes in the trees," the Oscar-winner told MTV. "I have a wife and kid, and we're the only family unit inside [the land of the Wild Things]."

Whitaker was appalled at the rumors that Warner Bros was planning to reshoot the entire film, and promised to call director Spike Jonze to get the story. In the meantime, he wanted to stress his support for the film, and report that at least three children handled a screening of it just fine -- his own. "My children are 9, 11, and 16. It was intense. They liked it, though. They enjoyed it ... It's a good movie. I saw an early cut of it. I brought my kids to see it, and I was really impressed."

Say what you want about Tarsem Singh, but you can't deny the man has a way with art direction. If you don't believe me, take a look at the trailer over at IGN for Singh's fantasy film, The Fall. Dan Gilroy's story focuses on a young girl in a hospital who befriends an American actor. The tales he tells her to pass the hours begin to bleed into the real world and suddenly everyone around her becomes part of the story. Lee Pace *(Friday Night Lights) stars as the storytelling actor, and Catinca Untaru as his captive audience. The trailer might not explain much about the film, but it now carries the seal of approval from respected directors David Fincher and Spike Jonze in the form of a 'so and so presents'. You never know, maybe it was their combined star power that helped get the film a deal with Roadside Attractions.

Unfortunately for Singh, his film career has been filled with very few ups and plenty of downs. Despite his success with music videos, critical response to his debut film, The Cell, wasn't exactly encouraging. As of late, it hasn't gotten much better for the director, and he was recently replaced by David Slade (30 Days of Night) as director on the thriller Unthinkable. The Fall is proving to be no exception to Singh's track record in Hollywood. The film was completed back in 2006, and only a few people got the chance to actually see it when it premiered at TIFF. Hopefully putting Fincher and Jonze's name on the marketing is going to help draw an audience. The Fall is expected to go into limited release in March.

*Correction: Pace stars in Pushing Daisies

No, it's not another sequel to the Neve Campbell/Denise Richards classic! The extremely likable Lauren Ambrose (Claire on Six Feet Under, Denise Fleming in Can't Hardly Wait) will voice a character in the upcoming adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved childrens' book -- Where the Wild Things Are. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ambrose is playing KW -- "one of the giant characters in the land of the Wild Things. When a young boy named Max visits their strange world, KW and company turn him into their king."

Ambrose is taking over the role from Michelle Williams. Apparently Williams got along well with the filmmakers, but "her voice didn't match their original vision of how the Wild Things should sound." Where the Wild Things Are mixes flesh-and-blood actors, computer animation, and live-action puppetry. I can't wait to see it, I adored the book as a kid and I love pretty much everyone involved with the film. Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation -- a couple of my favorite flicks) will direct, and wrote the screenplay with Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, one of my favorite books). You can go into the Wild in Fall 2008.

In honor of the striking screenwriters, I wanted to write a list of my favorites, either contemporary or all-time. But I decided that it would be more respectful to not exclude any of them. Even the bad writers need recognition right now. I've tried writing screenplays, and I salute anyone who has had one produced, whether brilliant or not. Even if it weren't difficult to actually write a script, it's certainly tough to deal with the b.s. of Hollywood and the sad truth that your vision will likely not make it to the screen as devised. So, instead of concentrating on real writers, I figured I'd look at screenwriter characters, specifically those portraying the hardships of the job.

"Joe Gillis" from Sunset Blvd. (1950, Billy Wilder).

I imagine there's nothing scarier for a struggling screenwriter than the thought of ending up like poor Joe Gillis (William Holden). The opening shot of Wilder's classic shows the character floating face down in a swimming pool, and immediately he's labeled "an unsuccessful screenwriter." This sets up a hopelessness for the character, and for writers in general, as the film then flashes back to one of the greatest stories of Hollywood cynicism ever made. Gillis not only represents the difficulty of making it as a screenwriter, he also shares some juicy lines about how writers aren't recognized enough by the public ("Audiences don't know somebody sits down and writes a picture; they think the actors make it up as they go along."); about drastic alterations to his scripts ("The last one I wrote was about Okies in the dust bowl. You'd never know because when it reached the screen, the whole thing played on a torpedo boat.") and about the desperation that turns good writers into seemingly hack writers (replying to talk of his once promising talent, he says, "That was last year. This year I'm trying to make a living."). There were screenwriter characters before him, and plenty after, but Gillis will forever be the quintessential example.

It's probably hard enough adapt a book into a screenplay, especially if your source material only runs about 15 pages long. New York Magazine reports that they have managed to get hold of a copy of the screenplay for Where the Wild Things Are by Dave Eggers and Spike Jonze. Now for the good news: according to them, it is pretty darned good (that's if it's still the same version written back in '05). NY's Culture Vulture blog posts, "Where the Wild Things Are is filled with richly imagined psychological detail, and the screenplay for this live-action film simply becomes a longer and more moving version of what Maurice Sendak's book has always been at heart: a book about a lonely boy leaving the emotional terrain of boyhood behind".

If you have never read Wild Things, my first question would be -- did you even have a childhood? But I realize there are probably at least a few of you out there who, for one reason or another, never picked it up. Where the Wild Things Are centers on "Max, who one evening plays around his home, 'making mischief' in a wolf costume (chasing the dog with a fork, etc.). As punishment, his mother sends him to bed without supper. In his room, a mysterious, wild forest grows out of his imagination and Max journeys to the land of the Wild Things"

According to NY Magazine, the flick now makes Max an "8-year-old with an absent father, an older sister who's drifting away from him, a mother whose personal and job concerns leave her little time or energy for the rambunctious boy she dearly loves". Even though Culture Vulture didn't offer up many details, I've read enough Dave Eggers to know that no one can pluck the 'familial heartstrings' like he can, so I would be inclined to get behind their enthusiasm. Combine Eggers writing with Jonze's style and the odds seem pretty good that this could be the family film to beat in 2008.

While out promoting Superbad, rising comedic star Jonah Hill told MTV that he'll be starring in yet another Apatow-produced flick, Pure Imagination. Like with the previously announced Middle Child (which is currently out to directors), Hill wrote the script and will produce along with his pal Judd Apatow. These will be Hill's next two films, after the three (One Part Sugar, Horton Hears a Who, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) he's either wrapped or wrapping up now. Pic, which Hill said could incorporate some CGI, will apparently follow a guy who isn't sure whether his new girlfriend is real or not (which kind of reminds me of the premise for the upcoming Ryan Gosling flick Lars and the Real Girl).

According to Hill, "Basically, I go through a bunch of traumatic stuff, and I develop an imaginary friend. Then what happens is I meet a girl, and we start dating ... but the problem is I don't know whether she [actually] exists [or] whether she's a figment of my imagination." I imagine a problem like that could be solved rather easily, but Hill adds: "It's basically a relationship movie, but the whole time I'm trying to avoid finding out whether she's real or not." So here's this guy who's really digging his new girlfriend (who may or may not be real), but he avoids potential truths because he's having such a blast with her. Interesting. Sweet. Sincere. I think I like. Interestingly enough, Hill goes on to say that the goal is to mix their brand of down-to-earth relatable humor with some of the more extravagant (in terms of visuals) stuff you'll find in a Spike Jonze or Michel Gondry film. "It's kind of like a little bit artsier," he notes. An artsy loser comedy with tons of CGI? How can you go wrong. Look for both Middle Child and Pure Imagination to show up at some point in 2008/2009. Meanwhile, Hill can next be seen in Superbad (did you check out the brand new R-rated clip yet?) later this summer on August 17.

It's really hard to tell whether this is real or not -- it's in a couple of places around the web, but no one lists a precise source for the request. Plus, the email addresses are personal, not directed to a specific firm or publicist. This site (which looks like it focuses on a musical) seems to be where the call originated; I suppose, given Spike Jonze's strong music ties, that such a thing popping up there is possible.

Anyway, here's the deal: Supposedly, there's an open call (It looks like maybe they didn't find him in NYC last month.) for the actor who will play Max in Jonze's screen version of Where the Wild Things Are. If you (And if you're a kid Max's age, reading Cinematical? We love you) or your kid is between seven and nine years of age -- they'll take a precocious seven-year-old or a short, young-looking nine, but eight is ideal -- who is "sensitive, loving, lovable, smart, with a sense of humor," not to mention "playful, rambunctious, mischievous," you might want to be emailing these folks, because your boy is in demand. Of course, since that describes pretty much every eight-year-old boy I've ever met, at least during his good moments, your kid might be part of a rather massive casting pool.

If anyone has more info about the legitimacy of this call, let us know in the comments.

Got a small boy nearby that you wouldn't mind subjecting to some Wild Things? Is he yours? Do you both live in New York?

Then head on over The Church of St. Paul the Apostle (60th & Columbus) on Saturday, July 8th (between 10am and 4pm), because that's where WB will be holding an open casting call for Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, which is the big-screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak's well-beloved book. The casting directors are looking for young boys between the ages of 7 and 11. (No, Michael Jackson does not work for the casting directors. Matter of fact, all kids must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.)

Adapted for the screen by Jonze (Adaptation.), Michael Goldenberg (Contact), and award-winning author / first-time screenwriter Dave Eggers, Where the Wild Things Are tells the story of "Max, a headstrong young boy who runs away from home and finds himself in a thriving forest bordering a vast sea. Misunderstood and rebellious, Max sets sail to the land of the wild things were mischief reigns."

The live-action / animation combo will star Benicio Del Toro, Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, Catherine O'Hara, and ... maybe your kid.