Imran Jaffery

What's with these middle of the road filmmakers and their fascination with Robert F. Kennedy? First that auteur of the cinema Emilio Estevez examined (sort of) the American icon's assassination in the truly terrible Bobby, now Chris Columbus is going to try his hand at exploring the appeal of JFK's little brother in an adaptation of Thurston Clarke’s The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America.

As anticipated, casting news is coming in like a torrent on Quentin Tarantino’s Nazi kill-fest Inglorious Bastards. The big scoop today? Well we know you’ve got a big appetite so how about a few? First, Brad Pitt has officially signed on to lead the Bastards as Tennessean Lt. Aldo Raine ending weeks of speculation.

Korean auteur and art-house darling Hong Sang-soo has just started production on his latest film with a budget south of $100,000. That’s less than what it costs to cater something like The Dark Knight for a week. The tentatively titled Without Even Knowing Properly is the filmmaker’s ninth feature and his first jaunt into the world of Hi-Def (HD) moviemaking. Like always, it is being produced by his own Jeonwasa.

Over the last few weeks rumors have been swirling about Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio being eyed as the leads lending credence to this sea change. Now Variety breaks the news that QT has cast his buddy (or disciple depending on how you look at it) fellow director/wanna-be actor Eli Roth in the film and I’m left scratching my head. That’s right, the Hostel auteur will play Sgt. Donny Donowitz – or The Bear Jew to friends and foes – a bat swinging bastard from Boston with anger issues and a chip on his shoulder.

Hipster indie house Mandate Pictures, who brought us last year’s 'it' flick Juno, have optioned the Carolyn Parkhurst novel and tapped Irish stage and screen director John Crowley to helm the project.