The Daily Dish: April 30

-- Hansel and Gretel get a Hollywood makeover. The fairy-tale duo will be heading to the big screen courtesy of Tommy Wirkola, the director/writer of the comedy Dead Snow - a Sundance selection about zombie Nazis attacking winter vacationers that got raves from critics and fans alike. The Norwegian filmmaker plans to pick up the twosome’s story 15 years after the traumatic gingerbread housing debacle where we find them living as specialized bounty hunters focused on eradicating the entire sorcery population. While the idea may seem completely out there, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the pitch caught the interest of comedy powerhouse producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, who both loved the idea of making a fairy-tale film similar to Shaun of the Dead or Evil Dead 2. McKay, who plans to produce along with Ferrell, Chris Henchy and Kevin Messick, enthuses, “It's a hybrid sort of old-timey feeling, yet there's pump-action shotguns. Modern technology but in an old style. We heard it and we were just like, 'That's a freakin' franchise! You could make three of those!'” No need to sell it so hard, Adam...you had me at ‘bounty hunters’.

-- Swine flu keeps studios and movies out of Mexico. First there was the cancellation of the big Wolverine premiere in Mexico City and now, on the heels of the increased warnings from the World Health Organization, several studios have been forced to delay the release of several of this summer’s big ticket films. Sony has pushed back the release of Angels & Demons from May 15 to June 12 and has altered the opening date for Terminator Salvation from June 5 to July 31. Fox has temporarily moved the start date for Wolverine to May 15, but acknowledges they may have to make further changes depending on the circumstances. The other big May release, Paramount’s Star Trek, has been pushed back from its original release date of May 8 but another date hasn’t yet been chosen. Given the severity of the cases and the number of people affected in the country by the flu, studios may have to rethink their entire summer release schedules when it comes to Mexico (and maybe other countries depending on how things progress).

-- Gordon-Levitt and Wilson join Hesher. Rainn Wilson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have both signed on for Hesher, a dramedy centering on a down-on-himself 20-something who gets involved in the lives of a 13-year-old boy and his troubled family. Gordon-Levitt is set to star as the protagonist while “The Office” star Wilson will play the pill-popping father of the young boy. Natalie Portman has already signed on to the flick as both co-star, as the object of the young boy’s affections, and producer. What’s a ‘hesher’ you might ask? I suggest picturing Adam Sandler’s character in The Wedding Singer, only contemporary and a touch more pathetic. This one sounds like it could be interesting and how great it is to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt getting more starring roles? If you can’t wait for this one to come out to see him on the big screen, no worries! Check out his starring role in 500 Days of Summer alongside the adorable Zooey Deschanel when it hits theatres on July 17.