The Bulletin: Yes, Chief!

Alan Arkin will star as the chief of CONTROL in "Get Smart" (June 20, 2008), an adaptation of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry's 1960s TV spoof, for director Peter Segal ("Anger Management," "50 First Dates") and Warner Bros. Pictures, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Arkin joins Steve Carell ("Little Miss Sunshine"), as the none-to-smart secret agent Maxwell Smart; Anne Hathaway ("The Devil Wears Prada"), as Smart's partner Agent 99; Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson; and Terence Stamp, as a nemesis in the terrorist organization KAOS.

Downey Jr., Baruchel Aboard "Tropic Thunder"
Robert Downey Jr. and Jay Baruchel ("Million Dollar Baby") will enlist in "Tropic Thunder" (July 11, 2008), a comedy about five actors haphazardly caught in the crossfire of a real war while on the location shoot of a bombastic war epic, for director Ben Stiller ("The Cable Guy") and Dreamworks Pictures, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Downey Jr. will star as Kirk Lazarus, the greatest actor of his generation, while Baruchel will star as he clueless Kevin Sandusky, an unknown actor on the set. Stiller, Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen wrote the script.

Bousman to Direct "Scanners" Update
Darren Lynn Bousman ("Saw III") will direct an update of David Cronenberg's futuristic cult horror thriller "Scanners" (1981) for Dimension Films, reports Variety. David Goyer ("Batman Begins") will write the script. In "Scanners," a corporation recruits a scientist to infiltrate an underground cabal of telepaths. Rene Malo, Pierre David, Clark Peterson, Jessika Borsiczky Goyer, Mark Burg and Oren Koules will produce the remake. Production could begin as early as next year.

Mark Your Calendar
Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" (B) will be available for rental May 22; "Venus" with Peter O'Toole, May 22; "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls," June 12; "Norbit" with Eddie Murphy, June 12; Nick Cassavetes' "Alpha Dog" with Justin Timberlake and Emile Hirsch, May 1; "Because I Said So" with Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore, May 8; "Seraphim Falls" with Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson, May 15; an update of the horror thriller "The Hitcher" with Sean Bean, May 1; "Smokin' Aces" blows away a rogue's gallery of stars (Ben Affleck, Jeremy Piven and Ray Liotta, to name a few), April 17; "Arthur and the Invisibles," May 15; "Army of Shadows," May 15; and "Happily N'Ever After," May 1.