The Bulletin: Travolta Vs. Washington in 'Pelham'

John Travolta will board an update of Joseph Sargent's "The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three" (1974), about a police lieutenant in a rush to impede a subway train with hijackers aboard, with Denzel Washington to co-star, reports Variety. Tony Scott ("Man on Fire," "Crimson Tide") will direct at Columbia Pictures. David Koepp ("Spider-Man," "Jurassic Park") wrote the script. Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch will produce with Scott. Travolta, typically a juicy villain ("Swordfish," "Face/Off," "Broken Arrow"), is cast as a New York Subway train hijacker in demand of a ransom; and Washington, as the chief detective in a position to save the passengers.

Harrelson in Stone's 'Pinkville'
Woody Harrelson will star in Oliver Stone's Vietnam War docudrama "Pinkville," about the U.S. Army's mass murder of 347 to 504 defenseless Vietnamese civilians Mar. 16, 1968, in the hamlet of My Lai, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Bruce Willis, Michael Peña and Channing Tatum will co-star. Mikko Alanne wrote the script. United Artists will finance a budget of roughly $40 million, and MGM will distribute.

'Underworld' Prequel in Production
Special effects artist Patrick Tatopoulos will direct "Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans," with Michael Sheen ("The Queen"), Bill Nighy and Rhona Mitra to star, reports Variety. Len Wiseman ("Underworld," "Underworld: Evolution") will produce with Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi and Skip Williamson. Danny McBride wrote the script, about the origin of a blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, the Death Dealers, and the subservient werewolves, the Lycans.

Foxx in 'Zebra Murders'
Jamie Foxx will star as a detective in "The Zebra Murders: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness and Civil Rights," an adaptation of Prentice Earl Sanders and Bennett Cohen's account of a series of racial murders in San Francisco in 1973-74, reports Variety. Matthew Carnahan ("The Kingdom," "Lions for Lambs") will adapt. Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner will produce with Foxx and Jaime Rucker King. Jeremy Kleiner, Marcus King and Shelby Stone will executive produce.

Mann, De Niro Tune 'Machine'
Michael Mann ("Heat") will develop "Frankie Machine," an adaptation of Don Winslow's novel "The Winter of Frankie Machine" with Robert De Niro to star, reports Variety. De Niro and Jane Rosenthal will produce. Alex Tse ("Watchmen") will rewrite Brian Koppelman and David Levien's script, in which withdrawn assassin Frank Machianno, in retirement as a bait shop owner, agrees to mediate a mob dispute but quickly is the target in a trap.

Mark Your Calendar
On DVD: "The Nanny Diaries," with Scarlett Johansson, will be available for rental and purchase Dec. 4; and Rob Zombie's "Halloween," Dec. 18.