Movie Nation

The premise of “The Lost Legion” is that enslaved Roman soldiers wind up in Outer Mongolia, only to be freed by Han Chinese soldiers who them team up with them to defeat the barbarians who gave Mulan such fits.

Something resembling a true story? A bit far-fetched. But Kurt Johnstad, who scripted “300” and “Act of Valor,” has drawn the task of scripting it, according to Deadline.com.

Period pieces set in Roman times are rare — “Centurion” and “The Eagle” were recent ones — and even rarer hits. This smacks of more Hollywood taking advantage of the Chinese market by tailoring its product to flatter that market.

But would I love to see it? You bet.

He even mentioned it in his manifesto.

No, it’s not the bloody, pistol-packing life-if-cheap and every killing comes with a quip movie’s fault that he went off on a killing spree. But the amorality and cavalier way life is treated in such pictures does tend to draw the unstable, in addition to all the folks who never shoot anybody.  Remember the Va. Tech shooter being a fan of “Old Boy”?

Nobody does a good death scene like our old pal Sean Bean.

Nobody. Ever since that 1995 Brosnan/Bond picture (“Goldeneye”), and the original “Lord of the Rings” (2001) he’s been the king of big screen versions of buying the farm.

No, it’s not all he does. But he does it so well.

The Wachowskis are following back to back epic flops (“Speed Racer,” “Cloud Atlas”) with another slice of sci-fi — “Jupiter Ascending.” Other hapless actors — Channing, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne — are already in the cast.

And now Mr. Bean. Who will die. To be sure.

The holiday road trip comedy “The Guilt Trip” didn’t do a lot of business. You could almost sense the eggshells that cast and crew were walking on around La Streisand, She who Would Not Work anywhere beyond a short drive from her Malibu home.

Kind of a problem for a ROAD TRIP comedy.

Anyway, after being pretty close to retired (the “Fockers” movies were all she’s done of late),. she has signed a deal to get back behind the camera and direct again. She did “Yentl” and “Prince of Tides” and “The Mirror Has Two Faces.”

No word yet on which project she’ll take on. Hopefully something that doesn’t require her to travel.

Not caped suits, but law suits. The endless haggling over the copyright, the legal “ownership” of Jerry Siegel’s creation, seemed over. Several times. Especially in January.

But since nothing is EVER settled in legal land, Warners is trying to shut the door on this once and for all.

While one can certainly sympathize with a creator who never got truly rich off his greatest creation, and the example Disney has set re: copyrights extended to infinity and beyond (Nobody else’s works are treated that way), Siegel did “sell” Superman, and his heirs didn’t do a thing to earn their “share” of his legacy.

“Identity Thief” has a subject that’s very much on the public mind, a couple of stars who are reliably funny and has been hyped to death in TV ads for a month.

Does that translate into a blockbuster opening weekend at the box office?

Box Office Mojo is betting that McCarthy and Bateman will be enough to guarantee a $25 million haul for the Seth “Horrible Bosses” comedy.

Mr. Box Office Guru sees things a little closer to what I’d expect — $18 million. Melissa McCarthy isn’t a big star, yet, and Jason Bateman has never been box office, despite having a decent track record in screen comedies.

Reviews will NOT help this one (mine is here).

“Side Effects” is too adult to blow up, so Steven Soderbergh’s last/next to last or whatever movie won’t be a blockbuster. But both the Guru and Mr. Mojo see that as an $11 million hit. It’s riding some pretty good reviews. (Mine here)

Is there a pent up audience for seeing “Top Gun” in IMAX 3D, a state of the art 1986 air combat actioner with the box office pariah Tom Cruise in the lead? No. But we’ll see. They’re charging ticket prizes through the nose.

“Warm Bodies” may hold onto audience and hit the mid $teens, and “Hansel & Gretel” should be in the top five as well.

She’s got this adventurous new espionage series “The Americans” on FX, and a buzzed-about horror film, “Dark Skies,” opening later this month. Hoping it’s the next “Insidious” — family, dealing with supernatural goings on.

Keri Russell has moved on from that sweet young thing she was in “Felicity” and even in the wondrous “Waitress.” Girl’s got edge. Doubt it? Check out “The Americans.” “Felicity Does Felatio.”

Questions for Ms. Russell? I’m always looking for help, and usually readers have some great lines of questioning in mind. Post them as comments, and thanks!