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The Call Sheet sifts through the day's glut of Hollywood news to find the stories even non-industry types care about. Today: Everyone's favorite footlooser is heading to the small screen, old people are hot in Hollywood, and Colin Firth heads to West Memphis.
Let's just skip the requisite "six degrees of" joke and cut right to the chase: Longtime movie actor Kevin Bacon is finally headed to television. Sure he's done the occasional TV movie or guest spot, but he's just signed on for his first actual series since Guiding Light. Bacon will play the lead in the new Fox pilot from Kevin Williamson, which is about "a diabolical serial killer who uses technology to create a cult of serial killers, and a retired FBI profiler (Bacon) who finds himself in the middle of it." Hm, OK. But it's serial killers done by Kevin Williamson, so will their weapon of choice be unending movie references? Will they kill their victims by making them watch the college years of Dawson's Creek over and over again? (Luv u, Charlie.) This sounds suspicious. We would have liked Bacon on some meaty HBO show or something, that would have been worthy of his movie star talents, but not a Fox crime procedural show where everyone uses ten-dollar words in eye-rolling fashion. But oh well! We'll take bacon where we can get bacon. [Deadline]
Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin are teaming up to do an action movie called Stand Up Guys, about two old crooks having one last night out before one is supposed to rub out the other one. (Rub out? Is that really the phrase we want to be using here? We're using it anyway.) It's not clear where the third old guy comes into the picture, which used to be called Old Timers and is being directed by Fisher Stevens (yes, that Fisher Stevens), but he'll be in there somewhere. So is this a thing now? Because of RED? Old people action comedies? Are we having an old people renaissance? Can't wait for the Entertainment Weekly cover about how Old People Are Having a Moment. "Tell me, is it harder for old people in comedy?" Did Christopher Hitchens ever write anything about how old people aren't funny? What do Oldzebel and The Oldpin think about this? We need to know about the old people in movies! [The Hollywood Reporter]