I guess this is really the first Movie News Cheat Sheet of the year. Sure, we ran one on January 1st, but considering that edition was packed with the top stories of 2011, this is your first taste of the best of the best in movie news for 2012. There’s a couple big casting updates to report from Joel Edgerton signing on to lead Kathryn Bigelow’s Osama bin Laden feature to Spike Lee losing another villain option for his remake of Oldboy. Then, of course, awards season nominations continue to come in and this time around, it’s the Writers Guild and Producers Guild pinpointing the finest films of last year….

“Bridesmaids” was the runaway comedy hit of 2011. It helped break the glass ceiling for other all-woman ensemble comedies that don’t feature any stupid rom-com gags. As such, Universal is ready to another “Bridesmaids” film, but will they do it without the main star, Kristen Wiig? According to Slash Film, Universal just might do that. Wiig and Annie Mumolo–who co-wrote the screenplay, have said that they aren’t interested in doing another “Bridesmaids,” however, the film’s producer, Judd Apatow, said in a statement “We don’t want to do it unless it can be great.” A source has said that Apatow won’t be interested in doing a sequel unless Mumolo and Wiig…

Universal has hired ‘Training Day’ writer David Ayer to pen the upcoming ‘Scarface’ film, Collider is reporting. The studio is still saying the new version won’t be a remake, and will instead mix the elements Howard Hawks and Brian De Palma included in their respective 1932 and 1983 movies. Marc Shmuger and Martin Bregman are on board to produce the new ‘Scarface,’ which Ayer has said he’s excited about working on. “This is a fantasy for me. I can still remember when I saw the film at 13 and it blew my mind.” The screenwriter added that he sees the first two ‘Scarface’ films as the story of the American…

In the wake of Warner Bros. moving forward with its film adaptation of Leonardo da Vinci’s young life, Universal is now producing its own biopic of the Renaissance artist and mathematician, Variety is reporting. The Universal spec, titled ‘Leonardo,’ which was written by Jonny Kurzman, will focus on da Vinci’s quest to stop Renaissance Europe from returning to the Dark Ages. ‘Watchmen’ and ‘Hellboy’ producer Larry Gordon will produce the action-adventure ‘Leonardo,’ which will reportedly also show some of da Vinci’s mechanical creations in use. Lawrence Gordon Prods. Vice President Philip Westgren secured ‘Leonardo’ for Universal, and will oversee the project for the producers. ‘Leonardo’ is just the latest adaptation…

Universal has won the bidding war for the spec for the upcoming thriller ‘Grim Night,’ according to The Hollywood Reporter. ‘The Strangers’ director Bryan Bertino and his partner Adrienne Biddle are slated to produce the film under their Unbroken Pictures shingle. Universal’s Marc Platt will also produce ‘Grim Night,’ which was written by Brandon Besternheider and Allen Bey, who made their first sale. Besternheider and Bey, who work at a post-production house, helped move the bidding along by creating a teaser trailer for the spec. The trailer was leaked by their Verve reps before the release of Universal’s hit prequel, ‘Paranormal Activity 3.’ The writers and producers decided to release…

With Universal passing on Ron Howard’s adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’ this past summer, due to its large budget, producer Brian Grazer has cut the production costs by $45-50 million, Collider is reporting. Howard, Grazer and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman worked to lower the budget all summer for the project, which would feature a film trilogy and a TV series. While promoting the upcoming ‘Tower Heist,’ Grazer said “We found a way to cut out $45 million out of the budget (for ‘The Dark Tower’) without changing the scope and actually giving it a good ending.” He added that with the original $140 million budget, the “ending wasn’t quite…

Recently, there was some talk of Brett Ratner’s “Tower Heist” going to VOD three weeks after the movie’s theatrical release. The catch, though, was that the price of the film on VOD would be a whopping $59.99. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has put the VOD experiment on the back-burner due to theaters threatening to boycott the film. “Universal Pictures today announced that in response to a request from theater owners, it has decided to delay its planned premium home video on demand (PVOD) experiment in which Comcast digital subscribers in Portland and Atlanta would have had the opportunity to rent ‘Tower Heist’ on demand just three weeks…

If you’re anxious to see “The Thing,” you might want to know about a contest Universal in which 50 people can win tickets to the premiere. According to the Facebook post, email a response about what you’re most looking forward to seeing in “The Thing”, along with your first and last name, to TheThingContest@gmail.com. You could win a pair of tickets to the world premiere of “The Thing” October 10 in Los Angeles. Act quickly though–winners will be announced Friday. Also, remember to check out the Augmented Reality Game for the iOS(iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch) and Android and the “It Becomes You” Youtube experience. The Augmented Reality Flamethrower Game allows Android and…

How about a hefty dose of casting news to prep for the work/school week? This week’s Cheat Sheet is absolutely packed to the brim with casting updates and every single one of them is rather exciting! Even if you’re a hardcore Saw fan, there’s still a good chance you’ve got no clue who Darren Lynn Bousman is. Well, he was the man behind the lens of the series’ second, third and fourth installments and now he’s working on another horror film that not only boasts an interesting premise, but now a stellar cast, too. Alex Proyas, on the other hand, has been in the spotlight time and time again, which…

In honor of the release of “Bridesmaids” on DVD and Blu-ray Sept. 20, a large flash mob of bridesmaids, all dressed in the now-iconic hot pink frilly dresses, took NYC by storm. Below are some photos of the bridesmaids, thanks to Universal. Sept. 20 is also be called National Bridesmaids Day in celebration of the DVD/Blu-ray release. “Bridesmaids” stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Jon Hamm, and Chris O’Dowd. The film is directed by Paul Feig. Here’s the official synopsis: “Join the wildest wedding party of the year when Bridesmaids marches down the aisle to Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on September 20,…