Anime Noir Goes Live Action, R.I.P. Irvin Kershner, 10 Animated Shorts Make Oscar List, Writers Talk about Star Trek 2.

By Anthony Luis Rivera

Hollywoodreporter.com says Starz has picked up an action project from Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert that’s based “Noir” the Japanese anime TV series. “The premium cable network is developing Noir, a live-action U.S. remake of a 2001 show about two female assassins working in a criminal underworld. After discovering they’re mysteriously linked, the two and have to work together on missions (under the moniker of “Noir”) until they figure out why and how they are connected — or until one of them kills the other.”

AWN.com “Director Irvin Kershner, best known for directing THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, has passed away, reports Variety. Kershner died on Saturday, Nov. 27 after a long illness. He was 87 years old. Kershner’s directing credits also include the James Bond film NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN and ROBOCOP 2.”

Cartoonbrew.com “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this morning the shortlist of ten animated shorts for the 2010 Best Animated Short category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch will now vote one more time to narrow it down to five nominees. The final vote, which determines the winner, is open to all Academy members provided that they have watched every nominated short.” Check out the list on CB’s link.

Blastr.com “Screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have, officially, broken the story for Star Trek 2, and they reveal the pressures that weren’t there on the first one … as well as the need to bust up the happy family. It’s never easy crafting a follow-up to a critical and financial hit like 2009′s Star Trek. While no one knew quite what to expect from J.J. Abrams’ reboot, now the bar has been set. And the surprise of seeing exactly how this new Enterprise crew—featuring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg and Karl Urban—would fare has worn off.”