Will J.Lo's made-in-Boston flick move forward?

If the latest imdb casting update is any indication, Jennifer Lopez's made-in-Boston flick "The Governess" is slowly moving forward.

Three cast members slotted to play the rich offspring of a wealthy widower of the Webber family have been announced including Tessa Allen as Mandy, Becca Gardner as Addison and Tyler Posey as Preston.

Posey, an up-and-coming actor featured on "Brothers & Sisters" and "Smallville," played Lopez's 10-year-old son in "Maid In Manhattan."

As previously reported in Loaded Gun, Nigel Cole's "The Governess" with Lopez, initially scheduled to be shot in Boston this past September, has been moved to the first quarter of '09 with an anticipated release in December.

In "The Governess," Lopez plays a thief who poses as a wealthy widower’s nanny who must come clean when she starts to fall for the man she initially planned to rob.

There was some movie industry buzz regarding the fate of this made-in-Boston flick after the film's financial backers, Yari Film Group, was forced to put the releasing arm of its movie business into Chapter 11 reorganization.

Click here for the latest on "The Governess."

The week in quotes from Hollywood in the Hub

"I mean the first night [we] were at a lingerie party with smoke-shows and taking limo rides. Back home I'm lucky to see half a nip from the drunk girl who fell over at the local dollar draft bar."

--Luke Verge, a finalist for Brody Jenner's affections on MTV's "Bromance," writes on his blog that his stint on reality TV in Los Angeles is a far cry from his life growing up in Medford.

"Hello? Mama talkin', mama talkin'. OK?"

--Jennifer Lopez, allegedly slotted to shoot the ill-fated Yari Film Group flick "The Governess" in Boston, takes the mic and shushes the crowds at the Golden Globe Awards.

“It was either here or Australia. As much as I would like to see Australia, I was happy to spend it here and get my aunt’s home cooking to boot.”

--Elizabeth Banks, Pittsfield native and keynote speaker at the Commonwealth Awards on Tuesday, Jan 13, says her location options for the locally-shot sci-fi film "The Surrogates" were either Boston or Australia.

"He's a veteran from World War II, and his search leads him to the island's insane asylum. It unravels into a whole other set of problems, with twists and turns ... it is not a weekend comedy."

--Leonardo DiCaprio describes his role in the made-in-Mass. flick "Shutter Island."

"The first draft took me so long, but as you know writing is not something you can put a rush on."

--Mike O'Dea, a Boston-based writer and actor who earned regional ink back in 2007 while shooting his low-budget flick "Townies," tells Loaded Gun that he's putting the finishing touches on the shooting script for "Code of Silence."

Jennifer Lopez's 'Plan B' after 'The Governess'

As mentioned in Loaded Gun, Jennifer Lopez is scheduled to star in the made-in-Boston flick "The Governess" slotted to begin filming next month.

However, Reuters reports that Ben Affleck's ex has a "Plan B" in the works with CBS' new movie division. The film, a romantic comedy involving a single woman's attempt to conceive via artificial insemination who finds love outside of the sperm bank, is scheduled to begin filming in the spring.

The movie is aptly called "Plan B."

J-Lo's plan A, "The Governess," is also a romantic comedy featuring Lopez as a thief who poses as a wealthy widower’s nanny who must come clean when she starts to fall for the man she initially planned to rob.

Click here for the latest on "The Governess."

Made-in-Boston films impacted by YFG bankruptcy

"What Doesn't Kill You," the made-in-Boston flick by Brian Goodman and starring Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke and Amanda Peet, was slotted for a larger re-release by Yari Film Group in 2009 after a limited showing in NYC and Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 12.

However, after the YFG announced this past week that their releasing division was forced to file Chapter 11, the Los Angeles Times reports that the film is now on the hunt for a new distributor.

"What Doesn't Kill You" has earned rave reviews this past week from USA Today and the New York Times. "South Boston is the new Bronx," writes USA Today's Claudia Puig, adding that the film is "a terrific character-driven tale about small-time criminals."

Also, the release of "The Maiden Heist," another Yari Film Group release shot in Boston and starring Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and William H. Macy, could be negatively impacted by the news that YFG is filing Chapter 11.

"Heist"--a comedy of errors following three museum security guards and their attempt to steal artwork after it's been transferred to another museum--was shopped around at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, Calif. this past November. Buzz surrounding the film is extremely positive.

As mentioned in Loaded Gun, the third made-in-Boston YFG feature "The Governess" starring Jennifer Lopez is unaffected by bankruptcy news with filming slotted for early 2009.

Click here for more information.

J-Lo film proceeds while YFG files Chapter 11

Jennifer Lopez's new made-in-Boston flick "The Governess," now slotted for production in the Hub during the first quarter of 2009, is reportedly not affected by the news that its producers, Yari Film Group, has put the releasing arm of its movie business into Chapter 11 reorganization.

Variety reports that the Bob Yari surprised staffers on Friday, Dec. 12 with an e-mail warning of impending layoffs.

“Our goal is to aggressively work toward reorganizing our debt so that we can become a stronger company,” Yari writes via e-mail. “In the meantime, our production arms are distinct entities with separate financing which remain unaffected by the legal proceedings."

The news reconfirms reports that Jennifer Lopez's "The Governess" is still greelit with pre-production already in the works.

Yari Film Group recently shot two films in Boston--the Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke movie "What Doesn't Kill You" by Brian Goodman and "The Maiden Heist" starring Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and William H. Macy.

Nigel Cole's "The Governess" with Jennifer Lopez, initially scheduled to be shot in Boston this past September, has been moved to early next year.

In "The Governess," Jennifer Lopez plays a thief who poses as a wealthy widower’s nanny who must come clean when she starts to fall for the man she initially planned to rob.

Click here for the lowdown.

Will a SAG strike impact Hollywood in the Hub?

Leaders from the guild representing Hollywood's TV and film actors met today and asked for an authorization to strike after talks for a new contract failed, according to reports from the AP.

Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have been in limbo since June when they were unable to reach an amicable agreement. The hold up is reportedly over payment of new media outlets like the Internet and the delivery of clips on cellphones.

But will this impending strike impact the growing list of TV and film productions slotted for Hollywood East?

While Hollywood films currently in production are nervously eyeing the potential of a SAG strike, a handful of indie projects are in the clear. In June, the Hollywood Reporter announced that the soon-to-be-filmed Jennifer Lopez movie, "The Governess," has been awarded a no-strike pact with the union which gives the made-in-Boston production a greenlight to move forward.

Other productions, like the Spike-TV pilot "War of '04," have been cast with AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) members which would allow for the made-in-Boston TV series to continue if the SAG strike happens.

AFTRA, whose members also include radio announcers and actors who work in daytime television, contends that its contracts are fair and in line with today’s economic realities but critics say producers will start making deals with the smaller union given its lower-cost contract.

"Edge of Darkness" filming, slotted to wrap this week, and other big-name productions shot in Boston like "The Surrogates" starring Bruce Willis and "The Box" with Cameron Diaz finished production before the impending SAG strike so they should also be in the clear.

Click here for the latest.