ZACH AND MIRI No Longer NC-17 Rated, Glad STATHAM is around, Fishbourne heading to CSI?

Word has it that director Kevin Smith has won an appeal with the MPAA that gives his new comedy ZACH AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO an R-rating instead of its previous NC-17. No surprise here as the Weinstein company, the movies backer, will do whatever it takes to get the film in a position for wide release – something an NC-17 would have derailed.

With DEATH RACE coming out in a few weeks, the film’s star, Jason Statham, appears to be the only real non A-list superstar to be a viable action draw at the movies today. With the success of the TRANSPORTER films and this year’s very entertaining heist thriller THE BANK JOB Stratham has filled a niche left dormant for at least a decade or so. Remember the days when Steven Segal (his best film’s: Under Siege 1&2) Jean Claude Van Damn (best film: Sudden Death) and Chuck Norris (best film: Delta Force) carried the mantle before wearing out their welcome with moviegoers. The 35-year-old Statham, who has a martial arts background and does his own stunts, appears to have found his niche in Hollywood’s middle ground as he also has sequels to TRANSPORTER and CRANK coming out within the next year. I’m glad he’s around as the pumped up B movie has become a lost art. I loved the Charles Bronson era in movies when he really brought class to the B movie genre with the Death Wish sequels and a whole bunch of other entertaining throwaway films. I think Statham’s doing a pretty good job leaving his mark on this genre.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, producers of the CBS mega hit CSI: Crime Scene Investigation are in talks with actor Laurence Fishbourne to replace the departing William Peterson as that program’s main lead. While Fishburne remains one of Hollywood’s very best character actors (In the last few years he’s appeared in 21, Bobby, Mission Impossible 3 and Akeelah and the Bee) there’s big money in television and CSI is certainly the right program to jump into as it still attracts more than 16 million viewers a week with no end in sight. Producers reportedly were also considering John Malkovich and Kurt Russell which would have also been great choices. There’s no doubt if Fishbourne comes aboard his contract will be very lucrative indeed!