Although that might not be the name you were hoping for, at least it's not Brett Ratner. In fact, in this latest round of Wolverine rumors, Ratner's name is nowhere to be found -- instead, IESB reports that Fox is currently in talks with D.J Caruso to helm the Wolverine spin-off flick. Caruso, as most of you may know, helmed the box office hit Disturbia and recently appeared as a guest judge on the reality show On the Lot. (Don't even get me started on that show; by the time it's all said and done, it will probably change its format another 20 times. And seeing as Caruso replaced Ratner as a judge during the show's opening episodes, wouldn't it be funny if the same thing happened with Wolverine?). I'm not too familiar with Caruso's comic book background, but he did direct one episode of Smallville. So he's got that going for him, which is nice.

Another name floating around IESB headquarters seems to be that of director Len Wiseman. He, of course, helmed the upcoming Live Free or Die Hard, and if that film kicks a ton of ass at the box office, he may quickly climb to the top of everyone's Wolverine wishlist. He also has two Underworld flicks under his belt, with an Underworld prequel also in the works, so it would probably make more sense, prequel-wise, to have him in there over Caruso. Since the story of this film is set before the X-Men movies, I imagine it will have a completely different look and feel -- one that warrants a new face behind the camera. Frankly, both Caruso and Wiseman would be good choices; one brings mood (Caruso), while the other brings action (Wiseman). What do you think of the two men currently on Fox's plate? Who would you choose?

Without going into too many embarrassing details about my misspent youth in eyeliner, let's just say I am pretty familiar with the 'Gothic lifestyle.' As a result, I've spent way too much time watching vampire movies, and now it looks like there's another one to watch. Fangoria is reporting that sources have confirmed that a film based on the life of Elizabeth "Blood Countess" Báthory is finally set for production. The story of the 15th century Hungarian countess who supposedly bathed in the blood of virgins to stay eternally young has been the source of plenty of vampire stories but there has never been much attention paid to the slightly less glamorous -- but no less gruesome historical story. Bathory was believed to have tortured and murdered over 600 young girls over the course of her life and was never brought to trial for any of her crimes.

It was almost two years ago when rumblings first surfaced about a Bathory film to be directed by Julie Delpy, who will also star, but there hasn't much solid detail about the project until now. According to Fangoria, the cast now falling into place would also include Ethan Hawke (I'll avoid the obvious Before Sunrise vampire joke), and Vincent Gallo. Supposedly, the film is set to start shooting this summer in Eastern Europe. If this project moves beyond gossip and into the production stage, it won't be the first Bathory film to hit screens this year. Juraj Jakubisko will be directing a "feminist" telling of the story. If Delpy's project continues inching forward at the same pace its been moving over the last two years, Jakubisko's film might be the only one we get.

Is there much clout in Hollywood from being a member of an honest-to-goodness Hollywood dynasty? These days, I doubt the average Drew Barrymore fan really cares about her grandpa John. Anjelica Huston was the daughter of director John Huston (The African Queen) who was something of an icon in the industry. She might of have* started out in his shadow but Anjelica has had a distinguished acting career and directed two feature films. Both projects were pretty low-key, (Bastard Out of Carolina, Agnes Browne) but she must have enjoyed herself because she's back behind the camera to direct the comedy-drama Give Us a Kiss.

BBC Film news reports that Huston has signed to direct the film adaptation of Daniel Woodrell's novel of the same name. Woodrell's novel is described as a "Country Noir", with most of the action taking place in the Ozark mountain range. The story centers on a crime novelist and his underachieving brother who become tangled up in a drug deal gone awry. Angus MacLachlan, who also wrote Junebug, is adapting the novel for the screen. There have yet to be any casting announcements, but I would think Anjelica's name should be enough to draw in the talent.

*Thanks to hot Grammar Police-tipster "brian" for pointing out our rather egregious error.

Devon DeLapp has posted an extremely handy guide detailing how to use the "Poor Man's Process" when shooting a scene featuring actors talking to each other in a car while driving at night. You independent filmmakers, budding directors, and veteran cinematographers will find this very useful.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, a friend of mine had started work on his own independent film. We tried for days to shoot scenes inside a moving car, and realized what a headache it is. You have to not only contend with the normal elements of filmmaking like the camera, the actors, and the lighting, but you also had to try and find a way to mount the camera on the car, locate a stretch of road you can use over and over, deal with traffic, think about gas, etc. It turned into such a headache for him that he ultimately decided to have the scene set next to a parked car, rather than in a moving one.

The genius of the solution on DeLapp's journal is in the extremely low-tech methods used to simulate effects in the scene: a light pointed at a rotating mirror for passing streetlights, lights mounted on wheels moved back and forth behind the picture car for traffic, Christmas tree lights in the background as the twinkling lights of the city in the distance. These are the kinds of things that once you have them explained to you, make you slap your forehead and say, "Well duh, of course." The only thing that will make this a true poor man's process, however, is if you aren't paying your crew. It takes roughly 20 people to pull this off properly, so call in some favors and get to work.

Check out his step-by-step instructions, along with the great illustration that he drew himself!