The Departed, take two?

When I first heard this crazy news, I had to just scratch my head and ask "who the heck was left standing at the end of "The Departed"?"

Just in case any of you somehow haven't seen this great return to form for Martin Scorsese, I won't answer that directly, but the general answer is not many at all. Now, however, screenwriter William Monahan, unable to let go of a good thing, is apparently working on a sequel to star Mark Wahlberg and ... Robert De Niro?

I have no idea how in the world this could work. I guess Wahlberg, whose performance as the quick-tempered copper Dignam snagged him a deserved Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, would get some new men in blue to help him take on a mob boss, possibly played by De Niro.

Scorsese would apparently need to approve any take before development was to move forward. "Infernal Affairs," the Hong Kong movie from which "The Departed" was adapted, actually had two sequels: "IA 2," which I've seen, was a great prequel, and "IA 3," which I have not, apparently combined elements of the first two.

As I chew on this with a strong cup of coffee, I'm beginning to think it's just crazy enough to work. What Monahan really has here is the opportunity for a fresh start with a great character. Warner Bros. bought the rights to all three IA movies, but that doesn't mean he can't, with their permission, take the Dignam character and just roll with it anywhere he chooses. His script for "The Departed" is a worthy Oscar nominee in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, though I'm definitely cheering loudly for Alfonso Cuaron and friends with "Children of Men."

What do you think? Is this idea crazy? Am I? I'm perfectly willing to accept that the answer to both is yes.

Aardman gets flushed

In unsurprising yet still fairly depressing news, Dreamworks has severed its ties with Aardman Animation, after three pictures completed in what was to be a five-picture deal. The problem? Two of those movies were box-office bombs, at least in the U.S.

"Flushed Away" cost more than than $100 million to make, but grossed only $63.4 million in the U.S. The far-superior "Wallace & Gromit" feature, amazingly, only made $56.1 million domestic, but did better around the world. Both fell fall short of the first Aardman/Dreamworks collaboration, "Chicken Run," which grossed $106.8 million stateside.

Aardman is back in development on several films inhouse, but how they will get any of them distributed is an open question. Possibilities could include slate financing from private equity money, a one-off deal with a studio for its next pic or a new multifilm deal.

The best hope for Aardman in the U.S. lies in its reprise of "Creature Comforts" as a claymation series pitched to CBS. The network has ordered seven episodes so far, but has yet to schedule them. They could air as soon as this spring or be pushed back to summer or fall, so keep your eyes out for them (I know I will).

"Knocked Up" posters

Before the world found out just how funny Judd Apatow is with his "40-Year-Old Virgin," he proved it solidly on TV with both "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared," both of which, maddeningly, only lasted less than one season.

One partner in crime who has been with him is actor Seth Rogen, and now Apatow's about to make him a big star. As you can tell from these posters I found at Aintitcool.com (especially the first one), he's clearly the man in Apatow's new comedy, "Knocked Up," due June 1. Katherine Heigl has replaced Anne Hathaway as Rogen's surely much better half.

Click on each one for a bigger view (the third, the international poster, is particularly funny) and enjoy!