Thanks to the ongoing Cannes market we’ve once again got ourselves an overload of news. In an attempt to keep things organized (and keep small news from wasting space on the front page) we’ve dumped a batch of stories into this latest edition of News Bites. Inside you’ll find Canes art for Djinns, a taste of the soundtrack for “True Blood”, behind-the-scenes pics from WB’s exorcism drama The Rite, and news on Robert Rodriguez directing an adaptation of Fire & Ice. More added through the day if available.
CANNES ART FOR DJINNS

While Hugues Sandra Martin’s flick has been caled THE STRANDED here at the AFM market, the French title continues to be DJINNS. 24FPS scored a look at the latest promo art below. Check out the AFM art here.

“Algeria, 1960. A section of French paratroopers are sent in search of a missing aircraft in the Algerian desert. The wreckage of the plane was quickly located, but there were no survivors, just a suitcase stamped “Top Secret”. Stormed by enemy soldiers, the troops find refuge in a strange abandoned citadel. Despite warnings from the places Guardian to leave at once, they wake up the Djinns, the evil spirits of the desert…

ON SET EXORCISM

Italian website Bad Taste posted a slew of behind-the-scenes images from Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Rite, which stars Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jone in a true story of an American priest who studied at an exorcism school in Italy. Based on a book by Matt Baglio, Bagliowas allowed to follow a young priest during months of training with a senior exorcist at a school affiliated with the Vatican.

WB will release in theaters on January 28, 2011. Click the image below for more.

RODRIGUEZ’S FIRE & ICE

Robert Rodriguez is attached to direct a live-action version of FIRE & ICE, based on the 1983 Ralph Bakshi film, so he tells AICN.

“In this animated tale, a tiny village is destroyed by a surging glacier, which serves as the deadly domain for the evil Ice Lord, Nekron. The only survivor is a young warrior, Larn, who vows to avenge this act of destruction. The evil continues, however, as Nekron’s palace of ice heads straight towards Fire Keep, the great fortress ruled by the good King Jarol. When Jarol’s beautiful daughter, Teegra, is abducted by Nekron’s sub-human ape-like creatures, Larn begins a daring search for her.” – IMDB

“The awesome Ralph Bakshi and I have been working it out for a while, and it’s now a TROUBLEMAKER STUDIOS PICTURE. What’s cool is, unlike past projects that I’d get involved with that would get stalled for various reasons, I control the rights to this one,” Rodriguez tells AICN. “So it’s actually in my power to set it up and get it made, which wasn’t the case on other projects. And for you filmmakers out there, that’s really the best way to get things done. If you can manage to get the rights yourself to a property by dealing directly with the artists and creators like I did with Frank Miller on SIN CITY, and now with Ralph Bakshi on FIRE and ICE, it makes a world of difference and you can get started sooner rather than never.”

TRUE BLOOD SOUNDTRACK. NOW.

Clicking on over to EW you can listen to the brand new soundtrack for the forthcoming third season of “True Blood”.

What’s on it? New songs from Beck, Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello, and the Band’s Robbie Robertson; covers by M. Ward and “Bad Things” theme song singer Jace Everett; plus classic tracks from Bob Dylan, 13th Floor Elevators, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Eels, Chuck Prophet, and more.

The album will be available on iTunes in a few days with the third season arrivng on June 18th.