X17 Industry Wrap

Daniel Craig In Talks To Replace RDJ In Cowboys and Aliens
The latest Bond is eyeing DreamWorks' next big project, Cowboys and Aliens, to be directed by Jon Favreau, so says THR's Heat Vision blog.

Daniel Craig would play a cowboy in the mid-1800s Arizona when the prairie finds itself attacked by, you guessed it, aliens! His character would lead the human revolt against the space invaders.

Robert Downey Jr. just dropped out due to scheduling issues and, as the company is hoping for a 2011 release, they need to fill the part soon. 007 to the rescue!

Simon Fuller Launches New Entertainment Company
The American Idol creator is already the founder of 19 Entertainment, as well as its parent company CKX. Now a deal has been agreed upon to allow Fuller to launch a new company, according to The Hollywood Reporter...

In addition to this company, Fuller will provide general consulting services to CKX. Fuller will also receive a share of the profits.

No other details have been revealed, but Simon says that "starting a new entertainment company at this moment fills me with great excitement."

Sounds like Simon and CKX will be working together for years to come!

Terminator Franchise Up For Sale
And the leading bidder is Lionsgate! The company is offering Halcyon Group - who put the franchise up for sale in September due to bankruptcy - $15 million and a 5% cut of future gross receipts, reports Variety.

Lionsgate is considered a "stalking horse" bidder, and any other company that wants Terminator would have to top its offer by at least $500,000 by February 4th.

If Lionsgate doesn't win, it will receive $750,000 as a breakup fee. The company's other franchises include Saw and the Tyler Perry films.