Korman is the author of two installments of the 39 Clues series that DreamWorks is developing as a film. Ungifted is the story of a 14-year-old kid of average intelligence who’s accidentally placed in a school of gifted students and tries to hide among the brainiacs to escape punishment for a prank he pulled at his old school. He eventually shakes up the uptight, socially awkward advanced students and learns something about his own capabilities.

Walden’s Amanda Morgan Palmer and Michael Bostick brought in the book and will hire a writer shortly.

The production will follow the exploits of a young girl who befriends a stray dog she finds at a Winn-Dixie supermarket.

Producers have tapped Tony Award winner Duncan Sheik and Nell Benjamin to compose the songs and lyrics, and an Irish wolfhound called Taran will lead the cast.

The programme will begin workshop readings this spring and producers ultimately hope to take the show to Broadway.

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The film Still I Rise was renamed as Steel Town and then Learning to Fly.  Now the title is being reported as Won’t Back Down.  The film will be released in March 2012, regardless of what title it eventually goes by.  The latest two titles are also titles of songs by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which is interesting.  The name of the film was called into question months ago when it was called Steel Town for a while.  This is an original story about two strong women, both mothers, who channel their frustration into action and join forces to transform an inner-city school. They want to make a difference in education and the lives of their children.

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Michael Apted (Amazing Grace, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) is going to step in and complete the final 15 days of principal photography for Hanson, starting on Monday. They are shooting in Northern California, where Moriarity became known for riding treacherous waves called Mavericks. The film stars Gerard Butler, with newcomer Jonny Weston playing Moriarity. (via)

Get Low director Aaron Schneider has been set to direct The Conscientious Objector for Walden Media.

The film tells the true story of Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector in American history to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Doss served in WWII, joining the army as a medic. He was ostracized by his fellow soldiers because of his refusal to kill or even carry a gun. He proved his courage, saving 75 men at the Battle of Okinawa.

The script was written by Robert Schenkkan, who wrote the Pulitzer-winning play The Kentucky Cycles and whose script credits include The Pacific and The Quiet American. The film is a co-production between Pandemonium and Permut Presentations, and is being produced by Bill Mechanic, David Permut and Terry Benedict (who directed the 2004 documentary bearing the same title). Steve Longi is co-producer.

Schneider, the veteran cinematographer who won the Oscar for his short film Two Soldiers, made his feature debut on Get Low, and he has been very picky about choosing a followup. The Conscientious Objector is the first thing he said yes to direct. He’s repped by CAA and Anonymous Content. (via)

The new adventure begins when young adventurer Sean (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist–a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean’s new stepfather (Dwayne Johnson) joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.

Brad Epstein (“Dan in Real Life”) is producing the film, which will be co-produced by Rachel Zimmerman, Binder’s former assistant who has producing credits on his past two pics, both of which were produced under his Sunlight Prods. banner.

Collard’s script was purchased out of turnaround from Disney and casting will begin soon, with producers targeting an early 2012 start date. Walden Media CEO Michael Bostick and exec Evan Turner will oversee the project for the company, whose Frank H. Smith handled the deal.

Binder knows a thing or two about the subject matter, having previously directed the family dramas “The Upside of Anger” and “Reign Over Me,” as well as the vacation-themed motion picture “Indian Summer.” He also created and starred in HBO’s short-lived but critically acclaimed series “The Mind of the Married Man.”

Walden Media’s upcoming pics include “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” the education-themed drama “Learning to Fly,” Curtis Hanson’s surfing pic “Of Men and Mavericks” and the family comedy “Parental Guidance.”