afi fest

2:00AM STV | Doubt to Open AFI Fest: The Oscar-bait shuffle that is AFI Fest’s opening night settled down late Thursday when organisers announced Doubt as its Oct. 30 replacement for The Soloist. It will be the Meryl Streep/Philip Seymour Hoffman drama’s world premiere following a quiet test screening this summer and a private screening last night for its original Broadway cast and select press. Among them evidently was Tom O’Neil, to whom Scott Rudin expressed nervousness about sharing Doubt on the AFI stage still relatively early in Oscar season (the film opens small Dec. 12). And really, with one horse already down and only one other left in the race after this, can you blame him? OK, fine — so can we. Zip it, Rudin. [Gold Derby] More »

4:24AM STV | Soloist Silenced Yet Again: AFI Fest is scrambling this morning after Paramount yanked The Soloist from the event’s opening-night premiere slot — not a totally unforeseen move considering the film’s recent bump to 2009, but one the festival and studio had both maintained would not happen so close to AFI’s Oct. 23 bow. For now, anyhow, the studio’s other awards-season dumpee Defiance is still on the fest slate for closing night. We actually wouldn’t be shocked to see that film named the new opener and something like Frost/Nixon or Twilight moved into the closing-night spot, but who knows — festival reps are mum for now, saying only that the new selection will be announced later today. Call your shots. [AFI Fest] More »