Angelina Jolie's 'Unbroken' to Hit Theaters in December 2014

Universal has set a Christmas Day 2014 release for World War II drama Unbroken, which marks Angelina Jolie's second directorial effort.

The coveted release positions the film -- an adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s acclaimed 2010 book about World War II hero Lou Zamperini -- for an awards run. Ethan and Joel Coen are writing the script from previous drafts by William Nicholson and Richard LaGravenese.

Universal picked up the rights to the book in January 2011, initially for Francis Lawrence to direct. Jolie boarded the project in December.

STORY: Angelina Jolie to Direct WWII Drama 'Unbroken'

Zamperini was a Los Angeles high school track star who raced in the 1936 Berlin Olympics on the U.S. team that included Jesse Owens. In 1943, his Air Force plane crashed in the Pacific. He survived without food and water for 47 days, enduring shark attacks, aerial attacks and hunger before washing ashore on a Japanese island behind enemy lines, where he was held as a prisoner of war for two years and tortured by his captors.

“I’ve had the privilege of spending a great deal of time with Louie Zamperini, who is a hero of mine, and now -- I am proud to say -- a dear friend,” said Jolie. “I am deeply honored to be telling his extraordinary story, and I will do my absolute best to give him the film he deserves. I am grateful to Universal for making this film a priority.”

Jolie, who previously directed In the Land of Blood and Honey, is producing with Matthew Baer and Erwin Stoff. Walden Media will co-finance the film, which is set to start production in September. Ten-time Oscar nominee Roger Deakins has boarded the project as cinematographer.

Twitter: @sajilpl

'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones' in Imax Theaters Starting August 21

TORONTO -- Imax will show The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones in its North American theaters starting August 21.

The giant-screen release for the film adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s YA novel comes via a deal with Sony Pictures and Entertainment One.

Imax will digitally remaster the picture from Constantin Film International and Unique Features, which is directed by Harald Zwart (The Karate Kid) and written by Jessica Postigo Paquette, for its summer film slate.

PHOTOS: 17 of the Most Popular YA Properties Adapted for TV and Film

"We're excited that moviegoers will have the chance to explore this world in Imax," said Rory Bruer, president, worldwide distribution for Sony Pictures, in a statement Wednesday.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones ?is set in contemporary New York City and stars Lily Collins, Kevin Zegers, Jamie Campbell Bower and Lena Headey.

The film is produced by Robert Kulzer and Don Carmody, with Bob Shaye, Michael Lynne and Martin Moszkowicz serving as executive producers.

Coming-of-Age Film Series Featuring 'Say Anything,' 'Breakfast Club' Hitting Theaters

It's time to go back to those angsty, awkward teenage years.

To promote upcoming film The Spectacular Now, theaters nationwide will have special screenings of some of the best coming-of-age films to ever hit the screen.

Landmark Theaters across the country, along with the Angelika Film Center in Dallas and the Los Feliz 3 Cinemas in Los Angeles, will host "The Spectacular Classics" screening series in the month of July, with one iconic film showing each week leading up the the release of The Spectacular Now on Aug. 2.

VIDEO: 'The Spectacular Now' Trailer: Shailene Woodley Takes on Teenage Anxieties

Each screening will open with a video introduction by screenwriters Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter. Audience members will also receive a ticket to an advance word of mouth screening of The Spectacular Now in their area.

The Spectacular Now, directed by James Ponsoldt, follows a charming high school senior (Miles Teller) who loves to party and has no plans for the future. But then he meets Aimee Finicky (Shailene Woodley), who is his complete opposite -- a dreamer with her nose in the books. They find themselves drawn to each other despite their differences.

The schedule is below:

Say Anything -- Tuesday, July 9
Dazed and Confused -- Tuesday, July 16
Almost Famous -- Tuesday, July 23
Breakfast Club -- Tuesday, July 30

Theaters participating are:
New York - Landmark Sunshine
Los Angeles - Los Feliz
Dallas - Angelika Dallas
Boston - Kendall Square Cinema
DC - E Street Cinema
Philadelphia - Ritz Five
Chicago - Century Centre Cinema
Minneapolis - Lagoon Cinema
Seattle - Harvard Exit Theatre

In Theaters This Weekend: Reviews of 'White House Down,' 'The Heat' and More

Sony's summer gamble on a non-superhero film, White House Down, hits the big screen Friday, June 28.

The action-thriller stars Channing Tatum as a Secret Service agent who must protect the U.S. president, played by Jamie Foxx, from being harmed by a paramilitary group attacking Washington, D.C. Helmed by Independence Day director Roland Emmerich, the movie also stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods, Richard Jenkins and Jason Clarke.

For a more comical weekend, Paul Feig's The Heat sees Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock teaming up as an unlikely pair -- potty-mouthed detective Shannon Mullins (McCarthy) and uptight FBI agent Sarah Ashburn (Bullock) -- to catch a drug lord on the loose.

PHOTOS: Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum: Exclusive Portraits of the 'White House Down' Stars

Read what The Hollywood Reporter's film critics have to say about all the films opening this weekend and find out how they are expected to perform at the box office.

White House Down

Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx join forces as the presidential residence comes under attack by paramilitary thugs in Roland Emmerich's latest action-thriller. Read David Rooney's review here.

The Heat

Paul Feig's comedy stars Sandra Bullock as an uptight FBI agent and Melissa McCarthy as a crass Boston street cop. Read Todd McCarthy's review here.

Byzantium

Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan play 200-year-old vampires in director Neil Jordan's female twist on the bloodsucking genre. Read David Rooney's review here.

PHOTOS: Melissa McCarthy, Sandra Bullock Turn Up 'The Heat' At New York Premiere

A Band Called Death

A better-than-fiction doc resurrects a seminal African-American rock band. Read Justin Lowe's review here.

Copperhead

Gettysburg director Ron Maxwell looks at Northern opposition to the Civil War. Read John DeFore's review here.

Redemption

Steven Knight's thriller stars Jason Statham as a former Special Forces soldier dealing with the mean streets of London. Read Frank Scheck's review here.

Laurence Anyways

Montreal auteur Xavier Dolan's stylish, gender-bending epic stars Melvil Poupaud and Suzanne Clement as a couple that can never quite live either together or apart. Read Stephen Dalton's review here.

STORY: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx and 'White House Down's' Superhero-Free Summer Gamble

Magic Camp

Judd Ehrlich's documentary finds a slew of would-be David Copperfields in the Pennsylvania countryside as they attend Tannen's Magic Camp, held every summer. Read John DeFore's review here.

How to Make Money Selling Drugs

Matthew Cooke's directorial debut uses a tongue-in-cheek conceit to look at the War on Drugs. Read John DeFore's review here.

Detention of the Dead

Alex Craig Mann sends zombies to high school. Read John DeFore's review here.

100 Bloody Acres

Damon Herriman and Angus Sampson are backwoods brothers just trying to make a living in this off-the-wall Australian splatter-comedy. Read Megan Lehmann's review here.

Museum Hours

Engagingly offbeat docudrama draws links between Renaissance art and modern society. Read Stephen Dalton's review here.

Some Girl(s)

Adam Brody and Kristen Bell star in an adaption of the Neil LaBute play. Read John DeFore's review here.

Twitter: @sajilpl