John Belushi may be getting a (second) second life on the big screen.

“The Pursuit of Happyness” screenwriter Steven Conrad (right) and “The Hangover” director-producer Todd Phillips are developing a biographical film about the late comedian’s life. Warner Bros. recently acquired the rights from Belushi’s estate.

Conrad will script the project and Phillips will produce, though he has not yet committed to directing it. Alexandra Milchan and Bonnie Timmerman are also producing.

In a typically difficult process that saw the rights deal come together, then fall apart, then come back together again, the project would be the latest attempt at a full-scale biopic about the “Saturday Night Live” cast member and film star who died of a drug overdose in 1982 at age 33.

Belushi’s life was famously detailed in Bob Woodward’s 1985 biography, “Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi.” That book is not part of the rights deal, unsurprisingly, since it was widely criticized by Belushi’s family and comedy peers when it was published. When “Wired” was subsequently turned into a 1989 feature starring Michael Chiklis, Belushi’s friends and family publicly boycotted the film, which then OD’d at the box office.

Belushi’s widow, Judith, published her own oral history, “Belushi: A Biography,” in 2005. She will be an executive producer on the project, as Judith Belushi Pisano (she’s since remarried).

Warner Bros. has picked up the film rights to author David Peace’s Japanese crime thriller, “Occupied City.”

Polly Johnsen is producing the project through her Polymorphic Pictures, which has a first-look deal with the studio.

Named one of the best young British novelists by Granta Magazine in 2003, Peace has been on a bit of a Hollywood tear lately. His gritty “Red Riding Quartet” of novels was spun into a trio of TV films last year by screenwriter Tony Grisoni, Revolution Films and Channel 4 Television. IFC Films distributed those films in the U.S. earlier this year.

Steve Zaillian is currently writing a new adaptation of the “Red RIding” novels for producer Ridley Scott and Columbia Pictures.

“Frost/Nixon” scribe Peter Morgan adapted Peace’s 2006 soccer-based novel “The Damned Utd” into a film that Sony Pictures Classics released last fall, “The Damned United.”

His most recent novel -- equally derived from actual historial material -- “Occupied City” depicts the shifting perspectives of people involved in the post-war case of Hirasawa Sadamichi, who was accused of poisoning and killing a dozen employees in a Tokyo bank, then robbing it, in 1948. It was published last year by Knopf.

If you were to wander into this THR video segment part way in, you might think Ed Helms is talking about "The A-Team." He's not. Helms is actually throwing out ideas for what he'd like to see happen to his character, Stu, in "The Hangover" sequel, due out from Warner Bros. next May. He sums up the approach to the follow-up this way: "Ridiculously crazy." Take a look:

Well, here we are with Carrie Bradshaw's happily ever after, which for some reason must take her and the girls to ... Abu Dhabi? The run time on this, the second trailer for Warner Bros.' "Sex and the City" sequel, says 2 minutes, 31 seconds, but it feels feature length. This is cringe-inducing nearly the whole way through. From the opening frames featuring blinged-out New Line, HBO and Village Roadshow logos to the glittering desert, there's hardly a moment in this teaser that isn't trying to distract you with something shiny. Perhaps the bling is there so you don't realize there's a flimsy plot ahead, as this clip insinuates that our heroine cheats on her husband of two years with an old flame that she happens to bump into halfway across the world. "SATC" die-hards probably won't mind the candy-coated version of the Middle East, or the ladies' inappropriate-for-their-age attire (there must have been a bulk rate on sequins), but at this stage of the game, is a hint at infidelity really what's going to bring audiences to theaters? Check out the trailer and tell us what you think.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual Golden Globes festivities will take over the Beverly Hilton Hotel January 17. That's less than a week from now! And it's never too early to map out your pre- and after-party attack. The Beverly Hilton will once again be the Big Top under which the various celebrity circuses will sparkle and whirl, spilling one into the next. So below is a partial list of locations for all your cocktail and canoodling needs. First, though, are a couple of scene-setters in the days leading up to the big event. (Be sure to check back for updates, as more events and relevant commentary are sure to be added.)

Well, you knew it was going to get a title change. "A Couple of Dicks," while a bullseye for the typical Kevin Smith crowd, wasn't going to draw anyone else to his attempt to break out of the Kevin Smith box. So here we have "Cop Out," and its newly released trailer: While I like that Warner Bros. is playing off its own storied cop/crime film legacy, this project hits a little too generic in contrast (starting with the meaningless punny title). Like Chris Tucker, a little Tracy Morgan goes a long, long way. And though this is Bruce Willis in his element -- and he had mad chemistry with Sam Jackson in the third "Die Hard" -- he looks kind of neutered here. And in a strange new trend, this trailer doesn't say a thing about the plot. I'm the first to gripe when a trailer unspools the whole freakin' storyline, but can we get some hint of what the challenge or thematic throughline is for these characters you want us to come spend time with? The fact that you think they're funny together (of which there isn't much evidence here) is not nearly enough. Sadly, this new title will be its own tempting bullseye for those Smith fans who will see this film as just that.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual Golden Globes festivities will take over the Beverly Hilton Hotel January 17. Yes, that's three weeks from now. But it's never too early to map out your afterparty attack. The Beverly Hilton will once again be the Big Top under which the various celebrity circuses will sparkle and whirl, spilling one into the next. Here's a partial list of locations for all your cocktail and canoodling needs. (Be sure to check back for updates, as more events and relevant commentary are sure to be added.) 1. Warner Bros. Studios/InStyle -- Oasis Courtyard You get the most bang for your buck at the WB/IS shindig, since it  merges fashion with the famous and anyone else who's got even a tenuous relationship with celebrity. Plus, the Bros. had a mighty fine, eclectic year -- "The Hangover," "Harry Potter," "Terminator Salvation," "Watchmen," "The Blind Side," "The Final Destination," "Sherlock Holmes" -- so expect the babes, bubbly and back-slapping to be free-flowing. *Note: InStyle is also having its annual GG viewing dinner, hosted by managing editor Ariel Foxman. 2. HBO -- Circa 55 + Poolside While not quite the critical dynamo it was two years ago, HBO still fields a splendid Globes bash with a reliable hip quotient. Keep in mind: as the night goes on, this thing gets packed, so go early if you want to hang there. With a sublimely resurgent "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (jammed full of "Seinfeld"), the ratings-happy "True Blood" and newcomer "Hung" carrying the series mantle, the cabler also did well with "Grey Gardens" and "Taking Chance" on the feature side. And don't forget the comedy fixtures -- from Will Ferrell and Robin Williams to Wanda Sykes, Danny McBride and Zach Galifianakis -- that ramps up the unpredictability factor should they swing by. 3. NBC Universal -- Hotel Rooftop Putting NBC Universal that far off the ground with minimal safety railings seems like a bad idea given the year the film division has had. Better install some kind of aerial netting for when things get drunkenly bleakest. And don't loiter on the sidewalks. 4. Summit Entertainment -- Stardust Room Summit's critical breakout, "The Hurt Locker," has been feted by just about every critics group in the country -- for picture, director Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal's screenplay. The Globes followed with its own tank load of nominations. So here's looking to an explosive party. 5. The Weinstein Co. -- Old Trader Vics space Yes, TWC still has a party. And this year they actually have a reason to throw one. "The Road" may have dead-ended and "Halloween II" may have run out of candy, but homegrown hero Quentin Tarantino delivered his biggest hit with "Inglourious Basterds." Between that, "Nine" and Colin Firth's vaunted turn in "A Single Man," the glamour and movie geek chic should be thicker than Brad Pitt's Tennessee accent.