Brad Pitt reportedly shopping 'IBM and the Holocaust'; plus more movie briefs

Never one to slow down, Brad Pitt always has multiple irons in the fire, and his involvement always has a way of boosting a film project's profile. That goes double when the project in question is something as provocative as an adaptation of Edwin Black's 2001 nonfiction book "IBM and the Holocaust," about the computer giant's role in Adolf Hitler's attempted extermination of Europeans Jews.

Actor Brad Pitt, as seen during the 2011 Toronto Film Festival. The actor-producer is reportedly working to make an adaptation of the 2001 nonfiction book 'IBM and the Holocaust.'

And that's exactly what the actor-producer has been working on lately, according to an item posted today (Sept. 12) by Daily Vulture.

Black's book, which Vulture describes as taking "a 'Moneyball' approach to explaining the Holocaust," describes how IBM helped Nazi Germany by providing a punchcard system to help it sort through census information and other data to identify - and ultimately kill - 6 million Jews.

For its part, IBM has questioned Black's methodology, and while some critics have questioned the conclusiveness of his assertions against the computer giant, IBM has reportedly offered comparatively few corporate documents from the era, saying most have been destroyed in the nearly 70 years since the end of World War II. Still, Pitt's apparent interest in the project is understandable. Black's book is at once provocative, macabre and fascinating stuff.

According to Vulture, "IBM and the Holocaust" was originally set up at HBO, but after ! the prem ium-cable channel passed on it, Pitt's Plan B production shingle stepped in and is shopping it around for development as a TV movie, miniseries or - in what Vulture's unnamed "insider" sources say is increasingly likely - as a feature film.

It's unclear if Pitt would star in the film or just act as a producer.

Regardless, his involvement in the possible adaptation of "IBM and the Holocaust" tops today's Evening Edition, a regular rundown of recent Hollywood headlines from around the web:

Indiewire: 71 reviews (and counting) from the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Say what you will, but Indiewire has Toronto covered and them some, as evidenced by this tidily alphabetized list of capsule reviews from the fest. (For the record, of the three highest-profile Louisiana-shot films in that number, "Looper" and "On the Road" both get a grade of B, while "The Paperboy" earns a lowly D+.) It's an impressive collection of film writing. And since we're on the topic of Toronto, if you read just one interview from Toronto, this HuffPo sitdown with a tired, candid and hilariously profane Chris Evans should be it.

Nola.com: "Beasts of the Southern Wild" star Quvenzhane Wallis gets her first major acting award. I blogged this one earlier today, but given that Wallis is one of ours, it's plenty worth posting again.

AP (via Nola.com): "Titanic" effects maker goes bankrupt. Here's another one I blogged earlier today, but here it is again in case you missed it. In a related story, Variety asks the $64 million question: What will the demise of Digital Doman - which has prompted Florida to look long and hard at its filmmaking tax incentives - do for tax credits in other states?

Indiewire: A silent star goes digital. Leonard Maltin writes a brief appreciation of Mary Pickford in the wake of the news that her estate has unveiled an innovative new website, billed as an "online research center and clearinghouse" documenting Pickford's considerable contributions to the biz.

The Hollywood Repoerter: Weinstein Co. beefs up 'Master' premiere security over calls from angry Scientologists. Members of the church are understandably concerned with the film, which director Paul Thomas Anderson has admitted was inspired by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and they've made those concerns known to Weinstein Co. principal Harvey Weinstein. As to whether there's a real need for more security at the film's New York premiere on Monday is anyone's guess, but it's worth noting that Weinstein is the real master when it comes to turning controversy to his advantage where potential Oscars are on the line.

Deadline: Disney challenges UK film company over 'misleading' DVDs. Say what you will about Disney's hypersensitivity where its copyrights are concerned, but it's hard to argue that the animated knockoff "Braver" is a blatant attempt to horn in on the success of Disney/Pixar's recent "Brave," from the title to the story to the cover art.