Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher to Star in Lionsgate Thriller Five Killers February 19, 2009 7:58 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Five Killers, Movies, News.add a comment
Lionsgate has announced that Katherine Heigl has signed on to star opposite Ashton Kutcher in the studio’s upcoming thriller Five Killers. The film will be directed by Robert Luketic, whom most recently directed Heigl in the upcoming romantic comedy The Ugly Truth.
According to Variety, the film kicks off when a woman meets the man of her dreams while on vacation. Married bliss is turned upside down when they discover that their neighbors may be assassins hired to kill them.
WB Acquires Mel Gibson Thriller Edge of Darkness February 18, 2009 8:30 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in BBC, Casting, Edge of Darkness, Movies, News, Television.add a comment
Rights to Mel Gibson’s thriller Edge of Darkness, about a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Dept. whose only child is murdered on the steps of his home, have been acquired by Warner Bros. The film is based on the BBC miniseries of the same name and will be directed by Martin Campbell and starring Gibson.
Source: Variety
Ang Lee In Talks to Direct Life of Pi February 18, 2009 6:56 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Books, Casting, Life of Pi, Movies, News.add a comment
Ang Lee is in talks to direct 20th Century Fox’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s coming-of-age survival tale Life of Pi. The novel of which the project is based on revolves around a youth who is the lone survivor of a sunken freighter and winds up sharing a lifeboat with a hyena, an injured zebra, an orangutan and a hungry Bengal tiger.
Source: Variety
WB Developing Back to Africa With Martin Lawrence February 18, 2009 6:49 pm
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Warner Bros-based Alcon Entertainment has acquired the comedy project Back to Africa. Martin Lawrence is producing and may also star in the comedy, which according to Variety centers on a working-class man from Queens who discovers he is heir to the throne of an African country and travels there to claim his birthright.
Danny Trejo Joins The Expendables February 18, 2009 6:40 pm
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There’s yet another big name addition to Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables. Latino Review is reporting that actor Danny Trejo of Machete fame has joined the cast of the upcoming film about a team of mercenaries who head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator.
Schwarzenegger Added to Stallone’s The Expendables February 18, 2009 5:27 pm
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The already impressive cast of Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables has gotten larger. AICN is reporting that Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be playing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Stallone produced/directed/written film. In other casting news, AICN further reports that Ben Kingsley is out, while Eric Roberts is now in. Plus, Mickey Rourke is officially signed on.
The film, about a month out from shooting, will also star Jason Statham, Jet Li , Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren and Forest Whitaker.
Scarlett Johansson In Talks To Replace Emily Blunt in Iron Man 2 February 16, 2009 12:30 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Iron Man 2, Movies, News.1 comment so far
A couple weeks back it was revealed that due to a scheduling conflict, Emily Blunt may have to step down from playing the Black Widow in Iron Man 2. Now Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Scarlett Johansson is in talks to replace Blunt as the Russian superspy Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow.
Marvel will not confirm, but sources around Hollywood say Johansson has indeed met with the filmmakers and is interested in taking the role of Russian superspy Natasha Romanoff, who doubles as Black Widow. Blunt’s reps are still trying to make both projects work, but Gulliver’s is further along, with a start date of April 15. Iron Man 2 still doesn’t have a shooting script and a start date has not yet been determined.
Nick Cannon To Host America’s Got Talent February 16, 2009 12:09 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in America's Got Talent, Casting, NBC, Television.add a comment
With Jerry Springer announcing his departure after two seasons on the NBC hit series America’s Got Talent, the network has announced a new host, Actor/Rapper Nick Cannon. Cannon will take over the NBC job for the show’s upcoming fourth season.
Source: Variety
John Malkovich Starring in Jonah Hex February 12, 2009 4:45 pm
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John Malkovich has been added to the cast of Jimmy Hayward’s adaptation of the comic book Jonah Hex, co-starring with Josh Brolin. According to Variety, Malkovich will be playing Quentin Turnbull, a wealthy Southern plantation owner whose son is killed by Union soldiers during the Civil War. Hayward will be directing based on a script by Crank writers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor.
Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro In Talks to Star in Scorsese’s Silence February 2, 2009 6:12 pm
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Martin Scorsese hopes to make Silence his next film and according to Variety, the director is working with Graham King’s GK Films on negotiating with Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro to star. Production is expected to begin later this year in New Zealand.
The drama is set in 17th century and is about two Jesuit priests facing violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity. The film is based on the Shusaku Endo novel, and was adapted by Jay Cooks. Scorsese has been interested in the project for more than a decade.
Dev Patel Joins Cast of The Last Airbender February 2, 2009 6:03 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News, The Last Airbender.1 comment so far
Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel has joined the cast of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender. Patel joins Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone and Jessica Jade Andres on the Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Films live-action film based on a Nick TV series. According to Variety, Patel will play Zuko, a member of the Fire Nation.
The film begins shooting mid-March in Greenland and will hit theaters on July 2, 2010.
Mickey Rourke In Talks for Broken Horses January 31, 2009 10:37 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broken Horses, Casting, Movies, News.add a comment
THR reports that Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke is in talks with Indian writer/director Vidhu Vinod Chopra to star in Chopra’s Hollywood debut, the gangster film Broken Horses. The film is based on an original story by Chopra, and was written by Indian writer Abhijat Joshi and script consultant Jason Richman (Bangkok Dangerous).
Emily Blunt and Jason Segal Join Cast of Gulliver’s Travels January 30, 2009 1:49 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Gulliver's Travels, Movies, News.1 comment so far
2oth Century Fox is in negotiations with Emily Blunt and Jason Segal to join Jack Black in the studio’s Rob Letterman-directed reimagining of the classic Jonathan Swift tale Gulliver’s Travels. The project was written by Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller.
Blunt was recently offered the role of Black Widow in Iron Man 2, but she may not be able to star in the film because Fox holds an option on the actress that the studio may invoke to see that she takes part in Gulliver’s Travels. Her reps are trying to work out scheduling conflicts so she can play both roles and they are more optimistic that she could do both projects.
Amanda Seyfried Cast in A Woman of No Importance January 29, 2009 3:07 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in A Woman of No Importance, Casting, Movies, News.add a comment
Mamma Mia! star Amanda Seyfried has been cast in Myriad Pictures’ adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s comedy A Woman of No Importance. Seyfried will star opposite Annette Bening and Sean Bean. Donald Zuckerman is producing and Bruce Beresford is directing from a script written by Howard Himelstein.
Source: Variety
Adam Sandler In The Green Hornet? January 28, 2009 3:30 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News, Rumors, The Green Hornet.add a comment
Here’s a bit more news on Seth Rogen’s The Green Hornet. The LA Times Hero Complex blog reports that Adam Sandler has a “brief but key role in the movie as a certain surprise superhero…I heard which one, too, but I don’t want to ruin it.”
Sandler and Rogen are working together on another project, an untitled comedy from Judd Apatow, so the possibility of Sandler making a cameo appearance in The Green Hornet isn’t all that far-fetched.
The Green Hornet is scheduled for a June 25, 2010 release.
Hillary Duff and Kevin Zegers Cast in The Story of Bonnie and Clyde January 27, 2009 5:12 pm
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Singer Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers have been cast in the independent feature The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, written and directed by Tonya S. Holly. According to Variety, the project is a new adaptation of the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, and not a remake of the 1967 classic that starred Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty.
CBS Announces Cast for The Amazing Race January 26, 2009 6:14 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, CBS, News, Television, The Amazing Race.1 comment so far
CBS has announced the 11 teams that will take part in the 14th installment of the Emmy Award-winning series The Amazing Race, which premieres Sunday, February 15th (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT) on CBS. The new season will see the contestants traverse over 40,000 miles and nine countries over 22 days.
The full press release follows after the jump. (more…)
Dakota Fanning In New Moon? January 22, 2009 12:51 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, New Moon, News, Rumors.1 comment so far
E! Online is reporting a rumor that Dakota Fanning is in talks to play Jane in New Moon, the upcoming sequel to the successful first installment Twilight.
New Moon, directed by Chris Weitz, hits theaters on November 20, 2009.
J.K. Simmons Returning to play J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man 4 January 21, 2009 2:17 pm
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J.K. Simmons, who played J. Jonah Jameson in the first three Spider-Man films, told MTV that he will be returning for the fourth film in the franchise:
The fourth film in the blockbuster “Spider-Man” franchise will begin shooting in 2010, actor J.K. Simmons told MTV News at Sundance, revealing that he’ll continue in the role of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson. “I saw Sam [Raimi] at his Christmas party.”
“We’ve definitely brainstormed ideas for Triple-J, but I have no desire to make Triple-J more of the focus of those movies,” he said. “The amount that I did in 1, 2 and 3, is just exactly right. Like be the wolf. Come in, blow in, do a week, blow out, be the comic relief, and hit the road. And let Tobey and everybody else do the heavy lifting.”
Spider-Man 4 is scheduled to hit theaters in May 2011.
Keanu Reeves Confirmed for Cowboy Bebop January 16, 2009 2:34 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Cowboy Bebop, Movies, News, Television.1 comment so far
THR has confirmed the news that Keanu Reeves is attached to star in 20th Century Fox’s big screen adaptation of the late-90’s Japanese anime Cowboy Bebop.
One of the big titles in anime, “Bebop” is set in a time where “astral gates” make interstellar travel possible. Humanity, decimated by a lunar explosion resulting from a gate accident, spread out across the solar system, as did crime, which gave rise to the use of bounty hunters.
Reeves would play Spike Spiegel, a bounty hunter and former member of a crime syndicate. Spiegel, along with Jet Black, a fellow bounty hunter and former cop, are the two pilots of the spaceship Bebop.
Peter Craig is writing the script.
Emily Blunt As Black Widow in Iron Man 2? January 14, 2009 6:04 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Iron Man 2, Movies, News.1 comment so far
Variety is reporting that Emily Blunt has emerged as the frontrunner to play the role of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the sequel to Iron Man.
Marvel would not comment on the Black Widow casting. Iron Man 2, directed by Jon Favreau and written by Justin Theroux, begins production this spring and will hit theaters on May 7, 2010.
McG Wants Will Smith for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea + Talks Possible Arnold Cameo in Terminator January 14, 2009 3:11 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, Casting, Movies, News, Rumors.add a comment
LatinoReview got the opportunity to speak with director McG, and the topic of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, for which he was recently announced to helm, came up.
“How do you go from Terminator to the Captain Nemo story?”
McG talked a bit about his idea and frankly I was getting my jacket to get out of there when all of a sudden I heard him say, “The character Nemo in this film is more about obsession, he is obsessed and people tend to forget that when you become so obsessed you end up being the villain.”
AND THEN THE KILLER ANSWER!! (In an interesting way.)
McG continues, “’Man I’m trying to get Will Smith to do it, been trying to get a hold of him. I’ve been wanting to work with him for a long time already. That guy’s great”
McG was also asked about whether Arnold would make a cameo appearance in Terminator Salvation, where he gave another wait and see answer:
“What the hell. Are we seeing Arnold or not?” to which he responded with a grin saying, “You have to wait and see, can’t give that away cause we’re in the Warner Bros. building and they will shoot me if I say anything”
Jackie Chan In Talks To Join Karate Kid Remake January 14, 2009 12:40 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Karate Kid, Movies, News.add a comment
Hmm, I’m not so sure about this bit of casting news, if only because of it sorta hints at the direction that the project will take. Variety is reporting that Jackie Chan is in final negotiations to join Columbia Pictures’ remake of The Karate Kid. The Film, helmed by Harald Zwart, stars Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s son) in the starring role.
Although its not specified, Chan would likely play the character Mr. Miyagi, who was portrayed by the late Pat Morita in the 1984 original, and subsequentent sequels.
Set in an exotic Asian locale, the new film will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth (Smith) learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor (Chan). Chris Murphy penned the screenplay.
Shooting begins this summer in Beijing.
Taylor Lautner Reprising His Role in Twilight Sequel, New Moon January 8, 2009 10:15 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, New Moon, News, Twilight.add a comment
The rumors that Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black) would be replaced for New Moon, the sequel to Summit Entertainment’s Twilight, have turned out to be false. The studio and new director Chris Weitz announced today that Lautner would be reprising his role as the character:
Weitz noted there has been speculation about whether Lautner could portray the character who goes through many changes physically, including growing taller and bulkier and aging 10 years. The 16-year-old Lautner has been spending time in the gym, trying to add 19 pounds of muscle. Weitz added that Lautner is “emotionally right” for the part.
New Moon hits theaters on November 20, 2009.
Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell In Discussions to Star in Iron Man 2 January 7, 2009 8:19 pm
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Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell are both in talks to star as villains in the Jon Favreau-directed sequel, Iron Man 2. Rourke’s character would be a Russian named Ivan who has deadly, technologically enhanced coils according to THR.
Rockwell is in talks to play Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and rival of Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man.
Iron Man 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 7, 2010.
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