Charlie Day Circling Guillermo del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM
by Jason Barr Posted: June 16th, 2011
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s up-and-up star Charlie Day is currently in talks to join director Guillermo del Toro’s alien-invasion pic Pacific Rim. Variety reports that Day would play a professor in the film leaving the rest of the role’s details to the imagination (for the record, I’m imagining him in black-rimmed glasses). If the deal goes through, the actor would join fellow FX alum Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) who signed on to star in the project back in May. Idris Elba is also rumored to be high on Legendary’s wishlist, although his involvement is yet to be confirmed.
As a refresher, Pacific Rim is penned by Travis Beacham and is described as a monster flick set within two worlds. It seems as if Beacham’s script will involve humans manning giant robots (i.e. “mecha”) in order to protect the world(s) from said alien invasion (a thought I would find somewhat cheesy if not for del Toro’s exceptional sense of visuals). You’ll remember that del Toro took over the helm of Pacific Rim shortly after Universal failed to greenlight his R-rated version of At the Mountains of Madness. As for Day, the actor can next be seen alongside Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Colin Farrell in the comedy Horrible Bosses opening July 8th. http://collider.com/charlie-day-pacific-rim/96946/
Luke Evans Is Bard the Grim, Benedict Cumberbatch to Voice Smaug in THE HOBBIT
by Jason Barr Posted: June 16th, 2011
In a bit of dual casting news, both Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes in BBC’s Sherlock) have landed roles in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. Evans will make a turn as Bard the Grim and Deadline reports that Cumberbatch will voice the dragon Smaug in Jackson’s two-part return to Tolkien which is currently in production in New Zealand. Whereas Evans’ casting comes as a bit of fresh news, rumors of Cumberbatch’s involvement began to swirl back in May when The Hobbit co-star Martin Freeman let the news accidentally slip to a BBC reporter. Per the report, Cumberbatch will take on the role of Smaug via motion capture while also providing voice work for the character Necromancer.
As for Evans, it is believed that his turn as Bard will have a larger role in the second Hobbit installment. Regardless, it is assured that he and Cumberbatch’s Smaug will not be on good terms as the story goes that Smaug was responsible for the death of Bard’s father. Evans can next be seen in Immortals and The Three Musketeers while Cumberbatch has roles in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse and Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy. Part 1 of The Hobbit is slated to hit 3D theaters in December 2012 with Part 2 coming in December 2013. In addition to Evans, Cumberbatch, and the aforementioned Freeman, The Hobbit also stars Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellan, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Andy Serkis, and Stephen Fry. http://collider.com/luke-evans-benedict-cumberbatch-the-hobbit/96940/
Annette Bening in Talks to Join Paul Dano in HE LOVES ME
by Adam Chitwood Posted: June 16th, 2011
It looks like Annette is close to locking in her first role post-The Kids Are All Right. Variety reports that the actress is in negotiations to star in Fox Searchlight’s He Loves Me. The film stars Paul Dano as “a once-great novelist who is creativity blocked due to heartache and loneliness,” only to be turned around when he writes his dream girl who then comes to life. So it’s like Weird Science meets Mannequin, only super indie.
Dano’s real-life girlfriend, Zoe Kazan, wrote the screenplay and will star in the film as the dream girl. Bening is eying the role of Dano’s mother, a painter who’s worried about how much her son hates her second-husband, a dirty hippie (the answer is a lot. He hates your dirty hippie husband a lot). Little Miss Sunshine directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are helming the flick, which starts filming next month. http://collider.com/annette-bening-he-loves-me-paul-dano/96848/
Sony Pictures Classics Acquires David Cronenberg’s A DANGEROUS METHOD
by Adam Chitwood Posted: June 16th, 2011
Director David Cronenberg’s latest flick, A Dangerous Method, has been picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics. Based on Christopher Hampton’s 2002 play The Talking Cure, the film centers on the relationship between Carl Jung (played by Michael Fassbender), his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), and Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), the woman who came between them. The fantastic cast also includes Vincent Cassel. Images from the film were released late last year, giving us a preview of what’s sure to be one hell of a period film with Cronenberg at the helm. Hit the jump to read the full press release. http://collider.com/a-dangerous-method-sony-pictures-classics/96835/
Zoe Saldana Joins Mark Ruffalo in J.J. Abrams-Produced INFINITELY POLAR BEAR
by Adam Chitwood Posted: June 16th, 2011
Star Trek actress Zoe Saldana is currently in negotiations to join the cast of the marital drama Infinitely Polar Bear. Mark Ruffalo is attached to star, and J.J. Abrams is producing the flick which centers on a bipolar husband who, after going off his meds, loses his job forcing his wife to go back to work. Vulture reports that Saldana wil play Ruffalo’s wife in what they describe as “the dramatic version of Mr. Mom.”
Screenwriter Maya Forbes (Monsters vs. Aliens) is making her directorial debut on the project, which is getting some much-needed funding from investor Megan Ellison, who is also funding two of Paul Thomas Anderson’s projects. She’s like the guardian angel of movies. Infinitely Polar Bear is set to start shooting this September, before Saldana moves on to Star Trek 2. http://collider.com/zoe-saldana-infinitely-polar-bear-mark-ruffalo/96829/
