***John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Robert Patrick and Ray Stevenson Join Billy Bob Thornton’s JAYNE MANSFIELD’S CAR ***Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez Join END OF WATCH Starring Jake Gyllenhaal ***Matthew Fox and Ed Harris Join WORLD WAR Z

John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Robert Patrick and Ray Stevenson Join Billy Bob Thornton’s JAYNE MANSFIELD’S CAR

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 14th, 2011

Billy Bob Thornton hasn’t directed a feature film since 2001’s Daddy and Them. Well, last November Thornton broke the news to us that he was once again stepping back into the director’s chair on a film he co-wrote with his writing partner Tom Epperson called Jayne Mansfield’s Car. Now it looks like Thornton is ready to start shooting on the project, as he’s secured funding and has filled out his cast with John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Robert Patrick, Ray Stevenson (Thor) and John Patrick Amedori (The Butterfly Effect) joining previously announced Robert Duvall.

Deadline reports that AR Films is funding the project, which is set to start shooting on June 22^nd in Georgia. The story revolves around a guy whose wife leaves him for an Englishman and moves away to England. 20 or 30 years later, in 1969, the wife dies but wishes to be returned to Alabama where she grew up, so the English family meets—and clashes with—the original family that she abandoned. While Thornton’s All the Pretty Horses left much to be desired, Sling Blade was a bit of a masterwork. Hopefully he can recapture that magic with this southern tale. http://collider.com/john-hurt-kevin-bacon-jayne-mansfields-car/96415/

Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez Join END OF WATCH Starring Jake Gyllenhaal

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 14th, 2011

Anna Kendrick (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) and Natalie Martinez (Death Race) are in talks to star in the gritty cop drama End of Watch. Directed by David Ayers (Street Kings), the two will join a bald-headed Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña. Ayers directs from a script that he wrote, which centers on the friendship between two seasoned police officers in Los Angeles. Variety reports that the actresses will play the love interests of Gyllenhaal and Peña, though doesn’t state which actress is paired up with which actor.

Ayer is no stranger to cop dramas, having made his directorial debut with 2005’s Harsh Times. He also penned the screenplays for The Fast and the Furious, Training Day and S.W.A.T. I’m a big fan of Kendrick’s, and Gyllenhaal can be great with good material, so hopefully everything comes together for End of Watch. http://collider.com/anna-kendrick-end-of-watch-natalie-martinez/96410/

Matthew Fox and Ed Harris Join WORLD WAR Z

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 14th, 2011

With production set to begin this month, Marc Forster’s adaptation of Max Brooks’ World War Z continues to fill out its cast.  Bloody Disgusting reports that Matthew Fox is now on board while Deadline adds that Ed Harris is in talks to join him.  The zombie-action flick also stars Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos (The Killing), Anthony Mackie, Julia Levy-Boeken, and James Badge Dale.  BD reports that Fox will play “Parajumper” while Harris role is currently unknown.  The book takes place ten years after a zombie apocalypse but since Paramount sees the property as a tentpole, it will be repurposed into a PG-13 action movie.
Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.  Fox is also attached to play the villain in Rob Cohen’s adaptation of I, Alex Cross starring Tyler Perry.  Harris is playing John McCain in Game Change and he’s attached to co-star with Aaron Eckhart in Neil Labute’s The Geography of Hope. http://collider.com/world-war-z-matthew-fox-ed-harris/96353/

**Jeff Bridges in Talks to Join Ryan Reynolds in R.I.P.D. **Daniel Cudmore, Travis Fimmel, and Andre Braugher Join Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria in THE BAYTOWN DISCO **Release Dates for Pedro Almodovar’s THE SKIN I LIVE IN and TAKE SHELTER Starring Michael Shannon

Jeff Bridges in Talks to Join Ryan Reynolds in R.I.P.D.

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 28th, 2011

Just recently, Zach Galifianakis was forced to drop out of R.I.P.D. opposite Ryan Reynolds. Well now it looks like Jeff Bridges may be coming aboard the project in his wake. Directed by Robert Schwentke (Red), the supernatural comedy is based on the Dark Horse comic in which dead police officers patrol the underworld. Deadline reports that Bridges is now in talks to join the film following Galifianakis’ departure.
The project has been in development for a while, and speaking to Steve earlier this month Reynolds said that he hopes to shoot it soon. Soon may be a ways off, however, because one of the reasons Galifianakis left the project was fear that Warner Bros. would be exercising their Green Lantern sequel option, forcing Reynolds to shoot Green Lantern 2 later this year, which would push R.I.P.D. back significantly. The casting of Bridges thrills me though; the guy’s comic timing is a thing of beauty. Hopefully things come together at some point to actually get this thing rolling.
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Daniel Cudmore, Travis Fimmel, and Andre Braugher Join Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria in THE BAYTOWN DISCO

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 28th, 2011

Daniel Cudmore (Twilight: New Moon), Travis Fimmel (TV’s The Beast), and Andre Braugher (TV’s Men of a Certain Age) have joined Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria in the Southern comedy The Baytown Disco. Directed by Barry Battles, the film follows three brothers who, as usual, get more than they bargained for when they agree to help a woman get her son back from his abusive father. Serinda Swan, Clayne Crawford, Thomas Sangster and Meagan Good also star.
THR reports that Cudmore, Fimmel and Crawford will star as the trio of brothers. The script, by Battles and Griffin Hood, made the 2009 Black List. The Baytown Disco is set to start filming on May 2^nd in Louisiana.
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http://collider.com/daniel-cudmore-travis-fimmel-andre-braugher-the-baytown-disco/88093/

Release Dates for Pedro Almodovar’s THE SKIN I LIVE IN and TAKE SHELTER Starring Michael Shannon

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 28th, 2011

The release dates for a couple of Sony Pictures Classics flicks are now known. Director Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In is set to be released in the US in November, with a UK release date of August 26^th. The film, an adaptation of Thierry Jonquet’s novel Tarantula, stars Antonio Banderas as a plastic surgeron out for revenge on the man who raped his daughter.
Additionally, Jeff Nichols’ Sundance hit Take Shelter is slated for an October 7^th release. Starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, the thriller tells the story of a husband and father trying to figure out if his dreams of an apocalyptic storm are a sign of things to come or a result of his own mental illness. Hit the jump to read the official synopsis for both films.
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