***Set Photos of Robert Pattinson in David Cronenberg’s COSMOPOLIS ***Bryan Cranston in Talks for GANGSTER SQUAD ***Diablo Cody to Make Directorial Debut with LAMB OF GOD ***Chris Hemsworth to Star in Sony Action Pic SHADOW RUNNER ***Hugh Jackman Says THE WOLVERINE Starts Filming This October ***New Posters for FINAL DESTINATION 5, KILLER ELITE, and 30 MINUTES OR LESS

Bryan Cranston in Talks for GANGSTER SQUAD

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: June 29th, 2011

The beloved Bryan Cranston is in talks to star opposite Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Michael Pena, and Anthony Mackie in the period crime drama Gangster Sqad.  Will Beall (Castle) adapted the script from the LA Times’ seven-part series “Tales from the Gangster Squad,” the original title of the movie.  The articles chronicle the LAPD’s formation of the Gangster Squad in the 1940s to combat organized crime in Los Angeles.  Variety pins Cranston to the role of Max Kennard, “a laconic LAPD officer from Texas who enforces the law ambitiously.”  (Variety also refers to the movie as “The Gangster Squad,” so be prepared for a slight title adjustment if future coverage follows suit.)  Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) will direct the Warner Bros/Village Roadshow production.

Cranston is doing a splendid job parlaying is multiple Breaking Bad Emmy wins into fancy movie roles.  Larry Crowne opens this Friday, followed by Contagion (September 9) and Drive (September 16) in the fall.  2012 holds Rock of Ages, John Carter, Total Recall, and likely Red Tails.  Additionally, Cranston recently entered negotiations to star in Argo.  Time continues to pass way too slowly until season four of Breaking Bad premieres on July 17.  Cranston forever! http://collider.com/bryan-cranston-gangster-squad/99651/

Set Photos of Robert Pattinson in David Cronenberg’s COSMOPOLIS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 29th, 2011

A few set images from David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis have hit the web. The images gives us a look at Robert Pattinson and Sarah Gadon (as well as Kevin Durand’s head). Based on the Don DeLillo novel, the film tells the story of a newlywed billionaire (Pattinson) who ends up losing his bride and his billions in a single day. Cosmopolis stars Pattinson, Gadon, Durand, Jay Baruchel, Samantha Morton, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti and Mathieu Amalric. Hit the jump to check out the images.

http://collider.com/cosmopolis-set-images-robert-pattinson/99639/

Diablo Cody to Make Directorial Debut with LAMB OF GOD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 29th, 2011

Screenwriter Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for her debut script Juno, is ready to try her hand at directing. The scribe is poised to make her directorial debut with Lamb of God, a comedy that she also wrote. The story centers on a young conservative religious woman who, after losing her faith following a plane crash, heads to Las Vegas to “live the life of a sinner.” However, during her new life of sin, she somehow regains her faith.

Mandate Pictures acquired the screenplay, and Mason Novick (500 Days of Summer) will produce. Cody recently re-teamed with Juno director Jason Reitman for Young Adult, which stars Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, and Patton Oswalt. Hit the jump to read the full press release regarding Lamb of God. http://collider.com/diablo-cody-lamb-of-god/99617/

Chris Hemsworth to Star in Sony Action Pic SHADOW RUNNER

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 29th, 2011

Perhaps impressed by the critical and financial success of his first blockbuster lead, Thor, Sony Pictures has tapped Chris Hemsworth to star in their recently acquired actioner, Shadow Runner. According to Deadline, the studio picked up the pitch for the action/thriller which is based on an idea from Drive scribe Hossein Amini who will executive produce. Beau Flynn, Tripp Vinson, and Will Ward will co-produce the pic which is believed to require Hemsworth to “lead an elite team of operatives who take on impossible tasks.” Let’s hope they only seem impossible, or else moviegoers could be in for a frustrating 90 minutes.

Per the report, Amini’s original idea is inspired by a real-life event in which a 17-member team of Israeli assassins tracked and dispatched of a Hamas leader in the lobby of a five-star Dubai hotel. However, the film is not expected to mirror that event verbatim. In addition to Shadow Runner, Hemsworth also has a lead spot alongside Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman which is scheduled to hit theaters on June 1, 2012. The Thor star is currently filming The Avengers and will hopefully see his turns in the MGM back-logged films Red Dawn and Cabin in the Woods on the silver screen in the near future.

http://collider.com/chris-hemsworth-shadow-runner/99592/

Hugh Jackman Says THE WOLVERINE Starts Filming This October

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 29th, 2011

Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like The Wolverine is back on track. After Darren Aronofsky dropped out as director, and natural disasters ravaged Japan (the desired shooting location) it looked like Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine sequel might be delayed for quite some time. After an extensive director search, James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma) was hired to helm the project, and now speaking with Toronto radio station CHFI (via The Playlist), Jackman stated that filming will commence this October:

“We shoot in October, so it will probably come out a year after that. That’s usually around the timeline.”

So not only is the film shooting this year, it may even hit theaters in 2012. Jackman also told the radio station that director Tom Hooper’s (The King’s Speech) big-budget musical adaptation of Les Miserables won’t shoot until next year. Hit the jump for more. http://collider.com/hugh-jackman-the-wolverine-filming/99585/ 

New Posters for FINAL DESTINATION 5, KILLER ELITE, and 30 MINUTES OR LESS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 29th, 2011

New posters have been release for Final Destination 5, Killer Elite, and 30 Minutes or Less.  What’s great about each of these posters?  Final Destination 5: You can’t go wrong with exploding skulls.  Killer Elite: Clive Owen ‘stache.  30 Minutes or Less: Absolutely nothing.
Hit the jump to check out the posters.  Final Destination 5 opens August 12th.  Killer Elite opens September 23rd.  30 Minutes or Less opens August 12th.
http://collider.com/final-destination-5-killer-elite-30-minutes-or-less-posters/99536/

***Barry Levinson to Direct Al Pacino in THE HUMBLING This Fall Before Shooting GOTTI: THREE GENERATIONS ***First Poster for OUR IDIOT BROTHER Starring Paul Rudd ***Adam Scott Joins MY MOTHER’S CURSE Starring Seth Rogen and Nate Meyer’s SEE GIRL RUN ***Mark Romanek Says He Won’t Direct THE WOLVERINE

Barry Levinson to Direct Al Pacino in THE HUMBLING This Fall Before Shooting GOTTI: THREE GENERATIONS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 10th, 2011

Director Barry Levinson, who’s been busy putting together the large-scale mob flick Gotti: Three Generations, has decided to shoot another film this fall before commencing production on Gotti. Levinson will reunite with his You Don’t Know Jack star Al Pacino (who’s also set to star in Gotti) in an adaptation of Phillip Roth’s novel The Humbling. The film centers on a famous retired stage actor in decline who moves to upstate New York with a much younger woman, resulting in his reinvigoration.
Deadline reports that the plan is to shoot The Humbling this fall, with Levinson currently working on filling out the rest of his cast. He co-wrote the script alongside Buck Henry and Michal Zebede. Levinson recently took over directing duties on Gotti: Three Generations after Nick Cassavetes left the project. He and his Bugsy co-writer James Toback are now giving Gotti a page-one rewrite, and while the cast could change once the script is finished, he’s very keen on Pacino and John Travolta starring in the film. Hit the jump for more, including a synopsis of Phillip Roth’s The Humbling. http://collider.com/barry-levinson-the-humbling-al-pacino/95864/

First Poster for OUR IDIOT BROTHER Starring Paul Rudd

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 10th, 2011

The first poster for the comedy Our Idiot Brother has debuted online. Directed by Jesse Peretz (The Ex), the film stars Paul Rudd as a ne’er-do-well brother who successively barges into the lives of his three sisters. The impressive ensemble cast includes Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones and Adam Scott. Hit the jump to check out the poster. Our Idiot Brother hits theaters August 26^th.  http://collider.com/our-idiot-brother-movie-poster/95852/

Adam Scott Joins MY MOTHER’S CURSE Starring Seth Rogen and Nate Meyer’s SEE GIRL RUN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 10th, 2011

Adam Scott is a scene-stealer. He’s consistently funny and nails every role he takes on, no matter how small, from Step Brothers to NBC’s Parks and Recreation. So I’m happy to report that the actor’s nabbed roles in a couple of upcoming projects. First up,  Risky Business reports that Scott has been cast in the comedy My Mother’s Curse alongside Seth Rogen, Barbara Streisand, Yvonne Strahovski and Colin Hanks. Anne Fletcher (The Proposal) directs from a script by Dan Fogelman (Tangled) that centers on an inventor (Rogen) who invites his mother along for a cross-country trip while he attempts to sell his new product and connect with a long lost love. Lorne Michaels, Evan Goldberg and John Goldwyn are producing.
Additionally, Scott has been cast in See Girl Run. Written and directed by Nate Meyer (Pretty in the Face), the film centers on a girl “who gets caught up in ‘what ifs’ that cause her to dig back into her romantic history.” Scott is set to play a local hero from her hometown that stayed there to become an artist while pining for his high school love. Scott will next be seen alongside Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel in Our Idiot Brother which opens August 26^th.

http://collider.com/adam-scott-my-mothers-curse-see-girl-run/95848/

Mark Romanek Says He Won’t Direct THE WOLVERINE, Comments on the Script

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 10th, 2011

A few weeks ago, we reported on a shortlist of directors that Fox was considering to helm The Wolverine, the follow-up to 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. One of the best directors on that list (and my personal favorite) was Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go). Well today comes the unfortunate news that Romanek has passed on helming the flick. The director confirmed to Digital Spy (via The Playlist) that the material wasn’t quite up his alley, though he did give the Christopher McQuarrie script a semi-compliment:

“That’s just one of those stories that floated around. I was on their list, I received the script months ago. It didn’t seem like my kind of thing. That script was a terrific version of that kind of thing, but not something I felt really passionate about.”

While it’s disappointing that we won’t be seeing Romanek’s version of a superhero flick, I’m excited to see him do something he’s passionate about when he chooses his next project. Fox’s shortlist for Wolverine directors is rather low on depth, favoring more eye-candy friendly helmers (Fast Five‘s Justin Lin, Jumper‘s Doug Liman). After Romanek, my pick of the lot would be James Mangold. He’s proven himself dramatically (3:10 to Yuma) and he’s also shown he can stage fantastic action set-pieces (Knight and Day). The Wolverine stars Hugh Jackman, and is largely set in Japan.
http://collider.com/mark-romanek-the-wolverine/95835/

**Darren Aronofsky Drops Out of THE WOLVERINE **Matthew Fox to Play Villain in I, ALEX CROSS Starring Tyler Perry **Jerry Seinfeld and Johnny Depp to Guest Star on Ricky Gervais’ Comedy Series LIFE’S TOO SHORT **Alan Tudyk to Play Stephen A. Douglas in ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

Darren Aronofsky Drops Out of THE WOLVERINE
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 17th, 2011
Darren Aronofsky has exited the director’s chair on The Wolverine. The sequel to 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine was supposed to see Logan taking what he does best (stabbing) to Japan. Filming was rumored to begin this month for a 2012 release date. However, Fox has now sent out a press release stating that Aronofsky didn’t want to spend a year out of the country and away from his family. While the “spend more time with family” excuse usually is a smokescreen for behind-the-scenes machinations, Aronofsky recently divorced from Rachel Weisz and there may be a custody battle over their son. Also, as you may have heard, there was recently a giant earthquake in Japan and now may not be the best time to shoot a movie there.


Hit the jump for the press release, which includes a statement from Aronofsky and from Fox. I’ve also included my thoughts on Aronofsky leaving the project.
http://collider.com/darren-aronofsky-leaves-the-wolverine/81046/



 



Matthew Fox to Play Villain in I, ALEX CROSS Starring Tyler Perry
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 17th, 2011



If you’re a fan of James Patterson’s novel I, Alex Cross, the disappointments are starting to pile up. The adaptation is being handled by Rob Cohen (Stealth) and Tyler Perry is playing the titular detective. Now there’s another piece of perplexing casting as Deadline reports that Lost’s Matthew Fox will play the villain, serial killer Michael Sullivan. This is the same Matthew Fox who looks like he’s about to cry every five seconds. Here’s how Deadline describes the character: “one bad dude”, “kills both for money and thrills”, “known as the Butcher of Sligo”. Well, Fox will certainly be playing against type.


The story centers on Cross trying to catch Sullivan only to have Sullivan brutally murder Cross’ wife as retribution (that’ll teach ‘em!). Ed Burns will play Cross’ partner, Tommy Kane. Three studios are reportedly vying for the domestic distribution rights to the project. Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.
http://collider.com/matthew-fox-i-alex-cross/81056/






Matthew Fox and Ed Burns Join I, Alex Cross
Source: Deadline March 17, 2011




Matthew Fox ("LOST") and Ed Burns are joining Tyler Perry in the Rob Cohen-directed adaptation of James Patterson's I, Alex Cross, reports Deadline.


Fox will play villain Michael Sullivan and Burns is set to play Tommy Kane, Cross's partner. The site adds that at least three studios are in talks with QED about distributing the movie.


The book is described as follows:


You can't run
Detective Alex Cross is pulled out of a family celebration and given the awful news that a beloved relative has been found brutally murdered. Alex vows to hunt down the killer, and soon learns that she was mixed up in one of Washington's wildest scenes. And she was not this killer's only victim.


You can't hide
The hunt for the murderer leads Alex and his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, to a place where every fantasy is possible, if you have the credentials to get in. Alex and Bree are soon facing down some very important, very protected, very dangerous people in levels of society where only one thing is certain—they will do anything to keep their secrets safe.


Alex Cross is your only hope to stay alive
As Alex closes in on the killer, he discovers evidence that points to the unimaginable—a revelation that could rock the entire world. With the unstoppable action, unforeseeable twists, and edge-of-your-seat suspense that only a James Patterson thriller delivers, I, Alex Cross is the master of suspense at his sharpest and best.


Mark Moss wrote the script and, according to Deadline, he and Cohen have added some twists that are different from the novel.


Morgan Freeman previously played the Alex Cross role in Paramount's Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider




Read more: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=75359







 

Jerry Seinfeld and Johnny Depp to Guest Star on Ricky Gervais’ Comedy Series LIFE’S TOO SHORT
by Ethan Anderton Posted: March 17th, 2011

As a fan of comedy from our friends across the pond in the United Kingdom, I pretty much love anything Ricky Gervais delivers from The Office to Extras. Now I’m currently eagerly anticipating another one of his BBC shows hitting HBO with Life’s Too Short, a series which sees Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter franchise and Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi) as an egomaniac dwarf who runs a talent agency for fellow showbiz dwarfs. Gervais and Stephen Merchant (who also crafted the two aforementioned British comedy series) wrote the six episode first season which is described as a cross between Extras and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Now the show is even more enticing with some great guest appearances from some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Deadline reports Gervais is in the midst of working out a schedule with Johnny Depp to have some sort of guest role on the show, and he’s also approached Jerry Seinfeld for a guest spot to play “quite a whiny Upper East Side Jewish guy.” Honestly, this new series can’t come soon enough. While no formal deal is in place yet, the series is expected to hit HBO at some point, so stay tuned for more news on the project coming to the States.
...... http://collider.com/lifes-too-short-johnny-depp-jerry-seinfeld-ricky-gervais/81076/








Alan Tudyk to Play Stephen A. Douglas in ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER
by Matt Goldberg Posted: March 17th, 2011
Alan Tudyk (Firefly) will play Stephen A. Douglas in Timur Bekmambetov’s 3D adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The book imagines our 16th President had a secret life fighting vampires and that was the real reason for the Civil War. In the history books, Douglas was opposite Lincoln on the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 which helped to raise Lincoln’s national profile. In the Vampire Hunter, Douglas is recast as an “ally of the Southern vampires,” because the only thing that’s worse than vampires, are pro-slavery vampires.


Tudyk joins a cast that includes Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper, Jimmi Simpson, and Robin McLeavy. Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is due out June 22, 2012.
http://collider.com/alan-tudyk-abraham-lincoln-vampire-hunter/81082/

**Matt Damon Says The Liberace Biopic Will Shoot In 2012 **Images Of Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto And Mickey Rourke In Immortals **Darren Aronofsky Wants To Do A Movie About Noah's Ark After The Wolverine **Seth Rogen's Cancer Comedy Retitled 50/50, Set For September 30 Release

Matt Damon Says The Liberace Biopic Will Shoot In 2012

published: 2011-02-18 18:05:24 Author: Katey Rich
Steven Soderbergh has been planning his Liberace biopic, starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, since at least late 2008, when the news first broke in Variety. But any number of things have gotten in the way of the project since then, from Soderbergh's other projects The Girlfriend Experience, The Informant! and the upcoming Contagion and Knockout to Damon and Douglas's own lives, including Douglas's recent bout with cancer.

But the three men have stayed committed to the project, and in a recent interview with The Orlando Sentinel Damon said that the plan now is to shoot in 2012. And though he's taking seriously Soderbergh's threats to soon retire from directing, Damon is hoping he'll be on the set of Liberace and able to talk Soderbergh into directing at least a few more. "It’s his life to do with what he wants. So in the meantime, I’d doing as many movies with him as I can. I’ve definitely got him on the hook for one more."

Damon actually had some great stories to tell about working with Soderbergh in general, praising the director's incredibly swift work process and his passion not necessarily for telling stories in movies, but for exploring cinema form. It's obvious that Damon loves working with Soderbergh, and given that he and Douglas are both veterans after their work on the Oceans movies and Traffic, the three ought to have a ball working together-- maybe enough of a ball to convince Soderbergh to stick with the business? I'll leave you with Damon's quote about why he thinks Soderbergh really will go away, but consider me hopeful for now.

“I’ve talked at length with Steven about it. He is going away for a while, I think. He genuinely wants to paint. And he feels if he really dedicates himself he can be really good. He’s not yet 50. He will put in the hours. He has a work ethic like nobody I’ve ever seen. He feels if he puts a hard decade of work in, he could really be doing something.

“But I see it as a waste of this incredible depth of knowledge of filmmaking. But his thing is ‘form. I’m only interested in what I can do with form. I’ve made almost every movie I want to,’ he says. ‘And if I see another over-the-shoulder shot, I’m going to kill myself.’

“I said to him, right after I did ‘Invictus,’ ‘Steven, I just finished a movie with a guy in his 70s who still charges out of bed every morning because he can’t wait to get to the set. He has a blast and is really loving it and he’s been doing it a lot longer than either of us.’ And without a blink, Steven says ‘But Clint’s a storyteller. A great storyteller. I’m not interested in stories. I’m interested in form.’

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Matt-Damon-Says-The-Liberace-Biopic-Will-Shoot-In-2012-23255.html

Images Of Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto And Mickey Rourke In Immortals

published: 2011-02-18 12:47:30 Author: Josh Tyler
Thanks to Relativity Media, we have an official look at Immortals, director Tarsem Singh’s telling of a war between Greek gods and man. In the movie newly dubbed Superman Henry Cavill stars as Theseus, a mortal chosen by the god Zeus to lead the fight against ruthless King Hyperion (played by Mickey Rourke) and his bloodthirsty, rampaging army.

It sounds a little like 300 meets Clash of the Titans, which seems like a good thing to me. Stephen Dorff, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Kellan Lutz, Luke Evans, and the great John Hurt co-star and we have your first look at the film below in the form of four brand new images from Immortals.

Click on the images below to see them in ultra-high-res.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Images-Of-Henry-Cavill-Freida-Pinto-And-Mickey-Rourke-In-Immortals-23246.html

Darren Aronofsky Wants To Do A Movie About Noah's Ark After The Wolverine

published: 2011-02-18 10:09:20 Author: Mack Rawden
I wish I had bought stock in character licensing fees from The Bible a couple days ago. Hot off news that The Fighter screenwriter Scott Silver is using Samson as a jumping off point for a new superhero, we now understand current Academy Award nominee Darren Aronofsky is looking at the story of Noah and his ark for his follow-up to The Wolverine. Don’t expect it to be a remake of Evan Almighty though.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the Black Swan director was surprised at how morally ambiguous and forward he found many Biblical stories on reread. “They’re not PG in any way. They’re all about sleeping with your brother’s sister who gives you a child who you don’t know. That kind of stuff got censored out of our religious upbringing.”

No financing is in place yet, probably because the last time Aronofsky did something grandiose we got The Fountain, but in order to woo potential buyers, he’s teamed with Canadian Nico Henrichon to put together a four part graphic novel outlining his plans.

There’s something to be said about a completely unpredictable director. Most find their wheelhouse and stick with it, but Aronofsky is content to flit about trying new things. I suspect many will question this decision, but his batting average is impressive enough to warrant the benefit of the doubt.
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Darren-Aronofsky-Wants-To-Do-A-Movie-About-Noah-s-Ark-After-The-Wolverine-23243.html

Seth Rogen's Cancer Comedy Retitled 50/50, Set For September 30 Release

published: 2011-02-18 09:15:07 Author: Katey Rich
The drama known in previous incarnations as I'm With Cancer and Live With It, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young man coping with the illness and Seth Rogen as his best friend, has been retitled 50/50, and set for a September 30 release date according to The Wrap. It's the next film from The Wackness and All The Boys Love Mandy Lane director Jonathan Levine, and also stars Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard (both of them veterans of Summit's cash-cow Twilight franchise) and Anjelica Huston.

It was hard to predict a release strategy for the film, given that it's a drama with comedic overtones-- always hard to market-- and stars Rogen and Gordon-Levitt, both of them successful in various ensemble films but not necessarily up to the task of carrying movies on their own. The Green Hornet's remarkable $200 million worldwide gross probably gave the studio a lot more faith in Rogen, and Gordon-Levitt's got both the Inception bragging rights and that forthcoming mysterious role in The Dark Knight Rises. September 30 seems like a great spot for the film, early enough in the fall season to escape awards chatter, but beyond the dead zone of late August and early September. Given that Rogen's a hometown boy, it wouldn't surprise me to see 50/50 show up at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier that month.
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Seth-Rogen-s-Cancer-Comedy-Retitled-50-50-Set-For-September-30-Release-23241.html