Hector Joins "Blood Ties"

Jamie Hector ("The Wire") has joined Guillaume Canet's 1970's-set crime thriller "Blood Ties" says Collider.

An adaptation of the French novel "Les Liens du sang", the story centers on a younger brother (Billy Crudup) who has to ask his ex-convict older brother (Clive Owen,) to go back into the underworld to help out the family.

Zoe Saldana and Marion Cotillard are set to play love interests. Matthias Schoenaerts has been offered a role in the film.Noah Emmerich  Mila Kunis  and James Caan co-star.

Canet who starred in the 2008 French film version and James Gray co-wrote the adapted script.

Alain Attal and John Lesher will produce the pic.

Production is currently underway in New York.

Kick Ass 2 Gets Kicked Started!

The sequel Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall  is moving ahead after stalling out but not in the way you would have thought...

"Never Back Down" director Jeff Wadlow wrote a script and will direct the pic says Deadline.

Discussions are just getting underway with original Kick-Ass cast members Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse to reprise their roles.  Since they weren't officially signed for sequels, new deals have to be worked out.

The first first film's director Matthew Vaughn will produce here--his commitments to X-Men: First Class 2 are preventing him from calling action.

Production is hoped to begin in August

Cassavetes Maps Out Trip To "Cali"

"The Notebook" director Nick Cassavetes will call action on the gritty thriller "Cali" says Variety.

Michael Diliberti's script sees Kristen Stewart as Mya one half of a San Fernando Valley couple ooposite Chris often involved in dangerous behavior. After selling a fake snuff film they disappear with a bunch of cash. Years later Mya must return to save the younger sister she left behind.

The plot throws in angry former business partners, homicidal porn stars, stoner vets, and an assassin in a stetson as well.

I still say that they should try and get Robert Pattinson to play Chris....

Diliberti, Craig J. Flores and Zev Foreman will produce

Production aims to kick off later this Summer.

Cage & Temple Have "Wild Side"

Nicolas Cage, Juno Temple and Johnny Knoxville are set to star in the road trip action flick "Wild Side" says Deadline

In the film Temple plays a small-town Southern beauty queen on the run from a ruthless killer (Cage) determined to retrieve diamonds he stole during a murderous heist.

The movie will be directed by Jesse Baget (Breathless) from a script he wrote with Stefania Moscato.

Mark Holder and Christine Holder are producing the film.

Production begins on July 23rd in Louisiana

Hauser Has A Good Day

Cole Hauser has landed a supporting role in the sequel "A Good Day To Die Hard" says Deadline.

The script by Skip Woods is said to take place primarily in Russia, where hero John McClane (Bruce Willis) must rescue his son Jack (Aussie actor Jai Courtney) taking out terrorists at every turn.

Hauser will play a villain named Collins aiding Sebastian Koch (The Lives of Others) and Russian actress Yuliya Snigir in some way or another

Alex Young Michael Fottrell and Stephen J. Eads are producers on the pic.

John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, Max Payne) is calling action on the film for a release on February 14th 2013

Clark Gregg Joins Labor Day

Clark Gregg has joined the dramedy "Labor Day" says The Hollywood Reporter.

Based on author Joyce Maynard's book--the action is set on a late summer Labor Day holiday weekend in the 1980s, the story follows a divorced, depressed single mom (Kate Winslet) out shopping with her 13-year-old son Henry (Gattlin Griffith) when they encounter a large, fearsome and bleeding man named Frank (Josh Brolin). He asks for a ride and against their better judgment they agree, later learning the police are searching their town for an escaped convict.

There's no word yet on what character Gregg will be playing

James Van Der Beek will play a police officer investigating a missing person’s case. Brighid Fleming plays the object of Griffith's affection and a girl with much more awareness of the way the world works than he has.

Tom Lipinski and Maika Monroe also star.

Jason Reitman will direct using his adapted script, and will co-produce the film with Helen Estabrook Lianne Halfon and Russell Smith.

Production begins in June

Atwell Hates "Life"

Hayley Atwell will star in the rom-com "10 Things I Hate About Life" says Variety.

Gil Junger, the writer/director of the Shakespeare-inspired 1999 Heath Ledger/Julia Stiles teen rom-com "10 Things I Hate About You", is back in the same capacities in what is essentially a pseudo sequel/spin-off to that film.

The original '10 Things' is popular enough that Junger apparently made more in residuals last year than he received for actually directing it in 1999. The story for this is said to advance the situations from the original film.

I rather enjoyed the short lived TV series version of the story as well.

In thisn new film two ordinary people who've never met who go to the same place at the same time to end their lives. This chance meeting postpones their intentions.
 
Shooting aims to begin in November in Los Angeles.»

Mann Joins Chavez Biopic

"Revenge" co star Gabriel Mann has joined the indie biopic Chavez says Variety.

The film follows Cesar E. Chavez (Michael Pena) who organised the largest nonviolent protest in U.S. history to obtain basic human rights for over 50,000 farm workers in California.

Mann will play John Giumarra Jr.

Wes Bentley will play fearless attorney Jerry Cohen, Michael Cudlitz will play a sheriff who lets his personal opinions cloud his judgment, Jacob Vargas, will play Cesar's older brother,Yancey Arias wil play the United Farm Workers Union secretary-treasurer Gilbert Padilla, Mark Moses will play seasoned organizer Fred Ross who mentors Chavez. America Ferrera and Rosario Dawson co-star as Chavez's wife and top aide respectively.

Diego Luna's calling action from Keir Pearson's script.

Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal, Pablo Cruz, John Malkovich, Lianne Halfon, Russell Smith and Larry Meli will produce the pic.

Production is underway in Mexico.

Diaz Takes Jolie's Counselor Role

Cameron Diaz has joined the cast of Ridley Scott's "The Counselor" in the role previously targeted by Angelina Jolie says Twitchfilm.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy's script centers on an attorney (Michael Fassbender), a good man in need of money, who decides to dabble in the cocaine trade. He teams up with a rich acquaintance (Javier Bardem) for a new business that also brings in a shady type (Brad Pitt). Things don’t go as planned.

Diaz's role is that of Malkina, the horny Argentinean woman who has hooked up with Bardem's character. Jolie will be filming Maleficent and therefore could not break away.

Penelope Cruz is eyed to play Fassbender's fiancee

Nick Wechsler, Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz will produce the film and shooting is set to begin shortly.

Hall Up For Iron Man 3 Role

Rebecca Hall is in talks to step into a supporting role in writer/director Shane Black's "Iron Man 3" says Variety.

The story is based on the popular six-issue mini series "Extremis" by Warren Ellis--the film's events take place after The Avengers. The plot involves the spread of a virus through nanobots.

The role is that of a "sexy scientist every bit as smart as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.)", that was likely the character of Dr. Maya Hansen who developed the Extremis nanotechnolog, that winds up being sold to terrorists. 

Jessica Chastain was previously attached to the role, but scheduling conflicts forced her to opt out,

Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle Ben Kingsley Guy Pearce and Chinese superstar Andy Lau co-star.

Production will take place on location in Hong Kong, Shanghai and other parts of China later this summer once filming wraps up in North Carolina which starts in a few weeks.

Lutz, Dobrev, Brown Lead Cannabis

Kellan Lutz ("The Twilight film series,"), Nina Dobrev ("The Vampire Diaries") and Jonathan Daniel Brown are in talks to join John Stockwell's "Kid Cannabis" says Heat Vision,

Based on a 2005 Rolling Stone article, the true story follows suburban teens from Idaho who built a multimillion-dollar marijuana empire. 

Brown is playing a depressed 18-year-old who assembles his friends to smuggle drugs across the Canadian border. Lutz will play the teen’s older best friend, who loves the thrill in the beginning but soon finds himself over his head. Dobrev, who has scheduling issues to work out with TV gig before her deal can be finalized, would play a hot-to-trot 19-year-old who has a thing for the best friend and whose father is one of the biggest pot growers in the province.

Gordon Bijelonic, Mia Chang, Bic Tran and Datari Turner will produce the film.

The movie has been in development for several years and had Chris Marquette, and Cam Gigandet as the male leads at one point.

Production kicks off in July in Canada.

Life Can Be A Drag For Movie Wives

Ashley Hinshaw and Kim Shaw have joined the cast of the racing biopic "Snake and Mongoose" says  Variety,

The pair will play the respective wives of drag racing legends "The Snake" Don Prudhomme (Jesse Williams) and "The Mongoose" Tom McEwen (Richard Blake).

Blake

Williams

The duo made up the The Greatest Rivalry In Drag Racing

Noah Wyle also stars. 

Wayne Holloway calls action from a script he co-wrote with Alan Paradise.

Stephen Nemeth and Robin Broidy will produce

Gleeson & Cornish Are "Ordinary"

Brendan Gleeson and Abbie Cornish have joined the dramatic thriller "An Ordinary Man" says The Hollywood Reporter .

The story follows a war criminal whose only contact is his maid.

Brad Silberling will direct the film using a script he wrote.

Chris Miller, James Burke and Michael Richter will produce.

Vergara Will Help Machete

Modern Family star Sofia Vergara is in talks to join Robert Rodriguez's "Machete Kills" says Variety.

In the sequel to the 2009 action flick "Machete", the next film in a planned trilogy, finds Machete (Danny Trejo) recruited by the U.S. Government to battle his way through Mexico to take down a madman cartel leader and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer (Mel Gibson) who have hatched a plan to spread war across the planet with a weapon in space.

Vergara is in talks to play the leather-clad Madame Desdemona, whose Mexican harlots have information that Machete needs.

Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez are reprising their respective roles as Sartana and Luz from the first Machete. Amber Heard will play a manipulative assassin codenamed Miss San Antonio. Mexican actor and Oscar nominee Demian Bichir also stars.

Kyle Ward wrote the script.

Alexander Rodnyansky will produce

Production is scheduled to kick off in Austin, Texas shortly.

Catfish Duo Toss A Monkey Wrench

Deadline reports that "Catfish" filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are set to write and direct an adaptation of  author Edward Abbey's 1975 irreverent book "The Monkey Wrench Gang".

The story follows four guys who try to battle over-development in the American West in the 70s by bumbling attempts at sabotage and industrial espionage.While three of the guys have no intention of harming anyone, the fourth is a young Vietnam War vet who wants to blow shit up.

Edward R. Pressman and Gary Burden are producing the film.

The adaptation has been in development for around 15 years.

Headey Talks Dredd Role In Reboot

"Game of Thrones" co-star Lena Headey recently sat down with The Los Angeles Times to talk about her role as the villain Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal in the upcoming reboot of the "Judge Dredd" series starring Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby

The original British comic created by John Wagner  was much darker and grittier than the big-budget 1995 film version starring Sylvester Stallone that was a stinker

"The world [in the new film] feels really British, and I don't know if that's because it's so dirty and dark. And it's ... violent. Just in terms of gunplay, they're not afraid to show blood and gunshot wounds. And it's set up in this concrete sort of shanty town - it's shanty but they're blocks - concrete favelas" she says.

Originally conceived as an elderly woman, Headey convinced screenwriter Alex Garland to make her middle-aged and filled with hatred for all things male.

"She's a prostitute who then kills her pimp and takes over his drug-running business. And Ma-Ma is a bit of a man-hater. I think of her like an old great white shark who is just waiting for someone bigger and stronger to show up and kill her. She's ready for it. In fact, she can't wait for it to happen. And yet no one can get the job done."

Headey added "She's an addict, so she's dead in that way, but that last knock just hasn't come. This big, fat, scarred shark moving through the sea and everyone flees and she's like, 'Will someone just have the balls to do it? Please?'"

Peter Travis called action

Dredd is scheduled for release on September 21, 2012.

Maleficent Rounds Out Cast

India Eisley Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson Lesley Manville, Kenneth Cranham, and Sam Riley have all joined the live-action fairy tale "Maleficent" says THR and Variety.

Written by Linda Woolverton the film takes "Sleeping Beauty" and switches the focus to the evil Queen (Angelina Jolie) of the story.

Richardson is set for the part of Queen Ulla, who has a less than peachy relationship with her niece Maleficent. Eisley will appear in the first act of Maleficent as a younger version of Jolie’s character, establishing her place in the fairy kingdom’s hierarchy. Staunton and Manville, meanwhile, will play Knotgrass and Flittle. They comprise two of the three pixies who take care of Aurora. Finally, Riley has been cast as Diaval, Maleficent’s right-hand man — or rather, right-hand raven who can take human form.

Elle Fanning would play somnolent Princess Aurora

Sharlto Copley will play King Stefan.

"Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland" production designer Robert Stromberg is on board to direct.

Don Hahn Joe Roth and Richard D. Zanuck will produce the film

The pic has a March 14th 2014 release planned.

Chastain Passes On Iron Man 3

Jessica Chastain has been forced to pass on a supporting role in writer/director Shane Black's "Iron Man 3" as a result of scheduling conflicts.

The story is based on the popular six-issue mini series "Extremis" by Warren Ellis--the film's events take place after The Avengers. The plot involves the spread of a virus through nanobots.

The role was that of a "sexy scientist every bit as smart as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.)", that was likely the character of Dr. Maya Hansen who developed the Extremis nanotechnology.

Diane Kruger, Gemma Arterton and Isla Fisher were also up for the role--no word yet if one of them will now step in

The busy Chastain posted this message via Facebook:

"Sorry to say that ‘Iron Man’ 3 isn’t going to work out. My schedule is jammed packed and I can’t fit anything else in. The press announced my possible attachment far too soon. I know many of you wanted me to be involved, and I’m so sorry to disappoint you. Hopefully there’ll be another Marvel film in my future. Shane Black and everyone on the IM3 team are really wonderful. I’m very excited to see the film when it comes out."

Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle Ben Kingsley Guy Pearce and Chinese superstar Andy Lau co-star.

Production will take place on location in Hong Kong, Shanghai and other parts of China later this summer once filming wraps up in North Carolina which starts in a few weeks.

Arnie Counts To "Ten"

Arnold Schwarzenegger is attached to star in the actioner "Ten" says  The Hollywood Reporter.

The story revolves around the members of an elite DEA task force who depart from their usual operations and steal millions from a drug cartel safe house. Just when the team thinks they got away with it, someone begins to take out them out one by one

The original screenplay was written by Skip Woods (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) from which David Ayer, will direct.

The film is being produced by Bill Block, Paul Hanson, Joe Roth, Palak Patel and Albert S. Ruddy.

Alex Ott is executive producing.

Xavier Dolan Takes On Tom à la ferme

Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan ("I Killed My Mother," "Heartbeats") has plans to adapt the Michel Marc Bouchard play "Tom à la ferme" as his next pic says Twitchfilm.

The story follows Tom, a man grieving over the death of his lover. When he meets the deceased's family he learns the mother was not aware of her son being gay let alone his relationship with Tom. Meanwhile the brother forces Tom to conceal the truth.

Dolan and Bouchard have already started working on the adapted script.

Dolan's latest project, "Laurence Anyways", is scheduled to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next week.

It's Avatar All The Time For James Cameron

James Cameron told The New York Times, that between his own non-filmmaking activities and his commitments to the Avatar film series means that he has all but abandoned any plans to either develop or produce other films apart from documentaries and several "Avatar" sequels.

To that I say "Meh"...

When asked about his plans for the future gave the following answer:

"I’ve divided my time over the last 16 years over deep ocean exploration and filmmaking. I’ve made two movies in 16 years, and I’ve done eight expeditions. Last year I basically completely disbanded my production company’s development arm. So I’m not interested in developing anything. I’m in the “Avatar” business. Period. That’s it. I’m making “Avatar 2,” “Avatar 3, maybe 4 and I’m not going to produce other people’s movies for them. I’m not interested in taking scripts. And that all sounds I suppose a little bit restricted, but the point is I think within the “Avatar” landscape I can say everything I need to say that I think needs to be said, in terms of the state of the world and what I think we need to be doing about it… and doing it in an entertaining way. Anything I can’t say in that area, I want to say through documentaries, which I’m continuing. I’ve done five documentaries in the last 10 years, and I’ll hopefully do a lot more. In fact, I’m doing one right now, which is on this, the Deepsea Challenge project that we just completed the first expedition. So that’ll be a film that’ll get made this year and come out first quarter of next year."

Anyone who wants to return to Pandora should know that Cameron says things are still a long time off:

"We’ve spent the last year and a half on software development and pipeline development. The virtual production methodology was extremely prototypical on the first film. As then, no one had ever done it before and we didn’t even know for two and half years into it and $100 million into it if it was going to work. So we just wanted to make our lives a whole lot easier so that we can spend a little more of our brainpower on creativity. It was a very, very uphill battle on the first film. So we’ve been mostly working on the tool set, the production pipeline, setting up the new stages in Los Angeles, setting up the new visual effects pipeline in New Zealand, that sort of thing. And, by the way, writing. We haven’t gotten to the design stage yet. That’ll be the next."

Weekend Box Office Update: Ca$h Of The Titans

The superheros of The Avengers not only save the the planet in their excellent new movie--they just about own it as well...

Box Office UPDATE: 'Avengers' Even Bigger With $207.4 Million Opening...

Pamela McClintock of THR:

Joss Whedon's The Avengers has set a new bar in opening to a walloping $200.3 million at the domestic box office, the largest debut ever and kicking off summer 2012 in high style.

The Avengers -- marking a major victory for Disney and Marvel Studios -- easily dethroned Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which opened to $169.2 million last summer, then the largest number in history.

Overseas, where Avengers opened a week ago, the tentpole has now earned $441.5 million for a stunning worldwide total of $641.8 million -- already surpassing the lifetime totals of Captain America: The First Avenger ($364 million), Thor ($449 million), Iron Man ($585 million) and Iron Man 2 ($624 million).

The 3D tentpole is now positioned to reach $1 billion in global grosses.

Among other records, Avengers is the first film in history to cross $200 million in only three days of play at the domestic box office. It also scored the biggest Saturday gross of all time in earning $69.7 million.

"It's been a fantastic weekend on every single front," Disney executive vice president of distribution Dave Hollis said.

Hollis said the slim 13 percent drop from Friday to Saturday reflects great word of mouth, as well as the fact that all segments of the audience are turning out, including families. Roughly 52 percent saw it in 3D.

The tentpole played evenly in terms of age, with 50 percent of the audience under the the age of 25 and 50 percent over. Couples made up 55 percent, families 24 percent and teens 21 percent. Males represented 60 percent of the audience.

Avengers -- which assembles marquee Marvel superhero characters Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) -- earned an A+ CinemaScore.

IMAX theaters reported record business, generating north of $15 million in ticket sales domestically to tie with Deathly Hallows Part 2 for the biggest opening weekend in the circuit's history. IMAX expects to finish the weekend with a worldwideume of $31.2 million.

Top 10 Domestic box office, May 4-6

1. The Avengers, 1/4,349, Disney/Marvel Studios, $200.3 million.

2. Think Like a Man, 3/2,011, Sony, $8 million, $73 million.

3. The Hunger Games, 7/2,794, Lionsgate, $5.7 million, $47.9 million.

4. The Lucky One, 3/3,005, Warner Bros., $5.5 million, $40 million.

5. The Pirates! Band of Misfits, 2/3,358, Sony/Aardman, $5.4 million, $18.6 million.

6. The Five-Year Engagement, Universal, 2/2,941, $5.1 million, $19.3 million.

7. The Raven, 2/2,209, Relativity/Intrepid, $2.5 million, $12 million.

8. Safe, 2/2,271, Lionsgate/IM Global, $2.5 million, $12.9 million

9. Chimpanzee, 3/1,531, Disney, $2.4 million, $23 million.

10. The Three Stooges, 4/2,174, $1.8 million, $39.6 million.

Next: Tim Burton's casting long Dark Shadows with pal Johnny Depp...

The Avengers Review

After a four year build up spread across multiple Marvel movies Joss Whedon's The Avengers marks the culmination of every fanboy and comic book geek's dream--To see "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" finally come to together on the big screen.

The film is a crowd pleaser that will have both fans and novices cheering....Well worth the wait and then some...

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of the secret government agency S.H.I.E.L.D., arrives at a remote research facility during an evacuation. The Tesseract, an energy source of unknown power, has activated and opened a portal through space, allowing the exiled Asgardian Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to arrive on Earth. During his exile, Loki teamed up with the Other (Alexis Denisof), an alien conqueror who, in exchange for the Tesseract, offers Loki an army of Chitauri in order for him to subjugate our world's people.

Loki takes the Tesseract, and uses his abilities to control the minds of several S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel including agent Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), and physicist consultant Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) in order to aid in his getaway.

In response to the attack, Fury reactivates the Avengers Initiative. Agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is sent to India to recruit Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), while Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), visits Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. ) interrupting his date with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and requests that he review Selvig's research. Fury approaches Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) to go retrieve the Tesseract from Loki.

Rogers, Stark and Romanoff travel to Germany to capture Loki, who is seeing the iridium needed to stabilize the Tesseract's power. After a battle with Captain America and Iron Man, Loki surrenders and is escorted back to a S.H.I.E.L.D. plane. However, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki's adoptive brother, arrives and attempts to free Loki in order to reason with him...

As regular readers of this blog are well aware--I have been a fan of Wheddon's since the start of the 1996-2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series--this time though he has a much bigger canvas to work with and is certainly up to the challenge of bringing these characters together.

One of the complaints that I had about Iron Man 2 was that it spent way to much time as a set up to The Avengers and not on the threat at hand--It's nice to know that the tactic was not for naught--Unlike a lot of comic book movies that have a lot of character and plot to service Wheddon does a fine balancing act--The film is perfectly paced with the proper amount of spectacle and character interplay/development. I was surprised at just how well the film zipped along while never feeling rushed--With a lot of ground to cover, Wheddon made sure to include his signature moves: Witty dialogue easy to understand exposition, sentimentality, and humor.

Each of our heroes are given more than one chance to shine and each one has purpose to advance the story--no one sits idle for long. Wheddon makes sure that the characters behave consistently to reflect the earlier films

Anyone making a comic book film with a lot of characters should have to study this film to know how to make it work.

I could get into some of my favorite sequences but I would rather not get all spoilery--Let's just say that the heroes, villains and everyone in between are put through their paces, with great results. The confrontation between Loki and the Hulk...priceless.

I do have a few minor nit picks: Just how did Thor make it back to Earth after the end of his film made it clear he was stuck at home on Asgaurd; The motive of the other is glossed over and never fully explained; And Fury's superperiors seem random and out of place since they were never seen before...

Some have called The Avengers the "BEST" comic book movie ever--I would not go quite that far--but it certainly is a hell of lot of fun!

Try The Marvel Method (Parody)

The release of Joss Whedon's The Avengers got ItsJustSomeRandomGuy to thinking about a what if scenario--a trailer for the much discussed but ultimately stalled Justice League movie....



And then The Avengers And Bats compare movie hype as it relates to their film and Christopher Nolan's sequel The Dark Knight Rises....And the other comic book movie of the Summer...

McGinley Is Voice Of The Team In "42"

John C. McGinley  has joined Brian Helgeland's Jackie Robinson biopic "42" says Variety.

The film will chronicle how the then Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) and Robinson (newcomer Chadwick Boseman) broke baseball's color barrier in 1947.

Helgeland will direct from the script he wrote--after gaining the trust of Robinson's family.

McGinley will play the role of Red Barber the iconic radio broadcaster for the team.
Chris Meloni will play Leo Durocher, who was the Dodgers manager and an avid supporter of Robinson who saw him through the racism he encountered from crowds and sometimes frrom his own dugout. Ryan Merriman will play Dixie Walker, the Dodgers right fielder who opposes his new teammate at first but becomes his supporter. Nicole Beharie has been cast as the famed African-American baseballer's wife Rachel Brad Beyer will play Kirby Higbe, the Dodgers pitcher and the main proponent of a petition against playing with Robinson. Toby Huss will play Clyde Sukeforth, a coach who played an integral role in scouting and signing Robinson. T.R. Knight will play Harold Parrott, the Dodgers traveling secretary who has to deal with the repercussions of housing once Robinson joins the team.

Thomas Tull will produce the film.

Production kicks off this month in Chattanooga and Atlanta.

Olstead Plays The Midnight Game

Renee Olstead has joined the cast of the indie horror thriller "The Midnight Game" says Variety.
The story follows a group of teenagers who make the tragic mistake of playing with witchcraft.

A.D. Calvo directs from a screenplay written by Rick Dahl.

The film also stars Deborah Twiss Shelby Young Valentina de Angelis Spencer Daniels Guy Wilson Nedra McClyde and Robert Romanus.

Eric Toriello and Calvo will produce

The pic is currently shooting in Connecticut.

Bell Ready Ta "Bounceback"

Ashley Bell ("The Last Exorcism") has joined the cast of the rom-com "The Bounceback" says The Hollywood Reporter.

The story sees two former couples that end up in Austin, Texas during the same emotionally charged weekend.

Bell will play the ex-girlfriend of Michael Stahl-David's character.

Sara Paxton, Zach Cregger and Addison Timlin also star.

Bryan Poyser's calling action from his script

Trace Sheehan and Megan Gilbride are producing the pic

Production kicks off this month.

Tennant On The "Fast" Track?

A source told Latino Review that David Tennant is in talks for a small role in "The Fast and the Furious 6".

Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson are set to return as Brian O’Conner, Dominic Toretto and Agent Luke Hobbs respectively. In the pic--they will  take on Luke Evans as a rival heist gang leader. Michelle Rodriguez is set to reprise her role as Letty Ortiz

MMA fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano will play a member of Johnson’s team.

The same behind-the-scenes team from "Fast Five" are all back for this entry as well led by director Justin Lin.

Filming on "Fast Six" is aiming to kick off in London and other areas of Europe in June.

It's Not "Too Late" For Hawkes

John Hawkes will star in the indie drama "Too Late" says The Hollywood Reporter.

The non-linear story follows the tangled relationship between a troubled private investigator (Hawkes) and the missing woman he's hired to help find.

Dennis Hauck calls action from his script

Rider Strong, Natalie Zea, Dichen Lachman, Brett Jacobsen and Peter Bogdanovich also star.

Alexandra Barreto and Taylor Feltner are producing the pic.

Production kicks off in late May in Los Angeles. Hawkes will likely work on the adaption of Elmore Leonard''s 1978 crime novel "The Switch"immediately after "Late" wraps

Gretsch Points Out That "You Are Here"

Joel Gretsch has landed a supporting role in the comedy "You Are Here" says Variety.

The story follows local weatherman and freewheeling bachelor Steve Dallas (Owen Wilson) and Ben a bi-polar man-child (Zach Galifianakis), childhood best friends who embark on a road trip home after Ben discovers that his estranged father has passed away. Once there, Ben is shocked to learn that his eccentric father had big plans for him and he's inherited a whole lot more than his father's money. As Ben struggles with his new responsibilities, his friendship with Steve is tested by the complications of his inheritance, his sister Terry's (Amy Poehler) ambition, and Steve's desire to be with his father's beautiful young widow Angela.

Gretsch will play Terry's caring husband who must deal with her raging hormones.
Laura Ramsey will play a young beautiful widow and love interest for Dallas.

The film will mark the feature film directorial debut for "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner who also wrote the script

Gary Gilbert, Scott Hornbacher, and Jordan Horowitz will produce the film.

Production gets going in North Carolina this month.

Hill Befriends The Wolf Of Wall Street

Jonah Hill is in talks to join Martin Scorsese's adaptation of The Wolf of Wall Street says The Hollywood Reporter.

The story is based on the Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) penned memoir that tells of his days as a hard partying, drug addicted stockbroker who was indicted in 1998 for security fraud and money laundering and served a 22-month federal prison stretch.

Hill would play his best friend and business partner Danny Porush, a furniture salesman who joined his meteoric rise and colossal fall.

Terence Winter of Boardwalk Empire wrote the adapted script.

Scorsese, DiCaprio, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Irwin Winkler, Jennifer Killoran, Alexandra Milchan, Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland will produce the film

Production begins August in New York

Arndt Takes Over Catching Fire Script

Little Miss Sunshine writer  Michael Arndt is in talks to re-work the script for the next film in "The Hunger Games" saga "Catching Fire" reports Heat Vision.

"Slumdog Millionaire" scribe Simon Beaufoy had signed on to originally go ahead and adapt author Suzanne Collins' next novel in the series a while back when Gary Ross was attached to direct.  Since Francis Lawrence has replaced Ross, a new script is being commissioned.

Arndt will need to work fast - Catching Fire already has a set release date of Nov. 22, 2013, and needs to finish shooting by December so that star actress Jennifer Lawrence can start work on Fox's in-development as yet Untitled X-Men First Class Sequel in January.

Kurzel Nabs Our Kind Of Traitor

Justin Kurzel, the director of the great Aussie thriller "Snowtown," is set to call action on a film adaptation of author John le Carré's novel "Our Kind of Traitor " says Variety.

Hossein Amini ("Drive) wrote the adapted screenplay which follows a young couple who are persuaded into helping a charismatic Russian criminal to defect. The story takes place across London, Paris, Moscow and Tangiers.

Stephen Cornwell, Simon Cornwell, Rhodri Thomas, Gail Egan and Andrea Calderwood will produce.

Production hopes to kick off this Fall.

Weekend Box Office Update: Avengers @ Midnight

The first statesside box-office numbers are in for Joss Whedon's The Avengers --The superhero team up pic made $18.7 million at midnight screenings in theatres all across North America says the WSJ.

That is about even with the $18.5 million that “The Dark Knight" took in for midnight runs in 2008.

TDK went on to gross $158.4 million during its opening weekend in the U.S., a number "The Avengers" is expected to match and may even beat.

It's a midnight number that's bigger than any other Marvel movie to date but it's not a record breaker.

"The Hunger Games" took in $19.7 million back in March, and the current all time record holder is  "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"  which made $43.5 million for its midnight bow.

After a week in release overseas, 'Avengers' has already crossed the $300 million mark and will likely pass half a billion dollars globally sometime on Sunday.

Mary Pickford Biopic On The Way

The film rights to "Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood" by author Eileen Whitfield have beem settled paving the way for a biopic says Deadline.

Josh Fagin is writing the adapted script which will explore the life of Mary Pickford, a silent film star known as "America’s Sweetheart" who was both one of the creators of United Artists and one of the co-founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is considered a central figure in the shaping of the Hollywood industry. She died in 1979 at the age of 87 of a brain hemorrhage

Jennifer DeLia will direct and produce the pic with Julie Pacino.

Production will kick off early next year.

Friday Night Lights Movie Inches Closer!!

The 2004 High School football film "Friday Night Lights" may have been a good film, but it's the TV series that really won both critical acclaim and a loyal following.

Since it ended its run last year, fans like myself wanted to see the small screen cast get their big screen break.

Those involved with the show want a film sequel, but little progress has been made...until now...!

The film would focus on Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. as they reprise their roles of Eric and Tami Taylor.

While out doing "Battleship" promotion, creator Peter Berg did an interview for Details (via Zap2It) during which cast member Britton came by and they both talked about the FNL movie.

Britton said that she'd just come from a meeting at the office of the show's former executive producer Jason Katims, and "we were talking about something else and I said, 'Forget about all that. Is this movie going to happen?' I was sitting on his couch, and he's like, 'Look behind you.' And I look behind me and it's a wall with a big, huge corkboard on it with all these 3x5 cards. That's what these writers do, they do the whole story on 3x5 cards. He's like, 'That's the movie.'"

Britton then adds "I was so excited. Then [Katims was],like, 'Don't look at it! I don't want you to see it until it's a script.' I'm like, 'I'd better have a good part in it!'".

Berg added that star Chandler has signed on to do the film. 

YES!! Texas Forever!!!!

Copley Is King In "Maleficent"

It's been a busy week for Sharlto Copley's agents...He has landed another acting gig.

The District 9 star is in talks to join the live-action fairy tale "Maleficent" says Deadline.

Written by Linda Woolverton the film takes "Sleeping Beauty" and switches the focus to the evil Queen (Angelina Jolie ) of the story.

Copley would play King Stefan.

Elle Fanning would play somnolent Princess Aurora

"Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland" production designer Robert Stromberg is on board to direct.

Don Hahn Joe Roth and Richard D. Zanuck will produce the film

The pic has a March 14th 2014 release planned.