The actors vying to play Spider-Man continues to grow...

...with two excellent new options being added, according to The Los Angeles Times:

Since it was announced back in the winter, some have hoped/worried that Marc Webb's Spider-Man reboot will go in a "Kick-Ass" direction, a not unreasonable thought given multiple parallels between the two stories as well as the warm reception (if not exactly hot box office) that greeted "Kick-Ass."

Could it now go that way literally?

You can add two names to the growing list of (very early) candidates for the young Peter Parker, and one of them is Aaron Johnson, who played the titular nerd-hero in "Kick-Ass," sources say.

Johnson, who for months has been the subject of relentless online speculation about his suitability for the part, would indeed in many ways make an appropriate choice. His role in "Kick-Ass" saw him as a seemingly ordinary teenager transformed into a superhero, much in the way of Parker's Spider-Man. Of course, the analogy is also off in several key ways: Johnson was a fake superhero, not a real one, and his star in the film was eclipsed by Chloe Moretz's Hit-Girl.

The second actor to make his way on to the shortlist of the Sony film, according to sources, is Anton Yelchin, who has been coming on strong since his 2009 double-whammy of "Star Trek" and "Terminator Salvation".

Yelchin would have his champions too. His supporting role as Chekov in "Star Trek" didn't leave a deep impression, but he did steal the show as Kyle Reese in "Terminator Salvation."

Both of the new names are a bit more prominent than the actors who have previously surfaced. That list includes "Billy Elliot" star Jamie Bell, "Harry Potter" actor Frank Dillane, "The Kids Are All Right" costar Josh Hutcherson and up-and-comers Alden Ehrenreich and Andrew Garfield.

Of course, just the fact that these actors are being considered means little in practice. Over the last few months, director Marc Webb has canvassed a wide group of young actors with the aim of seeing which one he and and the studio should anoint to take the role previously filled by Tobey Maguire. Screen testing is expected to start shortly. And the hue and cry over whether the right choice was made will follow shortly after that.

-I'm a big Yelchin fan, but Johnson would be a very solid pick too...thoughts?

Jennifer Garner and Nick Nolte to join the cast of the 'Arthur' remake?

Well, The Hollywood Reporter says that they're in talks:

Jennifer Garner and Nick Nolte are in talks to join the cast of "Arthur," Warner Bros.' remake of the 1981 comedy.

Russell Brand and Helen Mirren are starring in the pic, which Jason Winer is directing.

Closely hewing to the original, the new "Arthur" follows a very rich, happy drunk who is told by his mother that he must marry the wealthy girl of her choosing or else lose his inheritance, just as he meets a poor girl (Greta Gerwig) and falls in love.

Garner is playing an heiress who carries her own secrets and whom Brand must marry. Nolte is her deeply religious father.

Larry Brezner is producing with Kevin McCormick and Chris Bender.

Garner, repped by WME and Management 360, took part in New Line's ensemble rom-com "Valentine's Day" and recently wrapped "Butter," an indie dramedy set in the small-town world of competitive butter-sculpting. "Butter" is serving as her debut as a film producer.

CAA-repped Nolte last appeared in "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" and has "Warrior," an action movie directed by Gavin O'Connor and starring Tom Hardy, in the can. Lionsgate opens "Warrior" on Sept. 17.

-This project is shaping up nicely, in terms of cast...thoughts?

Did Steven Spielberg settle on his leading man for 'War Horse'?

According to Collider, yes he did:

Steven Spielberg finally decided on his next project last month, an adaptation of the Michael Morpungo children’s novel War Horse. In a sign of forward motion, Eddie Redmayne (The Yellow Handkerchief) is reportedly “locked” for the lead role of Albert. The book tells the story of a boy, Albert, and his horse, Joey; the pair are separated when Joey is sold to the army, though not even World War I can keep them apart.

Redmayne has been acting steadily since 2006, though this should thrust him onto a much more public stage. The Playlist compares it to Spielberg trusting a young Christian Bale to anchor 1988’s Empire in the Sun — a good omen, indeed. 2011 will be a big year for Spielberg: he just wrapped production on The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, which is set for release on December 23, 2011, while War Horse will hit theaters a few months earlier on August 10, 2011. Check out the book synopsis after the jump.

-Spielberg has had an eye for young talent in the past, so this sounds good to me...thoughts?

Zooey Deschanel joins the cast of the new Paul Rudd movie...

...and she's not alone, according to The Hollywood Reporter:

Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer and Rashida Jones will star opposite Paul Rudd in "My Idiot Brother," a comedy being directed Jesse Peretz and produced by Anthony Bregman's Likely Story and Big Beach's Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub.

"Brother" centers on an idealist (Rudd) dealing with his over¬bearing mother who crashes at the homes of his three ambitious sisters and brings truth, happiness and a sunny disposition into their lives while also wreaking havoc.

Banks, Deschanel and Mortimer will play the sisters.

Banks is a career-driven single about to get her big break in journalism after spending years writing about accessories at a fashion magazine; Deschanel is a bisexual whose flakiness and lies are getting in the way of moving forward with her caring, responsible girlfriend (Jones); and Mortimer plays a Park Slope mom too worried about having the perfect life and children to notice that her marriage is falling apart.

Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall wrote the screenplay for the pic, which is slated to go before cameras next month in New York.

Banks, repped by UTA and Untitled Entertainment, next appears opposite Russell Crowe in "The Next Three Days," directed by Paul Haggis. She also will appear in "The Details" opposite Tobey Maguire and Laura Linney.

Deschanel, repped by CAA and Seven Summits Pictures and Management, most recently starred in "(500) Days of Summer" and next appears this year in "Your Highness," starring James Franco and Natalie Portman.

Mortimer, repped by ICM, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Independent Talent Group, most recently appeared in "Shutter Island."

Jones, repped by UTA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, co-stars on NBC's "Parks and Recreation" and recently wrapped David Fincher's "The Social Network."

-It's certainly got a great cast...let's cross our fingers and hope the script is up to snuff.

Has Jamie Bell landed the role of Spider-Man?

Well, that seems to be the hot rumor (though there's a competing rumor that it's Josh Hutcherson with the inside track to the gig), according to Cinematical:

There's been a lot of heated discussion lately as to who should don the webby red and blue. Not surprisingly, Sony wasn't really paying attention to any of it, and stuck with their final five candidates. While Drew McWeeny at HitFix heard Josh Hutcherson was very, very close to becoming the new Peter Parker, Bleeding Cool reports that Sony and Marc Webb have settled on Jamie Bell. We're trying to get an official confirmation from Sony, so stay tuned.

I think Bell is a surprising choice. He's certainly the biggest name of the bunch, and a very good actor, but his performances tend to lean towards the intense and angry. Even when he's playing a quiet secondary character, Bell is just burning up with something. It's his gift as an actor. Perhaps that's the right attitude for great power and responsibility, but Parker is supposed to be awkward, nerdy, and an unlikely hero.

It's also strange to see Sony go for one of their older picks. Remember, this Spider-Man is supposed to be set entirely in high school, and Bell is 24. He certainly looks young for his age now, but so did Tobey Maguire (who still doesn't look his age.) If Sony is aiming for another trilogy, won't they run into the same problem they did with Maguire, and have an actor who is far too mature to be believable as a teenager? He's likely to be 30 by the end of the story, or close to it.

As I said, without official confirmation all protests feel a bit too much. But what do you think of Bell as Spider-Man? Are you up in arms he's not even American? (That's sarcasm.)

UPDATE: Sony has told us that they are officially not commenting on this, which means they did not deny it, so ...

-Between Hutcherson and Bell, who would you choose?

John Carpenter to direct another vampire flick, this time one with Hilary Swank?

Yes, via Variety:

John Carpenter has signed on to direct "Fangland," an updated version of Bram Stoker's Dracula set up with DAS Films and Blumhouse Prods.

Sriram Das and Jason Blum are producing. Tracy Underwood is also involved in a producing capacity.

"Fangland" is based on the 2007 novel by former "60 Minutes" producer John Marks. It's centered on a New York-based producer who travels to Romania for an interview with a notorious European arms dealer, who turns out to be a modern-day Dracula.

Mark Wheaton ("Friday the 13th") penned the adaptation.

Carpenter is in post-production on ghost story "The Ward" for indie Echo Lake, with Amber Heard starring as a haunted woman in a mental institution. Danielle Panabaker, Mamie Gummer and Lyndsy Fonseca also star.

"The Ward" is Carpenter's first directing gig since 2001's "Ghosts of Mars." Other credits include "Escape From New York," "Escape from L.A.," "Christine" and "Starman."

-Coming Soon adds the Swank casting news here, and I think it sounds very interesting, if slightly lowbrow for her...thoughts?

Malin Ackerman, Forest Whitaker, and Bruce Willis sign on to 'Catch .44'...

...according to Variety:

Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis and Malin Akerman are toplining indie drama "Catch .44" with first-time director Aaron Harvey helming from his own script.

Story focuses on three women -- led by Akerman's character -- being thrust into an extraordinary situation involving a psychopathic hitman, played by Whitaker, a grizzled trucker and a delusional line cook. Willis will play the head crime boss, the mastermind behind everything that happens.

"Catch .44," produced by Annapurna Prods., Fixed Point Films and Emmett/Furla Prods., will begin shooting in Shreveport, La., on July 11. Kate Mara also stars.

Producers are Randall Emmett, Megan Ellison and Jonah M. Hirsch with George Furla, Ted Schipper, Curtis Jackson and Jimmy Pressimono exec producing.

Nick Meyer of Sierra Films is handling international sales.

-Thoughts?

Jennifer Lawrence adds a horror flick to her upcoming slate...

...continuing her rise in profile, according to The Hollywood Reporter:

Jennifer Lawrence and Max Thieriot are starring in "House at the End of the Street," a horror thriller from FilmNation and A Bigger Boat being directed by Mark Tonderai.

"House" centers on a teen girl (Lawrence) who moves with her mom to a new town and learns that their home is across the street from a house where a double murder took place. Complications ensue when the teen befriends the massacre's sole surviving son (Thieriot).

The project is looking to be to "Psycho" what "Disturbia" was to "Rear Window."

FilmNation's Aaron Ryder and Peter Block of A Bigger Boat are producing with Tim Williams, Hal Lieberman and Jonathan Mostow. Mostow wrote the story on which the script, written by David Loucka, is based.

Producers are looking at a mid-July start in Ottawa.

The CAA-repped Lawrence stars in "Winter's Bone," an indie drama due out this year, and recently wrapped production on "The Beaver," starring Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson.

The Gersh-repped Thieriot has tested for leads in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "Justice League" and in the fall is toplining Wes Craven's "My Soul to Take."

-I'm interested to see her in more things...thoughts?

Is Jeremy Renner going to be playing Hawkeye in 'The Avengers'?

According to Collider, yes:

When it comes to Marvel casting this week, we’re getting incrementally closer to the real thing. The Josh Holloway item was just a rumor. Neil McDonough is “in talks” to play Dum Dum Dugan. But Jeremy Renner has been talking to Marvel about playing Clint Barton for some time, and now the actor is in “final negotiations” to join The Avengers as Hawkeye.

Renner’s star rose considerably over the last year after his Oscar-nominated turn in The Hurt Locker, which opened up such opportunities as Peter Berg’s adaptation of Battleship and Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled opus on religion. Renner seems to have passed on Battleship, and the Anderson film could take awhile to come together, so the actor remains a free agent ready to don Hawkeye’s purple bow.

The ensemble cast required for The Avengers, which Joss Whedon (Firefly) will direct, is approaching completion. There’s Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man (of course), Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johanssen as Black Widow, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. (Of course, the big missing piece is Hulk — no deal has been made with Edward Norton to reprise his role from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.) Heat Vision reports that, to keep the budget under control, Marvel has talked all the featured players into a paycut.

This is all shaping up pretty fantastically. Renner is a great get, and if there is any legitimacy to the Josh Holloway rumor (as Ant-Man, perhaps?)… I would apparently be at a loss for words.

-I dig Renner in this role, personally...thoughts?

Daniel Craig to star in the remake of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'?

The Wrap sure seems to think so:

One of the biggest roles in Hollywood is about to be taken off the table.

Daniel Craig is nearing a deal to take the lead role in a U.S. adaptation of the Swedish blockbuster trilogy, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," TheWrap has learned.

David Fincher will direct the crime thriller, based on a trilogy by the late Swedish novelist and journalist Stieg Larsson.

Actresses including Oscar-nominated Carey Mulligan have expressed interest in playing Lisbeth Salander, a computer hacker recruited by a journalist to find a woman who has been missing for 40 years. That part has not yet been cast, and other actresses including Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman have also expressed interest.

Craig would play journalist Mikael Blomkvist who is looking for the missing woman, Harriet Banger.

A Sony spokesman said, "We have not offered any roles to anyone nor are we negotiating with anyone."

While Brad Pitt has been reportedly considering the lead role, an individual close to the negotiations said that Craig was close to a deal. The James Bond star will fly out to Los Angeles on Friday to have dinner with Fincher, who's slated to direct the three-picture franchise for Sony.

The movie will shoot in October, and is slated for release in December 2011.

Larsson's "Millennium Trilogy," which includes "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," "The Girl Who Played With Fire," and "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest," has sold over 25 million copies around the world.

A Danish film adaptation of "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" was released last year and has been playing internationally.

Negotiations between Craig and Sony aren't entirely finished, but TheWrap was told he's extremely close to signing. Brad Pitt was also reportedly considering the role.

Craig begins shooting on Jon Favreau's "Cowboys & Aliens" next week. "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" would be his next movie.

-He certainly works for me...thoughts?

Fox Searchlight tries to go the 'Slumdog' route again...

...according to Collider:

In what some may see as an attempt to recapture the Oscar/box office magic of Slumdog Millionaire, Fox Searchlight will adapt the Deborah Moggach novel These Foolish Things for the screen. With the new title The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, the film will follow “a movie about a group of British senior citizens who travel to India to live out their dotage — an outsourcing, after a fashion— and find a new lease on life.”

24 Frames reports that Fox Searchlight is reaching out to Julie Christie, Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, and Peter O’Toole to star. (For those keeping track, there are twenty Oscar nominations in that group.) Meanwhile, Slumdog star Dev Patelis in talks to co-star, and John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) is on the top of the studio’s director wishlist. Hit the jump for the synopsis for These Foolish Things.

-I wonder if they can catch lightning in a bottle twice...thoughts?

Chloe Moretz adds another project to her growing slate...

...and this seems like her most mature work yet, according to Cinematical:

Hit-Girl's career continues to barrel forward, this time with her first big, starring dramatic gig. Variety reports that Chloe Moretz will star in Andrea Portes' adaptation of her 2007 novel, Hick, and Derick Martini, one half of the Martini Brothers behind Lymelife, will direct.

Portes' debut book focuses on a Nebraska girl named Luli who runs away to Las Vegas. Her mother -- an "aging Brigitte Bardot" -- and father have run off, leaving Luli alone at home with a Smith and Wesson .45. She grabs the gun and starts hitching rides to Vegas, where she faces a number of unsafe and unsavory types from a drug addict to a rapist. In other words, it basically takes the cinematically adventurous kid-on-his-own story of Moretz's Hugo Cabret and gives it a heavy and unsafe dose of reality.

Something tells me that Moretz is done with the 100 Acre Wood. After a decent stint lending her voice to My Friends Tigger & Pooh, she quickly jumped up to the typical wise-for-her-years Rachel in (500) Days of Summer before becoming the "It" Girl Hit-Girl and snagging a number of lead roles in the likes of The Fields, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and this fall's vampire romance Let Me In. Think she's ready for something a little heavier, or does this sort of drama just reek of Dakota Fanning territory?

-Thoughts?

Paul Thomas Anderson's upcoming religion film potentially adds a few women to its cast!

Here's the story from Collider:

With director Paul Thomas Anderson’s (There Will be Blood) upcoming untitled religion film is getting ready to begin production this month, so we should expect some casting news in the coming weeks. The sure to be great (and controversial) film will be about “a charismatic intellectual who hatches a faith-based organization that begins to catch on in America in 1952.” Philip Seymour Hoffman has already been confirmed for the lead role of “The Master” and he’ll be joined by Jeremy Renner, who will be playing a drifter named Freddy who becomes the leader’s lieutenant. Last week we also reported that Reese Witherspoon was being offered the role of The Master’s much younger pregnant wife, Mary Sue

Now, Production Weekly (via The Playlist) is reporting that Amanda Seyfried (Dear John), Emma Stone (Zombieland), and Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood) are all being considered for the role of Elizabeth, The Master and Mary-Sue’s daughter. We’ll know soon enough who gets the part but with Seyfried filming The Girl With The Riding Hood and Stone filming The Help soon, it will be interesting to see how the schedules shake out. I’m sure Anderson will get a great performance out of the actress he ends up choosing but I do think it’s fascinating that all three actresses are in their 20s and will be playing the daughter of Reese Witherspoon, who is 34 years old. The Playlist says that in a previous draft of the script, the role was smaller but now may have been expanded. They also say it “will be an eye opener for any fans of the actress who lands the role.”

-I like what PTA is doing so far, and what I've read about the script sounds great...thoughts?

'Scream 4' begins casting up...

...with three young stars being announced to go along with some franchise staples. Here's the story from Coming Soon:

Dimension Films has confirmed that Hayden Panettiere ("Heroes") and Rory Culkin will star in Scream 4 as well.

They join original "Scream" cast members Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox Arquette, as well as newcomer to the franchise, Emma Roberts.

To be directed by Wes Craven from a Kevin Williamson script, the anticipated follow-up starts shooting in June for a release in theaters on April 15, 2011.

Iya Labunka is producing along with Craven.

-Thoughts?

James McAvoy to play Professor X in 'X-Men: First Class'!

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

James McAvoy has signed on to play a young Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, in “X-Men: First Class,” which Matthew Vaughn is directing for Fox.

According to Fox, “First Class” will “chart the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were the closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.”

Patrick Stewart played the character, a bald-headed, wheelchair-bound telepath, in the original "X-Men" trilogy. Fox did not reveal if McAvoy will sport a follicle-free pate.

Fox is moving fast on the production, hiring Vaughn in early May and planning a summer start in London. The movie is being planned for a June 3, 2011, release.

Bryan Singer, who conceived the story for “First Class,” is producing along with Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg.

McAvoy, repped by UTA and Ruth Young/United Agents, already has comic book movie experience, having starred in “Wanted.” The British actor was last seen in “The Last Station.”

-Not bad casting at all...thoughts?

Has the list of actors in line to play Spider-Man thinned?

Indeed it has, and The Hollywood Reporter has the list of the finalists Marc Webb is choosing from:

Even as Alvin Sargent rewrites the script for Columbia’s rebooted “Spider-Man,” director Marc Webb has been ensnaring actors in his web(b) in his search for the new Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man.

Webb has been meeting and reading actors quietly for several months, but the list has narrowed in the past week or two. No screen tests have been conducted at this early stage (though it will be a requirement), and insiders point out that the director and studio are still on the lookout.

The candidates for the web-slinger include:

-- Jamie Bell: The 24-year-old English actor, repped by WME and Artists Independent Management, who made his film debut playing the title character in “Billy Elliot,” has been doing the proper British actor thing in period movies such as “Nicholas Nickleby” and “Jane Eyre” (he’s also appeared in Hollywood movies such as Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” and Ed Zwick’s “Defiance”). More important, he’s already stepped into the comics world by portraying Tintin in Jackson and Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin” movie, which won’t hit screens until December 2011.

-- Alden Ehrenreich: The Los Angeles-born 20-year-old has a juicy backstory, having been “discovered” by Spielberg, who saw a comedy video starring Ehrenreich at a bat mitzvah of his daughter’s friend. A couple of TV appearances followed, but the actor’s next big leap came when he was cast by Francis Ford Coppola in 2009’s “Tetro.” He is repped by WME.

-- Frank Dillane: The 19-year-old Brit’s main credit is last year’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” where he played a young Tom Riddle. Is a minor role in a “Potter” film a good springboard for a mega-franchise? It worked for Robert Pattinson.

-- Andrew Garfield: The L.A.-born actor had a short stint on a BBC TV series called “Sugar Rush” but gained notices for playing a young reporter in a gritty British TV movie trilogy titled “Red Riding.” The 27-year-old appeared in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and will be seen in David Fincher’s movie about Facebook, “The Social Network.” He is repped by CAA and the Collective.

-- Josh Hutcherson: The youngest actor of the bunch -- he turns 18 this year -- is also the one with the most experience. The past six years alone have seen the Kentucky-born kid rack up credits with key roles in Jon Favreau’s “Zathura,” drama “Bridge to Terabithia” and the upcoming “Red Dawn” remake. He appears in the Sundance hit “The Kids Are All Right,” which insider buzz suggests could be an Oscar contender, and starred with Brendan Fraser in “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

Hutcherson, repped by ICM and Beddingfield, just signed on to star in the “Journey” sequel, and that movie could prove a fly in the ointment if the actor’s schedule collides with “Spider-Man.” (Though you can bet every effort would be made to make it work.)

The group of actors seems to fall in line with what Webb has been looking to do with his take on Spider-Man, which is to cast relative unknowns in a story that roots Parker back in high school. The movie will be an angst-ridden tale of a teen dealing with the knowledge that his uncle died even though he had the power to stop it.

Columbia wants to begin production by year’s end, but Webb and the studio are taking their time choosing the actor while Sargent gets the script in spider-shape.

A Columbia spokesperson did not comment on the casting process, saying “There have been a number of names floated online and almost every week, someone calls with a new rumor. We are not commenting on the casting process or rumors such as these.”

-I lean towards Hutcherson or Garfield...who do you prefer?

Will John Hillcoat's next film star Christian Bale?

Quite possibly, according to Cinematical:

Director John Hillcoat hasn't had a lot of luck, lately. The Road was given one of The Weinstein Company's half-dead releases. His follow-up, an adaptation of the novel The Wettest Land, has fallen through due to financing. But a man of Hillcoat's reputation doesn't lack for work, even if he can't always get financing, and Bloody Disgusting is reporting he's attached to direct The Revenant. Christian Bale is in talks to star, and Mark L. Smith penned the script.

The Revenant is based on Michael Punke's novel, which is itself based on the true story of Hugh Glass. A man of many adventures, Glass goes West in 1822 in the employ of Captain Andrew Henry to do some profitable fur trapping. Glass is attacked by a bear, and badly injured. Miraculously, he survives, but the terrain makes it impossible to carry him back. Henry tries, but eventually hires two mercenaries to simply stand watch and bury him. They abandon Glass, alone and defenseless, but unfortunately for them, he recovers. He resolves to hunt down the men who abandoned him. The story has actually been done before as Man in the Wilderness, with Richard Harris as the mauled man out for revenge, but I wouldn't go so far as to call this a remake. It's history!

CHUD notes that The Revenant was once set up to be directed by Chan Wook Park, and set to star Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson continued to be attached after Park's departure, but apparently the revival of the project has left him behind. (Probably due to that massive Marvel contract.) That would have been a fascinating pair to tackle this story. If there's one downside to the Hillcoat and Bale version, it's that we know what kind of grim, bloody adventure we're going to get.

-Seems like it has potential...thoughts?

Woody Allen announces the rest of his cast for 'Midnight in Paris'...

...via this Press Release:

Press Release: Woody Allen announced today the full cast for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, his latest film in pre-production. The film stars, in alphabetical order: Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen and Owen Wilson. Co-starring in the film, in alphabetical order, are: Nina Arianda, Kurt Fuller, Tom Hiddleston, Mimi Kennedy, Alison Pill and Corey Stoll. The film shoots this summer in Paris.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is a romantic comedy that follows a family travelling to the city for business. The party includes a young engaged couple that has their lives transformed throughout the journey. The film celebrates a young man’s great love for Paris, and simultaneously explores the illusion people have that a life different from their own is better.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is produced by Letty Aronson, Steve Tenenbaum and Jaume Roures. It is part of a three-picture financing deal between Allen’s Gravier Productions and Mediapro, the Spain-based company which also funded Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and the upcoming “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” to be released domestically by Sony Pictures Classics this fall. Imagina International Sales is handling international sales for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS for most territories.

-Sounds good to me...thoughts?

Ellen Page could be gunning for another Oscar nomination...

..if this project she's signed on to turns out as potentially baity as it sounds. Here's the story via Variety:

Ron Nyswaner will adapt Cynthia Wade's 2007 Oscar-winning short doc "Freeheld" into a feature film starring Ellen Page. James D. Stern's Endgame Entertainment is financing.
Stern will produce with Double Feature Films' Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher and Vie Entertainment's Kelly Bush and Cynthia Wade. Endgame's Doug Hansen and Adam Del Deo are exec producers.
Wade's "Freeheld" tells the true story of New Jersey car mechanic Stacie Andree and her domestic partner Laurel Hester, a police detective who tries to secure pension benefits for her partner after she's diagnosed with a terminal illness, only to be turned down by Republican legislators.
"As a documentarian and feature producer, you always look for powerful stories with subject matter that will resonate with audiences, and Cynthia's remarkable chronicle of the battle forged by two women did just that," said Stern.
Nyswaner is no stranger to portraying the battle for gay rights on the bigscreen, having penned "Philadelphia." His other credits include "The Painted Veil" and "Soldier's Girl."
Page ("Juno") will next be seen in Christopher Nolan's Leonardo DiCaprio starrer "Inception," which Warner Bros. opens later this summer. Endgame has co-financed more than 25 titles, including "Hotel Rwanda" and "Lord of War."

-Thoughts?

Ewan McGregor joins Terry Gilliam's long in development 'Don Quixote' flick...

...moving this project one step closer towards finally happening, according to Coming Soon:

Empire magazine talked to Terry Gilliam at the Cannes Film Festival last night and learned that Ewan McGregor will star in the director's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

McGregor is replacing Johnny Depp, who was going to star in the original, aborted version ten years ago.

According to previous reports, the new version will revolve around a filmmaker (McGregor) who is charmed into joining Don Quixote's (Robert Duvall) eternal quest for his ladylove, becoming an unwitting Sancho Panza.

Gilliam is planning a September start for the film, which will have a budget of about $20 million.

-Thoughts?