Christian Bale Drops Out Of Aronofsky's Noah, Michael Fassbender Wanted

Variety reports that Christian Bale has left Darren Aronofsky's Noah, the big budget bible tale. They say that Darren is now looking at Michael Fassbender who is on fire with his summer blockbuster X-Men First Class and his awards bait Shame coming up. Of course Fassbender is one of Hollywood's most sot after actors but will he decide to commit to the rather large film?

Asa Butterfield Confirmed For Ender's Game, Harrison Ford Could Join

Variety confirms that Hugo's Asa Butterfield has landed the lead of Ender in Gavin Hood's Ender's Game. They go on to mention that Viggo Mortensen had been wanted for the role of Colonel Hyrum Graff but talks broke down. Harrison Ford among others are now in contention for the part. Ford recently worked with producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman on Cowboys And Aliens so the relationship could work in the film's favor. With the film expected to be released on March 15th 2013 I expect more casting announcements soon.

Alice Eve Lands Female Lead In Star Trek 2

While we're still waiting to find out if Benicio Del Toro will indeed be the villain in the Star Trek sequel. Along with what/who the role is. There is finally confirmation of a new cast member from ShowBlitz. British actress Alice Eve has nabbed a lead female role in Star Trek 2 which is yet to be named. However, the character is reported to be brand new and not from previous incarnations. Nothing is really known about the sequel even it's title hasn't been named. Yet the release date is set for May 17th 2013.

Eve is slowly becoming a bigger player in the blockbuster world being contentions for leads in X-Men First Class and Captain America. The former she dropped out as Emma Frost which was filled terribly by January Jones. There had been talk that she was still in talks with Marvel Studios for a future role. Alice previously worked with Simon Pegg in The Big Nothing who plays Scotty so she very well could be a new crew member or a love interest for Kirk.

Ben Whisaw Will Play Q In Skyfall

It was mentioned around the time that Quantum of Solace came out that Daniel Craig was interested in bringing back the character Q, who had been a staple of the franchise. Q was responsible for a majority of Bond's gadgets which would save his skin more than once. HollywoodReporter says that Ben Whisaw (Perfume, Layer Cake) who was confirmed for the new film will play Q in Skyfall. The Q scenes were mostly for comedic effect but considering the tone of the new Bond films it's unlikely there will be too many jokes cracked.

SFX Guru Gregory Nicotero Talks Evil Dead Reboot

Gregory Nicotero is one of the best special effects artists working in Hollywood today. He's not as well known as Tom Savini or Rick Baker but he has just as an impressive resume. It includes The Walking Dead, Predators, Planet Terror, Jennifer's Body, Drag Me To Hell, The Mist, Scream, John Carpenter's Vampires, From Dusk Till Dawn, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Inglourious Basterds, Sin City, Death Proof, Land of The Dead, Kill Bill and Hostel 1-2. Greg is best known for his stunning gore effects along with interesting makeup concepts he also worked on Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. So when he was asked by STYD if he was going to return for the Evil Dead remake he gave this answer.

"We would love to do [that project]. I believe they might be shooting in New Zealand, so that might be prohibitive. I know they would love to have us and I know we'd love to do it, I just don't know where it's going to go. I spoke to [producer] Rob [Tapert] and said, with the stuff we're doing on The Walking Dead, I can only imagine how cool it would be to do something with the make-up would be so much fun."

FANDOM: Fan Made Prometheus Artwork

Ken Watanabe Offered Role In Akira

Twitch reports that Gary Oldman has turned down the role of the Colonel in Akira. Oldman had also been offered the Merlin role in Arthur And Lancelot. The studio has now offered the part to another Christopher Nolan regular Ken Watanabe (Inception, Batman Begins, Last Samurai). Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stweart have been linked for the leads.

What's interesting about this move by Warner Bros. is that Ken is the first Japanese actor to ever be linked the to the project. Akira has been getting a lot of hate from fans that the casting has been mostly whitewashing. This hopefully could be the first step to casting more Japanese actors in the film.

New Prometheus Images, First Good Look At The Cast

More Dark Knight Rises Images From Empire

New Impressively Cut Darkest Hour Feature Trailer

If Prometheus Performs Well There Could Be Sequels

When the Alien Prequel was originally announced it was pitched as a two part project. Later on when Damon Lindelof signed on for rewrites the film's connection to the franchise was almost severed. Leaving a few bits of franchise DNA in the newly titled Prometheus which seemed it would focus more on the origins of the company and the space jockey. Along with being very android focused perhaps telling the story from the prospective of David (Fassbender). There is now word from HollywoodReporter that if Prometheus does well at the box office which is very likely Fox will pursue more installments.

His directing wishes could be altered by how well his sci-fi epic Prometheus, which stars Charlize Theron and Noomi Rapace and opens June 8, 2012, performs at the box office. Insiders at Fox say the studio is already exploring sequel options"


It was stated that this film would be set thirty years before the events of Alien so there is a little wiggle room for more movies in the Alien universe. It's unknown how many if any crew members will come out of the film alive to reprise their roles. I believe it's box office success might end up coming down to it's rating while an R rating will appease fans of the franchise in the minds of the studio. A PG-13 rating is domestic gold and helps sell the movie overseas. However, all four of the original films were rated R and have been nothing but profitable for Fox. The Matrix trilogy being one the biggest successful R rated franchise it might be hard to get those kind of numbers.

Ridley also was expecting to make a bunch of sequels for Robin Hood before the Universal Pictures project went over budget and did very poorly at the box office. The film was an origin story rebooting the legend of Robin Hood which was setting up sequels along the way. Scott might be itching for franchise security since he's never really done one besides creating the Alien franchise. Only to hand it off to directors like James Cameron and newcomer David Fincher which cemented both of their careers. When he visited the set of Avatar it was said he felt the gauntlet was thrown down by Cameron. It's unknown if Ridley will return to the director's chair as he has many projects in development which includes a new Blade Runner film currently in the script phase.

My take is that I believe this world is rich enough to explore a lot of different avenues and I believe there are many stories that could be tapped in new films. Maybe developing the origins/exploring off-world colonies and even the united systems military. I feel the space marines are an important aspect of the franchise since they're eventually an arm of the company. It could be interesting to see Fox focus a movie on them establishing the bug-stompers. It was hinted in Aliens they've been up against similar hostile organisms before. While xenomorphs are tempting I wouldn't mind seeing other creatures or threats. Of course a completely new take could be just as exciting.


WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE ALIEN UNIVERSE FILMS FROM RIDLEY SCOTT? LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS!

Empire's Dark Knight Rises Covers

Diablo Cody Talks Evil Dead Remake

While most Evil Dead fans aren't sure what to make of Fede Alvarez's new reboot. It was recently revealed by producer Bruce Campbell the Ash character he originally played in the trilogy won't be showing up. Giving the impression a younger actor won't be taking over the role either. A sigh of relief as this makes me believe they are really going a different route while keep the original concept intact.

“Five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin where they discover a Book Of The Dead and unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival.”

Diablo Cody (Jennifer's Body, Young Adult) who was recently hired to do some rework on the script talked to Collider about what we can expect from the new movie.

I know, honestly I was so excited to do it. I wouldn’t have even gotten involved if Sam [Raimi] and Bruce Campbell hadn’t been involved as well, they’re producing it, and so of course I was like “Alright I have to do this” because I’m such a fan of the original, and the whole original series in fact. But I was nervous to take the job because I thought “Ugh, I’m gonna get shit for this. People are not gonna like this, because all people know of me is like Juno and they think I’m gonna pollute Evil Dead with like wacky dialogue and cute stuff and folk music, and it’s like “No, look I understand what this is. I’m interested in storytelling here and making it scary and good and true to the original.” I feel like people will hopefully see Young Adult and go “Oh, okay that’s a horrifying movie maybe she could pull it off (laughs).” 

Because the director’s draft was really scary, I tried to stay away from some of the big horror set pieces. I didn’t wanna mess with his vision, because he’s the one who ultimately has to shoot it. That being said, there is a moment near the—I mean it’s unbelievably violent (laughs). Occasionally I threw in a wound here or there. I didn’t write anything extravagant.

WB Still Searching For Akira's Tetsuo, More Actors Linked

I swear that Akira has to be one of the messiest casting searches I've seen since Captain America. The studio seems to be scrambling to find their Tetsuo before Akira starts production early next year. We've heard names like James McAvoy, Andrew Garfield, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Robert Pattinson and Ezra Miller (We Need To Talk About Kevin) previously all linked for the role but nothing has come of it. Currently Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy) is in place for role of Kaneda. Other actors such as Gary Oldman, Kristen Stewart, Keira Knightley and Helena Bonham Carter have been mentioned being in the mix as well.

HeatVision has word another batch of actors will screentest for the part of Tetsuo. The new list includes Tobey Kebbell (Wrath of The Titans, RockNRolla), Michael Pitt (Dreamers, Boardwalk Empire), Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Rami Malek (The Pacific), Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus), D.J. Controna (G.I. Joe 2) along with retests from Paul Dano (Cowboys And Aliens, There Will Be Blood) and Alden Ehrenreich. Out of this bunch I feel that Kebbell and Pitt have the best chances too pull off Tetsuo properly. While names like Malek and Madden shouldn't be overlooked as both are becoming excellent actors.

Kit Harington Will Play Arthur In Arthur And Lancelot

ShowBlitz reports that Kit "Jon Snow" Harington (Game of Thrones) who was the front-runner for the lead role in Arthur And Lancelot has been offered the part of Arthur. Joel Kinnaman has been tapped for the role of Lancelot with Gary Oldman asked to play Merlin. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the cast comes together since the names so far are peeking my interest.

Expendables 2 Poster Confirms It's Going To Be Awesome

David Fincher's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea Gets A New Writer

Deadline reports that David Ficher's massive take on the classic Jules Verne tale 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea will have another writer. Previously screenwriters such as Scott Z. Burns , Randall Wallace and Michael Chabon were involved in the writing process. Now Andrew Kevin Walker (Sleepy Hollow, The Wolfman) will take a shot at the script. Walker is best known for Se7en but hasn't worked with Fincher since.

Marvel Unwilling To Create Any New X-Men Characters Because Of Fox?

Ever since Marvel Studios started making their own films and subsequently bought by Disney there seems to be tension between between Marvel and other rights holders. Rob Liefeld in an extensive  interview with WordBallon points out that Marvel hasn't created any new X-Men characters and it's not based on laziness. The comic book writer/creator is responsible for giving birth to Cable, Deadpool, Domino, Feral and X-Force. So when he talks X-Men he does have insider information. He's also been in active talks with 20th Century Fox over the Deadpool movie and possibly adding Cable to the X-Men films. 

Liefeld states Marvel/Disney isn't in the business of creating characters only to hand them over to 20th Century Fox for new additions to their films. Currently the studio holds the film rights to all the characters in the X-Men universe (hero and villains) which is an extensive group. I'm not sure if that also means that Fox gains rights to new characters as they are introduced in the comics. It's further pointed out that Marvel holds the toy rights to X-Men First Class but didn't release any over the summer when it was released. Since they would have competed with Captain America and Thor toys which Marvel gets a bigger profit from. He's pointing out Marvel is undercutting Fox's growth of their X-Men franchise where they can.

My take is that Marvel is smart by not helping Fox by handing over new characters bound by an old rights deal. They could feel the deal was unfair since it was drawn up during Marvel's financial troubles during the 90's and might not have predicted the future of the company. Hopefully there will be a way to wiggle the film rights back to Marvel other than cutting a billion dollar cheque which Rob suggests. I feel when the studio uses up all the villains they'll end up selling the rights back. The X-Men universe doesn't have a lot of film-friendly villains which must be annoying for Fox.

Ridley Scott And Gerard Bulter Want To Make African Coup Film

It seems like every couple of months a new Ridley Scott project springs up. There is word from Deadline director Ridley Scott is putting together an interesting fact-based thriller with Gerard Butler attached for the lead. It would focus on the story of Simon Mann, a former British army officer who in 2004 put together a band of mercenaries to attempt a coup against the president of Equatorial Guinea. The coup attempt was thwarted in Zimbabwe, where Mann went to pick up weapons. He spent five years in a harsh prison there before being taken to Equatorial Guinea where he was sentenced to 34 years–but spared that sentence when he received a presidential pardon in 2009.

Ridley has a ton of other projects to consider next but it seems like this one has a little more depth than some of his other prospects. He has more than a few options to consider which include a Blade Runner sequel, Forever War, A Brave New World, Monopoly and a possible sequel to Prometheus.

More Actors Join I, Frankenstein

When Aaron Eckhart (Dark Knight) was first cast as the lead in Stuart Beattie's I, Frankenstein I was sort of skeptical about the whole project. The genre hybrid is based on the comic by Kevin Grevioux who co-created the Underworld franchise with Len Wiseman. I assume Lionsgate wants to recreate the genre bending action concept for themselves. Unlike Underworld, this world has all sorts of monsters from what I understand this movie will feature demons, zombies, gargoyles and Eckhart as a heroic take on the Frankenstein monster.

HeatVision reports some casting additions which include Yvonne Strahovski (Killer Elite, Chuck), Miranda Otto (The Two Towers, Return of The King) and Socratis Otto have joined the film. Bill Nighy is in talks to play the demon leader who is the main baddie. Nighy is no stranger to genre films starring in the Underworld trilogy, Dead Man's Chest, At World's End, Jack The Giant Killer, Total Recall, Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Shaun of The Dead.

Steven Soderbergh Wont Direct The Man From UNCLE

ThePlaylist reports after an exhausting casting search and budget restrictions Steven Soderbergh has called it quits on The Man From UNCLE. The budding spy franchise had been an active project for Soderbergh who was considering retiring before announcing he would direct it. It mainly came down to Warner Bros' limited budget of $60 million for a action film set in the 60's and would hop to four different continents. Think Mission Impossible or Bond meets Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy it would be expensive even before the actors were cast. Soderbergh had also been ticked off when the studio asked for younger actors giving them the suggestions of Michael Fassbender and Joel Kinnaman. Only to have them turned down then taken for other studio projects Londongrad and Arthur And Lancelot.

Warner Bros. seems to have dropped the ball since Soderbergh's Contagion ended up a solid success for them. You'd expect them to be more compromising when they're shelling out budgets twice as big for riskier projects. It's unknown if the project will keep going without Soderbergh but I'm sure he'll tackle something else soon.

Asa Butterfield Wanted For Ender's Game

Deadline reports that Asa Buttferfield (Hugo, Son of Rambow, Boy In The Stripped Pajamas) has been offered the lead role in Ender's Game. The film directed by Gavin Hood with producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman backing the adaptation. It currently has a release date set for March 15th 2013.

Tarsem Singh Will Direct Killing On Carnival Row

Director Tarsem Singh (The Fall, Immortals) might be catching a lot of ridicule for his Snow White family comedy Mirror Mirror but he's moving on to his next project already. Deadline reports that Tarsem will direct Killing On Carnival Row that takes place in the future in a city called the Burgue, which looks a lot like 18th Century London. It is inhabited by humans and other creatures, and a serial killer is on the loose. It sounds like a futuristic take on the Jack The Ripper story which is sort of interesting. Travis Beacham wrote the film's script who is getting a lot of heat previously writing Clash of The Titans, Pacific Rim along with remakes of Black Hole and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

New Avengers Posters

New Godzilla Movie Gets Another Writer

While Legendary Pictures hired Gareth Edwards (Monsters) to direct their new Godzilla film they didn't have an official writer. There was word that David S. Goyer (Man of Steel, Blade, Dark Knight Rises) and David Callaham were working on a drafts. Now there is confirmation from HeatVision that newcomer Max Borenstein will now work on the script.

CASTING DROPOUTS: Joel Edgerton And Ezra Miller

Two actors seem have to moved on from involvement with big Warner Bros. projects. Joel Edgerton has decided to pass on 300: The Battle of Atermisia and Ezra Miller denies any casting rumors of Akira. It's odd since both Hollywood Reporter and Twitch reported on Miller being reputable sources. Edgerton was also offered the second lead in The Man From UNCLE so he might looking at other projects. However, there is talk that the UNCLE script is boring and many actors have walked from it.

Universal And Illumination Making Woody The Woodpecker Film

HeatVision reports that Universal Pictures is looking to make a feature length Woody The Woodpecker movie. Unlike the terrible slew of CGI live-action hybrid (Chipmunks, Smurfs, Yogi Bear) takes on classic cartoon characters it will be all animated. Illumination Entertainment will handle the production side of things who are best known for Despicable Me and The Lorax. The original run of the cartoon started in 1940 and become a sensation during WWII. I feel Universal should be respectful and hire a solid voice actor to play Woody since legend Mel Blanc (Bugs Bunny, Looney Toons) was one of the first to do the voice. Billy West of Futurama (Professor, Zoidberg, Fry) comes to mind since he is the current Bugs Bunny and would be able to mimic Woody's classic laugh. Universal holds the rights to all the Walter Lantz characters so Chilly Willy and others could show up.

Bryan Singer And Leonardo DiCaprio Wanted For Six Billion Dollar Man?

LatinoReview is reporting that The Weinstein Company is looking to adapt Martin Caidin's novel Cyborg into The Six Billion Dollar Man (upped from million). The novel was the inspiration for the classic 70's television series which also had a comic line. Bryan Singer who is currently getting ready to make Battlestar Galactica when he finishes post-production on Jack The Giant Killer is wanted to direct. Leonardo DiCaprio is their ideal actor for the lead but seems way too busy with other projects at this point.

Ron Perlman Joins Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim

Director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labryinth) confirmed to Wired that Ron Perlman (Drive, Enemy At The Gates) has been added to the cast of his giant monster/robot mash-up Pacific Rim. Perlman has previously worked with Guillermo on Hellboy 1-2, Blade 2, Cronos, and was going to have a role in the canceled At The Mountains of Madness. The film stars Ron's Sons of Anarchy co-star Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba (Luther, Thor, Wire, Prometheus) and Charlie Day (Horrible Bosses). The epic monster sci-fi flick will be released on May 10th 2013.

"We are working with actors that I absolutely adore," he continues. "Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman. It's really, it's a very, very beautiful poem to giant monsters. Giant monsters versus giant robots. Twenty-five-story-high robots beating the crap out of 25-story-high monsters. We're trying to create a world in which the characters are real and how it would affect our world politically, how it would affect the landscape if creatures like this really came out of the sea, etc."

Amy Adams Could Join Clint Eastwood In Trouble With The Curve

It's nice to see that Clint Eastwood is returning to acting as he will play the lead in the baseball drama Trouble With The Curve. This time Eastwood will only be in front of the camera as Robert Lorenz will be directing with a script from Randy Brown. The film focuses on an aging baseball scout who goes on one last scouting trip with his daughter to evaluate a promising young player. Sandra Bullock had been mentioned for the daughter previously but Variety now says Amy Adams has been offered the role. Amy is an excellent addition and dare I say a better draw than Bullock.

Lionsgate Looking At Slumdog Writer To Pen Hunger Games Sequel

Deadline reports that Lionsgate is moving quickly on the buzz from the recent Hunger Games trailer and are already looking at writers for the sequel. The next book in the series titled Catching Fire will likely be the installment to be adapted. They say the studio is looking at screenwriter Simon Beaufoy who is best known for Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours. I'm sure the studio is waiting until the first film's release to move any further than the script phase. However, it's been Lionsgate's original plan to make a trilogy.

Warner Bros. Looking For Writers To Script Man Of Steel Sequel?

ThinkMcFlyThink reports that Warner Bros. is moving forward with a sequel to Man of Steel the Superman reboot from director Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300). The studio is currently looking at writers to pen a script for the sequel.

The writers in question include Steve Kloves (Akira, Amazing Spider-Man, Harry Potter Series), Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim, Clash of The Titans) and Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of The Lost Ark, Paradise Lost).

While I don't know all the legality of the Superman rights dispute the studio could lose the film rights if they don't keep making films. I'm sure they are happy with what Snyder and the excellent cast are delivering but I feel this could be just a way for the studio to keep their lawyers happy. That's of course this is even true as this very well could be just a rumor.

Kristen Stewart Could Play Kei In Akira

Warner Bros. has been having a really tough time nailing down it's male leads for their adaptation of Akira. Not much can be said for the few female roles as there haven't been too many names being mentioned. Now Twitch reports that Kristen Stewart is now in the mix for the role of female protagonist Kei. I'm still on the fence about Stewart in general with her terrible performances in Twilight but Huntsman could change my opinion.

A rumored offer has gone out to Helena Bonham Carter (Dark Shadows, Deathly Hollows, Fight Club) for the role of Lady and Keira Knightley (Pirates 1-3) had been linked for an unknown role. Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy, Troy) is up for the hero role of Kandea and Gary Oldman (Dark Kight) has been offered the role of the Colonel. While Ezra Miller (We Need To Talk About Kevin) and Alden Eherenreich are up for Tetsuo.