Pajiba recently tweeted about the possibility of a War Machine movie, noting that the pitch is out to writers for a feature focusing on the Iron Man sidekick. It’s obviously just a rumor at this point, but I wonder how Terrence Howard would have acted differently had he known this when he declined to return for Iron Man 2.
In the latest rumor surrounding the long-in-the-works Escape from New York remake, Bloody Disgusting has reported prematurely announced that Jeremy Renner is very close to landing the lead role of Snake Plissken. Made famous by Kurt Russell in John Carpenter’s 1981 post-apocalyptic classic, Plissken is the iconic soldier-turned-criminal given 24 hours to find the President following the crash of Air Force One. Director Breck Eisner (The Crazies) has been attached for some time now.
I’ve always thought of Renner as a young Kurt Russell type, exhibiting much of that same maverick style. This would be far better casting than the Gerard Butler deal that almost happened a few years back.
Judi Dench will be making a cameo in the new Pirates of the Carribbean film, On Stranger Tides. Daily Mail cites the chemistry she developed with Johnny Depp ten years ago filming Chocolat and her relationship with director Rob Marshall (Nine) as the reason behind the move.
Deadline reports Channing Tatum now sits atop Sony’s list to star alongside Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street. The film will be directed by Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs helmers Phil Lord and Chris Miller and is based on the 1987 TV series that launched the career of Johnny Depp. It focuses on a pair of undercover officers who infiltrate high schools to fight crime. Most films ask us to dispel our disbelief for the purpose of entertainment, but it seems a bit much to ask us to believe a 30-year-old Channing Tatum could get by posing as a high schooler. How much longer is this guy going to be considered a “young” actor?
According to a Jon Favreau tweet, they’ve just finished the final sound mix of a Cowboys and Aliens teaser trailer so you can expect to see that fairly soon. The film is set for a July 29, 2011 release date.
It looks like Warner Bros. have set their sights high for the cast of Wrath of the Titans, the title currently being used instead of Clash of the Titans 2. A Production Weekly rumor has Javier Bardem and James Franco in mind for the respective roles of Ares (the god of war) and Agenor (the Phoenician king of Tyre and a son of Poseidon).
While it looks like Zac Efron has been offered the lead in Akira, Bloody Disgusting has also discovered that Morgan Freeman is circling the key role of the Colonel in the Allen and Albert Hughes (The Book of Eli) Manga adaptation.
A number of studios are currently mulling over the idea of a Rubik’s Cube movie, with one suggestion being a film revolving around some sort of competition. Who says there are no good ideas left?
Speaking of good ideas, Deadline reports Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink will be directing a remake of The Toxic Avenger. Yep, we’ve now reached the point where Hollywood is remaking Troma movies — I’m not sure what’s left after that. I don’t even see the upside here because as we saw with Piranha 3d, the general public just doesn’t “get” these types of films.
