I’m going to lead things off with big news from the Bourne universe. We’ve reported on the supposed “shortlist” of actors being considered to replace Matt Damon in The Bourne Legacy, and Latino Review exclusively revealed that the offer is about to go out to Jeremy Renner (who wasn’t even on the the list). This would be just one more notch in the belt of Jeremy Renner, who has secured his current “that guy” status. Already with roles in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, The Avengers and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (set pics of that one here), we’ll be seeing plenty of Renner over the next couple of years. I do think Renner is a good choice, but can he really be considered the “future” of two huge spy franchises at the same time?
It should be noted that shortlist contender Oscar Isaac (Robin Hood, Sucker Punch) was writer/director Tony Gilroy’s first choice, but it was a choice Universal Pictures didn’t approve of. Latino Review wouldn’t reveal Universal’s reasoning.
Moving on to that Hunger Games thing we keep hearing all about, Deadline has the scoop on who might be in position for the major male roles in the film alongside lead actress Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone). Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song) is said to be the front-runner for the role of Gale Hawthorne, while Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) is on the top of the list for the role of Peeta Mellark. Gale is the hunting partner of Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen character, while Peeta accompanies Lawrence into the deadly Hunger Games reality show. Any thoughts from fans of the novels?
Heat Vision brings news that Lily Collins (Sandra Bullock’s daughter from The Blind Side, and the real-life daughter of Phil Collins) has entered negotiations for the lead role in The Brothers Grimm: Snow White, the 3D revisionist fairy tale from director Tarsem Singh (The Fall, the upcoming Greek epic Immortals). I reported just a few days ago that Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, Hanna) had entered negotiations for the part, but it appears Collins knocked their socks off with her audition. For those keeping score at home, this is the Snow White film starring Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen and The Social Network‘s Armie Hammer as the Prince.
We’ve previously reported that director Joe Wright will reunite with his Atonement and Pride and Prejudice star Keira Knightley for Anna Karenina, which will co-star Jude Law and Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass), but it now looks like another frequent collaborator could be joining the cast as well. According to The L.A. Times, Wright’s Hanna and Atonement star Saoirse Ronan could be joining the cast as well, though the helmer declined to confirm it.
Lionsgate announced yesterday (via Coming Soon) they’ve set an August 17, 2012 release date for The Expendables 2. It was reported that Sylvester Stallone won’t be reassuming directorial duties, though a replacement hasn’t yet been announced. Sly isn’t working on the script either, as one has already been delivered by Ken Kaufman (Space Cowboys) and David Agosto. I’d assume all this extra downtime has been spent in the gym.
Will Beall, the former L.A. cop-turned-screenwriter who received raves for his The Gangster Squad script that Warner Bros. scooped up, is also now in negotiations to write the studio’s Logan’s Run remake, according to Heat Vision. The update of the 1976 sci-fi classic will star Ryan Gosling, with Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson, the upcoming thriller Drive) set to direct. Warner also tapped Beall to write a Lethal Weapon reboot back in January.
Deadline reports Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass, Let Me In) has entered negotiations to join the cast of Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows, based on the 1960s TV series. She would play the daughter of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), the reclusive matriarch of the Collins clan and owner of the Collinwood mansion where the supernatural tale takes place. The cast already includes the likes of Johnny Depp, Michael Sheen, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley and (of course) Helena Bonham Carter.
Marvel has chosen Drew Pearce to write Iron Man 3 after being impressed by is script to another comic book adaptation Runaways. Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) was announced as the Iron Man 3 director a few months ago, so why not just let him write his own script as well? I mean, it was Black’s scripts for action-comedies like Lethal Weapon that put him on the map in the first place. Iron Man 3 has set a May 3, 2013 release date, in case you’re looking that far ahead. As for Runaways, Deadline notes it is still in Marvel’s plans but they’re focusing on a new round of sure-fire cash cows first.
Dreamworks plans to release a theatrical spin-off starring the scene-stealing penguins from the Madagascar movies. THR reports the Megamind team of Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons will pen the script. The Penguins have already been spun-off into a short that appeared on the Madagascar Blu-ray and a Nickelodeon TV show called “The Penguins of Madagascar” that finished as the second most-watched animated show of 2010 amongst 2-12 year-olds behind “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
And finally, Steve Carell will star in Seeking A Friend For The End of The World, the directorial debut of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist screenwriter Lorene Scafaria. Deadline reports Keira Knightley is in negotiations for the female lead. The film has a comic and romantic tone, despite taking place at a time when mankind is coming to terms with the fact that an incoming asteroid will end humanity.
