Mail Online is reporting Ralph Fiennes is being courted for a role of “extreme complexity” in the next James Bond movie. While the role is said to be that of a villain, it is not the same part Javier Bardem has been offered. I may currently be getting way too excited for Bond 23 — but if Fiennes and Bardem do indeed join Daniel Craig and Judi Dench with director Sam Mendes I have to wonder if that’s even possible.
According to Vulture, Werner Herzog is in serious discussions with Naomi Watts about starring in his new drama Queen of the Desert. Herzog wrote the screenplay based on Gertrude Bell, a real-life British traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attache for the British Empire at the dawn of the twentieth century. Watts is reportedly very interested in the part if Herzog is willing to give her a short break after she wraps on Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar this spring.
Ben Affleck has entered negotiations to direct Argo, which shockingly won’t take place at a popular Urban Tea Cafe. The political thriller, which is also said to contain elements of wry humor, is based on a Wired article by Joshuah Bearman that was published in 2007. The title of the article, “How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran,” is by far the most effective and concise plot summary I can offer so I’ll leave it at that. HeatVision reports George Clooney and his frequent collaborator Grant Heslov (The Men Who Stare at Goats) will produce. If you’re interested in reading the original article you can find it here or download a snazzy PDF version right here.
Vulture reports Julia Roberts has begun negotiating with Relativity Media to appear in director Tarsem Singh’s The Brothers Grimm: Snow White as the film’s Evil Queen. This could be interesting since I can’t think of a time when “America’s Sweetheart” has ever played an antagonist, although her character in Eat, Pray, Love was certainly easy to despise. Charlize Theron will play the Evil Queen in Universal’s rival project, Snow White and the Huntsman (the one with Kristen Stewart rumored as Snow White).
After a bit of a reprieve from the onslaught of Stephen King adaptations, the horror novelist has again captured the eyes of Hollywood with recent movements to bring The Dark Tower and The Stand to the big screen. Now you can add Pet Sematary to the list. The LA Times reports Matthew Greenberg (1408) has written a script for a new version of the ’80s hit, and folks at Paramount are said to be seeking a high-level director for the reboot.
Steve Zaillian, who recently adapted The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for David Fincher, has been called upon by Paramount to requite the new Chris Pine-starred Jack Ryan film, which the studio is hoping to get into production this year. The film will be directed by Jack Bender (“Lost”) is an original story not directly based on any of the Tom Clancy books. It doesn’t have a formal title yet, but Deadline says it deals with a helicopter crash that Ryan was the sole survivor of when he was a 23-year-old platoon leader in the US Marines. Zaillian was also a part of the screenwriting team for Clear and Present Danger.
