1.) Robert Pattinson racks up another interesting post-Twilight role, joining Guy Pierce in the futuristic western The Rover for writer-director David Michod (Animal Kingdom). Set in the Australian desert, the film follows Eric, a man who has left every semblance of human kindness behind him as he joins an injured gang member, Rey, to hunt down Rey’s gang after they steal the last of Eric’s possessions. [THR]
2.) Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman and Ruth Wilson have joined the previously cast Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson and Colin Farrell in Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) directs the true story of Walt Disney’s (Hanks) 14-year courtship for the rights to Mary Poppins from author P.L. Travers (Thompson). Farrell and Wilson will play Travers’ parents in flashbacks, while Giamatti will play her chauffeur while she’s visiting Los Angeles. Schwartzman will play Richard Morton Sherman, a songwriter who penned a number of classic Disney tunes. [Variety]
3.) Another Twilight star might have found her man in a Magic Mike actor, as Alex Pettyfer is negotiating to play Kristen Stewart‘s love interest in Cali, a gritty action film from director Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook, Alpha Dog). The film follows a couple who sell a fake snuff film and ride off with the cash. Years later, Stewart’s character must “return from the dead” to save her younger sister from a group of unsavory characters. [Variety]
4.) Despite pulling ads that reference the scene, Summit won’t edit a scene from Step Up Revolution in which dancers wear gas masks similar to what the shooter wore when he opened fire last Friday in a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. In the scene, a group of dancers infiltrate a corporate party wearing gas masks and carrying smoke cannisters. Though Summit continued to discuss the situation through Wednesday, the film was actually sent out to theaters earlier in the week since it opens this Friday. [THR]
5.) Adam Sandler has acquired the Internet short Bad Toys II with intentions of making a feature-length version under his Happy Madison banner. The 5-minute short from French animators Daniel Brunet and Nicolas Douste blends animation and live action toys into a Michael Bay-inspired chase scene. The feature-length version will center on a grown man who reconnects with his youthful imagination through his son’s toys, and his play turns into an homage to big-budget action films. The original French directors will serve as co-executive producers on the project. Check out the short below and let us know if you think it’s worth 90+ minutes. [THR]
