1.) Open Road Films has picked up Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills for a 2013 release. The film features Danny Trejo, once again, in the lead role as ex-Federale agent Machete, who is recruited by the President of the United States for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man – he must take down a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war and anarchy across the planet. Along with Trejo the film stars Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Demian Bichir, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding, Jr., William Sadler, Marko Zaror and Mel Gibson. You can get a full-sized look at the pic above right here.
2.) David Fincher is still trying to put together his adaptation of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at Disney while Steve Zaillian finishes the script for The Girl Who Played with Fire. Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven) rewrote the script back in November 2011 and now Fincher is looking at Brad Pitt to play sailor and master harpooner Ned Land. Current problem, however, is Disney has placed a three-month hold on the filmmaker as it decides whether to move forward with the project. [Variety]
3.) We last discussed The Descendants star Shailene Woodley after she landed the role of Mary Jane in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and now she’s back in the news as she’s eyeing the lead role in Divergent, Summit/Lionsgate’s adaptation of Veronica Roth’s young adult novel to be directed by Neil Burger (Limitless). Divergent is set in a future society divided into factions based on human traits. Woodley will star as a 16-year old who leaves her group to join a rival faction and falls in love with a young man. [THR]
4.) Rupert Wyatt dropped out of returning to direct Dawn of the Planet of the Apes citing a production schedule he couldn’t work with as the film is slated for a May 2014 release. This reasoning leads one to believe the script from Rise of the Planet of the Apes screenwriters Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa, which was then rewritten by Scott Z. Burns (Contagion) must not be all that good. Well, that appears to be the case, as Mark Bomback (Total Recall, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) is now aboard for a rewrite with Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) waiting in the wings to direct once its finalized. [THR]
5.) Disney has released the official synopsis for Iron Man 3 while the first trailer for the film will premiere online at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, October 23. Here’s the synopsis:
Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
Directed by Shane Black, Iron Man 3 hits theaters on May 3 with Robert Downey Jr. back in the saddle in the lead role alongside Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, James Badge Dale and William Sadler.
