1.) Joel Edgerton is in talks to join Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender in Jane Got A Gun. The Western from director Lynne Ramsey (We Need to Talk About Kevin) centers on a woman who reaches out for a former lover (Fassbender) to save her husband from a violent gang. Edgerton would play the leader of said gang. If you’re unfamiliar with Hollywood’s next big hunky Australian leading man (following the likes of Russell Crowe, Eric Bana and Hugh Jackman) to this point, prepare to get to know him very soon as he stars in both Zero Dark Thirty and The Great Gatsby. Until then, catch up with his work in Warrior and the Aussie crime films The Square and Animal Kingdom. [Deadline]
2.) Michelle Williams is in line to star in Fox Searchlight’s remake of the Italian thriller The Double Hour. Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace) is directing the film, which centers on an ex-cop and a hotel maid who meet at a speed dating event. After falling in love, they retreat for a romantic evening at the ex-cop’s employer’s house, where they’re ambushed by a gang that the maid later appears to be involved with. The original is an odd blend of romance, psychological thriller, ghost story and film noir that somehow works as an effective little thriller. It’s also available for streaming on Netflix. [The Wrap]
3.) The news you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived, there will be an Angry Birds movie in theaters in summer 2016! Despicable Me‘s John Cohen has signed on to produce the 3D CG-animated feature based on the popular mobile game. Cohen is also cited as the man responsible for turning Alvin and the Chipmunks into CG critters. I only wish we had a more exact date so we could begin a formal countdown.
4.) HBO is developing Double Down, a sequel of sorts to their massively successful Game Change, which centered on Sarah Palin’s impact on the 2008 presidential election. Double Down will be based on an upcoming book from Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, the same pair who provided the source material for Game Change, and focus on the 2012 presidential election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. No casting news just yet, but who would you like to see in those roles? [The Wrap]
5.) And finally, Wild Things and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer helmer John McNaughton will direct the low-budget psychological horror film The Harvest as his first feature in over a decade. The film stars Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton as a married couple with medical backgrounds. Their sick son lives in a controlled and secluded environment until a young girl moves in next door and gives him hope of a better life, while also compromising the tight-knight world created by his over-protective mother. The director says the film is “dark and has a great twist,” while describing it as “a cross between Hansel and Gretel and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” [Variety]
