1.) While Al Pacino is all set to play Joe Paterno in Brian De Palma‘s Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong“, just days after Armstrong confessed to years of cheating and denial in an interview with Oprah.
Gary Ross (The Hunger Games, Seabiscuit) was at one point attached to direct an Armstrong movie for Sony starring the biker’s buddy Jake Gyllenhaal, but hat was a few years ago, and the theme around Armstrong’s story has greatly shifted from “inspirational sports story” to “epic fall from grace.” Personally, I don’t see the drama in a feature film based on a story so recent and fresh on most of our minds. This sounds like an HBO movie more than a theatrical release, but either way, who would you like to see in the lead role? Call me crazy, but I think Tom Cruise could make it work. The guy plays narcissistic pretty well. [Deadline]
2.) Guillermo Del Toro and “Sons of Anarchy” star Charlie Hunnam must have really hit it off on the set of this summer’s Pacific Rim because Hunnam is already in negotiations to re-team with Del Toro on his follow-up film, Crimson Peak. Hunnam would co-star with Emma Stone, who entered negotiations last week, in what Del toro is describing as a set-oriented throwback ghost story. He’ll look to film the project in early 2014, which gives him time to make the press rounds for Pacific Rim and film the pilot for his FX pilot “The Strain.” [Variety]
3.) Cameras are already rolling on Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, but the already massive cast just keeps growing. To begin, director Robert Rodriguez confirms to MTV Bruce Willis will return as Hartigan. Joining him is a trio of newcomers including Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven and Juno Temple, though nothing is known about the characters they’ll portray. The biggest role still to be cast is the much-discussed femme fatale Ava Lord, a role originally intended for Angelina Jolie. [The Playlist]
4.) Sony is beginning to cast their zombie/vampire/alien mashup The Kitchen Sink, with Mackenzie Davis, Nicholas Braun and Josh Fadem the first actors to enter negotiations. Davis is receiving some buzz out of Sundance for her performance in Breathe In, director Drake Doremus‘ follow-up to Like Crazy. Braun got a lot of play last year as the “loser boyfriend,” both in The Watch and as “Ponytail Derek” in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Fadem is a bit more of an unknown, gaining most of his recognition as a writer and creative consultant on Cartoon Network’s “The Eric Andre Show,” though he has also appeared in a number of movies and TV shows. Chris Zylka (The Amazing Spider-Man) is also being targeted for a role. The film is expected to shoot this summer with Robbie Pickering (Natural Selection) at the helm. [Variety]
5.) Michael Gambon and Alfred Molina will star in Love is Strange for director Ira Sachs. The film is Sachs’ follow-up to the well-reviewed Keep the Lights On and again centers on a gay relationship, with Molina and Gambon playing a married couple who struggle to stay together after losing their home. [Screen Daily]
