1.) This rumor started back in December, but Paramount has confirmed that Kristen Wiig has officially joined the cast of Anchorman: The Legend Continues. While there is plenty of speculation about the size of her role and the character she might play, all the studio would confirm is that she’s playing a “new role.” Either way, it’s hard not to get excited about the pairing after Wiig and Will Ferrell absolutely crushed it at the Golden Globes. [Deadline]
2.) Colin Farrell is nearing a deal to join Anthony Hopkins in the supernatural thriller Solace from Brazilian director Alfonso Poyart (Two Rabbits). Farrell would play a serial killer, while Hopkins will play a reclusive doctor with special abilities brought out of retirement by an FBI agent to help solve the series of grisly murders. The film has been gestating since 2005, at which point Bruce Willis was attached to the doctor role, but it looks like things are finally starting to pick up. [Deadline]
3.) Beasts of the Southern Wild co-writer Lucy Alibar will team with producer Guillermo del Toro for a new adaptation of The Secret Garden. I thought for a second, how are they going to make a movie out of Bruce Springsteen‘s hit song from Jerry Maguire? But further research informed me this film will actually be based on the Frances Hodgson Burnett novel about an orphaned girl who discovers a magical garden when she’s sent to live with her uncle. What a coincidence though, right? [Deadline]
4.) I’ll admit, Gillian Flynn isn’t a name I’m overly familiar with right now. But it seems that’s about to change. Her third and most recent novel, Gone Girl, has caught the eye of David Fincher and could very well be his next project. Flynn’s second novel, Dark Places, was already set for a $15 million film adaptation from French director Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Sarah’s Key) starring Amy Adams. Latest word is Adams is now off the project, while Charlize Theron is targeting the role.
She’d play a woman who, at 7 years old, survived the brutal massacre of her family and testified against her brother as the murderer. 25 years later, a secret society obsessed with solving notorious crimes begins questioning her about what really rook place that day. The project is eyeing a March start. [Deadline]
5.) Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2) will direct the $70 million Hercules 3D for Millennium Films. They’re aiming for a March 2014 release in an attempt to leapfrog the Brett Ratner-directed Dwayne Johnson-led film that has already set an August 8, 2014 release date. With the Ratner project said to lean more toward the fantasy side of things, Harlin’s project will take the “gritty” angle as the director tells The Hollywood Reporter “It’s closer to Gladiator than flying horses.” We’ll see, but these things rarely end well for at least one of the productions. And I’m putting my money on the one with The Rock because, really, who would you rather see play Hercules right now?
