Simon Pegg will not only star in Star Trek 3, but he’ll co-write the screenplay with Doug Jung (“Dark Blue”) now that Justin Lin has stepped into direct following Roberto Orci‘s departure. The pic is currently slated for a July 8, 2016 release. [Deadline]
https://twitter.com/simonpegg/status/558157870429392897
Tom Hardy passed on starring as Rick Flagg in David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad and now second choice, Jake Gyllenhaal, has also said no. The DC Comics adaptation currently stars Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne and heads into production in April with a planned August 5, 2016 release date. [Variety]
The Maze Runner star, Kaya Scodelario, is in early talks for the female lead in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (aka Pirates of the Caribbean 5). [Deadline]
Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) is beginning the casting process for his Star Wars spin-off, a pic rumored to be a heist feature, set at the same time as Return of the Jedi, centering on a group of bounty hunters trying to steal the plans for the Death Star. As of right now it’s a list of female names making the rounds, including Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) and Kate Mara (“House Of Cards”, The Fantastic Four). The pic is set for a December 16, 2016 release. [Variety & THR]
