Briefly: James Gunn has added an Oscar winner to the already-impressive cast for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Benicio Del Toro will play an as-yet-unannounced role the cosmic team up movie. There’s no word specifying whether he’s a hero, a villain, or something in between. All that’s known is it’s a “lead role” and he’ll sign a multiple movie deal with Marvel, meaning the character will be in future films. Could he be Thanos? Rocket Raccoon? Groot? Khan? (Probably not that last one.)
Del Toro joins Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, John C. Reilly, Karen Gillan and Glenn Close in August 1, 2014 release. [Deadline]
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Briefly: Now that we’ve got the director question solved, casting speculation can begin in earnest for Bond 24, which it seems Sam Mendes will return to direct. Despite the fact that Mendes is going to do a UK and Broadway version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory before getting back in the Bond director’s chair, meaning that the next Bond won’t be out until at least 2015, rumors are already flying that Penelope Cruz is cast in the film.
With Bond 24 not due for some time we’ve probably got months to go before EON announces a title and proper cast, so take this report with a grain of salt. Sure, Cruz is married to Skyfall actor Javier Bardem, so it seems like a neat and convenient trick that she’d be cast in the film. But the report comes from Yahoo UK, and the UK press loves to speculate wildly about Bond casting well before any reliable info is available. The source passes on word from an unnamed source that contract details are being worked out now, but since there’s no shoot schedule at this point, and possibly not even a finished script, don’t be surprised if Bond 24 gets underway without Cruz as a Bond girl.
Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Drax, Gamorra and Groot may have met their match in the form of the good Doctor’s assistant. Karen Gillan, who played Amy Pond for several years on the popular show Doctor Who, has just been cast in James Gunn‘s cosmic Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy. Details on exactly who the actress is playing are scarce, but it’s believed she the primary female villain. Read More »
Briefly: When Sylvester Stallone assembles an Expendables film, the biggest question isn’t really why the characters are going to be punching and shooting, but who will be doing the punching and shooting. Stallone and Jason Statham are givens at this point, and now we’ve got four more all-but-confirmed names for The Expendables 3.
Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, Nicolas Cage and Milla Jovovich, most of whom have been rumored as cast members for a while, are now in “advanced negotiations” to appear, according to the CEO of Lionsgate. Stallone recently said he was looking for a “young Sigourney Weaver” for the film, which could be Jovovich’s role. Patrick Hughes (Red Hill) will direct. [Deadline]
Briefly: More casting news is in for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s adatpation of Thomas Pynchon‘s novel Inherent Vice. This time, we’ve even got a confirmed role to go along with the actor; most of the actors cast so far have been in roles that are speculative, at best.
Anderson has picked Katherine Waterston (daughter of Sam Waterston) to play Shasta Fay Hepworth, once the girlfriend of lead character “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) and now the mistress of real estate mogul Mickey Wolfmann. Shasta leads Sportello into a plot that involves shady deals, kidnapping, violence, and no small amount of general uncertainty. (This likely also means that Reese Witherspoon will be playing Mickey Wolfmann’s wife, of whom Shasta is quite suspicious.)
Waterston has had quite a few small and supporting roles, but this is her biggest job to date. And since Anderson has a gift for casting, this will very likely be a role that turns her into a much more in-demand talent. Question is: has PTA beefed up the role for the film? In the novel, Shasta plays a big part, but frequently takes a back seat to other characters. Inherent Vice will shoot this summer for a likely 2014 release through Warner Bros. The cast also includes Benicio Del Toro, Owen Wilson, Jena Malone, Martin Short, Josh Brolin, and (reportedly) Sean Penn. [Deadline]
Posted on Thursday, May 30th, 2013 by Angie Han
Having won an Oscar for portraying one historical leader, Forest Whitaker is preparing to tackle another. Only while The Last King of Scotland‘s Idi Amin was a ruthless dictator, Memphis‘ Martin Luther King Jr. was, well, Martin Luther King Jr.
Paul Greengrass is directing the Scott Rudin-produced film, which is now going the indie route after being dropped by Universal a couple years back. Hit the jump to get the details.
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Posted on Thursday, May 30th, 2013 by Angie Han
Between the final seasons of Dexter and Breaking Bad and the premiere of CBS’ Under the Dome, this summer is shaping up to be an exciting one for TV viewers. After the jump:
- George R.R. Martin teases new characters for Game of Thrones Season 4
- Melissa Leo boards M. Night Shyamalan‘s Wayward Pines
- Tracy Morgan and Jenna Elfman find new jobs
- Amazon makes some decisions about its new series
- Comedy Central renews Inside Amy Schumer
- Neil Patrick Harris will host the Emmys again
- Vince Gilligan chats about the potential Saul Goodman spinoff
- See new pics from CBS’ Stephen King thriller Under the Dome
- Meet Dr. Evelyn Vogel in the new Dexter promo
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The film Black Mass, which is meant to tell the story of high-profile Massachusettes gangster Whitey Bulger, would have been a Donnie Brasco reunion of sorts, but the idea of Johnny Depp playing Bulger seemed a little weird. Now it isn’t happening.
Black Mass is to be directed by Donnie Brasco producer Barry Levinson, based on Dick Lehr and Gerald O’Neill’s 2001 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. But now Depp has pulled out of the project, after sluggish pre-sales at Cannes led producers to ask the actor to reduce his $20m quote.
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