Disney Readying Pirates of the Caribbean 5 & 6

The two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels grossed around $2 billion total, and Johnny Depp let it be known he'd continue playing the Captain Jack Sparrow character as long as he could. Hence the fourth installment, the Rob Marshall-directed On Stranger Tides, is headed to screens May 2011.

Always one to think ahead (as any business-savvy studio should), Disney is spreading the word to various crew and cast members they intend to move forward on, that's right, Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and 6, reports HitFix. Repeating their actions on the two aforementioned Gore Verbinski-directed follow-ups and film them back-to-back.

It's only a matter of when they can fit it into Depp's booked schedule. He's set to headline Dark Shadows with director/BFF Tim Burton and The Lone Ranger, for the Mouse and Verbinski, next year. That also leaves a question unanswered towards who'll pen these two additional sequels and who will call "Action!" behind camera.

As confident as the Mouse might be, they still have to wait and see the world’s reaction to Pirates 4. Worldwide, it'll be carried easily, but stateside they could be in for a rude awakening. The masses weren't crazy about At World's End and if this looks like more of the same in the trailers, people will be less enticed to see Sparrow for a fourth (!) time immediately.

Next James Bond Film Back On? David Arnold Says So!

For you James Bond nuts out there (and I'm one of them, as you all know!) waiting to hear any positive news towards the next installment, someone just threw us a friggin' bone here. It's just not one you'd expect to hear it from before, say MGM or Eon Productions.

Speaking to Film Music Magazine, David Arnold (having served as the franchise's go-to composer starting with Pierce Brosnan's sophomore outing Tomorrow Never Dies to Daniel Craig installment #2 Quantum of Solace two years ago) says movement is rolling again on the next film:

"I haven't thought about it yet. We only just got the news that we're back on. But 'there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip' So I will keep quiet until I get a script and then start writing ideas. I just hope the next one is as good as my favorites, as I think everyone does. And I'm always interested in what Daniel Craig brings to the part. But like most things with movies, if it ain't on the page etc… All I can say is that I'm looking forward to a great script for it, alongside every other Bond fan in the world!"

Notice how cautious he is not to proclaim this a done-deal. Because he's fully aware MGM has to get their shit in order first, which they are. Finally.

With any luck, Bond 3 will reach its proposed November 2012 release. Anything beyond that and we can kiss Craig goodbye.

Three Stooges Movie Alive & Kicking!

Like Airplane! there isn't a red-blooded male alive who doesn't love the Three Stooges.

Whether it's Curly or Shemp being slapped by Moe, those idiots beating the shit outta one another will never stop being funny. Which is why I thought the proposed Stooges film from Bobby and Peter Farrelly was genius. Throw in Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn and Jim Carrey as the title schmucks, and you've got what could be a big ass hit.

Too bad MGM had their troubles, followed by Penn wavering (not a fault of the production, but his personal life - certainly understandable). Not too long back even Carrey, who went as far to gain all that weight to play Curly, stated the project was toast.

Not anymore, it is. According to "TOLDJA," 20th Century Fox has nabbed it from the lion and moving forward on the property. The Farrelly brothers will remain as directors and a March 14 start has been scheduled. No word on a release date, but it was originally slated to drop for November of last year. So perhaps a Thanksgiving 2011 release is in order.

Carrey and Penn are out, while Del Toro remains up-in-the-air with casting to commence immediately. If either Bobby or Peter is reading this (which they aren't), please consider my casting suggestion. I don't care which one you give him, but make Nicolas Cage one of the Stooges. 

Hans Zimmer Scoring Superman: The Man of Steel

Towards the end of October, composer Hans Zimmer discussed how he'd approach scoring Zack Snyder's Superman reboot to Popcorn Biz:

"It's a hard one, but I followed one of the most iconic things on 'Batman' with Chris as well, and it's the same thing. You are allowed to reinvent, but you have to try to be as good or at least as iconic and it has to resonate and it has to become a part of the zeitgeist. That's the job. On 'Gladiator' I remember people always talking about 'Spartacus' and I kept telling them, 'When you saw ‘Spartacus’ and how it affected it you, that's how I want a modern audience to be affected by what we do now.' So I think ultimately you're supposed to reinvent."

That's hypothetically speaking – assuming he were to get the gig.

Cut to today, and it's now his according to Thompson on Hollywood. He'll get to work on a new sound for the new Man of Steel right after Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom, the Sherlock Holmes sequel and, yeah, The Dark Knight Rises. A full slate, indeed, to keep him busy.

But I don't have to tell you what a great choice he is.

K&O Update On Scripting Star Trek Sequel

They're due to hand in their script right before Christmas. But screenwriters/producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci gave an update on the writing status for the Star Trek sequel to Hero Complex.

A lot of what's said has been said before and it's done in the usual non-committal/not-too-terribly-descriptive fashion. It's a J.J. Abrams joint. Of course, everyone's going to be hush-hush.

Briefly, the story has been "broken," using The Empire Strikes Back for comparison (co-writer/producer Damon Lindelof harkened it to The Dark Knight a few months back). But it doesn't appear we can expect a big "To Be Continued..." cliff-hanger at the end. But shit will still hit the fan for Kirk, Spock and the gang.

Again, a bit towards the non-newsy side, but it's reassuring they know what they're doing. Of course, didn't walking out of the first film two years back already prove that?

No Joker In Dark Knight Rises - No Shit!

Oh sure, common sense, and just plain decency, suggested we wouldn't be seeing the Joker in The Dark Knight Rises. But didn't Christopher Nolan state the obvious awhile ago? Yes, he did.

Did that stop Internet rumor-mongering from continuing? Absolutely not, and it reached full-retard levels yesterday as "insiders" stated Nolan & Co. planned to "resurrect" the late Heath Ledger himself (via outtakes and good old fashion CG) for the third Batman film. No, we won't link to the hit-whoring, bullshit-spreading fucktards who started this non-sense.

It should go without saying how bogus this is. Yes, it should, but here we are. Our colleagues (in this case, Movie Hole and Heat Vision) had to waste their time just to confirm what we all know.

No Heath Ledger, no Joker, no CG shenanigans for The Dark Knight Rises. No shit.

MGM Already Considering A New James Bond?

When we're getting brand-new actors as Spider-Man and Superman in 2012 (despite the most recent films hitting only a few years ago), the notion of a new James Bond shouldn't come as a surprise.

Whispers abound (via What's Playing) MGM is discussing Daniel Craig's successor for the franchise's twenty-third installment (and third were they to continue under this rebooted incarnation starting with 2006's Casino Royale and its direct-sequel Quantum of Solace). The likes of Colin Farrell and Hugh Jackman, both of whom were rampant in the rumor-mill leading up to Craig being hired, are being thrown around.

Eon Productions have notoriously screen-tested actors as back-up over the years. But still this is odd considering how successful the current Craig reign has been (both of his films did $600 million each), the fact that he's seemingly still under contract for more and audiences have clearly responded to his characterization of Ian Fleming's cold-blooded British secret agent.

Only way I imagine this being legit is if Craig's already walked, and he's certainly in demand where he could juggle two additional franchises if Cowboys & Aliens and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo score next year.

MGM is still trying to get back into fighting shape, and their proposed November 2012 release date for the next installment isn't definite as of now.

If there's no new Bond film, then I'd definitely the Craig era is over. Sadly.

Ray Wise Joins X-Men: First Class

Considering how under the gun 20^th Century Fox is to get X-Men: First Class in theaters, we assumed all the casting had been completed. I mean, shit, production went to 11 when the studio announced a June 2011 release this past summer.

Speaking to IGN Movies, Ray Wise (formerly of cult TV favorites Twin Peaks and Reaper) revealed he had joined rank on the Matthew Vaughn-directed, Bryan Singer-produced prequel:

"I'm playing the Secretary of State of the United States. I'll be going over there in the next couple of weeks."

There goes my Norman Osborn pick for the Spider-Man reboot!

Ron Perlman Won't Be In The Hobbit

This one doesn't come as a surprise.

Ron Perlman confesses to Coming Soon he won't be participating in The Hobbit next year.

Not that he was ever officially lined up for a role in the two-movie Lord of the Rings precursor. But rumors suggested there'd be room for the Hellboy star since Guillermo del Toro was, at the time, hard at work as helmer, and those two most-certainly enjoy one another's company. So those rumblings didn't lack merit.

As we all know, that went kaput thanks to multiple delays and Peter Jackson is sitting in the director’s chair instead.

Tom Hanks Joining Kathryn Bigelow's Triple Frontier

Director Kathryn Bigelow is in the kind of position filmmakers dream to be in.

Coming off a high-profile, acclaimed feature (in this case, The Hurt Locker) that nabs you the "Best Director" Academy Award and suddenly you're on everyone's radar getting offers to the point where you have to fight them off. So of course, it won't be a problem getting funding for your next project nor there much hassle in getting onscreen talent assembled.

Earlier reports stated she'd had chats with Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks for leading roles in her latest Triple Frontier. Details are being kept to a minimum except it's an ensemble piece and set in the border zone between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

Producer Chuck Roven confirms to Coming Soon half of those talks have come through, at the moment:

"Tom Hanks is starring in the film and we're still looking to cast the other roles. We're hoping to start shooting the movie sometime in mid-March."

Pure guess here, he's playing a corrupt government official? *Shrugs*