Kyle Chandler & Elle Fanning Join J.J. Abrams' Super 8

Since it's a J.J. Abrams movie, I have no clue what to expect from his latest Super 8. It's being produced by his lifelong idol Steven Spielberg and said to be an homage to his filmography from the mid 70s to early 80s. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine. I say that, and yet, I'll be in line on opening day next summer (no specific release date yet, but I'm guessing May 2011).

Vulture has apprehended a tiny nugget of info – casting! Ooooohhhhhhh, aaaaahhhhh!

As per their sources, Kyle Chandler from Friday Night Lights (wrapping up the series this season on DirecTV) and Elle Fanning (who played the seven-year Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) are the first to join the cast. And that's about all they had to offer.

Not that I'm complaining considering how tight-lipped Abrams & Co. are with their projects.

From Mission: Impossible 4 to The Mission!

Right now, I'm visualizing angry movie-goers demanding their money back after being tricked into thinking this wasn't Mission: Impossible 4.

Look it's well known by now Paramount is biting their finger nails over a fourth M:I adventure. Despite it being directed by two-time Oscar-winner Brad Bird, produced by their golden boy J.J. Abrams and starring up-and-comer Jeremy Renner (co-starred for that matter in this week’s #1 movie The Town), there's still the Tom Cruise factor casting a big shadow.

So what's their solution? Re-title it, of course! Yeah, that'll totally absolve all their problems. Having your competition next Christmas being the Sherlock Holmes sequel, Alvin & the Chipmunks 3D, David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake and The Greatest Muppet Movie of All-Time aren't concerns, I suppose.

According to Cruise himself (translation: one of his assistants) on Twitter, the title will be The Mission:

"MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4 UPDATE: Skydance Productions & Paramount Pictures join forces for 'The Mission!'"

Yeah. Way to think outside the box there, fellas. Not a bad title per say, but given their mentality behind re-titling (and rebooting the franchise as a whole), this sounds stupid.

Jon Hamm Responds to "Those Superman Rumors"

Honestly have no idea why our WB Considering Jon Hamm for Superman story resurfaced like it did. We got a lot of coverage when it was originally published back in late July and all of a sudden it sprung back to life last week. Granted said coverage from our colleagues was overall fair – nothing douchey.

But it's interesting to see us as quoted (by some) as saying the Mad Men star had the role locked and/or had met with Warner Brothers/Legendary Pictures when we specifically said otherwise:

"Before anyone starts nerdgasming, keep in mind no deal is in place and there's no indication Hamm and/or his representation has met with WB, Legendary or the Nolan crew. He's one of several names being thrown around the Burbank offices to headline the new Superman franchise. But it gives you an idea of what direction they're looking at."

Thus when Hamm's people (whose job it is to deny any news-item regardless of whether its legit or bullshit) "debunked" it to Entertainment Weekly a few days back, the truth is they didn't "debunk" anything. Some folks just lack reading comprehension skills, I guess. The actor himself at first gave a non-denial/non-answer to Regis & Kelly (It was odd getting a text message from my partner-in-crime Peter Georgiou saying, "our superman news made regis and kathy lee" since I happened to be out of town that day) before giving a definite one it to Jimmy Fallon. That's all perfectly fine and good.

But needless to say, we stand by our original post. We know he's definitely high up on the studio's list of would-be Kal-Els. Whether or not Hamm dons the red and blue suit come Christmas 2012 remains to be seen.

Kevin James: UFC Champion

One of the more recent transitions from television to film success is Kevin James. Something about the guy I can't put my finger on. But he's just so damned likeable.

Sony's already hit the jackpot on the actor/comedian with Paul Blart: Mall Cop (It still amazes me how that scored $150 million stateside!) and Grown Ups, and The Zookeeper is expected to be a big hit next summer too. Wisely they want to stay in the Kevin James business.

"TOLDJA" says the studio and actor have agreed on their next endeavor – a currently untitled mixed martial arts comedy. The former King of Queens star will play a teacher moonlighting as a mixed martial arts fighter in order to save his school. We can immediately visualize the trailer. He falls on his ass (a lot), screams and some form of farting.

Sony is fast-tracking the comedy with their goal to get production up and running by next year. Translation: this will go along with the Spider-Man reboot and Men in Black 3D as their summer 2012 lineup.

Warner Brothers Developing Al Capone Feature

The trades report Al Capone is getting a new biopic.

Courtesy of Warner Brothers and Walon Green (no stranger to the crime genre serving as a longtime writer/producer on the Law & Order franchise), Cicero will chronicles the Chicago gangster's rise to power during Prohibition. Green's script is said to be in the vein of classic '30s era gangster pictures like Little Caesar.

Details are early so a director or lead actor (Paging every white fat guy in showbiz!) is too soon to secure. Why not Brian De Palma? He was working on that Untouchables prequel for years and it basically dealt with the same subject matter - the rise of Capone with Nicolas Cage attached. Just drop trying to link it to Brian's '87 classic and you're good to go!

The big question on everyone's mind, of course, is who will play Geraldo Rivera.

Joel Schumacher Set to Piss on Barry White's Grave

Just when you thought Joel Schumacher couldn’t get any lower in the director food-chain. Kids, we swear he used to make good movies - before you were born.

Pajiba reports he's signed on for The Barry White Story. Before you utter a word, this isn't an Oscar-baiting biopic on the late soul singer. Such a move wouldn't be surprising coming from Schumacher whose career never recovered after camping up Batman thirteen years back.

Instead this centers on Barry White (after having crossed the stream and returning as a ghost) to help some poor schmuck score with his dream girl. Schumacher has already started pre-production on the comedy. He reportedly dropped trou and shit all over old Barry White records. Said it helped him get in the mood.

Gary Ross is the Favorite to Direct Hunger Games

For every Harry Potter and Twilight successfully transitioning from page to screen, you're always going to get more Percy Jacksons and Lemony Snickets, and then there's Golden Compass – ouch! Lionsgate is hoping they reach for the former with their planned film version of Hunger Games.

Via "TOLDJA" and Heat Vision after a number of directors in the running, it appears the front-runner is Garry Ross, helmer behind Pleasantville and Seabiscuit and Oscar-nominated for co-authoring Big. No contracts have been inked or any handshake agreements gone down.

Hunger Games (the first in a trilogy followed by Catching Fire and concluding with Mockingjay) centers on teenager Katniss Everdeen forced to participate in a "fight to the death" reality competition in a bleak future society.

Return of the Wiseguys

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have been quietly working on their first collaboration since Casino way back from 1995 in The Irishman. Adapted by Steve Zaillian, it's based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses and chronicles real life mob hitman Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran.

Here's the description of the book from Amazon:

"'I heard you paint houses' are the first words Jimmy Hoffa ever spoke to Frank 'the Irishman' Sheeran. To paint a house is to kill a man. The paint is the blood that splatters on the walls and floors. In the course of nearly five years of recorded interviews Frank Sheeran confessed to Charles Brandt that he handled more than twenty-five hits for the mob, and for his friend Hoffa. Sheeran learned to kill in the U.S. Army, where he saw an astonishing 411 days of active combat duty in Italy during World War II. After returning home he became a hustler and hit man, working for legendary crime boss Russell Bufalino. Eventually he would rise to a position of such prominence that in a RICO suit then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani would name him as one of only two non-Italians on a list of 26 top mob figures. When Bufalino ordered Sheeran to kill Hoffa, he did the deed, knowing that if he had refused he would have been killed himself. Sheeran's important and fascinating story includes new information on other famous murders, and provides rare insight to a chapter in American history. Charles Brandt has written a page-turner that is destined to become a true crime classic."

It'd be great to see one of the all-time great director/actor duos together again – especially if they have something new to say about a genre they’re both simpatico with.

"TOLDJA" reports in a big kick in the pants to get Irishman more interest from us nerds, if there wasn't enough already. Word has reached their ears Al Pacino (who surprisingly has never worked with Scorsese) and Joe Pesci are both said to be circling the project.

No telling if this indeed will be Scorsese's next though. He's in the middle of filming Hugo Cabret for next Christmas and he's attached to plenty of other projects. But shit would I love to see this happen. If for no other reason than see De Niro not phoning it in, Pacino dialing it back acting-wise and just seeing more of Pesci in general. God only knows how much longer we have to enjoy Scorsese's work to boot.

Sherlock Holmes Sequel Scores the Original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Word surfaced a few weeks back Noomi Rapace (who made a splash starring in the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) was up for a number of high-profile studio projects including Mission: Impossible 4, Sherlock Holmes 2 and McG's This Means War.

Heat Vision reports the Swedish actress has made her decision, and she's chosen to spend next Christmas with Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson. She'll join the Guy Richtie-directed sequel as the new female lead. Earlier word suggested Rachel McAdams will have a greatly reduced role this time around – a victim of Professor Moriarty, perhaps?

Although the filmmakers are keeping mum on the plot (beyond the afore-mentioned Moriarty being the heavy this time around and an appearance by Holmes' brother Mycroft) Rapace "may be a French Gypsy."

Of course, the irony of all this is the Sherlock Holmes sequel will be facing off against the American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (with newbie Rooney Mara in the lead role) next December.

Whatever Happened to Tony Manero?

Similar to Betty White, John Travolta is someone who people never stopped liking (if not loving). It had to do with a weak slate of properties that put his career in the gutter from the mid 80s to early 90s. We’re not talking about a "Fuck that asshole!" mentality with the public unlike say Tom Cruise. So when he had his comeback with Pulp Fiction in '94, everyone was happy to see him back and boy did they enjoy the subsequent films he headlined from then until 2000's Battlefield: Earth.

Thing is Travolta couldn't maintain his position at the top forever and the past decade was filled again with duds. Hairspray might have his only success in the aughts. Maybe by that point when he reached his 50s, he just said, "Fuck it." Take gigs that pay well and allow him off time to spend with his family – can’t knock the guy for that.

It’s with that "Fuck it!" mindset What's Playing reports Travolta and Paramount are eyeing a third Ton Manero movie. Saturday Night Fever was, of course, the film that took Travolta from TV star to full-fledged movie stardom and though revisionist history says otherwise, its sequel Staying Alive was actually a hit back in the summer of '83.

At this early stage, there's no indication whether they have some semblance of a story hatched and/or discussions with outside figures beyond Travolta (i.e. directors, writers, other actors, etc.). But considering how great Rocky Balboa turned out, no one can immediately dismiss this idea.

Just don't start talking with Sony about Look Who's Talking 4 while you're at it, John!