News, Rumors & 100% Grade-A Internet Bullshit - July 17, 2009

-Bloody-Disgusting has received word (via their sources) that Robert De Niro, Michelle Rodriguez and Jonah Hill have joined the cast of the Robert Rodriguez co-directed/Danny Trejo starring Machete. Filming is expected to start up pretty soon. But knowing how Rodriguez works, I wouldn't be surprised if it's already under-way with said cast-members among other yet-to-be-announced actors.

-"And I would have been able to make Jack Ryan if it hadn't been for that pesky web-slinger!" That's not exactly what Sam Raimi said, obviously. Movie Hole nabbed an exclusive interview with the director where he reveals what ultimately went down and his love for the Baldwin/Ford installments. Come on, Sam. No Affleck love?!?

-Jesus is headed to Mars. And by that, I'm not referring to our Lord. But the actor who portrayed him in Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ Willem Dafoe who has joined the cast of John Carter of Mars for Pixar. The Body of Evidence star (see? I can reference obscure terrible films too!) will play the leader of the alien Thark race.

Could We Have A Hobbit Next Week?

Sure, next week's San Diego Comic Con will have Avatar footage being unveiled (and depending on its reception, cancer could be brought to an end soon after) and a first-look at Iron Man 2. But Peter Jackson will make his first physical appearance at the Con. That's right, folks. You can actually touch PJ next week...and will then be quickly escorted off by one of his muscles.

Jackson will be there to pimp District 9 (which he produced for his would-be Halo protege Neill Blomkamp) as well as join James Cameron in the Entertainment Weekly: The Visionaries panel which may or may not turn into the geek version of a dick-measuring contest.

Then of course, there's The Hobbit which Jackson will produce and write with its director Guillermo del Toro. A panel will take place for the film, and the "buzz" is that the actor set to play Bilbo Baggins might be announced. Hero Complex reports on a number of would-be candidates.

Current Doctor Who David Tennant (who himself will soon to stepping down from the role) will also be making his freshman apperance at the Con...and he's been mentioned for the role. Could be something, could be nothing. But it's certainly worth pointing out.

Also brought up are Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe (Who are we all kidding? That won't happen!) and Wanted star James McAvoy whose name has been brought up more than anyone else for Bilbo, correct me if I'm wrong.

The thing we all have to keep in mind is the possibly that the actor whose ultimately cast (regardless of whether or not its announced next week) could be someone who hasn't been brought up previously. Case in point: Ryan Reynolds for Green Lantern.

Update: Empire Online straight up asked Peter Jackson about said rumors of casting announcments next week and the Lord of the Rings director shot them down saying, "No, we won’t be announcing Bilbo for a little while. We’re starting to think about casting, but we’re knee-deep in the script right now. And when we do go to actors, they’re probably going to ask to see a script, so we’re powering ahead with getting the first draft done."

Aronofsky's Robocop In Question Again

When reports hit that Darren Aronofsky wouldn't discuss the Robocop reboot so he could spend his time promoting The Wrestler earlier this year (despite having been on the project since mid-2008), Peter and I were both in agreement that he wouldn't make it when everything was said and done.

Of course, there have been "Is he or isn't he?" rumblings with the most recent questions being raised by CHUD's Devin Faraci (right here) which was quickly followed by a rebuttal from AICN big-cheese Harry Knowles.

Meanwhile, MGM pushed the release date back from 2010 to 2011. And recently Black Swan (a project that Aronofsky had previously set up at Universal that ultimately fell apart) started picking up steam again when Natalie Portman came on-board.

Now the trades report that Swan has all but assured its financing with production looking to start up this fall.

So what's this mean for Darren and Officer Murphy? Apparently the studio is quietly looking at other directors as potential "feelers." You know, "just in case" Aronofsky opts out. Sounds more like they already know that he's out and now MGM is scrambling to find a replacement.

And that's a damn shame because it seemed like the perfect melding of acclaimed director working with the right commercial property. Think Nolan on Batman, De Palma on The Untouchables, Scorsese on The Departed, etc. To be fair, it's never flat-out said that he's not directing Robocop. But I'm not holding my breath either-way.

Because Noone Asked For It...Bridget Jones 3!

What happens when your once-prosperous career is down the tubes? Why digg out a staple character for a pointless sequel, course!

This time, we're referring to Renee Zellweger whose signed on to headline a third Bridget Jones film. Curious what the "official" reason will be for going back to the well for a third time? I'm going to guess and say they'll blame the overall shittiness of the sequel The Edge of Reason and the need to "get things right" as their excuse. Just check out the first film (which is great) and be done with it.

And although no other details are known (other than the expectation to have cameras rolling by late 2010), I'm assuming that Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Gemme Jones and Hugh Grant will return as well.

Shuster's Now-Not-So-Secret Work Headed to Silver Screen

As everyone waits for Warner Brothers to make their move on the next Superman cinematic adventure after the "2011 or else!" court ruling last week, another property that's quasi-related to the Man of Steel is picking up steam.

Via the trades, film rights to Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman's Co-Creator Joe Shuster have been picked up by The Gotham Group production company. I'm sure we'll see headlines elsewhere with zingers like "Batman Bankrolls Superman Sex Film!" Yuck, yuck, yuck.

The book (which was published earlier this year) details how Superman co-creator Joe Shuster did anonymous work on a series of under-ground fetish comics (which in turn were bankrolled by the mob) in order to put food on the table. And how the infamous crackdown on the comic-book industry resulted after criminals claimed they "got the idea" for their crimes against humanity from said comics.

Ironically, I was rewatching Martin Scorsese's Casino last night which itself concerned how the mob was basically running Las Vegas back in the day. Under the right hands, this could be one Helluva film. It just boils down whether or not any studio is willing to put money into this.

Washington Is No Longer Unstoppable

If Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 turned a solid profit, 20th Century Fox would be shitting their pants in anticipation for Unstoppable. But it didn't and prospects on this project have gotten more grim (than we last reported) as Denzel Washington has opted out from what would have been his fifth collaboration with director Tony Scott.

Production was supposed to start up this fall but stalled because of disputes over the $100+ million budget as well as salary negotiations with Washington, Scott and Chris Pine. Although the trades indicate that Fox put another offer on the table for Washington to stay onboard, one shouldn't hold their breath as the studio is said to also be looking at other actors to fill the role.

In fact if the film even happens, don't be surprised if Scott or Pine aren't a part of the production either - especially the latter.

Although he's still involved at the moment, the time-table for his participation will shrink if the project continues to lag considering he's contractually committed to at least two more Star Trek installments. Paramount wants the first sequel out by Summer 2011 which means it would be in production sooner rather than later.

Movie Moan - Phil's Balls & Franchise News

We figured since it was such a big week in terms of franchise news, we'd have a special guest. That's right, folks! TMT co-owner/operator Peter Georgiou joins Phil, Jamie and Ed on the latest edition of Movie Moan.

And yes, with "Balls" being in the title of this week's podcast, we're referring to Bruno which Phil and Ed have both seen and review for us. Jamie sadly couldn't catch it (damn local theatre chain!) and Peter opted out.

Our heroes also go into detail discussing big news-items including Ryan Reynolds being picked to headline Green Lantern, the fact that we might get the next Superman film sooner rather than later with the recent "2011 or else!" court decision, Jack Ryan's cinematic return (cut to: Phil and Jamie's rare nerdgasming over fantasy-casting James Marsden) and Spider-Man 4 getting yet another screenwriter on board.

All of that, plus reactions to the new trailers for Big Fan, District 9 and Jennifer's Body, footage from the forthcoming Gatchaman animated film being unveiled and Ed and Peter's discussion on the Ginger Snaps film-series.

Movie Moan - Phil's Balls & Franchise News

Green Lantern Is Officially Reynold's Gig

Props go out to US Magazine for being the ones to call this via mere hours ago.

Now the trades have officially confirmed that Ryan Reynolds will in fact yield the power ring as Hal Jordan in Green Lantern. I guess this in its own right tells us that the Deadpool spin-off film (that incidentally Reynolds was the only person talking up to the press) will go the way of Justice League: Mortal.

I was bullshitting with fellow TMT writer Sean Gerski about an hour ago about a number of forthcoming comic-book properties. And when the topic of Lantern arose, he (to his credit) confidently stated that it would be Reynolds. Let's see if Sean's other prediction(s) end up happening...

With their leading man set in stone and ready to done the black and green suit, production is now slated commence filming in Australia this coming January under the direction of Martin Campbell who successfully introduced the world to the last two James Bonds as well as the under-rated Mask of Zorro.

Although I've liked Reynolds fine in what I've seen him in, I never particularly "got" his appeal. Not to mention, the constant mentions of his name from fan-boys anytime a comic-book is optioned by a studio for a blockbuster tentpole.

That said, I've always been one to give the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt. I did so with Christopher Nolan on Batman, Sam Raimi on Spider-Man, Bryan Singer on X-Men and Superman, etc. So I trust that everyone involved with Green Lantern know what they're doing...

Are JT's Green Days Over Before They Began?

Well, that's what Us Magazine is saying.

According to their source, it is in fact Jared Leto (and not Justin Timberlake) who is the third candidate for the role of Hal Jordan in Green Lantern along with Bradley Cooper and Ryan Reynolds. If this is to be believed, the boyband singer-turned-solo artist-turned actor lost his shot at yielding the power ring at the preliminary phase of screen-tests.

Furthermore, the favorite to headline the Martin Campbell-helmed superhero epic is...*drum-roll*....Ryan Reynolds. That's right, Deadpool is Green Lantern. At least, that's what US Magazine's source says:

"He's as good as got the job. They are literally just waiting to sign contracts and get all the final details tied up, but the role is his."

If this turns out to be the case, I'd say it's safe to assume we can kiss that solo Deadpool film good-bye!

Yet Another Screenwriter Pens Spider-Man 4

You just know that's a great sign - especially given all the "We'll have the first draft by June" remarks Sam Raimi's been giving to the press since...forever. Mind you, the previous screenwriter assigned to Webhead's latest exploits (David Lindsay-Abaire) was hired last November back during my Screen Rant days.

Now the trades report that Gary Ross (who incidentally directed Tobey Maguire in Pleasantville and Seabiscuit) has been assigned penning duties making him the fourth screenwriter involved with Spider-Man 4. For those keeping score, the previous inductees were David Koepp (which might not count since he was merely "in negotiations" with Sony not too terribly long after Spider-Man 3 was released), Zodiac's James Vanderbilt (who was hired mere weeks before the WGA Strike hit back in 2007 and then never heard from again) and the afore-mentioned Abaire.

Not a strike against Ross (who to be fair, has written some damn good films in the past and would frankly be better suited to pen the next Superman film instead imo), but does anyone give a flying fuck about another Spider-Man movie?

Also there's no word regarding whether or not Ross is starting from scratch or will be working from the most recent script. Previous reports indicated that Vanderbilt's material was pretty much thrown out and one wonders if the same has been done with what Abaire cooked up.