Filed under: Drama, Thrillers, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, Newsstand

John Cusack’s Tweets are infamous for being somewhat hard to decipher (or, some would say, grammatically incorrect and full of typos, but these people need to chill a little), but they’re always pretty entertaining and occasionally political. Now we can turn to them for breaking news as well. Earlier yesterday he confirmed he will be joining the film The Raven: “officiali- will play edgar allen poe in fall-a-film called the raven, send any poe- gold - my way as i begin this journey into the abyss”.

That would be James McTeigue’s The Raven; the director began discussing his film during press for last summer’s Ninja Assassin. At the time, he told Cinematical that it “is about the fictionalized last five days of Edgar Allan Poe. There’s a serial killer loose in 1850s Baltimore who’s killing people in the manner Poe kills people in his stories. And it’s a race against time for Poe and a detective to find the killer. I’m in the middle of casting at the moment, I was scouting in Europe and just got back.” Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare (Loverboy) penned the screenplay.

It was previously reported that Jeremy Renner and Ewan McGregor would star in the movie — perhaps with McGregor as the killer? — but for now, it’s anyone’s guess who will be opposite Cusack. Of course, I’m assuming that he’ll be playing Poe, but perhaps he’ll be the killer? In any case, it will be great to see Cusack on the big screen again. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go rewatch Hot Tub Time Machine again.

[Thanks to the kind commenters who pointed out the misspelling of Allan.]

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Filed under: Horror, Casting

I was starting to think my devotion to the franchise was just compelling me to believe Final Destination 5 would be a huge step up from the last installment, but now it’s really looking like it’s got a shot at returning to the good old days, the pre-The Final Destination days, the days when Tony Todd had a part. Yes, it’s true, Mr. Bludworth is finally coming back. Actually, according to Bloody Disgusting, the only information that we have right now is that Todd will be back; there’s no mention of who he’ll portray and considering his role was reduced to voicing the devil-themed rollercoaster in the third film and, if I’m correct, the train conductor at the end, Todd could really pop up anywhere.

And this isn’t it; there’s more good news for Final Destination 5

Continue reading Tony Todd Returns for ‘Final Destination 5′

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Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Casting, Remakes and Sequels

Take Before Sunrise or Before Sunset, make it a little more raw, a little more dysfunctional, and a lot more bitchy and sarcastic and you’ve got Julie Delpy’s 2007 comedy 2 Days in Paris. The film followed Delpy’s Marion and Adam Goldberg’s Jack as they visited Paris and fell into romantic turmoil when faced with French customs, Marion’s parents, a certain nude snapshot, and most importantly, Marion’s many exes.

Earlier this year, Delpy announced a sequel — 2 Days in New York — where Jack is out, a baby is in, and Marion has a new lover. Thinking of Jack and Marion’s bickering ways, and I mused that maybe Chris Eigeman could take on the gig. Their banter would be brilliant! But when she said “well-known US actor,” it looks like she might have meant it and found a whole other Chris entirely.

Though who he’ll play has not been announced, Chris Rock has joined the cast.

Continue reading Has Julie Delpy Tapped Chris Rock to Romance Her in ‘2 Days in New York’?

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Filed under: Foreign Language, Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, DIY/Filmmaking, Home Entertainment, HBO Films, Images, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and Clips

- That’s an image of Mads Mikkelson (Casino Royale) as Rochefort in Paul WS Anderson’s upcoming 3D version of The Three Musketeers. See other location stills, including one of Logan Lerman as D’Artigan at ComingSoon.net.

- I don’t know why so many people are stunned that Albert Brooks would be cast as the villain in Nicolas Winding Refn’s next film, Drive, which also stars Carey Mulligan, Ryan Gosling and Bryan Cranston. Brooks is quite a bad guy in Out of Sight, a sort of bad guy on Weeds and he voices the villain in The Simpsons Movie. Sure, I couldn’t see him as the main villain of a Bond movie, but I also have never really considered him much of a good guy in anything, either.

Continue reading Cinematical Late Night: Albert Brooks, William Hurt, Rogue Moon

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Filed under: Foreign Language, Independent, Awards, Casting, Images, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and Clips

- People are going crazy for these character posters for Never Let Me Go. I say meh. At least two of them fit nicely as a header image. You can see the Andrew Garfield one over here, along with larger versions.

- Jean-Luc Godard is finally getting an Oscar. If he wants it, which he might not. The Academy is honoring him and the shockingly never-nominated actor Eli Wallach, as well as film historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, with honorary Oscars this November. This year’s Irving G. Thalberg award will go to Francis Ford Coppola for his producing work through American Zoetrope. It’s a shame these honors aren’t presented at the Academy Awards anymore, as this would be a good crop for the telecast, though Godard would not likely show up. And not just because he can’t be found to even be informed of the honor.

- Have you been dying to see Biutiful, the new film from Babel director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu featuring Javier Bardem in a Cannes-honored performance? Finally someone has picked it up for U.S. distribution. Specifically Roadside Attractions and Liddell Entertainment. Hopefully it’ll find its way into theaters this fall so Bardem can contend for the Oscar.

Continue reading Cinematical Late Night: ‘Biutiful,’ ‘Footloose,’ Honorary Oscars

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Filed under: Comedy, Casting, Newsstand

Jack and Jill first popped up in the news in 2006, when it was but a spec script bought by Columbia that would be produced by Adam Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison. After a few years of radio silence, Jack and Jill popped up on our radar again with news that Sandler would play twins — yes, Jack and Jill — in a romantic comedy written by Steve Koren (Saturday Night Live, A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, and Click, among others). Director Dennis Dugan is a frequent Sandler collaborator whom we can hold at least partially responsible for Grown Ups, You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.

More details have emerged, and thankfully we won’t be subjected to any Sandler-on-Sandler twin-cest in Jack and Jill; the premise is that Jack’s wacky twin Jill comes for Thanksgiving and just won’t leave. Hijinks ensue, etc. Katie Holmes in in talks to play Jack’s wife, who is caught in the middle of this sibling snafu, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Al Pacino will also be in Jack and Jill as himself. Obviously.

Sandler is still a sure thing when it comes to big studio comedies, no matter how inane, but it will be interesting to see how Holmes fits into the picture. She also has several projects coming up, both finished and in the works, that span genres, from horror (Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark) to indie dramas (The Extra Man, The Romantics). Hopefully, at least one of these roles will convince us she’s more than the starry-eyed wife of Tom Cruise. Somehow, I doubt Jack and Jill will be it, though.

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Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Casting, Remakes and Sequels

Would you like to see Ghostface slice and dice Anna Paquin or Kristen Bell?

The Scream franchise is known for grabbing recognizable faces for their comedic horror mayhem. Some are names well known in the genre like Linda Blair and Joseph Whipp. Others are doomed first victims from the outside world like Jada Pinkett-Smith and Drew Barrymore (though one should never forget the likes of Demon Knight or Firestarter). If you’re signing up for a cameo in Woodsboro, there’s a good chance that your days are numbered, unless you get a prime gig like Carrie Fisher in Scream 3, allowing you to stay out of the killer’s range.

Now Scream 4 has grabbed the likes of both Paquin and Bell, leading us to wonder: Will they become the first-killed cameos of the new incarnation?

Continue reading Will Anna Paquin or Kristen Bell Be the Drew Barrymore of ‘Scream 4′?

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Filed under: Comedy, Casting, Newsstand

Jack and Jill first popped up in the news in 2006, when it was but a spec script bought by Columbia that would be produced by Adam Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison. After a few years of radio silence, Jack and Jill popped up on our radar again with news that Sandler would play twins — yes, Jack and Jill — in a romantic comedy written by Steve Koren (Saturday Night Live, A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, and Click, among others). Director Dennis Dugan is a frequent Sandler collaborator whom we can hold at least partially responsible for Grown Ups, You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.

More details have emerged, and thankfully we won’t be subjected to any Sandler-on-Sandler twin-cest in Jack and Jill; the premise is that Jack’s wacky twin Jill comes for Thanksgiving and just won’t leave. Hijinks ensue, etc. Katie Holmes in in talks to play Jack’s wife, who is caught in the middle of this sibling snafu, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Al Pacino will also be in Jack and Jill as himself. Obviously.

Sandler is still a sure thing when it comes to big studio comedies, no matter how inane, but it will be interesting to see how Holmes fits into the picture. She also has several projects coming up, both finished and in the works, that span genres, from horror (Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark) to indie dramas (The Extra Man, The Romantics). Hopefully, at least one of these roles will convince us she’s more than the starry-eyed wife of Tom Cruise. Somehow, I doubt Jack and Jill will be it, though.

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Filed under: Casting, Box Office, Newsstand

- Those who appreciate the movie tech of yesteryear should get a kick out of this 1955 diagram explaining Cinerama [via Reddit].

- The Wrap tells us that later this week Paramount will commence test screening young actors to co-star with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 4. The first three being seriously considered for the gig are Anthony Mackie, Keven Zegers, and Christopher Egan. I don’t know who else they’ll be testing down the line, but I’d be perfectly happy if the role went to Mackie; dude deserves some higher profile work after The Hurt Locker.

- If you were super excited to see those extra eight minutes of Avatar on the big screen starting this Friday, you should be very happy to know that this November’s special edition DVD/Blu-ray release will arrive with a further eight minutes of unseen footage on top of what will be in theaters.

- After Dark have announced the cast for their latest original film, Transit. The plot basically sounds like The River Wild but with an SUV instead of a canoe, but I’ll give that a pass since I like Diora Baird, Harold Perrineau, Elisabeth Rohm and James Caviezel.

Continue reading Cinematical Late Night: M:I4 Casting, All Good Things, James Cameron’s Tech

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Filed under: Drama, Casting, Lionsgate Films, Celebrities and Controversy, Scripts, Newsstand

Teen queen Miley Cyrus, who has made a fortune with her Disney show Hannah Montana and countless tie-ins, including a 3D movie of a Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert tour, is going to show us she’s not just another pop star from the Mouse House. After her turn in the soggy Nicholas Sparks movie The Last Song, she’s since gone on to release a “racy” music video for her single “Can’t Be Tamed,” which features a woman with a bird cage on her head as a hat and Cyrus as a winged sexpot being held in a cage who breaks out and wreaks havoc in a museum.

Her next stop on the “Screw You, I’m a Grown-Up!” tour is the movie LOL (Laughing Out Loud), which is based on a French movie of the same name. Both movies were directed by Lisa Azuelos, who wrote the screenplay for the French version and co-wrote the screenplay for this adaptation. I haven’t seen the original, so I don’t know if it’s any good. Have you?

Continue reading Miley Cyrus Gets Boozy, Stoned, and Sexy in ‘LOL’

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