Several months ago Steven Soderbergh announced that he was creating a spy thriller starring female MMA fighter (slash American Gladiator Crush) Gina Carano called Knockout, which was described by producer Ryan Kavanaugh as a “mainstream action film with universal appeal for a reasonable budget.” It has been reported that the film’s plot is about a double crossed black ops super-soldier who seeks to uncover who has set her up to take the fall for a job that goes bad involving a murder. 
While we can appreciate a female fighter given the chance to become an action star, we were pretty skeptical about the film—that is, until the supporting cast was announced this past week.

The rest of the cast includes Inglourious Basterds‘ Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Dennis Quaid. Channing Tatum, and possibly Antonio Banderas. Douglas will play a government authority figure, McGregor the head of a Blackwater-like PMC, and Quaid, Fassbender as other commando types, one of whom does the betraying. Tatum will play Aaron, one of the guys in the black-ops unit, which Carano is a member of. He’s reportedly “a military gearhead-type who’s sent to try and bring her back in once she’s been double-crossed and gone rogue.” Banderas is also in talks to join the cast as a late addition. He’d be the head of a European unit similar to Carano’s.

Needless to say, the movie just got a little more interesting. Thoughts? 


--Darcie Duttweiler

Before Pirates of the Caribbean Johnny Depp starred in a lot of really
weird movies. I know because I watched them all. It was something he
really seemed to pride himself on and, in my opinion, played a huge
role in his development as an actor. (Shia Lebouf isn't exactly
improving his acting by staring alongside green screens in every movie
he appears in) However, Since Pirates of the Caribbean he has made a
habit of appearing in big budget fluff films.

For those of us pining for Depp to get back to his weird roots the
wait may finally be over. Variety is reporting that he is in
negotiations to play Pancho Villa in the upcoming Seven Friends of
Pancho Villa and the woman with Six Fingers. the Spanish-language
biopic is about the early 20th-century bandit who became a guerrilla
fighter and hero to the poor - so kinda like a Mexican Robin Hood.

The most exciting part? He'll be acting in Spanish, something we've
never seen him do, which means he'll actually have to act instead of
just running around with a bottle of rum and a plastic sword like he
did in the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

--Mark Collins

Cameron Diaz hasn't made us laugh since....oh...well, a LONG time. Frankly, we're a little tired of her bubbly, giggling rom coms, so maybe this latest bit of news could make us like her a smidgeon more.

Diaz has been cast as the lead in The Office scribes', Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, latest flick called Bad Teacher. Helmed by Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story director Jake Kasdan, the film centers on a foulmouthed, gold-digging middle-school teacher who, after getting dumped by her boyfriend, competes with a colleague for the affections of the school’s model teacher. Production is set to begin in the spring, after Diaz has completed work on her Tom Cruise costarring pic, Knight and Day.

We're all for raunchy comedies when they're done well, but we're not too sure how Diaz will fit into this world. But, given her immense talent in Being John Malkovich, we're willing to give it a try, just for good times' sake. How 'bout you?

--Darcie Duttweiler

After Anthony Hopkins finishes filming his godlike role in Thor, he'll have some other big shoes to fill: Ernest Hemingway's. Director Andy Garcia has just landed the accomplished thespian for Hemingway and Fuentes, a script he's been kicking around for years.

The film chronicles the two decades that Hemingway spent in Cuba fishing with his best friend, Gregorio Fuentes. There, the author fell in love with a beautiful Italian girl who inspired him to write The Old Man and the Sea. Garcia will play Fuentes, and Annette Bening will play the author's third wife, Mary Welsh Hemingway.

According to Variety, Garcia is pretty thrilled to have snagged Hopkins (duh): “Anthony is one of the greatest actors, and I’d heard he’d been interested in playing the character in the past,” Garcia said. “I’m blessed that he responded."

--Darcie Duttweiler

Sorry, MoviePressers, it's not only been a slow week in movies, but most of the Movie Press site has a mysterious illness, so we've all been napping any chance we get and have failed you with the latest in all things film. We will begin the self-flogging immediately.

Anyhow, today it was announced that, not one, but TWO fairly big name stars are set to join future blockbusters.

Anthony Hopkins has been signed on to star in Thor, the Marvel Studios production that begins production in January. Hopkins will play Odin, the father of Thor and Loki. Chris Hemsworth is playing Thor, and Tom Hiddleston plays Loki. Kenneth Branagh will direct. Natalie Portman is also set to play Thor's love interest, Jane Foster.

The film follows partly disabled med student Dr. Donald Blake's discovery of his Norse god alter ego, Thor. The film will be released on May 20, 2011.

In other casting news, Charlize Theron is gearing up for Mad Max: Fury Road with producer-director George Miller and is set to start filming next August in Australia. British actor Tom Hardy will star opposite Theron..

These are the first major castings in the fourth version of the Mad Max franchise, which hasn't had a film in 25 years. But what about Mel?

Miller had announced last weekend that pre-production work was starting in New South Wales but he didn't let on as to whether Mel Gibson might return or who would play the male lead.

"It could be Mel, it could be anyone," he told reporters.

What is a Mad Max film without Mel Gibson, even if he has gone off the deep end a bit?

--Darcie Duttweiler

Hey, did you know that Angelina Jolie can play a femme fatale? Shocker, we know! Ridley Scott has tapped Jolie for a femme fatale role in Gucci, a drama about murder and decadence in the Gucci fashion dynasty.

Fox 2000 is fashioning a 2010 start date for the film, and Scott is in talks with Jolie to play Patrizia Reggiano, who was sentenced to 29 years in jail for plotting the murder of her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci.

The film will center on the glamorous days of the Gucci family dynasty in the '70s and '80s when the family was selling $500 million in product annually. After years of bickering, Maurizio, the grandson of founder Guccio Gucci, came out on top of a power struggle to run the family business. Just when he was about to reestablish the brand name by debuting a line designed by newcomer Tom Ford, Maurizio was gunned down in front of his Milan apartment in 1995.

Allegedly the director has approached his Body of Lies star Leonardo DiCaprio, but he is not attached at this point. Plus, judging from old photos, Leo looks nothing like the Gucci head honcho, but whatever.

This wouldn't be the only project of Jolie's in the pipeline (duh).  Fox 2000 is also developing the Patricia Cornwell novel series about medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta for Jolie to play the lead role. Jolie is also likely to star with Sam Worthington in The Tourist, which will start production next year. She recently wrapped on Salt, in which she plays a CIA agent.

Siiiiigh. Angelina as a femme fatale? Been there, done that.

--Darcie Duttweiler

You remember that reboot of the Jack Ryan franchise a couple of years ago? Let me refresh your memory. It was in 2002, starring Ben Affleck, and called The Sum of All Fears. Well, forget about that reboot, because apparently, Paramount Pictures wants to do another reboot of the CIA analyst franchise made famous by Harrison Ford (but originated by Alec Baldwin in 1990's The Hunt for Red October).

Talks are underway for the rebooted Capt. James T. Kirk himself to step into Ryan's shoes. Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman said: "Tom Clancy created an unforgettable character with Jack Ryan. With Chris [Pine] in this role, we've taken our first step in creating a re-boot that lives up to the successful lineage of the franchise."

Pine is currently starring with Denzel Washington in the Tony Scott-directed Unstoppable for Fox, and it is unclear if he will shoot the second Star Trek film or the new Jack Ryan film first.

A reboot of a reboot? Ugh. Hollywood, get new ideas.

--Darcie Duttweiler

Earlier it had been reported that Eddie Murphy was to don his dramatic chops and dive into his role of a lifetime in the biopic Richard Pryor: Was It Something I Said?

Well it looks like Eddie is out and Marlon Wayans is in. There was a bunch of studio mumbo jumbo and writer/director of the project Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) took the film over to Sony and in the process lost Eddie. Now before you get all hands in the air angry over this, remember Marlon Wayans is the most capable one. He has had some good dramatic turns, and apparently he was run through the audition gamut and came out impressing eveyone involved by transforming himself into Richard. I would have loved to see Eddie Murphy in this part, but I'm still optimistic it won't suck. What do you guys think?

--Greg MacLennan

You know how some Oscar winners follow up their wins with really terrible, shitty films (cough cough Gwyneth Paltrow cough)? Well, apparently Adrien Brody decided to wait a while to make a head scratcher after his win (and yeah, I'm dismissing The Village, which probably seemed like a great idea at the time). It was announced today that Brody will be starring in the Predator retooling, Predators. I'll wait for the collective gasps.

Ready now? Well, the Robert Rodriquez-helmed remake also stars Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, Walton Goggins, and Oleg Taktarov. Brody's character is said to be close to Arnold's in the original flick, and is a mercenary who tries to keep his team alive when its members are hunted by the aliens. Brody apparently lobbied for the role with Rodriquez for what will be his first action-starring role. Go figure...

Fox has set Predators for release on July 9, 2010.

--Darcie Duttweiler

First of all, we'd like to apologize, Movie Pressers. Greg has been up to his ears in Fantastic Fest since last week (be on the lookout for coverage soon!), and I've been stricken with a not-so-fun bug, so we haven't had the chance to post in quite some time. You can smite us later.

This time of the year is pretty nortious for scant movie news, as everyone is gearing up for the festivals and award shows that pepper late fall and early winter, but we did scrounge up some new casting news regarding Pixar's favorite helmer Andrew Stanton and his new flick, John Carter of Mars.

THR is reporting that Thomas Haden Church will appear in the film as Tal Hajus, “an ambitious and vicious Thark warrior biding his time to be a ruler.” "For those not in the know, the Tharks are a tribe of four-armed green martians, among whom Confederate army Captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) finds himself after being transported to Mars (which is called Barsoom by the races there.) The Tharks kidnap Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), whose society Helium is the dominant group among the warring inhabitants of Mars.

Mark Strong is also new to the cast and will be playing Matai Shang, a leader of the Holy Therns, an ancient cult which holds the secret of life and death. Strong's exceptional brand of badassery can be witnessed this Christmas as Sherlock's nemesis. Rounding out the trio is James Purefoy (previously Mark Antony in HBO's Rome), who will be Kantos Kan, the captain of a Helium warship.

Although it was speculated that filming might get underway later this year, production is not slated to start until early next year.

What do yáll think? Does this casting news get you even remotely excited, or are you still a little worried about Kitsch's ability to hold an entire film on his own? A little bit of both? Us too...

--Darcie Duttweiler