* A director may have been found for Vin Diesel's upcoming action film, The Machine. The Iron Giant style story(Diesel voiced the robot in that classic film) surrounds a human-like machine that was built by the Pentagon in secret as an ultimate weapon. Two decades after being decommissioned and buried, the machine is discovered by a boy who quickly befriends him, until the government comes looking for their reactivated project. Peter Segal(Get Smart) is in talks to direct the film, which also has Diesel on board as a producer. This wouldn't be Segal's next film, as he's attached to produce and likely direct a big screen adaptation of the Japanese manga, Bleach. Diesel is currently putting the finishing touches on Riddick, the third film in the Chronicles of Riddick series. [Variety]
* Another perfect choice for Mia Wasikowska, who continues to build her career through taking on the most challenging of roles. She's set to star as Roby Davidson in Tracks, an adaptation of Davidson's 1980 memoir about her 1700 mile journey across the Australian desert with only four camels, a dog, and her photographer for company. It's a great book, and Wasikowska is just right for the part. John Curran(The Painted Veil) will direct. Filming will begin this fall in the land down under. [Variety]
* Perhaps trying to keep up with his ex-Harry Potter mates, Rupert Grint has signed on to two promising films, one of which will see him rejoining a former cast member. First off, he'll join Shia Labeouf in The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, about an guy who falls in love with the woman of his dreams, only to discover she's been claimed by a violent crime boss, who proceeds to beat the crap out of him at every turn. Fredrick Bond is directing, with Til Schweiger, Mads Mikkelsen, Evan Rachel Wood, and Melissa Leo co-starring. Grint's role is unclear at this point.
Grint will next join his Harry Potter co-star, Alan Rickman, in CBGB, the upcoming film based on the iconic New York City nightclub that was an crucial piece in the punk rock music scene. Rickman is set to play the club's owner, Hilly Kristal, who ran the place until a rent dispute closed it down in 2006. Grint will play Cheetah Chrome, a guitarist for the punk band, The Dead Boys. Randall Miller(Bottle Shock) will direct. [Variety]
