Sure Shots: Jason Mantzoukas; 'Paperman'; Shawn Levy

* The Dictator may not have been the hit many were expecting, but there was some good that emerged from it. Not the least of which was the scene stealing performance by Jason Mantzoukas as Sacha Baron Cohen's manipulative sidekick. Next up for Mantzoukas, he'll join another pair of comedy heavyweights in They Came Together, directed by David Wain(Role Models). Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler lead the send-up of romantic comedy tropes, playing strangers who go through all the usual movie rigamarole before ultimately winding up together. Rudd plays a wealthy corporate exec, with Mantzoukas as his best friend. Poehler will play the owner of a small knick-knack shop that Rudd's company is looking to take over. [Deadline]

* As great as Disney and Pixar have been with their feature length animated films, it's possible they're doing even better work right now in the short film department. If you head out to see Brave next week, you'll be treated to the wondrous, Oscar nominated short, La Luna. Don't miss it. And when Disney unveils Wreck-It-Ralph on November 2nd, we'll get a chance to see their revolutionary short, Paperman. Combining hand drawn and computer generated animation, the black and white tale of a lonely man in mid-century New York who sees his destiny take an unexpected turn when he meets the woman of his dreams, only to seemingly lose her forever. When he spots her in a skyscraper window later on, he uses the power of his imagination to try and get her attention.

* Shawn Levy(Real Steel) is set to produce Monster Problems, a post-apocalyptic road trip film described as Mad Max and Zombieland meets John Hughes. The script comes from Brian Duffield, who is currently writing Lynne Ramsay's Western, Jane Got a Gun, which Natalie Portman is currently attached to star. Details are being kept under wraps right now, and it seems as if there are no plans for the busy Levy to direct. [THR]