* Suddenly, all the liberals want to play Reagans. First it was Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan in The Butler, and now Michael Douglas is taking on ol' Ronny himself in the Cold War drama, Reykjavik. The film was once one of Ridley Scott's numerous projects, but he'll now move into the producer's seat with Mike Newell(Mona Lisa Smile) taking over as director. The film follows a tense conversation in 1986 between Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in the capital of Iceland in an attempt to avoid nuclear war. The script comes from Kevin Hood(Becoming Jane), and the search is on for someone to play the Soviet leader. This is an interesting full circle moment for Newell, who back in 1987 directed Amazing Grace and Chuck, which also dealt with the removal of nuclear weapons around the world. [THR]
* Ben Foster has replaced Mark Ruffalo in the indie drama, Red Light Winter, from writer/director Adam Rapp(Winter Passing) based on his own dark stageplay. With Billy Crudup also leaving the film, Foster will be joining the already signed Kirsten Dunst and the newly added Katherine Waterston(The Babysitters), in the story of two old friends who travel from New York to Amsterdam to rekindle their friendship, only to fall into a love triangle with a Red Light district prostitute, played by Dunst. The search for Crudup's replacement is on, as production gears up to begin in December or January. [Variety]
* When a film gets compared to the great Smokey and the Bandit or Steven Spielberg's Sugarland Express, it damn well better deliver. Michael Polish(The Astronaut Farmer) has signed on to direct 18 Wheel Butterfly, with Evan Rachel Wood in talks to take on the lead role. The film is described as a throwback to those outrunning road flicks, and has Wood playing Rainbeaux, "an adorable gear-grindin’ female trucker is accused of a crime that she did not commit and must outrace the law, brother truckers, feds and bounty hunters in the in the Texas bubble gum, redneck chic summer of 1977." I love it already. I'd pay to hear Wood just read that synopsis to me. No word on when this will roll, but as usual it sounds like another role from out of left field for Wood. [Deadline]
