* Hey, it looked like Colin Firth was making a concerted effort to take his career in a different direction by joining Matthew Vaughn's The Secret Service, and now he's signing on for another film set in the espionage arena. Firth is set to star and produce A Foreign Country, based on the first novel in Charles Cumming's trilogy about disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell. Between Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Firth's upcoming projects, clearly he's grown quite fond of the spy genre. [ScreenDaily]
* It's been a solid year since we learned that Pierce Brosnan would step back into the world of secret agents in November Man, the new espionage thriller from The Bank Job director, Roger Donaldson. In that time it looks like his potential co-star Dominic Cooper has dropped out, and with filming set to begin next week, the cast has just been firmed up. Former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace), Luke Bracey (GI Joe: Retaliation), and Bill Smitrovich will star in the film based on the seventh book in Bill Granger's series. Brosnan plays an ex-CIA agent who must go against his former pupil in a race to find a woman at the heart of an international conspiracy.
* Chris Rock is surrounding himself with a couple of lovely ladies for his third trip behind the camera, Finally Famous. Already with Rosario Dawson on board, the latest to join is Gabrielle Union, playing Rock's fiancée, who also happens to be a reality TV star. Rock's script centers on a comedian trying to reinvent himself as a serious actor, while Union's character pushes for them to be married on her show. Dawson is a New York journalist in a committed relationship, but sparks fly when she interviews Rock. Filming begins this summer. [TheWrap]
