* Because every Buffy needs a Giles, the Hailee Steinfeld teen-assassin flick Barely Lethal needed someone to play her guide, and it looks like that guy is Samuel L. Jackson. The action comedy stars Steinfeld as a 16-year old assassin who seeks normalcy by faking her own death and enrolling in a normal suburban high school as a senior. Jackson will play her mentor who trains her in the program. Kyle Newman is directing, with Brett Ratner on board to produce. [Variety]
* How does one follow-up on the awesome critical success of The Cabin in the Woods? If you're director Drew Goddard, you venture off into deep space. He'll write and direct The Martian, an adaptation of Andy Weir's e-book about an astronaut stranded on Mars and must survive long enough to get home. If you're looking to download the book, you'll have to wait as it's currently unavailable in preparation for a print release. [The Wrap]
* Suddenly Joel Edgerton's name is on the tip of every Hollywood producer's tongue. Just a few hours ago he signed on to star in The Double Hour alongside Michelle Williams, and now he'll join Johnny Depp in the Whitey Bulger pic, Black Mass. Directed by Barry Levinson, the story will chronicle the infamous mobster's criminal career that led to his emergence a the top of the FBI Most Wanted list. Edgerton will play FBI agent John Connolly, who was also Bulger's childhood friend. Tasked with bringing down the Italian mob, he did so but only to help his friend secure power. [Deadline]
