* While he's not always recognizable, Jim Sturgess really shows his versatility as part of Cloud Atlas' ensemble cast, but as a leading man some of the choices he's made have been questionable at best, from Across the Universe to last year's One Day. Hopefully his next film will fare better than those, as he's set to star in Electric Slide, which is not a documentary on the idiotic dance. The film is based on the true story of Eddie Dodson, owner of a high-profile nightclub who took to robbing banks to support his drug habit and impress his girlfriend. He robbed north of 70 banks over the course of only a few months. Isabel Lucas will play his girlfriend, with Chloe Sevigny, Patricia Arquette, and Christopher Lambert co-starring. Tristan Patterson(Dragonslayer) will write and direct, with production already underway in Los Angeles.
* First learned about in March, we haven't heard much about Rown Joffe's Before I Go To Sleep since Nicole Kidman came aboard the adaptation of S.J. Watson's novel. The newest addition is Mark Strong, joining the story of 47-year old Christine(Kidman), a writer who is incapable of forming new memories after a suffering a terrible accident. Awaking every day thinking she is single and free, her husband Ben must bring her back up to speed on how her life truly is. Strong will play Christine's doctor, who encourages her to keep a journal, only to be shocked one day by her own written words: 'Don't Trust Ben." [Variety]
* It's getting harder and harder to keep track of all the films Benedict Cumberbatch is attached to, but at least he continues to make diverse choices, whether it's voicing Smaug in The Hobbit trilogy or possibly playing Julian Assange in a future Wikileaks feature. Next to be added to the pile is an upcoming biopic on Brian Epstein, the manager of The Beatles who died of a drug overdose in 1967. Todd Graff(Camp) is writing the script, with Tom Hanks on board as a producer and Paul McGuigan(Lucky Number Slevin) directing. [THR]
