* You can't just pick any ol' body to play Robert Downey Jr.'s father. Whoever does it has to be someone of equal or greater stature, and one guy who certainly fits the bill is Jack Nicholson. Warner Bros. is looking for him to join Downey Jr. in The Judge, a new dramedy directed by David Dobkin and with the latest script written by Bill Dubuque. The film follows a successful attorney who returns home for his mother's funeral, only to learn that his father, a former judge now suffering from Alzheimer's, is the murder suspect. He must defend his old man in court, and in the process he'll learn some life lessons or something. Sounds potentially hilarious and bittersweet. No deals are in place, and Downey is set to meet with Nicholson next week to iron things out. [THR]
* Somebody somewhere seems to think Game of Thrones star Kit Harington has what it takes to be a star outside of the HBO series, but if Silent Hill: Revelation showed anything it's that he probably doesn't. He was pretty awful. Anyway, he'll have a chance to star in his biggest film yet as the lead in Paul W.S. Anderson's Pompeii. With a script rewrite by Julian Fellowes(Downtown Abbey), the story will follow the 2-day volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that buried the titular city. The plan is to basically make this like Titanic with liquid hot magma, as Harington will star as Milo, a slave who loves a rich senator's daughter, and must rescue her and his gladiator best friend when the eruption begins. It sounded awful a year ago, and it sounds just as awful now. Filming will likely begin early next year before filming on season 4 of Game of Thrones begins. [Variety]
* Noted indie auteur Sylvester Stallone has joined the cast of Reach Me, an independent film from his Cobra co-star, John Herzfeld(The Death and Life of Bobby Z). Stallone has already wrapped shooting on his role, which is being kept under wraps. Starring Nelly, Omari Hardwick, Danny Aiello, Rebekah Chaney, and Elizabeth Henstridge(who recently joined Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D.), the story follows a group of people who all have a connection to a self-help book written by a reclusive ex-football coach. [Variety]
