* Guillermo Del Toro hasn't totally given up on At the Mountains of Madness. His hopes to adapt the H.P. Lovecraft story were dashed awhile back as no studio was willing to shell out the cash for it, despite having Tom Cruise set for the lead role. He's also expressed concern it may too similar to Prometheus, which is true in a certain way, I suppose. But this is his dream project, after all, and Del Toro recently told ThePlaylist he intends to give it another go. He says at the start of the new year he'll present it to studios one more time to see if anyone bites. Cruise is still on board, as well.
* Animal Kingdom star Ben Mendelsohn has joined the cast of Mississippi Grind, the upcoming film from Half Nelson duo Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. He'll pair up with Jake Gyllenhaal in the story of two gambling addicts who team up to try and change their bad luck, taking a road trip through the South to reclaim all that they've lost. Mendelsohn has been on fire lately, recently appearing in The Dark Knight Rises and Killing Them Softly. He'll be seen next in The Place Beyond the Pines with Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. [Variety]
* Connie Nielsen(Gladiator) has joined the cast of McG's untitled thriller formerly known as Three Days to Kill. She'll play the wife to Kevin Costner's character, a terminally ill hitman who undertakes one final mission in order to receive a cure, all the while trying to make amends with his estranged daughter. Amber Heard and Hailee Steinfeld are also on board the Luc-Besson-scripted film.
