* So Joss Whedon wants to steal away Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass star Aaron Taylor-Johnson for the Quicksilver role in Avengers: Age of Ultron? Fine, then Vaughn will do him one better by luring over Nick Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson, to play the villain in his latest comic book adaptation, The Secret Service. Based on the work of Kick-Ass and Wanted creator Mark Millar, The Secret Service stars Colin Firth as a superspy who must teach his young nephew (Taron Egerton) the world of espionage while on the toughest mission of his career. Firth vs. Jackson? Sure, sign me up. Michael Caine is set to play the head of the spy organization, with the female lead role being circled by Bella Heathcote and Emma Watson. [Variety]
* Jake Kasdan is turning to all of his old buddies for his next film, Sex Tape. Already having cast his Bad Teacher stars Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel in the comedy, he's now turning to his Orange County alum Jack Black to make a "scene-stealing cameo". Black will play the CEO of a porn company in the film that has Diaz and Segel as a couple who go on the hunt for a missing sex tape they made the night before. [TheWrap]
* While he's currently shining his shield for Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Chris Evans is already looking towards the next phase of his career. He'll make his directorial debut with the small-scale drama, 1:30 Train. Evans will pull triple duty by producing and starring in the romance written by Ron Bass which follows “two strangers who meet in Manhattan and spend one night together as the conflicts in their own lives become the basis for their exploration of each other and themselves.” Shooting is set to begin this fall.
