* Robert Knepper, probably best recognized for his stint as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell on the Fox series
Prison Break, has joined the cast of
R.I.P.D. He'll join Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Mary-Louise Parker, Kevin Bacon, Stephanie Szostak, Marissa Miller, and James Hong in the comic book adaptation surrounding a pair of undead cops battling the forces of the supernatural. Knepper, who almost always plays villains(like in
Transporter 3), will play a spirit known as a "deado". R.I.P.D. is directed by Robert Schwentke(
Red), and will hit theaters on June 28th 2013. [
THR]
* In case you haven't noticed, Jon Turtletaub LOVES working with Nic Cage. The two are practically joined at the hip. With good reason, as both
National Treasure movies and even The Sorcerere's Apprentice proved to be financially successful. So let's hope the director can find a way to fit the far out actor into his next film,
Last Vegas. Turtletaub will direct based on a script by Dan Fogelman, probably the hottest writer in town thanks to how his
Crazy, Stupid, Love turned out. The story centers on four friends in their 60s uniting for a bachelor party held for the last of them to get married. Dress Cage up in an Elvis suit and we've got pure comedic gold! [
Variety]
* Jason Bateman is an actor I admire quite a bit, and even in less than inspiring flicks(
The Change-Up,
Extract) he's usually a bright spot. Sometime I just wish he'd make better choices. For instance, Bateman has just signed on to two movies which just sound terrible to me. He's joined the rapidly expanding cast of
Disconnect, from
Murderball director Henry-Alex Rubin. The film centers on a number of people and how they all deal in some way with the evils of the technological age. Bateman will play a father who wants to keep his son free from the dangers of the internet. Ugh. Alexander Skarsgard, Michael Nyqvist, Andrea Riseborough, Frank Grillo, and Colin Ford star.
And then there's
The Longest Week, which also stars Olivia Wilde(shocker!!!), in a story about “a man who lives a life of leisure in his parents’ prestigious Manhattan hotel. In the span of one week, he finds himself evicted, disinherited and in love.” Double ugh. Is this a film about the Dan Akroyd character in
Trading Places? I'll pass. Audiences might not have responded to it financially, but Bateman was superb in
The Switch, and showed how likable he can be when he tones down his hyper-cynical routine just a tad. Here's hoping he gets more roles along those lines in the future. [
ThePlaylist]
and as the villainous, age defying sorcerer Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China
, is the latest addition to the cast of R.I.P.D. The film centers on the Rest In Peace Department, a supernatural police force of sorts. Ryan Reynolds is a slain cop and new addition to the force, searching for the guy who killed him. Jeff Bridges is his partner and former Old West gunslinger. Mary-Louise Parker is their boss, with Kevin Bacon as the bad guy, and Stephanie Szostak co-starring. 
) is directing, based on Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi's adaptation of the Dark Horse comic. R.I.P.D. hits theaters on June 28th, 2013. [Comingsoon]
), the film is based on a Dark Horse comic about a pair of undead police officers in the Rest In Peace Department. One is an ex-cop played by Ryan Reynolds, who works the beat while looking for the guy who murdered him. Bridges is his partner, an Old West gunslinger. Kevin Bacon is the bad guy, with Stephanie Szostak co-starring, and Mary-Louise Parker as the head of the department. 
and Neill Blomkamp's upcoming Elysium, Foster's been making some offbeat turns. Unfortunately we never heard confirmation of her signing, and now we know the role she was being eyed for has gone to Mary-Louise Parker.
, has just landed another one. She'll join the amazing assemblage of talent in Ruben Fleischer's crime drama, Gangster Squad. She'll join Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena, Emma Stone, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Patrick, and Holt McCallany. Enos will play the pregnant wife to Brolin's character. [THR]
alongside Jeff Bridges and Kevin Bacon, playing an undead cop who teams with a deceased Old West Gunslinger to walk the supernatural beat. The latest addition to the cast is Stephanie Szostak(Dinner for Schmucks
), who will play Reynold's still living widow. Robert Schwentke is directing. [THR]
, has joined the cast of I, Alex Cross
. The film stars Tyler Perry in the role made famous by Morgan Freeman in Kiss the Girls
and Along Came a Spider
. Rob Cohen(Stealth
) is directing this early tale of the famous detective, with Matthew Fox playing the murderer of Cross's wife, sparking a game of cat and mouse. Jean Reno and Ed Burns co-star, with McGinley playing Cross's boss. [Variety]
) and a script by the writer of Temple Grandin
. At one point Kate Hudson and James Franco were attached, but nothing's been heard about that for months. [E!Online]
). No word yet on whether Jodie Foster, rumored to be joining a few months ago, has signed. For Bacon, this'll be the fourth straight time he's played villain! I think that indie flick, The Woodsman
, was something of a turning point for him. He's been tackling darker stuff ever since.
follow-up, Elysium.
) has seen his name attached to a lot of high profile flicks lately. He's set to jumpstart the Robocop
franchise soon, and yesterday was revealed to be in contention to direct The Wolverine. But now he's taken on a project that has much loftier ambitions than robotic vigilantes and clawed mutants. THR reports that he'll be helming Tri-Border, a political thriller set in the South American zone bordering Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. The story follows a Boston DEA agent who makes the mistake of busting the son of a US Senator and sent to Paraguay as punishment. Nick Schenck(Gran Torino
) is penning the script with plans to have it done by August.
, which is great by the way) will pen the script, and it will mark the feature film directorial debut of Ivan Zacharias.
) to finish the job. 
