Movie News

Warner Bros. wants Sandra Bullock for “Gravity”

Warner Bros. wants Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock to play the female lead in Alfonso Cuaron’s upcoming sci-fi epic Gravity despite Natalie Portman being offered the role this past week after raves for her work in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan.

According to Cinema Blend, Bullock is next in line for the role if Portman turns it down; that would be a distinct possibility, especially if the actress intends to hit the awards circuit as a result of her Black Swan role generating Oscar talk. With Bullock’s proven star power in the wings, it’s likely that Cuaron would feel forced to comply with this studio request in the event Portman says no.

Noomi Rapace to star in “Sherlock Holmes 2”

Noomi Rapace, the leading lady in the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo adaptation, has landed a role in Sherlock Holmes 2 alongside Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law. Although details about the story are being kept under wraps, we do know that Holmes will be fighting against his nemesis Moriarty, a role that has yet to be cast.

“The Dark Tower” adaptation will be epic film/TV crossover

Stephen King’s novel series The Dark Tower will be adapted into both a network television series and a motion picture trilogy. Both of these projects will be creatively driven by the team behind A Beautiful Mind: Akiva Goldsman and Ron Howard. Goldsman and Howard will be directing and writing the first feature and season of the television series, respectively. Brian Grazer, Howard’s business partner from Imagine Entertainment, will produce.

“RED” director will lead “R.I.P.D” with Ryan Reynolds

RED is one of our must-see films of the fall, and now according to Deadline,  its director, Robert Schwentke, has signed on to direct the upcoming film R.I.P.D., which is set to star Ryan Reynolds.

A supernatural-style film based on a comic by Peter Lenkov, R.I.P.D. tells the story of a police officer (Reynolds) who is shot and killed in the line of duty. Upon crossing over, he learns of a law enforcement agency, the R.I.P.D., tasked with their own laws to enforce on Earth from the afterlife. Intrigued, he enlists with the department in an attempt to stop his killer and finds himself partnered with a long-dead gunslinger.

Martin Freeman could still be “The Hobbit”

British actor Martin Freeman might be playing Bilbo Baggins after all in the upcoming film adaptation of The Hobbit. His commitment to the BBC’s Sherlock forced him to turn down the role as we reported earlier today, but according to Entertainment Weekly, MGM has made a new offer that would fit into Freeman’s schedule. The actor is perhaps most famous for his role on the original version of The Office.

Martin Freeman turns down “Hobbit”

The Hobbit is still in need of an actor to play Bilbo Baggins after Martin Freeman has reportedly rejected the role due to his commitment to play Dr. John Watson in the BBC TV Series Sherlock.

38-year-old Freeman is best known for playing Tim in the UK version of The Office and having the lead role in the 2005 film adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Liam Neeson to play “Battleship”

Liam Neeson is set to star in Peter Berg’s upcoming and currently filming movie Battleship, which will be more or less based on the popular game that shares the same name. According to Deadline, he will play Admiral Shane, the father of Brooklyn Decker’s character. He will star alongside Taylor Kitsch (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Alexander Skarsgard (TV’s True Blood), and pop singer Rihanna in her feature-length debut.

New “Judge Dredd” to be called “Dredd,” will be dark

Peter Travis’ upcoming film based on the comic Judge Dredd will be titled Dredd according to a press release from the international film company IM Global. The press release reads:

“DREDD takes us to the wild streets of Mega City One, the lone oasis of quasi-civilization on Cursed Earth. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of elite Street Judges, with the power to enforce the law, sentence offenders and execute them on the spot – if necessary. The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland and the frenetic vision of director Peter Travis bring ‘DREDD’ to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film that returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s revered comic strip.”

Natalie Portman offered leading role in “Gravity”

Natalie Portman has been offered the leading role in Alfonso Cuaron’s upcoming sci-fi epic Gravity. The actress should be making her decision shortly after reading the script sometime this week.

According to Risky Business, Portman was offered the role without a screen test. Angelina Jolie was initially offered the role but turned it down. Actresses who were once considered for the role include Sandra Bullock, Marion Cotillard, and Blake Lively.

Hillary Duff auditioning for “Spider-Man” role?

This one is a little too good/groan inducing not to share. We already know that Spidey’s love interest will not take the form of Mary Jane Watson (played by Kristen Stewart in the previous films); leading to all kinds of speculation. Now, ComicBookMovie.com is speculating that the illusive female love interest for Peter Parker in the upcoming reboot may be his first love, Gwen Stacey, a role that seems to have crossed Hillary Duff’s table.