Filed under: Action, Drama, Casting, RumorMonger, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels

We might not know exactly what Sylvester Stallone is doing next, but we do know he’s apparently got a thing for remaking old Charles Bronson films. Not long ago, Stallone expressed interest in remaking Death Wish, and now Dark Horizons tells us the aging action star will star in a remake of the 1972 Bronson flick, The Mechanic (and though they say nothing of the man also directing, other sites are jumping to that conclusion). DH also claims the film’s budget clocks in at around $40 million, and that MGM is looking at folks like Ryan Gosling, Ben Foster, Cillian Murphy and Elijah Wood to co-star.

The original film revolved around an aging hitman (played by Bronson, and now Stallone) who befriends a young man that wants to become a professional killer. Over at IMDb, however, they claim the film will be totally re-imagined as a thriller in a post 9/11 world. A few days ago, Stallone struck a deal to star and produce two new action films, though there was no further info on what those two films would be. Perhaps Sly is off the Death Wish train and now setting his sights on The Mechanic? Could one of these (or both) eventually become the film(s) included in that deal? Which would you rather see Sly remake: Death Wish or The Mechanic?

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Filed under: Drama, Thrillers, Casting, Remakes and Sequels

This was to be a casting bite, but the premise on Variety just killed me, so I wanted to write a little more about it. Believe it or not, Joan Collins is still acting, and she’s signed on for a role in an upcoming film called Cowboys for Christ. Why do I love this bit? Well, get a load of this — it’s “the story of a gospel singer and her cowboy friend who set off from Texas to enlighten Scottish heathens about the ways of Christ.” I know that’s what I always think of when I think of Scotland — heathen territory! Collins will play “a Scottish-landed gent’s wife.”

This is where things get even more interesting, and a little less strange. It’s a reimagining of Robin Hardy’s 1973 film, The Wicker Man — by Robin Hardy. And yes, this is the same film that spawned the 2006 remake by Neil LaBute. Things make a bit more sense with this bit of info, since the original focused on a Scottish island where pagans might be sacrificing a missing girl. I guess after 35 years, he wonders what would happen if Christian cowboys came to visit?!

According to the IMDb summary, this new flick follows “young Christians Beth and Steve, a gospel singer and her boyfriend, [who] leave Texas to preach door-to-door in Scotland. When, after initial abuse, they are welcomed with joy and elation to Tressock, the border fiefdom of Sir Lachlan Morrison, they assume their hosts simply want to hear more about Jesus. How innocent and wrong they are.” This is “Cowboys for Christ” — talk about a misleading title!

An added treat for this flick that shoots this April in Scotland, Christopher Lee (from the original cast) will play Sir Lachlan.

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Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Casting, Warner Brothers

Maybe I’m just indulging with some wishful thinking, but with a cast like this in a story from the mind of Ricky Gervais, what could possibly go wrong? The Hollywood Reporter announced that Jonah Hill has signed up for a role in Gervais’ romantic comedy, This Side of the Truth. Hill will be joining Gervais, Rob Lowe, Jennifer Garner and Louis C.K. in the story of the first man who more or less invents the art of lying.

The official story is described as “a storyteller whose job is to ramble on about the 1300s. Faced with losing his job because his terrain is a boring period in history once he gets beyond the Black Death, he invents lying as a way to save himself.” Of course he becomes seduced by this awesome power and uses it to woo a woman who is way out of his league. Garner stars as that woman, Hill will play Gervais’ depressed neighbor, and comedian C.K will appear as Hill’s loser roommate.

The film is Gervais’ first stab at directing a feature film and he will be sharing the duties along with his writing partner Matthew Robinson. Personally I was hoping for someone a little, well, funnier for the part of ‘the girl’ but maybe this is Jennifer Garner’s chance to finally be funny (especially since I like to pretend that the irritating and somewhat sexist comedy 13 Going on 30 never existed). I guess I’ll find out just how funny Garner can be when This Side of the Truth arrives in theaters sometime in 2009.

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Filed under: Action, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sports, Casting, Comic/Superhero/Geek

Thank god, it’s almost TGIF! Here’s some casting bites, courtesy of Variety:

• Another kid has signed on to Catherine Hardwicke’s vamp movie, Twilight. It’s Justin Chon, who you will soon see in Crossing Over, and who plays Tony in Just Jordan. There’s no word on his character, so Twilight fans who have been frequenting the casting news about Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson — who could Chon play? Also, as of 1 PM today, Variety has a picture of Clark Duke in Chon’s blurb, so you can see what Justin really looks like to the right.
• Clark Duke, on the other hand, has picked up a starring gig opposite Eddie Murphy in 1000 Words / A Thousand Words. I told you about the Brian Robbins-helmed project back in October — the comedy focuses on “a glib man who finds out that he has only 1,000 words left to speak before he dies.” I wonder if Clark will try to sneak Eddie into using them up early?
• Back in November, Mickey Rourke replaced Nicolas Cage in The Wrestler. Now Randy “The Ram” Robinson will be joined by a real ex-pro wrestler. Ernest “The Cat” Miller has picked up a role in the film. He was past my WWE watching days (think Macho Man and Jake the Snake), but a friend of mine says he was one of those second-string baddies, who used the catch-phrase “somebody call my momma.”
• Finally, actor David Murray has nabbed himself another bad guy role. After playing a “Jumpy Thug” in Batman Begins, Murray is going to try and foil another hero. This time around, it will be more than just a thug, and more of a real hero. He’s landed a lead role as the villain in G.I. Joe. So, I guess he’s the notorious arms dealer? Not a bad jump up for the man. One day, you’re just a thug, the next, you’re a big-time baddie.

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Filed under: Thrillers, Casting, MGM

As a die-hard Lost fan, I’m going to miss “Charlie” (or as Claire says, “CHAHlee”), the character played by Dominic Monaghan. But at least I’ll get to see the actor return to the big screen in Pet. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Monaghan has been cast as the lead in the psychological thriller, in which he plays a deranged animal shelter employee who kidnaps his teenage crush and obsessively holds her captive as his pet. The