Bale Reteaming With Brad Anderson For 'Concrete Island'

So it looks like Christian Bale is going to be dropping weight...again.

Speaking with We Got This Covered, The Machinist director, Brad Anderson, revealed that he's currently working on an adaptation of J.G. Ballard's novel, Concrete Island, with none other than Christian Bale set to star.  Along with Bale, Scott Kosar, who wrote the script for The Machinist, is back for this project as well.

It's basically a reteaming of The Machinist crew.  Yes!

The story of Concrete Island revolves around a man who finds himself stranded on a man-made island following a car crash.  With nothing left to survive other than what remains in his car, the survivor begins to deteriorate both mentally and physically.

Read below for the full synopsis [via Amazon]:

On a day in April, just after three o'clock in the afternoon, Robert Maitland's car crashes over the concrete parapet of a high-speed highway onto the island below, where he is injured and, finally, trapped. What begins as an almost ludicrous predicament soon turns into horror as Maitland—a wickedly modern Robinson Crusoe—realizes that, despite evidence of other inhabitants, this doomed terrain has become a mirror of his own mind.

Anton Yelchin to Star in Stephen Sommers' 'Odd Thomas'

Even though Anton Yelchin is closing in on the youthful age of 22, I've always felt he's one of the best, young actors working today.  Sure, he's done commercial fluff (Star Trek, Terminator Salvation) that he's handled very well, but his work in smaller films has really shown in true talent (Alpha Dog, Charlie Bartlett).  Not to mention, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders so he's not going all Charlie Sheen anytime soon.

With that said, Shock Till You Drop is reporting that Yelchin has signed on to star in Stephen Sommers' adaptation of Dean Koontz's novel, Odd Thomas.

Yelchin would play the main character, Odd, who, though is just an ordinary man, has the ability to communicate with the dead.  This extraordinary gift leads him on a path to use his abilities to prevent a mass catastrophe that threatens everyone and everything close to him.

Sommers (who recently dropped out of directing G.I. Joe 2...or was he given the boot?) is currently in pre-production on the film which is set to start filming later this year.  Hopefully he can tone down the special effects and actually make a quality film.  An actor of Yelchin's talent deserves it.

Full synopsis for Koontz's Odd Thomas below [via Amazon]:

Adult/High School-Odd Thomas is just that. He works as a fry cook in the fictional California town of Pico Mundo. Should he ever leave that position, he sees a future in selling tires or shoes. What he lacks in ambition, he makes up for with a special gift. He communes with and sees the dead, some of whom enlist his help in avenging their deaths from foul play. His gift is a secret from everyone except his beautiful girlfriend and the Chief of Police, who never questions Odd's tips, advice, or presence at a murder scene. The man sees "bodachs" as well, small, evil creatures, fluid in shape, that feed upon horrific acts of carnage. He is horrified to see hordes of them gathering in his town. He spots a weird looking stranger in whom the bodachs appear very interested, nicknames him Fungus Man, and rightly assumes that he is involved in the impending disaster. Breaking into the man's house, Odd finds a mysterious black room, a shrine to serial killers, and a page from a calendar that tells him the date of the planned event. Now it's a race against time to foil the plot.

Dracula = Harker?

Sounds like Warner Bros. is joining the club to make a vampire movie, although this one might actually be good.

First reported by Badass News and followed up by TOLDJA!, Warner Bros. is reportedly close to acquiring the spec script, Harker, a re-imagining of Bram Stoker's Dracula.  The script (written by Lee Shipman & Brian McGreevy) is said to focus on a character by the name of John Harker, a Scotland Yard detective who's on a mission to hunt down Dracula.

Shipman & McGreecy gained attention earlier in the year when it was announced that Sylvain White (The Losers) would direct their script, Pendragon, a fresh take on the tale of King Arthur.

Along with Warner Bros., Leonardo DiCaprio himself is involved in the project (though not in an acting capacity) as he plans to produce the film with his Appian Way partner Jennifer Davisson Killoran, as well as co-produce it with Mad Hatter Entertainment.

The man said to be attached to direct the film is Orphan director Jaume Collet-Serra, whose newest film, Unknown, starring Liam Neeson, opens in less than two weeks.

I actually think this might be a fine project that comes together.  It's got great talent behind it and a unique take on a horror legend.  Let's just hope no one involved has seen Twilight.

There Will Be No Dick In 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Wow.  Now I know why rumors like Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Heath Ledger returning as The Joker (through archival footage) gain steam on the internet:

People are complete idiots.

Come on, did you really think this website (run by college kids I might add) somehow gained insider knowledge that Robin was appearing in TDKR?  Not only that, didn't you then realize everyone involved in Christoper Nolan's Batman films, whether it be Bale, Goyer, or Nolan himself, state the character would never be used?  Finally (and this should have been the nail in the coffin), didn't you then come to the realization that with the amount of secrecy that goes into Nolan's films, why a small-town news outlet would somehow land the scoop of the year?

Yes internet, you never seize to doubt my belief in the intellect of the human mind.

Well, if that logic wasn't good enough for you, we have confirmation from two extremely reliable websites (Batman-On-Film, Moviehole) that, as one website puts it, Batman won't be getting any Dick in TDKR.

I hope this clears things up pretty well for all of you and enjoy the Super Bowl.

Joseph-Gordon Levitt Joining 'The Dark Knight Rises'

TOLDJA! is reporting Joseph-Gordon Levitt is in talks to join The Dark Knight Rises.  The report states it is not known what role JGL will play in the film, but that he will be there when production begins in May.

Holy crap, can the past few weeks get any better DC comic book movies?  Sound off below on who you think he will play (I have no idea).

Hugh Jackman Talks 'The Wolverine'

In a great interview with Hero Complex of the Los Angeles Times, Hugh Jackman spoke in-depth about the forthcoming, The Wolverine, to be directed by Darren Aronofsky.  From the sounds of it, they're going to nail this one...big time.

On his excitement about using the Japanese storyline and being able to work with Aronofsky:

I’m really, really pumped about it. I feel like all the planets are finally aligned to make a great movie. We finally have the character and with this mythology — ever since [the 2000 Bryan Singer film] “X-Men,” when I was kind of hanging around and reading all these comics,  because I was cast before I ever read any X-Men comics, so I was trying to get my hands on everything. I remember saying to [producer] Lauren Shuler Donner, “Lauren, I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen this Japanese story, and I think it’s so good. It’s just genius, it’s brilliant.” And we kind of always talked about it from there on. I sort of even wanted to do that in the third X-Men movie at first, but we thought, no, we really need to establish who he is at first, and we did that [with "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"], and now this is  sort of the cherry on top, to finally do it and have Darren Aronofsky direct it. I love his gung-ho attitude toward it and great vision. Straight off, it’s not a sequel, it’s a stand-alone, and I think we’re going to make one that people will describe as the best of the bunch.

On the level of talent involved in the making of this film:

Right, absolutely, and Chris McQuarrie has done a script that is just phenomenal. I read a story once that said that he wrote “The Usual Suspects” in 15 days, and with this one he said to me, “I just knew what I wanted, and it came out real easy.” And he’s done an unbelievable job with it, and with Darren it’s just really exciting. I’m as excited as anybody to see what we come up with. I know we’re going to be met with huge expectations. The expectations will be high, but he’s one of the great filmmakers out there. I worked with him before [on "The Fountain"], and I knew as soon as I met him that he should be doing movies like this. He’s been looking a long time, and I’ve asked him to do other ones, and this time it worked out. I’m beyond thrilled.

On Darren Aronofsky's request for him to get even bigger than the 190 he was at for the last film:

Yeah, right, I was 190, something like that. I don’t know how much I want to give away about it, but Darren said with the last one, ‘Hey you looked great, but you’re so tall that in those long shots you looked kind of like Clint Eastwood, and that’s not Wolverine.” He said that Wolverine, in the comics, is powerful, stocky, you know, he’s short and thick. So he said, ‘I want you to go there, get bigger.’ He’s going to come down after he gets done with all the black-tie events over and done with.

Click the link above for more as Jackman also discusses his current 6,000 calorie a day diet, and jokes how he's likely to die of a heart attack before filming begins.

Chris Evans on Cover of Empire as Captain America

In the latest issue of Empire Magazine, Chris Evans is featured on the cover as Captain America.  The magazine offers an in-depth look at the Marvel comic adaptation coming out this summer.

Haven't had a chance to read the article (I'm not a subscriber unfortunately), but judging by what I've seen of this film's production, we're in-store for a spectacular movie come July 22nd.  The level of detail and care that seemingly has gone into the making of this film is unavoidably noticeable.

Now I'm not saying the same attention to detail and passion didn't go into the making of other comic book films being released this year (obviously it did), but there just seems to be "something" about this film that strikes me as being special.

Looking forward to the first trailer.

Captain America: The First Avenger hits domestic cinemas July 22nd.

Henry Cavill is Superman!

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Henry Cavill has won the coveted role of Superman, the iconic superhero.

The film will be directed by Zack Snyder, who stated, “In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen.  I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry.  He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.”

Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film.  The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan.  Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.

Cavill recently wrapped production on “The Cold Light of Day” and stars in the upcoming “Immortals,” opening this fall.

Targeted for release in December 2012, the new Superman movie will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Robin Williams as Hugo Strange?

I'm not one to ever put all my eggs into a basket when it comes to internet movie rumors.  Too much BS goes around the net.

But when it comes to The Dark Knight Rises and the great Batman-On-Film, anything I hear from that site is legit.  Time and time again Jett has come through with reliable info when it comes to Batman films...along with debunking the trash.

With that said, The Jett-Man posted this little blurb on Twitter Friday morning:

RW as Strange? Hmm...

Take that for what you will, and no matter what it said, there's something behind this.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone.

Is Ricky Gervais Replacing Steve Carell on 'The Office'?

For anyone who tuned in to watch last night's new episode of The Office (I unfortunately didn't, but I caught this online this morning), you got to finally see the chance encounter between Carell's character, Michael Scott, and Gervais's from the original British version, David Brent.

While it's only a short, one-minute, pre-credits scene, the last few lines of dialogue between the two might be hinting at something concerning Carell's departure before the end of this season.  Take a look for yourself: