Elizabeth Olsen Set For Godzilla Reboot And Bryan Cranston In Talks To Join

Just like most classics in Hollywood today, Godzilla is indeed getting a 2014 reboot, but this was seems to be well worth the remaking. Monsters director Gareth Edwards has been brought on by Legendary Pictures to make their long anticipated Godzilla reboot, with many writers working on the films script including David S. Goyer (Co-writer of The Dark Knight trilogy), Max Borenstein (The Seventh Son),  Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3), and now Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead). But as the March production date approaches, the cast for the film is now shaping up with Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) seemingly the front runner for the lead role after Joseph Gordon-Levitt turned it down, and now Elizabeth Olsen has officially signed on with Bryan Cranston in talks to join.

The Godzilla reboot has been in production at Legendary Pictures (The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception) and will be the first Godzilla film since the 1998 Godzilla film which wasn't well received by either critics or fans. But Legendary seems to be a fitting home for the project, especially with their upcoming film Pacific Rim from Guillermo Del Toro following a similar structure to the Godzilla films of the past, and both films seem to be bringing very talented actors and directors.

Cranston has obviously been busy as Walter White/Heisenberg on AMC's critically acclaimed Breaking Bad, but he's also made a big impression in film last year starring in many films including John Carter, Red Tails, Rock of Ages, Total Recall, and the Oscar nominated Argo. It's easy to see why Edwards would be pursuing him for the part, and it's most likely his character will be some sort of military official or government officer in the battle against Godzilla, as the main character of the film who Aaron Taylor-Johnson is most likely going to play is described as being a military soldier. It wouldn't come as a surprise that Cranston isn't the only person they are eyeing for the role, as many actors including Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class), and Scoot McNairy (Killing Them Softly).

Olsen on the other hand has confirmed her involvement with the film, and it's highly likely that she'll be playing the female lead of the film. Olsen has already made an impressive mark in film, starring in 2011's critically praised Martha Marcy May Marlene, as well as in this year's Silent House and Liberal Rights, and is set to star in Killing Your Darlings with fellow young talents Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan, as well as Spike Lee's Oldboy remake. At the BAFTA Awards Olsen confirmed her involvement with film calling it a "heavy drama".

With Olsen as the first confirmed cast member of the film, we should begin to see more casting updates as the film reaches it's March production date, as well as confirmation on whether Aaron Taylor-Johnson will in fact be playing the lead role, and if Cranston will in fact be in the film. Legendary Picture's Godzilla reboot is currently set for a May 16, 2014 release date.

What do you think of Olsen and Cranston starring in the Godzilla reboot? Are you looking forward to the film?

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Chris Pratt Officially Set To Lead The Guardians of the Galaxy as Star-Lord

 

A superhero role can really launch a career now a days, especially if it's for a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as we've seen with Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Chris Evans. After a shortlist of actors such as John Krasinski, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jack Huston, Garrett Hedlund, Eddie Redmayne, Lee Pace, Joel Edgerton, Jim Stugress, and Zachary Levi had all been thrown around for the lead role of Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Marvel's 2014 adaption of Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Moneyball, Zero Dark Thirty) has officially landed the part.

Pratt is best known for his role as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation, but most recently has made an impressive debut in film, having been in such critically acclaimed films as Moneyball and Zero Dark Thirty. Pratt will be playing the only human character on the Guardians team, which also consists of members Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon, all roles that haven't been casted yet and may or may not be fully CGI. For these reasons, the role of Star-Lord is probably carries the most weight, having to be a charismatic and relatable character who eyes the audience can see through, and Pratt seems to fit the bill of the "ordinary ex-military pilot" on this team of intergalactic beings.

For those who don't know, Peter Quill seems to be the main character of the film according to the log line released a few months ago which goes as follows:

About a U.S. pilot who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants.

So now that director James Gunn (Super, Slither) has found his Star-Lord, we should see the rest of the cast for the Guardians shape up in the coming months. While names such as Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler have been rumored for Rocket Raccoon, also a more comedic character of the team, I personally can only see Rocket with the famed cockney accent Greg Ellis has brought to the character in both Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Someone such as Simon Pegg or Andy Serkis seems better suited for the role, although if Jim Carrey can nail a cockney accent I'm open to that (Not too fond of Sandler in the role though).

While characters Drax, Gamora, and Groot also remain to be cast, some bigger questions about the Guardians of the Galaxy adaption still remain unanswered, such as whether the film will be primarily CG with the exception of Star-Lord, and if other famed Guardians members such as Quasar, Adam Warlock, and Nova will be making appearances in the film, or whether they're being saved for a sequel. There's also the question of who the Guardians will be facing off against, and while many signs are pointing to Thanos, he still seems more likely to be saved for something as big as Avengers 2 than simply the Guardians film (Unless rumors that the Guardians will fail which will leave the burden of Thanos onto the Avengers is true). I guess we'll just have to see how things come about as the MCU continues to unfold with Iron Man 3 and Thor: Dark World this year, but we can expect more details on Guardians come this summer during Comic-Con: 2013. The Guardians of the Galaxy is set to hit theaters August 1, 2014.

What do you think of Chris Pratt signing on as Star-Lord? Do you have any suggestions for the other Guardian roles?

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Han Solo and Boba Fett Reported To Be The First Characters Getting Solo Movies

While the news of Star Wars: Episode VII and the rest of the new trilogy have been the real focus of attention post Disney's purchase of LucasFilm, we also have the character solo spin-offs to watch out for as well. It was announced a little after the new of the next trilogy that an all new full Star Wars universe would be fleshed out on the big screen in the next couple of years, and part of this universe would be solo movies for the iconic characters of the Star Wars series. And now the latest news is that the first characters to be getting their own solo debut are none other than Boba Fett and Han Solo.

The latest we'd heard on the Star Wars planned solo movies was that Yoda would be getting his own solo film with Frank Oz keen on returning to reprise the role, and it was also reported Yoda would be a part of a Seven Samurai type film directed by Zack Snyder (Watchmen, Man of Steel). Snyder has since debunked the rumors and Disney has not yet confirmed whether Yoda will indeed be getting his own film. But now the two names coming up seem a little for likely, with both Han Solo and Boba Fett reportedly being the first two characters Disney wants to get their own films.

The Boba Fett film doesn't come as much of a surprise, having been a very popular yet mysterious character in the original Star Wars films, Fett's back story and adventures separate from the original trilogy have been an interest of many Star Wars fans. Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnston has consistently brought up his interest in directing a Boba Fett film, and that was before Disney had bought LucasFilm or new films were even announced. So we can still likely see Johnston's name involved with the project in some form, and it helps that he has now established a relationship with Disney through the First Avenger. The film has already been suggested to be similar to this past years Judge Dredd reboot Dredd, which makes the idea of Karl Urban as Boba Fett come to my mind almost instantaneously.

Han Solo comes off a bit more surprising, especially the fact that the film is apparently going to follow a younger Solo between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. While Harrison Ford is presumably in negotiations to return for the new Star Wars trilogy along with the rest of the original cast, it's still unknown whether he'll actually make an appearance in a young Han Solo film, but it's not too far fetched to say he'll at least make an appearance in it similar to Ian Holm's return as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, but with Martin Freeman getting the most screen time as the younger Bilbo. While many young actors automatically have come to people's minds when a role such as a young Han Solo becomes available including Chris Pine (Star Trek), Liam Hemsworth (Hunger Games), Ian Somerholder (Vampire Diaries), Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), Armie Hammer (The Social Network), Nicholas Hoult (Jack the Giant Slayer), Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) and even Taylor Lautner (Twilight), the main actor that's been coming up for the role is none other than Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy).

What do you think of Han Solo and Boba Fett solo movies? Do you think Garrett Hedlund would be a good young Han Solo? Do you agree with Karl Urban as Boba Fett?

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Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Casts Eva Green and Stacy Keach

So far the cast that has been shaping up for Robert Rodriguez's Sin City sequel A Dame to Kill For has been filled with very impressive names. So far we know Dennis Haysbert will be replacing the late Michael Clarke Duncan as Manute, Josh Brolin has replaced Clive Owen as the post-surgery Dwight, and actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christopher Meloni, Ray Liotta, Juno Temple have all joined the cast as unspecified characters. On top of that, original cast members Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, and Mickey Rourke will all be reprising their roles from the first film. And if that wasn't impressive enough, Eva Green and Stacy Keach have now officially joined as the 'Dame' and 'Big Bad'.

For those who aren't familiar with the original Sin City film, it was based on the comic book by Frank Miller, and was a black and white film that featured four different short stories based on Miller's The Customer's Always Right, That Yellow Bastard, The Hard Goodbye, and Big Fat Kill, all involving different characters. Here's the following synopsis of the first film:

Four tales of crime adapted from Frank Miller's popular comics, focusing around a muscular brute who's looking for the person responsible for the death of his beloved Goldie, a man fed up with Sin City's corrupt law enforcement who takes the law into his own hands after a horrible mistake, a cop who risks his life to protect a girl from a deformed pedophile, and a hitman looking to make a little cash.

Now A Dame to Kill For will follow a similar format to the first one, and takes place before the first Sin City. So far the announced stories are A Dame to Kill For, Just Another Saturday Night, The Long Bad Night, and an untitled original story which is set to star Alba post the events of That Yellow Bastard. A Dame To Kill For is the primary story which follows Josh Brolin's pre-facial surgery Dwight McCarthy to save his former lover Ava Lord (The 'Dame' to kill for), who Eva Green has now officially been casted as. Green is best known for playing the bond girl in Casino Royale, and her recent role in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows as Angelique Bouchard.

Just Another Saturday Night is set to feature Mickey Rourke's Marv as the primary character on the night That Yellow Bastard took place, while The Long Bad Night is set to feature JGL's character Johnny who is a cocky gambler, who disguises a darker mission to destroy the biggest villain in Sin City at his own game. He beats the wrong guy and things take a very bad turn for him. This 'biggest villain' in Sin City is presumably Stacy Keach's character 'Big Bad' also known as Herr Wallenquist. Keach is well known for his many television roles and appearances, as well as his role in American History X.

Sin City A Dame to Kill For is now filming in Austin, Texas, and will hit theaters October 4th, 2013.

What do you think of Eva Green as Ava Lord and Stacy Keach as Herr Wallenquist? Are you excited for a Dame to Kill For?

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