Sure Shots: R.I.P.D.; Jon Turteltaub; Jason Bateman

* 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]