Sure Shots: Tom Hanks; Jared Harris; Kyle Chandler

* Tom Hanks has been the architect behind some of the best WWII films and TV series in history, with Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and The Pacific. At this point, it's hard to fathom anybody doing one without his involvement, because...well, Hanks does them better than anybody. He and his PlayTone production company have scooped up the rights to Erik Larson's book, In the Garden of the Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin, as a possible starring vehicle for Hanks. Based on a true story and real events, the story centers on the US ambassador to German, William Dodd, and his daughter, Martha. William was initially sympathetic to the Nazi cause. Martha was a heavy supporter of the Third Reich, even dating some of the inner circle, including the head of the Gestapo, Rudolph Diels. Their opinions change as they witness more brutal persecution of the Jews. No writer or director is attached at this early stage. [THR]

*  Although he's been around since Damian Harris' underrated 1989 film, The Rachel Papers, Jared Harris didn't come to my attention until he starred opposite Asia Argento in B. Monkey. Admittedly I liked that film solely because of how scorching hot she was, but Harris made an impression as well. The renowned character actor has played everyone from Andy Warhol to Professor Moriarty in next month's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Now he's set to play another great figure as he'll be Union commander Ulysses S. Grant in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln biopic. He joins a ridiculous cast that includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Hawkes, Tommy Lee Jones, and many more. [Variety]

* Kyle Chandler hasn't let the end of his long-running Friday Night Lights TV series slow him down. This year has proven to be the biggest of his career, with a major role in JJ Abrams' Super 8, and landing a gig in Ben Affleck's hostage flick, Argo. Variety reports he'll next join on to Allen Hughes' star-studded thriller, Broken City. Already featuring Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Barry Pepper, and Jeffrey Wright, the film centers on a disgraced ex-cop turned P.I. who discovers city-wide corruption while investigating the infidelity of a politician's wife. Broken City will hit theaters January 18th 2013.