Ryan Reynolds Does 'Mississippi Grind'; Christopher Plummer Will 'Imagine'; Joel Edgerton Joins Jeff Nichols' Sci-Fi Film

*It looked for awhile like Ryan Reynolds was going to be the next big thing, but that never quite panned out, did it? He's on the comeback trail, though, with the Men in Black-esque R.I.P.D. coming up this summer, and upcoming films directed by Marjane Satrapi and Atom Egoyan. Now he's joining Mississippi Grind, the next project from Half Nelson duo, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. He'll be replacing the previously cast Jake Gyllenhaal in the story of a struggling gambler facing mounting debt, who teams up with a gambling addict (Reynolds) to try and change his luck by going on a road trip with plans of winning back everything he lost. [Deadline]

*While it's always disappointing when a project loses the talents of the great Michael Caine, replacing him with fellow screen legend Christopher Plummer is definitely a lateral move. That's what has happened on the true life drama, Imagine, with Caine forced to drop out due to scheduling. The film stars Al Pacino as an aging rock 'n roller who discovers an old letter from John Lennon prompting him to slow down and reconnect with the son he never knew. Bobby Cannavale plays the son, with Jennifer Garner as Pacino's daughter-in-law, Annette Bening as a love interest, and Plummer as Pacino's longtime manager. Crazy Stupid Love writer Dan Fogelman is making his directorial debut, with filming set to begin next month. [Deadline]

*Between Shotgun Stories, Mud, and Take Shelter, the combination of filmmaker Jeff Nichols and General Zod...er, Michael Shannon, has proven to be one of the most exciting in the business. Fortunately we won't be seeing them split up any time soon, as we recently learned of an upcoming sci-fi film being set up at Warner Brothers. While details on that remain non-existent, we do know that Joel Edgerton will be starring alongside Shannon. Possibly titled Midnight Special, the film marks Nichols' first stab at a big studio project, so it'll be interesting to see how his style translates with a sizable budget behind it. [Variety]