Maika Monroe Rides 'The 5th Wave'; Diane Lane and Elle Fanning Join 'Trumbo'; Alice Eve is a 'Criminal'

 Zac Efron and Dennis Quaid may have received the bulk of the praise for Ramin Bahrani's underrated At Any Price, but I was completely taken by the performance of co-star Maika Monroe. Hollywood has noticed, and now Monroe is moving to her biggest film yet, taking a role opposite Chloe Grace Moretz in the YA adaptation, The 5th Wave. Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer) and Alex Roe have the male leads while Liev Schreiber is in final talks to play the villain in the story of Cassie Sullivan (Moretz), one of the last remaining humans on an Earth ravaged by waves of alien attacks. When her little brother goes missing she goes on the run to find him during the fifth alien invasion. J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed) is directing for release on January 19th 2016. Monroe will be seen next in The Guest, starring Dan Stevens. [TheWrap]

Diane Lane and Elle Fanning have joined Trumbo, Jay Roach's biopic on blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Bryan Cranston stars in the title role with Helen Mirren, John Goodman, and Michael Stuhlbarg on board the film about how Trumbo was accused by Senator McCarthy's House Committee on Un-American Activities and was sent to prison for refusing to testify. Under a pseudonym Trumbo went on to win two Academy Awards while blacklisted.

Ariel Vromen (The Iceman) is rounding up a strong cast for his follow-up, Criminal. Alice Eve has joined Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman in the story of "a dead CIA operative's memories are implanted into a dangerous convict in hopes that he will stop a diabolical plot."[THR]

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Alice Eve and Benedict Cumberbatch's 'Star Trek' roles revealed

Well it appears we have two Star Trek Into Darkness mysteries solved, but the answers only create more questions. Earlier today we received a new image from the film, with Benedict Cumberbatch's character imprisoned, presumably on the Enterprise.  The caption for the image has been released, and it finally clues us in to who Cumberbatch is playing, and it's not Gary Mitchell or Khan....

(Left to right) Zachary Quinto is Spock, Benedict Cumberbatch is John Harrison and Chris Pine is Kirk in STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions.

He's not a character I'm all that familiar with, but there are a couple of Harrisons in Star Trek lore. There's one, simply named 'Harrison' in the Star Trek database, and he was a technician aboard the Enterprise who nearly suffocated when Khan cut the air supply. Kirk apparently awarded him some kind of commendation. And then there's a William Harrison who was stranded on a Roman-style world and became a gladiator, dying in a televised match just before the Enterprise arrived.


Assuming J.J. Abrams is going to stick to hard continuity is foolish, so the name could mean nothing or everything. I also think it can't be a coincidence that a character with obvious ties to Khan is being introduced now in such a major way. I won't be shocked at all if Khan is in the film, perhaps played by someone we know, or someone Abrams has managed to keep hidden. Do we know for sure who Peter Weller is playing yet?


And then there's Alice Eve, who can be seen in the trailer being looked at fondly by Chris Pine in one scene, for a pretty good reason.  Comingsoon's Silas Lesnick visited Bad Robot Productions and, other than confirming the presence of Klingons in the film, also revealed exactly who Eve is playing, and it's kind of a doozy....

Alice Eve’s Star Trek Into Darkness character revealed… She’s playing Carol Marcus!

Marcus is actually kind of a big deal, known for her planet development process, Project Genesis. Oh, and she also had a relationship with Captain Kirk which produced their son, David. Again, assuming Abrams will stick to the script is silly, but I think it's safe to say something is going to happen between them and that Eve will be sticking around for awhile. 

We don't always get matter-of-fact reveals like this from an Abrams project, so some have speculated this all just a clever ploy on his part to trick us. Maybe that's true, but I kind of doubt it.

Star Trek Into Darkness opens on May 17th 2013.

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Bryan Cranston, Logan Marshall-Green, and Alice Eve join 'Eye of Winter'

It was damn near impossible to miss Bryan Cranston this year as the Breaking Bad actor kept busy in a whopping six films, and has one on the way with World War Z. Not that anybody's complaining as the former Tim Whatley(Seinfeld reference!!!) has quickly established himself as one of our finest character actors.

Cranston, along with the gorgeous Alice Eve(She's Out of My League), and Tom Hardy doppelganger Logan Marshall-Green(Prometheus) have joined the indie crime drama Eye of Winter. Directed and co-written by Tze Chun(Children of Invention), the film has Cranston as a nearly-blind criminal who takes a motel owner(Eve) and her daughter hostage so they can be his eyes as he attempts to retrieve a cash package from a crooked cop(Marshall-Green). Osgood Perkins and Nick Simon pitched in on the script, while Leo Fitzgerald and Ursula Perkins are also a part of the cast.

It's unclear when filming would begin, but presumably not until Cranston wraps up the final Breaking Bad season. He can be seen now in Ben Affleck's Argo, while Eve will appear in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness.[Variety]

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Alice Eve joins Men In Black 3 as younger version of Emma Thompson

I'm convinced that Men in Black 3 is one big undercover fart just waiting for the sheets to be lifted on May 25th. The film just pushed back it's planned restart date a month in order to polish up the script, but there were problems plaguing the production long before that.  However the film ultimately ends up, at least there's going to be a little more eye candy to keep me from running screaming from the theater, as Deadline confirms Alice Eve(She's Out of My League) will be joining once the shoot ramps back up.

She'll be playing Olivia, the future leader of the Agency portrayed by Emma Thompson. The story will detail her hire in 1969, giving the impression it was due to her looks. The heavy time-travel storyline involves Agent J(Will Smith) going back in time to work with a young Agent K(Josh Brolin) to help save the world.

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Diane Kruger, Alice Eve, Rosamund Pike could be in the next Superman, but not as Lois Lane?

Ok, so this sorta ends the streak of daily Lois Lane casting rumors, but it does involve the female lead character in Zack Snyder's Superman. Wait, wouldn't that be Lois?  Well, maybe not, as Variety reports three names have emerged as potential candidates to join the superhero flick, which recently named Henry Cavill(The Tudors) as it's lead.  Those three are Diane Kruger(Troy), Rosamund Pike(An Education), and Alice Eve(She's Out of My League). 

The kicker is that none of them would be Lois Lane, which makes me think maybe this Superman is going to take place a bit earlier in Clark Kent's life, and that the role they might be up for is actually that of Lana Lang. While part of me will always see Kristin Kreuk as Lang, the character has always been associated as Clark's only other major love interest(there's Wonder Woman but that's another story). While she's mainly been associated with Smallville and the origins of Superman, in the comics she's moved on to Metropolis and currently is employed by the Daily Planet. So it wouldn't be totally out of the realm of possibility.

Variety also notes that Warner Brothers is looking to get somebody who doesn't overshadow Cavill, which could rule out the bigger names like Rachel McAdams and Jessica Biel. 

Not that we know jack about the script yet, but I hope they aren't going to leave Lois completely out of the picture. They could just be setting up some sort of love triangle, and maybe two of these actresses could make the cut. It's just impossible to tell right now, although if I'm speculating on someone to play Lana Lang, then my first guess would be that it goes to Alice Eve. She's young, hot, has a spunk to her that I think Pike and Kruger lack. Coming off the snooze fest of Superman Returns, and no offense to Kate Bosworth but she was hella dull, I think Warner Brothers is going to be looking for an actress with energy to spare.

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Fox reaching out to Brody for Fantastic Four reboot?

Reaching out. Get it? Oh, I kill me. All of a sudden people wanna talk some Fantastic Four. I don't know why. Nobody talked about it before and there were two friggin' movies already. Maybe it's the hope that Fox will get this one right.  If these potential casting rumors turn out to be solid I'd say they're moving in the right direction.

Screenrant says that Fox is looking for some high profile talent to fill the family foursome's shoes this time around. No solid but unknowns like Ioan Gruffudd this time. Instead it's looking like Fox has their eyes set on Jonathan Rhys-Meyers(August Rush) and Adrien Brody(The Pianist) to play "Mr. Fantastic" Reed Richards.

As for the lady who'll be reaping the benefits of Reed's stretching ability, the same two buxom blondes who seem to be attached to every comic book role are again the frontrunners: Amber Heard(The Joneses) and Alice Eve(She's Out of My League).  Heard is said to have already met with Fox about playing "The Invisible Woman" Susan Storm, but that's not confirmed just yet. I doubt any fanboys care who gets the role, as long as she has big cans, long blonde hair, and looks good opposite a 6 foot 3 pile of walking bricks.

I don't understand the Meyers thing one bit. He's too young and pretty to play Reed, and not nearly dorky enough. Meyers tried dorky in From Paris with Love earlier this year and it didn't work out too hot. Brody is another one who seems to be up for every major comic book adaptation lately, and while I don't think he has the look either I've learned to stop judging his abilities based on appearance. He certainly proved me wrong in Predators.

Right now this is all just speculation, but worth keeping an eye on. I don't expect FF to begin production any time soon, but expect the rumors to start picking up pretty fast from here.

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Captain America's Girlfriend Finally Cast

After weeks of testing other British actresses, Marvel has finally decided upon Hayley Atwell to take over the female lead role opposite Chris Evans. She'll be playing Captain America's WWII love interest, Peggy Carter, the aunt of Cap's modern day girlfriend, Sharon Carter. Atwell is said to have wowed them during her screen tests, helping her beat out the perceived frontrunner, Alice Eve(Starter for 10). 

Atwell is a relative unknown, so I'm surprised Marvel chose her. I recognize her from Cassandra's Dream, but she wasn't really a standout. Then again, Peggy Carter likely isn't going to be in any of the films past this first one, so maybe securing a major starlet wasn't a major concern. 

You can read more of Heatvision's coverage of the story here.

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Alice Eve to Join The First Avenger: Captain America?

Based I'm sure on the buzz she's recently gained from the more successful than expected She's Out of My League, Alice Eve has emerged as the top candidate to play Captain America's girlfriend, Peggy Carter, in The First Avenger: Captain America. If signed, she'll be starring alongside Chris Evans(The Losers), Hugo Weaving(The Matrix), and Sebastian Stan(Kings).

The competition for the role of Cap's leading lady has been surprisingly stiff. Recently, Emily Blunt pulled her name out of the hat(with rumors of her possibly showing up in Batman 3). Keira Knightley's(Atonement) name had also been mentioned as a contender for the part.

Peggy Carter was once the girlfriend of Steve Rogers back during his WWII days. She is the aunt of Sharon Carter, Cap's on again/off again love interest in modern times since his emergence from a block of ice that had encased him for decades.

I like the Eve choice, if only because she has the look, and it'll be cool to see her in a role that I'm betting is going to be full of action. Why Marvel was only testing Brit actresses for the role of an American is beyond me, but she's shown that she can manage an impeccable American accent. Plus she's friggin' hawt!

You can read more of E! Online's coverage of the story here.

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Tops at the Box Office!

1. Alice in Wonderland- $62M/$209M
Tumbling a mere 47% this week, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's latest collabo has already made more money than their most recent effort, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Expect Alice's hold to remain strong for another week in the face of unimpressive competition.

2. Green Zone- $14.5M
Chalk this up as another Iraq war film to tank at the box office. Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass's latest film failed to measure up even to The Kingdom, a similarly themed actioner, and is a far cry from the duo's success with the last two Bourne movies. Consider Green Zone's mediocre showing to be the deathknell for Iraq war films for awhile.

3. She's Out of My League- $9.6M
I'm happy to see that this light hearted, raunchy comedy didn't get completely left out of the shuffle. Considering it's lack of A-list talent and a first time director, the marketing focus tended to be geared at making the film look as much like an Apatow comedy as possible, and for the most part it seems to have worked.

4. Remember Me- $8.28M
This really only confirms what we already knew, that Robert Pattinson's success is due to him being in Twilight and nothing more. You could have a sack of potatoes in the role of Edward and women would be swooning over burlap right now. Exit polling suggests that 84% of the audience for this film was female...and bears sh*t in the woods.

5. Shutter Island- $8.14M/$108M
Has now surpassed The Aviator as Scorsese and Dicaprio's 2nd highest grossing collaboration. I still like that film better, though.

6. Our Family Wedding- $7.6M
Appropriately, audiences seem divorced from this stale looking comedy about two fathers of different races beefin' over their children's impending marriage. The only reason I would ever see this is to marvel at how ungodly thin Forest Whittaker is now. That's the guy who played Ghost Dog? I don't believe it for a second.

7. Avatar- $6.6M/$730M
It won't go away. In fact it suffered the smallest drop from all holdover films again this week.

8. Brooklyn's Finest- $4.29M/$21.4M

9. Cop Out- $4.23M/$39.4M

10. The Crazies- $3.65M/$33.4M

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Review: She's Out of My League

We beautiful people have it rough. You have no idea how tough it is always getting what we want because we're gorgeous. Always being held up as a pillar of perfection is exhausting. I've never had to wait in line at the Chipotle. Obviously, I'm joking. If I were to throw myself into the world of the hilarious She's Out of My League, I'd probably be closer to Kirk(Jay Baruchel) than anybody else. Kirk is an average dude. A '5', as he and us are led to believe. He's a TSA agent at an airport, no real motivations, a couple of dreams he doesn't seem all that motivated to pursue. But he's likable, funny, and self deprecating to a fault. His buddies aren't much better. They've helped shape Kirk's view of himself by putting everybody to their own rating scale based mostly on looks.

Kirk's been in a funk, spurred mostly by the break up between he and his ex-girlfriend, Marnie(Lindsey Sloane). Marnie's the type who's ugly personality makes her physical appearance less attractive than she really is. Kirk pines for her openly, but she's moved on to a far more attractive but shallow guy. Kirk's parents still love Marnie, so much so that she's still invited on the family vacations. Apparently, 'awkward' isn't in their dictionary.

It's by complete chance that Kirk runs into Molly(Alice Eve). Molly is what the guys call a "Hard 10". Perfect long blond hair that seems to always be blowing in the wind even when she's standing still; an amazing job; sense of humor. She's got it all put together into one stacked little package. Men break their necks doing a double take wherever she goes. Fortunately for Kirk, she's also a bit flighty. Accidentally leaving her cell phone behind after an uncomfortable security search before her flight, Kirk is gentleman enough to deliver it back to her in person. Grateful for his chivalry, she asks him out on a date. Lucky dog.

Much to the chagrin of Alice's best friend Patty, and Kirk's crew of homies. What the hell is a woman like her doing with a guy like him? What can he possibly provide somebody like her? Isn't she taking quite a step down from the hunky fighter pilots she's used to dating?  All valid questions, I suppose, just not when they're coming from your best friends. Almost on cue, the insecurities begin to mount.

I've been a huge fan of Jay Baruchel ever since he starred in Judd Apatow's short-lived sitcom, Undeclared, where he played essentially the same character, a well meaning but average guy trying to impress the quirky hot chick. He has more leading man potential than one would think just by looking at him. He's got the look of a regular joe, but with slightly more of an edge.

The film walks the tightrope between fratboy and romantic comedy. It feels like it could've come straight from the Judd Apatow camp. There are a ton of huge laughs that had the audience howling. Most of these involve Kirk's superficial buddies and they're simultaneous desire to see how far his relationship goes and how badly it will implode. They even try to help poor Kirk out. Next time your buddy offers to help you trim the hair in a certain place that shall go unnamed, just say no. Again, 'awkward' doesn't appear to be in anyone's dictionary.

The typical romantic comedy tropes do rear their ugly head near the film's conclusion, including a forced argument that seems to have been included only because someone thought there wasn't enough tension. That is the film's best quality! It's unabashedly charming and positive. The story was moving along just fine without the shoe-horned drama. Although I will admit, it did have me rooting for a quick and happy resolution. I won't give away whether we get that or not.

She's Out of My League is a perfect date movie. It has something to say about what real love looks like, but also smacks you in the face with some great comedic moments, and a couple that you genuinely want to see live happily ever after.

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