John Lennon Inspires Al Pacino in First Trailer for 'Danny Collins'

Unlike some actors who steadfastly refuse to act their age as they get older, Al Pacino has embraced it. Most recently he played an aging actor who falls in love with a younger woman in The Humbling, and now in the rock drama Danny Collins he stars as a former rocker inspired by the late John Lennon.

Formerly titled Imagine, the film has Pacino as an aging rock star big in the 1970s but still living the hard-partying lifestyle. When his manager turns up a 40-year-old letter written to him by John Lennon, it spurs him to try and reconnect with the family he's long neglected. Bobby Cannavale stars as his son, in a role that Steve Carell and Jeremy Renner were both attached to at different times. Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Plummer and Melissa Benoist make up a pretty impressive cast for Dan Fogelman (Crazy Stupid Love screenwriter) in his directorial debut.

Overall, this trailer is mostly forgettable and cheesy, but maybe Danny Collins will continue Pacino's solid streak w hen it opens March 20th 2015.

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Watch a Globe-Hopping Simon Pegg in Trailer for 'Hector and the Search for Happiness'

In last year's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Ben Stiller played a regular guy living a boring life who sought freedom and new experiences by traveling the globe. The film was originally seen as an Oscar contender but ultimately kind of vanished without making much of a mark. Now a very similar film led by Simon Pegg is on the way in Hector and the Search for Happiness, and the jury is out whether it can succeed where 'Mitty' may have failed.

A new U.K. trailer for it has been released and it's the rare chance to see Pegg in a lead role all by himself. Normally he's got his partner-in-crime Nick Frost by his side, or he's part of a larger ensemble, but now Pegg is being asked to carry all of the emotional burden. He plays the titular Hector, a psychologist who, despite a lovely wife (Rosamund Pike) and successful practice, feels dissatisfied with life. And so he sets out on a journey around the world to investigate if true happiness really exists, along the way meeting a diverse array of characters played by Toni Collette, Jean Reno, Christopher Plummer, and Stellan Skarsgard. This is also the first film directed by Peter Chelsom since 2009's Hannah Montana: The Movie.

Hector and the Search for Happiness opens September 19th, and that fall date suggests somebody has fairly high aspirations for the film.

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Christopher Plummer to 'Remember'; Dakota Fanning Leads 'Brain on Fire'; Connie Britton Joins 'American Ultra'

* Screen vets Christopher Plummer, Dean Norris, Bruno Ganz, and Martin Landau have joined Atom Egoyan's latest film, Remember. Egoyan's follow-up to the disappointing West Memphis Three film, Devil's Knot, is a thriller "in which the darkest chapter of modern history collides with a contemporary mission of revenge." Vague enough for you? [THR]

* Charlize Theron is set to produce an adaptation of Susannah Cahalan's memoir, Brain On Fire: My Month Of Madness, with Dakota Fanning place to star. The story chronicles 24-year-old Cahalan's month-long descent into madness at a hospital, until a new doctor discovered the illness that was attacking her brain. [Deadline]

* It's Sharon Stone out, Connie Britton in for the action-comedy, American Ultra. Production began last month on the film which stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart as a stoner couple whose lives are turned upside down when it's discovered he is really a highly-trained sleeper agent in a secret government program. Britton will play Victoria Lasseter, the creator of the program. Directed by Nima Nourizadeh, the film also stars Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Tony Hale, John Lequizamo, and Bill Pullman. 

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First Looks: Jason Clarke in 'Everest'; Pierce Brosnan's 'November Man'; 'The Forger' with John Travolta

Dudes, take note: three straight-up macho flicks are in production right now and headed our way real soon, and now we've got new images from all of them.

Right off the bat is the first image of Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) in Everest, which has him scaling the mountain alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes, and Josh Brolin. That's a lot of testosterone for one set, isn't it? Insurance must have been sky high. Anyway, the 3D flick is directed by Baltasar Kormakur (The Deep) and is based in part on Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, about a doomed 1996 climbing expedition.  Everest is set to open February 27th 2015.

Forget Liam Neeson and Kevin Costner, Pierce Brosnan used to be James friggin' Bond, so he's automatically cooler than both of them. Just check out this first image from November Man which has him walking away from an explosion, no doubt in slow-motion. Directed by Roger Donaldson (The Bank Job) and co-starring Dominic Cooper, the action thriller has Brosnan as an ex-CIA operative brought back in on a very personal mission, and finds himself going against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high-level CIA officials and the Russian president-elect

And finally it's three tough guys in the first photo from heist flick, The Forger, starring John Travolta, Christopher Plummer, and Tye Sheridan. Travolta and that ridiculous facial hair star as petty thief and former child art prodigy who negotiates his release from prison to spend time with his ailing son. But upon getting out he's forced into one last job by the same people who brokered the deal. Philip Martin (Prime Suspect) is directing and a release date has yet to be secured.

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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]

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Rosamund Pike and Christopher Plummer join Simon Pegg in 'Hector and the Search for Happiness'

Simon Pegg is one lucky dog. The Brit funnyman will have two chances to hook up with former Bond Girl, Rosamund Pike. Not only will she play his ex-girlfriend as part of Edgar Wright's The World's End, but after that she and the legendary Christopher Plummer will join Pegg in an adaptation of Hector and the Search for Happiness. Like I said, "lucky dog".

Based on the best-selling novel by Francois Lelord, the book follows the titular London psychiatrist played by Pegg. Unhappy in life, and not helping his patients get any better, Hector goes off on a globe-spanning quest to find out if happiness truly exists, even for a guy like him. Pike will play Clara, Hector's longtime girlfriend. Plummer will take on the role of Professor Coreman, who leads the department of Happiness Studies at UCLA.

Pike is coming off playing the sexiest and toughest warrior princes ever in Wrath of the Titans, and will be seen next in Jack Reacher opposite Tom Cruise.  Plummer has been busier than ever lately, coming off an Oscar-winning turn in Beginners, and a powerful performance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Peter Chelsom will direct the film when production begins in January.

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Plummer joins The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Max Von Sydow out?

David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo just made a lateral move adding veteran actor Christopher Plummer to the cast. He'll be playing Henrik Vanger, the man who hires disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist to investigate the disappearance of his niece. If you'll recall, Max Von Sydow was previously attached to this role, but THR makes no mention whether or not he's even involved any longer.

Chances are that he isn't. Plummer and Von Sydow are both great actors, but similar in my opinion. And I can't think of any other role in the story that could suit either of them. Von Sydow is too old to play any of the younger Vangers. The only assumption I can draw is that final talks fell through. Then again I could be wrong.

The cast is shaping up quite nicely, though. Alongside Plummer will be Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara(The Social Network), Stellan Skarsgard(Breaking the Waves), and Robin Wright.

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