An Earthquake can't Stop Dwayne Johnson in Trailer for 'San Andreas'

Dwayne Johnson can revitalize just about any franchise but his standalone projects have been less successful. Movies like Snitch and Hercules came and went without much fanfare, but maybe watching him fend off a natural disaster of Emmerich-like proportions will turn things around? Johnson has reteamed with his Journey 2: The Mysterious Island director Brad Peyton for the 3D earthquake flick, San Andreas, and the first trailer has arrived to shake things up.

Johnson stars as a helicopter rescue pilot, with Carla Gugino as his ex-wife, who must rescue their daughter (True Detective's Alexandra Daddario) when the biggest earthquake ever strikes California. Y'know, we out here in DC know a thing or two about earthquakes and can totally sympathize with what Johnson is going through in this fairly ridiculous trailer, which uses a terrible rendition of "California Dreamin'" while the entire west coast is ripped apart. Basically this looks like an updated version of Dante's Peak, a personal favorite, but this teaser is just plain lousy for trying to take itself so seriously. And what the heck is Paul Giamatti doing in this?

San Andreas hits theaters on May 29th.

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Marvel Eyes Teresa Palmer, Alexandra Daddario for 'Jessica Jones'; Two Names Emerge for 'Luke Cage'

Marvel is looking to stake a larger claim on the small screen than just Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter. As we know they're currently developing four Netflix series, with production on Daredevil already underway. The next on their list are shows based on the characters Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, and it looks like the casting search has begun for both.

According to Deadline, Krysten Ritter (She's Out of My League), Alexandra Daddario (True Detective), Teresa Palmer (Take Me Home Tonight), and Jessica De Gouw (Arrow) are up for the Jessica Jones role. Jones is a former superhero who decided to quit and start a detective agency helping other heroes. In the comics she's the mother of Luke Cage's child, and their shows will be closely tied together. Cage is expected to appear in 6-7 episodes of Jessica Jones leading to his own series that will debut after Iron Fist.

As for who will play Cage, a character many have been expecting to appear in the big league Avengers movies at some point, Lance Gross (Our Family Wedding) and Mike Colter (The Following) are said to be in contention. Neither are very big names at this point but taking on a major Marvel character and prominent Avenger like Cage is a good way to get some attention.

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Greta Gerwig Cast in 'The Humbling'; Alexandra Daddario goes to 'San Andreas'; Kit Harington Leads 'Testament of Youth'

* Here's one that you may have forgotten. A few years ago, back before Al Pacino and director Barry Levinson were going to team for that Gotti film (Levinson dropped out of it), they were set to unite for The Humbling, an adaptation of Philip Roth's book about "an aging actor who has an affair with a lesbian woman half his age at a secluded country house in Connecticut". Not much was heard about it, but the movie is now in post-production and has been picked up by Millennium Films with Greta Gerwig and Dianne Wiest joining the cast.  Charles Grodin, Kyra Sedgewick, Dan Hedaya, Nina Arianda, and Billy Porter co-star, and presumably we'll see this by the end of the year. [Variety]

* If you've been keeping up with True Detective (I'm still an episode behind, so sue me), then you've seen Alexandra Daddario having her way with one Mr. Woody Harrelson. Now she'll get to hang out with Dwayne Johnson in 3D disaster flick San Andreas, directed by Brad Peyton. Johnson plays a chopper pilot attempting to rescue his estranged daughter after California is devastated by a massive Earthquake. Daddario, who also starred in two Percy Jackson films, is apparently being sought for a role in the Entourage movie.  [Deadline]

* Pompeii and Game of Thrones star Kit Harington will join Alicia Vikander in Testament of Youth, an adaptation of Vera Brittain's WWI memoir. Published in 1933, the book recounted how Britain's world was thrown upside down when the war took the lives of her fiance and brother, forcing her to become a nurse on the sidelines. After the fighting stopped, she attempted to regain her life and became a prominent feminist and writer. Vikander will play Brittain, having replaced the previously-cast Saoirse Ronan, with Harington as her fiance. David Heyman (Harry Potter franchise) is producing with James Kent directing. [THR]

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