Kate Hudson and Kerry Washington are 'Unforgettable'; Nazanin Boniadi joins 'Ben-Hur'

Actress-turned-director Amma Asante's sophomore effort, the period drama Belle, earned her a lot of attention and it looks to be opening up some new doors. She's now gearing up her next film, titled Unforgettable, with Kerry Washington and Kate Hudson in early talks to star. Written by Christina Hodsen, the story "centers on a woman trying to settle into a new marriage and life as a mom who suddenly must contend with her husband's ex, a woman who is out to get her." It's unclear what roles the women will play, but this sounds potentially like the film, Obsessed, which went on to be a solid hit a few years ago. [THR]

Homeland actress Nazanin Boniadi has won the female lead in the Ben-Hur remake, taking the role Gal Gadot occupied before scheduling conflicts got in the way. Jack Huston stars as the titular nobleman thrown into slavery after being betrayed by a former friend. Timur Bekmambetov is directing what promises to be a large-scale epic, with Morgan Freeman as Ben-Hur's mentor, Toby Kebbell as Messala, and Boniadi as Esther.

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Clive Owen gets 'The Confirmation'; Olivia Cooke may Join 'Ben-Hur'; Haley Bennett Boards 'The Blunderer'

Bob Nelson, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Alexander Payne's Nebraska, has gathered a terrific cast for his directorial debut, The Confirmation. Clive Owen, Maria Bello, Patton Oswalt, Tim Blake Nelson, Robert Forster, Matthew Modine, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Jaeden Liebherer (St. Vincent) will star in the film about "8-year-old Anthony (Lieberher) and his estranged father (Owen) spending two days together for the first time in forever, as the boy’s mom (Bello) and new husband (Modine) head off to a religious retreat. Their mutual unease is exacerbated when the father’s truck breaks down, his landlord locks him out of his house, and the toolbox that provides his living gets stolen. As they search for the stolen tools with help from an odd neighbor (Oswalt), the father and son begin to establish a connection." [Deadline]

Bates Motel and Ouija star Olivia Cooke is eying a role in the Ben-Hur remake directed by Timur Bekmambetov. If she agrees, which is up in the air because of other high-profile projects she's been offered, Cooke would play Tirzah, Ben-Hur's sister. Jack Huston stars as the Jewish prince forced into slavery by his former friend. Morgan Freeman, Ayelet Zurer, and Toby Kebbell are also on board with a release date set for February 2016. [TheWrap]

Imogen Poots has dropped out of the untitled adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel, The Blunderer, with Haley Bennett (Kaboom) coming aboard to replace her. Andy Goddard is directing the film, which stars Patrick Wilson and Jessica Biel. The story takes place in 1960s New York and follows "Walter Stackhouse (Wilson), a successful architect married to the beautiful Clara (Biel); they lead a seemingly perfect life. But Walter's fascination with an unsolved murder leads him into a spiral of chaos as he is forced to play cat-and-mouse with a clever killer and an overambitious detective while at the same time lusting after another woman."  [THR]

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Ayelet Zurer Eyes 'Ben-Hur'; Anton Yelchin Joins 'Baseballissimo'; Judy Greer is a 'Geezer'

She's already played Superman's mom in Man of Steel, now the gorgeous Ayelet Zurer will be the mother of Ben-Hur in Timur Bekmambetov's remake. She joins a cast led by Jack Huston as the title character, a nobleman forced into slavery after being falsely accused of a crime by his best friend. Oscar-winner John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) wrote the latest screenplay, with Morgan Freeman and Toby Kebbell co-starring. Despite Zurer coming aboard the search is still on for an actress to replace Gal Gadot, who had to back out due to her Wonder Woman commitments.  [THR]

Jay Baruchel must love his sports comedies. A couple of years ago he co-wrote and starred in the hockey film, Goon, and now he's switching gears to the diamond with Baseballissimo. Baruchel wrote and will star in the film alongside Anton Yelchin, which is about "a rising baseball minor-league player who gets detoured on the way to major-league stardom by pitching for the Peones, a baseball team in Italy." Jacob Tierney (Good Neighbors) will direct. [THR]

The always hilarious Judy Greer (she's great on Married, by the way) will join Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong in Geezer, along with Fred Armisen, Selma Blair, Chris Messina, Dallas Roberts, and Brian Baumgartner. The rock music drama centers on "the mid-life crisis of a husband and father who, on his 40th birthday, decides to revisit his punk-rock past by throwing an extravagant party in the presidential suite of the Drake Hotel—where he encounters his beautiful ex-girlfriend and former bandmates who have since moved on to bigger and better things." Meh. Lee Kirk is directing this one now in New York City.

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Gal Gadot Passes on 'Ben-Hur'; 'Wonder Woman' May be Set in the 1920s

With a Wonder Woman solo film and a couple of Justice League movies on the way, it was always going to be tough for Gal Gadot to fit in any other major projects. And so she's been forced to exit Timur Bekmambetov's remake of Ben-Hur, which she became attached to a couple of weeks ago. That's not really much of a surprise, but what may be is the extent Warner Bros. is rumored to be going in building their Wonder Woman franchise.

Although there was only a single Wonder Woman movie on the recently revealed schedule, Bleeding Cool says WB is planning an entire trilogy of films, and only one of them would be in a contemporary setting. The first film arriving in 2017 would take place in the 1920s on Paradise Island as warring Amazonian factions are fighting for control. Everything changes with the arrival of the first man to the island, who asks for their help. She would arrive in our world during that time when women are only just beginning to gain the same rights as men, such as the right to vote.  A sequel would then take place during WWII, with the third film bringing her into the modern age and joining the Justice League. 

Keep in mind this is just a rumor, but it's an intriguing one. Could it work? Absolutely. But it's probably worth noting that the first Captain America film, which was set during WWII, was one of Marvel's weaker efforts. Wonder Woman opens June 23rd 2017. [THR]

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Pedro Pascal could Join the 'Ben-Hur' Remake, Sadly not as the Red Viper

I feel like our resident Game of Thrones expert and lover of all things Red Viper, Roxana Hadadi, should be doing this post. But I too have felt the pang of loss over what happened to the great Oberyn Martell at the end of last season because it means we won't have the awesome Pedro Pascal to watch every week. But if it means he'll be appearing in more movies then maybe things will be okay.

Pascal is in talks to join Timur Bekmambetov's remake of Ben-Hur, which only yesterday saw Gal Gadot circle a role.  If Pascal agrees he'd be taking on a pretty significant role, too, playing Pontius Pilate, the man who presided over the trial and execution of Jesus Christ. Both will have a greater significance in this film than the 1959 version as it will stick closer to Lew Dobbs' novel.

Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, and Morgan Freeman will star in Ben-Hur, which opens on February 26th 2016.

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Gal Gadot Eyes 'Ben-Hur' Remake; Wonder Woman's Origin Revealed?

So how's this for a pretty big day? Earlier Warner Bros. confirmed Gal Gadot would get her chance to lead a Wonder Woman solo film, not to mention appear in a couple of Justice League movies. Now she may be showing off her Amazonian prowess and warrior spirit in another epic film, as THR reports she's being sought for the upcoming remake of Ben-Hur. Plus, it looks like a producer on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had let slip some details on Wonder Woman's origin. Oops.

If Gadot agrees, she'd be joining Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, and Toby Kebbell in the film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and based on Lew Wallace's 19th century book. She would play Esther, a slave who falls in love with Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman falsely accused of murder by his best friend and sent into slavery. Oscar-winner John Ridley is penning Ben-Hur for release on February 26th 2016.

Producer Charlves Rovan has always been pretty chatty when it comes to DC Comics films, and he's now revealed exactly how Zack Snyder intends to introduce Wonder Woman on the big screen. And frankly, if you thought for a second that she'd be made out of clay like her Golden Age origin, then you don't know jack about Hollywood or Snyder.  SPOILERS beyond this point, naturally.

According to Roven (via Badass Digest), they'll be going with the New 52 origin for Wonder Woman by making her a demigod. She'll be the daughter of Zeus and Queen Hippolyta, so her origins in Greek myth won't be completely abandoned. While I can understand why some may like her original origin, which had her molded out of clay, imbued with divine attributes and the soul of the unborn child of the first woman ever murdered by a man. But that's too "busy" of a story for a Hollywood feature, especially when Marvel has shown us that people dig powerful superhero gods thanks to the Thor movies. Keep it simple, folks.

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Toby Kebbell Joins 'Ben-Hur'; 'King Arthur' Adds Astrid Berges-Frisbey; Jack Reynor goes to 'Sing Street'

 Toby Kebbell seems to have found his niche playing baddies. He was the crap-starter in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes earlier this year, and will play Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four. Now he's joining Timur Bekmambetov's Ben-Hur remake as chief backstabber, Messala. Jack Huston stars as the titular nobleman who is betrayed by his friend Messala and put into slavery where there will be chariot races, gladiator fights, and training by Morgan Freeman.  Ben-Hur opens February 26th 2016. [Variety]

She played the apple of Michael Pitt's eye in I Origins, and now Astrid Berges-Frisbey will be the King Arthur's lady love Guinevere in Guy Ritchie's Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur. We all know that she eventually will leave him for the dashing Lancelot, but in this film, the first of a six-part franchise, her relationship with Arthur will be in the beginning stages. Idris Elba is also on board as Arthur's mentor, Bedivere. [THR]

John Carney (Once, Begin Again) has added Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction), Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones), and Maria Doyle Kennedy (The Tudors) to his latest musical, Sing Street, which features music by U2's Bono and The Edge. The story follows "a 14-year-old named Cosmo growing up in 1980’s recession-hit Dublin who must break free of a home strained by his parents’ relationship and money troubles, deal with his drop-out older brother’s antics, and survive a new public school where the kids are rough and the brothers are tougher."

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Jack Huston is 'Ben-Hur' in Timbur Bekmambetov's Remake

Most will recognize Jack Huston for his role as killer Richard Harrow on HBO's Boardwalk Empire, but he's quickly becoming known for his work on the big screen. He played Jack Kerouac in the underrated Kill Your Darlings, and found a spot in the star-studded American Hustle, romancing none other than Jennifer Lawrence. And more potential blockbusters have followed with Huston landing a lead role in Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, and now he's set to join Morgan Freeman in the upcoming remake of Ben-Hur.

Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) is directing the redo of the Charlton Heston classic, which will center on the blood feud between falsely-accused nobleman Judah Ben-Hur and his former best friend, Messala who has him thrown into slavery. The most recent draft of the script was written by Academy Award-winner John Ridley (12 Years a Slave), and will parallel Ben-Hur's story with that of Jesus Christ. Tom Hiddleston had been up eying the Ben-Hur role but he seems to be out. Huston had been testing for Messala until Bekmambetov decided he'd be a better fit for the lead.

This version will stick closer to Lew Wallace's novel than the 1959 film, which one eleven Academy Awards including Best Actor for Heston. It was a huge production for the time and this one promises to be even bigger with a special effects wiz like Bekmambetov behind the camera.

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George Clooney Cameos in 'Downton Abbey', Morgan Freeman Joins 'Ben-Hur', Chris Cooper Boards 'Demolition'

Downton Abbey probably doesn't need the boost, but they've just secured a sure ratings win this Christmas when George Clooney makes a cameo appearance on the show. Clooney will play "an American character who is a guest at a wedding in the country estate". Clooney, who is reportedly a huge fan of the show, is doing all of this as part of a charity fundraiser Text Santa for ITV. Will this make me want to watch the period drama for the first time ever? No, but others probably will. [The Guardian]

Morgan Freeman has joined Timur Bekmambetov's upcoming Ben-Hur remake which has Tom Hiddleston eying the lead role. Unsurprisingly, Freeman is set to play Ben-Hur's mentor/trainer, Ildarin, who helps the wrongfully enslaved nobleman rise up against his captors and get revenge on his former best friend. Freeman can be seen in theaters now in Dolphin Tale 2, and recently signed on for Ted 2. Ben-Hur is set to open February 26th 2016.

Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club, Wild) is putting together the pieces to his next film, Demolition, and has just added a terrific supporting actor in Chris Cooper. The August: Osage County star joins Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts in the story of  "a young investment banker struggling to understand his emotional unraveling after the tragic death of his wife, when, suddenly a woman he meets in a chance encounter changes his life forever."[Deadline]

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Tom Hiddleston Could Be 'Ben-Hur' in Remake

As Loki in Marvel's Thor and Avengers movies Tom Hiddleston has quickly ascended to fan favorite, although he remains something of an unknown quantity as a box office draw. With leading roles in Ben Wheatley's High-Rise and Guillermo Del Toro's Crimson Peak that could change real soon, and if not then strapping into a chariot for the remake of Ben-Hur should do the trick.

MGM and Paramount are eying Hiddleston for the title role in Ben-Hur, an adaptation of Lew Wallace's novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ. Of course most people know the story from the 1959 film starring Charlton Heston in one of his defining performance, but this version is said to hew closer to the book and follow the feud between Judah Ben-Hur and his former best friend Messala, whose betrayal allowed him to be sold into slavery. Oscar-winning writer John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) wrote the most recent script for Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) to direct and Son of God producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey to produce.

No deal is in place yet as Hiddleston is considering other offers from MGM that are on a smaller scale. One of those is Me Before You, which features a script by The Way Back writer Keith Clarke. [Deadline]

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Release Dates: 'Transformers 5' and 'Star Trek 3' in 2016, 'Bourne 5' Moved to Same Year

Michael Bay told us Transformers: Age of Extinction was the start of a new trilogy with Mark Wahlberg basically confirming it, and now we see Paramount taking steps to prepare for the franchise's future. Whether that will include Bay's direction is still kind of up in the air, but we do know the film will arrive in 2016.

The announcement was made today at CineEurope that not only will Transformers 5 arrive that year, but the studio will be going sequel and remake crazy in 2016 with Star Trek 3, Beverly Hills Cop, G.I. Joe 3, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2, and Paranormal Activity 5, which apparently won't come out in 2014 after all. They will also release Timur Bekmambetov's remake of Ben-Hur that same year. Star Trek 3 recently gained a director in longtime screenwriter Roberto Orci, and the plan to release it in 2016 coincides with plans to have the film ready by the franchise's 50th anniversary.

Over on the Universal lot, they've bumped the fifth 'Bourne' film eleven months to July 15th 2016. Justin Lin recently came aboard to direct the returning Jeremy Renner, reprising his role from The Bourne Legacy as super-agent Aaron Cross. [THR]

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Sure Shots: Kid Cudi; 'Ben-Hur'; 'The Odyssey'

* Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi is the latest to join the cast of Need for Speed, the video game adaptation directed by Scott Waugh(Act of Valor). Already starring Adrian Paul, Imogen Poots, and Dominic Cooper, the film won't be based on any particular game in the franchise, but will be faithful to the series while celebrating the great car movies of the 1970s. Cudi's role is unclear at this point, but I doubt it'll require much in the way of acting. Probably more driving skill will be called for. [Deadline]

* Guess what's getting a reboot courtesy of MGM? Ben-Hur, the 11-time Oscar winning Charlton Heston classic, that's what. The studio is picked up a spec script by Keith Clarke(The Way Back) adapting Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The story will follow the early years of Judah Ben-Hur and his childhood friend Messala, the latter betraying him and selling the former into slavery. That leads to a whole mess of chariot races and stuff. This one will differ from the 1959 film in that it will also tell the parallel story of Jesus Christ, who Ben-Hur meets on numerous occasions. There's still no director attached, but you know MGM wants their own slice of the Christian audience pie. [Deadline]

* While U.S. audiences mostly shrugged it off, Warner Bros. found greater success overseas with their Homeric adaptation, Troy. Now they're dipping back into the well again by taking on Homer's The Odyssey, only it'll be set in space courtesy of writer James DiLapo. Oi vei this sounds horrible. The original story followed King Odysseus' dangerous journey home after the events of The Illiad, facing down monstrous threats while at home his wife is being pursued by potential suitors. Brad Pitt, who played Achilles in Troy, was attached to this film at one point, but has since moved on. [Deadline]

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