John Krasinski Joins Benghazi Drama '13 Hours'; Emily Blunt Eyes Villain Role in 'The Huntsman'

Husband and wife duo John Krasinski and Emily Blunt made for quite the gorgeous couple at the Critics Choice Awards earlier this week as she won for Best Actress in an Action Movie. He wouldn't let me get close enough to snag a picture and I'll forever hold a grudge over that, but it won't stop me from checking out the new films they've lined up.

A few months ago we learned uber-patriot Michael Bay would be taking on the Benghazi attack with 13 Hours, an adaptation of Mitchell Zuckoff's book that would follow "the six-man security team that fought to defend the many Americans stationed at the U.S. State Department Special Mission Compound in Benghazi after it was attacked on Sept. 11, 2012." Krasinski is set to lead the film as security operator Jack Silva, which is a pseudonym for Zuckoff. Hopefully the film sticks to the facts and steers clear of the lies perpetuated by those with political agendas.  [THR]

And Emily Blunt could take on another action movie as she's in talks to join Chris Hemsworth in The Huntsman, a spinoff of Snow White and the Huntsman. She'd take on a villainous turn as The Snow Queen, the twin sister to Charlize Theron's evil Ravenna. There's one major problem, though, and it's the sudden departure of director Frank Darabont who left over creative differences. Universal has a replacement in mind and the film should still hit the target April 22nd 2016 release date. [TheWrap/Deadline]

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Kristen Stewart Won't Return for 'Snow White and the Huntsman' Sequel; Frank Darabont to Direct

Although there wasn't exactly an audience clamoring for a sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman, the film made around $400M and that was enough for Universal to get moving on one. With the prior movie getting splashed all over the tabloids because of director Rupert Sanders' affair with Kristen Stewart, word started to spread that neither would be brought back for the sequel and Chris Hemsworth's character would become the focus. And now as a director has come aboard for the film newly titled The Huntsman, those rumors have proven to be true.

According to THR, Frank Darabont has been confirmed as director of The Huntsman, which will see the return of Hemsworth and Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen. Darabont had been on a shortlist that included Gavin O'Connor and Andy Muschietti, and this will be his first time behind the camera since 2007's The Mist. He also had a hand in developing the script for Godzilla, and was the original showrunner on AMC's The Walking Dead. He's still probably best known as director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.

Stewart is definitely out although the studio had steadfastly denied for months that she was leaving the franchise.There has yet to be any information on why she has left the franchise. Did the studio push her out? Or has she again grown weary of the media firestorm that surrounds major studio tentpoles? She's certainly been focusing her energy in a different direction of late, starring in Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria and the GITMO drama, Camp X-Ray, both of which are expected to debut later this year. 

Universal expects to release The Huntsman in 2015.

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'Snow White and the Huntsman' Sequel Director Shortlist Includes Gavin O'Connor, Frank Darabont, & Andy Muschietti

Despite the first moving only being memorable for the scandalous tryst between Kristen Stewart and director Rupert Sanders, Universal long ago decided to push forward on a Snow White and the Huntsman sequel. $400M worldwide apparently buys sequels to forgettable movies nowadays, and with Sanders definitely out (what's he been doing lately?) a handful of new contenders are being sought to replace him.

Deadline reports Gavin O'Connor, Frank Darabont, and Andres "Andy" Muschietti are on the short list to helm the fairy tale sequel, which will miss its proposed 2015 date and target 2016 instead. O'Connor last directed MMA flick Warrior and rode to the rescue on Jane Got a Gun, while Darabont pitched in on the Godzilla screenplay. The last film he directed was Stephen King adaptation, The Mist, which is campy and awful in all the best ways. Muschietti is the relatively new guy who made a splash with last year's surprise horror, Mama. He recently dropped out of directing The Mummy reboot so he may be looking for something to take its place.

Nobody's really begging for this movie to happen at all so don't be surprised if Universal takes their time trying to get it right. Besides, they'll have to wait until Chris Hemsworth is done swinging a hammer in Avengers: Age of Ultron before he ever picks up his axe.

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Frank Darabont Piles On, Calls 'Indiana Jones' Rumors "Inaccurate"

Hey, everybody dog pile on the Indiana Jones rumors! A few days ago the Internet proper blew up when a rumor surfaced that Disney was looking to recast Indiana Jones in a fifth film, possibly with Bradley Cooper in the title role. Part of that debunked story, originating at Latino Review, also said that Frank Darabont (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, The Shawshank Redemption) had pitched an idea for the film to Disney. Well now Darabont has responded to that, telling AICN that it's pure bupkiss.

Darabont: "This is an internet rumor with not a shred of truth in it. I have not pitched an idea for a proposed Indiana Jones movie, nor has anybody approached me with such an idea. The inaccurate report on Latino Review was the first I'd heard of it."

Bam! Calling out the site by name, too. Chances are Darabont is telling the truth here, but we know Disney is going to get around to a new Indiana Jones movie at some point. We also know that Harrison Ford won't be around forever and someone else is going to don the fedora. It just may be awhile before we see that happen. 

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Rumor: Disney Eying Bradley Cooper as the Next Indiana Jones

When Disney swallowed up Lucasfilm and the rights to Star Wars, the natural assumption was they would also get cracking on a new Indiana Jones adventure. But that didn't happen, with Disney CEO Alan Horn stating quite simply "We haven’t done anything. We don’t have  a story. We need a story.” It was some time later that Disney gave all of those Indy fans hope by acquiring the rights to all future Indiana Jones movies, but still there's been no movement on a fifth film even though Harrison Ford is eager to do one.

That could all be about to change if the latest bombshell rumor is true. According to Latino Review, Disney recognizes the window of opportunity to get moving on a new Indiana Jones film with Ford is closing fast. The actor is in his 70s now and is expected to return for Star Wars: Episode VII and (possibly) a new Blade Runner film, meaning there are only so many action movies left for him. The story goes if they don't start production on it by a specific date, then they'll move on to somebody else as the wise-cracking adventurer. Are we talking reboot, here? Well, not exactly.

Instead, the plan would be to recast Indy the same way James Bond has been recast over the years. And apparently tops on Disney's list to take over the role is Bradley Cooper. He's just one of a few names they are considering at this point, and it doesn't sound as if any formal talks have begun with anybody. George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Ford had come to an agreement on what the next story should be, but that was a long time ago before Disney got into the mix. Now they're basically starting from scratch, with a pitch apparently coming from Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption).

Basically, what we have is Bradley Cooper ending up on a wishlist for a film we know Disney is going to make at some point. The Indiana Jones franchise is too profitable to let sit in limbo for much longer.

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'Godzilla' gets rewrite; Henry Cavill, Scoot McNairy, Caleb Landry Jones on shortlist while Joseph Gordon-Levitt passes

This will probably come as no surprise to you, but Legendary Pictures wanted Joseph Gordon-Levitt to star in their upcoming Godzilla film. Everybody wants the guy for something, and his name has been kicked around for everything from Justice League to Guardians of the Galaxy. According to THR, he turned down the role last year, but that's just the start of what's been a notable day in the development of the film.

Along with that news comes word that Frank Darabont, late of AMC's The Walking Dead, has been brought on to do a quick rewrite of the script, which last had Drew Pearce punching up the original draft by Max Borenstein. Not a big deal, Darabont's a great writer, as anyone who has seen The Shawshank Redemption knows. Pearce had been brought on to "age up" the character a little bit, so maybe Darabont is tackling another aspect? It's hard to say since we know so little about the plot other than Godzilla smashing buildings and stuff.

I don't like to deal in legal matters, but that's where things seem to be headed for producers Dan Lin and Roy Lee, who Legendary have booted off the film for refusing to take a reduced fee. Legenary has exercised a clause in the contract, basically paying the two to simply go away. This probably won't effect the production or anything, especially since a March start date is still being planned, but it just goes to show there are plenty of fireworks behind-the-scenes.

The ball is still rolling, and to prove it Variety says that there are three other contenders up for roles in the film. Future Man of Steel Henry Cavill is on the list of contenders, along with Caleb Landry Jones(X-men: First Class) and the red hot Scoot McNairy(Argo). Cavill is said to be the studio pick, while Jones and McNairy are creative choices. Makes sense, considering McNairy and director Gareth Evans came up together with Monsters. I can't believe all three, or four if you include JGL, were vying for the same part.

We'll find out something more concrete soon, definitely. Godzilla opens on May 26th 2014. [Deadline]

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Trailer Time: The Walking Dead

You'll find no bigger fans of Robert Kirkman's epic horror comic book series, The Walking Dead, than us here at Punch Drunk Critics. For those who've never read a single issue, it's basically everything that happens once a George Romero flick ends. It's about a group of people trying to survive, in some cases raise children, in a world that has been nearly wiped out by a horde of flesh eating zombies. The series is known for it's crazy twists, and the tenuous of every character's life. To say that no character is safe in The Walking Dead is an understatement.

So when we heard that Frank Darabont, director of The Shawshank Redemption, was bringing it to the small screen we nearly crapped our pants. At Comic-Con we got a look at a bootlegged copy of the first trailer, which calmed any fears I had that the zombie design would be cheap in appearance. It's not. This could be a movie it looks so good.

Now we have that same trailer in all it's official glory. We also got a start date of October 31st during AMC's annual Fearfest. The six-episode first season will be kicked off with a 90 minute episode. Creator Robert Kirkman will be writing episode 4.

Check out the trailer below, and as always let us know what you think of it. Are you excited for The Walking Dead?

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First set pics 'The Walking Dead'

I know usually we don't cover TV here, but I couldn't ignore this one. Firstly because it's probably my favorite graphic novel/comic of all time, secondly it's being done by Frank Darabont...so that gives it some cred. For those uninitiated The Walking Dead is about a group of survivors, centering on Rick Grimes a former sheriff, after a zombie apocalypse. Yes, it does sound like every other zombie flick/book/comic you've ever seen but the story that winds through these pages is rich, deep, and provoking. If Darabont is able to take Robert Kirkman's wonderful story and successfully adapt it to the small screen, well then, we're talking the first zombie related emmy nominations in history. If you are at all a fan of comics I suggest picking up The Walking Dead asap, you can find it in grouped packages (read: cheaper) on amazon or if you're not the comic type I highly suggest you keep your eyes peeled during the month of October. AMC will be playing the mini-series during FearFest this year. I'm just curious to see where they stop it...as of right now the story isn't even complete in the comics, they are still releasing new issues every month. Ah well, we shall see.

Rick Grimes as played by Andrew Lincoln:

UPDATE: More set pics thanks to AICN.com. I'm ecstatic at the quality they are putting in to this series!!

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