Bryan Cranston Being Eyed For Role In Legendary's China-Set Epic GREAT WALL

Legendary's Great Wall is attracting some interesting talent. We last heard from Deadline that Matt Damon was trying to figure out his busy work load, to fit the project as he's keen to work with director Zhang Yimou. The pair almost teamed-up for the WWII drama The Flowers of War. A new development has risen as the site now reports Bryan Cranston is wanted for a leading role as well. Cranston previously worked on Legendary's Godzilla, and helped gain a lot of attention for it. Let's just hope this role allows Bryan to be feature in more than just the first act.

Another interesting bit of news concerning the project, is that the most recent draft of the script has been penned by Bourne franchise screenwriter Tony Gilroy. He also recently directed Jeremy Renner in the Bourne spin-off The Bourne Legacy. I assume this means we'll be getting some really exciting action sequences.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Matt Damon Might Lead Legendary's China-Set THE GREAT WALL

We recently heard that Universal was finally putting together deals that would see Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass make another Bourne film. Another bit of possible news coming Deadline, is that Damon is being eyed for the lead in Legendary Pictures (now with Universal) supernatural China-set The Great Wall. The film has legendary (fitting I know) Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of The Golden Flowers, Flowers of War) and has been looking for a lead for some time now.

They also mention that Damon is very interested in working with Yimou, since he was in talks to take the lead in Flowers of War. That role would go to Christian Bale instead. The only problem is that shooting Ridley Scott's The Martian, and this upcoming Bourne installment, could conflict with Great Wall's production.

Before Zhang signed-on, actors such as Henry Cavill (Man of Steel, The Man From UNCLE, Batman v Superman) and Benjamin Walker (Vampire Hunter) were attached for it. Ed Zwick (Last Samurai, Defiance, Blood Diamond, The Siege) was previously set as it's director, but will instead take a producer's credit.

The plot has been sort of kept a secret, but it would reveal the "true" reasons behind the wall's construction. I assume it could be monsters or demons, since China has a rich history of folklore. Let's just hope this turns out a bit better than Universal's disastrous re-imagining of The 47 Ronin. We know that the market in China for films is going to dwarf North America, so studios having their blockbusters set there is just smart. Chinese films have come along way in the last two decades, and usually are superior to what Hollywood has been grinding-out. I'm excited to see what a visionary like Yimou can do with Legendary handling it's production.



SOURCE: DEADLINE

RUMOR: Andy Lau Also In The Mix For 'IRON MAN 3'

So we've previously heard that impressive actors such as Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley have been in talks for roles in Iron Man 3. Now there is word from Twitch that Hong Kong actor Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs, House of Flying Daggers) is wanted by Disney's Chinese production partners. It would make sense considering production is heading to China and the film should include some talented Chinese actors. Twitch says that the role isn't The Mandarin but a scientist who outfits his friend Stark with tech that could help him fight Kingsley's character and the Extremis tech. They aren't too sure that the role will end up with Lau but the part is there and could be filled by a Chinese actor. I'm beyond excited by the sheer amount of characters that are going to be involved here, as Shane Black is excellent at ensembles.