Chiwetel Ejiofor And Sean Bean Join Ridley Scott's THE MARTAIN

Deadline is reporting that actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave, Children of Men) has landed a a part in Ridley Scott's The Martian. British badass Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Patriot Games, Goldeneye, Lord of The Rings, Ronin) will also have a role in the sci-fi flick. The rest of the cast includes Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Jeff Daniels and Donald Glover. I'm actually more excited for this project than the upcoming release of Exodus: Gods and Kings. 20th Century Fox has set the release date for November 25th, 2015.


SOURCE: DEADLINE

Alfonso Cuarón In Talks To Direct HARRY POTTER Spin-Off FANTASTIC BEASTS

NikkiFinke is about to make a comeback after being forced-out of Deadline, and she already has a decent scoop. She claims that Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Gravity) is now in talks to direct Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. A Harry Potter spin-off book written by J.K. Rowling and is said to be getting a trilogy treatment.

Alfonso had been rumored to be in the mix for future Star Wars films. Warner Bros. trying to lock him into these new Potter films would be a smart move, on their part. Cuarón is credited for directing the first mature installment of the Potter franchise with The Prisoner of Azkaban. Having him spearhead a new trilogy could make for something worth getting excited.

SOURCE: NIKKIFINKE

MGM Will Help GK FIlms Make The TOMB RAIDER Reboot, Will Olivia Wilde Or Camilla Luddington Play Lara Croft With Mark Fergus Directing?

Deadline reports that MGM has purchased the film rights to GK Films' Tomb Raider reboot. The film has been in development for a couple of years now with a script from Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Iron Man, Children of Men, Akira). The new film will have more in common with the recent game which reboots the entire franchise in a more grounded world. CinePop had reported on a rumor that Olivia Wilde (Tron Legacy) had been linked for the role of Lara Croft and screenwriter Mark Fergus (First Snow) for the director's chair. However, that was back in 2011 things could have chanced since then.

It's possible the studio could look to actress Camilla Luddington (Californication) who did all the voice and motion capture for new the game. The rebooted origin from the game will be the basis for the new films. She could develop into a franchise star such as Chris Hemsworth was for Thor. Since the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider brand might be big enough to sell the film without a massively well known actress in role.

Could Alfonso Cuarón Direct STAR WARS EPISODE VIII?

MarketSaw has been one of the only non-trades on the pulse of the new Star Wars trilogy. They were the first ones to actually announce the new trilogy back in 2009 and took it on the chin because LucasFilm didn't confirm the news for ages. They also revealed the directors list for Episode VII which included runner-up Matthew Vaughn who was confirmed to have pitched to LucasFilm. Another name on that list was Alfonso Cuarón. The site is reporting that Alfonso is now lining-up to direct Episode VIII, Episode IX or both. If true,  J.J. Abrams might only be around for Episode VII.

The director is best known for the dystopian thriller Children of Men and his much more mature Harry Potter installment The Prisoner of Azkaban. His anticipated sci-fi thriller Gravity starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney will finally be released later this year. Alfonso Cuarón was reported back in September to be working with J.J. Abrams on an untitled supernatural/superpower series for NBC, which Alfonso would co-write/direct the pilot. It's very likely the relationship with Abrams has grown since along with the fact that Cuarón had been on LucasFilms' radar. We should keep in mind that three different directors made the original trilogy. It could be the studio is also aiming for a darker film with Episode VIII similar to Empire Strikes Back. Having Cuarón directing could find the right amount of darkness for a PG-13 film.