MAMA Director Andrés Muschietti Will Helm Sony's SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS

Deadline has word that Argentine director Andrés Muschietti (Mama) has been hired by Sony to helm their video game film Shadow of The Colossus. The film has a script from Hanna writer Seth Lochhead and will be produced by Mama producer/co-writer Barbara Muschietti. The game synopsis is as follows.

The protagonist of the original action-adventure game is a young man who thinks his lover has died. Desperate to bring her back, he heads into a forbidden land, and summons a demon who can wake the dead. The price for bringing back his girl: slay 16 colossi that dominate this mystical place.

Josh Trank was originally set to direct but left when he was called-up to direct Fox's Fantastic Four reboot and an untitled Star Wars film for Disney. Andrés was once attached to direct The Mummy remake for Universal, but eventually left that project.



SOURCE: DEADLINE

Rooney Mara And Adeel Akhtar Joining Joe Wright's PAN

Casting for Joe Wright's (Hanna) Peter Pan origin film Pan is currently underway. TheWrap reports that Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) is in talks to play Tiger Lilly and comedian Adeel Akhtar (Four Lions, The Dictator) has joined taking the role of Hook's fellow pirate buddy Smee. Previously, additions included Garrett Hedlund playing a young Captain Hook, while Hugh Jackman will play a villainous Blackbeard. A search is going out to find a young actor to play Peter Pan.


SOURCE: THEWRAP

Saoirse Ronan Reading For Role In STAR WARS: EPISODE VII And Benedict Cumberbatch Locked-In For Trilogy?

LatinoReview is reporting that Irish actress Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, Atonement, The Host) is reading for a role in Star Wars: Episode VII. Recently, she turned down roles in both Disney's Cinderella and Marvel's Age of Ultron. It's possible Disney has bigger plans for her within their Star Wars franchise. The site reports along with Jania Solo there is a female villain role also being cast.

Also, even though Benedict Cumberbatch (12 Years A Slave, Fifth Estate, War Horse, Hobbit Trilogy, Star Trek Into Darkness, Sherlock) has been denying any involvement with Star Wars. LR reiterates he's expected to have roles in all three films and sounds like Ben is locked-in. The actor has been linked for the main villainous sith role which is expected to be a Vader-type that could span the new trilogy.

Aaron Johnson Front-Runner For Quicksilver In AVENGERS 2

TheWrap is reporting that British actor Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass 1-2, Godzilla, Anna Karenina, Savages) is the front-runner to play Quicksilver in Joss Whedon's Avengers 2. Recently, Bryan Singer cast Aaron's Kick-Ass co-star Evan Peters in the same role in X-Men Days of Future Past. However, since both Fox and Marvel share the character rights (Scarlet Witch and Qucksilver) they are eligible to hire different actors to play them. There was some question if they would have the same pair of actors play the roles in both films but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Aaron Johnson was actually in the running for a role in X-Men First Class. Which was likely Hank McCoy/Beast that ended up going to Nicholas Hoult (who was championed by then producer Bryan Singer). There was also speculation Johnson was in the mix for Cyclops or even Gambit but neither characters ended in First Class. Aaron was also a possible candidate for Peter Parker in Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man but role ultimately went to Andrew Garfield. So it's likely he's keen on a Marvel role it's just finding the right one. Marvel is rumored to be looking at Irish actress Saoirse Ronan (Hanna) for the role of Scarlet Witch.

Joss Whedon Confims Scarlet Witch And Quicksilver For Avengers 2, Saoirse Ronan The Model For Casting Witch?

What started off as a strong rumor has been confirmed by the man himself. As Joss Whedon confirms the inclusion of brother/sister Avenger members Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver for the upcoming sequel. Speaking to IGN Joss gave some insight into the reason for including them. While nothing is confirmed it's possible the duo could end up replacing Hawkeye and Black Widow. There had been a bit of backlash from including the non-traditional Avengers members since they didn't actually have powers.

“You know, they had a rough beginning. They’re interesting to me because they sort of represent the part of the world that wouldn’t necessarily agree with The Avengers. So they’re not there to make things easier. I’m not putting any characters in the movie that will make things easier.”

Oddly enough, Irish actress Saoirse Ronan is being mentioned (via SuperheroHype) as the blueprint for Scarlet Witch. This could mean that Marvel is looking for an actress in her late teens or early 20's for the part. Ronan is best known for her powerful Oscar nominated role in Atonement (shot by Avengers director of photography Seamus McGarvey) and The Lovely Bones. Not to mention her highly stylized adrenaline fueled action flick Hanna. That latter role almost helped her land the female lead as Elf warrior Tauriel in The Hobbit trilogy. Her name being out there does give large expectations that Ronan herself could walk away with the new role. Factoring in her body of work and past experience with stunt/action sequences. Similar to how past stunt training helped Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista land their roles in Guardians of The Galaxy. It's also possible that both Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver actors could show up in future X-Men films such as X-Men Days of Future Past. Since the rights to the characters are shared between Marvel and Fox. Saorise worked with James McAvoy (who plays the young Charles Xavier) in Atonement, so that connection might come into play as well.

Joe Wright Will Direct Neil Gaiman's THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE Next

Deadline reports that director Joe Wright's (Hanna, Anna Karenia) next film will be based on the upcoming Neil Gaiman (Coraline, Stardust, Sandman) novel The Ocean At The End of The Lane.

The narrator describes a tale that begins when he was seven and a lodger stole the family’s car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and a menace unleashed — within his family, and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it. His only defense is three women, on a ramshackle farm at the end of the lane.

Saoirse Ronan And Matt Smith Join Ryan Gosling's HOW TO CATCH A MONSTER Starring Christina Hendricks

Deadline reports that Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, Hanna) and Matt Smith (Doctor Who) have joined the cast of Ryan Gosling's directorial debut How To Catch A Monster. The rest of the cast includes Christina Hendricks (Drive, Mad Men) in the lead with Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom, Dark Knight Rises) and Eva Mendes (The Place Beyond The Pines) in supporting roles. The story is set against the dreamscape of a vanishing city where Hendricks’ character gets swept into a macabre fantasy underworld while her teenage son discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town.

Cate Blanchett Could Play Evil Stepmother In CINDERELLA

TheWrap reports that Cate Blanchett (Hobbit, Lord of The Rings, Hanna) is in talks to play the evil stepmother in Disney's live-action Cinderella film. She would be the first actor attached to the project from director Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go). It's yet another film in the trend of fairy tales blockbusters. Previously, we seen Snow White, Alice In Wonderland, Red Riding Hood (not successful) along with upcoming adaptations of Hansel And Gretel, Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) and Oz, The Great And Powerful.

Chemical Brothers To Score Now You See Me

ThePlaylist is reporting that the British electronic duo The Chemical Brothers will be creating the score for Louis Leterrier's (Incredible Hulk, Clash of The Titans) Now You See Me. The film focuses on a group of illusionists who are playing a game of cat-and-mouse with the FBI as they pull heists during their magic shows. It stars Mark Ruffalo (Avengers), Jesse Eisenberg (Social Network), Morgan Freeman (RED, Dark Knight Rises), Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds, Beginners), Woody Harrelson (Zombieland), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street) and Common (American Gangster, Wanted).

Most recently the group provided the song Don't Think for Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan which was used in the club scene. This lead to them getting hired by Joe Wright to create the entire score for Hanna which was a highlight soundtrack of 2011. It will be interesting to see if they're able to recreate the intense ambience they were able to with Hanna.

Saoirse Ronan Joins Disney's The Order Of The Seven

Variety has another big announcement in the fairy tale film genre. They report that Irish actress Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) has landed the lead in Disney's live-action take on Snow White. Ronan is no stranger to action as she played a ruthless killing machine in Hanna and a hitlady in Violet And Daisy. She was also mentioned as being in the running to play the female elf warrior in The Hobbit which ended going to Evangeline Lilly. The cast choice is spot on as the Oscar nominated actress has equal acting abilities matched with a psychical presence that the other actresses frankly haven't achieved so far. The film was written by Oscar nominated screenwriter Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine) along with rewrites from Jayson Rothwell and Michael DeBruyn. It will be directed by Michael Gracey doesn't seem to have any feature film credits. 

The Order of The Seven is an extreme overhaul of the original tale as it follows a young Englishwoman named Olivia Sinclair, who looks for the protection of an ancient order of warriors that has lost its way. The reason she needs protection is because an evil empress has begun her rise to power and Olivia needs the help of the fighters to take her down. Much like the original version, the story is still set in 19th century China and the warrior order will be a mixing pot of nationalities. To help foreign sales, Disney is planning on bringing aboard notable actors from China, Russia and Japan to play the order.

I love the sounds of this surprisingly enough. First, it scraps the hard to swallow character name Snow White replaced with Olivia Sinclair. Secondly, the goofy and comical dwarves are being replaced with hardened/legendary warriors. I assume that Disney might be looking to hire either seasoned actors from those mentioned countries or action stars. The multi-cultural warrior aspect almost feels like something out of Ong Bak 2, which is fine with me. This already seems to have separated itself from both Snow White And The Huntsman and the terrible looking Mirror, Mirror. It will be interesting to see what direction Disney ultimately goes with the tone of the film. Order could be visually stunning but at the same time cartoony like the successful Alice In Wonderland. Or, it could end up with a darker serious tone like Huntsman. My bet is that it could even be a mix of the two turing out to be more similar to the upcoming Hobbit.

Chemical Brothers To Score Hanna

FirstShowing is another film site covering the New York Comic-Con and was able to attend the Hanna panel. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as a teenage assassin (think La Femme Nikita) which also stars Eric Bana and Kate Blanchett. Director Joe Wright revealed that the Chemical Brothers would be scoring the entire film. It's something that caught my interest the same way when Disney brought on Daft Punk to score Tron Legacy.