Cinematical

• A Glance at 'The Wrestler'
  

  Filed under: Drama, Independent, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips

  
  
  

  I was remiss in posting this when it popped up via CHUD a few days ago -- but with The Wrestlerwinning the Golden Lion in Venice this week, it's as good a time as any. The buzz on this film is growing by the second, awards for Darren Aronofsky and Mickey Rourke probably wait in the wings, and all the critics who slammed poor Aronofsky as having lost his way with The Fountain are his number one fans again. (What do...
  



• Mark Strong Joins 'Sherlock Holmes' -- Russell Crowe Still In?
  

  Filed under: Action, Classics, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, Warner Brothers, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels

  Well, forget what I said about the buzz being off -- once Guy Ritchie hit the red carpet, Sherlock Holmesnews started popping up everywhere. According to ComingSoon.net, Robert Downey Jr. finally has someone else to act with: Mark Strong. This is more of a confirmation than a surprise, really. When it comes to casting rumors, score one for Digital Spy! They had this weeks ago from Ritchie at BFI Movie-Con. (Internet: 1, Australian Print Press: 0.)
  
  Ritchie is tight-lipped as to who Strong...
  



• Spike Lee Moves Forward on 'Inside Man 2'
  

  Filed under: Drama, Deals, Mystery & Suspense, Fandom, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels

  
  
  Funny, too, because my friends and I were just discussing Inside Man last night. My good pal has a thing for when Denzel yells, "This ain't no robbery!" -- and for some odd reason, he's always saying it (in Denzel's voice). Everyone has THAT quote-crazy friend, ya know? But anyway, The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Spike Lee is moving forward with a sequel to Inside Man over at Universal -- a project that's been in the works for awhile now, but took a backseat...
  



• Mark Cuban Picking Up 'Che'?
  

  Filed under: Deals, Distribution, Newsstand, Politics, Oscar Watch

  The New York Post ran a little piece yesterday about hearing a rumor that Mark Cuban's Magnolia pictures has signed to distribute Steven Soderbergh's Che, which James and I saw at Cannes and very much enjoyed. I emailed Cuban earlier to ask whether the rumor is true, and got back from him "working on it," which to me sounds very promising. Cuban's a smart guy and he's not afraid to take risks; now he'll just have to figure out how to package and market the damn thing.

  Many of us who loved the film at Cannes pondered...
  




• Robert DeNiro Drops 'Edge of Darkness'
  

  Filed under: Drama, Independent, Thrillers, Casting, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels

  The water surrounding Edge of Darkness was already rather tepid -- I'm going by the comments here on Cinematical, and the dutiful, but unenthusiastic reporting it's attracted. Were it 1996, and Mel Gibson was still everyone's favorite action star, the buzz would be something else.
  
  But now, the rumors might really start flying. Variety reports that Robert DeNiro has abruptly left the production, which has been shooting since August 18th, though this was his first week on set. The only word came from...
  



• Maguire and Raimi Back for Spider-Man 4 and 5!?
  

  Filed under: Action, Casting, RumorMonger, Fandom, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

  
  
  Though nothing has been made official yet, Nikki Finke over at Deadline Hollywood says the deal is done to bring both Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi back for Spider-Man 4 and 5. Not only that, but Finke also claims the exclusive on a story we broke right here at Cinematical months ago (thanks for the credit Nikki) -- that Sony plans to shoot both films back to back, not just because it's cheaper, but also because we were informed that James Vanderbilt's (Zodiac)...
  



• Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany Debate 'Creation'
  

  Filed under: Drama, Independent, Casting, Deals, Celebrities and Controversy, Scripts, Newsstand, Religious

  Acting couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly must have decided that life would be too calm after November 2008 -- so they have signed to play Charles and Emma Darwin in Creation. Yes, the Darwins. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will be directed by Jon Amiel, from a script penned by John Collee, and based on Randal Keynes' book Annie's Box. (Keynes is Darwin's great-great grandson.) The film will portray Charles Darwin as a man torn between his love for his deeply...
  



• Gerard Butler Says 'No' to 300 Prequel/Sequel ... Again
  

  Filed under: Action, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, War

  Gerard Butler may have once sported the greatest eight-pack in the history of mankind, but his punishment for it (besides all the puking and crying I assume happened in the shaping of it) will be to answer questions about a 300 spin-off until the end of his career.
  
  While at the Toronto Film Festival, where many of my lucky colleagues are, Butler was asked again about the franchise potential of 299 dead Spartans by Superhero Hype. "I've heard some backroom chatter, but nothing more, so I don't...
  



• BREAKING: 'Ghostbusters 3' is (Maybe) ON!
  

  Filed under: Action, Comedy, Deals, Fandom, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels

  We've stayed away from all the Ghostbusters rumors these past couple days because last time we crossed this road, we were told nothing existed. Well, seems that's not at all true: Variety reports that Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (The Office, Year One) have been asked to write a script for a Ghostbusters sequel (reported earlier today by Pajiba.com) that may or may not "pass the torch to a new group of ghost chasers." Funnily enough -- and even though he flat out told us he had nothing to...
  



• The Russo Brothers Travel to 'Ciudad'
  

  Filed under: Action, Drama, Thrillers, Deals, Paramount, Scripts, Newsstand

  After the unpleasantness that was You, Me and Dupree, Anthony and Joe Russo are looking to explore a different kind of darkness -- the gritty and corrupt city of Ciudad del Este. According to Variety, they're set to direct Ciudad, which will be based on a graphic novel they're writing for Oni Press.
  
  The story will follow a battered hostage negotiator, who travels to Paraguay and the above mentioned city to rescue a kidnap victim. They've been researching the story for years, traveling to crime-infested cities across the world to flesh it...