Stephen Root is one of those actors you’ve probably seen a million times in movies and TV shows, but might not recognize walking down the street.
I absolutely loved his turn as dysfunctional Eddie on HBO’s “True Blood,” and he’s done a slew of other projects, including “King of the Hill,” “No Country for Old Men,” and the upcoming film “The Men Who Stare at Goats.”
Root’s been cast in two upcoming films, Fox Searchlight’s "Cedar Rapids" and Robert Redford’s latest drama, "The Conspirator."
In "Rapids," Root joins Ed Helms, Anne Heche and John C. Reilly, playing the owner …read more

Summit Entertainment’s “Red” is gathering cast members as I write this. In negotiations are Julian McMahon (pictured – nice hat!), Ernest Borgnine (he’s 92!), Richard Dreyfuss and Brian Cox.
Robert Schwentke is directing the film, based on a miniseries from Wildstorm/DC Comics. Bruce Willis is already on board to play a former black ops agent (is it just me, or does he always play these types of characters?), now retired and dealing with younger, more high-tech assassins who show up to kill him.
Here’s the rundown on the other characters:

Julian McMahon: a Vice President with a dark side who’s …read more

“Source Code” is collecting players and producers, and it’s looking like a fine team so far.
Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to star in the sci-fi thriller about a soldier who wakes up in the body of a commuter and must solve the mystery of a train explosion.
Philippe Rousselet and Mark Gordon are set to produce, but I’m most excited about the director – Duncan Jones who directed this year’s sleeper sci-fi hit, “Moon.”
If you haven’t seen that movie yet, check it out. It’s a real twisty-turny space odyssey, with similarities to “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Oh, by …read more

“The Tourist” is set for a 2011 release date, but it’s still collecting cast members at this point.
The latest word is that Johnny Depp is in talks to sign, replacing Sam Worthington, who replaced Tom Cruise. If it’s a go, Depp will play an American tourist who’s used by an Interpol agent to flush out a criminal with whom she once had an affair.
The agent will be played by Angelina Jolie, which would make for an awesome pairing with Depp. I’m trying to think if they’ve ever done a movie, and nothing comes to mind. If not, …read more

It’s been known for a while that Dylan Baker will reprise his role as Dr. Curt Connors in “Spider-Man 4,” allowing some of us to hope that The Lizard might emerge as Peter Parker’s newest foe.
But what about the villains we already know and love? Like Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin? Ok, sure he “died” at the end of the first “Spider-Man” movie, but he managed to appear in the two sequels as an apparition in a mirror, seen by his son, Harry.
While Dafoe says that “no one’s called” to ask if he’d be in the upcoming “Spider-Man 4,” he’s …read more

Fans of “Lord of the Rings” have been speculating on who would be back for the two-film “Hobbit” prequel, scheduled to hit theaters Dec. 2011 and Dec. 2012. Will Ian McKellen be back as Gandalf? And what about the creature Gollum? Will the pivotal role once again be played by Andy Serkis?
We’ve got our answer for at least one of the characters. John Rhys-Davies will not be back as the dwarf Gimli or any other dwarf, for that matter. But probably not for the reasons you think.

In an interview with Empire, he talked about the severe allergic …read more

Remember when Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire were on the TV show “Parenthood”? Yeah, me neither. But apparently, they were. There’s proof in the photo, courtesy of NBC.
Now they might be teaming again, because rumor has it they’re in talks to star in a remake of the 1949 classic “The Third Man.”
Here’s the plot: After arriving in post-WWII Vienna, Holly Martins learns that his friend Harry Lime, who invited him, was involved in a car accident. When Martin starts investigating the death, he finds out more than he bargained for.
“Eastern Promises” writer Steven Knight is rumored …read more

Mad Max certainly has come a long way since 1979 – 30 years ago! – when Mel Gibson inhabited him for the princely sum of $15,000.
George Miller has written, directed and/or produced all the “Mad Max” movies, and he’s at it again. Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy are rumored to be in talks for “Mad Max: Road Fury,” looking at a 2011 release date.
The Hollywood Reporter is now reporting that the movie will film Down Under next year in Sydney and outback New South Wales. Warner Brothers yanked “Green Lantern” off the continent, so maybe this movie and its …read more

Viggo Mortensen has done some interesting films since his “Lord of the Rings” days as Aragorn. Lots of loner-type roles, like Frank Hopkins in “Hidalgo,” Tom Stall in “A History of Violence,” Nikolai in “Eastern Promises,” and Everett Hitch in “Appaloosa.”
In his next film, “The Road,” he plays a man trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world with his son. Together, the pair tries to defend themselves against cannibals stalking the streets. Sounds very … dark.
The film also stars Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, and Robert Duvall, and opens in theaters Nov. 25, 2009. So it looks like he’ll …read more

I’ve been a fan of Evan Rachel Wood’s going back to when she starred as Jessie Sammler in the TV series “Once and Again.”  So I’ve been following her successful movie and TV career with delight.
Most recently, she starred as the Vampire Queen in HBO’s “True Blood” and in the feature films “Whatever Works” and 2008’s “The Wrestler.”
Now she’s joined the cast of the Robert Redford-directed film "The Conspirator," which begins shooting this month in Georgia. It’s a historical drama about a Confederate sympathizer who was tried as a conspirator in the Lincoln assassination and the man …read more