The Amazing Spiderman, which was filming on campus this past weekend, gets better with the addition of Dylan Baker (Happiness, Thirteen Days) as Dr. Curt Conners, a.k.a. The Lizard. Chameleon-like character actors like Baker and Alfred Molina are definitely preferable as villains than the hammy A-listers WB brought to the Batman films. Let’s just hope they find a way in Baker’s makeup to atone for the idiotic decision to put a mask on Willem DeFoe the first time around.
Category: Casting
Rising from a Ring of Fire.
While Todd Haynes works on getting his Bob Dylan biopic off the ground, MTV has a scoop about the Man In Black: Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon will play Johnny Cash and June Carter respectively in the forthcoming Walk the Line, to be directed by Girl, Interrupted‘s James Mangold. I’ll give it a chance, for the subject matter if nothing else.
Bespectacled Freak!
The casting powers-that-be over at Sony officially announce Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus in The Amazing Spiderman. This isn’t bad casting at all, although I still think Stellan Skarsgaard or Phillip Seymour Hoffman (if he could be induced not to go too far over the top) would have been great fun. Also, the new, Michael Chabon-penned script is rumored to only feature Doc Ock here as the main villain – they have wisely decided to forego the Batman route and instead will use one Spidey arch-nemesis at a time. Update: In a similar long-rumored casting call, WB announces that Michael Gambon will play Dumbledore in the next Harry Potter film. With Gary Oldman, Timothy Spall, and most importantly Alfonso Cuaron, this one could be a definite improvement over the first two.
xXx and Elizabeth.
I can already see the sparks fly. Garth of Dark Horizons reports on the movie pairing you’ve all been waiting for: Vin Diesel and Dame Judi Dench. I know the Pitch Black sequels are set in space, but hopefully they can squeeze in a scene of the two of them simultaneously screaming from out the front windsheld of a car. In other Dark Horizons news, along the lines of K-19, director Kathryn Bigelow is now working on a historical film about the Scottsboro case, which could be quite interesting.
Hack Attack
In the ongoing Superman saga over at Warner Brothers, McG is out and Brett Ratner is in (with Anthony Hopkins as Jor-El). Can’t say that’s much of an upgrade.
Doc Ock a Lock?
In the Spiderman sequel camp, word’s leaking out that Stellan Skarsgard will play Otto Octavius, (better known as Doctor Octopus.) I thought they might go Philip Seymour Hoffman, but I like this casting.
Carville goes Disney.
Apparently, James Carville has been cast in an upcoming Disney flick set in Appalachia. (Friends of mine from the old office confirm the story.) If he could handle King of the Hill, I’m sure he’ll do swimmingly for the Mouse.
Hey Jude (Come back!)
Apparently, Jude Law has dropped out of Superman and Batman (He didn’t want to be forced into Joel Schumacher sequels), to be replaced by Josh Hartnett. Hmmm…not sure if I see it, but it might work.
Hey Jude (Get in the Gym.)
Harry at AICN says he’s got the goods on the World’s Finest casting…and it’s Jude Law as Superman and Colin Farrell at Batman. Unconventional choices, but I like ’em.
Goodbye, Sherilyn…
and HELLO Mia. Eighties beauty Mia Sara (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Legend) replaces Sherilyn Fenn on the new WB Batman spin-off, Birds of Prey.