Comic Book Movie Casting Scoop Explosion

I know how they do it and I wish I could do it too, but I don't have what so much of what they have - that is, a couple of really good inside sources happy to spill the beans.

Latino Review have recently run a little molehill of comic book movie casting scoops - and, frankly, a couple of them are very disquieting.

First of all, Ray Stevenson has been cast as Frank Castle in the new Punisher film. Since John Dahl walked away from that one I've lost all personal interest, but if I did still care, I don't know how happy I'd be about Stevenson at all. Oh well. He might do a wonderful job. We'll all have to wait and see.

And then they confirm Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach in Zack Snyder's Watchmen. I think we've all sort of settled down and bedded in with this idea by now, haven't we? He's not Paddy Considine, but he's not a bad choice. Not by any means.

But finally... they announced the casting of another Watchmen character. Laurie Juspeczyk, the Silk Spectre, will apparently be played by Malin Akerman.

That seems to support the stories about the budget shrinkage and the casting become less and less... er... ambitious. Casting unknowns is one thing, casting... er... less capable performers is another.

I wish Ms. Akerman the best of luck. She'll need it. And so will Snyder, if he wants to come out of this one with his reputation intact.

Movie Minesweeper - The Sparkling Florida Orange Edition

- Anchor Bay are to release Zak Penn's The Grand across the continent of North America. But why are they still being called Anchor Bay? I thought that was on the way out.

- Another Poker film is about to go into production. Johnathon Schaech is starring and has co-written the screenplay, from Ed Gorman's novel, The Poker Club.

- Gus Van Sant is to direct the first film adaptation of Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. It won't be the last - those times and places are becoming more and more romanticised by the week, and after this version fails to set the world on fire, the slow turning gears will get in motion again, I'm sure.

- Paramount are to distribute Strange Wilderness. Despite the presence of film ick favourite Steve Zahn - plus Jordan Hill, Justin Long and Jeff Garlin - I'm having difficulty getting up any interest for this one.

- Didn't we already know that Escape From Planet Earth was going to be in 3D? Maybe not - but ever since I first mentioned the film last summer, I've been convinced of its turkey status. 3D isn't going to change that.

- Harald Zwart has signed on to direct the next Pink Panther film. Of Shaun Levy, the last Panther's director, and Zwart - I'd take Levy any day of the week.

- Elizabeth Banks is to play the wicked stepmother part in the US remake of A Tale of Two Sisters. Good casting.

- After a very long engagement, McG is finally wed to his next project: Me and My Monster. I like McG a lot - even though I'm only judging him on two films. I'm keen to see We Are Marshall to see him operating in a whole new style, but I'm quite impressed by both of the Charlie's Angels films. Yes. Both. The story is about an adult who had a childhood imaginary monster friend that has hung around - Drop Dead Fred style? I'm hoping the monster will be more Sweetums than Eragon, more Sulley than Pennywise, more Lirpa Loof than Nobby the House Elf.

- Thundercats is to be a CG film on the TMNT model, rather than live action, as per Transformers.

- Natalie Portman turned down a role in the stage adaptation of All About My Mother. The Penelope Cruz role, I'd imagine.

- Tilly Guest has created her very own series of Derren Brown comic strips. I saw Brown's new live show this last Friday and it was even better than his previous tours. The man is the greatest live entertainer in the world. To tell you any details of the show would be to spoil it, but let me say I only know exactly how he pulled off about five percent of the reveals, twists and tricks; have some idea of about how sixty percent were done; could clutch at straws for another ten percent; and the remaining twenty five percent have me so foxed that I wouldn't even dare guess.

- John Dahl has described the Punisher 2 script as 'not that good'. He's also pointed out how restricted the schedule is - so, poor Lexi Alexender, his replacement, she's on a hiding to nothing.

- Disney are teaming with Yash Raj Films to make animated films with Indian stars, stories and style.

- Philip K. Dick has been admitted into The Man's canon. Does this trash his counter cultural credibilty at all?

John Dahl To Direct Punisher 2

Freeze Dried Movies seem to believe that John Dahl will direct the second Punisher film. Sounds good to me. Suddenly, I want to see this film. Freeze Dried might have a history of simply making stories up, but this is a weird invention... and besides, I just want to believe it.