This week in movie news:

Ron Perlman has joined the cast of Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; Will Forte provides an update on MacGruber 2; Ellen Page is in talks to star in a remake of 1990 thriller Flatliners; Oliver Stone's Snowden has been pushed to a May 2016 release; a new red band trailer has been released for Triple 9; Jake Gyllenhaal and three other actors are joining Snowpiercer director Bong Joon-Ho's Okja; and filming begins on Colin Trevorrow's The Book of Henry.

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Ron Perlman has signed on for a role in Warner Bros.' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the upcoming Harry Potter spinoff currently shooting in England. Perlman will reportedly play a goblin in the film, set for release on November 18, 2016. Gemma Chan, Carmen Ejogo and Jon Voight also recently joined the film's cast.

In the film, Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne stars as Newt Scamander, a wizard travelling the world to discover and document magical creatures 70 years before Harry Potter reads his titular textbook at Hogwart's. Perlman is best known for his roles as Clarence "Clay" Morrow in Sons of Anarchy and the title hero of Hellboy and its sequel.

Source: THR

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Will Forte in MacGruber

Will Forte -- who's currently starring on TV's The Last Man on Earth -- has offered an update on MacGruber 2. A sequel to the 2010 cult comedy is on hold at least until his series goes on hiatus, Forte said, despite his passion for the project. He even has ideas about what the film's opening sequence would involve.

There is a possibility of starting it in a way that you would never ever start an action movie. We have this idea for a cold open, which we just don’t know if we have the balls to do. And we’ve done some crazy stuff. This is just like, ‘Do we really want to do this? Is this how we want to start out the movie?’ It’s pretty gnarly. But we might just have to do it.

 

Forte, director Jorma Taccone and writer John Solomon have completed about two-thirds of an outline. Once the script is complete, the rewriting process will begin, and the battle to secure funding will largely ramp up.

Source: Screen Crush

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Flatliners poster

Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page is in talks to headline a remake of the 1990 Joel Schumacher sci-fi thriller Flatliners. Niels Arden Oplev -- best known for directing the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -- will direct the film, based on a script by Ben Ripley (Source Code).

The original film features an ensemble cast that included Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherlands, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin and Oliver Platt. The plot centers on a group of medical students who experiment with trips to the afterlife and back again. Page currently appeared in gay rights drama Freeheld opposite Julianne Moore and Steve Carell.

Source: Variety

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Snowden

Open Road Films has pushed Oliver Stone's Snowden back to a May 13, 2016 release. The film -- which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as infamous NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden -- was originally set to hit theaters on December 25, 2015 as a potential awards contender. As it stands, Snowden will now be released the same weekend as the latest installment of the Friday the 13th franchise and just one week after Captain America: Civil War.

Based on the book The Snowden Files by Luke Harding, the film continues Stone's tendency to tackle controversial subjects. Kieran Fitzgerald -- whose previous big-screen credit is the Tommy Lee Jones/Hilary Swank Western The Homesman -- wrote the film, which also stars Shailene Woodley, Scott Eastwood, Melissa Leo, Timothy Olyphant, Zachary Quinto, Nicolas Cage and Tom Wilkinson.

Source: Open Road Films

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Open Road Films has released a red-band trailer for Triple 9, the new crime drama from director John Hillcoat (The Road, Lawless) and writer Matt Cook. The massive ensemble cast includes Oscar winner Kate Winslet, Norman Reedus, Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Woody Harrelson, Clifton Collins, Jr., Michael K. Williams, Teresa Palmer and Gal Gadot.

The film centers on a group of corrupt cops who are blackmailed by the Russian mobs to conduct a dangerous heist. Their plan involves triggering a 999 -- police code for "officer down", but the rookie cop they have in mind may not be as easy a target as expected. Triple 9 is set for release on February 19, 2016.

Source: Open Road Films

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Tilda Swinton in Snowpiercer

Director Bong Joon-ho (The Host, Snowpiercer) is putting together the cast for his new film, Okja, and high-profile stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Kelly Macdonald and Bill Nighy are in line to join the project. Few details are known about Okja, aside from the fact that it is reportedly being described as a "multilingual monster movie" featuring a Korean female lead.

The new actors are in various stages of discussions to join the film, but those who do sign on will join confirmed star Tilda Swinton, who is once again collaborating with the director after appearing in a critically praised supporting role in Snowpiercer last year. Production on Okja is expected to begin in early 2016.

 

Source: The Wrap

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Jurassic World Chris Pratt raptors motorcycle

Director Colin Trevorrow -- who helmed this year's highest-grossing film (so far), Jurassic World -- has begun filming on his next film, The Book of Henry. Starring Naomi Watts and child actors Jacob Tremblay (Room) and Jaden Lieberher (St. Vincent), the film centers on a single mother and her two sons, one of whom is a genius.

The Book of Henry is based on an original screenplay by acclaimed novelist and comic book writer Gregg Hurwitz. It also stars Dean Norris, Lee Pace, Sarah Silverman, Maddie Ziegler and Bobby Moynihan in supporting role. No word yet on when the film is anticipated to hit theaters.

 

Source: Focus Features