This week:

Marianne Jean-Baptiste sees the future of law enforcement in RoboCop; Winona Ryder joins Jason Statham in Homefront; Sam Claflin is Finnick in Catching Fire; Adrian Brody revs up for Motor Cityand Todd Phillips bets on The Gambler

 

Oscar nominee, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, has snagged a role in director Jose Padilha’s RoboCop remake.

According to Variety:

“Jean-Baptiste will portray the character of Detroit Police Chief, Karen Dean.”

The remake of Paul Verhoeven's 1987 film, which stars Joel Kinnaman, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman and maybe Clive Owen, starts shooting in Toronto next month.

This has a good cast, but will it be able to match the original? Doubtful, although I might give it a pass if someone asks the question, “Can you fly, Bobby?”.

Source: Variety

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Winona Ryder is in negotiations to join the cast of the Sylvester Stallone scripted Homefront.

Jason Statham and James Franco star in the film, which is set to be directed by Gary Fleder.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The project, based on a book by Chuck Logan, centers on a an ex-DEA agent (Statham) who moves to a small town in the hope of a quiet life but runs afoul of a villainous meth kingpin named Gator (Franco). Ryder will play a former biker chick partnered with Franco.”

Frankly, there has been a dearth of Ryder movies over the last decade, so it'll be good to see her back on the big screen.

Source: THR

 

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Sam Claflin has been cast in the role of Finnick in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Here’s a character description for the uninitiated:

"Charismatic and clever, Finnick was a District 4 Hunger Games victor when he was fourteen."

Claflin has been on the cusp of stardom for some time, having been cast in Snow White and the Huntsman and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Will this role push him over the edge?

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Adrian Brody looks set to replace Gary Oldman in Motor City.

According to Variety:

"The film follows a felon who, after being released from prison, begins tracking down the men who framed him."

Gerard Butler stars in the Joel Silver-produced film which will be directed by Albert Hughes.

It sounds like generic action/thriller fare, but hey - you never know.

Source: Variety

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It looks like Martin Scorsese knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. The director has dropped out of directing the remake of the 1974 drama, The Gambler. However, the big news is that he’s going to be replaced by The Hangover director Todd Phillips!

 

The Hollywood Reporter writes:

"William Monahan wrote the screenplay, which centers on a UCLA literature professor with a gambling problem who runs afoul of gangsters."

James Caan starred in the original, and it looked like Leonardo DiCaprio was going to take the lead when Scorsese was in the director’s chair, but that no longer appears to be the case.

Who could replace him -  Robert Downey Jr? Bradley Cooper? Zach Galifianakis?

Source: THR

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That’s it for now. See you at the movies.