Joel Edgerton will star in Kathryn Bigelow's Bin Laden movie...

...according to 24 Frames:

As "The Hurt Locker" team of Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal continue to work on their Osama bin Laden movie, they've signed up their first actor.

Australian Joel Edgerton will play a special operative in the picture, said two sources familiar with the project who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss it. The actor will be part of an ensemble of male commandos.

Edgerton, who has been short-listed for a number of high-profile roles recently (including one of the leads in "The Hunger Games" and the Bourne reboot), passed on the opportunity to work opposite Kristen Stewart in "Snow White and the Huntsman" to climb aboard the Bin Laden film.

Edgerton can next be seen opposite Tom Hardy in the mixed martial arts movie "Warrior" as well as in the upcoming Disney flick "The Odd Life of Timothy Green." The untitled Bin Laden movie aims to shoot as early as this summer.

As for "Snow White," Chris Hemsworth, the star of this weekend's "Thor," is the top contender to play the titular huntsman--despite the fact that, at 27, he's not nearly as old as the character would have been had Viggo Mortensen, who was initially cast, wound up playing the part.

A person familiar with the project said Hemsworth won't play Stewart's primary love interest; that honor will go to another boy of summer. Sam Claflin, who is playing a missionary in this month's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," will take on the role.

Who might co-star with Ryan Gosling in Derek Cianfrance's follow-up to Blue Valentine?

Via Variety:

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment has come on to finance and produce multi-generational crime drama "The Place Beyond the Pines."

Project's been in development since last year, with "Blue Valentine" writer-director Derek Cianfrance directing from a script he co-wrote with Ben Coccio. Ryan Gosling is attached to star, and producers have offered Bradley Cooper a starring role.

Gosling will portray a pro motorcycle rider who turns to bank robberies to support his newborn son, when he crosses paths with a rookie police officer -- the role Cooper is being lined up to play -- their confrontation spirals into a generational feud.

Woody Allen may be casting Roberto Benigni in his latest cinematic endeavor...

...according to Deadline, at least:

One thing missing so far from the upcoming film Woody Allen will shoot in Italy has been ... Italian actors. Allen has so far set Jesse Eisenberg, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page and Alec Baldwin. I'm hearing that Allen will land iconic Italian director/actor Roberto Benigni to join the ensemble cast. For the most part, Benigni hasn't been seen in these parts since he was climbing over seated superstars to accept the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and then later bounding up and saying he wanted to make love to everyone after he was named Best Actor in the 1997 film Life is Beautiful. The last dull Oscarcast could certainly have used him. I believe he'll be announced as part of Allen's The Wrong Picture cast at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, where Allen premieres his latest film, Midnight in Paris.

-Joey's Two Cents: This is shaping up to be one of the best casts for one of his flicks in a long time. We also now seem to know the title of the film, so make note of that...thoughts?

The co-directors of Catfish will next direct Paranormal Activity 3!

An interesting choice to be sure, and Variety has the details:

The "Catfish" team of Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are set to direct "Paranormal Activity 3" for Paramount Pictures.

Original "Paranormal" director Oren Peli is returning to produce with Jason Blum, while Steven Schneider and Akiva Goldsman will serve as exec producers.

"Paranormal Activity 2" scribe Christopher B. Landon is also returning to write the third film in the hit horror franchise.

Paramount will release "Paranormal Activity 3" on Oct. 21.

The low-budget "Catfish" grossed nearly $3.5 million worldwide en route to becoming a cultural sensation due to questions surrounding the pic's authenticity.

Joost and Schulman are repped by CAA.

-Joey's Two Cents: I certainly didn't expect this choice, but the franchise is slowly becoming known for thinking out of the box when it comes to choosing their directors...thoughts?

Hugh Jackman could star in the remake of Fantastic Voyage?

Apparently so, according to Deadline:

I'm hearing that Hugh Jackman is director Shawn Levy's first choice to star in 20th Century Fox's Fantastic Voyage, the James Cameron-produced 3D tent pole film. It's early days, but this would give Jackman a big movie to do while he and Fox sort things out with The Wolverine. The film was on a fast track to start production this year, until Darren Aronofsky dropped out as director. They've considered such helmers as Source Code's Duncan Jones and David Slade, but haven't yet hired a helmer. There has also been complications because the Christopher McQuarrie script is set almost entirely in Japan, a country still dealing with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Pushing the picture back wouldn't hurt Fox that much, because expectations are high for this summer's X-Men: First Class, which would keep the franchise vibrant. It would also keep Jackman and Levy in the Fox fold at a time when their recent collaboration, Real Steel, looks like it could be a big hit for DreamWorks in the fall.

Deadline revealed in February that Levy had come aboard Fantastic Voyage, the re-imagining of the 1966 original about a team of scientists shrunk into a ship in an attempt to save a colleague's life. Fox and Cameron are planning an ambitious 3D film with a script by Shane Salerno and Laeta Kalogridis, and the new draft is coming in imminently. The tone of the movie now has a dramatic love story that has Levy very excited. Fantastic Voyage doesn't have a green light yet. I'm told that Jackman and Levy got along famously on Real Steel, the DreamWorks action drama that will be distributed by Disney October 7. DreamWorks is so bullish on the film that it already has signed the original writer, John Gatins, to a 7-figure deal to write the sequel. Fox has made a deal for Levy and Jackman to team on an untitled pitch being written by Lost's Carlton Cuse.

Get ready for more Tomb Raider...

Well, let's hope you're ready at least, since The Hollywood Reporter tells us that the reboot has some notable writers on board:

Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby have been tapped to write the new Tomb Raider movie project being produced by Graham King and Tim Headington.

King's GK Films acquired feature film rights to the classic video game featuring adventure-loving heroine Lara Croft from Square Enix about two months ago, with the goal of rebooting the action-adventure franchise for a planned 2013 release of the first film.

The hiring of writers shows GK is serious about meeting that goal.

The company is today issuing a statement setting bold aspirations for the franchise, with the writers saying they want to create an "origin story for Lara Croft that solidifies her place alongside Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor in the pantheon of great female action heroes."

No actors have cast in the film. Angelina Jolie memorably played the character in 2001 an 2003 big-screen iterations made by Paramount.

Today's Posters: The Cabin in the Woods, Anonymous, and Father's Day

More after the jump...

Bradley Cooper is the Devil

No, really! Here's the story from Variety:

After helping launch The Hangover franchise, Legendary Pictures wants back in business with Bradley Cooper, who's in early talks to play Lucifer in an adaptation of John Milton's epic 17th-century poem Paradise Lost.

An official offer has yet to be made, but Cooper is eager to take the part and negotiations are expected to begin shortly. Reps for Legendary declined to comment.

Thesp's involvement breathes new life into Alex Proyas' adaptation of Paradise Lost, long in the works at Legendary. It's also the latest fanboy-targeted tentpole to move forward at the blossoming production company, which is lensing Wrath of the Titans and Jack the Giant Killer, backing The Dark Knight Rises and The Man of Steel and developing Pacific Rim with Guillermo del Toro as well as a Godzilla reboot.

Paradise Lost tells the story of the epic war in heaven between archangels Michael and Lucifer, including the latter's role in Adam and Eve's fall from grace. Pic will be crafted as an action vehicle that will include aerial warfare, possibly shot in 3D.

R.I.P. Jackie Cooper

Obituary from Variety:

Jackie Cooper, the first child star of the talkie era who continued acting into adulthood and also had a career as a TV director, producer and executive, has died. He was 88.

As of 2011, Cooper's Oscar nomination for Skippy was the earliest nom -- 1931 -- in any Academy Award category in which the nominee was still living. He was also the youngest nominee ever, and until 13-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for best actress in 2004, he was the only person to earn a Best Actor/Actress nom before his/her 18th birthday (others have been nominated in supporting categories).

Paramount's Skippy, a film now largely forgotten, was also nominated for best picture and is to date the only Best Picture nominee based upon a comic book, comic strip or graphic novel.

Cooper was a star in the early 1930s, before Shirley Temple got her start, crying often and well onscreen.

Behold the Trailer for Martha Marcy May Marlene...

Take a gander:

-Joey's Two Cents: This year's Winter's Bone perhaps? Something tells me that it might be, and it's not just a young woman bursting onto the scene and the Oscar race (Elizabeth Olson in place of Jennifer Lawrence) and the presence of John Hawkes in the cast...thoughts?

Danny Boyle sets up his next project!

Via Deadline:

Director Danny Boyle will follow his Oscar-nominated 127 Hours with Trance, a thriller that will shoot in London this September. I'm told it's an art heist gone wrong, and it's got the dark, sexy, hard-edged tone of Boyle films like Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. The film reunites Boyle with his 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire producing partner Christian Colson, and they are in talks with Fox Searchlight and Pathe for funding and worldwide distribution. It wasn't clear whether Boyle would make a film before directing the opening ceremonies of next summer's Olympics Games in London. Here's how he'll handle it. The film will be shot in September--Boyle and Colson have begun talking up British and U.S. talent--and after the film's shooting is completed, Boyle will put it on a shelf. He'll devote himself exclusively to the Olympics beginning next January. Next August, he'll return to the film, and cut it with the anticipation that Trance will be ready for theatrical distribution in March, 2013. The film will be in the mid teen-budget range, which has proven to be Boyle's wheelhouse. Slumdog Millionaire cost $15 million, while 127 Hours cost $18 million. Those films grossed $450 million or so between them. Boyle's repped by WME and UK-based Independent Talent.

-Joey's Two Cents: It's an interesting way of going about squeezing in a film before the Olympics, I must say...thoughts?

Today's Trailers: Green Lantern, Buck, and The Ledge

First up is an impressive new trailer for the superhero flick 'Green Lantern':

The other trailers after the jump...

The Weinsteins are planning to remake 'Seven Samurai'...

...according to Variety:

British helmer Scott Mann has signed on to direct a remake of Akira Kurosawa classic "Seven Samurai" that the Weinstein Co. and Japan's Kurosawa Prods. are producing.

Pic, with an estimated budget of $60 million, will be a contempo interpretation of the 1954 original, which inspired 1960's "The Magnificent Seven" and influenced other pics.

In the "Seven Samurai" remake, a town in northern Thailand recruits seven paramilitary contractors from around the globe to defend it from attack. Mann, who most recently helmed Robert Carlyle-Ving Rhames starrer "The Tournament," -- which gained cult status on both sides of the Pond -- will help TWC develop the screenplay. They hope to shoot later this year.

Scribe John Fusco ("The Forbidden Kingdom," "Young Guns") has been developing the project at TWC for 18 months.

Mann recently announced several projects in development under his Mann Made Films banner with U.K. producing partner James Edward Barker, including horror pic "Saint Mary's," with helmer Michael Bassett ("Silent Hill 3D") attached.

Flixter and Rotten Tomatoes get bought...by a movie studio?

From Deadline:

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group today announced an agreement to acquire Flixster, the movie discovery application company with over 25 million worldwide users per month. The acquisition also includes Rotten Tomatoes website devoted to film reviews, information and news. Under the terms of the deal, Flixster will continue to operate independently and will expand its services beyond movie discovery to enable digital content ownership and delivery across any connected digital device.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group will utilize the Flixster brand and technical expertise to launch a number of initiatives designed to grow digital content ownership, including the recently announced consumer application “Digital Everywhere.” This studio-agnostic application will be the ultimate destination for consumers to organize and access their entire digital library from anywhere on the device of their choice, as well as to share recommendations and discover new content. The Flixster acquisition and “Digital Everywhere,” combined with the Studio’s support of the UltraViolet format are all part of an overall strategy to give consumers even more freedom, utility and value for their digital purchases.

Here are the 2011 MTV Movie Award Nominations...

...in case you care about this sort of thing. Here you go:

BEST MOVIE

Black Swan

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

Inception

The Social Network

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE

Emma Stone – Easy A

Emma Watson – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Jennifer Aniston – Just Go With It

Kristen Stewart – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Natalie Portman – Black Swan

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE

Daniel Radcliffe – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network

Robert Pattinson – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Taylor Lautner – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Zac Efron – Charlie St. Cloud