SIDE EFFECTS (Cast News)

• SIDE EFFECTS

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander

Actress Rooney Mara has just signed on to Steven Soderbergh's upcoming thriller The Side Effects, replacing Blake Lively in the lead role. This film would mark Mara’s first committed role since starring in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Rooney Mara 

Deadline reports the change-up comes shortly after the casting of Catherine Zeta-Jones in a co-starring role. More importantly, this news follows the recent drop-out of Annapurna Pictures, which was originally financing the project. According to IndieWire, the studio backed out due to Lively's involvement with the film. This would explain the switch to Mara, but it is still unconfirmed whether Annapurna will be returning or not. Open Road, meanwhile, remains on board.

Side Effects tells the story of troubled young woman Emily Hawkins (Mara), who becomes addicted to prescription drugs while coping with the depression of her husband's pending release from prison. Channing Tatum and Jude Law are set to co-star alongside Mara and Zeta-Jones.

Filming is set to begin in April

MARVEL UNIVERSE (UPDATE)

• MARVEL UNIVERSE

With Marvel's The Avengers getting set to hit theaters on May 4th, Marvel Studios is moving forward with plans for the next two years. They've got Iron Man 3 scheduled for a May 3, 2013 release and, according to ComicBook.com, filming will likely start the first week of May for the third installment (presumably after Robert Downey Jr.'s publicity tour for "Avengers").

Multiple sources have told ComicBook.com that shooting for Iron Man 3 will begin prior to The Avengers hitting theaters May 4th, weeks ahead of previously published dates.  The film is scheduled to be shot in Wilmington, NC at the EUE/Screen Gems Studios and is believed to be the largest production ever to be filmed in North Carolina.

Previous reports have listed late May as the official production start date, but one source close to the North Carolina operations said that Marvel “will have staff in Wilmington as early as mid-March, with shooting scheduled to begin the last week of April or the first week of May.”

When asked to verify this, all Marvel Studios replied was, “It is not April for sure.”

Marvel Studios also has Thor 2 scheduled for November 15, 2013, but after that things get a little bit more vague. We know that the company has set release dates for two untitled projects on April 4, 2014 and then on May 16, 2014. With the first date being 4/4/14, one project that comes to mind is the Fantastic Four reboot, though that is still a Twentieth Century Fox release. So perhaps it could be Dr. Strange instead? Fanshare has the following bit on that project:

Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner) & Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man)

It has been confirmed that the script for Doctor Strange has been completed by Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer (Conan The Barbarian, Sahara) and Marvel Studios are now actively seeking a director to come in and helm the project. Once the director has come on board, they will then be searching for the cast to star in Doctor Strange.

The budget for Doctor Strange is not expected to be anywhere near as much as that of the bigger Marvel movies but it is still believed that, with the right script, the right director and the right cast, a good superhero movie could definitely come out of this. Production on Doctor Strange is expected to begin this year, with a release date likely to be sometime in 2013.

We think production might start a little later, however, since Neal McDonough spoke with IMDb about Captain America 2, which could be that May 16, 2014 project, he also stated that he hopes to be in Nick Fury film. So could that other date be for a possible Nick Fury film? We will just have to wait and see.

FANTASTIC FOUR (In Development)

•  FANTASTIC FOUR

Chronicle releases on 17 February 2012

Earlier this month, Variety reported that 20th Century Fox was eyeing Chronicle director Josh Trank to take on the Fantastic Four reboot. SuperHeroHype spoke to Trank earlier this week. Here is what he had to say about the speculation:

"I know as much as you guys know. I'm totally serious. I know as much as you," he said. "I saw that leak online and I was like, 'Um, okay, I'm trying to finish Chronicle right now.' This is weird. There's nothing to say, 'Chronicle' is exactly the kind of superhero movie that I wanted to make and, going forward, I want to have some original ideas and different things I'm working on."

So the studio could be interested in him, but they might not of gotten into contact with him as yet.

THE HOBBIT (Lilly Speaks)

• THE HOBBIT

Evangeline Lilly (Real Steel, "LOST") was asked by Entertainment Weekly about her character Tauriel in the upcoming, highly-anticipated Hobbit films.

Evangeline Lilly

When asked if she had to learn archery and swordplay, Lilly said "Yes, she is a warrior. She’s actually the head of the Elven guard. She’s the big shot in the army. So she knows how to wield any weapon, but the primary weapons that she uses are a bow and arrow and two daggers. And she’s lethal and deadly. You definitely wouldn’t want to be caught in a dark alley next to Tauriel."

Lilly then spoke more about Tauriel and added that, "She’s not in the first film very much. She comes into the first film near the end, and has a very small part to play. Her role in the second film is much more involved. Although, I have to say, when I first read the scripts and took the job, she had a lot less going on in the second film. I think the role is becoming a bit more demanding that I had expected it to be. There’s a lot more for me to do now, which is a lot of fun, but it’s a little more pressure."

Lilly added that she has to go back to New Zealand for five more months of filming.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on December 14 and is followed by The Hobbit: There and Back Again on December 13, 2013.

GODS AND KINGS (Speculation)

• GODS AND KINGS

Spielberg to direct Moses!!

It was rumored back in November that Steven Spielberg was "in talks" with Warner Bros. to direct the studio's Moses film, entitled, Gods and Kings. Now it would seem that the final negotiations are underway, leaving us to assume that Spielberg will be in the director’s chair for the film.

In an interesting twist, one insider at Deadline claims the film is envisioned as a "Braveheart-ish version of the Moses story," depicting the character in a grittier light. Added the insider, "There have been glossy versions of the Moses story, but this would be a real warrior story."

Warners has been courting Spielberg since last September when he first read the script by writers Stuart Hazeldine (Paradise Lost) and Michael Green (ABC's The River). Spielberg, meanwhile, has just finished directing Lincoln and has already begun production on Robopocolypse. The director will be looking for another big feature next, and sources believe Gods and Kings will most likely be his next.

HANGOVER PART 3 (In Development)

• HANGOVER PART 3

Hangover again!!!

The Hollywood Reporter says that Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms are negotiating together to get $15 million each to make The Hangover Part III. The trade adds that they are likely to get it with dealmaking wrapping up.

According to them, the three stars made under $1 million each for the first film, which grossed a massive $467 million worldwide. They then received around $5 million each for the sequel, which then grossed another $581 million worldwide. So, provided the third film is as successful, Warner Bros. should easily be able to recoup the money spent on the actors.

The studio is hoping to start filming the third installment, set in Los Angeles, this summer with Todd Phillips again directing for a Memorial Day 2013 release.