Jamie Foxx Chosen For 'Django Unchained' Lead Role By Tarantino

Jamie Foxx Will Play Django

Quentin Tarantino's latest project has already caused quite a stir after the title was leaked on Twitter with a picture of the front cover of the screen play by Tarantino himself. Django Unchained was confirmed as the title within hours and rumours spread that Will Smith was likely to take the lead role; a freed slave who attempts to save his lover from a plantation owner.

After Smith turned the role down Tarantino looked at a number of other potential actors, including Chris Tucker, before eventually settling for Ray and Collateral star Jamie Foxx. Leonardo DiCaprio will play the plantation owner, with Tarantino favourite Christoph Waltz playing a German bounty hunter.

Opening on Christmas day 2012, the film looks set to be another Tarantino triumph coming off the back of the success of Inglorious Basterds.

Variety revealed the main synopsis as well as some more casting rumours: "Foxx will play the title role of Django, a freed slave who teams with a German bounty hunter to take on an evil plantation owner in order to retrieve his long-lost love, Broomhilda. Kerry Washington, who played opposite Foxx in

'The Dictator' Attracts Megan Fox And John C Reilly

John C Reilly

You may remember a while back a news post that revealed that Sacha Baron Cohen was first in line to take the lead role in an upcoming project entitled The Dictator which Baron Cohen was behind. Since then Cohen has confirmed himself in the lead role and today has revealed that both Megan Fox and John C Reilly will be joining the cast of the new comedy from the makers of both Bruno and Borat. The duo will join a star-studded cast which includes Ben Kingsley.

Not too much information has been revealed about the film as yet but it looks like it will take a different route to Cohen's previous comedies in that it will be less improvised and will employ actors with greater prestige.

Total Film revealed the basic plot of the film: “[Sacha] Baron Cohen plays a ruthless dictator who heads to the U.S. for a meeting at the United Nations and finds that his number two has replaced him with an unsuspecting sheepherder lookalike.

“As the dictator wanders the city, he meets the owner of an organic food store… She turns around his

Lost Star Evangeline Lilly Cast In 'The Hobbit'

Evangeline Lilly As Kate Austen

Evangeline Lilly, who you will know most as Kate Austen in the hit TV series Lost, has been cast in Peter Jackson's exciting new film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Since Lost Lilly has had some success in film roles, arguably the most notable of which was a fairly small role in Oscar winning film The Hurt Locker.

Her link to the film was arguably already established due to her five year relationship with Lost co-star Dominic Managhan, who played Merry Brandybuck in all three Lord Of The Rings films but who so far has not been cast in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.On a side not, So I Saw This Film voted Monaghan's performance in LOTR the best film performance from the cast of Lost.

Peter Jackson revealed the casting of Lilly on his Facebook page and revealed that she would play a Woodland Elf named Tauriel who is a new character. "Evangeline Lilly will be playing a new character — the Woodland Elf, Tauriel," Jackson revealed. "Her name means 'daughter of Mirkwood' and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.) What

Jason Reitman Casts Kate Winslet In 'Labor Day'

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet has officially been cast to star opposite Josh Brolin in Jason Reitman's upcoming film Labor Day. The film is an adaptation of the same-name novel by Joyce Maynard and follows a lonely mother (Winslet) who takes in a drifter (Brolin) who it turns out is a convicted murderer. It certainly sounds like the perfect role for Brolin's talents.

Jason Reitman, who directed Juno, is currently engaged with the project Young Adult, and so filming will not begin until next year. EW revealed the casting announcement which may see Winslet take on a less serious role than she has been used to as of late.

EW also revealed how the films begins and has given us an insight into what direction the story will go: 'Set in the early ’80s over the late summer holiday weekend, Labor Day opens with divorced, depressed

Conan The Barbarian: Red Band Movie Trailer

My Cinematic Alphabet: In Depth - E

Week five has arrived and it's time to look at those wonderful films that begin with the letter E. How is everyone liking this feature so far? Let me know if you do. Anyway, let us crack on and take a gander at some great films (by the way there aren't too many films I've seen that begin with E so this may not be the greatest list of all time).

The English Patient

As romantic as you like, The English Patient is one of those films you think you won't enjoy but you end up loving. This is a great highlight in Ralph Fiennes' career and is a beautiful story of love and devotion. Juliette Binoche is as stunning as ever in the WWII set film. A must watch for absolutely anyone.

E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial

Every time I see this film it brings up memories of childhood. With stunning special effects for its time and an alien character that is more loveable than most, it isn't hard to see why it has been labelled as one of the greatest family films of all time or why it won four Oscars. I watch it every time it comes on and it remains a timeless classic.

Eagle Eye

Now it may not be the greatest film ever made but for sheer cool rating Eagle Eye has to make it into my top list of E's. Ok, so the story is pretty far fetched, but if you switch off and go with it it might surprise you. Cool is the only word that comes to mind when I think of this film.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

I actually switched this film off the first time I saw as I just wasn't getting into the story. However, after many people suggesting that I give the film another chance I did and I'm certainly pleased I did. The performances by both Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are stunning and the story may be nonsensical at times but it retains intrigue in the audience throughout.

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My Cinematic Alphabet: In Depth - D

JJ Abrams Silences Rumours Of A Link Between 'Super 8' And 'Cloverfield'

The Cloverfield Monster

After many viewers of JJ Abrams' new film Super 8 expressed their views that the monster looks slightly like that which we saw in 2008 in Cloverfield, which he produced, Abrams has revealed that there was never meant to be any link between the two films in an interview with MTV.

He said "The only connection between the creature in 'Super 8' and the creature in 'Cloverfield' is that they were both designed by the same guy, Neville Page,". He went on to joke "They actually look very different, but they both have two eyes, a nose and a mouth. So, in that regard, it also looks a lot like Laurence Olivier!.

Abrams was forced to respond to the speculation after fans were asking whether the two films took place in the same universe and whether the 70's set Super 8 somehow led on to Cloverfield. When asked about these two point Abrams simply replied 'No'.

He went on to explain the subtleties of creating the creature we see in Super 8: "The creature in 'Super 8' needed to be scary and it also needed to have the ability to have a performance and be a little bit

'Super 8' Triumphs In The US Weekend Box Office

Super 8

JJ Abrams' new film Super 8 has topped the US box office this weekend with a total of $37 million in what could be said to have been a fairly slow week. The 70's set film follows a group of kids who town becomes embroiled in mysterious goings on. It topped the US charts, beating X-men: First Class which in its second week took $25 million.

The Hangover: Part II has continued its good run with third spot ($18.5m), while Kung Fu Panda 2 came fourth with $16m in what has been a surprisingly poor showing for the sequel. Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 landed fifth place with $10.8m.

Bridesmaids made it another week in the top ten with sixth place ($10.1m) with Judy Moody And The

Tom Hanks To Become Action Figure Major Matt Mason

Major Matt Mason

Tom Hank's production company Playtone Productions has confirmed that it will produce a 3D movie that centres on the 60's action figure Major Matt Mason which was original brought to us by Mattel. Tom Hanks will look to take a starring role as the hero according to THR who have also revealed two further Playtone Productions projects in the form of a TV version of American Gods for HBO and a film based on Green Day's American Idiot musical. Certainly a broad range of projects to choose from.

Hanks will look to star as Major Matt Mason who is an astronaut who took on aliens under the command of Captain Lazer. It may not be the best known action figure ever released but Hanks has certainly managed to stir up excitement around the film. Robert Zemeckis, who worked with Hanks on

My Cinematic Alphabet: In Depth - D

Welcome to the fourth installment of the series where I take a deeper look at the films the top films that didn't make it onto my final Cinematic Alphabet but that are well worthy of praise. For those of you following the series apologies for the delay but from now on it will return to being a weekly post. So settle down as So I Saw This Film takes a look at My Cinematic Alphabet: In Depth. This week it's D:

Dances With Wolves

Dances With Wolves is one of those films that astounded me all the way through. And that statement is coming from someone who before wasn't a particular fan of Kevin Costner. It is an absolute must watch for any film fan; a beautifully cinematic landscape throughout combined with an emotional storyline and many heart warming moments. The ending is kind of lame but it is still one of my favourite films and a must see.

District 9

District 9 provides a brilliant mix of a hilarious script, outstanding CGI effects combined with great live-action scenes and a great storyline. For some reason I found it one of the funniest films I've seen when I first saw it despite the fact that it's basically an alien based thriller. I can't wait for the sequel to arrive but wonder how they can possibly improve on the first one.

The Darjeeling Limited

A fantastically indie travel film starring Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman as three brothers travelling across India by train in a spiritual quest of sorts. The storyline really speaks to anyone like me who dream of travelling on the Indian railways and I think therein lies the reason for my enjoyment. Easily my favourite Wilson film and my second favourite Brody film after The Pianist.

Disturbia

I very much doubt this will have made it onto many lists of this type but again the storyline of the film spoke to me. I think the combination of a home alone teenager and the spying element would speak to any Male's teenage side. I'm personally a fan of Shia LaBeouf but to enjoy this film you really have to be.

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'Disturbia' Review

Jesse Eisenberg Up For 'Now You See Me'?

Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg has been very busy since the film that made his career (The Social Network) was released not so long ago following the success of his appearance in Zombieland in 2009. Since then he's been an animated bird (Rio) and has joined Woody Allen in Rome for the upcoming project Bop Decameron. Despite his hectic schedule it hasn't stopped the young star taking on even more film roles of late.

Today Variety has revealed that Jesse Eisenberg is tipped to take the lead role in a magician-heist film from Louis Letterrier entitled Now You See Me. He is said to be already under negotiations for the role. The Day After Tomorrow's Jake Gyllenhaal is favourite for a support role in the film, as is Inglorious Basterds' Melanie Laurent.

Now You See Me sounds like it will be a serious contender for the film of the year for whatever year they decide to release it. Get this; Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Sacha Baron Cohen and Jim Carrey have all been approached for roles in the film, although we do not know if they were all approached for the same role or

The Next Three Days (2010)

One Of The Films Of 2010 - 5/5

So I saw this film yesterday called The Next Three Days. You may have seen this on your DVD shelves recently but if you haven't basically it follows a desperate father attempting to break his innocent wife out of jail. Russell Crowe plays John Brennan, a school teacher left on his own when his wife (Elizabeth Banks) is put away for a murder that she didn't commit (by the way this isn't supposed to be a spoiler, it's just as much as you'll see on the back of the DVD). Now John Brennan provides Crowe with the opportunity to display a side to his acting that we rarely see. At the beginning we see his loving, playful side as he enjoys his time with his wife and his young son, played by Ty Simpkins. He actually plays the father figure extremely well and it felt good to see Crowe excelling outside of his comfort zone. Sure, later on in the film we see glimpses of the types of characters we normally see him playing, but I thought he was magnificent when he wasn't killing people.

Elizabeth Banks also stepped out of her comfort zone for her role as wife Lara Brennan. We don't really see that much from her but what we do see is her decent into suicidal tendencies after being in jail for so many years. She may play 'chick-flick' types characters often but she is certainly capable of giving a solid performance.

Back to the story, and what I liked about Crowe's character was that he was easy to relate to. Normally we see him as gun-toting action heroes but here Crowe was an ordinary dad living an ordinary life. I think the fact that he was so ordinary made the desperation in his performance so potent and effective. We see his journey

'Salt 2' Begins To Be Thought Out

Jolie In Salt

After the success of the 2010 film Salt ($300m worldwide), with Angelina Jolie, it was always likely that a sequel would be on the cards. However, the news that a sequel is already being worked on may come as a surprise. Sony has begun work on the sequel, instructing Salt's writer Kurt Wimmer to pen a script for the sequel.

Deadline has revealed the news that Angelina Jolie is keen to return for a possible sequel. However Salt 2 will not have original director Phillip Noyce at its helm and so it will be interesting to see if a new direction is taken. With Wimmer on board again it should bear similarities however and the huge action scenes are sure to reappear. The makers will surely be hoping for better reviews this time round though.

Angelina Jolie is said to be reprising her role as CIA agent Evelyn Salt. The reason a Wanted sequel looks unlikely was due to Jolie not being interested but she certainly seems determined for Salt 2 to happen. I

Robert Zemeckis Confirmed For 'Flight'

Robert Zemeckis

You may remember a while back a post that revealed that Robert Zemeckis was first in line to direct his first live-action film in quite some time in the form of Flight, which would see him pair up with Denzel Washington. Today 24 Frames has revealed that these are no longer rumours and that the Cast Away director has been confirmed as the director of Flight.

As you'll remember the film centres around an alcoholic pilot (Washington) whose skills are called on to rescue a plane from crashing. Afterwards however an investigation will see the pilots life and connections to drugs touched on. Denzel Washington has yet to officially sign on to the project and is currently busy filming in South Africa for the exciting upcoming action film Safe House. However, at this stage it does look likely. Exciting stuff.

So as I mentioned this will be Robert Zemeckis' first live-action film in quite some time. After a string of animated films beginning with The Polar Express in 2004 and including Beowulf, A Christmas Carol and

Bryan Cranston Reveals Details Of 'Total Recall' Remake

Bryan Cranston

Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston has revealed details of his character, and how it will differ from the original Total Recall character, following the beginning of filming in Toronto on Monday. Digital Spy revealed the interview in which Cranston talks about the essence of his character Vilos Cohaagen, a bad guy who attempts to take down Colin Farrell's character Quaid.

In the interview Cranston revealed that “I took a different path as you will see,”. “To me, to find [Quaid] and to capture him was about trying to restrain an unruly teenager of mine.

“I have no intention of causing him any long term damage, but he needs to be punished. He is being challenging like a teenager would be.

“That is my whole approach to it as opposed to the ‘I want him dead!’ kind of feeling.”

Trying to restrain an unruly teenager? That role in Malcolm In The Middle certainly still has a place in