Immortals and Mirror Mirror director Tarsem is in talks to direct Self/Less, with Ryan Reynolds set to star as the story's afflicted protagonist
Armie Hammer has received good notices for his performance(s) in The Social Network, as well as his supporting turn as a horrifying Mummy in J. Edgar, but will finally launch himself into the big-time with this summer's Lone Ranger. Despite being the title role, Hammer will be content to play second-fiddle to Johnny Depp's Tonto. Speaking as someone who tires of Depp's shtick, Hammer's presence in the trailers has entertained me far more, so kudos to him.
Hammer's next big role will once again see him share the spotlight with a major movie star; Tom Cruise. The pair will unite for Guy Ritchie's adaptation of the popular spy series The Man from UNCLE.
This is definitely one of the movies to look out for this year!
Olympus Has Fallen finds 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue under attack from North Korean forces and destroyed in quite spectacular fashion. Still recovering from a tragic accident, former Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is forced to work in the Treasury, away from estranged friend and former charge, President Asher (Aaron Eckhart). The attack finds him back in the building, the only man left who can find the President's son Connor (Finley Jacobson) and get to the bunker before the head bad guy (Rick Yune) can carry out his diabolical plan.
Only God Forgives is the second collaboration between Ryan Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn, following Drive. Much like their 2011 classic, Only God Forgives is a neon-lit crime thriller with a penchant for ultra violence. Obviously, it looks brilliant.
Another trailer for Louis Leterrier's magician-themed thriller Now You See Me has been released, showcasing an excellent cast and a fair few magic tricks.
Say what you will about Jose Padilha's upcoming Robocop reboot, but the Brazilian's filmic CV includes an action-packed pair of crime thrillers which were both critically lauded and box office smashes in his native country. Elite Squad won the Golden Bear at Berlin in 2008, and its sequel Elite Squad: The Enemy Within shattered records in Brazil, installing Padilha as a surefire candidate to make the jump to Hollywood.
Michael Bay's Pain And Gain looks like a wild ride. A return to Bay's unhinged, sociopathic Bad Boys 2 days, rather than Bay's unhinged, sociopathic Transformers days, which aren't hugely different but the kid-friendly veneer makes the whole thing considerably more offensive and creepy.
Pain & Gain stars Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Mackie and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a trio of bumbling meatheads who kidnap and extort a businessman for huge amounts of money. It's a Coen Bros movie, by way of Michael Bay. Basically, cause for celebration.
Only God Forgives is Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling's follow-up to the critically acclaimed Drive, so expectations are understandably high, yet the all-new red-band trailer steps out with confidence. Paradoxically understated and aggressive all at once, it's marvelous.
If you recall my reaction to the first trailer to Michael Bay's latest, Pain & Gain, you would know it was bordering on rapture. That feeling has only intensified on gazing upon the wonder of the new red-band trailer.
