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When it was announced in January that Jason Momoa would star in Marcus Nispel’s remake of Conan as the legendary barbarian himself, it was also revealed that Mickey Rourke was being considered to play his father Corin, the village blacksmith. Then, a few weeks ago, it was announced that Rourke would be joining Tarsem’s War of the Gods . With Rourke taking on that role instead, that meant his spot in Conan was open, however, Vulture has now learned that it will be Ron Perlman (also seen as Hellboy) who will play Corin in place of Rourke. Another awesome addition to this cast, which seems to be coming together pretty well. Conan is set to start shooting in Bulgaria later this month. We don’t know much about the plot besides that it will (obviously) tell of Conan’s adventures across the continent of Hyboria. Wikipedia also says Conan was born on a battlefield, so with Perlman cast as his dad, we might get to learn about his birth and upbringing before getting into the meat of the story. In addition to Jason Momoa and Perlman, the Conan cast includes Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Bob Sapp and Leo Howard. I’m actually looking forward to this quite a bit, Nispel seems to have put together a solid cast, and I’m not as worried as I’ve been previously. Thoughts? Discover More: Casting News , Movie News

This is some great news! Variety is reporting that Barry Pepper is the latest to join the cast of the Coen Brothers’ remake of the western True Grit , which also stars Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld . Pepper will play the role of “Lucky” Ned Pepper, the notorious outlaw played by Robert Duvall in Henry Hathaway’s 1969 classic. The story follows a tough U.S. Marshal (Bridges) who helps a stubborn young woman (Steinfeld) track down her father’s murderer (Brolin). Scott Rudin and the Coens are producing, and Steven Spielberg is executive producing. Shooting is already under way in New Mexico. Barry Pepper has lead an interesting career and I enjoy seeing him in any movie. His high point was in the 90’s with three great back-to-back roles: Saving Private Ryan , Enemy of the State , and The Green Mile . But then he got caught up in the Battlefield Earth aftermath and started appearing in only the occasional war movie ( We Were Soldiers , Flags of Our Fathers ) and other low level films that didn’t really go anywhere. He also appeared in Seven Pounds but that didn’t do anything either. He’s got the face of a war movie character, but I love seeing him in all kinds of movies. And now he’s taking on a western and I’m looking forward to it! Discover More: Casting News , Movie News

And I thought this project was dead! Deadline is reporting that British director Rupert Wyatt is Fox’s top choice to direct the Planet of the Apes prequel. Wait – there’s a Planet of the Apes prequel? We’ve been reporting various rumors and rumblings about a new Apes movie for years, but it never got off the ground. Now this hits almost out of nowhere. Deadline’s report is also suspiciously brief, stating: “No start date, but Wyatt’s come aboard to develop to direct .” They also say the script they’re using was written by Rick Jaffa ( The Relic ) and Amanda Silver ( The Hand That Rocks the Cradle ). So who is this Rupert Wyatt guy anyway? Wyatt is a British filmmaker who got his start directing a few short films. He then directed his first feature called The Escapist in 2008, which was one of my favorite movies of that year. He hasn’t directed anything since then, but if you’ve seen The Escapist (and not many people have), you will agree with me about how much potential this guy has, especially if they give him a huge project like Planet of the Apes . Speaking of which, I have a feeling Fox wants to keep this grounded and low budget, so that it can’t potentially flop big like Tim Burton’s Planets of the Apes . But details are sparse at the moment and it’s too early to tell anyway. The last time we wrote about Planet of the Apes was back in December of 2008 and it was only to provide an update on an Apes prequel called Caesar written (and to be directed) by Scott Frank . However, it looks like that project was thrown out and Fox may be going a different route, but then again Deadline never mentions the name of the project that Wyatt is now developing (it could be Caesar ). I did a quick search and found an article from January this year on CHUD that confirms that Frank left the prequel, which explains why Wyatt is now on-board instead. We’ll let you know if we hear anything else about this, so stay tuned. Thoughts? Discover More: Movie News , Opinions , Rumors

And I thought this project was dead! Deadline is reporting that British director Rupert Wyatt is Fox’s top choice to direct the Planet of the Apes prequel. Wait – there’s a Planet of the Apes prequel? We’ve been reporting various rumors and rumblings about a new Apes movie for years, but it never got off the ground. Now this hits almost out of nowhere. Deadline’s report is also suspiciously brief, stating: “No start date, but Wyatt’s come aboard to develop to direct .” They also say the script they’re using was written by Rick Jaffa ( The Relic ) and Amanda Silver ( The Hand That Rocks the Cradle ). So who is this Rupert Wyatt guy anyway? Wyatt is a British filmmaker who got his start directing a few short films. He then directed his first feature called The Escapist in 2008, which was one of my favorite movies of that year. He hasn’t directed anything since then, but if you’ve seen The Escapist (and not many people have), you will agree with me about how much potential this guy has, especially if they give him a huge project like Planet of the Apes . Speaking of which, I have a feeling Fox wants to keep this grounded and low budget, so that it can’t potentially flop big like Tim Burton’s Planets of the Apes . But details are sparse at the moment and it’s too early to tell anyway. The last time we wrote about Planet of the Apes was back in December of 2008 and it was only to provide an update on an Apes prequel called Caesar written (and to be directed) by Scott Frank . However, it looks like that project was thrown out and Fox may be going a different route, but then again Deadline never mentions the name of the project that Wyatt is now developing (it could be Caesar ). I did a quick search and found an article from January this year on CHUD that confirms that Frank left the prequel, which explains why Wyatt is now on-board instead. We’ll let you know if we hear anything else about this, so stay tuned. Thoughts? Discover More: Movie News , Opinions , Rumors

I hate that I have to report this news just because it’s Justin Timberlake , but, I do. Sony has sent out a press release tonight announcing that J.T. has joined the cast of Jake Kasdan’s new comedy Bad Teacher . Already cast in the film are Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, and Lucy Punch. They also add that two other new actors will be joining the cast: Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”) and Molly Shannon (“Kath & Kim”). We last wrote about Bad Teacher last week when it was also announced that Jason Segel and John Michael Higgins were joining the cast. Basically we’ve had nothing but casting on this movie for the last few weeks. Bad Teacher stars Cameron Diaz as a foul-mouthed, gold-digging seventh-grade teacher who, after being dumped by her boyfriend, sets her sights on a colleague (Punch) who is dating the school’s model teacher. Sony says Timberlake will play a key role as a substitute teacher, the “scion of a watch fortune.” Okay – so with Segel is playing the gym teacher and Higgins the principal, do we still not have our hottie male teacher? Columbia President Doug Belgrad commented: “With Justin, Molly and Eric, joining Cameron, Jason, Lucy and the rest of this dream comedy cast , we couldn’t be more excited about this movie. We love what we’ve seen of Justin’s performance in David Fincher’s The Social Network and he is a perfect match for this role.” Discover More: Casting News , Movie News

It wasn’t long ago that Joss Whedon’s last TV series “Dollhouse” aired its final episode, but it looks like Whedon and “Dollhouse” star Eliza Dushku will be reteaming again for another feature project. Found on the gossip site Hollywood Life (via SlashFilm ) is a quote from Dushku talking about a new project. “I would say that we would [be working on something new very soon]!” Dushku said. “I think we’re going to work on a kickass feature together that we’ve been thinking about for a few years.” Well that sounds pretty cool – but exactly what is it? SlashFilm thinks it’s a horror project called Goners that’s been around since 2005. Goners is a supernatural horror thriller of some kind, but Whedon has been very secretive about it and we don’t know really know what it’s about. One quote says that “it’s the story of a young woman’s journey that involves a great deal of horror and some heroics.” Whedon describes it another time as “a fantasy thriller , it is pretty dark and it’s all me. So people will pretty much know what that means if they look at my body of work.” That’s not much help. He adds that “it’s a new universe set in the present day with a new concept for me and a new bunch of characters. It’s been a long time since I got to do that, so that’s really fun.” It does? It could always be some other new project that isn’t Goners , but I don’t think so. Even though I didn’t watch “Dollhouse”, I’m still a fan of Joss Whedon and want him to direct another movie, since it’s been a long time ( Serenity in 2005) and his feature projects all keep falling apart. Goners is listed as “on the backburner at Universal,” so let’s hope it doesn’t fall apart before we find out if it was the one she was even talking about. Discover More: Casting News , Movie News , Rumors

It wasn’t long ago that Joss Whedon’s last TV series “Dollhouse” aired its final episode, but it looks like Whedon and “Dollhouse” star Eliza Dushku will be reteaming again for another feature project. Found on the gossip site Hollywood Life (via SlashFilm ) is a quote from Dushku talking about a new project. “I would say that we would [be working on something new very soon]!” Dushku said. “I think we’re going to work on a kickass feature together that we’ve been thinking about for a few years.” Well that sounds pretty cool – but exactly what is it? SlashFilm thinks it’s a horror project called Goners that’s been around since 2005. Goners is a supernatural horror thriller of some kind, but Whedon has been very secretive about it and we don’t know really know what it’s about. One quote says that “it’s the story of a young woman’s journey that involves a great deal of horror and some heroics.” Whedon describes it another time as “a fantasy thriller , it is pretty dark and it’s all me. So people will pretty much know what that means if they look at my body of work.” That’s not much help. He adds that “it’s a new universe set in the present day with a new concept for me and a new bunch of characters. It’s been a long time since I got to do that, so that’s really fun.” It does? It could always be some other new project that isn’t Goners , but I don’t think so. Even though I didn’t watch “Dollhouse”, I’m still a fan of Joss Whedon and want him to direct another movie, since it’s been a long time ( Serenity in 2005) and his feature projects all keep falling apart. Goners is listed as “on the backburner at Universal,” so let’s hope it doesn’t fall apart before we find out if it was the one she was even talking about. Discover More: Casting News , Movie News , Rumors

Don’t get too excited (or angry) yet, nothing has been officially decided. In fact, this isn’t even the first time we’ve heard this. Back in early February, it was stated in a trades story that Michael Bay has been debating with Paramount and ILM about going 3D for Transformers 3 (due in July of 2011 ). As we already know, Hollywood is going 3D crazy right now thanks to Avatar , but it looks like Bay is doing the smart thing and testing out 3D before deciding whether that’s really the route they want to go with the sequel;. Bay himself has even said that he’s not a big fan of 3D, which is why I’m actually surprised that this is what he’s doing. Bay appeared on Starz’ “In the House” last night and MTV transcribed what he said about Transformers 3 . “It’s a process we’re testing with some ‘Transformers’ scenes,” he said. “How successful it is with my movie in terms of a lot of real stuff coming out of the frame, real dirt, real complicated little particles coming towards the lens, because hopefully that process will work. I’ve seen some tests that look great on other movies. I just want to see how it looks on my footage.” Peter from SlashFilm brings up a good point – Bay uses the term “process” (multiple times), not something like “technology”, which sounds like they’re testing a post conversion process, not the idea of shooting it in 3D from the start. Unfortunately, we already know that’s a very bad idea . I hope his tests show that it’s not a good idea if that’s what they’re planning to do. I don’t understand why studios won’t just support shooting with 3D cameras? On Transformers , it may be that Bay’s shooting style is too chaotic and crazy to actually use 3D cameras, since they’re a bit bigger and require more equipment. As for what else to expect in this? “We’re adding a lot of new elements. We’re adding new characters. We’re adding a lot of twists .” Oh joy! Discover More: Hype , Movie News , Opinions

Another new project for Kevin Costner . Variety announces tonight that Costner will re-team with director Kevin Reynolds for a new spy comedy called Learning Italian . The concept, which is pretty great, sees Costner as a CIA agent who has been stationed in an idyllic coastal town in Italy to keep an eye on a KGB agent there — until both secret agencies order the two spies to return to their respective countries and cook up a pseudo-threat to justify their continued stays in Italy. That sounds like a love story? Why else would the two want to return to Italy? We haven’t seen a spy comedy since Get Smart , so I’m excited for another. This will be the fourth time Costner and Reynolds have worked together following Fandango (1985), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1981) and Waterworld (1995). We all know what a mess Waterworld was, so let’s hope this doesn’t production doesn’t encounter similar problems. Considering this is an indie with a small budget, I don’t think we have to be worried. Learning Italian has received funding from the Bavarian Bank Fund in order to shoot at the Bavaria Film Studios in Munich and around southern Germany. I’m already curious to find out who they cast as the other KGB spy? We’ll let you know once it’s announced – stay tuned! Discover More: Casting News , Movie News

I got to give it to Paramount, they turned Paranormal Activity into a worldwide phenomenon. It’s not just a success either, because that doesn’t describe how huge this movie has become. Sure, it could be a marketing trick, but I’m impressed that so many filmmakers and industry folk have come to embrace the film, from Steven Spielberg to, as we just found out, Brian De Palma. But now they’re making a sequel. And when they tried to get Saw VI director Kevin Greutert to direct it (to compete directly with Saw VII ), Lionsgate forced him to return. So who are they looking at instead to direct Paranormal Activity 2 in six months time? The LA Times says that they currently have three top contenders: Brian De Palma , the veteran director of everything from Carrie to Scarface to The Untouchables to Mission: Impossible to The Black Dahlia ; Brad Anderson , director of The Machinist and Transsiberian ; and Greg McLean , director of horror films Wolf Creek and Rogue . The latter two seem like reasonable choices, but De Palma? You’ve got to be kidding me! De Palma is certainly a talented director, but I don’t think there’s anything he can bring to this sequel (that shouldn’t even be made to begin with). At least that’s how I feel about De Palma’s potential involvement. Even though Paramount wants Paranormal Activity 2 out in theaters on October 22nd this year – 239 days from today – apparently the screenplay is still being finished. And, well, they still don’t have a director even though the movie is due out in six months. Whoever gets hired will be under quite a bit of pressure, not only to deliver on time, but to deliver a sequel that lives up to the original and can make them as much money as the first one (which is pretty much impossible since it made a astonishing $108 million ). I’m predicting now that it’s going to fail no matter which of these three they decide to hire, but we’ll wait and see what happens. Interestingly, LA Times mentions that Paramount considered hiring Akiva Goldsman , the producer/writer best known for writing The Da Vinci Code , Angels & Demons , and I Am Legend , but hasn’t actually directed a feature film. “He won’t direct the film in the end, but the fact that Paramount and the movie’s producers were considering him suggests they want to give the film a different kind of gloss than the no-budget, unknown-driven first picture.” I think that “different kind of gloss” already sounds like the kind I don’t want to see. I just can’t get behind this sequel at all and the more we hear about it, the worse it gets. This is going to be like the Blair Witch sequel all over again. Do any of these directors sound like a good choice? Discover More: Movie News , Opinions