Sam Rockwell in Poltergeist images, Cranston and Paul rumoured for new roles and new Daredevil trailer

“Theeere heeeere!”

Firstly today we have the very first look at the new remake of horror classic Poltergeist, courtesy of producer Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) and British director Gil Kenan (City of Ember). It’ll depict a family moving into a new home, occupied by evil spirits and will star Sam Rockwell (Moon, Seven Psychopaths, Iron Man 2, The Assassination of Jesse James), Rosemarie DeWitt (The Company Men, Kill the Messenger, Mad Men) and Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Mad Men, Lincoln, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

In 2014, Breaking Bad duo Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul went almost head to head with Godzilla and Need for Speed respectively getting released, the former Japanese beast being the obvious winner. They may be butting heads again as they are both connected with two different roles. Cranston (star of the Best Picture winning Argo) is rumoured for Star Trek 3.

The sequel (after both JJ Abrams and Roberto Orci quit) is on its third director with Justin Lin (Fast and Furious series) now set at the helm and will star Chris Pine (Into the Woods, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit), Zachary Quinto (Heroes), Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy), Karl Urban (The Lord of the Rings, Dredd), Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Mission: Impossible 3), Anton Yelchin (Like Crazy, Fright Night) and John Cho (American Beauty).

Aaron Paul, last seen in biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, may be in the running for the male lead in the first Star Wars spin off. Paul was involved in Star Wars before, playing Luke in Kevin Smith’s New Hope live script read. The subject of the film hasn’t been established but it’ll be directed by Godzilla’s Gareth Edwards and the female lead is in contention between Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Like Crazy), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and Rooney Mara (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Her).

Finally today we have the first full trailer for Netflix and Marvel’s very first collaboration: Daredevil. This teaser is both surprisingly brilliant and brutal. Showrunner Steven S DeKnight (Spartacus) commands the cast of Charlie Cox (The Theory of Everything, Stardust), Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Trance), Elden Henson (The Hunger Game: Mockingjay), Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood), Ayelet Zurer (Man of Steel, Munich) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Men in Black, The Judge).

Daredevil – April on Netflix

Star Trek 3 – July 8th 2016

Star Wars spin-off – December 16th

Poltergeist – July 31st

Marvel sign up Michael Pena and Thomas Kretschmann, more casting for Avatar 2 and Poltergeist gets release date

The development of Marvel and Edgar Wright’s sci-fi outing Ant-Man has taken leaps and bounds in recent weeks. Paul Rudd was cast in the titular lead and we recently discovered that he was Ant-Man’s second alter ego Scott Lang and that Michael Douglas would play the first, Hank Pym. It now seems like a third star is lining into place. Michael Pena is the man the rumours are focused on and he’s potentially entering talks soon. He’s had supporting roles in American Hustle, Million Dollar Baby and Shooter but his main critical success came from being on half of the lead duo of End of Watch. There’s been no talk about what role he will play in Joe Cornish’s script but, after casting two heroes, a villain is the most likely outcome.

Another casting in Kevin Feige’s Marvel universe has been for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk/Bruce Banner), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff), Chris Evans (Captain America/Steve Rogers), Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man/Tony Stark), Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), James Spader (Ultron), Aaron Taylor Johnson (Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye/Clint Barton and Don Cheadle (Iron Patriot/Jim Rhodes) are already signed on but a new casting has come in and, unlike Pena, a character has come attached to the story.

Baron Wolfgang von Strucker will be causing secondary havoc for the heroes to the primary evil shenanigans of Spader’s Ultron According to comic-lore, Von Strucker was a facially disfigured HYDRA agent who caused plenty of problems for, mainly, Captain America and Nick Fury. We’re not sure how much of the character’s story and features will make its way into director/writer Joss Whedon’s script and I’d be disappointed is it’s the same old WW2 soldier frozen and then revived in modern day as that was already done with both Cap and The Winter Soldier and is wearing a little thin already. Thomas Kretschmann will portray the Baron for the big screen. He’s had supporting roles in Wanted, King-Kong and Resident Evil but is better known for playing Van Helsing in TV’s reimagining of Dracula.

We’re slightly bereft of time so there’s little left to do other than to say that Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, Man on Ledge, Wrath of the Titans) and Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness, Out of the Furnace, Colombiana) will respectively reprise their roles as Jake Sulley and Neytiri to join Stephen Lang in the cast of James Cameron’s epic sci-fi sequel Avatar 2 and that the new Poltergeist remake, directed by Gil Kenan (City of Ember) and starring Sam Rockwell, Jared Harris and Rosemarie DeWitt, has been moved from November 14th 2014 to February 15th 2015.

Ant-Man – August 14th 2015

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – May 1st 2015

Avatar 2 – December 2016

Poltergeist – February 15th 2015

New roles for McKellen, Cumberbatch, Harris and Walliams

Some big casting news for several English actors have come to our ears, and it’s some very big names: David Walliams (TV’s Little Britain), Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Hobbit, Warhorse) and Magneto and Gandalf himself Ian McKellen.

Harris first and Game of Shadows’ Moriarty, as well as star of Resident Evil and The Mortal Instruments, as taken on his second role of the week. After signing on for The Man From U.N.C.L.E with Armie Hammer, Henry Cavill, Hugh Grant and Alicia Vikander. Now he’s set for a role in the new Poltergeist remake.

Gil Keenan will direct the reboot of the classic 80’s ghostly horror that originally starred Craig T Nelson and Helen O’Rourke. Now Sam Rockwell (Moon, Seven Psychopaths and The Way Way Back) will lead a cast that’s made some major modifications today. Joining Rockwell and Rosmarie DeWitt (The Watch, Cinderella Man) are Harris, Nikki Blonsky and Kyle Catlett. Rockwell and DeWitt will most likely play the lead couple who move into their dream house with their teenage daughter (presumably played by Blonsky, the star of Hairspray) and younger son (the young star of TV’s The Following, with Kevin Bacon and Shawn Ashmore: Kyle Catlett) only to discover that it’s haunted. Notable TV ghost hunter (Harris) is called in to draw the Poltergeist out of the house. It’ll most likely differ from the original in some key aspects but they can’t do it without “they’re here!” or the clown.

Pudsey the Dog, along with his owner Ashleigh, was last year’s Britain’s Got Talent winner. While James Corden, Colm Meaney and Julie Walters will be the leading trio in biopic of opera singer Paul Potts (first ever winner of BGT) will be going down the route of a biopic, Pudsey: The Movie will have it’s own untold story of the canine going to “the sleepy village of Chuffington on Sea” while encountering ghastly landlords and vindictive felines. David Walliams, who was on the judging panel guiding Pudsey to victory, will voice the BGT champion in this small scale adventure.

Just a quick notice for the other two stars. Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on for The Lost City of Z. Brad Pitt’s company, Plan B, have had this particular project in production for a while. Pitt originally intended to star but is now comfortable that Sherlock is capable of helming the cast. After pulling out of Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak and quickly slashing the Star Wars rumours, we think Cumberbatch has his next major role, post Assange in The Fifth Estate, in the bag.

Acting legend Sir Ian McKellen will play a very different Sherlock Holmes. He’s not replacing Robert Downey Jr and teaming up with Jude Law and Guy Ritchie for a Game of Shadows sequel though. He will play the Victorian detective in, the Oscar winning, Bill Condon’s Slight Trick of the Mind. Condon brought us the last two instalments of the Twilight Saga (Breaking Dawn Parts 1 and 2). It’s set long after the death of John Watson (so no Jude Law or Martin Freeman then) and will see an ageing Holmes in a plot intertwining three stories involving Sussex, Japan and the still unsolved Case of the Glass Armonicist.

Poltergeist is out in 2014

Pudsey: The Movie will begin shooting this September so perhaps a late 2015 release

The Lost City of Z could be out in 2016

Slight Trick of the Mind will begin shooting April 2014 so perhaps a early 2015 release