Marvel is definitely playing the long game with Benicio del Toro's powerful and eccentric Collector. The ancient supervillain, also known as Tanleer Tivan, appeared first in the post-credits sequence of Thor: The Dark World, being entrusted with the Aether (one of six Infinity Stones), then showed up again in Guardians of the Galaxy, when he attempts to gain possess of another Infinity Stone contained in the mysterious Orb, only to have his entire workshop disintegrated by an opportunistic slave. Now, del Toro is saying that it's really anyone's guess when the Collector might show up again.
It's about time that Community's Alison Brie got her big break. I was appalled to see how under-utilized (and despicably objectified) she was in this spring's Get Hard, but this fall's Sleeping with Other People should finally introduce cinephiles to her real comic gifts. Pairing the actress with Jason Sudeikis seems like a thoroughly winning prospect, and based on the first trailer for the irreverent pic, romantic-comedy fans might be about to get a much-needed kick in the teeth.
Cancellation isn't the bullet in the brain that it used to be for television series any more - in the age of online outlets and competing premium networks, the opportunity for a one-axed show to breathe new air somewhere else is more prominent than ever. And Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller is certainly remaining optimistic that his Silence of the Lambs prequel series, recently canceled at NBC, could earn a new lease on life either on the Internet or cable.
The revolution will (continue to) be televised, with word that USA officially renewed its hacker thriller Mr. Robot for a second season of at least 10 episodes just hours before the series premiere last night.
When Hollywood latches onto a new It Girl, that incredibly fortunate individual is typically barraged with offers to star in every high-profile pic under the sun, and that certainly appears to have been the case with Alicia Vikander. After starring as AI Ava in Alex Garland's sci-fi Ex Machina, Vikander is seemingly on the tip of every execs' tongue, and consequently she's been recruited for the fifth Bourne, novel adaptation The Light Between Oceans and awards contender The Danish Girl, among many others. Tragically, unlike Ava, Vikander is merely human, and so the rush in popularity has forced her to drop out of some projects in order to accommodate others.
John Green is renowned for creating strong, female protagonists within the pages of his YA novels, from The Fault in Our Stars' Hazel to Paper Towns' Margo, so it's thrilling to report today that a female director has finally taken the reins on an upcoming adaptation of one of his works. Rebecca Thomas, who made a splashy debut with the gripping 2012 drama Electrick Children, has signed on to direct Looking for Alaska for Paramount.
The Circle will remain unbroken, after all - in the wake of Ex Machina breakout Alicia Vikander dropping out of James Ponsoldt's anticipated adaptation of the Dave Eggers novel, Harry Potter alum Emma Watson has become attached to the lead role, allowing the project to proceed as scheduled.
Otto Bathurst, the up-and-coming TV helmer who just took the reins on Lionsgate's blockbuster Robin Hood: Origins, is putting together a pretty stellar cast for action-thriller Three Seconds. Today brings news that Josh Brolin, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Olivia Munn have all signed on for key roles in the pic, which already stars Luke Evans and David Oyelowo.
Two-time Oscar winner James Horner, whose emotive scores for modern classics including Titanic and Braveheart cemented him as one of Hollywood's most adored composers, died in a California plane crash Monday, his agency, Gorfaine/Schwartz, has confirmed. The Los Angeles native was 61.
File this one strictly under rumor until we hear otherwise, but Latino-Review is reporting that 20th Century Fox has been keeping its eyes wide open with regard to Marvel and DC's team-up movies, and execs there are looking to do something similar by throwing together its X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises into one Avengers-style event.
