Archive for October 14th, 2009

Justin Long in "He's Just Not That Into You"

Justin Long has reportedly been cast to co-star in Robert Redford’s period piece Conspirator, joining fellow stars Robin Wright Penn and James McAvoy.

“Conspirator tells the story of Confederate sympathizer Mary Surratt (Wright Penn), who was tried as a conspirator in the Lincoln assassination, and Col. Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), who reluctantly agreed to defend her before a military tribunal.” – Hollywood Reporter

Shooting begins in Georgia later this month.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: This film marks the first real outreach into unfamiliar waters for Long, who has up to this point remained more or less fixed in comedy or comic-relief roles. It will be interesting to see A) how he fares in such a heavily dramatic turn, and B) what kind of draw the film will have on audiences. Will fans of Long’s comedy be willing to give him a chance in a serious role, or will the film have to rely on McAvoy, Wright Penn, and Redford’s fiscal gravity?

Chris Pine

Star Trek’s new Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) is currently in talks with Paramount about possibly being the next actor to take on the role of Jack Ryan, the Tom Clancy character that has spanned four films since 1990 (The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears).

The next Ryan film is expected to be a reboot of the franchise, the original script for which is currently being written by Hossein Amini.

Pine’s schedule appears rather full at the moment, with Unstoppable currently filming and him reportedly in talks to be in director D. J. Caruso’s project The Art of Making Money, set to begin filming early next year. But Pine is expected to accept the role.

Source: Variety

Quick Opinion: Pine seems to be a perfectly capable actor, so if he is cast as the next Jack Ryan few people ought to have qualms about the matter. However, I would be more interested to know how many people, especially fans of Tom Clancy’s work, are all that excited about yet another franchise reboot. The first ten years of this millennium is already starting to be referred to as “the decade of remakes”, and for good reason. Perhaps a franchise reboot might not be the way Paramount should want to start the next ten years.