Cruz is Blackbeard's Daughter, Burton Moves to 'Frankenweenie' and Chastain Tends 'Fields'

Plus news on a couple of direct-to-video horror sequels

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Monday, March 22nd 2010 at 6:22 AM

Cruz is Blackbeard's Daughter in Pirates 4: Penelope Cruz will apparently be playing the pirate Blackbeard's daughter in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with Ian McShane playing Blackbeard. It's also being reported Disney was adamant about casting females in the film that have not been artificially enhanced. According to a casting memo actresses auditioning for the film "must have real breasts. Do not submit if you have implants." It also says if there was any doubt as to the authenticity of the ladies they would have to undergo a jiggle test and if not enough was moving you were out. Bouncier the better is the motto it appears . [MTV and Times of London]

Jeepers Creepers 3 and Mirrors 2 on the Way?: Ray Wise (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me) told Bloody-Disgusting the script for Jeepers Creepers 3: Cathedral is complete, adding, "They're in pre-production planning now. I'm hopeful that sometime in the next two or three months we'll get a start date…[MGM] definitely want[s] to do it, and it's just a matter of putting together all the final financing I believe…I think it's gonna be a go in a couple of months." Wise, who starred in Jeepers Creepers 2, said, "It begins right where the second one ended, right there in that barn with the Creeper on the wall and me the old man waiting there with my harpoon gun."

Meanwhile, Dread Central learned Mirrors 2, a follow-up to the Keifer Sutherland and Amy Smart horror, to be directed by Victor Garcia will be arriving on DVD and Blu-ray on October 19 from Fox Home Entertainment. The sequel will star Nick Stahl playing a man who lost his fiancee in a car crash and is now dealing with gruesome deaths all around him and a mysterious young woman haunting him from the reflections in the mirrors. [Bloody-Disgusting and Dread Central]

Burton Ready to Direct Frankenweenie?: Tim Burton is now ready for his next project which appears to be Frankenweenie 3D as Waking Sleeping Beauty director Don Hahn (executive producer on Frankenweenie) says "the puppets are ready, the script is done and now that Tim Burton is clear of Alice in Wonderland… he's set to helm Frankenweenie in 3D." The film is a feature adaptation of Burton's 1984 short film telling the story of a man who brought his dog back to life after it was hit by a car. The film serves as a parody to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and will be filming using stop motion animation. You can watch Part One of the original short to the right and parts two and three here and here. [Ain't It Cool News]

Chastain in Worthington's Fields: Jessica Chastain appears to be a hot commodity. Along with playing Brad Pitt's wife in Terrence Malick's Tree of Life, John Madden's The Debt and Ralph Fiennes's Coriolanus, she has now landed a role playing Sam Worthington's ex-wife in the thriller The Fields being directed by Ami Canaan Mann. The story is set in an area of coastal Texas dotted with oil refineries known to locals as "The Fields." There, a homicide detective (Worthington) fights two sets of fierce killers to save the life of a street kid named Little Anne. Chastain's character is also a former rodeo queen who likewise is a homicide detective and also determined to the find the killers, with or without his help. Chastain's performance in Tree of Life is already receiving a small amount of Oscar buzz. [THR]

Rebecca Hall Must Go to Ferrell: Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) has signed on to star in the indie drama Everything Must Go opposite Will Ferrell for first time director Dan Rush. Rush penned the script for the film, which made its way to the Black List, based on the Raymond Carver short story centering on a relapsed alcoholic (Ferrell) who loses his job and his wife and decides to live on his front lawn while selling all of his belongings. Hall will star as a newcomer to the neighborhood who forges a special bond with Ferrell's character. [Variety]

Connelly, Tomei and Kinnear are after Salvatation: Jennifer Connelly and Greg Kinnear have been added to the cast of the comedic thriller Salvation Boulevard with Marisa Tomei in negotiations to also star joining a cast that already includes Pierce Brosnan, Jim Gaffigan and Ed Harris. The film is being directed by George Ratliff (Joshua) who also penned the screenplay with Douglas Stone, based on the book of the same name by Larry Beinhart ("Wag the Dog"). The story centers on a former Deadhead turned born-again Christian who finds himself on the run from fundamentalist members of his mega-church who will do anything to protect their larger-than-life pastor. Production is scheduled to begin in April. [Variety]