Pinto Wages 'War of the Gods' and Damon is Bobby Kennedy

Plus 'Cancer' gets two more and Speedy Gonzalez heads to the big screen

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Wednesday, February 24th 2010 at 12:31 PM

Pinto to Wage War of the Gods: If you have seen The Cell and The Fall you most likely already have your mind made up on Tarsem Singh, director of the upcoming epic War of the Gods of which Freida Pinto has just signed on to star in as the oracle priestess Phaedra. The film follows the battles waged by Theseus (Henry Cavill), a warrior from Greek mythology, who leads a fight against the imprisoned titans in a story where gods fight alongside mortals. Phaedra joins Theseus on his quest to prevent the cataclysmic war from erupting. Jason Keller penned the most recent draft of the script. The original screenplay was written by Charley and Vlas Parlapanides. Production is set to begin in April. Universal Pictures is distributing. [Variety]

Matt Damon as RFK: Matt Damon has reportedly signed on to star in an untitled biopic on Robert F Kennedy based on the Evan Thomas biography "His Life" with Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) directing and Steven Knight (Eastern Promises) scripting. The film will trace RFK's transformation from the younger brother in the shadow brother President John F Kennedy to a strong national leader in his own right before he was gunned down in 1968. Emilio Estevez directed Bobby in 2006, which concerned the last days of Kennedy's life leading up to his assassination at the Ambassador Hotel. [Deadline]

Huston and Hall Contract for Cancer: Anjelica Huston and Philip Baker Hall have joined the cast of I'm With Cancer, and adaptation of the Will Reiser novel in which a 25-year-old (James McAvoy) learns he has cancer and successfully battles the disease over several years. The character is based on the real experiences of screenwriter Will Reiser, who won his own fight with cancer in his mid-20s. Also starring in the film are Seth Rogen, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anna Kendrick. The Wackness helmer Jonathan Levine is directing for Summit Entertainment. Shooting begins later this month in Vancouver. [Variety]

George Lopez Gets 'Speedy' for New Line: New Line Cinema is bringing the Looney Tunes character Speedy Gonzales to the big screen in a a live-action/CG hybrid feature, with George Lopez attached to voice Speedy. Garfield scribes Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen are adapting the screenplay from the classic shorts animated by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt, which won the Academy Award for best short subject in 1955. [Heat Vision]

Hill and Green Deliver The Sitter: Jonah Hill is set to star in The Sitter for Pineapple Express helmer David Gordon Green. The film harkens back to 1987's Adventures in Babysitting by following a college student (Hill), suspended for the semester and living at home with his single mom, who has a night to remember when he gets talked into baby-sitting the eccentric kids next door: two boys and a wild 8-year-old girl. Production is eying a fall start. 20th Century Fox is distributing. [THR]

Segel and Higgins Join Bad Teacher: Jason Segel and John Michael Higgins have signed on to co-star in Bad Teacher with Cameron Diaz and Lucy Punch. The film follows a foul-mouthed, gold-digging seventh-grade teacher who, after being dumped by her current boyfriend, sets her sights on a colleague (Punch) who is dating the school's model teacher. Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) is directing for Columbia Pictures. Filming begins next month in Los Angeles. [THR]

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