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Did Benedict Cumberbatch confirm he's playing Khan? (No.) Is Matt Smith definitely leaving Doctor Who in 2013? (Also no.) Will the next Planet of the Apes movie feature time travel? (Sorry, no.) Will Jim Carrey cameo in Kick-Ass 2? (Possibly!?)
All those questions answered, plus plenty more spoilers still to come!
Top image from the Star Trek sequel.
Iron Man 3
Wang Xueqi, whose recent work includes roles in the acclaimed Chinese films Forever Enthralled and Bodyguards & Assassins, is reported in talks for the part of Chen Lu, who in the comics is transformed into the villainous Radioactive Man. This character, who is also rumored to meet Ant-Man in a post-credits scene, was previously linked to Andy Lau. If this casting news is correct, it means Marvel isn't worried about casting a relatively older actor as a supervillain — Wang is 66, compared to the 50-year-old Lau (and Jeff Bridges was about 58 when he made Iron Man, for point of reference). Anyway, consider this very much unconfirmed until we hear more. [Comic Book]
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
There are reports that Peggy Carter will be back for the sequel, with Hayley Atwell reprising the role in the 1940s flashback sequences. This seems likely enough, given it's pretty much confirmed that a substantial section of the movie will be set during World War II, but Atwell herself was unable to confirm or deny the reports when asked about it. [Comic Book]
Star Trek 2
There's been some chatter that Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch confirms he's playing Khan in a recent interview, so it's worth pointing out that he doesn't actually say that at all — rather, he just says he's tired of having to deny it. This is actually the same interview in which he claims he was misquoted about his thoughts on CBS's new Sherlock-type show Elementary, so this whole interview thing has apparently been a bit of a sticky wicket all round for Mr. Cumberbatch. Anyway, here's what he's quoted as saying, which also includes a couple small tidbits about his role in The Hobbit:
Going back to Star Trek 2, there's been lots of speculation about your character...
Yep, it's yet another thing I can't talk about [laughs]. I'll tell you this, it's iconic and it's exciting. I'm bored of denying that it's Khan now, because people keep saying it.Was it fun playing a villain?
Really, really good fun. It's a great part and it's really well written. I enjoyed the fights and the stunts, there's lots of that and it really is proper action movie territory. I went off and did The Hobbit [doing motion-capture and voice work as dragon Smaug and the Necromancer] at the beginning of the job, so I literally came on set, established the look, did a day of filming and then f*cked off to New Zealand for two weeks before coming back. But it's the stuff of dreams. I know it's such a well-trodden, clichéd path, ‘Brit actor plays baddie in Hollywood', but I channelled all of that and just really enjoyed it.
Star Chris Pine suggests this sequel will contain the seeds of a third entry in the franchise, although he isn't aware of what it might be:
''Knowing these guys, there's always a way to make some more installments. I'm sure they've built-in something, I'm just not smart enough to have seen it! But I'm sure there's a way. What I do know from the start, in terms of structure, they've had an idea of where they want to take the whole thing, just like a television series. I'm very excited about Part 2.''
That quote might also sort of imply that there's something built into the first Star Trek reboot that sets up this sequel, but it's probably not wise to analyze this one too deeply. [RTE ten]
Dredd
Here's a brand new extended trailer. [Shockya]
Avatar 2 and 3
Producer Jon Landau gives the latest update on the sequels:
The scripts are pretty far along. We have a team of people already working on the film at Manhattan Beach Studios. We've been working with WETA Digital on technologies. You know, Titanic was supposed to be a summer movie and it was a Christmas movie. We're going to make the best possible version of these movies, and they will come out when they are exactly that.
What recent advances in technology are you looking forward to incorporating into future movies?
I think a greater fidelity of facial performance capture is something that's very exciting, and I think that being able to create worlds, like we did with Avatar, at even higher fidelity to really immerse the audience more in the narrative storytelling. Those are great goals, as we move forward.
[Collider]
Elsewhere, Landau confirmed that they are "doing two back-to-back, but not a third." [Courier Post Online]
Noah
There some photos from the Upper Brookville, New York set of Darren Aronofsky's big budget, possibly post-apocalyptic Noah's Ark reimagining. Spotted on set are Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief star Logan Lerman, who plays Noah's son Ham, and Shameless actress Madison Davenport, who plays Ham's teenage wife Na'el. You can check out the photos at the link. [On Location Vacations]
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Screenwriter Rick Jaffa told Total Film that the Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel is unlikely to pick up on time travel, one of the big recurring plot devices of previous Planet of the Apes sequels:
"I don't foresee that. But it's interesting you should ask that, because it's the one big element that we made a conscious decision not to explore in the first one, and we were worried that there might be some backlash in the science fiction community because of it. When the story first came together we were very, very excited, and yet before we pitched it, I thought, 'The one thing missing though is time travel. But it's not necessary for this particular telling'. And I don't really foresee it, to tell you the truth."
Kick-Ass 2
Writer-director Jeff Wadlow sent out this tweet with the start of filming looming: 6 days till we start shooting... and we officially have our Colonel. Alrighty f'n then!
Since no one in their right mind would make an Ace Ventura reference in this day and age for no reason, I would say there's a good chance this is Wadlow's way of slyly confirming that, yes, Jim Carrey is playing the Colonel, as has been rumored previously. [Cinema Blend]
Skyfall
Grimm
Bitsie Tulloch says that Juliette's amnesia leaves her even further from learning the truth than ever:
"She can't remember him as a human being - let alone as a Wessen hunter. I think the main focus is going to be on getting her to remember or rebuilding a relationship from scratch. She just can't remember him and he has years and years of wonderful memories with her. He really wants to beat his head against the wall because nothing he does is jolting her from this emptiness."
The EW article also reveals that in tonight's episode, "Juliette will make her own attempt to jolt her memory and this will lead to the return of a familiar face, and this meeting could set her on the path toward uncovering Nick's secret." [EW]
Revolution
Here's an interview with show stars Tracy Spiridakos and Billy Burke at the recent FanExpo Canada.
Supernatural
Episode eight of the upcoming eighth season reportedly has the rather tantalizing title "Dean Amuck." [SpoilerTV]
American Horror Story: Asylum
Run Lola Run star Franka Potente offers this incredibly opaque hint about her character, who appears in episodes four and five:
I'm not allowed to tell you really anything. But there's this pretty crazy revelation about my character. You know [how when] Hitchcock [was] at his best he had this momentum in his movies where you think something's insane but possible? My character has that momentum. And anybody who has seen this show will have [that feeling] because it's related to something everybody knows historically."
[EW]
Additional reporting by Rob H. Dawson and Charlie Jane Anders.