Collin and Weisz get Dirty
According to Empire Online, “Colin Farrell has leapt aboard Philip Noyce’s drama Dirt Music, which already has its female lead in Rachel Weisz. The film will tell the story of a bored woman in a remote community (Weisz), whose passion for life is reignited when a mysterious stranger (Farrell) comes through her town. Dirt Music is based on a novel by Tim Winton and is set to start shooting in August.”

Wolfman, Benicio Del Toro
Music video director, Mark Romanek, who also directed One Hour Photo will direct Benicio Del Toro in The Wolfman due out in 2008. Del Toro will play an American man returning from England, who is bitten, and subsequently cursed by, a werewolf. Should be interesting!

The Departed sequel and prequell?
The Departed may be come the first of a trilogy. Oscar-nominated Mark Wahlberg, who co-starred in The Departed, says that the studios are talking of a sequel to the film which may also co-star Robert DeNiro as a politician of some sort. And if that goes well, a prequel will follow bringing back the main characters from the original cast. Even Scorsese’s got the prequel-sequel bug! Well, Scorsese being Scorsese, they’ll definitely be great…if they happen.

The Bionic Woman played by a child?
Well, she’s not really a child at 23. Michelle Ryan from BBC’s EastEnders, has been cast to play Jammie Sommers, The Bionic Woman. The Bionic Woman will be a screen adaptation of the tv series of the same name about the first female cyborg, Jammie Sommers (Lyndsay Wagner), who is assigned to spy missions after fully recovering from her near fatal bout of bionic rejection. Lyndsay Wagner was at least 30 and athletic looking. Ryan is too young and a bit too “buxom”. Anyway, in this new adaption Ryan will play a bright woman who is transformed into a technological wonder with $50 million worth of bionic components implanted in her body.

Keifer Sutherland in a horror film?
Oh, Keifer… Why? Why? Why? Horror films are for dead actors… or dying actors… or for actors who never quite lived. Not always, but more often than not. Mirrors, horror flick directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) starts shooting this summer. Sutherland plays a mall security guard who becomes wrapped up in a mystery involving a particular department store’s mirrors that seem to bring out the worst in people. Oh, Kiefer….Why?

Ang Lee to direct romantic comedy, A Little Game
Ang Lee is set to direct A Little Game, a romatic comedy about a picture-perfect couple who fake a break-up, only to learn that their friends never thought they should have been together to begin with. This is an interesting choice for Lee. I don’t think he’s done a romantic comedy yet. But, the man can direct anything, so I look forward to seeing it. According to Empire Online, “the film was all set to go ahead last year with Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz starring and Gabriele The Pursuit of Happyness Muccino directing, when the stars walked and the plug was pulled, apparently over ’script concerns’ “. But, Lee is rewriting the script a bit and he and the studios hope that the Carrey and Diaz. I hope they don’t. Don’t much care for either in romantic comedies because they’re not funny to me. A bit annoying. So, i’ll just cross my fingers that the leads will be recast…successfully.

Jennifer Hudson to sing at the Oscars
“American Idol misser-out turned Best Supporting Actress Oscar favourite Jennifer Hudson has this week accepted an offer to sing one of her numbers at the Academy Awards. It is of course one of the three tunes from Dreamgirls nominated for Best Song, “Love You I Do.” Yoda was unavailable for comment, but is believed to be dead pissed off for not being asked first.” –Empire Online

Sleeper Cell writers pen Robin Hood script, Nottingham
Russell Crowe will play the Sheriff of Nottingham in Nottingham a reimagined Robin Hood tale. Showtime Sleeper Cell writers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris are set to script the film. “According to Reiff, the idea is that “Robin Hood was less virtuous and the sheriff more noble than previously depicted.” Sounds great. “There’s also a love triangle between Robin Hood, Maid Marion and Nottingham’s sherrif.” Hmm – not so much. Back to the main drive of the plot: “He’s trying to do the right thing, but he’s up against Robin Hood, who’s becoming heroic while not necessarily acting in the nicest way.”” Should be interesting. No director for Nottingham yet.

DiCaprio in Enron film
Warner Bros. has made a preemptive deal to tell the story of Enron’s collapse, with Leonardo DiCaprio starring and producing through his Appian Way shingle. Read more at Variety.