Once you have Brad Pitt set as your star, it becomes quite a bit easier to fill out the rest of your cast.  Earlier this month, Pitt committed to the lead role in End of Watch director David Ayer’s World War II film Fury.  The story takes place in 1945 as the Nazi regime collapses and the five-man crew of an American tank called Fury battles a desperate German army.  Pitt is onboard to star as an army sergeant named “Wardaddy,” and now Variety reports that Shia LaBeouf is in talks to co-star.  Further details are unknown, but LaBeouf would play a member of the Fury crew should his deal make.

Ayer wrote the script for Fury himself on spec, and with LaBeouf now onboard I’m really interested to see how the rest of the cast fills out.  LaBeouf was most recently seen in Robert Redford’s thriller The Company You Keep and the Sundance film The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman.  Just yesterday, we learned that he’s attached to reunite with his Disturbia director D.J. Caruso on the espionage film Spy’s Kid alongside Robert De Niro, but with production on Fury set to begin this fall, the WWII film will likely be his next project.  Fury hits theaters on November 14, 2014.

Things are moving very quickly on director David Ayer’s WWII film Fury.  The writer/director sold his spec script to QED in February for a cool $1 million off the success of his 2012 cop drama End of Watch, and last week he landed some major starpower by way of Brad Pitt who signed on to topline the film as an army sergent named “Wardaddy.”  Now Columbia Pictures has acquired domestic distribution rights for the film and has set a November 14, 2014 release date, with production poised to begin this coming September.  The pic will open opposite Matthew Vaughn’s comic book adaptation The Secret Service and will be sandwiched between Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi pic Interstellar and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

The story of Fury takes place in 1945 as the Nazi regime collapses and the five-man crew of an American tank called Fury battles a desperate German army.  Hit the jump for more, including the full press release.

It looks like Brad Pitt might be getting in the driver’s seat of a tank in Fury, the World War II pic from writer/director David Ayer (End of Watch).  Reports have Pitt in final negotiations to lead the picture, which “takes place in 1945 as the Nazi regime collapses and the five man crew of an American tank called Fury battles a desperate German army.” Ayer previously said that his goal with the film is “to bring tank combat to life in a way that lands with a modern audience.”  With Pitt possibly on board, Ayer will certainly have that audience to play to.  Hit the jump for more.

Writer/director David Ayer has more than a passing familiarity with the heroes and villains of law enforcement.  He’s been behind the pen of Training Day, S.W.A.T., Dark Blue and Harsh Times, while stepping behind the camera for the latter film, as well as Street Kings. His latest effort, End of Watch, has him pulling double duty, but giving up some camera control to his principal leads Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña.  In bringing some aspects of “found footage” into an action movie following two street cops on their daily grind, Ayer has managed to find another layer of realism that makes his films so enjoyable.  Hit the jump for our breakdown of End of Watch on Blu-ray, including the highlight of Ayer’s directorial commentary that makes the film easily worth a repeat viewing.

End of Watch writer/director David Ayer has made quite the sale for his spec script Fury.  Deadline reports that QED International has paid $1 million for Ayer’s script, with the filmmaker attached to direct the World War II actioner.  The story “takes place in 1945 as the Nazi regime collapses and the five man crew of an American tank called Fury battles a desperate German army.” Ayer is hoping to begin production later this fall, and his goal with the film is “to bring tank combat to life in a way that lands with a modern audience.”  I’m not entirely sure what, specifically, modern audiences crave out of a tank warfare movie, but I believe the answer is massive explosions and dubstep.

Ayer is best known for his gritty cop dramas like Harsh Times and Training Day, but he picked up considerable critical acclaim for last year’s End of Watch and most recently wrapped a thriller take on the Agatha Christie story Ten Little Indians called Ten, which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, and Terrence Howard.  QED also teamed up with Ayer on Ten, which opens next January, so they must be liking what they’re seeing from that film thus far.

The gritty and intense crime drama End of Watch, available on DVD/Blu-ray on January 22^nd, tells the story of LAPD officers Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña), who patrol the mean streets of South Central Los Angeles.  Shot documentary-style, the action unfolds through footage from the handheld HD cameras of the police officers, gang members, surveillance cameras and citizens caught in the line of fire to illustrate how cops risk their lives, every day.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, writer/director David Ayer talked about how relieved he was with the film’s success, how much audiences responded to the characters’ relationship and the actors’ performances, how he gauges which scenes to cut and which scenes to keep, including his original alternate ending with the deleted scenes, and why he finds himself so drawn to cop stories.  He also talked about the experience he had directing Arnold Schwarzenegger on Ten, about members of an elite DEA task force who find themselves being taken down one-by-one after they rob a drug cartel safe house, how the action in that film compares to the action in his previous films, the stylistic approach he took, how he hopes to take the film to Comic-Con, and that he’s currently writing a World War II tank movie.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Director David Ayer’s (End of Watch) upcoming action thriller Ten just nabbed a release date, but those itching to get a look at the film anytime soon will be sorely disappointed.  Open Road Films announced today that Ten will be released on January 24, 2014, which for you mathematicians out there is about 13 months away.  The film is loosely based on Agatha Christie’s classic mystery Ten Little Indians, as it centers on a DEA task force who heists a drug cartel safe house, only to start getting picked off one-by-one by an unknown assassin.  The impressive ensemble cast is lead by Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Josh Holloway, Max Martini (Revenge), Olivia Williams (Anna Karenina), and Mireille Enos (The Killing) rounding things out.

Currently no other film is slated for that same weekend in January 2014, but Open Road has also released a slightly new image from the film.  It’s incredibly similar to the first image of Schwarzenegger that was previously released, but this photo shows the actor striking a different (though no less intimidating) pose.  Hit the jump to read the press release and to take a look at the new image.

Thanks to social networking, we now have the first image of Arnold Schwarzenegger in director David Ayer’s new film, Ten.  Schwarzenegger tweeted the image earlier today, one that shows off a new look for the former Governor as he’s sporting a new haircut and a variety of new tattoos.  He’s also armed to the teeth and ready for battle in a police-issue bullet-proof vest, complete with knives, ammo and at least three guns.  Back when it was titled Breacher, Ayer said he wanted to “reinvent Arnold” during an interview with Steve.  You’ll have to decide for yourself whether or not he succeeded.  Hit the jump to check out the first image and for more on Schwarzenegger’s character.

The script for the Scarface remake that was recently turned in by David Ayer (Training Day) is now undergoing a rewrite by Oscar-nominated writer, Paul Attanasio (Donnie Brasco).  The story is expected to be a blend of director Howard Hawks’ 1932 version and Brian De Palma’s 1983 classic starring Al Pacino.  Deadline reports that Universal Pictures has yet to release the central character’s ethnic and geographic origin, characteristics which were central to past iterations.  Keep an eye out for more developments on the new imagining Scarface and click here to get caught up on our previous coverage.

With less than $300,000 separating the top three films this weekend, the final order of the domestic top ten has been difficult to call. Sunday’s estimates have End of Watch and House at the End of the Street tied for first with $13 million each. Warner Brother’s Trouble with the Curve is not far behind, however, so more definitive results will have to wait until Monday. One thing we can say for sure? Dredd 3D is off to a rough start.

Last night, I managed to squeeze in a double feature of Dredd 3D and The Master. While I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of not having a 2D showing available to choose from, I have to admit that director Pete Travis‘ film provided me with my first 3D screening since 2010′s Piranha 3D that actually felt worth the extra dimension and additional ticket price. As for The Master, it’s probably unfair to judge something so heavy after a single viewing. That said, my initial reaction is that I can’t remember watching a film where its individual parts so far exceed the sum the first time around. From top to bottom the pic’s technicality is superb. And yet, I don’t see myself in any hurry to revisit Paul Thomas Anderson‘s latest world.

Moving forward to the reason we’re all here, in this week’s episode of the Top 5, The Hobbit celebrates Tolkien Week in a big way with a new trailer and images, we get our first looks at a new suit from director Jose Padilha‘s Robocop reboot, Steve sits down to talk End of Watch with Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna Kendrick, and more, Kick-Ass 2 set images continue to roll out while Aaron Johnson talks about the film at TIFF, and Fantastic Fest 2012 kicks off. Continue reading for a brief recap and link to each.

Opening this weekend is director David Ayer’s (Harsh Times) police thriller End of Watch.  The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as two Los Angeles beat cops who find themselves marked for death after a routine traffic stop turns into an epic drug bust that interferes with a notorious cartel.  Unlike Ayer’s previous films which focused on corrupt police officers, Gyllenhaal and Peña play honest cops trying to make a difference.  In addition, most of the movie was filmed with handheld cameras, and Ayer’s POV shots put the audience right in the middle of the action.  Trust me, End of Watch is definitely worth your time and the chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Peña is a lot of fun. For more on the film, here’s Matt’s review, twenty things to know from my set visit, and all our previous coverage.  End of Watch also stars Anna Kendrick, Natalie Martinez, America Ferrera, Cody Horn and Frank Grillo.

Last week at the Toronto Film Festival I was able to speak with David Ayer.  We talked about premiering in Toronto, his motivation for making End of Watch, the unique camerawork, and more.  In addition, Ayer talks about his next movie, Breacher, which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sam Worthington.  He reveals they start shooting October 15, it will definitely be rated-R, and he says he wants to “reinvent Arnold.  He’ll be a new guy.”  Hit the jump to watch.

David Ayer‘s cop action flick End of Watch is consumed by found-footage gimmick it doesn’t need.  The device feels forced upon the story, and is applied in such a haphazard fashion that its presence only become more of a distraction.  Audiences don’t need a reason for certain camera angles; they need good characters, and End of Watch has them with great performances from lead actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña.  The movie is driven by character, and while the camera-tricks vie for our attention, it’s the relationship between two beat cops that holds our interest.

We here at Collider are happy to debut a new image from director David Ayer’s (Harsh Times) police thriller End of Watch.  The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as two Los Angeles beat cops who get in over their heads when they decide to independently take down a drug operation.  I caught some footage from the film at Comic-Con and thought it looked great.  Much of the movie was filmed with handheld cameras, and Ayer’s POV shots put the audience right in the middle of the action. Instead of another cliché-driven “corrupt cops” drama, End of Watch really focuses on the honest, dangerous work of everyday police officers.  Moreover, the chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Peña is a lot of fun (watch a great clip right here).

Hit the jump to check out the new image, in which Gyllenhaal gets fairly intense.  The film also stars Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera, Frank Grillo, and Natalie Martinez.  End of Watch opens on September 21st.

We have a few bits of casting news to share with you today.  Here they are at a glance:

• Cobie Smulders (The Avengers) is in negotiations to star opposite Vince Vaughn in DreamWorks’ untitled Starbuck remake, directed by Ken Scott, who also directed the original.
• Josh Holloway (Lost) is in talks to join Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sam Worthington in David Ayer’s action-thriller, Breacher, previously known as Ten.
• Abbie Cornish (Sucker Punch) has nabbed the female lead in Fellini Black and White, directed by Henry Bromell.

Hit the jump for details on each picture.