The first trailer has been released for Denis Villeneuve’s (Incendies) dramatic thriller Prisoners.  The film stars Hugh Jackman as a working-class Boston father who sets out to track down the man he believes is responsible for kidnapping his daughter and her friend. Along the way, he runs up against the big city detective (Jake Gyllenhaal) assigned to the case.  The film certainly appears to do justice to a dramatic telling of a parent’s worst nightmare, but it goes further than that, asking to what lengths a person would go to in order to return their children home safely.  Unfortunately, as is the case with many recent trailers, too much of the story is given away too soon.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Paul Dano, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, and Viola Davis.  Prisoners opens September 20th.

Here’s today’s latest casting news:

• Chris Pine (Star Trek) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) are in discussions to join Into the Woods, the Rob Marshall-adaptation of the Broadway musical that stars Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep.
• Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) has joined Stephen Gaghan’s The Candy Store, which stars Robert De Niro, Jason Clake and Omar Sy.
• RZA (The Man with the Iron Fists) and Catalina Denis (Sleepless Night) will join Paul Walker in Brick Mansions, the Camille Delamarre-directed remake of Luc Besson’s District B13.

Hit the jump for more on each casting announcement.

Check out the latest casting news below:

• Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers) is set to lead the new action flick from writer/director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) titled Lucy.  Besson once again features a female ass-kicker in the lead and puts a new spin on drug mule stories with this new script.
• Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) and Rene Russo (Ransom) will star in writer/director Dan Gillroy’s indie, Nightcrawler.  The story centers on a young freelance journalist who explores L.A. by night while working the crime beat.

Hit the jump for more.

The Western Jane Got a Gun has gotten off to a bit of a rough start.  The film was to begin production this past Monday, but director Lynne Ramsay abruptly left the project by reportedly not showing up for the first day of filming, leaving the pic in a state of uncertainty.  Gavin O’Connor (Warrior) was quickly brought in to replace Ramsay, but then Jude Law dropped out of the project as a result of Ramsay’s departure, leaving the film without a villain.  Natalie Portman is poised to star as a woman whose outlaw husband returns home riddled with bullets, spurring her to team up with her ex-lover (Joel Edgerton) in order to seek revenge against the man responsible (the villain role yet to be cast).

With production apparently back underway, O’Connor and the film’s producers are scrambling to replace Law as quickly as possible.  A new report has surfaced suggesting that they’re casting a pretty wide net to fill the role, as Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, and Jeff Bridges are among those being considered.  Hit the jump for more. 

Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. have announced the start of production of director Denis Villeneuve’s (Incedies) dramatic thriller Prisoners.  The film stars Hugh Jackman as a working-class Boston father who sets out to track down the man he believes is responsible for kidnapping his daughter and her friend. Along the way, he runs up against the big city detective (Jake Gyllenhaal) assigned to the case.  Filming is underway in Georgia, with an impressive supporting cast that includes Paul Dano, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, and Viola Davis.

The screenplay was written by Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband), and Mark Wahlberg is onboard as one of the film’s executive producers.  Moreover, genius cinematographer Roger Deakins (Skyfall, No Country for Old Men) is handling the camera work.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.  Prisoners opens on September 20th of this year.

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.

Check out the latest casting news below:

• Christian Slater (Broken Arrow) and Justin Long (Live Free or Die Hard) join the indie drama Undiscovered Gyrl, an adaptation of Allison Burnett’s novel which Burnett himself will direct.
• Connie Nielsen (Gladiator) has joined the latest McG project, previously reported as Three Days to Kill.  The pic is a darkly comic action thriller that involves a Secret Service agent who comes out of retirement for one last mission in exchange for a drug that could save his life.
• Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly) is in talks to join Mississippi Grind, a road trip pic of sorts with a plot focused on gambling addiction.  The indie also stars Jake Gyllenhaal who will produce.

Hit the jump for more on each picture.

Here is the latest movie release calendar, including new release dates and one release date shuffle:

• We’re the Millers, a pot comedy starring Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston, is set to open August 9th, 2013.
• The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, a magician comedy starring Steve Carell and Jim Carrey, opens March 15th, 2013.
• Prisoners, a thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, opens September 20th, 2013.
• The Conjuring, a horror/thriller starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, now opens six months later on July 19th, 2013.

Hit the jump for more on the films’ synopses and casts.

A couple of casting headlines for you today:

• Paul Dano (Looper) will join Hugh Jackman (Real Steel) and Jake Gyllenhaal (End of Watch) in the vigilante thriller, Prisoners, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Incendies).
• Ron Perlman (Hellboy) has joined the psychological thriller, Angry Little God, from director Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism).

Hit the jump for more on these casting assignments and the movies themselves. 

Hot off the somewhat surprising box office success of his small-budget cop drama End of Watch, Jake Gyllenhaal is looking to don his police uniform yet again.  Variety reports that Gyllenhaal is in talks to star opposite Hugh Jackman in the vigilante thriller Prisoners.  Jackman stars as a working-class Boston father who sets out to track down the man he believes is responsible for kidnapping his daughter and her friend. Along the way, he runs up against the big city detective assigned to the case.  Gyllenhaal is looking to take on the role of said detective, with Melissa Leo also poised to star in the film for director Denis Villeneuve (Incendies).

Gyllenhaal just recently wrapped filming on Villeneuve’s An Enemy, so he already has a relationship with the director.  Production on Prisoners is set to begin in early 2013 after Jackman completes The Wolverine, with an eye towards a Fall 2013 release.  [Update: Gyllenhaal has been confirmed for Prisoners. Hit the jump for the full press release.]

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.

Welcome to another disappointing weekend at the domestic box office. Four new titles debuted on Friday, but none is expected to reach $15 million by Sunday. That means that overall profits will be down for the fifth frame in a row. Despite the low grosses, Friday’s top five contained a few surprises. Few expected big things from End of Watch, the cop drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal; but after posting a Friday estimate of $4.6 million from just 2,730 runs, the R-rated indie has a shot at winning the weekend with a projected $13.5 million. Relativity’s House at the End of the Street was also a surprise ‘hit’ on Friday, earning an estimated $4.64 million from 3,083 locations to edge out End of Watch for first. The PG-13 thriller with Jennifer Lawrence is expected to fall in the rankings this weekend, but should still end up with $13 million for its first three days. Meanwhile, the film that was supposed to eclipse both of these smaller-releases – Warner Brother’s Trouble with the Curve – will struggle to match them this weekend. The baseball drama starring Clint Eastwood earned $4.1 million from 3,212 locations on Friday, making it unlikely that the PG-13 pic will reach the $18 million first-weekend that was projected. Finally, an enthusiastic reception at Comic-Con promised a solid opening for Lionsgate’s 3D comic reboot Dredd 3D. Instead, the R-rated feature took in just $2.2 million for what looks like a dismal $6.5 million first weekend.  We’ll have full details and analysis tomorrow.

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, my video interview with David Ayer, 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 Jake Gyllenhaal.  During our fun exchange we talked about the unique camerawork in End of Watch, what he learned from making the movie, the training and short shooting schedule, why he missed Comic-Con, fashion week, and a lot more.  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.