Columbia Pictures has released the first trailer for director Dennis Dugan’s comedy sequel Grown Ups 2.  I hate myself for saying this, but I actually got a few chuckles out of the trailer.  After you get past the deer piss, there are a couple of ridiculous cameos from Shaquille O’Neal and Andy Samberg that are nice throwbacks to the zany Adam Sandler movies of old.  There’s also a nice flip on the “hot girl car trouble” scene from the first film.  And believe it or not, this might be a role that Lautner was Taylor-made for (sorry).

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film stars also Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph, Nick Swardson and Patrick Schwarzenegger.  Grown Ups 2 opens on July 12th.

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.

Check out the latest casting news below:

• Rosario Dawson (Sin City) will join Queen of the Night, the Atom Egoyan thriller that stars Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman and Mireille Enos.
• Frank Grillo (The Grey) and Maria Bello (A History of Violence) will star in a James Wan-presented thriller, possibly titled House of Horror, to be directed by Will Canon (Brotherhood).
• Peter Facinelli (The Twilight Saga) and Yuliya Snigir (A Good Day to Die Hard) join the cast of Freezer, an action/thriller directed by Mikael Salomon and starring Dylan McDermott.
• Richard Cetrone and Revard Dufresne, who each had stunt/small roles in Sucker Punch, will fill out the villainous contingent of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel presumably as General Zod’s henchmen.

Hit the jump for more on each casting announcement.

Maria Bello has been set as the female lead in an upcoming untitled thriller produced by Insidious and Saw director James Wan.  The Untitled ‘James Wan Presents’ Thriller (previously referred to as House of Horror) takes place during the aftermath of a horrific massacre of five college students who were brutally murdered inside an abandoned home.  Bello will play the police department’s psychologist who, after interviewing one of the survivors, learns that the students were amateur ghost hunters who stumbled across “something truly terrifying” inside the house.

We previously heard that Bello was eyeing the role, but today Dimension Films confirmed the casting with a press release.  The project is based on an idea by Wan and was scripted by Max La Bella.  Wan will produce alongside Lee Clay (Beautiful Boy), with Will Cannon (Brotherhood) set to direct.  Production is slated to begin January 2013 in Baton Rouge.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Writer/director Paul Haggis (Crash) has made a couple of last minute casting additions to his next project, Third Person.  Maria Bello and Adrien Brody are the latest to join a cast that now includes Liam Neeson, Olivia Wilde, James Franco, Kim Basinger, Mila Kunis, and Moran Atias.  In the vein of Haggis’ Oscar-winning 2004 drama Crash, the film follows three intersecting stories set in Paris, New York, and Rome, “with each storyline following a different stage of a love relationship from the beginning, middle, and the end.”

Variety’s report doesn’t provide details on Bello’s character, but Brody plays the love interest of Atias.  We also know that Neeson and Wilde play a journalist and a gossip columnist, respectively, in the New York storyline.  Production begins this week in Rome.  Hit the jump for casting news concerning the 9/11 drama September Morn.

Twilight’s Taylor Lautner has apparently outgrown vampires and is now interested in comedies.  Enter Adam Sandler’s first-ever sequel, Grown Ups 2.  Lautner is reportedly in negotiations to star opposite Sandler in a role that would allow him to go “toe-to-toe” with the veteran comedian.  Details are in short order at the moment, but reports specify this only as a “fun” role for Lautner, who is looking for another big movie to hang on to. Since The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 will be closing out the franchise when it hits theaters November 16th, and even with the lackluster box office response to Lautner’s Abduction, the young star might just strike gold in Grown Ups 2. The original film about a reunion of childhood friends grossed over $160 million domestically. Hit the jump for more on the sequel.

We’ve got a couple of horror-related casting stories to share today.  First up, Bloody Disgusting reports that Maria Bello is in talks to star in House of Horror.  Produced by James Wan (Insidious), the story centers on a lead detective and a police psychologist who question a suspect following the brutal murder of five college students.  Should she sign on, Bello would take the psychologist role.  Xavier Gens (The Divide) was previously attached to direct, but he’s no longer involved with the project.  The report doesn’t specify the structure of the film, but I’m assuming it’s not just two people talking to a suspect for 90 minutes.  Producers are currently looking for a new director to sign on.  Bello recently starred in the NBC drama Prime Suspect, but the series was not picked up for a second season due to low ratings.

Hit the jump for casting news concerning the sci-fi horror pic Dark Skies.

Well it lasted longer than some other canceled shows, but now NBC has pulled the plug on their freshman crime drama Prime Suspect. Deadline reports the network told cast and crew yesterday that they were shutting down production around the same time their midseason schedule went out without mentioning the series (though the bigger problem is the exclusion of Community). Though some insiders are saying the show technically isn’t canceled (hypothetically it could still be picked up for another season), but no more episodes will be produced after the 13th installment finishes shooting, and this season is officially over. Sorry Maria Bello. Better luck next time.

The series doesn’t even premiere until September 22nd on NBC, but EW already has word on a great guest star for Prime Suspect that could turn into a recurring role. Apparently comedian, film and sitcom star Jay Mohr will appear in this first season of the new police drama as New York City assistant district attorney John Bullock, a man considered good at his job, though not exactly on the same page as Jane Timoney (Maria Bello). Part of me is hoping this character will have the same kind of energy and intensity as his turn in Jerry Maguire, but that remains to be seen. Either way, he’s definitely a welcome addition to the series which looks like it could be one of the more solid debuts this fall, and a potentially great new crime drama. For your convenience we’ve included the extended preview for Prime Suspect after the jump.

The second trailer for The Lautner Iden—er—Abduction has hit the web. The film pegs Taylor Lautner as an action hero and centers on a young man who’s out to uncover the truth as to why a baby photo of himself wound up on a missing persons website. While the first trailer focused on telling the story, this one plays much more like a fast-cut TV spot that’s very heavy on the action and light on dialogue. I think Lautner only speaks once. The supporting cast is pretty impressive, but I still have trouble taking Lautner seriously as an action star.

Directed by John Singleton, the film stars Lautner, Lily Collins, Sigourney Weaver, Danny Glover, Alfred Molina, Michael Nyqvist, Maria Bello, and Jason Isaacs. Abduction opens on September 23^rd. Hit the jump to watch the trailer.

[This review is a reprint of Bill's review that ran during the Dallas International Film Festival]

Beautiful Boy is the story of missed connections between one another. Sometimes these result in arguments or misunderstandings, while other times they go unresolved until they finally boil over and cause a lasting effect. Director Shawn Ku gracefully navigates the heart breaking story of a couples’ loss in the wake of their son committing an act of mass violence at his college and then taking his own life. While the plot may sound conveniently topical, the way in which Ku treats the subject will have ripples for years to come. There isn’t an easy path of recovery to take, and now more than ever, people’s intrusive voyeurism and public remarks can cause even more emotional pain. Hit the jump for the full review.

Maria Bello has established herself as a very intriguing leading actress, taking on a variety of roles in projects all across the board. She can next be seen in the indie drama Beautiful Boy, about a married couple (Bello and Michael Sheen) on the verge of separation who, after a shocking act of violence committed by their son (Kyle Gallner), are united in their grief. In the fall, she will be playing Detective Jane Timoney in the NBC crime drama Prime Suspect, a re-imagining of the British television hit (starring Helen Mirren) about a tough-as-nails detective who doesn’t know when to quit. On September 23rd, the John Singleton action thriller Abduction starring Taylor Lautner will hit theaters, in which she plays a bad-ass with an amazing fight scene.

At the press day for Beautiful Boy, actress Maria Bello did this exclusive interview with Collider, where she talked about choosing roles very instinctually, how she was drawn to exploring the levels of grief for this role, how much she enjoyed collaborating with co-star Michael Sheen, and that she thinks this is ultimately a hopeful film. She also talked about why she wanted to get involved with another television series with Prime Suspect, working with Peter Berg, who directed the pilot, and how she wants to use every facet of herself in her work and life. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

Beautiful Boy is the story of how tragedy effects a family and all those around them, in every way. A married couple on the verge of separation suddenly find themselves having to turn to each other to overcome unimaginable heartbreak. Under intense media scrutiny following their son’s shocking act of violence that changes the lives of so many, Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate (Maria Bello) see a chance for happiness again through their common grief.

At the film’s press day, actor Michael Sheen talked exclusively to Collider about baring himself emotionally for this role, playing the emotion of grief in such a naturalistic way, working with a director who established such an honest and collaborative set, and just being open and present in the moment. He also talked about why he loves playing Aro in The Twilight Saga, how he loves playing as many different characters, in as many different worlds as he possibly can, and why he wants to take on Hamlet next. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

After last night’s huge influx of news from Fox about series pick-ups, renewals and cancellations, it’s now NBC’s turn to announce some of their new series that we can look forward to in the fall. As of now there seems to be some dissension amongst the news outlets online as to whether or not Wonder Woman will actually get picked up, and other potential series like The Playboy Club are rumored for a pick-up but we haven’t heard anything official yet.

After the jump, check out the four new series that have definitely been picked up to premiere sometime this fall including a new sitcom from stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings, another comedy from Christina Applegate, a Broadway musical series from producer Steven Spielberg, and the stateside remake of the British crime drama Prime Suspect.

The first trailer for the action thriller Abduction, starring Taylor Lautner, has been released. Directed by John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood) the thriller centers around a young man who sets out to uncover the truth after finding a baby photo of himself listed on a missing persons website. While Lautner’s acting still seems a bit too ham-fisted to be taken seriously, the supporting cast is fairly impressive and some of the action sequences actually looked pretty cool. I understand Lautner’s desire to move on to bigger and better things post-Twilight, but the guy’s no Tom Cruise.

Abduction stars Lautner, Lily Collins, Sigourney Weaver, Danny Glover, Alfred Molina, Michael Nyqvist, Maria Bello, and Jason Isaacs. The film is set to be released on September 23^rd. Hit the jump to watch the trailer.