A bunch of TV stars found their way into the movies and one Hunger Games actor saw the odds turn in his favor. Here’s your big-screen casting round-up:

• Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) will star in independent Canadian comedy Sex and Sunsets.
• Dianna Agron (Glee) will join Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer in Luc Besson’s action-comedy Malavita
• Gillian Jacobs (Community) will co-star in horror-comedy Milo
• The Hunger Games’ Dayo Okeniyi will play in Runner Runner starring Ben Affleck and indie high school drama The Spectacular Now

Hit the jump for more on all four projects.

The casting call for Season 3 of HBO’s resident fantasy-drama (but mostly drama) Game of Thrones was always going to be a big’un, as creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss face the challenge of further expanding George R.R. Martin’s already-unruly world; early word had the cast growing by at least 11. Today at Comic-Con, HBO officially revealed 14 new combatants in the Game of Thrones, with more announcements still to come. While many of them had already leaked out in the days leading up to the event, the biggest news is certainly that Dame Diana Rigg, best known for the 1960s British series The Avengers, has been tapped for the role of fan favorite Olenna Tyrell (aka Olenna Redwyne, aka “The Queen of Thorns”).

Hit the jump for more on Olenna and all the other new faces you’ll be seeing in Westeros next spring, including an introductory video screened at the Con. Also, click over to Matt Goldberg’s recap of the Game of Thrones panel to see what cast and crew had to say about the show.

The work of the marketing department for The Dark Knight Rises was clearly finished a couple days ago when Jimmy Fallon Pee-Wee Herman’d together his own teaser for the film. But instead of sending Fallon a “Thanks for guaranteeing us $200 mil” card and donating the rest of their promo budget to starving children, Warner Brothers has decided to keep dishing out little peeks of Bruce Wayne and co. all the way up to its July 20 opening. Now, keeping in mind that it contains no Paul Reubens-related content of any kind, does anybody want to see a pic of Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) firing a gun while taking cover beneath an unconscious man? Because we’ve got it…along with a bunch of other images from the Christopher Nolan epic (a couple of which we’ve seen before in lower-res form). No real Heinz Field-shaking info to be found in most of them. Highlights include Joseph Gordon-Levitt holding a gun, Michael Caine standing in a room clearly decorated from his eyes out, and Bane (Tom Hardy) bringing his reckoning to Gotham’s financial district. Hit the jump to check them out.

Hey, everyone: remember that trailer for The Man with the Iron Fists? The one with all the gory Kung Fu hijinks, murderous sex workers and other EYE-popping spectacle? Of course you do. Most of us pledged to lay EYEs on the film as soon as Russell Crowe inexplicably (but quite awesomely) appeared as a cowboy. Well, get out your date-circling Sharpie, because we’ve gotten word that Universal is EYEing a November 2, 2012 release date for its grindhousey martial arts epic. The directorial debut of The Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, Fists sees a clan dispute in feudal China erupting into an all-out melee between some truly badass warriors. Co-written by Eli Roth (Hostel) and produced by Quentin Tarantino, it’s graced with an eclectic international cast led by RZA himself in the title role, as well as Lucy Liu, Jamie Chung, Pam Grier, Rick Yune, Cung Le, Daniel Wu, Byron Mann and former WWE wrestler Dave Bautista.

While the promising flick is currently slated for early November, do keep an EYE on local listings in case it’s violently dislodged and sent careening across the schedule.  Hit the jump to watch the film’s trailer.

When he first street-danced his way to stardom in Step Up, Channing Tatum read as little more than sentient six-pack, vacantly mumbling his way through that film and the obligatory star vehicles that followed. Then, a few flicks ago, something unexpected happened: his empty stare started giving way to a low-key charisma. The pretty boy who walked out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue showed signs of developing into a vulnerable, relatable leading man. Due in no small part to the derision he was (and still is) subjected to, he’s also a believable underdog. It’s one of the reasons The Vow works better than most mainstream romances…some of the time, anyway. Hit the jump for our review of The Vow on Blu-ray.

A few fleeting seconds from The Simpsons 3D short The Longest Daycare arrived on the web today. Debuting in advance of Ice Age: Continental Drift on July 13, the dialogue-free 4 and a half-minute adventure will follow Maggie Simpson as she returns to the “Ayn Rand School for Tots.” Upon entry, our pint-sized hero is pegged as “Nothing Special” by a security/potential scan. Keeping with their pre-established motto of “Helping is futile,” she’s left to fend for herself in the school’s least savory wing; here she must truly develop the bottle within to survive a confrontation with arch nemesis Gerald (aka that baby with the unibrow). Hit the jump for a super-quick preview of The Longest Daycare…and seriously, try not to blink.

It turns out America’s morbid fascination with love for Charlie Sheen has not diminished.  After a very public meltdown led to his dismissal from CBS juggernaut Two and a Half Men last year, the troubled star took his act to FX last night.  The first two episodes of his new sitcom Anger Management debuted to the best ratings for a scripted comedy in cable history (not including kids’ shows).  Episode one, at 9 pm, topped all-time records in both overall viewers (5.47 million) and the key 18-49 demographic (2.65 million).  Episode two, at 9:30, bested it by attracting 5.74 mil total and 2.89 mil in the 18-49 demo. As a point of reference, more typical FX comedy Wilfred later premiered to 2.53 mil total and 1.2 mil in 18-49.

Anger Management sees Sheen stepping into the role of ex-ball player, current anger management coach Charlie Goodson, who gets up to hijinks involving his ex-wife (Shawnee Smith), therapist (Selma Blair), teenaged daughter (Daniela Bobadilla) and various clients (Noureen DeWulf, Barry Corbin). Hit the jump for more.

The first unofficial images of Denzel Washington, shiny of tooth and spiffy of hat, on the set of 2 Guns have made it to the Web.  Based on the pulpy Steven Grant comic, it stars Washington as Trench (a DEA agent) and Mark Wahlberg as Steadman (a naval officer), who team up to rip off the mob.  Neither realizes the other is undercover nor that they’re actually being set up to steal from the CIA.  Wahlberg’s Contraband director Baltasar Kormakur is helming the pic, which is described (in the novel, at least) as “a light-hearted crime romp in the vein of Ocean’s Thirteen and The Italian Job.”  The solid supporting cast includes Edward James Olmos as a villainous drug lord, Paula Patton as Washington’s fellow DEA agent and love interest, Bill Paxton as a high-ranking CIA operative and James Marsden as a naval commander. The script comes from Blake Masters (Showtime’s Brotherhood). Hit the jump to check out the pics.

Good news, everyone: a movie written by Michael Scott is being developed! Bad news for fans of The Office: It’s not “Threat Level Midnight.” Rather, Michael Scott the Irish author will script an adaptation of The Alchemyst, the first novel in his acclaimed young adult series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, for Australia’s AMPCO Films. In the book, twins Josh and Sophie Newman discover that Josh’s bookstore-owning bosses are actually a famed 14^thC alchemist and his wife, who have been cheating death for centuries with a magic elixir. When the codex they need to make the potion is stolen by the villainous John Dee, the foursome team up to get it back and foil Dee’s apocalyptic plans.

The series is comprised of six titles in total, with the final entry, The Enchantress, having hit shelves in May. Production on the film is slated to get rolling next February in Australia and New Zealand. It’s an intriguing premise, but I’d still rather see Agent Michael Scarn on the silver screen, tears streaming down his face as he strangles an innocent speed skater with the American flag. Hit the jump for the full press release.

It seems Rihanna isn’t going to let one leaky blockbuster sink her fledgling acting career. Today comes word that the pop singer will join with Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) to star in DreamWorks Animation’s Happy Smekday!. It’s an adaptation of Adam Rex’s children book The True Meaning of Smekday, which finds a group of aliens invading earth on Christmas Eve (renaming the holiday “Smekday”) after being booted from their own planet by a villainous race called the Gorg. The story takes the form of an essay written by main character Tip, an 11-year-old human who travels cross-country with the alien that inadvertently put Earth on the Gorg’s radar. It will be helmed by Antz co-director Tim Johnson. Hit the jump for more.

Despite closing the book on his career-defining Star Wars franchise some time ago and finally bringing the long-gestating Red Tails to fruition earlier this year, George Lucas’ passion for his craft burns bright as ever. In fact, he’s looking to take his work in a fresh, “experimental” direction. The good news for anyone who hasn’t really dug his post-Return of the Jedi work: you won’t have to see it. Empire Magazine had a quick chat with the producer/director for their latest print issue, during which they posed the standard “So, what’s next?” query. Lucas’ unexpected answer: he’s leaving Lucasfilm behind to make movies in his garage…using a hammer and saw, apparently. Hit the jump to read what the filmmaker has planned for himself in his own words.

After working on a couple of well-received cable dramas, Carl Franklin (Out of Time) is headed back to the movies. The Magic City and Falling Skies director has signed on for cop thriller City of Night. Penned by David Chisholm, this one tells the tale of a rookie policeman assigned to the toughest unit in Los Angeles; once there, he quickly gets mixed up with a crooked vet, who initiates an “elaborate psychological game to destroy him.” In the official release, it’s described as an “explosive, sexually intense thriller.” It’s also compared to LA Confidential and The Departed but interestingly, not Training Day, which…doesn’t it sound a lot like Training Day? Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s a rip-off or anything. Just don’t be surprised when the bad cop (who may or may not compare favourably to King Kong) is shocked (wink, wink) to find the rookie amenable to “getting wet.” Hit the jump for the full press release.

Thus far, the marketing campaign for Prometheus has been damn impressive, highlighted by artfully wrought “viral” videos and a trailer I’ve seen seven times in theatres but remain completely enthralled by. While stronger men have sworn off all further sneak peeks of the film, others like myself have become hopelessly ensnared (cocooned, if you will) and forced to watch as potential spoilers slowly emerge from our computer screens to…um…wrap themselves around our faces. The latest promo is a featurette focusing on the good ship Prometheus herself, with cast and crew discussing things like her “insect-like design” and the thinking behind the name.

As we’re ushered around the hull and through the interior, I was reminded several times of original Alien vessel the Nostromo, particularly around the dinner table and that white room where Charlize Theron is interviewed. Though, understandably, it’s missing a bit of the retro touch that makes the first ship so aesthetically singular decades later. Hit the jump to check it out. Directed by Ridley Scott, Prometheus also stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, and Guy Pearce. It hits theatres June 8.

Though Ron Weasley will always be the defining role of his career, Rupert Grint isn’t short on post-Harry Potter employment. The young Brit has lined up a pair of pretty intriguing projects; first up comes confirmation that he’s climbed aboard Fredrik Bond’s action-comedy-romance The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman. While the details of his role are unknown at this point, the film stars Shia LaBeouf as a hapless fellow that falls in love with a woman (Evan Rachel Wood) who’s lorded over by an unhinged mob boss (Mads Mikkelsen). Oscar winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and Til Schweiger (Inglourious Basterds) are set to play LaBeouf’s deceased (but still communicative) mother and a Serbian war criminal respectively. All told, it’s a pretty fantastic assemblage of on-screen talent. More than anything, I’m looking forward to Mads “Le Chiffre” Mikkelsen busting out his “insanely violent” side; I simply never tire of watching that man commit unspeakable deeds.

The script for Countryman comes from Project X scribe Matt Drake. It’s currently filming in Romania. Hit the jump for more, plus details on Grint’s other new project, CBGB.

Fans of Kenneth Lonergan’s emotional marathon Margaret will have something to look forward to. The oft-delayed film won its share of raves when it finally received a limited theatrical release last year, with critics singling out Anna Paquin’s performance as a high-schooler whose innocence is shattered when she believes herself responsible for a fatal bus accident. Several called it the best film of the year. Now comes news that it will receive a limited-time Blu-ray combo pack release on July 10 via Amazon; in that combo pack, you’ll get a bonus DVD featuring a 3-hour extended cut sporting over 30 minutes of added footage. It promises to be at least 20% more devastating than you remember (if you got to see it at all).

Hit the jump for more, including a full press release and the box art. Margaret also stars Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, Allison Janney, Jean Reno, Kieran Culkin, and Matthew Broderick.