We've got new pictures from three upcoming for your perusal: Dwayne Johnson at long last gets back to his action roots in Faster; a first look at former lovers Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake together in the high school comedy Bad Teacher. And creepy images from the teen Beauty and the Beast revamp Beastly.
Hit the jump for images and information.
Listen to the wind today and you might hear the sound of action fans across the land breathing a unanimous sigh of relief at the sight of Dwayne Johnson returning to an action role in Faster in the new film by director George Tillman (Notorious). Johnson leaves his recent series of crummy kiddie flick shockers such as The Tooth Fairy and Race to Witch Mountain behind him to play an ex-con who is out to avenge his brother's murder. Billy Bob Thornton (Eagle Eye) and Carla Gugino (Watchmen) play cops who are working to stop Johnson from completing his vengeance mission. According to USA Today who released this shot of Johnson busting out some staunchness, Johnson is looking forward to playing an action hero again and will be wielding a "bear stopper" ruger double-action revolver and will be shot in the head in this role. On this Johnson told USA Today:
"Isn't that great?... "It's fun to come back after all these years. I always consider like an education. You learn something on every movie. I feel like I'm coming to this as a different actor."
We also get a first look today of Bad Teacher a comedy where Cameron Diaz plays a foul-mouthed gold digging teacher who is a questionable role model to her 7th grade students. Justin Timberlake plays a substitute teacher who is heir to a watch making business whose Diaz's character sets her sights on. Director Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) told Entertainment Weekly that Diaz did not hesitate to sign up for the part after hearing her former partner Timberlake had auditioned. Kasdan said America's former sweetheats were "Good friends, and are both incredibly funny people... it's easy for them to be funny together. You know where the jokes are." Bad Teacher is slated to hit theaters later this year.
Also from Entertainment Weekly are new pictures of the teen Beauty and the Beast remake Beastly starring teen darling Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Neil Patrick Harris, Mary Kate Olsen, and relative newcomer Alex Pettyfer (Stormbreaker). The film, due out in July, is the story of Kyle (Pettyfer): a good looking, well to do popular kid who appears to have everything going for him until goth girl/witch Kendra casts a spell on him that turns his ugly personality inside out. The "beastly" looking Kyle tries to get unconventional Lindy (Hudgens) to overlook his appearance, and fall in love with him. Pettyfer as the veiny-freak looks like a refreshing twist on the hairy monster we're more familiar with in classic versions of Beauty and the Beast.