The first trailer for DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods has been released.  Written and directed by Kirk De Micco (Space Chimps) and Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon), the film takes us back to “a previously undiscovered era in the history of our planet” and centers on the culture clash between a family of cavemen and a more evolved young man named Guy (Ryan Reynolds).  We don’t see much of the plot in this trailer, but the visuals look absolutely gorgeous.  We learn that the family The Croods live by the rule of “never try anything new,” so naturally the film will focus on their journey of leaving the cave for the first time.  It’s interesting to see DreamWorks playing up the more dramatic and awe-inspiring aspects of this and Rise of the Guardians compared the comedy-heavy trailers for their previous films.  I’m sure The Croods will still have plenty of jokes, but I’m encouraged by what we see in this teaser.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also features the voices of Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman and Clark Duke.  The Croods opens in 3D on March 22nd, 2013.

Writer/director Richard Kelly, the mind behind such features as Donnie Darko, Southland Tales and The Box, has lined up the true-crime thriller, Amicus, for his next film; Nicolas Cage is set to star.  Based on the bizarre case of Lawrence Horn, a former record producer and Motown Records executive who hired a Detroit-based hitman to murder his family in order to inherit their wealth, Amicus follows the 25 year span from the initial crime, through the trial and a resulting lawsuit from the victims’ families.  Oddly enough, hired hitman James Perry used a “how to” manual to commit his crime and the families sued the book’s Colorado-based publisher, Paladin Press.  On the side of the plaintiffs as a third-party expert (or amicus curiae) was Rodney Smolla (Cage), a First Amendment attorney and professor at William & Mary Law School.  Hit the jump for more.

Nicolas Cage is set to star in the action thriller I Am Wrath for Emmett/Furla Films.  Deadline reports that Cage will reteam with the company after previously working together on the serial killer thriller The Frozen Ground with John Cusack and Vanessa Hudgens.  I Am Wrath centers on a man who turns vigilante after he uncovers a thick plot of police corruption following the murder of his wife.  He sets out to serve justice on his own and “destroy those who abuse their power.”  It’s a premise in which Cage could really be set loose, and making things even sweeter is the fact that The French Connection and The Exorcist helmer William Friedkin is circling the director’s chair.

Production is scheduled to get underway in February with a script by Paul Sloan, so Friedkin will have to make a final decision soon.  He most recently directed the polarizing drama Killer Joe with Matthew McConaughey, which ruffled quite a few feathers with its NC-17 rating.  Cage recently signed on to star in David Gordon Green’s (Pineapple Express) southern drama Joe.

Worldwide Entertainment announced today that they will finance and produce director David Gordon Green’s (Pineapple Express) gritty, southern drama Joe.  Moreover, Nicolas Cage has been cast in the lead role of Joe, an ex-con who “becomes the unlikeliest of role models to 15 year old Gary Jones, the oldest child of a homeless family ruled by a drunk, worthless father.”  The story takes place in small town Mississippi and is based on the book of the same name by Larry Brown.  Green’s Eastbound and Down cohorts Danny McBride and Jody Hill will executive produce the adaptation.

Hit the jump for more, including an update on Green’s Suspiria remake.

We’re about six months out from the release of DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods, the studio’s tale about a prehistoric family unit trying to adapt to a changing world.  We brought you coverage on The Croods earlier this year from Comic-Con 2012 where DreamWorks Animation chief creative officer Bill Damashke and supervising animator James Baxter talked about the backstory and progress of the film.  Now we have some new polished images of the family members as well as more meat to fill out each character.

The Croods, written and directed by Kirk De Micco (Space Chimps) and Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch) and featuring the voices of Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman and Clark Duke, opens March 22nd, 2013.  Hit the jump to check out the new images and character descriptions. 

A rough trailer for Frozen Ground has leaked online.  The crime thriller stars Nicolas Cage as an Alaskan detective who sets out to end the murderous rampage of Robert Hansen (John Cusack), a serial killer who has gone unnoticed for 13 years after one of his victims (Vanessa Hudgens) escapes.  It looks like another low-budget Cage thriller, and in this one he’ll get to have a glower-off with Cusack while Hudgens tries to make everyone forget that she was in the High School Musical movies.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Dean Norris and 50 Cent.   Frozen Ground is currently set to hit theaters on November 30th.

Universal reportedly wants Jim Carrey to join the ass kicking in director Jeff Wadlow’s Kick-Ass 2.  The sequel to Matthew Vaughn’s 2010 original film adaptation of the Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. comic already features returning cast members Aaron Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.  Carrey is being sought to play the role of Colonel Stars, a founding member of Justice Forever who recruits heroes to the crime fighting group.  Deadline reports that, though Carrey is a fan of Vaughn’s original film, no deals are in place yet.  Do you think Carrey would be a good fit for the Colonel? Let us know in the comments!

The first trailer for the action thriller Stolen has been released.  Previously referred to as Medallion, the film reteams Nicolas Cage with his Con Air director Simon West.  Cage plays a former master thief who only has a few hours to find his daughter when she is kidnapped and locked in the trunk of a New York taxi cab.  Malin Akerman plays Cage’s ex-girlfriend with whom he teams up to find his daughter, while a long-haired Josh Lucas plays the antagonist, Cage’s former partner who’s gone a bit off the deep end.  Despite the cheesy “movie trailer man” voice over, the film actually looks like it could be a fun ride.  The Taken comparisons can’t be ignored, but under the direction of West Stolen doesn’t seem to be taking itself too seriously.  And was that a stuffed animal I saw in Cage’s arms or was I dreaming?

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Danny Huston, Sami Gayle, and M.C. Gainey.  Stolen opens on September 14th.

I haven’t seen The Expendables 2 yet, but the biggest selling point for the sequel and the original is the cast.  If you were an action movie star, then The Expendables franchise wants you to pick up a gun and blow shit up.  According to Producer Avi Lerner, they’ve already got Nicolas Cage signed up to do just that in The Expendables 3.  It’s worth noting that The Expendables 3 isn’t a done deal.  Lionsgate hasn’t given the third film a greenlight, but the studio will most likely continue the franchise if the upcoming sequel dominates the box office this weekend (and it probably will).

Cage is the latest addition to the cast (all of which are slated to return, according to Lerner), but he may not be the only big name to join the series.  Hit the jump for more.

Kick-Ass 2 is indeed finally happening.  The first poster banner for the film has popped up on the pic’s official Facebook page, and though it’s not much, it’s a fine tease for fans that have been clamoring for the return of Hit Girl and Co.  Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Chloe Moretz are all confirmed to return and reprise their roles from Matthew Vaughn’s 2010 adaptation of the Mark Millar comic book.

Hit the jump to take a look at the banner and to find out what we know about Kick-Ass 2 so far.

With director Lee Toland Krieger‘s romantic comedy/drama Celeste and Jesse Forever opening this weekend, I recently got to sit down with Andy Samberg for an extended video interview.  In the film, Samberg stars with Rashida Jones as a divorcing couple who are having trouble maintaining their intense friendship while living together and pursuing other relationships.  In addition, Jones co-wrote the script with Will McCormack, and it’s a great mix of realistic comedy and drama.  It’s definitely recommended.

Since my interview with Samberg was almost twenty minutes, I decided to break it up into two parts.  In today’s edition, Samberg talks about the status of The Lonely Island, why they haven’t toured, will they make a third record, what’s the origin of the “Wanna Come With” sketch on Saturday Night Live and how close did it get to airing, and what was it like to do “Get in the Cage” with Nicolas Cage on SNL.  Hit the jump to watch.

As a true supergenius who revolutionized electricity and died as a penniless recluse, the life of Nikola Tesla is so cinematic that I long for the definitive biopic.  If I can trust a recent report from Wild Rooster [via Bleeding Cool], that movie is on its way.  The report suggests Christian Bale and Nicolas Cage are in talks to play Tesla and Thomas Edison, respectively, in Tesla, Ruler of the World.  Director Mike Newell (Prince of Persia) has been approached, and could take the reins after he finishes Great Expectations.  The screenplay by Serbian writer Vladimir Rajčić purportedly links “events from Tesla’s life to a modern day story of technological crisis.”  Wild Rooster suggests more big names are in talks to play other notable folk like J.P. Morgan, George Westinghouse, and Sara Bernhardt when the film shoots in Chicago.

Most of this corresponds to previous reports that have floated around the internet over the past couple years, wherein Cage has scouted for locations or Rade Serbedgia and Lolita Davidovich are also attached.  But until news of Tesla, Ruler of the World comes through a more official pipeline, we will treat this as a very exciting rumor.  Hit the jump for background on Tesla.

A couple weeks ago, we reported that writer-director Jeff Wadlow was gearing up to shoot Kick-Ass 2 this September, and he was in talks with Chloe Moretz to reprise her role as Hit-Girl since the character would have an expanded role in the film.  Deadline now reports that Moretz, along with her Kick-Ass co-stars Aaron Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, are close to signing deals to return for the sequel.  Surprisingly, none of the cast members had sequel options in their contracts, so they required new negotiations.  There’s also talk of Nicolas Cage doing a cameo role, but he has yet to receive an offer.

Kick-Ass 2 has “several other star roles for new characters”, so we should look forward to some fresh casting news this summer before the flick goes in front of cameras this fall.

The first images and official synopsis for Frozen Ground have gone online.  The crime thriller stars Nicolas Cage as an Alaskan detective who “sets out to end the murderous rampage of Robert Hansen (John Cusack), a serial killer who has gone unnoticed for 13 years.”  The film also stars 50 Cent, Radha Mitchell, and Vanessa Hudgens.

Hit the jump to check out the images and synopsis.

A trio of actors have been set to topline the road trip drama Wild Side.  Deadline reports that Nicolas Cage, Juno Temple, and Johnny Knoxville will star in the Jesse Baget-directed (Breathelss) drama which centers on “a small town southern beauty queen who is on the run from a ruthless killer determined to retrieve diamonds he stole during a murderous heist.”  The beauty queen plans to escape New Orleans with the diamonds, but first she must elude authorities, a news reporter, and Odel, “a self-described wolf determined to hunt her down and recover his swag.”

It’s assumed that Temple will be playing said beauty queen, but Deadline’s report doesn’t specify which roles Cage and Knoxville will take.  Easy money would be on Cage playing the ruthless killer (Cage Rage!), but I could also see him playing a quirky news reporter with that classic Cage spin.  The actor recently wrapped the serial killer drama Frozen Ground opposite John Cusack, and he’ll next shoot a sure-to-be-memorable role in Charlie Kaufman’s Frank or Francis.  Temple recently wrapped Lovelace and stars in this summer’s The Dark Knight Rises.