Not all of the Warriors Three will be returning for Thor 2.  While Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) will be reprising their roles as two of the warriors from Thor, Fandral (Josh Dallas) apparently will not.  Dallas’ prior commitments to the ABC series, Once Upon a Time, will prevent him from joining the sequel.  So reports have it that Marvel is looking to ex-secret agent super-spy, Zachary Levi (Chuck) to fill the role.  Hit the jump for more.

We’ve got just a few more release date shuffles to share on this unofficial “Release Date Thursday.”  Following release date news for the X-Men: First Class sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and Robopocalypse, as well as Independence Day 3D, here’s a brief rundown of a few more dates:

• Disney’s Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp has been moved from May 31st to July 3rd, 2013.
• Marvel’s Thor 2 is shifting slightly from November 15th to November 8th.
• The sequel Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters has been pushed back to August 16th from March 15th, 2013.
• The Ben Stiller-directed remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty will land on Christmas Day, 2013.
• The currently untitled comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy from Bridesmaids director Paul Feig has been set for April 5th, 2013.

Hit the jump for more on each of the aforementioned films.

I never thought I would say “It’s been difficult to keep up with Terrence Malick‘s numerous projects,” but here we are.  The director used to take years between putting movies into development, but now in addition to the Ben Affleck/Rachel McAdams romance film Into the Wonder hopefully hitting theaters this year, he’s currently at work on two more films: Lawless and Knight of Cups.  Christian Bale and Natalie Portman co-star in both movies, and today we have new set photos of the duo from either Lawless or Knight of Cups, but we don’t know which one.  The images show Bale and Portman goofing around on the shores of Malibu, but we don’t know if these are test shots of something that will be in whatever movie they’re shooting.

Details about Knight of Cups are being kept under wraps, but we know Lawless is about “Two intersecting love triangles,” and “It is a story of sexual obsession and betrayal set against the music scene in Austin, Texas.”  Knight of Cups also stars Isabel Lucas, and Lawless also stars Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, and Haley Bennett.  Cate Blanchett co-stars in both films.  Hit the jump to check out the images.

The success of Marvel’s The Avengers has allowed the comic book universe to introduce its rogues gallery to theater-going audiences, bringing in such extraterrestrial villains as Thanos, the Mad Titan.  Thor was the first of the recent Marvel movies to use other-worldly magic as a power source instead of Tony Stark’s technology in Iron Man or the science behind the genesis of Captain America and the Hulk.  In a recent interview, Kevin Feige confirmed that the death-obsessed Eternal would not be making an appearance in Thor 2; another big villain would be stepping in.  We know that Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman will reprise the roles of Thor and Jane Foster respectively (not to mention the return of Idris Elba as Heimdall).  We also know that Tom Hiddleston will return as Loki, but that’s not a new big villain.  And we know Mads Mikkelsen is set to play a villain, so who could it be? Hit the jump to see what Feige had to say.

After taking some much-deserved time off following her Best Actress Oscar win for Black Swan and the birth of her child, Natalie Portman is beginning to line up a slate of upcoming projects.  She’s set to star in two new Terrence Malick films and she’ll return for Thor 2, and now she’s attached herself to star in and produce a wildly interesting project called Jane Got a Gun.  The film, described as a Western, was written by Brian Duffield and centers on “a woman whose outlaw husband returns home barely alive and riddled with bullet wounds. She is forced to reach out to an ex-lover and ask if he will help defend her farm when her husband’s gang eventually tracks him down to finish the job.”  Hit the jump for more.

In what’s shaping up to be one of the year’s hottest projects, The Counselor has just attracted some high-caliber acting talent to go along with the Oscar-nominated director, Ridley Scott (Gladiator) and the Pulitzer-Prize winning author, Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men). The project, of course, already features Michael Fassbender (Shame) in the starring role as a respectable lawyer who begins to dabble in the trade of illegal drugs while trying to avoid succumbing to its pitfalls. Previously mentioned for the villainous role in McCarthy’s first ever spec script, were Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Brad Pitt (Fight Club) and Bradley Cooper (The Hangover). Renner is now in early negotiations along with Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) for a part that seems less villainous and more enabling, as a criminal who introduces Fassbender’s character to the drug trade. Also in the mix for The Counselor is Natalie Portman (Black Swan), negotiating for a part opposite Fassbender as his fiancee.  Hit the jump for much more on The Counselor.

For a guy who’s made only five films in almost 40 years, director Terrence Malick is becoming incredibly prolific as of late. Last year he released the long-awaited The Tree of Life, he’s still in post-production on an untitled romantic starring Ben Affleck that he shot in 2010, and he recently committed to shooting two movies this year: Knight of Cups and Lawless. We know next to nothing about both films except for the cast, but today an official logline for the latter has been unveiled that gives us some insight into what Malick has planned for stars Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, and Christian Bale. Hit the jump to see what’s in store for Lawless.

We’re only a few short days away from the 84th Academy Awards, which means all that prognosticating and “fake controversy” business will finally come to an end on Monday morning. Until next year, that is. Nevertheless, a number of presenters have been announced over the past few weeks and we figured we’d bring you a full list of all the pretty celebrities scheduled to appear during Sunday night’s telecast. Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Emma Stone, The Muppets and the leading ladies from Bridesmaids will (hopefully) be bringing the funny, and today the Academy announced that last year’s winners in the acting categories will return to present. I really, really liked the way the awards were given out a few years back with past winners speaking directly to each of the nominees, so I’m hoping Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Natalie Portman, and Colin Firth will be doing something similar.

Hit the jump to read the full list of presenters and performers, and be sure to check back this weekend to see how yours truly and Matt Goldberg think the awards will stack up in our predictions feature. Billy Crystal hosts the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, February 26th.

Natalie Portman has set her first two films since giving birth to her son back in June, and both movies will be with Terrence Malick.  According to Deadline, Portman will co-star in Knight of Cups and Lawless, which are shooting back-to-back.  She joins Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett in starring in both movies (although as far as we know, the films don’t share a plot or characters).  Knights of Cups also stars Isabel Lucas, and Lawless‘ cast includes Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, and Haley Bennett.  Knight of Cups shoots this summer and then Lawless will follow in the fall.

Hit the jump for more.

Lately, Thor 2’s production has been in flux due to the original director Patty Jenkins leaving citing “creative differences” and new director Alan Taylor having to wait for a new writer to rework Don Payne’s original script. It looks as if Marvel Studios has settled on a new screenwriter so now everyone can just settle down and get back to work on making the sequel to one of 2011’s most successful films. Originally considered a contender for the rewriting job, Robert Rodat has bested competitors John Collee and Roger Avary for the position. The Oscar-nominated scribe behind Saving Private Ryan and the creator of TNT’s Falling Skies will have the task of scripting where the Asgardian’s story will head after he wraps things up with the The Avengers this May. Hit the jump for more on Thor 2.

I am interested in anything Andy and Lana Wachowski do.  In recent months, that meant following the development of Cloud Atlas, which wrapped production in December.  Word surfaced in October the filmmakers are looking at a quick turnaround before their next movie, Jupiter Ascending.  The Wachowskis have reportedly reached out to their V for Vendetta heroine Natalie Portman to star in Jupiter.  Production is now tentatively scheduled for this fall, so plot details are under lock and key.  All we know is the genre: science fiction.  With the Wachowskis at the helm, that’s enough for me.  More after the jump:

Earlier in the month, we reported on director Patty Jenkins leaving Thor 2, and moved on by the time Alan Taylor and Daniel Minahan surfaced as the top replacement candidates.  After all, the departure was attributed to the classic “creative differences,” and it was implied that Marvel would still like to go into business with Jenkins, just not on Thor 2.  However, a new report suggests the split wasn’t quite so amicable, and Thor 2 star Natalie Portman is “deeply upset” over the firing.  Details after the jump.

As you most likely already know, all six Star Wars films are being re-released in theaters in 3D, starting with Episode I: The Phantom Menace (ie. you have to sit through the prequels before seeing The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen again). The first trailer for Episode I has been released, and it does a pretty good job of selling the re-release. It begins with scenes from all six films in a tiny box, in order to remind you that even though you just bought the complete saga on Blu-ray, your TV is incredibly small and insufficient when compared to a movie theater. The actual scenes from Episode I look fine, and the pod-racing scene should be pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, the 3D doesn’t necessarily enhance Jake Lloyd.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D opens on February 10th, 2012.

Monster director Patty Jenkins has signed on to direct Thor 2.  Last month we reported that Jenkins was in early talks to direct and we commented on how it was surprising that Marvel would hire someone who’s biggest directing credit to date was an independent drama known primarily for how Charlize Theron uglied up and won an Oscar.  Jenkins is an interesting choice but one that makes me more interested in the film than if some journeyman director had been hired.

We don’t know much about the plot other than Marvel President Kevin Feige’s comment that “[Thor 2 will] primarily be the journey of that character, of he and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and how the new dynamic with his father is working out, as well as what are the broader stakes for The Nine Worlds.”  Hit the jump for the full press release.  Thor 2 is due out November 15, 2013.

Thank the Maker for YouTube. With the advent of the video-on-demand digital age, no longer is that TV movie role that Actor X did when he was 11-years-old lost forever, and now someone’s put together a compilation of 25 “before they were famous” first roles for our viewing pleasure. Did you know that Daniel Craig was in A Kid in King Arthur’s Court? How about Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Roseanne or Jake Gyllenhaal in City Slickers? No need to hit up Netflix, some choice scenes are now all in one place.

Hit the jump to watch the montage, which includes 25 sometimes painful scenes featuring Jim Carrey, Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Ryan Gosling, Keanu Reeves, Nicole Kidman, Seth Rogen, Jake Gyllenhaal, Harrison Ford and more.