Chase films probably shouldn’t feature septuagenarians.  Robert Redford‘s The Company You Keep is two movies: one is a surprisingly entertaining investigative thriller, and the other is the most casual, least threatening chase flick I’ve ever seen.  Redford has lined-up a tremendous cast, yet spreads them around in weak bit parts, leaving the majority of the picture to himself and Shia LaBeouf.  Mixed between their characters’ two stories are confused messages about the value of the truth and rallying for your beliefs provided it’s not too much of an inconvenience.

The first trailer for Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep has gone online.  In addition to directing, Redford also stars in the film as a civil rights lawyer who must go on the run when he’s outed by a young reporter (Shia LaBeouf) as being a former 1970s Weather Underground militant.  Redford looks to be in full-on thriller mode here, as this appears to be more of an “on the run” story than a straight drama.  We actually don’t get much of Redford’s character in this trailer, as we instead focus more on LaBeouf’s investigation and pursuit of the truth.  The footage isn’t mind-blowing, but the unsurprisingly top-notch cast promises some great performances from the likes of Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Anna Kendrick and Chris Cooper.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Julie Christie, Sam Elliott, Brendan Gleeson, Terrence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Brit Marling, and Nick Nolte.  The Company You Keep will premiere at the Venice Film Festival and will also screen at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.

We’ve got a few casting notes to share with you.  Here they are in brief:

• Terrence Howard (Iron Man) will join A Girl and a Gun, a modern LA thriller from writer/director Filip Jan Rymsza that also stars Juno Temple, Luis Guzman and Christopher Walken.  
• Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) has been cast in The Counselor alongside Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt.  Ridley Scott directs from a Cormac McCarthy script.  
• Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story) joins The Freezer as a kidnapping victim who is more than he appears.  The story, written by Tom Doganoglu and Shane Weisfeld, will be directed by Mikael Salomon.

Hit the jump for more details on each casting assignment.

 Check out the latest casting news in brief below:

• Kevin Zegers (Dawn of the Dead) has been cast The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, the first in a series of adaptations of the best-selling Cassandra Clare books.  Directed by Harald Zwart, the film also stars Lily Collins, Lena Headey and Jamie Campbell Bower.
• Terrence Howard (Iron Man) and Dawn Olivieri (The Vampire Diaries) are in talks to join Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sam Worthington in Breacher, formerly known as Ten.  The picture, directed by David Ayer, follows ten DEA agents who begin to die off one by one after pulling a heist.

Hit the jump for more casting details.

We’ve got an exclusive first look at Robert Redford’s latest directorial effort, The Company You Keep, to share with our readers.  In addition to directing, Redford also stars in the film as a civil rights lawyer who must go on the run when he’s outed by a young reporter (Shia LaBeouf) as being a former 1970s Weather Underground militant.  Based on the novel by Neal Gordon, the pic boasts an incredible ensemble cast that includes Julie Christie, Sam Elliott, Brendan Gleeson, Terrence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Brit Marling, Stanley Tucci, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, and Susan Sarandon.

Hit the jump to check out the first three images from the film.  The Voltage Pictures/Wildwood Enterprises production is produced by Redford, Nicolas Chartier, and Bill Holderman, with Craig J. Flores and Shawn Williamson executive producing.  The film is based on the novel by Neil Gordon and the screenplay is by Lem Dobbs.  An official release date has yet to be announced, but The Company You Keep is expected to hit theaters sometime in spring 2013.

Director Niels Arden Oplev’s (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) revenge thriller Dead Man Down now has a release date.  The film stars Colin Farrell as a mobster’s hitman out for revenge who teams up with a crime victim also seeking retribution to fulfill their violent plot for vengeance.  Per THR, FilmDistrict will release the pic on April 5th, 2013.  As of now, the only other film slated for the same weekend is the untitled comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.

The impressive cast for Dead Man Down also includes Terrence Howard and Dominic Cooper, and Farrell is looking to have quite the run of films in the near future.  He stars later this year in Total Recall, followed by In Bruges director Martin McDonaugh’s Seven Psychopaths alongside Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken.  He’s currently still filming Dead Man Down, but he recently entered talks to star in Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks with Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson.

Two bits of casting news today for some lovely leading ladies (although only one of the roles is actually a lead).  Here are the headlines:

• Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) is set to join Tracks for director John Curran (The Painted Veil).  The Australian-set picture is based on Robyn Davidson’s trek across the heart of the island continent.
• Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) will join Precious director Lee Daniels‘ historical drama, The Butler, based on the life of Eugene Allen, who served on the White House staff from 1952 to 1986.

Hit the jump for more.

Debut feature director Andrew Levitas has landed quite the cast for his upcoming comedy/drama, Lullaby.  Directing from his own script, Levitas will boast Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) and Oscar-nominees Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) and Amy Adams (Junebug, Doubt, The Fighter).  Lullaby also stars up-and-comers Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) in a comedic drama that looks at the transformative moments in life, a picture that draws from Levitas’ career as a fine artist.  Cast and crew are set to shoot this June in New York City.  Hit the jump for the synopsis and more on the cast.

Director Lee Daniels’ historical drama The Butler is shaping up to be one of the more exciting projects on the horizon.  The film tells the true story of Eugene Allen, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986. Daniels is casting a slew of stars to take small roles as the famous men and women who come through the White House over the years, with Forest Whitaker, David Oyelowo, and Oprah Winfrey set as the three leads.

Jane Fonda and John Cusack are already onboard, apparently in the roles of Nancy Reagan and President Richard Nixon, and now a number of high profile actors are circling the project as the rights are poised to go up for sale at the Cannes Film Festival next week. Hit the jump to see who else is looking to take on the roles of some historical figures.

An indie biopic of legendary filmmaker Federico Fellini is moving forward and writer/director Henry Bromell (Homeland) has assembled himself quite the cast.  Variety reports that Elite Squad star Wagner Moura will play the famed director in Fellini Black and White, while Peter Dinklage, William H. Macy, and Terrence Howard are set to co-star.  Instead of being your run of the mill all-encompassing biopic, the film centers on a specific period in Fellini’s life.  The story is set in Los Angeles in March of 1957, and takes place during the 48 hours that Fellini went missing right before attending the Academy Awards.  Hit the jump for more.

With production looming closer on the revenge thriller Dead Man Down, director Niels Arden Oplev (the Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is filling out the rest of his cast.  Colin Farrell is set as a mobster’s hitman bent on revenge and Noomi Rapace plays “a mysterious, scarred beauty” who has intimate knowledge of Farrell’s past.  A few days ago, we learned that Dominic Cooper (The Devil’s Double) is in talks to play Farrell’s partner, and now Variety reports that Terrence Howard has been set as the villain.

Howard will play “a charming but brutal crimelord who is accustomed to being feared but is thrown off guard when a mysterious tormenter (Farrell) starts sabotaging his business from within.”  Howard’s character killed Farrell’s family, hence all the pesky sabotage and revenge killing.  Howard hasn’t exactly been prolific since being replaced in the Iron Man series, but he’ll next be seen in Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep and the Jack Kerouac adaptation On the Road.

In the indie thriller House of Bodies, a police detective, a Death Row inmate, a deaf child and a telephone relay operator are brought together via the mysterious events surrounding a grisly string of copycat murders. The common link between each of them is the House of Bodies, a voyeuristic website based in a serial killer’s home. House of Bodies, which just started production through Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere’s Flavor Unit Studios, will star Latifah, Terrence Howard and Peter Fonda. Latifah and Compere are also executive producing the picture along with Otis Best, Yaneley Arty and Shelby Stone. Hit the jump for more on House of Bodies.

World War II was the last “great” war, especially for storytellers.  It was the last time we could take the horrors of war and safely rely on the knowledge that the allied forces were fighting evil.  Not an evil that was constructed by propaganda, but indisputable evil bent on world domination and ethnic cleansing.  Recent war films and mini-series have centered on the gritty realism of battle, but Red Tails leaves that conflict on land and flies to the safety of the moral high-ground.  It embraces the exhilaration of battle, throws back to the excitement of World War II dogfights, and puts its black heroes indisputably on the side of right in the face of adversity both at home and abroad.  Elevated by stellar performances from Terrence Howard and David Oyelowo, Red Tails can be a bit shaky at times, but for the most part it’s always steady and hits its target.

With director Anthony Hemingway‘s World War II action-drama Red Tails opening January 20, 20th Century Fox has provided us with six clips and fifty-two images from the film.  Produced by George Lucas, the movie is based on the real-life story of the first all African-American squadron and their fight to defend our country.  They were given second-hand planes and the most dangerous missions, and it makes their story all the more incredible.

I actually spoke to someone tonight that recently saw the film and they said the action scenes are incredible and the film was better than they expected.  Which is always good to hear.  Red Tails stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelly, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith, Rick Otto, Daniela Ruah, and Michael B. Jordan.  Hit the jump to watch the clips.

The latest trailer for the World War II film Red Tails finally has found the right balance between drama and action.  The movie is based on the real-life story of the first all African-American squadron and their fight to defend our country.  They were given second-hand planes and the most dangerous missions, and it makes their story all the more incredible.  The new trailer is the most exciting so far because it while it still has the grandiose language, it feels more comfortable when couched in an exciting action film (and that action looks spectacular).

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film was produced by George Lucas and stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, and Nate Parker.  Red Tails opens January 20, 2012.