Born and raised in Los Angeles, Patrick Fischler is a successful working actor in both film and television.  Having had memorable roles on two iconic television shows – as Jimmy Barrett on the Emmy Award-winning series Mad Men and as part of the Dharma Initiative on Lost – he also had Big Sur, adapted from the work of Jack Kerouac, premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and the action-thriller 2 Guns, starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, opens later this year.  On top of all that, Fischler and his actress wife, Lauren Bowles (she plays Holly Cleary on HBO’s True Blood) decided to star in and executive produce their own short film (which she also wrote), called The Test, about a couple at a critical juncture in their relationship.

During this exclusive interview with Collider, actor Patrick Fischler talked about what inspired them to make a short film, how being a real-life couple only added to the experience, the process of finding the right director, how one of the musicians in Snow Patrol ended up writing an original song for the short, how emotional it was to see the finished product, and how he’s inspired to create another project again, in the future.  He also talked about the experience of working with Denzel Washington on 2 Guns, making Big Sur, being a part of both Mad Men and Lost, and what his dream role would be.  Check out what he had to say after the jump. 

Universal has released the first trailer, poster, and a few new images for director Baltasar Kormakur‘s (Contraband) actioner 2 Guns.  The film is based on the graphic novel of the same name and stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg as operatives from competing government bureaus who are disavowed and forced to go on the run together after a mission goes wrong.  I’m happy to see that the pic doesn’t take itself too seriously, as there’s a nice sense of humor blended in with the more action-geared aspects of the story.  Washington and Wahlberg have some very promising chemistry, and 2 Guns looks like it could be a nice breath of fresh air in a sea of gritty, dark, and unrelenting action films that populate the marketplace.  Also, Bill Paxton as the villain?  Yes please.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, poster, and some new images.  The film also stars Paula Patton, James Marsden, and Edward James Olmos.  2 Guns opens August 2nd.

Universal has made some changes to its upcoming release slate, and Martin Scorsese‘s new film now has a firm date.

• Kick-Ass 2 – The Jeff Wadlow-helmed sequel has been pushed back a couple of months from June 28th to August 16th, where the actioner will now face off against the sequel Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and the comedy The To-Do List.  The film stars Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Jim Carrey.
• 2 Guns – Meanwhile, as a result of the Kick-Ass 2 date change, the Denzel Washington/Mark Wahlberg action thriller has been moved up from August 16th to August 2nd, where it will open against the sequels 300: Rise of an Empire and Red 2.
• R.I.P.D. – Universal has also announced that it will be releasing the Jeff Bridges/Ryan Reynolds action-adventure film in 3D when it opens on July 19th.  This will be a post-conversion.
• The Wolf of Wall Street – Finally, director Martin Scorsese’s memoir adaptation will open wide on November 15th, just in time for Thanksgiving and awards season.  The Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer will square off against Ridley Scott‘s The Counselor, the Robert De Niro/Sylvester Stallone boxing drama Grudge Match, and the WikiLeaks film The Fifth Estate.

We’ve got two new images for you today from the following films:

• 2 Guns – The first image from director Baltasar Kormákur’s actioner features stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg as two undercover operatives from different branches who work together without knowing each other’s secret identities.  2 Guns opens August 16th.
• Riddick - A new image from David Twohy’s third installment in the trilogy starring Vin Diesel as the fan-favorite anti-hero.  Riddick debuts September 6th.

Hit the jump to see both new images.

One of the many films opening next summer is director Baltasar Kormákur‘s (The Deep, Contraband) 2 Guns.  Based on the Boom! Studios Graphic Novels by Steven Grant, 2 Guns is an action flick that stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg as operatives from competing government bureaus who are disavowed and forced to go on the run together after a mission goes wrong.  The film also stars Paula Patton, Bill Paxton, James Marsden, Fred Ward and Edward James Olmos.

Recently I sat down with Kormákur for an extended video interview and he gave me an update on the project.  He says he’s trying to get Clinton Shorter to do the score, he’s in the middle of editing (he’s turning in his director’s cut around Christmas) and the current cut is about 2 hours 10 minutes, trimmed down from 2 hours 25 minutes.  When I asked him to describe the film, he pitched it as a pulpy comic adaptation that’s “probably closer to 48 Hrs. than Bad Boys.“  He also told me his contract says 2 Guns will be R-rated, but he will only make it R if it makes the movie better.  He doesn’t mind cutting an F-word.  In addition, when I asked him to compare it to Contraband, he said 2 Guns relies less on big action, “hopefully there is more fun in the action than necessarily big explosions.”  Hit the jump for more.

Universal Pictures has released synopses for their upcoming films 2 Guns and Identity Thief.  Briefly, 2 Guns is an action flick that stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg as operatives from competing government bureaus who are disavowed and forced to go on the run together after a mission goes wrong.  As for Identity Thief, the comedy stars Jason Bateman as a man who goes to great lengths to get his identity back from a con artist (Melissa McCarthy).

Hit the jump to check out the synopses.  2 Guns opens August 16, 2013.  Identity Thief opens February 8, 2013.

We’ve quite a bit of release date news to share this fine morning, as Universal has announced a slew of schedule changes.  Briefly:

• With production set to begin in a matter of weeks, Kick-Ass 2 has been slated for a June 28th, 2013 release.
• The Denzel Washington/Mark Wahlberg thriller 2 Guns has been given an August 16th, 2013 release date.
• Director Richard Curtis’ (Love Actually) romantic time travel pic About Time, starring Rachel McAdams, has been dated May 10th, 2013.
• The Keanu Reeves samurai pic 47 Ronin, originally set for a November 2012 release, has now been pushed back even further to Christmas 2013.
• The re-release Jurassic Park 3D has been moved to April 5th, 2013.
• The supernatural actioner R.I.P.D. starring Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds has been shifted to July 19th, 2013.
• The Jason Bateman/Melissa McCarthy comedy Identity Thief has been moved up to February 8th, 2013.

Hit the jump for all the details, folks.

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.

Here are some recent casting additions at a glance with more information after the jump:

• James Marsden (X-Men) will board Universal’s 2 Guns, joining Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington.
• James Woods (Casino) and Ron Eldard (Sleepers) join the Steve Jobs indie biopic jOBS, starring Ashton Kutcher.

Hit the jump for more on each picture.

Director Baltasar Kormakur has found his villain for the graphic novel adaptation 2 Guns.  The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington and centers on a DEA agent and an undercover naval intelligence officer who unknowingly investigate each other as each is stealing money from the mob.  Variety reports that Commander Adama Edward James Olmos is in talks to play the film’s villain, a dangerous Mexican druglord who runs up against the two protagonists.  Bill Paxton recently joined the cast as a high-ranking CIA operative and Paula Patton is set as a DEA agent who also happens to be Washington’s potential love interest.

Olmos is coming off a 10-episode stint on the most recent underwhelming season of the Showtime series Dexter.  The graphic novel 2 Guns is described as a light-hearted crime story in the vein of Ocean’s Thirteen, but I’m guessing Kormakur’s version will be decidedly grittier.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this afternoon.  First up, Bill Paxton is lining up a big project to follow the success of his History Channell miniseries Hatfield & McCoys.  Variety reports that Paxton is in talks to join the crime actioner 2 Guns.  Based on the graphic novel by Steven Grant, the film stars Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington and centers on a DEA agent and an undercover naval intelligence officer who unknowingly investigate each other as each is stealing money from the mob.  Contraband director Baltasar Kormakur is onboard to direct, and we recently learned that Paul Patton is also in talks to star.  Paxton will apparently play a high-ranking CIA operative.

Hit the jump for promising casting news concerning the West Memphis 3 film Devil’s Knot, starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth.

Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are poised to star opposite one very, very good-looking lady in the graphic novel adaptation 2 Guns.  Deadline reports that Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) is in talks to join the cast of the actioner as Washington’s love interest (she previously appeared opposite Washington in Déjà Vu).  Based on the graphic novel by Steven Grant, the film centers on a DEA agent and an undercover naval intelligence officer who unknowingly investigate each other as each is stealing money from the mob.  Wahlberg’s Contraband director Baltasar Kormakur is onboard to direct from a script by Blake Masters.

Though I’m interested to see the chemistry between Wahlberg and Washington play out, I’m not exactly in love with the idea of another handheld, hard boiled actioner from Kormakur.  The tone of the source material is quite playful and in the vein of Ocean’s Eleven, but it’s unknown how much of that will end up on screen.  There’s plenty to be optimistic about (including Patton’s addition), so hopefully Kormakur will is planning a lighter tone and has a different visual style in mind.  Hit the jump to read a synopsis for the graphic novel.

It’s not official yet, but Denzel Washington is considering starring in a movie not directed by Tony Scott. Deadline reports that Washington—who’s been on an action drama bent for the past few years—is in negotiations to star in the action pic 2 Guns. The film has been in development with Mark Wahlberg for quite some time, with David O. Russell circling the director’s chair at one point. Wahlberg’s Contraband director Baltasar Kormakur recently signed on to direct, and now production is moving forward as Washington seems poised to become Wahlberg’s co-star. Based on the graphic novel by Steven Grant, the film centers on a DEA agent and an undercover naval intelligence officer who unknowingly investigate each other as each is stealing money from the mob.

When Russell was onboard and working on the screenplay, he described it as a romantic western. There’s no word on what the current tone might be, but with the addition of Kormakur and now Washington, I’m guessing we’re in for another hard-boiled action thriller. Washington will next be seen in the actioner Safe House, but we’ll get to see him stretch his dramatic chops once again with Robert Zemeckis’ drama Flight. Hit the jump to read a synopsis for the graphic novel.

It appears that Mark Wahlberg and director Baltasar Kormakur got along quite well while making the action pic Contraband, as the helmer is in negotiations to take over directing duties on Universal’s action pic 2 Guns which has Wahlberg attached to star. David O. Russell wrote the latest draft of the script, based on Steven Grant’s graphic novel, and was poised to direct before he dropped out. Now Variety reports that Universal has their sights set on Kormakur to take the reins. The plot centers on a DEA agent and an undercover naval intelligence officer who unknowingly investigate each other as each is stealing money from the mob. Russell previously described the project as a romantic western, but there’s no word on what alterations have been made since his exit. The graphic novel skews towards a more Ocean’s Eleven-style caper, but the tone could go either way. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of the graphic novel.

Mark Wahlberg isn’t my favorite actor working today (I’ve only liked him in a handful of roles) but he’s getting plenty of work.  He’s just wrapped on the crime drama Contraband, he’s signed on to the noir flick Broken City, he’s got the action comedy Good Time Gang, he’s planning to reunite with Will Ferrell for Three Mississippi, and he’s got a slew of other projects to choose from.  Now Wahlberg is adding to another to the list as Deadline reports that he’s in talks to star in the adaptation of Stephen Grant’s graphic novel 2 Guns.  The plot concerns a DEA Agent and a Naval Investigator who unwittingly start investigating each other as they both believe they’re stealing from the mob until they learn they’ve been stealing from the CIA.

It’s a plot that could be a breezy, Ocean’s Eleven style crime-caper or something more serious depending on how it’s adapted. In January, David O. Russell was on board to direct and re-write the script with Vince Vaughn attached to star but both have left the project.  Wahlberg’s shown he can do comedy and drama so it will be interesting to see where this project falls into that spectrum and where it falls into Wahlberg’s busy schedule.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the graphic novel.