Check out today’s latest casting announcements:

• Ashley Judd (Heat) has joined the cast of Neil Burger’s Divergent, starring Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet, Aaron Eckhart and Theo James.  The adaptation of the best-selling Veronica Roth novel series is currently in production and opens March 21, 2014.
• Joel McHale (Community) is in negotiations to join an untitled romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, who will reunite with The Wedding Singer director Frank Coraci.

Hit the jump for more.

“It’s Die Hard in the White House” is the high-concept pitch for Olympus Has Fallen.  It’s a good pitch, but it’s only a pitch.  The movie doesn’t understand what makes Die Hard compelling beyond “a hero trapped and alone has to take out bad guys and save hostages”.  It’s about well-written characters and a confident tone, and Olympus Has Fallen has neither.  Director Antoine Fuqua may have his movie paced like a tight action flick, but it’s a confused picture in terms of mood and plot.  Furthermore, it misses the obvious aspect of giving us a hero worth rooting for and a villain worth rooting against.  Olympus Has Fallen sticks us in the crossfire and no one knows how to shoot.

FilmDistrict has released ten new clips from director Antoine Fuqua’s (Shooter) upcoming White House actioner Olympus Has Fallen.  The film stars Gerard Butler as a disgraced Secret Service agent called back to duty when terrorists take over the White House and capture the President (Aaron Eckhart).

Hit the jump to check out the clips, and click here for over 25 high-resolution images from the pic.  The film also stars Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Ashley Judd, Melissa Leo, Robert Forster, Dylan McDermott, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, and Rick Yune.  Olympus Has Fallen opens on March 22nd.

FilmDistrict has released a batch of new high-resolution images from director Antoine Fuqua’s (Training Day) White House actioner Olympus Has Fallen.  The film stars Gerard Butler as a disgraced Secret Service agent called back to duty when terrorists take over the White House and capture the President (Aaron Eckhart).  The pic is one of two similarly-plotted action films that take place in and around the White House that will hit theaters this year, with the other being Roland Emmerich’s White House Down.  Thus far, this film looks like it has a slightly larger scope than Down, but we’ve yet to see a full trailer for the latter.

Hit the jump to take a look at the images.  The film also stars Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Ashley Judd, Melissa Leo, Robert Forster, Dylan McDermott, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, and Rick Yune.  Olympus Has Fallen opens on March 22nd.

The first trailer for Antoine Fuqua’s Olympus Has Fallen is now available online.  In the first of two White House-centric action flicks this year, Fuqua strikes hard and fast to bring down the President of the United States and the symbolic building of his power.  At the same time, he establishes a great foundation for the protagonist’s heroic arc, which makes for a welcome return to action for star Gerard Butler.  There’s a bit of Expendables-style flair and over-the-top effects that are more in line with what we can expect from Roland Emmerich’s White House Down, but Fuqua’s pedigree of bringing out the truth in his characters gives me faith that this will be more than just “Die Hard meets Air Force One on steroids.”

Starring Aaron Eckhart, Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Dylan McDermott and Angela Bassett, Olympus Has Fallen opens on March 22nd.  Hit the jump to check out the first trailer and poster.

It looks like Antoine Fuqua’s Olympus Has Fallen will get a chance to take down the White House before Roland Emmerich’s White House Down as it is now slated to open first by about three months.  Starring Gerard Butler as a disgraced Secret Service agent called back to duty when terrorists take over the White House, Olympus Has Fallen will star Aaron Eckhart as the President in Peril. (Emmerich’s film stars Channing Tatum as the heroic Secret Service agent with Jamie Foxx playing the President.)

Olympus Has Fallen also stars Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Cole Hauser, Ashley Judd, Melissa Leo, Dylan McDermott, Radha Mitchell and Rick Yune and will open April 5th, 2013. Hit the jump to read the press release.

Happy Saturday, everyone. The fall movie season is upon us and, in honor of its arrival, Adam and myself are working on a “most anticipated” feature which you should be able to check out later this weekend. As a result of working on that little diddy, I’m cutting my typically awe-inspiring opening “Top 5″ paragraph a little short. I know, I know…you’re heartbroken.

In this week’s installment you’ll find all of our coverage from the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival; a plethora of set visit materials from Real Steel, End of Watch and Dolphin Tale; and a look at Nike’s Back to the Future MAGs. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

Ashley Judd’s acting career started in Florida with Ruby in Paradise, so it was nice to see her return to the gulf for her latest film Dolphin Tale. Judd went from indie darling to hot starlet to A-lister with a penchant for thrillers, and then back to a working actress. But throughout her career, Judd has been excellent, and sadly her skills on screen are often overlooked because of her attractiveness.

Judd has a reputation of being press shy, and initially she walked in and then was dragged out shortly thereafter. There was concern she was gone for good, but Judd came back and gave a thoughtful interview. We also talked briefly about her relationship with George Lucas. Check out the interview after the jump.

The first trailer for the heist comedy Flypaper has been released. Directed by Rob Minkoff, the film centers on two different groups of robbers who attempt to hold up a bank at the same time. While Tim Blake Nelson is spot on, the trailer seems a bit lacking, trying too hard to be Clue but coming up short. And the Patrick Dempsey/Ashley Judd romance doesn’t seem to work at all. Matt saw the film at Sundance and while he thought the film ultimately didn’t work as well as it tried, it was still good for a few laughs.

In addition to Dempsey, Judd and Nelson, the film also stars Mekhi Phifer, Jeffrey Tambor, John Ventimiglia, and Matt Ryan. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

The theatrical trailer for the 3D family film Dolphin Tale is now available online. Starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Harry Connick Jr., the film tells the story of a dolphin who loses her tail to a crab trap only to have her life saved by a prosthesis created by Mr. Freeman himself. I’m expecting the film to play well to a targeted audience that is looking for the inspirational vibes the trailer possesses. That said, I wouldn’t look for Dolphin Tale to experience the type of critical and financial adornment worn by its marketing pal The Blind Side.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer which features some smooth narration from Freeman. Directed by Charles Martin Smith, Dolphin Tale hits 3D theaters later this year on September 23rd.

A trailer for director Charles Martin Smith’s Dolphin Tale has landed online. Starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr., and Kris Kristofferson, the film tells the story of a dolphin, Winter, who loses most of her tail to a crab trap and is aided in her recovery by the combined efforts of a doctor (Freeman) who builds a prosthetic tail and a family (Judd, Connick, etc.) who perhaps wills her to survive. While unremarkable, the trailer does a nice job of painting the film in the inspirational light it is meant to be cast. Of course, the “from the studio and producers of The Blind Side” reminder doesn’t hurt in aiding that end either.

Dolphin Tale hits 3D theaters this fall on September 23rd. Hit the jump to check out the trailer. Also, in case you missed it, you can check out our set visit preview by clicking here.

So many set visit offers start the same way. “Would you like to go to Florida to see the set of Charles Martin Smith’s Dolphin Tale? It stars Ashely Judd and Morgan Freeman, and you may get to talk to all three.” How does one say no? One doesn’t. I was sent with a handful of online journalists to go on set and meet its stars.

The film is based on the true story of Winter, a dolphin who lost most of her tail in a crab trap. She was considered a lost cause until a doctor (played in the film by Morgan Freeman) invented a prosthetic tail for her. The film is currently set to be released September 23, 2011. We’ll have interviews with Charles Martin Smith, Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, and more once the embargo lifts, but until then I can tell you what the set was like. Hit the jump for more.

Earlier this month we found out NBC had picked up an Inception-like pilot from Lone Star creator Kyle Killen. The series, titled REM, is said to be a procedural hybrid which follows the simultaneous and parallel lives of a detective who can not let go of any aspect of his fractured family after a horrible car accident. Now Deadline reports Jason Isaacs (who plays Luciius Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise) has landed the lead role in the new pilot. Apparently the actor was quite the popular commodity this development season receiving about a half-dozen offers for various new series. This is one pilot I’ll be looking forward to with great interest.

Though she’s taken part in several crime thrillers like Kiss the Girls on the big screen, Ashley Judd is ready to make a jump to her first full-time TV job. TV Line reports the actress is in talks to lead ABC’s new drama series Missing. The show would follow a former CIA agent (Judd) who travels overseas in search of her son who has gone MIA. The series comes from writer Greg Poirier (National Treasure: Book of Secrets) who will also serve as executive producer while Dexter director Steve Shill is set to direct the pilot and several more episodes.

In news that makes me wish 3D was en vogue during Free Willy era, Alcon Entertainment is recruiting Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Harry Connick Jr. to star in the 3D inspirational family film Dolphin Tale.  Charles Martin Smith, whose resume kinda awesomely includes both the similarly pet-centric Air Bud and the pilot for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will direct.

According to THR, the script from Karen Janszen (A Walk to Remember) is inspired by the true story — the narrative revolves around a boy who befriends Winter, a dolphin who lost its tail in a crab trap.  Alcon is looking to cast Judd as the boy’s mother, Connick Jr. as the vet who rescues Winter, and Freeman as the doctor who constructs a prosthetic dolphin limb and (presumably) has an amazing voice.

We have three pieces of casting news for you this morning.  First up, Stephen Graham (This Is England) has been tapped to co-star in Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  According to Variety, Graham will play “Scram” portray Scram, a Machiavellian pirate who serves as the sidekick to Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow.  Graham will star alongside Penélope Cruz (who plays Jack’s love interest) and Ian McShane, who plays the villainous Blackbeard.  The film hits theaters on May 20, 2011.

Graham previously starred with Depp in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies and recently wrapped shooting on Ami Mann’s (daughter of Michael) The Fields starring Sam Worthington.  Graham played famous criminal Baby Face Nelson in Enemies and he’s playing Al Capone in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.  He’s also in William Monahan’s London Boulevard, which stars Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell.  Basically, the dude is busy.

Hit the jump for news about Sigourney Weaver joining Abduction and Ashley Judd signing on for Flypaper.