Oliver Stone’s Savages continues to round up an impressive cast even though Stone hasn’t made a good film in over a decade.  According to Variety, the latest talented actor to board the flick is Emile Hirsh.  There are currently no details on which role he’ll play, but he’ll be starring alongside Benecio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, and Uma Thurman.  The film is based on Don Winslow’s novel which centers a pair of marijuana growers (Kitsch and Johnson) who are forced to work in a Mexican cartel after their friend is kidnapped.  Stone is revising the script Winslow co-wrote with Shane Salerno.

Hirsch recently wrapped filming on William Friedkin’s dark comedy Killer Joe and he’s currently at work on The Motel Life alongside Stephen Dorff and Dakota Fanning.  Hit the jump to read the synopsis for Savages.

Terry Gilliam is one of the most undeniable directors to ever work in the medium. I say that in the sense that when you watch his films you feel the master’s fingerprints all over, and sometimes that makes the film a bit blurry. Gilliam is one of those directors that it is often hard to relax into because he’s so there; it’s hard to ignore what he is doing. Which is why The Fisher King strikes as one of his strongest works in the sense that it is accomplished without shoving itself down your throat. He was brought in last minute to direct an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and took the project up only to have stars Johnny Depp and Benecio Del Toro already locked in as his leads, had to rewrite everything that came before, and do it (perhaps as it should be done) as a no-holds barred, gonzo, “let’s shoot this fucker” kind of film. My review of the Criterion edition of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas on Blu-ray after the jump.

Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) will star in Benecio Del Toro’s directorial debut, the short, fictionalized documentary Monday. The film will make up a segment of the omnibus feature 7 Days in Havana and, according to Deadline, will tell the story of a tourist (Hutcherson) who is taking in the city’s culture for the first time. Per the report, other segments within the omnibus (which I’m assuming will be similarly titled by days of the week) will feature recurring characters in the name of making 7 Days in Havana a cohesive whole.

Other directors contributing segments to 7 Days in Havana include Laurent Cantet, Julio Medem, Gaspar Noe, Elia Suleiman, Juan Carlos Tabio, and Pablo Trapero. Casting across the other segments includes work from Cuban actors such as Ana de Armas, Vladimir Cruz, Mirta Ibarra, Jorge Perugorria. As for Hutcherson, he recently finished up production on the follow up to 2008′s Journey to the Center of the Earth, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. That film is due out later this year on September 23.

Last December, we reported that Richard Jenkins was the first cast member on board the Farrelly Brothers’ The Three Stooges.  Jenkins was set to play an abusive nun who torments Larry, Moe, and Curly at the orphanage where they grow up.  As a huge Jenkins fans, I thought that was great news.  Now 24 Frames is coming along to slap my enthusiasm in the face by saying that the Farrellys want to cast Cher as Mother Superior, the nun whom the Stooges terrorize.  Now it’s possible that Jenkins’ nun would still be in the movie, but 24 Frames makes no mention of him.  Cher had a cameo in the Farrellys’ 2003 film, Stuck on You.  As someone who has never enjoyed anything I’ve seen Cher do (and that includes Moonstruck), I’m indifferent-at-best about this news.

Hit the jump for more on the project and other potential casting.

We have three quick pieces of casting news for you today.  First up, Deadline reports that Cameron Diaz and Benecio Del Toro have signed on to co-star in the romantic comedy An Ex to Grind.  Next, Production Weekly tweets that Billy Crudup and Toby Jones will join Zooey Deschanel in Bruce Beresford’s biopic Enchantress of Numbers.  Finally, PW also tweets that Kurt Russell, Adrien Brody, and Sharon Stone have come on board Rupert Wainwright’s historical drama Waco.

Hit the jump for details on all three projects.

Benicio Del Toro is reteaming with his Che collaborator Steven Soderbergh to play Jack Garcia, a famous FBI undercover agent in the film Making Jack Falcone. Soderburgh will produce, according to Deadline.  Garcia was a true mafia chameleon in his heyday and was personally responsible for taking down 39 members of the infamous Gambino Crime family.  He was so good at his job that this Cuban-born lawman was actually invited to be a made man.  In addition to Soderburgh producing, the film will be written by Che (and Jurassic Park III) screenwriter Peter Buchman. There’s no director yet attached.

There’s no denying that Del Toro is a great choice for a role like this. The guy can play a comedic wolf (Big Top Pee Wee) a boring wolf (The Wolfman) a revolutionary (the aforementioned Che) or one of comedy’s most important icons (he’s still scheduled to play Moe in The Three Stooges, though there haven’t been many updates as of late.) This role in Making Jack Falcone feels like a throwback to the roles that made Del Toro famous: his Oscar turn in Traffic and the quick tounged Fenster in The Usual Suspects. To that, we can only say, “Hand me the keys you filthy cocksucker.”

Hit the jump to see video of the actual Jack Garcia on 60 Minutes.

Terry Gilliam is one of the most undeniable directors to ever work in the medium. I say that in the sense that when you watch his films you feel the master’s fingerprints all over, and sometimes that makes the film a bit blurry. Gilliam is one of those directors that it is often hard to relax into because he’s so there; it’s hard to ignore what he is doing. Which is why The Fisher King strikes as one of his strongest works in the sense that it is accomplished without shoving itself down your throat. He was brought in last minute to direct an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and took the project up only to have stars Johnny Depp and Benecio Del Toro already locked in as his leads, had to rewrite everything that came before, and do it (perhaps as it should be done) as a no-holds barred, gonzo, “let’s shoot this fucker” kind of film. My review of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas on Blu-ray after the jump.

The remake of The Wolfman isn’t so much a throwback to the classic horror icon as much as it turns the Universal movie monster into an action star.  For a movie that’s been sewn together from different directors, different cuts, and even different scores, The Wolfman manages to come out as a good film despite its scattered tone, limited characterization, and over-reliance on gore.  The Wolfman shouldn’t work as a movie but somehow it succeeds not only as a fun action flick, but as seductive eye candy with thoughtful subtext about sexual repression and an exploration of mercy killing as monstrous.

Plagued by production problems from beginning to end, Joe Johnston’s adaptation of The Wolfman is coming to a theater near you on February 12, 2010 whether you like it or not.  However, the chances of you liking it went up a little today as Universal happily announced that an R-rated cut of the film has won out over a tamer PG-13 version.  Of course, an R-rating is no stamp of quality, but the difference in ratings means that instead of an action movie which a PG-13 rating implies, The Wolfman is going to get to be a longer, bloodier, and gorier horror film.  Now let’s just hope it’s a good one.

Hit the jump for a synopsis on the film.  The Wolfman stars Benecio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving.

A French poster and trailer for The Wolfman have come online and while I don’t understand a single word of the trailer (damn you French dubbing!), I think the poster may be my favorite thus far. Much like the previous poster featuring only Emily Blunt, they’re not trying to impress you with the scary image of a lupine-Benecio Del Toro, but provide a smirking nod to the horror in store for the viewer.  All you get with this new one is the top of a cane.  You could do far worse when it comes to a teaser poster.  And while I don’t understand what the characters are saying in the French trailer, I think it’s clear that this film will be visually impressive.  Check out both the trailer and the poster after the jump.  The Wolfman hits theaters in both the US and France on February 10, 2010.

If you need an example of how smart marketing can turn around naysayers on a film, look no further than Joe Johnston’s “The Wolfman”.  After the bad buzz generated by the switch in directors from Mark Romanek (“One Hour Photo”) to Joe Johnston (“Hidalgo”) coupled with constant kicks in the release date (the film was first intended to open on November 12, 2008) “The Wolfman” will finally hit theaters on February 12, 2009.  Coupled with its most recent and most awesome trailer, “The Wolfman” is back on people’s radars and it’s looking to compete next Valentine’s Day.

The new poster for the film shows just how ballsy the marketing for this film is willing to go.  The Wolfman isn’t even in the poster but it’s obvious that Emily Blunt’s character is freaking out and with good reason.  She’s in a movie called “The Wolfman.”  I think the marketing will payoff as couples could go see this instead of the weekend’s rom-com anthology “Valentine’s Day” (or they might choose the gay Sundance sensation, “I Love You, Phillip Morris” starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor).  Hit the jump to see the poster and strongly consider putting it on your wall.

This new trailer for “The Wolfman” may play more like a teaser but it’s still highly effective.  Combined with the previous (and longer) trailer from August, I’m shocked that I’m actually excited for this film despite its tormented production and its repeated kicks around the calendar.  The trailer released today highlights the visuals more than the story but it looks like director Joe Johnston has created an imaginative and impressive gothic world for the Wolfman to roam.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with a brief synopsis.  “The Wolfman” hits theaters on February 12^th, 2010.

I like Sean Penn, I really do.  He’s an intense and indisputably fantastic actor (we’ll forget the misfires like “I Am Sam” and “All the King’s Men”).  And while it was a bit of a bummer to see him drop out of playing Larry in The Farrelly Brothers’ adaptation of “The Three Stooges”, I think they’ve gone up a step in their replacement casting of Paul Giamatti.  Hit the jump to learn more and find out about the continuing saga of finding a new Curly.

In a move that does not exactly trumpet confidence or swagger Universal has delayed the release of their high-profile “The Wolfman” until February of 2010.  Did I mention that the studio is having a bad summer?  The film starring Benecio Del Toro as the hirsute one was set to open on November 6 but, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the visual effects for the film will not be done on time.  Or maybe Universal doesn’t want to tempt fate in a year that has alternated between “Bruno” bad and “Land of the Lost” worse?  Naturally, the studio is playing up the positives of moving “Wolfman” to February 12^th – Hey!  It’s President’s Day weekend you know… and Valentine’s Day!