Let’s start the day with some casting, shall we?  Here are the headlines:

• Elizabeth Banks will topline What’s the Matter with Margie?, a dark comedy from Alan Ball.
• Alfred Molina and Freida Pinto are set to star in Desert Dancer, based on the life of Iranian dancer, Afshin Ghaffarian.
• Sean Bean will join The 4th Reich, an action-horror film set in World War II.

Hit the jump for more on both projects.

HBO’s Game of Thrones comes at an interesting time in geekdom, and its success speaks to the barriers that have been broken. Though fantasy and science fiction have often been popular cinematically, on television it’s been stuck in a Stargate-esque ghetto. But now we’ve got one of the most thoughtful shows currently on air on one of the most prestigious networks that also happens to be about dragons and swordplay. Perhaps the better arbiter of what crosses over to the mainstream and what doesn’t is quality, and Game of Thrones is definitely an engrossing show even for those who’ve never picked up a twenty sided die. Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Mark Addy and Peter Dinklage lead a mostly British cast in a tale about warring families in a fantastical middle age. Our review of Game of Thrones on DVD follows after the jump.

Thor 2 is having an incredibly rocky road to the big screen. Kenneth Branagh originally turned down the chance to return as director, then talks with his replacement Brian Kirk broke down, and just recently director Patty Jenkins walked away from the project. Marvel is, understandably, working hard to get things back on track, and it looks as though they’ve already zeroed in on Jenkins’ replacement. The studio is apparently looking at two directors as possible candidates to take the job: Alan Taylor and Daniel Minahan. Both come from the TV world, and both have helmed episodes of HBO’s epic fantasy series Game of Thrones. Hit the jump for more, including what candidates are being considered to draft a new screenplay.