Alex Cross follows the homicide detective/psychologist from the best-selling novels by James Patterson, as he comes up against psychopathic serial killer Picasso (Matthew Fox). This time, the story takes a younger version of Alex Cross (Tyler Perry) back to the origins of the character while the two men face off in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse that will push Cross to this edge of his moral limits. From director Rob Cohen (The Fast and The Furious, xXx), the film also stars Edward Burns, Cicely Tyson, Carmen Ejogo, Giancarlo Esposito, John C. McGinley and Jean Reno.

At the film’s press day, actress Rachel Nichols – who plays Monica Ashe, one of Cross’ co-workers at the Detroit P.D. – spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about how she came to be a part of the film, why she loves playing strong women, going through training with Tyler Perry and Ed Burns, how natural the chemistry with her co-stars was, and how intense Matthew Fox’s transformation for his role was.  She also talked about her Canadian TV show Continuum, which will be airing on Syfy, that they start shooting Season 2 in January 2013, how she’d like to squeeze in another film first, and how she hopes her 2005 Fox TV show The Inside will be made available on DVD.  Check out what she had to say after the jump. 

Seven clips from the upcoming thriller Alex Cross have been released.  The James Patterson adaptation sees Tyler Perry taking over the titular role that was previously inhabited by Morgan Freeman in Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls.  This time the police detective/psychologist faces off against a muscle-laden serial killer played by Matthew Fox, under the direction of xXx helmer Rob Cohen.

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  The film also stars Rachel Nichols, Jean Reno, Edward Burns, John C. McGinely, and Giancarlo Esposito.  Alex Cross opens on October 19th.

The first trailer for the James Patterson adaptation Alex Cross has landed online.  The film sees Tyler Perry taking over the titular role that was previously inhabited by Morgan Freeman in Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls.  Though I tried to go into this trailer with an open mind, if it weren’t for the movie stars you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a Lifetime Movie of the Week.  Perry tries way too hard at being the toughened detective, director Rob Cohen (xXx) shows off his penchant for explosions, and I have no idea what’s up with Matthew Fox but he’s going way over the top for the villain role.  It’ll be interesting to see how this plays for Patterson fans, as Summit is hoping that Alex Cross kicks off a string of franchise films for Perry.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Rachel Nichols, Edward Burns, Jean Reno, Giancarlo Esposito, and John C. McGinley.  Alex Cross opens on October 19th.

Billy Bob Thornton is lining up another sports drama based on a book by Buzz Bissinger.  Variety reports that Thornton and Edward Burns will star in the baseball drama Three Nights from Friday Night Lights author Bissinger.  The book chronicles a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs in 2003 and centers on the strategic decisions made by manager Tony La Russa.  Though Three Nights will be a fictionalized account of the book’s events, the success of last year’s Moneyball certain didn’t hurt the prospect of getting Three Nights into production.

Bissinger wrote the screenplay himself, and David Anspaugh will direct.  If Anspaugh’s name doesn’t ring a bell, I should remind you that he also helmed two of the greatest sports movies ever made: Rudy and Hoosiers.  Thornton will play the team’s pitching coach while Burns will play starting catcher Mike Matheny.  With such an exciting team both in front of and behind the camera, Three Nights is certainly one to keep an eye on.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the book.

The first images of Tyler Perry not wearing a dress in the James Patterson adaptation Alex Cross have gone online.  Directed by Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious) the film is based on Patterson’s book I, Alex Cross, and Perry stars as the titular detective who was previously played by Morgan Freeman in the Patterson adaptations Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider.  More interesting, though, are the first images of Matthew Fox as the film’s villain.  He looks absolutely insane and ripped out of his mind.  I literally stared at one image for 10 seconds before I realized it was Fox who was putting someone in a Hulk-ed out choke hold.  It’s honestly kind of disturbing.

Anyway, hit the jump to check out the images, which also feature Edward Burns as Perry’s partner.  Alex Cross opens on October 26th.

A red band trailer for the comedy Friends with Kids has gone online. Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt, the story centers on two best friends (Westfeldt and Adam Scott) who decide to have a baby together without being in a relationship. The cast is fantastic (Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Edward Burns, Megan Fox, and Chris O’Dowd), and I’m excited to see Scott take on his first leading role. This trailer delves more deeply into the plot and, as it’s red band, there are a few more off-color jokes (who doesn’t like masturbation humor?). The jokes work, and I really like the chemistry between Scott and Westfedlt. I’m looking forward to checking the full film out. You can read Matt’s review here.

Hit the jump to watch the red band trailer. Friends with Kids opens March 9th.

So, after two weeks of talking about it, I finally caught Steven Soderbergh‘s Haywire. My thoughts? I was satisfied. Not blown away. Not shaking my head in disappointment. Satisfied. Soderbergh’s fight scenes were as beautifully executed as can be reasonably expected. In my opinion, though, there just weren’t enough of them. David Holmes’ score was fantastic when set behind said fight/chase/action sequences so, by default, there just wasn’t enough of it. The same could be said for much of the ensemble cast. In large part, their screen time was time well served. There just wasn’t enough of it to go around. So, do I recommend Haywire? Sure. As long as you go in with the expectation of seeing a slick action/thriller that is somewhat light on action and thrills. Now, onto business…

…After the jump, you’ll find that this week’s “Top 5″ is comprised of the 2012 Oscar nominations, interviews from our Chuck series finale set visit, a number of interviews for both The Grey and Man on a Ledge, and an ode to all of our 2012 Sundance coverage. A quick recap and link to each follows.

With director Asger Leth’s (Ghosts of Cité Soleil) Man on a Ledge opening this weekend, I recently got to speak with most of the cast about making the movie.  The film centers on an ex-cop (Sam Worthington) convicted of a crime he didn’t commit who stands on the ledge of a Manhattan building, threatening to kill himself.  However, what appears to be a suicide attempt is something else altogether.  The film also stars Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Banks, Ed Burns, Titus Welliver, Genesis Rodriguez, Kyra Sedgwick, and Ed Harris.

During my interview with Burns we talked about how he got involved in Man on a Ledge, how much changed from when he first got the script to the finished film, what kind of research he did to play a NYC police officer, karaoke, and what’s the last video game he played.  In addition, we talked about how the indie film movement has evolved over the last ten years and how this is a great time for up and coming filmmakers.  Hit the jump to watch.

Jennifer Westfeldt’s directorial debut Friends with Kids shares some key qualities with her 2001 film Kissing Jessica Stein (which she wrote).  Both films are funny, harmless comedies that take an emotionally satisfying and challenging conceit before scampering back to the status quo.  Westfeldt puts an interesting twist on the parenting-and-marriage sub-genre by rethinking conventional notions of fidelity.  She even goes so far as to examine why the convention exists in the first place.  But ultimately her movie becomes lethargic, predictable, and bland despite the Westfeldts’ strong chemistry with co-star Adam Scott.

Summit has announced a January 13, 2012 release date for Man on a Ledge, its upcoming heist film about, you guessed it, a man on a ledge.  Directed by Asger Leth (Ghosts of Cité Soleil), the film centers on an ex-cop (Sam Worthington) convicted of a crime he didn’t commit who stands on the ledge of a Manhattan building, threatening to kill himself.  However, unbeknownst to the cops on the scene, what appears to be a suicide attempt is in fact a cover for a massive diamond heist.

Along with Worthington, the thriller boasts an impressive cast that includes Elizabeth Banks (The Next Three Days), Jamie Bell (Jane Eyre), Edward Burns (27 Dresses), Ed Harris (The Way Back), Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), and Titus Welliver (Lost).  Read the official synopsis after the jump.

Edward Burns and Genesis Rodriguez have joined the heist thriller Man on a Ledge starring Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks.  Directed by Asger Leth (Ghosts of Cité Soleil), the film centers on a fugitive ex-cop (Worthington) who is pretending to be considering a leap to his death as a cover for a massive diamond heist.  Banks plays the negotiator trying to talk him down.  The film also stars Jamie Bell and Anthony Mackie.  According to THR, Burns will play “a rival negotiator who tries to swoop in when he believes Banks has a conflict of interest,” while Rodriguez plays “Bell’s girlfriend who, along with Bell, tries to prove Worthington’s innocence.”

Burns recently wrapped production on Nice Guy Johnny, which he directed and stars in.  Rodriguez recently nabbed the female lead in Will Ferrell’s Spanish-language comedy Casa de mi padre.

The excellently monikered Marlboro Road Gang Productions has released the first trailer for Nice Guy Johnny, the latest from writer/director/star Edward Burns (Purple Violets).  The film centers around the struggles of the titular Johnny to choose between jobs and females.  The cast is led by Matt Bush (Adventureland) and Kerry Bishé (Scrubs), with Burns, Anna Wood, and Max Baker supporting.  Check out the trailer after the jump.