Universal Pictures announced today that it will be releasing director Peter Berg’s (The Rundown) Navy SEAL film Lone Survivor on January 10, 2014.  Based on the bestselling non-fiction book of the same name, the film tells the story of four Navy SEALs on an ill-fated covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative who are ambushed by enemy forces in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan.  The film’s impressive cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, and Eric Bana.

Berg and Kitsch are coming off of last summer’s bomb Battleship, but both have proven themselves to be quite talented in the past, so hopefully Lone Survivor is a return to form.  The film will likely open in New York and Los Angeles at the end of December to qualify for awards season, and will face off against the Sylvester Stallone/Robert De Niro boxing film Grudge Match and the Lionsgate horror pic Jessabelle when it opens wide on January 10th.

Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty), and Olivia Munn (Magic Mike) have signed on to join Eric Bana in Screen Gems’ upcoming horror-thriller Beware The Night.  The film, being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, centers around a police officer working on a case that deals with demonic possession and other paranormal occurrences.  Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose helmer Scott Derrickson signed on to direct last fall, and he will be using a script he co-wrote alongside with Emily Rose partner Paul Boardman.  If well-received, the studio is said to be aiming for a franchise.  Hit the jump for more details.

The crime thriller Deadfall tells the story of siblings Addison (Eric Bana) and Liza (Olivia Wilde), who get in a car accident after a casino heist gone wrong and decide to split up to make a run for the Canadian border during a Thanksgiving blizzard. While Addison is creating mayhem, Liza is picked up by ex-boxer Jay (Charlie Hunnam), who’s looking to make amends with his parents over a dinner that will push the bonds of family to the limit.

At the film’s press day, actor Eric Bana spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about why this character stood out to him, what he liked about this unique story structure, how they determined the history of what happened to these siblings prior to when you meet them in the film, and how he viewed the unhealthy dynamic between Addison and Liza. He also talked about what attracts him to a project, why he wanted to work with Peter Berg on Lone Survivor (based on SEAL Team 10′s failed June 28, 2005 mission “Operation Red Wing,” to capture or kill a notorious Taliban leader), and why he wanted to do Beware the Night (about a New York policeman who investigates cases of demon possessions, exorcisms and werewolves) as his next film. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

We’ve got quite a few new posters to share this afternoon.  Briefly:

• Anna Karenina – A trio of character posters for director Joe Wright’s (Hanna) adaptation of the classic romance novel feature stars Keira Knightley, Jude Law, and Aaron Johnson.  The film opens on November 16th.
• Killing Them Softly – This UK poster for Andrew Dominik’s (The Assassination of Jesse James) crime drama is magnificently patriotic, with a gun-wielding Brad Pitt front and center.  The film opens on October 19th.
• Taken 2 – The UK poster for the Liam Neeson-fronted sequel is fairly simple, but you don’t really need anything besides Neeson and the film’s title to sell tickets.  The pic opens on October 5th.
• Deadfall – The Brazilian poster for this thriller starring Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde.  The film opens on December 7th.
• Butter – A straightforward poster for this film about the world of competitive butter-carving, starring Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, Rob Corddry, and Hugh Jackman.  The film opens on October 5th.

Hit the jump to check out all the posters.

Director Peter Berg (Hancock) is adding yet another impressive actor to the cast for Lone Survivor.  Based on the non-fiction book by Marcus Luttrell, the film tells the harrowing story of a Navy SEAL team’s fight to stay alive during a Taliban ambush in the midst of their 2005 mission to kill a terrorist leader in Afghanistan.  Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster are already set as members of the Navy SEAL team, and now Heat Vision reports that Eric Bana has entered negotiations to play a SEAL lieutenant.

Production on the film is set to begin next month in New Mexico, and Lone Survivor should make for a nice change of pace for Berg (and Kitsch) following Battleship.  Bana will next be seen later this year in Deadfall alongside Olivia Wilde.  Hit the jump to read a synopsis for Luttrell’s book.

A new trailer has gone online for Deadfall, the debut crime-thriller from screenwriter Zach Dean  that stars Eric Bana (Star Trek) and Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy).   Directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters), Deadfall follows a brother (Bana) and sister (Wilde) who flee from a casino robbery gone wrong.  Making a run for the border, they draw an innocent family and the local law enforcement into their ordeal.  Deadfall also stars Charlie Hunnam, Kate Mara, Sissy Spacek, Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams.  The film opens December 7th.  Hit the jump to check out the synopsis, trailer and poster.

Production is set to begin next week on the untitled international suspense thriller starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall, and Working Title has announced a few additions to the cast.  Julia Stiles, Jim Broadbent, Ciarán Hinds, Riz Ahmed, Kenneth Cranham, and Anne-Marie Duff have been added to the cast, with John Crowley (Boy A) set to direct.  The story centers on two ex-lovers who “find their loyalties tested and their lives at risk when they are joined together on the defense team in a terrorism trial.”  Not much else is known plot-wise, but Crowley has assembled a fine international cast and I’m looking forward to seeing how the suspense thriller plays out.

Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Yesterday came the joyous news that we would finally be getting a sequel to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.  We know that Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, and Steve Carell will all be reprising their lovably buffoonish character, Adam McKay will return to the director’s chair, and filming is set to begin in February.  If Anchorman 2 returns with only people from the original cast, I have no problem with that.  But sequels usually bring new faces, so I’ve compiled a list of 12 actors who would fit well within the Anchorman universe.  Keep in mind: I have no idea what the plot will be, or if there will be roles for these actors, and how radically McKay will change the look of the first movie.  The Legend of Ron Burgundy has a goofy 70s vibe, but it’s possible they’ll reset the time and place (the first movie ends with Ron and Veronica leaving San Diego to become worldwide news anchors).  Also, I’m not saying that all of these actors should be in the movie.  I’m just saying I can see them fitting into an Anchorman sequel.

Hit the jump for my criteria on making the list and who made the cut.

A bit of a casting switcheroo is taking place on Robert Luketic’s (21) diamond heist-thriller Brilliant. Variety reports that Gerard Butler is replacing Eric Bana as the star of the film, as Bana apparently bowed out after previously entering negotiations last fall. The story involves a small-time criminal who joins up with polished thieves in order to attempt a diamond heist. The logline isn’t exactly thrilling and Luketic’s filmography includes Legally Blonde and The Ugly Truth, so Bana may have been on to something when he vacated the project. The film may have a more intriguing hook that they’re keeping close to the vest, but its success will probably hinge on who they cast to team up with Butler. Producers are currently looking for a female lead and I sincerely hope Luketic doesn’t feel compelled to pair Butler with Katherine Heigl once again.

The 300 actor has quite a few films on the horizon. He’s already completed the surfing pic Of Men and Mavericks and the romantic sports comedy Playing the Field, and he’s poised to star in Antoine Fuqua’s Hunter Killer, the 3D motion-capture war movie Thunder Run, and a fact-based mercenary pic for director Ridley Scott.

Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall are set to team up for an untitled international suspense thriller. Focus Features and Working Title films are set to produce the flick, with Boy A helmer John Crowley onboard to direct. The film centers on two ex-lovers who “find their loyalties tested and their lives at risk when they are joined together on the defense team in a terrorism trial.” The film is described as a nail-biting thriller that also plays as an emotional roller coaster. Bana and Hall are stellar performers and the script comes from Eastern Promises scribe Steven Knight, so this one has the ingredients for quite the flick. Production is set to begin in April.

Bana has a number of projects on the horizon, including the thriller Blackbird, the heist pic Brilliant, and he’s next set to play Elvis Presley in Elvis & Nixon. As for Hall, she’ll next be seen in Stephen Frears’ gambling dramedy Lay the Favorite.  Hit the jump for the press release.

We’ve got a batch of goodies from the American Film Market that includes a new image and synopsis for Blackbird, a promo poster for Attack of the 50 Ft. Cheerleader, and a new image from Love Bite. The thriller Blackbird stars Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde as sibling fugitives on the run who encounter a convict boxer (Charlie Hunnam). The cast also includes Sissy Spacek, Kris Kristofferson, and Kate Mara (American Horror Story). There’s not a ton of info on Attack of the 50 Ft. Cheerleader, but according to the promo poster it stars Sean Young, Treat Wiliams, and Jena Sims, and is produced by Roger Corman.

As for Love Bite, the film stars Ed Speleers (Eragon) and Jessica Szohr (Gossip Girl) and centers on a small town that falls victim to a werewolf who feeds on teen virgins. Hit the jump to check out the images, promo poster, and synopsis.

The first word I would use to describe Hanna would of course be basdass. Taking what Chloe Grace Moretz accomplished in Kick-Ass to a whole new level of insane, director Joe Wright pushes the little-girl assassin sub-genre into a way more mature and refined world, and everything is simply stunning. The fight choreography is tight and visceral, the editing is sharp and precise, and the music/sound editing collaborates perfectly with the story. Along with very affecting cinematography and enchanting acting throughout, Hanna is easily one of my favorite films of the year.  To check out my review of the DVD hit the jump.

Eric Bana and Danny Huston have signed on to play Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon, respectively, in Cary Elwes‘ directorial debut, Elvis & Nixon.  According to THR, the movie centers on the famous December 21, 1970 meeting/photo-op between The King (who was beginning to enter his Fat Elvis phase) and the crooked president.  Elvis had written Nixon a six-page letter requesting to be a “Federal Agent-at-Large” in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, and considering that Elvis died from drug abuse, he was clearly committed to his work.  Elvis brought family photos and a Colt 45 pistol as gifts for Nixon.  Nixon brought an incredibly awkward situation.

THR doesn’t say whether or not Elvis & Nixon is intended to be a comedy, but even if it’s a drama, seeing Bana play Elvis is too enticing a prospect to pass up.  In case you haven’t seen the photo of Elvis and Nixon, hit the jump.

It’s not often that romantic comedies and jewel heists occupy the same space in an article, but that’s where our casting news has taken us.  First up is Jacki Weaver, nominated for an Oscar for her role in last year’s Animal Kingdom.  Weaver is in negotiations to join the David O. Russell (The Fighter) adaptation, The Silver Linings Playbook. The film stars Bradley Cooper as a former high school teacher returning home from a four year stint in a mental institution to live with his mother, played by Weaver. Cast also includes Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro.

Eric Bana (Hanna) is looking to join director Robert Luketic’s (21) heist-thriller, Brilliant.  In a first time writing credit by Gillian Gorfil, who was a producer on Blood Diamond, the script involves a low-level criminal who joins up with polished thieves to attempt a diamond heist.  Hit the jump for more on both of these projects.

Yesterday, we showed you the first look at Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in Gary Ross’ adaptation of The Hunger Games.  Today, two more images of Lawrence in Katniss garb have gone online along with a new look at Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in 21 Jump Street as well as a couple images from the indie crime thriller Blackbird, which stars Charlie Hunnam, Olivia Wilde, and Eric Bana.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The Hunger Games opens March 23, 2012.  21 Jump Street is set for March 16, 2012.  No release date has been announced for Blackbird.