While the highly anticipated sequel Fast & Furious 6 doesn’t hit theaters until next month, Universal has made no secret about the fact that they are already moving right along with plans for Fast & Furious 7.  Though director Justin Lin—who has altogether helmed four films in the series including Fast Five and 6—recently declined to return to helm the seventh installment, the studio quickly made other arrangements and entered negotiations with Saw and The Conjuring director James Wan to take the reigns of Fast 7 just last week.

With a 2014 release date planned, star Vin Diesel suggested that filming on Fast 7 would begin this summer.  Steve recently spoke with new franchise addition Dwayne Johnson in anticipation of Michael Bay’s upcoming black comedy Pain & Gain, and the actor raised some doubts about that potential summer start-date.  Hit the jump for more.

An American, a Canadian and a German each found work in the movies today. Here’s who was cast in what:

• Denis Leary has been added to the ensemble of football drama Draft Day.
• Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix) has signed up for Pompeii, Paul W.S. Anderson’s latest 3D actioner.
• Antje Traue (Man of Steel) will get her Ancient Greek on as the latest recruit for Brett Ratner’s Hercules: The Thracian Wars.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

The cast is filling out for director Brett Ratner’s new take on Hercules.  Dwayne Johnson is set to star as the titular hero, and MGM announced today (per The Wrap) that Ian McShane, John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes, and Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen) will be rounding out the cast.  This film takes a grounded approach to the story, as Johnson’s titular character is portrayed as a mortal with a fearsome reputation rather than as the demigod son of Zeus.  In addition to the aforementioned actors, we learned yesterday that Rufus Sewell (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) is joining the cast as well, and Askel Hennie (Headhunters) signed on last month to play a warrior devoted to Hercules.  Production on Hercules is slated to begin this November, with a July 25, 2014 release date planned. [Update: Hit the jump to see who the new additions will be playing.]

Here’s the latest casting news:

• Rufus Sewell (Dark City) will join Dwayne Johnson (Snitch) in Brett Ratner’s fantasy epic, Hercules.
• Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise) is in talks to star alongside Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) in the raunchy road trip movie, Tammy, along with Kathy Bates (Misery).
• Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) will reteam with Anchorman 2 filmmakers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay for the indie comedy, Welcome to Me.

Hit the jump for more on each casting announcement. 

Check out the new release dates below:

• Hercules – The Brett Ratner-directed fantasy film starring Dwayne Johnson (Snitch) in the title role has been moved up a couple of weeks to July 25, 2014.
• The Best Man Holiday – Director Malcolm D. Lee’s sequel to his 1999 debut The Best Man now has an official title and a new release date of November 15, 2013.

Hit the jump for more on both of these pictures.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this morning.  First up, Taylor Kitsch may soon be tackling a serial killer film.  Though the talented Friday Night Lights actor didn’t have the best 2012 when it came to box office success, Kitsch seems to be taking everything in stride.  The folks over at Bloody Disgusting report that the actor is attached to star in the thriller Exit 147, which centers on a small town sheriff who arrests a man driving across the desert at night and holds him captive as part of a sadistic game.  Kitsch would play the sheriff, and Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane, The Girl) is attached to direct from a script by Travis Milloy (Pandorum).

We haven’t heard any official confirmation regarding Kitsch’s casting Exit 147 just yet, so it’s one to keep an eye on the in the near future with regards to the actor’s upcoming schedule.  Kitsch most recently wrapped the contemporary true-life Navy SEAL story Lone Survivor from director Peter Berg alongside Mark Wahlberg and Emile Hirsch.  Hit the jump for casting news concerning director Brett Ratner’s Hercules.

Opening this week is Ric Roman Waugh’s new thriller Snitch, based on the true story of a man (played by Dwayne Johnson) whose son is wrongly accused of dealing drugs and is facing decades behind bars under the mandatory minimum sentencing laws.  Johnson strikes a deal—he will help lead to an arrest if his son can go free.  He soon finds himself caught up in a massive undercover mission that could lead to the arrest of a Mexican Cartel drug lord—but at a potentially deadly cost.  The film also stars Jon Bernthal, Barry Pepper, Benjamin Bratt, Rafi Gavron, and Michael K. Williams.

Recently I was able to speak to Mr. Johnson about the film Snitch in an exclusive interview.  As it turns out, he’s a big Collider fan, with a sweet spot for Steve!  He also told me about signing on to do the film and connecting with his character as a father who would also do anything for his kids.  I also got some details about Fast and Furious 6, and the scoop on upcoming films Pain and Gain, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and his passion project Hercules.  Click after the jump to see the whole interview.

If you had to see a movie by Renny Harlin or Brett Ratner, which would you choose?  Audiences will have to face that question (because in my Saw-like example, you must choose) because Ratner’s Hercules will now be facing competition from Harlin’s Hercules 3D.  Although Harlin hasn’t has a hit film since the Clinton Administration, Millennium has tasked the director to helm a $70 million tentpole based on the Greek demigod.  THR reports that preproduction has already begun, casting is expected to begin in the next few weeks, and cameras should be rolling by May so the film can make a March 2014 release date.  The rush will get Hercules 3D to theaters before Ratner’s film, which opens August 8, 2014.

Hit the jump for more.

Paramount Pictures has announced that director Brett Ratner’s Hercules will hit theaters on August 8, 2014.  The film is an adaptation of Steve Moore’s graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars, which paints the popular character with a darker tone.  Dwayne Johnson is set in the title role as “a mercenary who turned his back on the gods following the loss of his family, ‘finding solace only in battle.’”  Currently the only other film slated for release in August of 2014 at the moment is Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which opens on August 1st.  With a firm release date set, production on the film should get underway later this year.

With director Jon M. Chu‘s G.I. Joe: Retaliation opening June 29, Paramount has been amping up the promotional campaign this past week by debuting a ton of character posters and a great looking trailer.  As a fan of the first film, I’ll admit the sequel looks even better and it’s rocking a great cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, Channing Tatum, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA, Ray Stevenson, and D.J. Cotrona.

Earlier today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, I got to sit down with Dwayne Johnson for an extended interview.  We talked about how he was approached to play Roadblock, the tone of the film, how he collaborated with director Jon M. Chu before production began, his thoughts on the brand new trailer and the sizzle reel I saw last night (here’s my recap), and more.  In addition, with Johnson currently filming Michael Bay‘s Pain and Gain, we talked about the crazy story it’s based on, the style Bay is going for, and he also said that after he wraps, he’ll start shooting Fast Six in London and Berlin and then he heads to New Zealand for director Brett Ratner’s Hercules.  Hit the jump to either watch or read what he had to say.

A couple weeks ago, we reported that Dwayne Johnson was in talks to star in Brett Ratner‘s Hercules.  The film is an adaptation of Steve Moore’s graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars, and is a dark take on the popular Grecian character.  In the comic, Hercules is “a mercenary who turned his back on the gods following the loss of his family, ‘finding solace only in battle.’” If you combine this film with Tarsem Singh‘s Immortals, we can get pretty close to a God of War movie.

Johnson will next be seen in G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  A few weeks ago, he said that filming on Fast Six (tentative title) will take place in May.  He’s also set to star alongside Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay‘s crime-drama Pain and Gain. According to Variety, filming on Hercules is set to begin in October in New Zealand. No word yet if Hercules will ride a bumblebee.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the graphic novel.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a badass character that Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) can’t play. He’ll be seen as Roadblock in the upcoming G.I. Joe: Retaliation, he’s been circling the role of Goliath in the aptly named Goliath, and now Variety reports that Johnson is in talks to star as the one and only Hercules. We first learned that Brett Ratner (Tower Heist) was circling Hercules back in 2010, but now it appears attached himself to the project for MGM. The film is an adaptation of Steve Moore’s graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars with a script by Ryan Condal (Paradise Lost). Hit the jump for more.

Director Brett Ratner is reportedly in talks to helm a movie based on Greek demigod Hercules.  Producer Avi Lerner (The Expendables) has been trying to put together a Hercules movie for years.  And Ratner almost directed Conan (now being helmed by Marcus Nispel and starring Jason Momoa), so a Hercules flick would give him a second chance at a rippled, oiled-up-abs warrior movie.  According to 24 Frames, “Little is known about the specifics of the new version, though it’s expected to bring Lerner’s classic action ethos to the larger-than-life character.”

The sword-and-sandals flick has been making a strong comeback, with the Clash of the Titans remake obviously being the biggest success so far.  There’s also Centurion due out at the end of summer, The Eagle in early 2011, and a Clash sequel slated for 2012.  While I have no love for Ratner, my rage meter is low since I’m not invested in a movie about Hercules.  The last Ratner film to hit theaters was 2007′s Rush Hour 3.