John Krasinski has signed on to direct his second feature, The Hollars.  Krasinski will also star and recruited a great supporting cast in Anna Kendrick, Margo Martindale, and Richard Jenkins.  Per Deadline, Krasinski plays an aspiring artist who takes his girlfriend (Kendrick) back to his Middle America hometown shortly before his mother (Martindale) is scheduled to have brain surgery: “There he’s forced to navigate the crazy life he left behind as his dysfunctional family, high school pals, his father (Jenkins), and his over-eager ex flood back into his life ahead of the operation.”

James C. Strouse (The Winning Season) scripted The Hollars, described as a “blend of Steel Magnolias and Garden State.”  The Garden State comparison is striking given the shared NBC sitcom roots of Krasinski and Zach Braff.  Then again, dramas love to send the protagonist back home to create conflict.  I love this cast, so I hope Krasinski can produce a fresh spin on a common tale.

Walt Disney Studios will be distributing director Hayao Miyazaki’s final film The Wind Rises to domestic audiences early next year, and today the studio has unveiled the voice talent that will be dubbing the English-language version of the Studio Ghibli film.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt will lend his voice to the lead role of Jiro Horikoshi, while the rest of the cast will be filled out by John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Martin Short, Stanley Tucci, Mandy Patinkin, Werner Herzog, William H. Macy, Mae Whitman, Jennifer Grey, Darren Criss, Ronan Farrow, and Elijah Wood.  The film tells the story of the man who designed the Zero Fighter used by Japanese pilots in World War II, and examines the Japan’s turbulent first half of the 20th century as the country struggled through an earthquake and economic fallout.

Hit the jump to read the full cast list, which denotes the characters that the actors will be voicing. Click here to read Matt’s review of the film.  The Wind Rises will open in select North American theaters on February 21, 2014 before expanding wide on February 28, 2014.

Two script deals to report tonight:

• John Krasinski (Promised Land) and Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street) sold their action-adventure spec script Warner Bros.  According to Deadline, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will produce alongside Uziel and Scott Z. Burns (Side Effects).  The logline is under wraps, and it is unclear whether Krasinski intends to star.
• American Zoetrope acquired the feature rights to Alysia Abbott‘s memoir Fairyland, “a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s vibrant cultural scene in the 1970s and ’80s.”  Sofia Coppola (The Bling Ring) and Andrew Durham will adapt the screenplay.  Sofia and brother Roman Coppola will produce.

Check out the Fairyland press release after the jump.

Last weekend I checked out director Kimberly Peirce‘s Carrie remake and found it to be a perfectly solid retelling of Brian De Palma‘s 1976 classic. With a solid lead performance from Chloë Grace Moretz and a downright terrifying turn by Julianne Moore, I found more than a few things to like about the pic. I also thought the opening scene was terrific and was surprised to hear Judy Greer tell Steve that it wasn’t in the original script. Although I knew how the story would play out, I found myself wanting so badly for Carrie’s prom night to go smoothly which I think is a credit to Peirce’s direction and the time she takes setting up the obstacle-laden road Carrie traverses on the way to her first date. Ultimately, is there anything extraordinarily fresh and/or updated about the remake? Not really. Nevertheless, it’s a solid movie that proves Stephen King‘s tale is just as relevant and effective today as it was nearly four decades ago.

With my paragraph review of Carrie in the bag, this week’s Top 5 highlights the first trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Adam’s Divergent set visit, Steve’s Thor: The Dark World video interviews with Chris Hemsworth and more, two new trailers for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, and Evan’s look at superhero movie casting decisions that nearly came to fruition. Much like in the past, a brief recap and link to each of the above is waiting after the jump.

Here’s today’s casting news:

• John Krasinski (Promised Land) is in talks to join director Cameron Crowe’s untitled romantic comedy.  The rest of the all-star cast includes Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, Alec Baldwin and Bill Murray.
• Damian Lewis (Homeland) is nearing a deal to star in writer-director Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert, which stars Nicole Kidman as Gertrude Bell, “the iconic explorer, writer, archeologist and attaché for the British Empire, who is credited with helping to catalyze the formation of the Middle East at the dawn of the 20th Century.”

Hit the jump for more on both projects. 

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.  Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man.  Chris Evans as Captain America. These are just a few staples to be found in the superhero movie genre that have really established themselves as their characters.  For some, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing these bigger-than-life figures, but for many of these movies, each role was nearly given to someone else.  In this article, we’ll walk you through some of these scenarios of possible alternate casting, cases where we can delve into what exactly happened and the very different franchises they could have been.  Hit the jump for more.

Am ambitious animated undertaking of one the bestselling inspirational works of all time has landed an impressive voice cast.  Liam Neeson, Salma Hayek, John Krasinski, Frank Langella, Alfred Molina and Quvenzhané Wallis will lend their voices to The Prophet, an adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s collection of writings.  Roger Allers (The Lion King) will write and direct an original narrative story based on Gibran’s work.  The picture is scheduled to be complete by spring of 2014.  Hit the jump for more.

Monsters University will be here soon, and I like what I’m seeing.  I like it so much that I’ve seen enough.  Even though we post plenty of trailers, clips, and featurettes on the site, I don’t watch all of them if I’m already interested in the film.  That stuff is for the people who need more convincing.  So if you’re still unsure about Monsters University, we have seven clips and 13 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage featuring the cast from Pixar’s upcoming prequel recording their lines.

Hit the jump to check out the clips and behind-the-scenes footage.  The film features the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, John Krasinski, Nathan Fillion, Bonnie Hunt, Dave Foley, Sean Hayes, Joel Murray, Peter Sohn, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine, Bobby Moynihan, Julie Sweeney, Alfred Molina, Beth Behrs, and of course, John Ratzenberger.  Monsters University opens in 3D on June 21st.

Disney-Pixar has released the final trailer for Monsters University. The prequel shows how Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) became best friends during their time at college. I’ve been a bit wary about the prequel, but this trailer put those doubts to rest. The film looks incredibly funny but also has heart. This goes along with the positive buzz I’ve been hearing, and it looks like Monsters University could be the movie that gets Pixar back on track to the high quality we’ve come to expect from them.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer. The film also features the voices of Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, John Krasinski, Nathan Fillion, Bonnie Hunt, Dave Foley, Sean Hayes, Joel Murray, Peter Sohn, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine, Bobby Moynihan, Julie Sweeney, Alfred Molina, Beth Behrs, and of course, John Ratzenberger. Monsters University opens in 3D on June 21st.

Director Gus Van Sant is an auteur capable of dropping an award-winning character-driven film (Good Will Hunting) with big-name actors one year, and small, provocative films where characters barely talk to each other the whole time (Last Days) the next.  No matter which Van Sant flavor is your favorite, the man is great at both of them.  For his latest, Promised Land, he goes the mainstream route – taking A-list actors into a farming community for a fracking debate.  The film was originally supposed to be Matt Damon‘s (School Ties) directorial debut, but scheduling conflicts threw it in Van Sant’s lap with just over a month to prepare.  Despite some solid direction and acting, Promised Land suffers from a few hiccups.  But how does it hold up on Universal’s Blu-ray?  Hit the jump and I’ll tell you all about it.

Your favorite stars have signed on to two exciting television projects:

• Kristen Wiig and Tobey Maguire will star opposite Will Ferrell in the six-episode IFC miniseries The Spoils of Babylon, produced by Ferrell and Adam McKay.
• John Krasinski will guest star on season four of Arrested Development.  The impressive guest roster also boasts Wiig (hey), Ben Stiller, Seth Rogen, Conan O’Brien, Isla Fisher, Andy Richter, John Slattery, and Terry Crews.

More after the jump.

Disney has released a new trailer for the Monsters, Inc. prequel Monsters University.  The pic focuses on the college years of Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman), and this new full-length trailer reveals the film’s plot.  The Revenge of the Nerds-esque story finds Mike and Sully joining a fraternity of outcasts, as all of the Greek houses must compete against each other in the Scare Games, which carry dire consequences for the losers.  The film looks like it could be Pixar’s most purely fun movie yet, and early reactions from the screening at CinemaCon had many praising the pic’s heart.  If you missed any of Dave’s coverage from his visit to Pixar, be sure to check out his review from seeing 40 minutes of footage, 35 things to know about the film, and his interview with director Dan Scanlon.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer.  The film also features the voices of Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, John Krasinski, Nathan Fillion, Bonnie Hunt, Dave Foley, Sean Hayes, Joel Murray, Peter Sohn, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine, Bobby Moynihan, Julie Sweeney, Alfred Molina, Beth Behrs, and of course, John Ratzenberger. Monsters University opens June 21, 2013.

Even though Monsters University is only a few months away, Pixar has been keeping the voice cast under wraps.  Today, EW is reporting that Nathan Fillion, John Krasinski, and Bonnie Hunt will be voicing new monsters in the upcoming prequel.  Fillion and Krasinski are newcomers to the Pixar world, but Hunt has been a longtime collaborator with the studio having voiced characters in A Bug’s Life, Cars, Toy Story 3, and Monsters, Inc. (although she’ll be voicing a new character).

Hit the jump for descriptions of Fillion, Krasinski, and Hunt’s characters, along with some new images.  The film also features the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Dave Foley, Sean Hayes, Joel Murray, Peter Sohn, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine, Bobby Moynihan, Julie Sweeney, Alfred Molina, Beth Behrs, and of course, John Ratzenberger.  Monsters University opens in 3D on June 21st.

Every year, Jimmy Kimmel Live follows the Oscars with a star-studded sketch.  Last year, audiences were treated to a trailer for Movie: The Movie, which featured dozens of movie stars parodying every film genre and cliché.  Naturally, every hit needs a sequel, and JKL has delivered with Movie: The Movie 2V.  I’ll let you be the judge between which trailer is better, but I would say the sequel surpasses the original when it comes to the obligatory Matt Damon joke.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Movie: The Movie 2V opens Arbor Day.

Earlier today we added Michael Rosenbaum to the shortlist to play Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) in Guardians of the Galaxy alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jim Sturgess, and Zachary Levi.  One more possibility has surfaced for Star-Lord, but the casting rumors have branched out with a shortlist for Drax the Destroyer.  First up: CBM hears that Marvel is “still high on” John Krasinski for Star-Lord, a “master strategist and combat expert who wears an ability-enhancing suit and pilots a psychically-linked ship.”  Marvel had their eye on Krasinski for Captain America once upon a time.  Although that didn’t work out the studio is still understandably keen on Krasinski.  Peter Quill is set up to be the central character in James Gunn‘s adaptation of the Marvel comic.

For Drax the Destroyer, Marvel is reportedly looking at Isaiah Mustafa, Brian Patrick Wade, and Dave Bautista.  Interesting list: Mustafa is best known as the Old Spice Guy and Bautista is a former WWE professional wrestler.  Wade by comparison is just your typical actor—given his unspectacular resume, we can conclude Marvel is not seeking big names to play Drax, a superhuman warrior created to defeat Thanos.  Hit the jump for character bios.