We have a few casting stories for you this afternoon.  First up, Bruce Willis is set to lead the thriller Expiration.  According to Variety, Willis plays “a hitman who is poisoned and has to find a cure before he expires.”  So it’s like D.O.A. but probably with a lot more killing of other people.  The film is currently in negotiations for a director, and the script is from Broken City scribe Brian Tucker.  What’s slightly damning about this production is that it’s from producers Randall Emmett and George Furla.  The duo previously produced the Willis films Setup and Fire with Fire.  While Willis didn’t lead those movies, they still went direct-to-DVD.  Then again, they also co-starred talking mannequin 50 Cent, so perhaps Expiration will be better if they leave him out of it.

Hit the jump for casting news on Anita and Mojave.

One of my favorite films of 2012, director Kathryn Bigelow’s drama about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, Zero Dark Thirty, is finally playing in theaters nationwide.  Loaded with amazing performances, an incredible script by Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker), and perfect direction, Zero Dark Thirty  should definitely be seen in a theater, and it’s absolutely worth the price of admission.  In the film, Jessica Chastain plays a CIA operative spearheading the manhunt, and she stars alongside Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke, Chris Pratt, Mark Strong, Scott Adkins, Joel Edgerton, and James Gandolfini.  For more on the film, read Matt’s review.

During the Los Angeles press day, I got to speak with Clarke. We talked about what the last few years have been like since he’s landed some high profile projects, the way people are responding to the film, his reaction to seeing the film for the first time, deleted scenes, and more.  In addition, we also talked about some of his upcoming projects like Roland Emmerich’s White House Down and William Monahan’s next film, Mojave.  Hit the jump to watch.

Just a couple of days ago, we ran an exclusive interview with The Departed screenwriter William Monahan regarding the news that he’s set to pen a remake of Park Chan-wook’s 2005 film Sympathy for Lady Vengeance with Charlize Theron in the lead.  In addition to talking about that adaptation, Monahan provided a brief update on his next directorial feature, Mojave.  While he was remiss to provide plot details, he revealed that filming is set to begin in the first quarter of next year and that he has already set his cast.  Indeed, the news broke today that Oscar Isaac (The Bourne Legacy) and Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) are poised to topline the thriller.  Hit the jump for more details.

A few days ago we reported screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed, Kingdom of Heaven) was going to adapt Park Chan-wook’s fantastic 2005 film Sympathy for Lady Vengeance with Charlize Theron set to star and produce along with Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures.  For those unfamiliar with the original, Lady Vengeance “is the story of a woman who for reasons of her own completes a prison term for a murder she did not commit, reemerging to punish the killer, and avenge the dead.”  The film is the final chapter in Park’s “Vengeance Trilogy” following Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy.

Shortly after the news broke, I reached out to Monahan to see if he could offer us any additional information about how the project came together.  In addition, we talked about whether he’s started writing it yet, if Sympathy could take place in Boston, whether it would be watered down for American audiences, when did he first see Park Chan-wook’s movies and does he have a favorite, his adapting process and much more.  Finally, as we reported earlier this year, Monahan is set to get behind the camera again with Mojave.  He told me he starts to shoot early next year and we’ll hear about casting in the coming weeks.  Hit the jump for more.

Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed) has chosen to make the crime thriller Mojave as his follow-up to London Boulevard.  As Monahan told Steve back in October, the follow-up to Boulevard was either going to be Mojave or Becket, an adaptation of the 1959 Jean Anouilh play, depending on which project received funding first.  Hopefully, more details on Mojave will surface soon so we’ll have an idea of what Monahan has planned.  According to Deadline, Atlas Independent will produce, and filming is set to begin in August in Southern California.  Atlas Independent’s mission is to make movies for less than $10 million, so we at least have some notion of the Mojave‘s scope.

Monahan’s busy schedule also includes scripting a remake of 1974′s The Gambler, and working on the screenplay for Sin City 2.  Click here for Steve’s latest interview with Monahan.

I’m writing to you this week in full “World Series Mode.” While there are plenty of things going on around the Midwest this time of year (homemade haunted houses are always a welcomed annual treat), a majority of my focus is on trying to will my beloved Cardinals to Fall Classic glory. Combine that with the fact that Batman: Arkham City is consistently calling my name and it’s a wonder that I’m even writing this right now. Hold on, what’s that, Arkham City? Okay, okay…I’ll be there in a second…

…In this week’s installment, you’ll find talk of Transformers 4 and Transformers 5 shooting back-to-back with Jason Statham potentially starring, a six-minute prologue for The Dark Knight Rises being attached to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol‘s IMAX release, interviews with director Paul W.S. Anderson and the cast of The Three Musketeers, David Fincher and Rooney Mara talking about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and William Monahan discussing projects including London Boulevard, The Departed sequel, Sin City 2 and more. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

Almost a year ago, I ran an extended interview with William Monahan for his directorial debut London Boulevard.  Starring Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Anna Friel, Jamie Bower, David Thewlis, Ray Winstone, Stephen Graham, Eddie Marsan, and Ben Chaplin, the film is about a man just released from prison (Farrell) who falls in love with a reclusive young movie star (Knightley) and finds himself in a duel with a vicious gangster (Winstone).  At the time, the movie was about to hit theaters in the United Kingdom, and our wide-ranging conversation covered the making of the film and all the other projects he was involved with.  When I posted the interview, I said it was one of the best conversations I’ve ever had with any filmmaker.

However, with London Boulevard now available on VOD in the United States and hitting theaters November 11, I recently sat down with Monahan again and we have bested our last conversation.  During our 45 minutes conversation we covered everything from his thoughts on VOD and what changes were made to the film, the digital revolution, the crime genre, writing dialogue, and working with actors.  In addition, he gave me updates on The Departed sequel/prequel, Sin City 2, The Gambler, Tripoli, Becket, Mojave (which might be his next film), and revealed there is another version of Kingdom of Heaven that no one has seen.  Hit the jump for more.