Now playing in theaters is director Michael Bay’s fantastic dark comedy Pain & Gain.  The film is based on a crazy true story and stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson as two bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.  Pain and Gain also stars Anthony Mackie, Rebel Wilson,  Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Rob Corddry, Ken Jeong, and Bar Paly.  For more on the film, watch some clips or the red-band trailer.

At the Miami press junket, I landed an exclusive interview with Ken Jeong & Bar Paly.  We talked about what it was like to work with Michael Bay, their reaction to finding out the story was based on real events, the great work by all the actors, and more.  In addition, they talked about upcoming films like The Hangover Part III and Non-Stop with Liam Neeson.  Hit the jump to watch the interview and definitely check out Pain and Gain.  It’s absolutely worth seeing.

We’ve got a first look at perennial badass Liam Neeson in the new Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown) film, Non-Stop.  While it looks like Neeson has an entire plane held hostage at gunpoint, methinks maybe there’s someone nefarious just off screen.  Non-Stop also stars Michelle Dockery, Julianne Moore and Scoot McNairy.

We’ve also got some lovely shots of stars Channing Tatum and Rooney Mara in Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects.  While the couple looks happy in these images, the pharmaceutical-slanted plot suggests that feeling may not last.  Also starring Jude Law and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Side Effects opens February 8th.  Hit the jump to check out all the images.

Last week, Steve attended the American Film Market (AFM) and was able to bring back some first images, posters, and synopses for a handful of upcoming projects.  One such film happens to be the Liam Neeson-fronted action thriller Non-Stop, for which we now have the first detailed synopsis.  The story takes place during an international flight on which Neeson is an Air Mashal.  His character begins to receive a series of text messages from someone who threatens to kill a passenger every 20 minutes until $150 million is transferred into a secret account.

Neeson reunites with Unknown director Jaume Collet-Serra for the pic, which is described as a mix of a mystery, actioner, and a Hitchcockian thriller.  Moreover, Collet-Serra has assembled a surprisingly top-notch cast that includes Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, and Michelle Dockery.  Hit the jump to read the full synopsis, which includes more detail.

We’ve got a couple of interesting casting stories to share this afternoon.  First up, a trio of fine actors has joined Liam Neeson in the airplane thriller Non-Stop, raising my interest in the project significantly.  Variety reports that Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy (Killing Them Softly), and Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) have joined Non-Stop for director Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown) and producer Joel Silver.  Neeson stars as a federal air marshal “who starts receiving text messages from someone claiming to be on the same flight, and who is threatening to kill its passengers.”  Naturally, Neeson must discover the identity of the killer and stop him.  Hit the jump for more, including casting news concerning Lars von Trier’s controversial Nymphomaniac.

Lots of male-pattern casting to get to today.  Let’s take a gander:

• Nate Parker (Arbitrage) has boarded director Jaume Collet-Serra’s airplane thriller Non-Stop, starring Liam Neeson.
• Adam Brody (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) joins Baggage Claim from writer/director/producer David E. Talbert, a rom-com adaptation of his own novel.
• Ben Bailey will step out of the Cash Cab and into Ken Scott’s Starbuck remake, opposite Vince Vaughn.
• Cam Gigandet (Twilight) and Nick Thune (Knocked Up) join Johnson, a raunchie indie comedy directed by Huck Botko (The Virginity Hit) from a Jeff Tetreault script.

Hit the jump for details on each film.

With yesterday’s news that Kick-Ass 2 is finally moving forward with Jeff Wadlow set to direct, I wondered what movement on that sequel meant for the Liam Neeson-fronted airplane thriller Non-Stop that Wadlow was also attached to helm.  My anxious, sleepless nights about Non-Stop can now come to an end as Variety reports that director Jaume Collet-Serra is in talks to reteam with his Unknown star and take over the director’s chair on Non-Stop for Dark Castle Productions.  The script was written by first-timers John Richardson and Chris Roach and the story takes place on an international flight on which Neeson is forced to stop a threat (naturally).  Hit the jump for more, including what this means for the live-action Akira remake.

He’s been a Jedi master, a wilderness survivor and a man with a particular set of skills.  Now, Liam Neeson will put all (or at least some) of those skills to the test as he toplines the airplane thriller, Non-Stop.  Via Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment, Non-Stop is a self-contained thrill ride that takes place on board an international flight. Neeson is in negotiations to play an aging air marshal who faces a threat during said flight, and probably eliminates it  swiftly and with extreme prejudice. Hit the jump for more on Non-Stop.

Following on the heels of the international success of Unknown, Dark Castle Entertainment has acquired the airplane thriller spec Non-Stop. Jeff Wadlow (Never Back Down and Cry Wolf) is attached to direct the pic which is co-written by first-timers John Richardson and Chris Roach. Per Heat Vision, Non-Stop is being developed as a gritty actioner that follows an air marshall who encounters some sort of unexpected turbulence while on a domestic flight. Joel Silver will co-produce the film alongside Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman. Silver and Wadlow previously worked together on the CBS pilots Hail Mary and The Odds.