Though Jessica Chastain may or may not find herself an Oscar winner by month’s end, she’s certainly going to continue taking on interesting and challenging roles.  Variety reports that Chastain and Colin Farrell have been set to star in writer/director Liv Ullmann’s adaptation of the August Strindberg stage play Miss Julie.  The story takes place in 1874 and concerns a young woman “attempting to escape an existence cramped by social mores,” who strikes up a relationship with a senior servant.  The play explores issues of power through social class, gender, and family, and I’m interested to see how the dialogue-heavy source material is adapted to the screen.

Chastain will be taking on the lead, and one assumes Farrell will be playing the servant character but his role is not specified.  Samantha Morton is also set to co-star.  Chastain is currently starring in the Broadway play The Heiress and Farrell recently wrapped up roles in the fantasy Winter’s Tale and the Walt Disney/Mary Poppins film Saving Mr. Banks. This marks Chastain’s first commitment to a project since she landed a Best Actress nomination, and she’s said to be weighing and vetting several offers carefully to plot out her 2013 schedule.  As well she should.

Director John McNaughton’s last feature-length film Wild Things included the fantastic cinematic achievement of having Neve Campbell and Denise Richards make out on screen. Now he’s back after more than a decade to helm the psychological thriller, The Harvest. Written by Stephen Lancellotti, The Harvest centers on a married couple (Michael Shannon and Samantha Morton) with a background in the medical profession who keep their clinically ill son (Charlie Tahan) secluded in a controlled environment. When a young girl (Natasha Calis) moves in next door, her arrival gives the boy hope for a better life, but unravels the overprotective parents’ strictly regulated world. Hit the jump for more, including word from the director himself on why he chose this project.

With each new trailer, clip, or image from David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, I’ve become more intrigued and eager to check the film out.  We’ve seen a few trailers teasing the seriously trippy and surreal world that Cronenberg has created, and I’m interested to see Pattinson shine in a role that doesn’t ask him to brood for 120 minutes.  For those unfamiliar with the film, Pattinson plays a successful banker whose entire life unravels over the course of a single day.  These images give us more looks at Pattinson’s character, as well as supporting players Jay Baruchel, Samantha Morton, Paul Giamatti and Kevin Durand.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Cosmopolis will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 16 – 25th.

Last month, we showed you a brief trailer for David Cronenberg‘s adaptation of Don DeLillo‘s Cosmopolis, which featured a potentially surprising and exciting turn from star Robert Pattinson.  In the film, Pattinson plays a newlywed billionaire who ends up losing his bride and his billions in a single day.  Two full trailers have now gone online, and Cronenberg is the star of both.  Pattinson still looks good, but these trailers show off a David Cronenberg surrealism we haven’t seen in some time.   And judging by these trailers, it’s very good to have it back.

Hit the jump to check out the trailers.  The film also stars Sarah Gadon, Kevin Durand, Jay Baruchel, Samantha Morton, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, and Mathieu Amalric.  Cosmopolis will premiere next month at the Cannes Film Festival.

I’ve heard good things about John Carter from people who have seen it, but sadly the film’s marketing has been a mess.  A recent featurette finally showed off the film’s scope and so does the final trailer.  But none of the trailers (except one that was fan-made, and far better than any of Disney’s trailers) took a single moment to explain who John Carter is, how he got to Mars, and why he has special powers.  Does any audience member who is unfamiliar with the source material, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel A Princess of Mars, know anything about the character beyond “Shirtless Dude Who Fights Weird Creatures”?  The movie is titled “John Carter” and Disney never took the time to tell us anything about him.

Hit the jump to check out the final trailer.  The film stars Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, Thomas Haden Church, and Willem Dafoe.  John Carter opens in IMAX and 3D on March 9th.

We’re only a few weeks away from the release of Disney’s epic John Carter, and a large batch of high resolution images have been released. We’ve seen some of the images before, but we also get some really cool behind-the-scenes images that show just how director Andrew Stanton captured many of the effects-heavy portions of the film. While the initial trailer had me wary, I’ve been impressed by each new trailer and clip released this far. Stanton’s previously directorial resume is stellar, so I’m really hoping he delivers when we get a chance to check out the full film.

Hit the jump to check out the images. If you missed it, be sure to check out Matt’s set visit coverage including his full recap and interviews with co-writer/director Andrew Stanton, Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe and Thomas Haden Church, Lynn Collins, and Samantha Morton. The film also stars Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, and Bryan Cranston. John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I can’t help but think that Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum’s The Vow is Hollywood’s way of saying, “We know you suck at planning romantic Valentine’s dates, so why not pay us to take care of that for you?”. And you know what? They’re right. I’ve already reserved a couple of tix for the pic and, just like that, I’m basically a romance deity (Note: “Romance deity” may be a slight exaggeration”).

All romantic escapades aside, this week’s “Top 5″ brings you all of our John Carter set visit coverage, a plethora of Star Wars items, a new trailer for director Marc Webb‘s The Amazing Spider-Man, the first trailer and poster from Jeremy Renner‘s The Bourne Legacy, and all of Super Bowl XLVI’s movie ads in one place. You can find a brief recap and link to each after the jump.

“Barsoom” reads a sign on the outskirts of the movie set we’re about to visit.  “Barsoom” is what Martians call their planet in Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ A Princess of Mars.  A group of my fellow online movie journalists and I are headed to the set of Andrew Stanton‘s adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel, John Carter.  Mars may technically be in Big Water, Utah, but today we’ll be walking the ruins of an ancient Martian city, meeting a princess who bleeds blue, and a nine-foot-tall nomad tribe of warriors.  Hit the jump to take a trip to the red planet and find out about my visit to the set of John Carter.

Like most of her John Carter co-stars, Oscar-nominee Samantha Morton (In America) has been in blockbuster films, but she’s never had to do motion capture up until this movie.  Also, since she plays a Thark, she also never had to walk on stilts until John Carter.  Morton plays Sola, a pariah of the war-loving Thark society due to her caring and nurturing attitude, and she’s given the task of helping John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) acclimate to life among the Tharks.

Morton was a bit reluctant to talk about her character since she’s used to talking more about the film after it’s finished rather than during production.  It’s a position I absolutely respect, and I’m glad she was at least willing to comment on how working with director Andrew Stanton compared to working with Charlie Kaufman (Synecdoche, New York) and Steven Spielberg (Minority Report), adapting a classic piece of literature (John Carter is based off Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ A Princess of Mars), and a bit more.  Hit the jump for the interview.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

Back in October, we reported that Carey Mulligan (Shame) was circling a new, untitled Spike Jonze project starring Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator) and written by Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation). Now, however, it looks as if two other actresses are eyeing the role. Samantha Morton (The Messenger) and Amy Adams (The Fighter) are both reportedly in discussions to star opposite Phoenix in a film financed by Annapurna Pictures’ Megan Ellison. Details are few and far between but past synopses suggested the satirical film was about a gathering of world leaders meeting to discuss global events from the changing price of oil to the timing of wars. Hit the jump for info on the upcoming film schedule for each actress.

We’ve got a few casting stories for you this evening. First up, Thomas McDonell (Disney’s upcoming Prom) is the latest actor to sign on for Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows. The adaptation of the 1960’s gothic soap opera stars Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Michelle Pfieffer, Jackie Earle Haley and Bella Heathcoate. Heat Vision reports that McDonell will play the younger version of Depp’s character, Barnabas Collins, a “self-loathing vampire living in a Maine manor who is searching for his lost love.”

Additionally, Samantha Morton (In America) and Sarah Gadon (Charlie Bartlett) have joined the cast of David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. THR reports that Morton will play the estranged wife of the lead character in the thriller, played by Robert Pattinson. Hit the jump for info on Malcolm McDowell and Dean Cain starring in the indie sci-fi thriller Mind’s Eye.

When Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg worked together in 2002, expectations were high. At the time, Cruise was coming off some of his most respected work since the 80’s, with Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia coming out in 1999. Cruise has always had an eye for working with the A-list of directors, and by the time of Minority Report he had made films with Martin Scorsese, both Tony and Ridley Scott, Cameron Crowe, Oliver Stone and on and on. Spielberg had to be a crown jewel (well, after Kubrick), so it’s interesting that much of the film is about Spielberg making fun of Cruise’s pretty-boy image.

Cruise stars as John Anderton, a divorcee with a son who was kidnapped, and now works in the pre-crime division keeping violent crimes from happening. There are three pre-cogs who see the future and try and stop violence from occurring, but there are those who doubt the system, and its effect on free will. Which is partly why their work is being investigated by Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell)? The hunter becomes the cliché when the next pre-cog notification implies that Anderton is going to kill someone. My review of Minority Report on Blu-ray after the jump.

With production underway on director Andrew Stanton’s John Carter of Mars in London, Walt Disney has released the synopsis for the movie and also started a Facebook fan page for the film.  Here’s what they sent over:

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL-E”), JOHN CARTER OF MARS brings this captivating hero to the big screen in a stunning adventure epic set on the wounded planet of Mars, a world inhabited by warrior tribes and exotic desert beings.  Based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Barsoom Series,” the film chronicles the journey of Civil-War veteran John Carter (TAYLOR KITSCH), who finds himself battling a new and mysterious war amidst a host of strange Martian inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (WILLEM DAFOE) and Dejah Thoris (LYNN COLLINS).

As you might imagine, this is a huge film for us at Collider, so expect plenty of updates.  Hit the jump to read the rest of what Disney sent over:

Andrew Stanton has made quite a name for himself at Pixar, but his first endeavor in live action films begins today as his adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ beloved John Carter of Mars starts principal photography in London. Burroughs’ string of books, written in the early 20^th century, are collectively known as the “Barsoom” series and have inspired authors Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, and Robert A. Heinlein, while also having a heavy influence on Star Wars and Avatar.

Having already read the first in the series, A Princess of Mars, I have to say that there is much to be excited about as Burroughs brings an epic scale and an incredibly imagined world with resonating themes and lots of sword fighting. Joining the Academy Award-winning director is an all-star cast, including Taylor Kitsch as John Carter, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Polly Walker, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Bryan Cranston, and Daryl Sabara.

For the full press release, including a plot synopsis and the incredible team Stanton has assembled, hit the jump.

Bryan Cranston, one of the best actors on TV on one of the best shows on TV, has signed on to co-star in Andrew Stanton’s (WALL-E) adaptation of John Carter of Mars.  Based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs series of sci-fi novels, the story follows John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), a Civil War soldier who is mysteriously transported to Mars.  Once there, he is caught in the middle of a war between various groups of Martians.  Heat Vision reports that Cranston will play a Civil War colonel who comes into conflict with Carter.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t sound like a very large role since I imagine most of the film will take place on some planet that is not ours.  The cast also includes Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Polly Walker, Thomas Haden Church, James Purefoy, Dominic West, and Mark Strong.

Cranston currently stars on Breaking Bad on AMC and won back-to-back Emmys for Best Actor in a Drama for his performance as mild-mannered meth kingpin Walter White.  It’s a must-watch show.  The first season is already on DVD, the second season will be available on DVD/Blu-ray on March 16th, and the third season premieres on March 21st.  You must catch up and then tune in.