Though we previously reported Dennis Quaid and Ty Burrell as starring in Dan Schechter’s untitled adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel, The Switch, it looks like they’re out and Will Forte and Tim Robbins are in.  The story occurs 15 years before the events of Jackie Brown, with Yassin Bey and John Hawkes starring as career criminals Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara (the same characters played by Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro).  The picture also stars Jennifer Aniston and Isla Fisher.  Hit the jump to see how Forte and Robbins fit in.

For the third week in a row, The Avengers dominated the box office. Marvel’s superheroes added another $55 million to their domestic total – putting the film over $450 million in a record-breaking seventeen days. Meanwhile, the three new releases that lined up to challenge The Avengers all struggled in the blockbuster’s wake.

With some of the lowest totals I’ve seen since, um, Labor Day; Columbus Day 2010 got off to a weak start at the box office. Sure, The Social Network made a good showing in its second week, falling just 31% to push Life as We Know It into second place – but those two films combined could not match last year’s single debut Couple’s Retreat. Meanwhile Disney’s Secretariat stumbled badly, coming in a distant third in a race they hoped to win.

Attendance picked up on Saturday after a typically slow start to the Labor Day weekend on Friday. George Clooney’s The American was able to pull ahead of fellow newcomer Machete, resulting in a clear weekend win for the understated action movie.

With only days left in the summer movie season, a stunning five new releases elbowed their way into theatres this weekend. And not one was a match for The Expendables. Sylvester Stallone’s testosterone parade easily held its place at number one for its second weekend; earning an estimated $16.5 million and bringing its new domestic cume to $64.8 million.

Five new movies crammed into theatres on Friday. All of them arrived without much fanfare or anticipation which is why it shouldn’t surprise anyone that none of them managed to make much money either. The clear king of the newbies – with all of $4.4 million – was Fox’s Vampires Suck. The Twilight spoof actually launched on Wednesday and had earned $6.3 million in its first two days in 2,978 locations. That estimate was not far behind the Friday total for The Expendables; though the latter should have no trouble hanging on to its weekend title for a second week in a row. Elsewhere in the top five, the estimates are too close to call between new titles like Lottery Ticket and Piranha 3D and holdover Eat Pray Love. The amounts in question are so small it hardly seems worth arguing over, in any case. Farther down the box office food chain: The Switch placed a dismal number seven (barely ahead of the sequel to Nanny McPhee!) despite the best efforts of Jennifer Aniston to make her fecund film appear ‘controversial.’ Full coverage on the weekend of bad options when you check back tomorrow.

I discovered something important about myself when I watched The Switch.  I discovered that I can endure 101 minutes of pure saccharine filmmaking without catching The Diabetes.  I have no problem with earnest filmmaking that’s unafraid to wear its heart on its sleeve.  I do have a problem with transparently manipulative filmmaking that wastes the comic talents of its lead actor.  A few clever one-liners sneak past this sitcom-level humor, but The Switch stands more as an endurance test of sugary storytelling rather than a heart-warming picture.

Last month I had the opportunity to speak with directing team Josh Gordon and Will Speck (Blades of Glory) about their upcoming movie The Switch. Before I continue, let me advise you to rid yourself of all your expectations now. The Switch is nothing like either Blades of Glory or what it’s advertisements seem to show. It’s more serious, poignant and overall much, much better than it’s ads led me to believe. When it’s funny, it’s funny, but this is a real movie, not an absurd goofy comedy. I was very surprised by how much I liked the movie and I would definitely recommend it.

In my 20 minute talk with Gordon and Speck, we were able to cover a wide variety of topics, including how they met, how they divide up duties as a directing team, what exactly directors do on the set of a comedy or dramedy, working with a child actor as well as Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston, their future, and much more. Gordon and Speck were two very smart filmmakers and a had a lot of interesting stuff to say about not only their film, but the moviemaking process as well. Continue reading to check out the interview. The Switch hits theaters August 20^th.

Last month I had the opportunity to attend the press conference for Josh Gordon and Will Speck’s The Switch, a movie that I liked much more than I ever expected. The film revolves around Wally (Jason Bateman) who “accidentally” hijacks his best friend’s (Jennifer Aniston) pregnancy by replacing her sperm donor’s “ingredient” for his own without telling her. It’s got much more drama then the ads lead you to believe and it’s ultimately a much better film then you’d expect. I was very surprised by how much I liked the movie.

Anyways, the press conference featured directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck (Blades of Glory) along with stars Bateman and Aniston. Topics for discussion included the notion of the modern woman, working with a child actor (Thomas Robinson plays Sebastian, the son of Aniston and Bateman’s characters), everyone’s original involvement with the film, and much more. Also, as to be expected, talk of Arrested Development and Friends movies was quickly deflected. To check out what Gordon, Speck, Bateman and Aniston had to say, continue reading. The Switch hits theaters August 20. Also make sure to look for my exclusive interview with the film’s directors later tonight or tomorrow.

Opening next week is the Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman movie The Switch.  Here’s the synopsis:

The film is an offbeat comedy about Kassie (Aniston), a smart, fun-loving single woman who, despite her slightly neurotic best friend Wally’s (Bateman) objections, decides it’s time to have a baby—even if it means doing it by herself… with a little help from a charming sperm donor (Patrick Wilson). But, unbeknownst to her, Kassie’s plans go awry because of a last-minute switch that isn’t discovered until seven years later when Wally finally gets acquainted with Kassie’s precocious—though slightly neurotic—son. The Switch also stars Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Juliette Lewis, and Thomas Robinson.

The Switch used to be called The Baster when Bateman spoke to Steve about it last year.  Hit the jump to check out five clips from the film:

The first trailer for the hopefully-saved-by-Jason-Bateman comedy The Switch has come online.  The film was previously titled The Baster, but that was deemed too risqué since the film is about artificial insemination.  Instead, the trailer just has Juliette Lewis waving a baster in Jason Bateman’s face.  This is followed by a scene where Bateman knocks over a sperm donation by accident and then refills it off screen.  Crisis averted.

The premise has Bateman as a guy who got caught in the friend zone with Jennifer Aniston’s character.  She decided to get pregnant through artificial insemination and chose the dreamy sperm of Patrick Wilson’s character.  But as we mentioned before, comic circumstances lead to a change-up and Bateman’s “hijacks” her pregnancy.  Seven years later, he recognizes that he has a son, but doesn’t know how to handle the situation.

Now you know why I put “hopefully-saved-by-Jason-Bateman” as the adjective for this movie.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer and the official synopsis.  The Switch hits theaters on August 20th.