David Cronenberg’s new film The Talking Cure has been hit with a cast shake up, with previously announced star Christoph Waltz backing out of the project.

According to DeadlineHollywood, the reason behind the change is that Waltz has also signed on to play a psychopathic animal trainer in Water For Elephants and had to choose between films.

Stepping in to Waltz’s role of Sigmund Freud will be Viggo Mortensen, reuniting him with Cronenberg who previously directed him in Eastern Promises and A History of Violence.

In addition to Mortensen, Vincent Cassel, star of Mesrine, will be joining the cast. The Playlist blog posted the translated announcement from French distributor Mars Films’ Facebook page:

The cast of THE TALKING CURE the next film by David Cronenberg has been announced Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender will play respectively Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, along with Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel.

Luckily all of this comes before the scheduled shooting date of 17th May so as not to cause big delays. While I’m sad to see Christoph Waltz leave the project, I’m happy that he’s continuing to do big films rather than going back to strictly European cinema. But now that he’s won an Oscar, will he be struck down with the Oscar curse?

Another day, another remake. The 1985 camp cult hit Fright Night is getting a makeover and now the project has finally got a director according to the LA Times.

Though still in negotiations, it looks like Craig Gillespie will be taking on directing duties. The movie will take him well out of his comfort zone as his last film was odd rom-com Lars and the Real Girl and a few episodes of US TV comedy United States of Tara.

With no horror films under his belt, will Fright Night bring Gillespie over to the dark side?

The original film saw horror fan Charlie suspecting his new neighbour of being a vampire so he asks for the help of a washed up TV actor to uncover the truth.

The re-vamp (geddit?) will see Mad Men and Buffy The Vampire Slayer writer Marti Noxon penning the script. At least Noxon’s got experience with vampires so it’ll have some bite to it.

Sorry about that, couldn’t resist.

While I’m sick to our back teeth of vampires right now, I’m not entirely fed up with werewolves just yet. Though The Wolfman was pushing it a bit.

Which is just as well because there’s one coming our way and it’s going to feature St. Trinian’s and Cracks star Juno Temple.

Jack and Diane is the tale of two girls who meet and fall in love but little does one know that the other is occasionally a werewolf. The Playlist reports that since Ellen Page and Allison Pill both dropped out of the role of Diane, Temple has stepped up to fill in.

On a side note, does anyone else think she looks like Skins star Lily Loveless?

Anyway, Olivia Thirlby, star of Juno and The Wackness will be playing the emotionally guarded Jack which would have reunited with her Juno co-star Page had she stayed with the project.

Bradley Rust Gray will write and direct the movie which is set for a 2011 release date. Here’s how he previously described the relationship between the girls on his official website:

“When Diane first discovers love she is desperate to find out if her feelings are being returned. Only she can’t find the words to explain how she feels. Her head gets fuzzy, she gets scared, she panics, and she transforms into a horrifically violent creature. This creature, though grotesque, becomes Diane’s way of saying, ‘I love you so much I want to eat you and put you inside me forever.’”

Sounds sexy and gross. What do you think: are werewolves over now? Drop a comment down below.

And God said unto film bloggers, ‘Go forth and report entertainment news!’ So film bloggers did as they were told and God saw that it was good.

In the spirit of following my heavenly orders I’m here to tell you that the story of creation, as it’s written in the book of Genesis, will become a 3D movie. Not sure that’s what God had in mind for ’spreading the word’ but hey, whatever works.

According to Deadline Hollywood, ex-Walden Media big wig Cary Granat will be helming the project entitled In The Beginning with Reel FX and Paramount.

Apparently the script will be faithful to Genesis, following the story of the creation of the world in six days ending with God making Adam and Eve. It’ll be written by Hidalgo scribe John Fusco and will cost around $30 million to produce. That doesn’t sound like a lot of cash to tell the story of the creation of the world does it?

James Cameron created a whole world and it cost him nearly $250 million to do. At least the Bible is an original story.

Anyway, the film will also be in 3D which is hardly surprising given the current trends. And though we have all wondered what God looked like, I think we’d be more curious as to what he’ll look like in 3D? Wouldn’t it be funny if he actually turned out to be Alanis Morisette like in Dogma or Morgan Freeman from Bruce Almighty?

Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park has told the BBC that he’d like to end up making his trademark plasticine movies in 3D.

“When I first saw 3D coming in I had quite an appetite to do a 3D film. We were even planning to do an IMAX Wallace and Gromit at one point in 3D but for some reason financially that got shelved.”

After all the Avatar CGI action we got at the IMAX, we’d be pleased as punch to see a bit of homegrown stop-motion get the 3D treatment.

Park lost out at the Oscars last night but having already won one of the golden gongs, we don’t imagine he cried a river over it. He was nominated for A Matter Of Loaf and Death which he produced under the Aardman Animation banner.

“I’d like to see a 3D Plasticine animation – I think it would really suit it. In a way I’ve been a bit sceptical, but I have a feature idea up my sleeve which I’m thinking might be 3D.”

Speaking before the ceremony, Park admitted that being nominated was daunting. “Coming from the UK, a Preston boy, taking up a hobby that became a career, playing with Plasticine, it still feels a long way from Hollywood. Each film takes weeks, months, years working in the dark – and then you find yourself in the bright lights.”

How apt that on international Women’s Day, Kathryn Bigelow should become the first woman ever to pick up an Oscar for Best Director.

With ginormous odds stacked against her and some intimidating company in her category, Kathryn stayed cool in the spotlight last night as she took to the stage to accept her award for her movie The Hurt Locker.

She surprised the Academy as well as audiences around the world because not only is she a female director nominated for an Oscar, only the third to be so, but for the fact that her movie was an war-based action flick.

It also cost a mere £8 million to produce and is the lowest grossing movie to ever win the Best Picture award; she really did earn her nickname ‘Kathryn The Great’.

In her acceptance speech she said, “There’s no other way to describe it. It’s the moment of a lifetime. I’d just like to dedicate this to the women and men in the military who risk their lives on a daily basis.”

Beating out ex-husband James Cameron for his 3D epic Avatar, the pair laughed around at the ceremony with James mock-strangling Kathryn for beating him. There seems to be a friendship between the two and hopefully she will rub off on him as Avatar managed to only pick up technical awards last night.

I bet the Birds Eye View film festival are pretty pleased this morning; they celebrate women in film and had a screening last week of The Hurt Locker.

Last night the Hollywood elite turned out in force for the biggest movie event of the year. Current award show fave, Neil Patrick Harris opened started the proceedings with a song and took shots at the entire audience.

30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin co-hosted the show and unlike Johnathan Ross at the BAFTAs, they were actually funny. They particularly picked on their friend and co-star of It’s Complicated Meryl Streep, Quentin Tarantino and James Cameron.

Ben Stiller should have won an award for best award presenter as he couldn’t resist the chance to get on stage and give James Cameron a bit of stick. He appeared on stage dressed as a Na’vi complete with ears and a tail to present the award for Best Makeup and made me giggle when he attempted to speak in the fictional language from Avatar.

The night was a huge success with plenty of laughs and well deserved successes, let’s take a look at the winners:

BEST PICTURE
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker – winner
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Do It!

Yesterday we told you how Neil Patrick Harris was going to appear in the new Smurfs movie and now Alan Cumming and Katy Perry are getting in on the action too.

While Harris will be playing a live action character, Perry will be lending her voice to Smurfette. Of course there’ll be no kissing girls when you’re the only female smurf in the village.

Alan Cumming will also be in the recording booth to play Gutsy Smurf. Um, can’t say we really remember that particular Smurf but OK.

Others that have been confirmed are American comic actor George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf and original Smurf voice actor Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf.

Apparently, the decision to convert Clash of the Titans and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has really lit a spark over at Warners.

A sequel to talking animal movie Cats And Dogs has been given the go ahead to get in on the 3D action as has Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch. But I was more excited to hear that The Green Lantern would also be getting an extra dimension.

Ryan Reynolds in 3D. Mmmmmm.

Anyway, team Lantern are right on the cusp of filming now so it’s a toss-up between pushing the date back and shooting entirely in 3D or switching to it later and converting existing 2D footage.

Sucker Punch and Cats And Dogs 2 have already been shot so it’s just a matter of shelling out the cash for conversion but only time will tell if it was worth it. Plus, it looks as though Snyder’s other big project The Legend Of the Guardians will also get the 3D treatment.

But which film will have the best 3D owls, Potter or Guardians?

Benicio Del Toro, star of The Wolfman, has signed up to play Jack Garcia in new mobster flick Making Jack Falcone.

According to Deadline Hollywood the film is based on the book of the same name by FBI agent Jack Garcia.

The agent infiltrated the mob and managed to bring down 39 members of the infamous Gambino family. Garcia became so well-respected by family that they offered to make him ‘a made man,’ little did they know he was actually a Cuban-born cop.

Not exactly a fly on the wall, Garcia was 6′4″ and 390 pounds, so it looks like Del Toro will have to pile on the pounds to be authentic. Steven Soderbergh is attached to produce but it looks like the project is still looking for a director.