1.) We’ll begin today’s top five with a first look at Karl Urban in Riddick. The pic was released by the film’s writer/director David Twohy who wrote on his blog, “I see that my friend Karl Urban is going to host a screening of Dredd this week at Comic-Con. Just wanted to wish him well with that — and remind everyone what his eyes really look like. Here he is reprising Vaako for us, no helmet in sight. The actor over his shoulder, menacingly out of focus, is the great Andreas Apergis who plays ‘Krone’ in the upcoming Riddick.” [David Twohy]
2.) Casting on The Wolverine is taking shape as Will Yun Lee (Elektra) has signed on to play the film’s villain Harada, also known as the Silver Samurai, and Brian Tee (“Grimm”) will play Noburo Mori, a corrupt minister of justice who is about to marry the daughter of a yakuza crime lord (the daughter is Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) love interest).
Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai) will play Shingen, Hal Yamanouchi (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) will play Yashida and Tao Okamoto and Rila Fukushima have also joined the cast. The film is a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine and is based on the Chris Claremont and Frank Miller story arc that finds Logan in Japan where he confronts a mysterious figure from his past in an epic battle that will leave him forever changed. The film is set for a July 26, 2013 release with James Mangold (Knight and Day) directing. [CS / THR]
3.) Martha Marcy May Marlene writer/director Sean Durkin is set to direct Best Actress Tony winner Nina Arianda (“Venus in Fur”) as the lead in the aptly titled Janis Joplin biopic Joplin. The film is said to be budgeted at $20 million and will look back on the final six months of the singer’s life with flashbacks to her early career. The production has gained rights that include exclusive use of 21 of Joplin’s best-known songs. [Deadline]
4.) Michael Fassbender is preparing to step into the world of video game adaptations and will star in and co-produce Assassin’s Creed, a bigscreen adaptation of Ubisoft’s videogame franchise, as a third installment in the game’s series lands on October 30. The story revolves around a man who learns his ancestors were trained assassins after he is kidnapped by a secret org with ties to the Knights Templar, and sent back in time to retrieve historical artifacts. Fassbender is producing with Conor McCaughan, together the duo created the BAFTA award-winning short Pitch Black Heist of which I’ve included the trailer here. [Variety]
5.) A superhero triple-dip here at #5 as The Dark Knight Rises is reportedly tracking to best the 2-D, three-day, opening weekend record of $158.4 million held by The Dark Knight with tracking not too far behind The Avengers. It just won’t have 3-D sales to boost its tally. Speaking of Avengers, Scarlett Johnasson has reportedly been offered $20 million to return as Black Widow in The Avengers 2, a big bump over the $4-6 million plus bonuses she reportedly earned from the first one.
And finally, IMAX accidentally jumped the gun and brought online a page for Zack Snyder‘s Superman feature Man of Steel making it evident the film would be post-converted into 3-D for the large frame format. The page (which was available here) was swiftly removed off the Internet yesterday afternoon. The film arrives in theaters on June 14, 2013. [THR / NYP / Playlist]
