Taylor Kitsch For Catching Fire Role?

Taylor KitschTaylor Kitsch, Garrett Hedlund and Armie Hammer are reportedly battling it out for the role of Finnick Odair in Catching Fire.

Finnick is the victor of the 65th Hunger Games in the Suzanne Collins book trilogy on which the movies are based and his role is a vital one in the second novel. According to E! News, film bosses are undecided about whether to go with one of these three actors or launch an unknown with the pivotal role. A decision is expected to be made this week.

However, Lionsgate refused to comment, with a representative saying, "As with the first film, we won't be confirming, denying or commenting on any casting rumors for this title. We will announce news wide when there is official casting news to announce."

Filming is scheduled to begin later this year with Francis Lawrence taking over the directing reigns from Gary Ross, who chose not to return to the franchise.

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth all starred in The Hunger Games, which was released earlier this year and are on board to reprise their roles of Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne respectively.


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Box Office Breakdown: Portman Scores with Kutcher and Kunis

No Strings Attached

Pair with a star from That 70’s Show and what do you get? A Top Ten film.

No Strings Attached – last weekend’s only new wide release – topped the box office with a $19.6 million bow. The film, which features Portman and Ashton Kutcher, gave Natalie – someone who has avoided romantic comedies -- her best debut since 2006’s V for Vendetta.

As for Black Swan, Portman’s film with 70’s Show actress – that film slipped one notch down to sixth place over the weekend. You can expect a possible boost for the thriller after Oscar nominations are announced Tuesday morning.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Portman Scores with Kutcher and Kunis

Read More | Box Office Mojo

Box Office Breakdown: No Dilemma for The Green Hornet

Green Hornet

, starring Seth Rogen and Jay Chou, brought in a lot green for Sony this weekend. Although the film came nowhere near its $110 million budget, Hornet did earn enough ($33.5 million) to make it the second-best grosser ever during the MLK Jr. holiday frame. (Cloverfield earned $40.1 million over its first three days in 2008.)

Despite the combined comedic forces of Vince Vaughn and Kevin James, turned out to be more of a non-issue. The Universal entry -- which cost $70 million to produce -- failed to even crack the $20 million mark. That's the worst debut for Vaughn since 2007's Fred Claus and the worst open for James ever (if you don't count the films he only voiced).

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: No Dilemma for The Green Hornet

Read More | Box Office Mojo

Box Office Breakdown: Weak Showing for Country Strong

Country Strong

Gwyneth Paltrow's appearances on Glee, the Country Music Awards and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon couldn't help her film's performance at the box office.

Country Strong's first week in wide release strummed up less than $10 million over the past three days. The good news? The film only cost approximately $12 million to produce. In comparison, True Grit -- another film in its third week -- finally rode past Little Fockers for a first-place finish.

Meanwhile, Season of the Witch, the only other new entry in the Top Ten, fired up $10.6 million. That was enough to give the Nicolas Cage feature a third place debut.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Weak Showing for Country Strong

Read More | Box Office Mojo

In Theaters This Weekend: January 7, 2011


Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • Country Strong** (PG-13): starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund (directed by Shana Feste)
  • Season of the Witch (PG-13): starring Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Ulrich Thomsen (directed by Dominic Sena)

Box Office Breakdown: Coen Brothers Show True Grit

True Grit

Their film didn't top the box office, nor did it have the best per screen average -- but Joel and Ethan Coen still have reason to smile.

, a two-time second-place finisher, has now grossed $86.7 million domestically -- a new record for the writing/directing duo. The Western, which added another $24.4 million to its total this past weekend, has officially surpassed the Coen brothers' previous record. (No Country for Old Men, released in 2007, raised $74.3 million.)

The only other notable item in the Top Ten this week was . The critically-acclaimed film replaced The Tourist in the tenth-place spot and averaged $11,108 per theater.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Coen Brothers Show True Grit

Read More | Box Office Mojo

Box Office Breakdown: Big Win for Little Fockers

Little Fockers

A lack of a clear plot apparently meant very little to theatergoers this past weekend.

Little Fockers, which added another $30.8 million in ticket sales ($45.1 million since Wednesday) to the Fockers series, finished in first place after the holiday frame. Although the Ben Stiller/Robert De Niro production failed to top Meet the Fockers’ debut in 2004 ($46.1 million), the comedy did bring in more than the 2000 original. (Meet the Parents opened to $28.6 million.)

Meanwhile, the Jeff Bridges from the past found himself passing the Jeff Bridges from the future. True Grit, costarring Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld, roped in $24.9 million – the best number for the Coen brothers to date – and second place. The Western wound up landing just one notch above Tron, Bridges’ current sci-fi entry.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Big Win for Little Fockers

Read More | Box Office Mojo

In Theaters This Holiday Week: December 22, 2010


Here are a few selections in theaters this holiday week:

  • Gulliver's Travels (PG): starring Jack Black, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt (directed by Rob Letterman) **opens on Dec. 25**
  • Little Fockers (PG-13): starring Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson (directed by Paul Weitz)
  • True Grit (PG-13): starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin (directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Holiday Week: December 22, 2010


In Theaters This Weekend: December 17, 2010


Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • Black Swan** (R): starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel (directed by Darren Aronofsky)
  • The Fighter** (R): starring Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams (directed by David O. Russell)
  • How Do You Know (PG-13): starring Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd (directed by James L. Brooks, )
  • TRON: Legacy (PG): starring Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde (directed by Joseph Kosinski)
  • Yogi Bear (PG): starring Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Tom Cavanagh (directed by Eric Brevig)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: December 17, 2010


VIDEO: Gwyneth Paltrow is Country Strong


If playing a washed up country singer could earn Jeff Bridges an Academy Award, what could it possibly do for ?

In Country Strong, Gwyneth plays Kelly Canter, a troubled musician who tries to get her career back with help from her husband/manager (played by real-life country star ). Paltrow, who previously demonstrated her vocal abilities in Duets, also does her own singing in this film.

The movie—which also features Tron: Legacy‘s Garrett Hedlund and Gossip Girl‘s Leighton Meester—opens in limited release on December 22.

Read More | Just Jared

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