02.26.08: Statham Cranks Up 'Transporter 3', Oscar Riles With In Memoriam Snubs

Transporter nuts rest easy: Jason Statham has committed to a third outing of the ballistic action franchise, reprising his role as the bone-crunching mercenary driver Frank. No Louis Leterrier this time, the helmer of the first two instalments now off Incredible Hulk-ing with Edward Norton. More at Variety

Shutter Island Ups Head Count
Max Von Sydow, Emily Mortimer and Jackie Earle Haley are the latest recruits to Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island. They join Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams and Patricia Clarkson in the latest adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel, this one about two US marshals (DiCaprio, Ruffalo) investigating odd goings-on at a hospital for the criminally insane. Mortimer will play an escaped patient, Haley an inmate and Von Sydow one of the hospital’s doctors. More at The Hollywood Reporter

Oscar’s In Memoriam Snubs
What do Roy Scheider, Ulrich Muhe and Brad Renfro have in common? They were all left off Oscar’s annual In Memoriam montage. Scheider may be the most bizarre oversight – the man starred in Jaws! – but Muhe’s performance in The Lives Of Others marked him out as a great European actor and Renfro was once one of Hollywood’s most promising young stars. The Academy didn’t feel like explaining much, just calling their omissions “an editing decision” (to squeeze in another agent no one had ever heard of). More at Hollywood Elsewhere

…And Don’t Forget Whoopi

Comments

[emily]

Roy Scheider missed the "cut-off date" for this year's In Memoriam, which was clearly displayed at the beginning of the montage as being through January 29th of this year. Scheider died February 10th and will surely make next year's. Do your homework!