10.29.08: Phoenix retires, Fincher films another serial killer, and more

MASSIVE MARVEL UPDATE

The inter-geek is aflutter with news from Marvel Studios' latest press release, most of which was previously announced.  To summarize: Robert Downey Jr. has signed on for both Iron Man 2 and The Avengers.  Jon Favreau will be directing the former and executive producing the latter. Don Cheadle has replaced Terrence Howard as Tony Stark's best buddy James "Rhodey" Rhodes, and will be appear in both of the mentioned films as well. It was previously rumored that the Hulk would be the bad guy in The Avengers, but this quote makes some people think otherwise: "The Avengers will bring together the super hero team of Marvel Comics characters for the first time ever, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk and more, as they are forced to band together to battle the biggest foe they’ve ever faced."  And there you have it.

RICKMAN'S GOT (A LOT OF) LEGS

Casting Alan Rickman as a creepy person hasn't been a fresh idea since his breakout role in Die Hard.  Yes, he excels at playing the disturbed, but we know what to expect, and therefore the effect is diminished.  But what if he's a disturbed... catepillar?  Will being hidden behind a layer of CG or whatnot in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland make "Creepy Rickman" fresh again? Personally I'd love to see more "Comedy Rickman" a la Galaxy Quest, but hey, maybe that's just me.  Also in Alice – genre standby Christopher Lee (the evil wizard Saruman in the Lord of the Rings films) playing... someone.  Or some thing. (The Bad and the Ugly)

ODDS AND ENDS

• Joaquin Phoenix announced to The New York Times Extra that he is retiring from film in order to concentrate on his music career (?).  The article has a printable coupon that entitles the reader to a free grain of salt.

• Aint It Cool has a lengthy interview with Iron Man director Jon Favreau which covers in great detail his pre-production process for Iron Man II, among other topics. It's a terrific read for those interested in the craft of filmmaking.

• Oh, look!  Twilight heartthrob Robert Paterson's mom dressed him as Salvador Dali for Halloween!  Adorable.

• Collider reports that David Fincher's next film may be Torso, which "tells the story of the real life 'Torso Murderer', a serial killer who was active during 1934 to 1938. He received his nickname because he left only the torsos of his victims. Without fingerprints or dental records, these victims were very difficult to identify in a time before DNA testing. The investigator on the case was Eliot Ness, Cleveland chief of police and former head of the Untouchables."  Really, Fincher?  Your, what, third serial killer film (Se7en, Zodiac)?  Fourth if you count Alien 3?  What if Martin Scorsese just made like a zillion gangster films?  Oh, wait.

• Christian Bale in Batman + Christian Bale in The Prestige = this.  Smells like nonsense to me.  Bale brings too much baggage to the role; his "dour" persona is tied too heavily to Batman.  On a side note, isn't it a bit odd that the film in which Bale seems to have the most fun is American Psycho? Even in Newsies he looked like he was struggling to chill the frack out. The guy is great actor and charismatic as heck, most certainly.  But, y'know - why so serious?

• There are some new Star Trek images online, but the only worthwhile ones are here.

• Mullet fans will be sorely disappointed by Tom Hanks' new tonsorial approach in Angels and Demons, the sequel (sort of) to The Da Vinci Code. (USA Today)

• American Pie 3: Stretched and Flaccid may hit theaters sometime in the next year or two. (Moviehole)

• A long time ago Ed McBain wrote a novel called King's Ransom which legendary director Akira Kurosawa turned into a movie called High and Low, which Mike Nichols may now remake based on a new script by David Mamet that was originally commissioned by Martin Scorsese.  Got it?  (Variety)

• In Sunny and 68, "(Vince) Vaughn will play a superstar on the poker circuit whose alcoholism and recklessness cause him to flame out on national television. Wiped out and owing $500,000 to bookies, he heads home to upstate New York for the first time in 20 years, looking to take back cash he'd been sending his mother. Instead, he finds his mother dying of cancer and raising a 5-year-old girl who is actually his daughter. Mom has been positioning his former high school g.f. to become the girl's eventual caretaker." (Variety)

• Do you have an idea for a movie that will "appeal to 'intelligent, modern, metropolitan men,'"? Then Details magazine has a contest for you!