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Johnny Depp may join Angelina Jolie in The Tourist, a film that is experiencing many, many casting and directing changes – yet is set for production this February.   

If Depp joined Jolie, he would play an American tourist drawn into a web of intrigue and danger by a female Interpol agent (Jolie) as she attempts to locate a criminal who was once her lover.

You may be asking yourself, wait…I thought Sam Worthington was playing this part or Tom Cruise.  You’re thoughts are correct but changes happen in the film biz fast and furious.  Even Charlize Theron was attached to play Jolie’s part.

I am not sure about all the directors, but Alfonso Curaron is at the head of the line to take on this juicy and plum gig.

I like the idea of Depp and Jolie working together on a spy thriller. Don’t you?

(Source)

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Here’s some interesting bit of news. The Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz untitled film, also known as Wichita Project, is moving forward with casting.  Maggie Grace is looking at playing Diaz’s sister in the film, a spy thriller directed by James Mangold.

Wichita project follows a lonely woman (Diaz) whose outwardly harmless blind date suddenly turns her life into a state of chaos when a super spy (Cruise) takes her on a violent worldwide journey to protect a powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source.

Grace’s character is getting married and is thrilled that Diaz will take the place of their late father and walk her down the aisle.

Grace acting career took off since starring as Liam Neeson’s daughter in Taken.

What’s really cool about this bit of news is that the Cruise/Diaz film is moving forward.  I look forward to seeing these two together, again, on the screen. The last film they worked together was Vanilla Sky.

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Tom Cruise struck the match and J.J. Abrams lit the fuse to Mission: Impossible IV with former “Alias” executive producers Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec set to write the screenplay.

Applebaum and Nemec worked four seasons of  ”Alias” with Abrams and they will script M: I 4 based on a story Abrams wrote with them.

The reteaming of Cruise and Abrams is an exciting and clever move for both of them. Cruise will be involved on screen with his character Ethan Hunt.  The movie is aiming for a 2011 release.

My take on this production is that J.J. Abrams is running the show, especially since he’s bringing in his own people.  Tom Cruise movies are bankable and Cruise will probably take a minor role in producing since he’ll be in front of the camera.

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I have a handful of actors whom I know if I go to the movie theaters to see their movies, I will be entertained.  I never feel cheated. Tom Cruise is one of those actors and for good reason. He puts integrity into his work. It shows through the way he promotes his films.  Even in his interviews with talk show hosts he’s there 200%, making sure the interviewer is engaged in the interview just as much as Cruise is. One example is Oprah’s interview at Cruise’s home in Colorado. He was genuine and very honest and open.

It is no wonder that at least five producers are vying to get Cruise to say yes to their projects.

The trades are reporting a strong courtship of Cruise comes at a time when studios are thinking long and hard about which actors deserve to be paid superstar gross deals.  I agree, Cruise deserves it like Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Will Smith and Ben Stiller.

There are those who might say otherwise but producers are enthusiastic for the actor after the success of Valkyrie. The Bryan Singer film did better than expected around the world, and that no major star except Will Smith works to promote a movie as hard as Cruise.

Variety reports the top three candidates for Cruise’s next opportunity:

Matarese, which also has Denzel Washington attached, and will soon get a rewrite by Cronenberg.

The Tourist, the Spyglass remake that would co-star Charlize Theron. A rewrite was turned in this week by Christopher McQuarrie, who co-wrote and produced “Valkyrie” with Cruise, and whose script work was informed by long talks with Cruise as they barnstormed publicity on the UA WWII film.

Motorcade, the Len Wiseman-directed DreamWorks thriller that pits the U.S. president against terrorists who commandeer his motorcade on the streets of Los Angeles. Billy Ray is racing to complete a rewrite of the script, with Cruise’s input.

Personally, I hope it’s with David Cronenberg and Denzel Washington in Matarese. I’d love to see these three work together.

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