Hollywood has long bemoaned the lack of young, male a-list stars (outside the comedy genre), with a feeling too many of the stars in the big league are getting a little long in the tooth. It’s one reason why they seem so keen on pushing Armie Hammer up the ranks. It doesn’t hurt that he’s talented and good looking though.

Now Deadline reports that Armie Hammer has joined the cast of By Virtue Fall for writer/director Sheldon Turner. The film follow Hammer’s character, a former ATF agent who is framed for a crime that he didn’t commit by his former partner (to be played by Eric Bana). Way back in March it was revealed that James Spader, Ryan Phillippe and Carla Gugino will also star, although there are no details on their characters.

Sheldon Turner will make his directorial debut with By Virtue Fall, working from his own original screenplay. Shooting is scheduled to begin next autumn, after Armie Hammer wraps on Lone Ranger.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

After being in developments for ages, two biopics of porn star turned anti-smut crusader Linda Lovelace are finally moving ahead, one with Malin Akerman in the lead role and Amanda Seyfried in the other. It’s the latter, simply titled Lovelace, that seems the most interesting, and now it’s got a few new cast members, as Variety reports that Juno Temple, Wes Bentley and Sharon Stone have signed on.

Linda Lovelace is a fascinating figure far beyond the titilation of being the star of one of the best known porn films in history – Deep Throat. Initially appearing in hardcore (and even bestiality) movies, at first Lovelace seemed to revel in her status. However during her divorce from Chuck Traynor (to be played by Peter Sarsgaard) in the late 70s, she claimed that he was violent and had forced her into pornography at gunpoint (with some evidence to back her up).

She said that her marriage was plagued with beatings and rape, and that when she appeared in porn, it was basically enforced prostitution. While there have been some disagreements as to the extent Lovelace was a willing participant in her porn career, there seems little doubt that her marriage to Traynor was viscious and cruel. She then became an anti-pornography champion, speaking at public events and testifying at government hearings on pornography. However she later said she felt used by the anti-pornography movement, which got a lot mileage out of having Lovelace as a convert, but which never helped her out. She died in a car accident in 2002.

Sharon Stone will play Linda Lovelace’s mother Dorothy Boreman, Temple will be her best friend, while Bentley is set to play her second husband.

Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (Howl) will direct from a screenplay by Merritt Johnson and Andy Bellin, which is adapted from Eric Danville’s book, The Complete Linda Lovelace. Production is finally scheduled to begin in January,

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

Sometimes movies go into development not because anyone’s thinking about what the audience wants, but because a star simply thinks it’s going to be fun. It’s difficult not to think that’s what’s happening here, as Variety reports that Adam Sandler is planning a sequel to Grown Ups. 

The film was trashed by critics when it arrived in theaters during the summer of 2010, but like most Adam Sandler movies, it still proved to be a hit with audiences, taking in more than $150 million at the US box office. It’s easy to see why Adam Sandler would want to go back for seconds, as it will allow him to once again work with his friends Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider, who are all expected to return if Sandler decides he definitely wants to make Grown Ups 2.

This would be the first sequel for Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Production Banner. Original scribe Fred Wolf is returning to pen this sequel. Sandler has no deal in place yet to start in Grown Ups 2, with his involvement contingent on the screenplay.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser