Mel Gibson May Join Cast of Sleight of Hand, and 5 Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today

gibson-300.jpgAlso in this Wednesday edition of The Broadsheet: Peter Berg and Taylor Kitsch plan their own Navy SEALs film... Armie Hammer is officially the Lone Ranger... the final week of Oprah will be a star-studded event... and more ahead.

· Fresh off walking the red carpet at Cannes on Tuesday, it seems that Mel Gibson is firmly in comeback mode. Variety reports that the embattled star may join the cast of Sleight of Hand, a heist comedy that already has one of the most random casts ever assembled. If an agreement is reached, Gibson would join Kiefer Sutherland, Gerard Depardieu, Thomas Jane and Jon Lovitz in the film. [Variety]

· Taylor Kitsch and Peter Berg are turning into the Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio of meaty action. Following their work together on Battleship (and in the less explosive but just as meaty Friday Night Lights), Kitsch and Berg may team-up again for Lone Survivor. Based on the book by Marcus Luttrell, Survivor follows four Navy SEALs who were captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2005 while on a mission to kill a terrorist leader. Per Deadline, Berg has asked Kitsch -- who will also play a Navy SEAL in Savages for Oliver Stone -- to take a lead role, while the other three captured SEALs have yet to be cast. Filming is scheduled to begin shooting in January. [Deadline]

· The "I"s and "T"s are dotted and crossed: Armie Hammer is officially locked down to co-star opposite Johnny Depp in The Lone Ranger. [Variety]

· You see a celebrity icon! You see a celebrity icon! Tuesday's taping of the second- and third to last editions of The Oprah Winfrey Show was a veritable who's who of celebrity Whac-a-Mole: Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Maya Angelou, John Travolta, Beyonce, Madonna, Katie Holmes and Maria Shriver were all present, among many others. Said Shriver, who is dealing with her own issues right now: "Oprah, for more than 30 years, you bestowed the most amazing friendship on me, giving me love, support, wisdom, and most of all truth." The episodes will air on May 23 and 24. The final Oprah is set for May 25. [THR]

· Remember that rumor about Keanu Reeves possibly starring in Akira? It has been replaced by a new rumor: Reeves has apparently passed on the chance to star. For what it's worth, while in development, Akira has yet to even receive a green light. [JoBlo]

· Gillian Jacobs may have lost out on her chance to star in The Dictator opposite Sacha Baron Cohen, but she's found a new Friend. The underused Community actress will co-star with Steve Carell and Keira Knightley in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Jacobs will reportedly play "a waitress high on Ecstasy the duo meet on their journey." [THR]



Comments

  • Sarah says:

    I am 100% on board with a lifetime Peter Berg-Taylor Kitsch pairing. They get each other, and it means only good things for us as an audience (though I say this pre-Battleship. I'm crossing my fingers for that one.)

  • Christopher Rosen says:

    If only Berg were directing Savages instead of Oliver Stone. That one needs the Berg touch!