The Paperboy Could Deliver Nicole Kidman, and 5 Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today

Also in this Tuesday edition of The Broadsheet: Jeff Bridges is a Giver... Haley Joel Osment sees dead people... Carey Mulligan goes to the Outback... and more ahead.

· Lose an Emmy nominee, gain an Oscar winner? That could happen for Precious director Lee Daniels on his follow-up film, The Paperboy. Daniels lost Sofia Vergara on Friday due to scheduling conflicts that arose following the departure of Tobey Maguire, but according to THR, the production is now in talks with Nicole Kidman to take the open role. The Paperboy follows a reporter and his brother as they investigate a murder case and try to save a man on death row. Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron are still currently attached to star; if Kidman signs on, she'll play a woman with a "dark past." [THR]

· It seems that Oscar winner Jeff Bridges is on a young adult novel kick. Not only is he set for The Seventh Son, but The Dude is also planning to adapt the Lois Lowry book The Giver for the big screen. The story follows a boy "who lives in a futuristic utopian society where all memory of human history has been erased." Things get messy when he's tasked to become the "Giver," the person that absorbs everyone's emotions -- both good and bad. Bridges has been interested in making this adaptation for over a decade, ever since his daughter introduced him to the book while she was in high school. "I originally thought of the role of the Giver as a vehicle for my father, the late Lloyd Bridges," he told Variety. "However, at 61-years-old I feel the time is right for me to do it." [Variety]

· Haley Joel Osment is turning into the skid on that whole "dead people" thing. The former child star has signed on for the lead of Wake the Dead, a modern-set retelling of Frankenstein. Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash will produce, so you know this one will be good. [Variety]

· Gary Ross loves girl power. The Hunger Games director will reportedly helm Outback, a sci-fi thriller set in the Australian outback with star Carey Mulligan attached. Guess Jennifer Lawrence was busy. [Variety]

· Lincoln has added David Strathairn to its Cabinet. He'll play William Seward, Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State, in the Steven Spielberg-directed film. [Deadline]

· Aspiring filmmakers, take note: Brett Ratner is looking for you. The Tower Heist director is holding a contest to find the best short film, with the winner getting a chance to be a production assistant on an upcoming Ratner project. Click through for details. [TalentHouse]