Sin City 2 Date Set, Last Vegas Gets Another Oscar Winner, Susan Sarandon Plays Ping-Pong: Biz Break

Also in this afternoon's Biz Break: Almodóvar's next is up for grabs at Cannes, Liam Neeson to take a Walk, Elvira is looking for your horror films, and more...

Save the Date for Sin City 2
Dimension Films announced today that Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For — the highly anticipated follow-up to Miller and Robert Rodriguez's 2005 hit Sin City — is set for release on Oct. 4, 2013. Stars Mickey Rourke and Jessica Alba are set to return for the sequel as well; screenwriter William Monahan collaborated on the script with the directors.

Pedro Almodóvar's Next Takes Flight at Cannes
FilmNation Entertainment will handle international sales of the Oscar-winning filmmaker's forthcoming project, Los Amantes Pasajeros, this week at Cannes. Starring Almodóvar veterans including Javier Cámara, Cecilia Roth and Lola Dueñas, the comedy deals with (according to a FilmNation synopsis) "a very mixed group of travelers who are in a life-threatening situation on board a plane flying to Mexico City. Their defenselessness in the face of danger provokes colorful confessionals that become the best way to escape from the idea of death."

American Black Film Festival Announces Selections, Jury for 2012
Film Life Inc., today announced the Narrative Features Competition selections and Grand Jury Prize nominees for the 16th Annual American Black Film Festival, taking place in South Beach Miami, FL, from June 20th – 23. Among those nominated this year are Kimberly Elise, Isaiah Washington, Common and S. Epatha Merkerson; check out abff.com for more details about this year's lineup.

Elvira Launches First "Horror Hunt"
The renowned "Mistress of the Dark" is teaming with Peaches Christ (Midnight Mass), Comikaze Entertainment and HorrorHound on the inaugural Web-based event that invites upstart filmmakers to submit their work to be screened at HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis (Sept. 7-8, 2012). Find full details at ElvirasHorrorHunt.com.

Liam Neeson Film is First From New Partnership
Exclusive Media and Cross Creek have pacted on a three-year deal to co-finance, co-produce, and co-develop a slate of films to be released as part of Cross Creek's deal with Universal. The first project in line, writer-director Scott Frank's A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, the ex-cop protagonist of novelist Lawrence Block's hit suspense series.

Around the 'net...

Morgan Freeman Headed to Vegas
Jon Turteltaub's Last Vegas has scored another Oscar-winner in Morgan Freeman, who joins Michael Douglas and Robert De Niro in the road trip buddy comedy about a group of old (as in senior!) friends who throw a Vegas bachelor party for one of their friends. Deadline reports.

Susan Sarandon Lands Ping-Pong Movie
Actress and ping-pong enthusiast/entrepreneur Susan Sarandon has been cast in Ping-Pong Summer, a 1985-set coming-of-age tale about a "teenage boy obsessed with the game and hip-hop and a family vacation that changes everything," Deadline reports.