Benedict Cumberbatch, known by many as the villain “John Harrison” in Star Trek into Darkness and by few as the leading man on BBC‘s Sherlock, has some pretty massive rumors swirling about his strangely shaped head of late. Although nothing is confirmed, Cumberbatch is said to be in talks with Disney to play a “Vader-type” for Star Wars Episode 7. Now my understanding of this description – them using Vader-type instead of Sith – seems to come down to do a perceptions that the general public lacks familiarity with nerdtastic terms like “Sith Lord” – which is clearly all that they’re trying to get at with the description of anyone being “Vader-like”.

Any main villain in this next installment is sure to be a different beast than the iconic shiny-black-suit-wearing, respirator-box-chatting surrogate of the Dark Side. Who or what exactly he may be – if he is indeed involved in the project at all – is entirely at a speculatory point for now.

As for Cumberbatch’s involvement, a statement he made prior seems to suggest that he may be more than willing to be a part of a new part of the franchise:

“I was much more connected to [Star Wars] as a kid, in the way that a lot of kids are because it’s immediate storytelling, very simple – a beautifully, outrageously simple narrative in a way – and a wonderful three-act melodrama, opera,” Cumberbatch told Total Film. “And I loved them. I really, really loved those films and I always wanted to be Han Solo.”

Good choice on Han Solo, Cumbie. That’s who I wanted to be too. Mr. Cumberbatch however isn’t the only name rumored for this Disney-charted trip back to the stars as Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four, Magic Mike) and Rachel Hurd-Wood (Peter Pan) have both auditioned for roles. 

Hurd-Wood supposedly auditioned for the role of the daughter of Princess Leia and Han Solo, presumably the lead in the new trilogy. Pettyfer is said to be up for the role of Luke Skywalker’s son. Although both these characters feature heavily in canon, there’s no saying exactly which plot lines will be used for the offspring of the Skywalkers and Solos.

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You can probably guess from the post-colon title of Joss Whedon‘s follow-up to the $1.5 billion  earning superhero collective that at some point a dude named Ultron is going to be involved. Heralded as a beloved Marvel supervillain, Ultron is a sentient robot, who will now be played by James Spader.

It’s yet unclear where Spader will solely be providing the voice for a CGI character or if he will someone be incorporated physically into his robo-counterpart but one thing is clear: this is a bit of inspired casting from the quip-slingin’ Whedon. Spader has a penchant for fast talking (Lincoln) but has also proved that he can be calculating, cold and completely lack sympathy (The Office). Put that talent behind Whedon’s knack for dialogue and I think you cook up a winning recipe.

While the suits over at Marvel are claiming that Ultron will have his own sort of origin story for the sequel, not necessarily pulled from the comics, his powers might be similar to those quoted on his Wikipedia page:”Common powers include superhuman levels of strength, speed, stamina, durability, and reflexes; flight at subsonic speeds; and various offensive weapons such as concussive blasts of energy fired from its optical sensors and hands, and an “encephalo-ray”, which places victims into a deathlike coma. The latter ray also allows Ultron to mesmerize and mind-control victims, or implant subliminal hypnotic commands within their minds to be enacted at a later time.”

The Avengers: Age of Ultron is directed by Joss Whedon and stars Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, James Spader and Samuel L. Jackson. It hits theaters May 1, 2015.

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In a bit of astounding casting news, Ben Affleck has been tapped to play Batman in the yet-untitled Man of Steel sequel that involves the sparring world’s two preiminent superheroes. While speculation has been stirring amongst the interwebs since DC‘s announcement that this Zack Synder directed Superman/Batman film would be next on their plate, most reports pointed towards an older iteration of the hero last played by Christian Bale.

I can say with full assurance that the move to put Affleck in the batshoes is one that no-one, and I mean no-one, saw coming. Though Affleck is no stranger to superhero films – he played the eponymous character in the 2003’s lackluster Daredevil – his casting is certainly a move from left field. Early reports that suggested this version of the golden-aged hero would be older does however fit in line with Alleck’s 41 years of age.

While Affleck was certainly on the outs with the mainstream following his slow descent into crappy waters – I think we can all agree that we were done after Gigli – his star has been massively rising lately with his role behind the camera fueling said resurgence. Although his latest film Argo went on to win Best Picture at this years Oscar ceremonies, Affleck was hugely snubbed of a nomination, even though he went on to win practically every other Best Director award on the market. This hardly seems to be slowing Affleck down though. While this move into a hugely high profile blockbuster, in which he presumably will not be responsible for any of the work outside of the lens, is a risky maneuver for sure, it is a bit of a second chance for Affleck as a bankable actor.

If his performance in the role is seen as a success, he will surely re-solidify his place amongst the top of the elite A-listers but a Daredevil-sized flop could cause a change of the tide with people’s willingness to accept Affleck back into their good graces turning on a dime. Seeing that he’s on top of his game right now behind the camera, it surely seems like a chancy move on his part. That is, unless early reports that he was being vetted to direct the Justice League movie turn out to be true. If that is indeed the case, it would certainly make sense why Affleck was tapped, especially considering his penchant for putting himself front-and-center in the film’s that he directs.

Per the press release from the DC headquarters, Greg Silverman claimed that they needed the star power of a talent like Affleck:

“We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some,”. His outstanding career is a testament to his talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character.”

For now, all we know is that Affleck will be donning the Batsuit and fighting against, and eventually alongside, Henry Cavill as Superman. While an uprising of sorts is a sort of inevitability among the easily stirred up masses, this is the sort of risky business that you can at least respect for turning against expectation and giving us something to talk about for the coming months.

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Just when the Interstellar cast is looking as stacked as it could possibly be, nerd-god Christopher Nolan goes and adds John Lithgow (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream) to his already massive cast. Burstyn’s work in Requiem is one of the most overlooked, and absolutely best, performances of all time and Lithgow, though know most for his leading role in Third Rock From the Sun and his villain in Cliffhanger, put in an Emmy-winning performance on Dexter‘s glorious fourth season.

Additionally, Timothée Chalamet (Homeland) and Mackenzie Foy (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2) hoped on board this morning as well. Joining a cast that already includes Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, Bill Irwin and Michael Caine, Lithgow and Burstyn are just more welcome talent into a project that really seems to be shaping up to be undeniably epic.

Nolan is noted for returning to cast members such as Christian Bale, who has starred in four films with him, Cillian Murphy, also in four, Ken Watanabe, four again, with Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon Levitt all having boarded The Dark Knight franchise after working with Nolan on Inception. This time around though, Nolan seems to be dropping his troupe of regulars and working with a whole new slew of talent. Most notably in Nolan’s stable though is Caine, who has been in all of Nolan’s films but one, who will continue that streak here again alongside fellow Dark Knight Rises cast member Anne Hathaway.

Interstellar is directed by Christopher Nolan and stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, Bill Irwin, Michael Caine, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Timothée Chalamet and Mackenzie Foy. It hits theaters November 7, 2014.

After a little kerfuffle about whether Robert Downey Jr. would walk away from the hugely popular Marvel after his five picture contract expired with Iron Man 3, he has signed on to do at least two more films in the franchise with the not yet titled Avengers 2 and Avengers 3. Word is that RDJ wants to have more time on his plate to do other projects so it’s still unclear whether he will be returning for Iron Man 4. The fact that this new contract does not stipulate a fourth film in the record-setting franchise, however, is evidence enough that there probably will not be another Iron Man stand alone film…at least with Downey Jr.

Even Joss Whedon, the director of The Avengers, stated that he wouldn’t be interested in being part of the follow-up without RDJ’s presence. RDJ got onboard with Marvel early on, and has been a part of more of the franchise’s films than anyone else, so his contract was not the 9-picture deal that has become the standard bearer for newcomers to the Marvel universe such as Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, and Chris Evans,who plays Captain America.  

With the staggering success of Iron Man 3 and The Avengers, it’s still unclear how much draw Thor and Cap have independent of their superhero collective but we shall see when Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier open in November and April 2014, respectively.

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What has an A-list movie star, a thriving franchise and this guy’s support? You guessed it: Mission Impossible 5. Although the news is hardly startling, Tom Cruise has signed on for the fifth installment in the popular franchise returning to play IMF agent Ethan Hunt. Last film, there was a lot of speculation that Jeremy Renner was being primed to take over the franchise from an aging Cruise but after the film was both a critical and financial success, there was no need to change the formula. As the adage goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was my second favorite movie of 2010, which was a lackluster year in general, so it’s hardly news that I’m in full support of another sequel. While I would love to see Brad Bird return to the director’s chair for this next installment, speculation is pointing to Jack Reacher director Christopher McQuarrie. Although I’ve yet to see Reacher, I haven’t heard much of anything positive so I’m hoping they go with a more inspired and weathered choice than McQuarrie.

Although there aren’t any details about plot, supporting actors, release date or even a working title, Mission Impossible 5 will probably come out sometime in late 2014 or the blockbuster season of summer ’15.

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After casting both Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, block-busting guru Christopher Nolan has added two new faces to his sci-fi alternate reality flick Instellar– Michael Caine and Jessica Chastain. Caine comes as no surprise as he has been in every Nolan flick since Batman Begins and obviously has a great working relationship with Nolan. I personally love when a filmmaker has a troupe of actors that they can round up whenever something comes along. Up to this point, Caine has been a brilliant addition to all of Nolan’s work and offers up a grounding emotional side to the more action-heavy fare.

Chastain, on the other hand, is a new addition to the Nolan ship and a great bit of casting in my opinion. Nolan’s been notoriously weak with his female characters and casting a top notch thespian like Chastain is sure to prove an effective measure to bolster that feminine presence onscreen. Chastain has been nominated for an Oscar the past two years in a row with her work on The Help and Zero Dark Thirty and is one of the best working actresses of today.

Although Nolan has had little fanfare for the award’s market with his films, he nabbed a Best Supporting for Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and has always been heralded by critics and fans alike as a more intelligent breed of big action film-making. 

Working off of a script written by younger brother Jonathan Nolan, Chris Nolan will be sure to make this film both a visual and visceral flick made for the biggest screen possible. It’s sure to be no surprise that Nolan is pursuing an IMAX format for the film and will be sure to film a vast portion of the big action sequences with the IMAX cameras, regardless of how clunky and noisy they may be during the actual production.

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