Kevin Costner in talks to join Tarantino film Perenial good guy Kevin Costner is negotiating to play a sadistic bad guy in Quentin Tarantinos Django Unchained,an individual close to the project confirmed. He is in talks for the role of Ace Woody,the sort of nasty that Tarantino specialises in. The script focusses on a German dentist-turned-bounty hunter (to be played by Christoph Waltz). He buys a slave (Jamie Foxx) who can identify a man the bounty hunter is looking for. The bounty hunter and the slave become friendly and set out to rescue the slaves wife from the vicious Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio is in that role). Costner plays one of Candies henchmen. Tarantino wrote and is directing the film. Costner will also be playing honest guy Jonathan Kent,Clark Kents father,in Warner Bros. upcoming Superman movie Man Of Steel. Helen replacing Bette Midler in HBO biopic Helen Mirren is moving on from her Arthur co-star Russell Brand to work on a movie about another wild-maned man. The Elizabeth I star has been tapped to replace Bette Midler in HBO's upcoming Phil Spector biopic,the actress' publicist confirmed to TheWrap. Midler was forced to bow out last week,after suffering a herniated disc. Mirren will assume the role of Linda Kenney Baden,one of Spector's defense attorneys during his trial for the murder of actress/nightclub hostess Lana Clarkson. Al Pacino plays the ill-fated record producer in the as-yet-untitled movie,which will co-star Arrested Development alum Jeffrey Tambor as defense attorney Bruce Cutler. Aside from the injury-related recasting,the production ran into another potential hurdle last week,when friends of Clarkson's threatened to organise a protest over the project. They've expressed fears regarding how writer/director David Mamet - who told members of the press that he doubted Spector's guilt over the murder - would portray the circumstances of Clarkson's death. Howard to direct Under The Banner Of Heaven Warner Bros. is negotiating for the rights to Jon Krakauers 2003 book Under The Banner Of Heaven,The Wrap has confirmed. If the studio acquires the rights,Ron Howard will direct the movie and Dustin Lance Black will write the script. Its a heavy book about two brothers members of a radical,breakaway sect of Mormons who kill another brothers wife and daughter,saying God told them to commit the act. The book discusses the origins of the Mormon religion and goes deep into its fundamentalist sects,which have broken from the mainline Latter Day Saints church. Black won the Oscar for his 2008 biopic Milk,and wrote J. Edgar,the Clint Eastwood biopic of former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Howard and his producing partner Brian Grazer produced that movie,scheduled to be released October 21. The writer also has some background with the history of the LDS church: he grew up in a Mormon household. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D gets its cast The cast of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D is set and includes an old hand Gunnar Hansen,the original Leatherface,will make a cameo appearance,Lionsgate announced recently. John Luessenhop (Takers) is directing the next installment in the horror series,which debuted in 1974. With Hansen looking on,Chainsaw Massacre has a new Leatherface. Dan Yeager,a 6-foot-6 inch newcomer,got the role after the director met him by chance. The rest of the cast includes John Dugan,reprising his role as grandfather; Bill Moseley,as Choptop; Alexandra Daddario as the female lead,Heather Miller; Tania Raymonde as Heathers best friend; R&B singer Trey Songz as Heathers boyfriend,Ryan; Keram Malicki-Sanchez as Ryans friend; Shaun Sipos as a hitchhiker; Thom Barry as Sheriff Hooper; Paul Rae as Mayor Burt Hartman; Scott Eastwood as a police officer who has a thing for Heather and Richard Riehle as a lawyer. The movie begins production this week at Millennium Studios in Shreveport,La. Waterman acquires Marvels Strikeforce:Morituri Waterman Entertainment has acquired the rights to the Marvel comic book series Strikeforce: Morituri,the company announced recently. Peter B. Gillis,who created the comic book,is adapting the script with Connor Cochran. Strikeforce is set on an Earth that has been conquered by aliens. Scientists develop a way to grant humans superpowers but with a terrible cost: Within a year of getting the powers,people die. Though theyre doomed,they battle the aliens. The comic book series ran from 1986 to 1989. Waterman plans to begin production on the movie this December. Waterman,founded in 1999,creates,finances and distributes film,television and digital media properties. Founder Steve Waterman was co-producer of Casper and executive producer of the Stuart Little and Alvin And The Chipmunks movies. Strikeforce is the first film Waterman Entertainment is developing.
