No matter who ends up directing Cleopatra, it’s going to be a cyclopean undertaking. The budget will be inflated, Angelina Jolie will be inflated, and the director will have to make sense of it all. It’s unclear what it means to “like the idea” of Paul Greengrass directing, since this isn’t middle school, but according to Deadline, Scott Rudin and Sony might soon be slipping a note to Greengrass asking him “check yes or no” in regards to the gig. The film seeks to be a grittier version than the widely known Elizabeth Taylor film from 1963, but the plan is to keep it PG-13 and in 3D. That’s unsurprising considering the budget size (which will be massive), but it’s disappointing. It’s also disappointing to see Angelina Jolie wrapped up in this role. In a way, she’s too perfect for it, and her acting in recent years has been trumped completely by her public persona. Taylor became the highest paid actress by signing on for her Egyptian epic (playing a Greek queen), but Jolie has been on the highest paid list for a long time now, and her welcome is a bit outstayed. Greengrass is unarguably a good fit because he can do tight action, good dramatic storytelling and higher budget projects. Another choice might be Kathryn Bigelow, but she’s got her hands full for the rest of the year. Regardless, this thing will be a big deal (and possibly a big gamble) and something to keep a close eye

We could almost start a brand new daily column for this, thanks to the crack staff at MTV. They are quote-unquote reporting today that Angelina Jolie will not play Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Batman flick The Dark Knight Rises. When asked about the rumors/speculation that she’d make a great Catwoman, Jolie responded to MTV with the ever-cryptic script “I haven’t heard anything about it…” What?! You haven’t heard of Christopher Nolan’s next Batman movie? How dare you, Mrs. Pitt. Stop doing charity work and get your ass to the internet. The important stuff is happening right here. As for the casting of Chris Nolan’s next, the saga continues. And if MTV has anything to say about it, perhaps we’ll finally know whether or not John Stamos is ready to confirm the rumors of being cast as The Riddler, or not. Stamos! [MTV News]

This week, Fat Guy Kevin Carr heads to the movie theater to enjoy the holiday releases and the award films. But how do they stack up against each other. After being swept into Narnia in post-converted 3D, Kevin takes a trip to Venice where he watches a portly Johnny Depp play an everyman to Angelina Jolie walking around a lot. Finally, he takes another award season trip to Boston to watch Mark Wahlberg get punch drunk..

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is at risk of having his tourist visa revoked. Or at least he would be if there were any justice in the cinematic world. (Of course, the continued presence of Ashton Kutcher on the big screen proves that’s not the case.) The problem isn’t that von Donnersmarck has made a bad movie or that saying his name aloud reminds one of the worst part of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (I’m looking at you Eli Roth!). No, the problem is that after the absolute brilliance of his suspenseful and emotionally satisfying debut, The Lives Of Others, the director’s arrival in Hollywood is with little more than a beautiful but bland trip to Mediocreville.

Quick, name one historical figure you’d love to see brought to the big screen in glorious, big budget 3D. If you said Harold Lloyd then pat yourself on the back because that would indeed make for an entertaining 3D biopic, but apparently no one but us thinks it’s a good idea. Instead, Hollywood is returning to the well of cinematic epics from days gone by and is preparing to dust one off for an update of sorts… and they’ve got some pretty big heavy hitters already interested. Per Deadline Kapuskasing, Sony Pictures is extremely keen on making a big budget Cleopatra film, and they may already have a director and star in place. Angelina Jolie has long spoken of her desire to play the role of Egypt’s final pharaoh, and many people consider her exotic looks and apparent charisma to make her a natural for such a powerful and well known historical character. On the other side of the camera Sony has garnered the attention of James Cameron. Interest has piqued most recently thanks to a new script from Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) based off the recent bestseller, Cleopatra: A Life, by Staci Schiff, that paints the formidable ruler in a far different light than people are used to. This will not be Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra…

There’s nothing about the first trailer released for The Tourist that makes the movie look special in anyway. It’s more of the same all echoed by Angelina Jolie slapping her vocal chords with fish and chips. For those keeping score, there’s the mysterious attractive woman on a train, the mistaken identity, the boat chase scene from Indiana Jones, Europe, and an unmistakable sense of inertia. Stop me when you have a bingo. See for yourself:

Sandra Bullock might be returning to sci-fi. It’s been 17 years since Demolition Man, but the actress may need to brush up on her three shell method for Alfonso Cuaron. An offer to star in Gravity is currently still out to Natalie Portman, but if she passes, Bullock is next on the list for a call from Warners. It’s a natural choice after earlier concerns about Angelina Jolie passing. After all, if Jolie won’t do it, who do you hire? How about an actress that made more money for studios in 2009 and won an Oscar? [Cinema Blend]

Last week, we mocked the idea that Angelina Jolie’s absence could sink a movie (let alone any actress’s), and shockingly Gravity is still on its feet. The sky didn’t fall. Plus, it’s looking at a great talent to fill the main role that would be age-appropriate and be able to, you know, act. The offer is out to Natalie Portman who now finds herself surrounded with Oscar buzz the same way Jake Sully found himself surrounded by those floating ghost tree seed things in Avatar. That’s not a simile – Oscar buzz looks exactly like those things. It’s a nuisance, really. Natalie Portman playing a greenhorn astronaut with Alfonso Cuaron at the helm? Hopefully she’ll hop on board. [Risky Business]

With this week, Summer 2010 has officially gone. We are into September and here in Austin at Reject HQ, the temperature is back down into the 90s and we’re looking forward to seeing all of our genre-loving friends at the end of the month for Fantastic Fest. As you’ll begin to notice, we will soon become very preoccupied with what’s happening in the war room over at the Alamo Drafthouse, where the final slate for Fantastic Fest 2010 seems to be coming together quickly. But for now, there are still films in theaters and news from around the globe that have caught our interest. That interest was quickly turned into articles filled with biting commentary. Those articles are assembled here, in a weekly column we like to call The Week That Was…

The Chicken Little sentiment of the day is that Angelina Jolie’s passing on Gravity – the incredibly cool-sounding sci-fi flick from Alfonso Cuaron – could possibly sink the ship. After all, Warners is sending $80 million up into orbit, and the film rests almost solely on the shoulders of the female lead. Who could be worth that kind of money? That question and the concept that any actor’s refusal could possibly sink a production would have mattered five years ago, but we’re past the point where actors matter all that much anymore. I’ll grant that Salt made over $100 million domestic, and it was done on Jolie’s shoulders. Yes, she has the capability of creating large numbers. But to think that the sky is falling just because she declined is foolish, and here’s why.

Casual isn’t the new cool, and Angelina Jolie wasn’t the flavor of the weekend.  Despite the gravitational pull her lips may have, they didn’t suck enough fans in to get Salt up to the number one spot.  Ingenuity and the brilliant craftsmanship of one Christopher Nolan won out over accessibility, as Inception topped the charts for the second weekend in a row.  It wasn’t a complete stomping.  Salt faired well in its opening weekend and even Despicable Me had an astonishing third weekend out, but the buzz continues to build and intrigue movie goers into seeing just what Inception is all about.

This week, Fat Guy Kevin Carr sulks his head at not being able to see all the cool stuff that’s going on at Comic-Con 2010, but he knows he’s the lucky one because he was able to see Ramona and Beezus, Suck on that! Oh, and he gets a gander at Angelina Jolie in Salt, which ain’t bad, either.

But just a dash.  Whether she’s a Russian spy or not, Angelina Jolie is going to have a tough challenge taking on the most talked about film around, Christopher Nolan’s Inception.  Whether the connotation is positive or negative, everyone has been talking about Inception these past, few weeks. This can only help the film’s second weekend in the box office running.  However, Jolie’s star power alone could help Nolan’s chances of having a one-weekend-and-out film.

Last night, my fiancee and I were walking into a screening of Grown Ups when we were bombarded by what might be the largest advertising lobby cutout we’ve ever seen. It was for The Expendables, and it’s awe-inspiring with slightly-larger-than-life cardboard version of Stallone, Li, Statham, Rourke, Willis, Lundgren, and Austin. Seven big men all towering over and silently inviting us to come see them kick ass.

This morning brings the first look at Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in their upcoming crime thriller The Tourist — or as its known to many of us, That Movie That’s Changed Cast and Directors a Thousand Times. The project is in the hands of director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others), who recently joined the project a second time after leaving once already.

I can’t imagine seeing Kim Kardashian doing anything well on-screen beyond what I saw when she appeared in that tasteless home movie with Ray J. That’s his name, right — Ray J? However, I appear to not be the only person in this realm. Someone out there thinks that Kim Kardashian and all of her famous body parts might make for a half-decent, family friendly Lara Croft in a Tomb Raider revival. Haven’t they seen her previous work? There’s nothing family friendly about it.

Practical action from the man who brought us Patriot Games. The first trailer for Salt is surprisingly impressive.

First Lars von Trier, now Darren Aronofsky. Interesting directors making interesting movies about the evil nature of women. Yes, that’s right: women are evil. I don’t believe it, but I suppose someone out there does. The Hollywood Reporter is talking about a new project for Aronofsky today that sounds like nothing more than an exploration of such a belief, a movie about a woman who becomes unhinged and absolutely wrecks the worlds of her husband and his illegitimate child. What’s not evil about that.

A quick poll of folks around the Reject HQ offices this morning shows that no one thinks that rebooting Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a good idea. That was to be expected. I’m the only one here at the moment and I think it’s probably the dumbest idea I’ve seen since about an hour ago. However, I’m willing to give this story a shot. Lets check out the details.

Production on The Tourist is set to begin early next year. The players within that production seems to be changing daily.