By: Henry J. Fromage –

We reported on the newest, Chris Pine-starring Jack Ryan film awhile back, but it has been steadily moving on and making some interesting creative decisions.  Kenneth Branagh, fresh off his blockbuster debut with Thor, will helm, but it appears that’s not all he’ll be up to.  He’d been looking to cast the villain, a Russian businessman and aspiring terrorist, for awhile, but it turns out he had the man he wanted for the part all along… himself.  This is the far from the first time that he’s directed himself in a film, but he usually opts for a different kind of role than “Russian terrorist”.

Unless I just completely misunderstood Much Ado About Nothing

Speaking of actors involved in elongating long-running blockbuster series, Jeremy Renner has one of two of those already on his resume.  The next role he’s been attached to, however, is a bit of a different animal- that of Julian Assange.  There are several movies about the embattled creator of Wikileaks in development, but Renner’s attachment to DreamWorks’ version and the fact that it now has a director, Bill Condon, seem to indicate this will get moving first.  Of course, Bill Condon’s resume does raise the eyebrow a bit.  Will this be more Kinsey or Twilight: Breaking Dawn?

Both?

Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill just hooked up as part of the ensemble of The Watch, and it looks like they’ll be keeping that actorly relationship going with Aloha.  The reviews have been pretty mixed on The Watch, which was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, so depending on where you fall on that one might determine how interested you are in this, as fellow Apatow darling Nicholas Stoller wrote it.  Still, that’s enough talent for me to give it a look, even if Shawn Levy, returning to comedy after Real Steel, is the one actually directing.

Shawn “Underwhelm Me” Levy, as his momma calls him.