Besides the usual suspects of Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Gemma Arterton, and Ralph Fiennes returning for the Clash of the Titans sequel Wrath of the Titans, a few more actors have been cast. According to The Wrap, Edgar Ramirez and Toby Kebbell have both been cast in the film, while Hayley Atwell and Bill Nighy are being considered for two very important roles.

Ramirez, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in Carlos, is said to play Ares, the god of war. Kebbell, who we last saw as a Criss Angel type of magician in The Sorcerers Apprentice, is in talks to star as Agenor.

Atwell, is a young actress who’ll probably earn a lot of attention after she appears in this summer’s Captain America. She’s said to be on the shortlist to star as Andromeda, which was played by Alexa Davalos in the previous film.  We wonder what happened to her?

On another note, veteran British actor Bill Nighy is being courted to play the Greek god Hephaestus, but nothing is official at this point.

Wrath of the Titans is set to open in theaters on March 30, 2012 and it will be in 3D.

What do you think of the new talent being infused for Wrath of the Titans?

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This week Disney’s bringing out the big guns to combat the blockbuster competition in the form of Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, and Mickey Mouse — sort of. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is based on a segment from the classic animated film Fantasia that featured Mickey as a young and eager student to an all powerful wizard. In this adaptation, Baruchel plays the apprentice to Cage’s sorcerer in a film dominated by glossy special effects, family humor, and a swollen score.

The Players:

• Director: Jon Turteltaub
• Writers: Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, Matt Lopez, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard
• Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Toby Kebbell, Alice Krige, Monica Bellucci, Omar Benson Miller
• Cinematography: Bojan Bazelli
• Original Music By: Trevor Rabin

The Plot:

Balthazar Blake (Cage) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Molina). Balthazar can’t do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler (Baruchel), a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. It’ll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

The Good:

• Special Effects: Like most Jerry Bruckheimer films, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is all gloss and green screen but unlike his previous feature Prince of Persia, these special effects actually work. They’re polished, sharp, and are the highlight of the movie.
• Jay Baruchel: He does vulnerability like no ones business and is a believable Average Joe-type. Some people think he should step outside the box, but if it ain’t broke — you know the rest.
• The Humor: The film is a lot funnier than it appears in the trailers. There’s a nice tone of humor that’s not slapstick but is relevant and used appropriately.

The Bad:

• Love Story: There’s an underlying subplot that centers on Cage’s character Balthazar and Belucci’s Veronica. The actress is barely in the film and you never see any believable chemistry between the two making their romanticized love story appear forced.
• Supporting Characters: With the exception of Toby Kebbell (who was amazing) the supporting characters are pretty one dimensional. Omar Benson Miller (8 mile) is completely wasted and Palmer is the pretty girl with a heart of gold, a archetype we’ve seen countless times in films before.

Overall:

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice isn’t your typical, blocky Nicolas Cage film because it actually has some good moments. It’s mildly entertaining, the visuals are nice to look at, and Baruchel steals the show with his honest portrayal of the title character.

Rating: 7.5/10

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice hits theaters on July 14, 2010.

Photos:

Trailer:

Are you interested in seeing The Sorcerer’s Apprentice this weekend?

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Jake Gyllenhaal is a great actor but his talent is completely wasted on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. If I could describe the film in one word it would be “boring.” This is supposed to be a blockbuster summer action flick and even though it’s being released at the right time, has the right producer (Jerry Bruckheimer), and the right studio backing it (Disney), it gets it all wrong!

The Players:

• Director: Mike Newell
• Screenwriters: Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard, Jordan Mechner (video game story)
• Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Richard Coyle, Alfred Molina, Toby Kebbell
• Cinematography: Harry Gregson-Williams
• Original Music: John Seale

The Plot:

The film centers on Prince Dastan, who reluctantly joins forces with the mysterious Tamina (Arterton) to race against dark forces and safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time—a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

The Good:

• Alfred Molina: As one exception to the questionable cast, Molina added a lively comedic element to this stiff story. Even though he didn’t get to stretch his acting range, he was enjoyable to watch and is the only reason to stay awake during the film.
• Cinematography: There are some beautiful location shots of the desert and the palaces that show the grand scope of the Middle East, which was visually interesting.

The Bad:

• The Story: The premise is cut and dry and from the very beginning you already know what changes will occur over the course of the film. There’s no eagerness to see what will happen next.
• The Casting: The miscasting in this film goes beyond the title character. Everyone with the exception of Ben Kingsley looks like they were dipped in bronze so they could pull off a more “ethnic” look. Early on it’s explained that Dastan’s adopted but that doesn’t tell us why his father and brothers, who are supposed to be of Persian decent, look so European.
• The Action: Were there fights to the death, flips, and complicated sword choreography? Yes, and they were all boring and standard. There was no excitement whatsoever, which is strange coming from a Bruckheimer film.
• The Special Effects: The CGI used to illustrate the effect of time travel is pretty cartoonish. When the holder of the dagger is shown floating through time and space it looks animated and it’s very distracting.
• The Romance: Gyllenhaal and Arterton didn’t have one drop of chemistry between them. Both actors are good looking but they’re love/hate relationship was more contrived than romantic. It didn’t work. There was nothing there.

Overall:

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time should be an entertaining popcorn flick but its poor execution keeps it from reaching its full potential. The story is bland and predictable, the characters aren’t interesting, and the action is lackluster. Once again, if I could describe this film in one word it would be, “boring.”

Rating: 5/10

Prince of Persia debuts in theaters on May 28th!

Photos:

Trailer:

Are you interested in seeing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time this weekend?

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Just yesterday we reported that actor Justin Long joined the cast of Robert Redford‘s drama The Conspirator, and a couple of set photos have already been released. Over at the Playlist, they posted images of James McAvoy in character as Col. Frederick Aiken, the young defense lawyer who reluctantly agrees to represent Mary Surratt (Robin Wright Penn), a woman being tried as a conspirator in the Lincoln assassination. Evan Rachel Wood plays Surratt’s daughter, and there is a photo of her in costume as well.

Take a look at them on set…

James McAvoy is such an amazing actor. He can pull of any role thrown at him no matter the time period or the subject matter. He is so underrated in my eyes. Did anyone have to take a second look at Wood in this photo, because at first I thought it was a shot of Abbie Cornish.

In another piece of interesting casting news, Toby Kebbell, best known for his role in RocknRolla has been hired to play the infamous John Wilkes Booth. It will more than likely be a small role, mostly visible through flashbacks, but he is so fitting for the part.

What do you think of McAvoy and Wood in costume? What do you think of Toby Kebbell playing Booth?

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