Hey there, Shockya.com readers. Have a good week?

There are tons of great things happening in the film industry right now from new and impressive trailers to a thriving prominent film festival and some on-the-nose casting decisions. We’ve got updates on The Expendables 2, Final Destination 5, The Hunger Games and so much more. Want to know more? You know what to do; check out this week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet!

1. Expendables 2 Poster and Synopsis: Just because The Expendables 2 still lacks a director and cast doesn’t mean it can’t have a poster and synopsis, right? This time last year, Expendables banners decorated the streets of Cannes and this year, Nu Image used the festival to show off the sequel’s artwork and synopsis. I’m not going to re-print Nu’s story details here as they’re surprisingly spoiler-packed, but if you’d like to check it out, just click here to be re-directed to Nu’s official Expendables 2 page. (via First Showing)

2. Final Destination 5 Trailer: Yes, I know we’ve got a trailer-specific item on this list, but as a longtime franchise fan, there was no way this trailer wasn’t getting listing honors of its own. Thanks to the Final Destination series, I’ll forever pass on going to the tanning salon and now it looks like Lasik will never be an option for me either. (And I could use it!) Oh, and acupuncture, too. But even beyond the kill scenes, Final Destination 5 is looking good for another reason – Tony Todd. Who knows how much screen time he’ll get in the final cut, but the guy is all over the trailer and, for now at least, that suggests the fifth film is really going back to its roots, something that’s vital after the rather disappointing fourth that merely used and abused this stellar concept.

3. Stanley Tucci & Woody Harrelson in The Hunger Games: Their names have been in The Hunger Games rumor mill for a few weeks now, but finally we know who both Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson are playing in the upcoming book-to-film adaptation and the casting is pretty damn perfect. Tucci is on board as Caesar Flickerman, the host of The Hunger Games. Before heading into the arena, during a massive televised event, Flickerman interviews all 24 tributes, which, of course, includes Katniss and Peeta. Yes, this is a prominent role, but quite minimal compared to the one that Harrelson snagged, that of the District 12 mentor, Haymitch Abernathy. Having survived a Hunger Games himself, Haymitch is alive albeit not well. At first, Katniss and Peeta view Haymitch just as everyone else in District 12, as a miserable drunk, but soon enough, they find out he’s a Hunger Games victor for a reason and that he knows a thing or two about surviving this battle to the death. (via THR & THR)

4. Michael Cera, Juno Temple and Emily Browning in Magic Magic: Here’s one that’s bound to attract some attention courtesy of its hot young cast, Magic Magic. Michael Cera was the first to join the roster of Sebastian Silva’s independent thriller and now both Juno Temple and Emily Browning have opted in as well. The piece is about “a girl vacationing with her friends in a remote area of Chile who slowly starts losing her mental faculties.” While Browning has yet to prove she can deliver the complete package, as The Uninvited and Sucker Punch were both sub-par, at least here she’s in good company. Yes, Temple was nothing special alongside Cera in Year One, but she’s also delivered a slew of other films that not only show she’s got talent, but an incredible amount of range, too. As for Cera, how can we not be excited to see this guy in something other than an awkward youth comedy? (via Variety)

5. Alec Baldwin In, Out, and Back in Rock of Ages: Just a few days ago, news hit that Alec Baldwin opted out of Adam Shankman’s Rock of Ages. First off, what’s the big deal anyway? Shankman’s still got Tom Cruise, Malin Akerman, Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bryan Cranston and more. Second, the tale isn’t true anyway; Baldwin still went to Miami for the big table read and will be present and accounted for when production begins on May 23rd. So, where’d this rumor come from anyway? Apparently, what happened was Baldwin told New Line’s Toby Emmerich he had some sort of medical condition and that if he could be replaced, that’d be great. However, the man a ladder rung above Emmerich, Warner Bros’ Jeff Robinov, gave the request a big thumbs down and refuses to re-cast the part. But don’t worry; no hard feelings on Baldwin’s part. He recently told New York magazine he’s “excited to be able to work with Tom and Adam.” (via Deadline)

6. Aaron Eckhart & AnnaSophia Robb in Pan: Apparently Hollywood is in a phase in which one is just not enough; and I’m not talking about sequels. Not only will we get two helpings of Wizard of Oz and Snow White, but now Peter Pan, too. Actually, we’re getting three of those. We’ve got the one Channing Tatum is putting together, Disney’s prequel, Peter and the Starcatchers, and now Pan, a dark version of the original starring Anna SophiaRobb and Aaron Eckhart. Ben Hibon will direct Eckhart as Hook sans hook, plus police badge. This time around he’s “a tormented former detective on the trail of a childlike kidnapper.” SophiaRobb is writer Ben Magid’s version of Wendy, “the lone survivor who leaves an asylum to help in the hunt.” Sean Bean is on board to play Smee, a far cry from Hook’s frumpy and goofy right-hand man from former films. Essential Entertainment hopes to pre-sell at Cannes and begin production in October in Eastern Europe. (via Screen Daily)

7. Thomas Ian Nicholas Completes The American Pie Reunion: The gang is really getting back together – all of them. Thomas Ian Nicholas is the last American Pie original to sign on the dotted line to reprise his role in American Reunion. He rejoins old pals Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Eugene Levy. Now the question is, who really wants a new American Pie movie anyway? While I was originally on the side eager to pass on more Pie, the thought of the whole group coming back together is kind of exciting and opens up a lot of possibilities. It’s been about 12 years since the original, so are we getting some sort of high school reunion? Based on the film’s title, that certainly makes the most sense. (via EW)

8. The Cannes Film Festival: Between the premiere screenings, pre-sales, casting announcements and more, movie news is abuzz abroad. Tilda Swinton is taking control via her latest feature, Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin. The Film Stage gave it an A calling it “an outstanding, moving feature from Ramsay” while Twitch Film wasn’t thrilled with the piece, but notes that the film “at least reminds us that Swinton is one of the great actors of her generation and the film is worth seeing for her performance alone.” Sleeping Beauty starring Emily Browning’s got some reviews all across the board. First Showing sums it up in the first sentence of their reviews, “Julia Leigh’s Sleeping Beauty is exactly the kind of film I hate” while THR wraps theirs up by saying, “the film remains uninvolving, its glacial pacing further slowed by exceedingly sparing camera movement, resulting in a look that’s neither sensual nor unsettling.” As for industry news, according to The Telegraph, Lars von Trier’s follow-up to his 2003 documentary, The Five Obstructions, will challenge Martin Scorsese to remake one of his films five times, supposedly Taxi Driver. FilmDistrict had a big day, Slash Film reporting that the offshoot of Graham King’s GK Films, picking up the distribution rights to the 3D Arabian Nights, the romantic comedy Playing the Field, Rian Johnson’s Looper and Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey.

9. Trailers: Horrible Bosses, Straw Dogs, Fright Night: Personally, Final Destination 5 stole the show this week, but there are still three other brand new trailers worth checking out. First up is the comedy Horrible Bosses featuring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis as a down-and-out trio of 9 to 5ers who’ve had enough with their bosses. Naturally, this one looks like more of the same, packed with sex and drug jokes, but hopefully the top-notch cast will deliver. Next up is the remake of the violent thriller Straw Dogs starring Kate Bosworth and James Marsden. If the feature films packs as much tension and overbearing helplessness as the trailer, we could be in for one heck of a disturbing ride come fall. Well, that is if this trailer didn’t just give the entire film away. Speaking of remakes, how about the first trailer for the new Fright Night? While this one does boast the general premise of the 1985 original, it looks as though writer Marti Noxin didn’t hold back in the least when it came to modernizing the story.

10. Box Office: No, not much of a surprise that Thor held onto that top spot with another $34.5 million, but what did have an unexpectedly high opening is Bridesmaids. While many pegged it as a $15 million opener, the film went on to rake in $24.4 million, already putting it in arms reach of its $32.5 million budget. Fast Five held on well from week two to three, merely dropping 39.8% and adding another $19.5 million to its already massive haul. Coming in at #4 is newcomer Priest, but its decent $14.5 million start is somewhat tarnished by its $60 million budget. Lastly we’ve got Rio which fell a measly 5.9% in its fifth week, taking in $8 million more. (via Box Office Mojo)

By Perri Nemiroff

Final Destination 5
Final Destination 5

By Perri Nemiroff

Film producer and director best known for her work in movies such as FaceTime, Trevor, and The Professor. She has worked as an online movie blogger and reporter for sites such as CinemaBlend.com, ComingSoon.net, Shockya, and MTV's Movies Blog.

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