Every hardcore war movie these days needs at least one rapper-turned-actor, and The Hollywood Reporter tells us Oliver Stone's Pinkville has chosen to go with Xzibit, who, contrary to what you may or may not think, was actually born with the name Alvin Nathaniel Joiner. Since the name Alvin is most closely associated with a certain signing chipmunk, I don't blame the guy for going with Xzibit. He'll join a cast that already includes Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Michael Pena and Woody Harrelson. Stone, whose last film was World Trade Center, returns to Vietnam for his fourth (and last, we think?) time with Pinkville, which will be based off a script written by Mikko Alanne, and revolve around the very real and tragic Mai Lai Massacre that found several hundred Vietnamese civilians -- mostly women, children and the elderly -- killed by U.S. soldiers.

For those who aren't huge rap fans, you might know Xzibit from his hit MTV show Pimp My Ride, in which he helps transform a teenager's sorry excuse for an automobile into a piece of art that couldn't be left alone on the street for more than three seconds before getting snatched. In addition to that, he's also nabbed roles in Gridiron Gang, Derailed and XXX: State of the Union. He's currently shooting the flick American Inquisition. In Pinkville, he'll play an American solider "who is convinced he carried out his orders in a moral way." Ah, so he'll be playing that guy. Pinkville is in pre-production now and is hoping for a release at some point in 2008.

The official casting call has gone out for Star Trek XI, directed by J.J. Abrams, and Coming Soon managed to grab all the details. If you just happen to be a Vulcan in your spare time, then there's a pretty good chance they'll cast you (and judging by how many Trek nuts are out there, I'm sure there's quite a few who actually believe they're Vulcan). Here's a taste of what they're looking for:

[MALES & FEMALES] - Ages 18-70, any ethnicity: to play Cadets: young, fresh-faced, Military types: marching experience preferred, thin, regal talent with BROWN or BLACK hair AND are OK with their eyebrows being shaved from the arch outward to portray a Vulcan-type eyebrow shape.

Talent with interesting and unique facial features such as: long necks, small heads, extremely large heads, wide-set eyes, bug eyes, close-set eyes, large forehead, short upper lip, pronounced cheekbones, over- or undersized ears and/or nose, facial deformities, ultra plain-looking people, ultra perfect-looking people, pure wholesome looks, twins, triplets, emaciated talent, regally poised and postured talent, or other visually unique characteristics.

Did you get all that? And how hysterical is it that they're seeking "ultra perfect-looking people?" Can I meet the person who walks in to the casting call solely because they feel like they look "ultra perfect?" And what's up with "emaciated talent?" That one just creeps me out -- and as I write that, someone at home runs to the mirror: "Emaciated talent? Sh*t, that's me!" Gotta love these casting calls and the way they define people. Check out the rest over at Coming Soon; the ultra perfect-looking Star Trek XI will hit theaters Christmas, 2008.

Director Oliver Stone is lining up one helluva juicy cast for his latest trip back to Vietnam. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Woody Harrelson has become the latest actor to join Pinkville, for United Artists, and this will mark the first time Harrelson has worked with Stone since the very nutty Natural Born Killers. Harrelson will co-star alongside Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum and Michael Pena in the mystery drama which is "based on the infamous 1968 My Lai Massacre, in which upward of 500 people -- mostly women, children and the elderly -- were killed by U.S. soldiers." Harrelson will take on the role of Col. Henderson, "the conflicted officer in charge of the task force that committed the massacre."

When Cinematical had a chance to visit the set of Fighting recently, we spoke a bit with Channing Tatum about starring in Pinkville. In the flick, he'll be playing a helicopter pilot who helped the villagers and later testified against the soldiers. Tatum, who's about two films away from becoming "the next big thing" (mark my words) had this to say: "I'm going to work with Oliver Stone; he's a veteran, literally, he's a Vietnam vet -- and I'm gonna go do a Vietnam story with him. It's his last sort of revisit to Vietnam -- or so he says -- so we'll see." This will mark Stone's fourth Vietnam-related film, after already giving us Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July and Heaven and Earth. Will it be his last? Who knows. But when he does head to Vietnam, he comes back with some terrific movies -- chances are, with this cast, the same will happen here.

A day does not go by without someone receiving a scoop regarding casting for the new Justice League of America film. Just this morning, I met a kid outside while walking my dog who claimed to be "close to a few studio execs." I asked him if he knew anything about Justice League, and he claimed to know who had been cast as Batman. "Oh really?" I replied. "Who?" That's when he smirked, spit something out of his mouth and said, "Your Mothah! Oh, Snaps!" Gotta love New York. Anyway, the latest rumors come to us from Dark Horizons, who received an anonymous email from someone claiming to be "in the know" when it came to JLA casting sessions over in London. And what do they know, you ask?

Well, for starters, they claim British actor Rupert Evans has landed the part of Superman in the live-action flick. Here's a quote from the email (which may or may not be legit): "Anyway after going through a whole bunch of British actors, I heard today that one of them has been cast as Superman. Anyway, the guy everyone is talking about is called Rupert Evans." ANYway, who knows what the deal is -- right after that sentence, the person claimed Jesus Christ himself had been cast as Martian Manhunter ... SO take it all with a grain of salt. (Actually I'm kidding about the Christ stuff, but wouldn't that be an interesting move?) Evans starred in the 2004 film Hellboy, and he certainly has those cute, boy-ish, All-American looks ... except for the fact that he's not American, he's British. Which brings me to my next question: Are you cool with a Brit playing Superman? Of course he won't speak with a British accent, but would it bother you hardcore Supes fans at all if you knew the actor portraying him was not American? Think about it over coffee, debate with your co-workers and leave a comment.

First off, on behalf of all the teenage boys out there, I'd like to raise my glass and officially congratulate Megan Fox on finally landing another role. Mazel Tov! The Transformers hottie has signed on to star in Jennifer's Body, written by the extremely hot (and I'm talking hot like she's very busy lately) Diablo Cody (Juno). The Hollywood Reporter tells us Fox Atomic pre-emptively picked up Cody's spec script last week, Fox is in negotiations to star and Mason Novick is onboard to produce. While all you dudes out there might be itching to see Fox back up on the big screen, minds might change once I tell you what this sucker is about.

Apparently, they're describing this one as "similar in tone to Heathers and Beetlejuice," and it will revolve around a cheerleader (Fox) who, at some point during her perfect life, becomes possessed and begins killing boys. Ouch. At that point, her best friend must find a way to stop her. As of right now the best friend has not been cast, but Atomic really wants to get this one out before a possible strike takes place. Since Cody's scripts so far fall into a comedic category, it should be interesting to see what the gal does with a thriller. Funnily enough, as hot as Cody is (Juno has lots of buzz coming off the fest circuit, she adapted How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, and set up the female-driven comedy Girly Style at Universal), none of her films have arrived in theaters yet. But trust me, once they do, we'll all know exactly who Diablo Cody is. And if you'd like to get to know her a little better now, check out Cinematical's recent interview with the scribe.

I don't think I have to remind you that we here at Cinematical are big Zooey Deschanel fans. I'd say 'yes' to watching anything she's in, and that includes the brand new role announced this morning. The Hollywood Reporter tells us Zooey will be starring alongside Jim Carrey as his romantic interest in the new comedy Yes Man, for Warners Bros. and Village Roadshow. There's a bit of an age difference there, as Zooey is 27 and Carrey is 45, but who's really paying attention? Bradley Cooper has already signed on to play Carrey's best friend in the movie, which will begin shooting (I assume) within the next couple months.

Based on the memoir of a guy who actually did this (his name was Danny Wallace), Carrey will play a dude who decides he wants to change his life, and in doing so commits himself to saying 'yes' to everything. Of course, hilarity shall ensue. Zooey's stock is slowly starting to rise; she just wrapped shooting M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, where she stars opposite Mark Wahlberg (playing his wife). Apart from also doing a relatively short stint on the TV show Weeds, Zooey will return to the small screen for the Sci Fi channel miniseries Tin Man. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing her in everything. Is that possible? To just give her a small role in every movie that comes out? Directed by Peyton Reed (The Break-Up), I'd expect Yes Man to arrive in theaters at some point this summer.

We've already tossed out some more familiar names like Ryan Gosling, Tom Welling, Jennifer Connelly, Christian Bale and Brandon Routh, but it looks like Warner Bros. and director George Miller are beginning to head in another direction as far as casting goes on the much-hyped Justice League of America live-action movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Miller flew in from his home in Australia over the weekend to check out 35-40 young actors who were brought in to test for roles like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter. A lot of these folks are still somewhat familiar, just on a smaller teen-actor scale.

Among the fresh young faces invited to the table were Adam Brody, Joseph Cross, D.J. Cotrona, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Angarano, Teresa Palmer, Max Thierot and the rapper Common. Those of you following the Justice League flick on Cinematical might remember how we (along with our readers) put Common on the JLA wishlist (which you can see below) as Green Lantern. Perhaps folks from Warners were listening to our cries ... Apart from those already listed, it seems some kids from the cast of NBC's Friday Night Lights were also in attendance, including Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki and Scott Porter. Could our JLA cast be born out of this list? It's still too soon to tell, but Miller was itching to go in this direction because he wanted actors and actresses that could "grow into their roles over the course of several movies." That right there indicates Warners has plans in place for a lot more than one JLA film, not to mention they will most likely use these same folks for spin-off movies.

Personally, I feel this is the right way to go. While I still feel now is not a good time to rush out a JLA flick, I do think we need a fresh crop of faces to take on the roles. It's better that way, and there's less of a chance the film will hinder future stand alone Batman and Superman films. But what do you think of the direction they're heading in? Would you rather more well-known actors in the cast?

Though it's been a relatively slow process, the Star Trek XI is starting to come together. Variety reports that Eric Bana has landed the role of villain in the film, which will be some sort of re-boot -- a "when they were young" Star Trek, kind of like when a character opens up a high school yearbook, notices their first crush and has a flashback. Variety has no other details regarding Bana's character, however Star Trek.com claims his name in the film will be 'Nero.' Also cast in the film thus far are Anton Yelchin (Chekov), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhuru) and Leonard Nimoy. Production is set to begin this November, which means more casting is currently underway.

And that brings us to Captain Kirk. The Hollywood Reporter tells us this morning that Chris Pine is in talks to take on the role of Kirk; a guy whose only other major role came opposite Lindsay Lohan in Just My Luck. (And here's where I should say, "Looks like his luck is about to change ..." ) I'm not too familiar with Pine, as I'm sure you're not either, so I can't say whether he's right for the role. Variety had said folks were chasing a big-name actor for the roles of villain and Captain Kirk, but Pine is hardly a big-name actor. As it stands right now, this is a pretty interesting cast, and not the one I expected after guys like Matt Damon and Adrien Brody were originally reported to be up for the roles of Kirk and Spock. I love the choice to go with Bana as villain (the guy seems as if he was born to play a Star Trek villain), and I like the Quinto casting move, but the others I'm iffy about. How do you feel about this Star Trek cast?

We've heard rumors for months with regards to the script for the much-hyped, live-action version of Justice League of America. While movie sites compete to be the first to obtain top secret JLA info, none other than Entertainment Weekly has stepped up claiming to have obtained an early version of the script. According to the magazine (and what follows might be deemed spoiler-ish, so beware) the following characters were included in the version they read: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter. Earlier reports had claimed Aquaman was left out, but here he's listed -- and personally, I dig the orange and green suit; hopefully he'll stick.

EW also says the script goes the "origins story" route, apparently showing how the Justice League was formed. Here's how EW describes the plot: It "revolves around villainous businessman Maxwell Lord and involves cyborgs called OMACs (One-Man Army Corps), who can take over humans and turn them into killing machines. There are epic battles between Superman and Batman, as well as Superman and Wonder Woman." Aww man, why would Supes do battle against Wonder Woman? As of right now, no one has been officially cast -- Jessica Biel was offered the role of Wonder Woman, but turned it down (perhaps because she wasn't guaranteed a starring role in a potential spin-off). Not long ago, Cinematical asked folks who they would cast in the Justice League of America film. Based on your answers, we've put together a gallery so you can see for yourself whether these are the people you want portraying some of our most beloved superheroes on screen. Check it out below.

[via IESB and IGN]

"I want us to be open to new experiences -- I want us to say 'yes' to everything." That's what Owen Wilson's character tells his two brothers throughout The Darjeeling Limited, but what if someone actually lived a year of their life while saying 'yes' to everything? Someone tries to sell you something. Yes! Your friends want to jump off a bridge for hell of it. Yes! That girl from work who's always had a crush on you, but kind of looks like a werewolf, asks you out on a date. Yes! Man, the adventures you'd go on -- the stories you'd be able to tell if you somehow survived the year. Unreal. Well get this -- some dude actually did this ... in real life. He wrote a book about it, they're turning it into a movie called Yes Man starring Jim Carrey and Variety tells us Bradley Cooper has signed on to star as Carrey's best mate.

The book, which is also called Yes Man, was written by Danny Wallace. He was the type of guy who said 'no' a lot, until one day someone on a bus told him to say 'yes' more often. So what does he do? He spends one year saying 'yes' to everything -- and at some point along the way, this helps him win $48,000. Damn. Maybe I should say 'yes' more often. Cooper has a number of film roles coming up (apart from his TV work on shows like Nip/Tuck), but moviegoers might best remember him as the slimy boyfriend of Rachel McAdams in Wedding Crashers. Peyton Reed (The Break Up) will direct Yes Man, which I imagine will take some cues from one of my favorite Carrey comedies, Liar Liar. They will probably use some stuff from the book, as well as introduce new scenarios in which saying 'yes' could get our hero in a lot of trouble. A romantic interest hasn't been cast yet -- and you know there's going to be one -- so be on the lookout for a cute female actress to make her way into the picture soon.

When you have Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire starring opposite one another in a movie together, you know there needs to be a woman who can handle two of Hollywood's hottest actors (one of which is Spider-Man, might I add). And Variety tells us that Natalie Portman has been chosen to be that woman. The three beauties will be starring in Brothers, to be directed by Jim Sheridan, based on Susanne Bier's 2004 Danish-language film. If that triple threat billing doesn't get asses into seats, I don't know what will. David Benioff wrote the screenplay (for the remake), while Ryan Kavanaugh, Michael De Luca and Joni Sighvatsson will produce. Shooting will begin early next month.

The film revolves around two brothers; while one (Maguire) is sent to fight in Afghanistan, the other (Gyllenhaal) -- who's being pegged as "the black-sheep brother" -- is left home to care for his brother's wife (Portman) and child. Unfortunately, as messed up as he may or may not be, when your brother looks like Jake Gyllenhaal, I wouldn't expect things at home to remain kosher ... if you know what I mean. They're describing this one as a love triangle, so I'm sure things will heat up between Portman and Gyllenhaal while the girl's poor husband is off searching caves on the other side of the world. This seems like it's going to be one of those films that just hurts when you watch it. Not only is the wife screwing around, but she's doing it with your oddball brother? Ugh. I imagine I'll want to throw something at the screen about halfway through. Currently there's no release date set, but I imagine we'll see this arrive in theaters next fall.

Just when we thought things were starting to happen regarding Warner Bros. upcoming live-action Justice League movie, comes word from Entertainment Weekly that Jessica Biel has passed on the role of Wonder Woman. We brought you news recently that Biel was in discussions to take on the first live-action, big-screen version of one of the sexiest superheroes of all time. But, for whatever reason, Biel has decided to pass -- so says EW, that is. Official word has not come down as of yet, so I wouldn't count her out completely. But, with Biel out of the picture, it means a lot of folks will have to go back to the drawing board. And seeing as there are plans to begin production within the next couple months, it will be a race to cast someone, anyone, in the role.

But they don't just have to find a Wonder Woman, they have to also find a Batman, a Superman, a Green Lantern, a Flash, a Martian Manhunter and an Aquaman (although recent rumors point toward Aqauaman not being included). Good luck. It's not clear why Biel passed on the role; perhaps she's been reading up on all the negative internet chatter surrounding the film -- maybe she didn't feel like signing her life away (I take it whomever plays WW will also need to sign onto at least three films) -- or maybe she'd rather go after an Oscar nom instead of a big payday. We don't know, and we may never know, but the field is wide open yet again. Will this delay the film? Who knows - but I do know there are a lot of other actresses out there capable of taking on the role. And I'm sure all of you have lots of suggestions ...

With the men in place -- Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Jason Bateman (who was added just the other day) -- State of Play has finally gotten to its female stars. They are: Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, and Robin Wright Penn. How do they fit in? Well, as you might remember, Play is about a congressman (Norton) whose lover is murdered, and a newspaper that is investigating the story. McAdams is the "reporter in the middle of a career-making story," Mirren will be her "steely editor" (played in the original miniseries by Bill Nighy), and finally, Wright Penn will be the congressman's estranged wife. Pitt is an ex-campaign manager for Norton's character who leads the investigation, and Bateman is a fellow lead reporter.

I think it's a pretty safe bet that this will do well -- it's a great cast without being so star-studded that it drowns in its own celebrity. Step by step, Rachel McAdams is solidifying her spot in fame -- and it's surprising to see just how few big films she's been in. Instead of just picking whatever (as seems to be Bateman's plan), she's been spacing out the work and selecting certain roles, which seem to be paying off. Next up for her: a period drama called Married Life. Helen Mirren, well, she's been taking the world by storm lately, and proving that women shouldn't be put out to pasture after hitting 40 or 50 -- even though, for some reason, she decided to take part in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. And finally, there's Robin Wright Penn, who has kept under the radar for the most part, but selects a pretty varied collection of films from The Singing Detective to Hounddog. In less than two months, we'll see her in Beowulf.

Though we haven't heard much about Steven Spielberg's Abraham Lincoln biopic, Lincoln, Newsweek seems to think Sally Field has been cast as Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. All we know so far is that Liam Neeson has signed to play Lincoln, and according to IMDb, Marcia Gay Harden was rumored to be up for the role of Mary Todd. But things seemed to be put on hold once Spielberg decided to direct Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls, and with a strike looming, we weren't sure whether the director would have time to helm another film -- let alone which film that would be.

But in a Newsweek article discussing a new exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, "Mary Todd Lincoln: First Lady of Controversy," they come right out and say that Liam Neeson and Sally Field will be playing Lincoln and Mary Todd respectively in the new Spielberg film. In her later years, Mary Todd was committed to an insane asylum, but only after three of her four kids had died and her husband was shot to death while she held his hand. But was she really insane? Spielberg will base his film on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. According to the Amazon description, "Team of Rivals doesn't just tell the story of Abraham Lincoln. It is a multiple biography of the entire team of personal and political competitors that he put together to lead the country through its greatest crisis. Here, Doris Kearns Goodwin profiles five of the key players in her book, four of whom contended for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination and all of whom later worked together in Lincoln's cabinet." Sally Field is currently starring on the TV show Brothers & Sisters (for which she just won an Emmy), and so for her to be able to take on the role, I assume she'll have to do so while the show is on hiatus. As of now, nothing is official.

I'm going to be real honest with you here, because it's late and the PG-13 side of me is itching to break loose. The only thing I remember about Haven (aside from some nice blue water) was Zoe Saldana. And, technically, I'm not talking about her performance. Should she eat more? Sure, but aren't most Hollywood actresses flirting with an eating disorder at one point throughout their career? Zoe's cute, she looks good, and she's also about to co-star in one of the most talked-about films in the month of July -- Star Trek XI: The Flashback Episode. (That was a joke; not the real title -- in case you thought about IM'ing your Trekkie group.)

Saldana will be playing Uhura, "which means freedom in Swahili" (thanks Variety!), and acts as a member of the bridge crew on the U.S.S. Enterprise. Variety adds that the character also rose to the rank of commander. Saldana takes over for Nichelle Nichols, who played the character on the original Star Trek series, as well as in six Star Trek films. Star Trek XI will follow the Enterprise crew during those oh-so-important wonder years, back when the gang first met and, presumably, took on their first mission -- which (and don't tell ANYONE I told you this) apparently has to do with Kirk and Spock being placed in charge of finding out exactly what J.J. Abrams is calling his damn monster movie. Interesting ... and I like the cross promotion. Heroes star Zachary Quinto and Anton Yelchin have already signed on to play Spock and Chekov respectively, while the original Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has also hopped onboard to play something (I like the Enterprise janitor, but I'm not writing the thing). Star Trek XI will arrive in theaters on December 25, 2008.