Taking cues from some of the other comic book sequels out there, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 seems to have a couple of villains on the docket. We already know that Jamie Foxx is slated to play Electro, but now Heat Vision has word that Paul Giamatti is in talks to enter the mix as The Rhino. Considering Giamatti isn't exactly the most fit of actors and he's certainly not anywhere near as buff as the comic book villain usually appears, this seems like strange, but wholly interesting casting for the comic book sequel. This isn't Giamatti's first comic book film as he led American Splendor, but it'll be his first superhero film. Read on!
For those who don't know, The Rhino has been around since the 60s, first appearing as a thug from Russia who wore a superhuman suit that made him uncannily strong, speedy and invulnerable. The name comes from the fact that his suit had a large, deadly horn on top. What's interesting is that in more recent versions of the comics, The Rhino has become a more sympathetic character who actually becomes an ally of Spider-Man, so maybe Giamatti will have a role similar to that of Catwoman in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. Giamatti joins newcomers Shailene Woodley (as Mary Jane Watson) and Dane DeHaan (as Harry Osborne) along with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone reprising their roles.
In addition, another lovely female star is slated to join the mix as Felicity Jones is currently in talks for an unknown role. Jones (Like Crazy) would be an interesting addition to the cast, especially if they decide to start setting her up to become someone like Black Cat. This Spider-Man universe is likely going to expand into a lot of new territory not covered in previous films, but I hope it just doesn't get crowded like the Spider-Man 3, and lose sight of telling this new origin story.  Production is supposed to begin in February with an eye towards release in 2014. What do you think?

Ric Roman Waugh a stunt man on films like Last Action Hero, Days of Thunder and Total Recall and director of Felon, is at the helm of this action thriller starring Dwayne Johnson as a father who goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal. Waugh also wrote the screenplay with Justin Haythe (The Lone Ranger, Revolutionary Road) and rounded up supporting talent like Jon Bernthal, Benjamin Bratt, Susan Sarandon and Barry Pepper to fill out the rest of the cast. Snitch is one of five films starring Dwayne Johnson next year, and it hits February 22nd, 2013.

For the past couple days, a rumor has been swirling that Bradley Cooper was already in talks with producer J.J. Abrams to star in the film about Lance Armstrong that surfaced last week after the famed cyclist sat down with Oprah Winfrey and admitted to doping in an effort to help win Tour de France titles. However, last night the Silver Linings Playbook star was at the SAG Awards and when Access Hollywood asked him about those rumors, he responded with a surprised but quick, "Oh my god, that's so nuts!" He also went on to say, " I didn’t even know that J.J. has the rights, I had no idea."
However, this rumor all started when Entertainment Tonight talked to J.J. Abrams and the producer said, "[Cooper] sent me an email and we've been talking." So someone has to be lying, and it sounds like it might be Cooper. After all, the actor did publicly express interest in playing Armstrong in an interview with BBC News, so the talk of him taking the role couldn't have been all that shocking. Maybe Cooper was trying to keep things secret so he stays in Abrams' good graces. After all, the filmmaker did deny directing the new Star Wars only to be announced as the director of Episode VII, so anything can happen. Thoughts?

Inside The Mind. Outside The Law. Are you hypnotized yet? I'm liking all the UK-specific artwork that is being released for Danny Boyle's new art heist film Trance. It's unconventional, it's eye-catching (I could even say hypnotizing) and yet doesn't reveal too much or look too Hollywood cheesy. A few days back we featured the first trippy orange poster for Trance with James McAvoy hidden in the imagery, now we have a similar poster found via Yahoo UK but with Rosario Dawson in the background (and a new tagline for her character). There's also a nice new UK quad poster for the whole film to top things off. Check 'em out below!
Here's the latest two posters for Trance. I'm sure we'll see a few more for the other characters in it as well.


Be sure to watch the first UK trailer for Danny Boyle's Trance right here, as we wait for US release details.
An art auctioneer who has become mixed up with a group of criminals partners with a hypnotherapist in order to recover a lost painting. "It takes the idea of a stolen painting and develops into something sleeker and more psychological, with twists and turns." Trance is directed by Oscar winning British filmmaker Danny Boyle, of the films Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours previously. The screenplay was co-written by Joe Ahearne & John Hodge. Trance will be released in UK cinemas on March 27th. Fox Searchlight is releasing in the US, but hasn't set our date yet. Stay tuned!

Well this just got interesting. After winning the Producers Guild Award last night, Ben Affleck's Argo took home another big win tonight at the SAG Awards. The 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony was broadcast live from Los Angeles tonight, and the winners have been announced. We have the official list of all the motion picture winners (for everything else, head to SAGAwards.org). Not so surprisingly, Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor for Spielberg's Lincoln, giving a nod to Joaquin Phoenix is in his speech. Jennifer Lawrence also won Best Actress, upsetting over Jessica Chastain. Read on for all the winners!
The complete list of 2013 nominees and winners can be seen below. Winners are highlighted in BOLD.
ACTOR:
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
John Hawkes - The Sessions
Hugh Jackman - Les Misérables
Denzel Washington - Flight
ACTRESS:
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren - Hitchcock
Naomi Watts - The Impossible
SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Alan Arkin - Argo
Javier Bardem - Skyfall
Robert De Nrio - Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Nicole Kidman - The Paperboy
Maggie Smith - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
ENSEMBLE CAST:
Argo - Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Kerry Bishé, Kyle Chandler, Rory Cochrane, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Denham, Tate Donovan, Clea Duvall, Victor Garber, John Goodman, Scoot Mcnairy, Chris Messina
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Ronald Pickup, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Penelope Wilton
Les Misérables - Isabelle Allen, Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Huttlestone, Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Aaron Tveit, Colm Wilkinson
Lincoln - Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, David Strathairn
Silver Linings Playbook - Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Anupam Kher, Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Tucker, Jacki Weaver
ENSEMBLE STUNTS:
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Bourne Legacy
The Dark Knight Rises
Les Misérables
Skyfall
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Dick Van Dyke
So there you have it. "Wolverine is being chased by Gladiator... He agrees to raise Catwoman's baby and she grows up to be in Mama Mia." That's how Anne Hathaway described Les Mis, but it didn't end up winning. Not the most entertaining SAG show, but yet another set of winners revealed in the awards season. "I earned my SAG card when I was 14... Now I have this naked statue, which means some of you even voted for me. That is an undescribable feeling," Lawrence said of her award. With yet another surprising win for Affleck's Argo, things are getting interesting as we come down to the last few weeks before the Oscars. Thoughts?

This year could end up being one an Academy Awards ceremony for the record books. Despite the fact that Ben Affleck isn't nominated for Best Director at the 85th Academy Awards while his film Argo was nominated for Best Picture, the director and historical drama took home honors at the 70th Golden Globes. Now it looks like the film might be making a big run for Best Picture as the 22nd Annual Producers Guild of America Awards have just awarded the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures to Argo. Awards were also handed out for documentary and animated films also.
Here's a list of all the film winners from the 22nd PGA Awards via The Wrap:
Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award:
Argo
Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov
PGA Producer of the Year Award in Animation:
Wreck-It Ralph
Producer: Clark Spencer
PGA Producer of the Year Award in Documentaries:
Searching for Sugar Man
Producer: Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
I'm glad to see Wreck-It Ralph and Searching for Sugar Man get some love, but the real shake-up here is Argo winning the top prize. In the entire history of the Academy Awards, there have only been three instances when a Best Picture winner didn't have its director nominated for an Oscar as well. The last time it happened was with Driving Miss Daisy in 1990 and it had been 70 years since such an occurrence.
However, PGA award has consistently been a reliable predictor of what will take home Best Picture at the Oscars and in 23 years, the PGA winner has also won Best Picture 16 times. The Oscars could always go their own way and not give Best Picture to Argo though. Either way, it sounds like the race for Best Picture is going to be very exciting and we'll be waiting to hear what wins on the 85th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 24th on ABC starting at 7PM (EST) / 4PM (PST). Will Argo win Best Picture?

The official awards for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival were announced tonight at a ceremony in Park City. The Sundance awards are always very interesting to follow each year, because the winners are usually unexpected, but of course deserving of their awards. This year the two biggest winners were Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale and Steve Hoover's doc Blood Brother, both of which won both the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in their respective categories. These two films, and all of the winners below, are worth watching out for when they eventually get released. Read on for the full list of 2013 winners below!
The Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Fruitvale, directed by Ryan Coogler — The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008.
The Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Blood Brother, directed by Steve Hoover — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find.
The World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Jiseul (from South Korea), directed by Muel O — In 1948, as the Korean government ordered the Communists' eviction to Jeju Island, the military invaded a calm and peaceful village. Townsfolk took sanctuary in a cave and debated moving to a higher mountain.
The World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to A River Changes Course (from Cambodia), directed by Kalyanee Mam — Three young Cambodians struggle to overcome the crushing effects of deforestation, overfishing, and overwhelming debt in this devastatingly beautiful story of a country reeling from the tragedies of war and rushing to keep pace with a rapidly expanding world.
The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Cutie and the Boxer, directed by Zachary Heinzerling — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own.
The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Afternoon Delight, written and directed by Jill Soloway — In this sexy, dark comedy, a lost L.A. housewife puts her idyllic life in jeopardy when she tries to rescue a stripper by taking her in as a live-in nanny.
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to In a World..., written and directed by Lake Bell — An underachieving vocal coach is motivated by her father, the king of movie-trailer voice-overs, to pursue her aspirations of becoming a voiceover star. Amidst pride, sexism and family dysfunction, she sets out to change the voice of a generation.
The Editing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Gideon's Army, directed by Dawn Porter — Gideon's Army follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
The Editing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to The Summit, directed by Nick Ryan — Twenty-four climbers converged at the last stop before summiting the most dangerous mountain on Earth. Forty-eight hours later, 11 had been killed or simply vanished. Had one, Ger McDonnell, stuck to the climbers' code, he might still be alive.
The Cinematography Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Dirty Wars, directed by Richard Rowley — Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth behind America's covert wars.
The Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Bradford Young for two films he was Director of Photography on: Ain't Them Bodies Saints, directed by David Lowery, and Mother of George, directed by Andrew Dosunmu.
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking was presented to Inequality for All, directed by Jacob Kornbluth — In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic-policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and addresses the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy.
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking was presented to American Promise, directed by Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson — This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting was presented to Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley in The Spectacular Now, directed by James Ponsoldt.
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Sound Design was presented to Shane Carruth and Johnny Marshall for Upstream Color, written & directed by Shane Carruth.
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award was presented to Circles, directed by Srdan Golubovic.
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Punk Spirit was presented to Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer, directed by Mike Lerner & Maxim Pozdorovkin.
The Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, presented to outstanding feature films focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character, was presented to Computer Chess, directed and written by Andrew Bujalski. The film received a $20,000 cash award from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
The Audience Award: Dramatic was presented to Fruitvale, written and directed by Ryan Coogler — The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008.
The Audience Award: Documentary was presented to Blood Brother, directed by Steve Hoover — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find.
The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic was presented to Metro Manila, co-written and directed by Sean Ellis — Seeking a better life, Oscar and his family move from the poverty-stricken rice fields to the big city of Manila, where they fall victim to various inhabitants whose manipulative ways are a daily part of city survival.
The World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary was presented to The Square (Al Midan), directed by Jehane Noujaim — What does it mean to risk your life for your ideals? How far will five revolutionaries go in defending their beliefs in the fight for their nation?
The Best of NEXT!: Audience Award was presented to This is Martin Bonner, written and directed by Chad Hartigan — Martin Bonner has just moved to Reno for a new job in prison rehabilitation. Starting over at age 58, he struggles to adapt until an unlikely friendship with an ex-con blossoms, helping him confront the problems he left behind.
Congratulations to all of this year's winners. I just saw Fruitvale a few days ago and loved it, too. I'm very happy that it won because it's a film that needs to be seen by as many people as possible. This double win of both of the big awards reminds of when Precious won both in 2009 (later earning six Oscar nominations). It's not rare, but it usually means the film is something truly special when it takes home these two together. As always, I suggest everyone keep their eyes on all of these films and everything else good coming out of Sundance. You can find all of our coverage from Sundance 2013 here. That's all for now until the next year!
Photo at the top is of Fruitvale director Ryan Coogler accepting his award at the ceremony via Facebook.