Christian Bale Maybe Going Overboard With the Heroes

Bale Also to Save Humanity Without Cape: Now it’s official: Following last week’s rumor, Variety reports that Christian Bale is in fact in final negotiations to play hero John Connor in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. Can’t the star of the super-sweetly-monikered The Dark Knight get them to do something about that title? [Variety]

Prepare to Be Thrilled Again: Michael Jackson releases a 25th-anniversary special edition of his landmark album Thriller on February 12, featuring remixes of his seminal hits by Kanye West, will.i.am, and Akon, alongside several demos, rarities, and unreleased tracks. West’s remix of “Billie Jean� — the original “Gold Digger,� if you will — should be an event in itself. [Billboard]

Oldman, Elwes Sort of Join Christmas Carol: Moviehole offers two nuggets of hilarious news about Robert Zemeckis’s forthcoming 3-D animation A Christmas Carol feature: (1) Gary Oldman, like star Jim Carrey, will appear as several characters, making the film twice as unbearable as it was already going to be, and (2) poor, wretched Cary Elwes, who will serve on set as Carrey’s stand-in, will not appear at all. [Moviehole]

Sedaris, Kattan Attend Tanner Hall: Amy Sedaris, Chris Kattan, and Tom Everett Scott will star in the indie feature Tanner Hall, directed by Tatiana von Furstenberg and Francesca Gregorini, based on their unshot television pilot of the same name for the former UPN. Makes sense — once they’ve shot all the novels and remade all the classics, it’s time to raid to the unmade TV shows. [HR]

Halftime Heartbreakers: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will play the halftime show at the Super Bowl in Arizona on February 3. Fox Standards and Practices plan a seven-second delay in case Petty “accidentally� bares his right breast during the performance. [Billboard]