Batter Up: Jake Gyllenhaal and Jim Carrey will star in New Line Cinema’s take on Damn Yankees. Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel will write the script, but no director is yet attached. Gyllenhaal will play Joe Boyd, a middle-aged man transformed into the slugger Joe Hardy after he sells his soul to the devil, who will be played by Carrey. Yes, they will be singing. No, not this song. [Variety]
Woody’s Cast Grows: Antonio Banderas has joined the cast of Woody Allen’s still-untitled next project, to be shot in London this summer. Freida Pinto, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, and Anthony Hopkins have all been previously announced. [Variety]
Auto Show:ABC has deemed CBS’ Thunder Road theft-worthy and will roll out Crash Course, their own automobile-obstacle-course show . This one will be totally different, though, with a comedic tone provided by the first two guys they could find noted humorists Dan Cortese and Orlando Jones. And if you’re still worried that someone is going to die on one of these shows — you should be! According to producer Kent Weed, “Any hazard you can imagine on the road — weather-related, falling rocks, anything — it’s that and much more.†[HR]
Mars Also Needs Oxygen: Seth Green will star in Disney’s performance-capture children’s movie Mars Needs Moms as Milo, a boy on a mission to rescue his mother, who has been kidnapped by aliens. Joan Cusack will play the mother, Dan Fogler will play Milo’s friend Gribble, and Mindy Klein will play the alien leader. Perhaps Cusack can swing a role for little brother John for once? [HR]
Snow Day: Brittany Snow will star as Lily van der Woodsen in the Gossip Girl spinoff, a prequel that will revolve around van der Woodsen’s crazy eighties youth. The pilot will air as a May 11 Gossip episode. Daily Intel has more to say about this. [HR]
Next Friday: The new Friday the 13th has grossed $70 million worldwide so far, and so the franchise may be getting yet another installment. While Jason would of course return, this one would play more fast and loose with the franchise template — apparently because, while the most recent film borrowed liberally from the first four Fridays, producers have found nothing worthy to steal from the next six. [HR]