Post-Lincoln: The Conspirator, to be directed by Robert Redford, will star Robin Wright Penn as Mary Surratt, the only woman involved in the conspiracy to kill Lincoln, and James McAvoy as Frederick Aiken, a former war hero who defends Surratt in court and eventually believes she is innocent. Variety makes a big deal out of all the Lincoln experts hired as consultants on the film, so, sadly, no — John Wilkes Booth will probably not be gunned down by a Secret Service sniper, Inglourious Basterds–style, before he pulls the trigger. [Variety]
Used Up: Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, and Damon Wayans Jr. have joined The Used Guys, the Adam McKay–directed, Will Ferrell– and Mark Wahlberg–starring cop comedy. No word on what any of them will be doing, but we assume it will involve acting. [HR]
Drug Story: Love and Other Drugs has added Gabriel Macht, Hank Azaria, and Oliver Platt to a cast previously headlined by Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal. Adapted from Jamie Reidy’s nonfiction book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman, it will feature Macht as a Prozac salesman involved with a woman suffering from Parkinson’s disease (Hathaway), who falls for a charming Viagra salesman (Gyllenhaal). Azaria plays a dodgy doctor client of Gyllenhaal’s, and Platt plays his hard-charging boss. Yes, this will probably smash the record for most boner jokes told in a two-hour period. [HR]
Genre Crossing: Blues-rock duo the Black Keys have collaborated with a bevy of rappers on Blakroc, an album coming out November 27. Onboard are Mos Def, Q-Tip, RZA, Raekwon, Ludacris, Pharoahe Monch, ODB, and Jim Jones, who apparently spearheaded the operation. You know, the last time the words “Jim Jones†and “spearheaded†were used in the same sentence, it didn’t end up that great for anyone. [Billboard]
Costello Live: Elvis Costello will launch The Costello Show Series, a string of live releases, with September 29’s Live at the El Mocambo, a bootleg favorite from Toronto, March 6, 1978. There’s no info on how many shows will be released in the series, but next up is June 4, 1978, at Hollywood High, leading one to believe that Costello just may release every one of his shows, ever. [Billboard]
Depp’s Sailing: It’s super-duper double-official ultraconfirmed, we guess: Johnny Depp is in Pirates of the Caribbean 4. How do we know? Because over the weekend, at a Disney convention in Anaheim, Depp sailed onstage in a pirate ship to say so. [HR]