Bill the Grouch: Bill Murray has joined the cast of Passion Play, a “romantic thriller†starring Megan Fox and Mickey Rourke. The film is about a downtrodden jazz trumpeter (Rourke) who starts a fling with a sideshow performer with wings (Fox). Murray will play a gangster named Happy who wants to keep the two apart. His tactic: let the winged-woman see the jazz trumpeter’s face. Yikes! [THR]
Indie Boys: Paul Dano has signed on to star in For Ellen, a drama written and directed by Soyoung Kim. The story is about an indie rocker who nearly wrecks his car during a long-distance drive. After the near-crash he arrives in a small Midwestern town to deal with his divorce. You’re on board, right? Could be okay, right? But then there’s this: John Heder has signed on to co-star. Well, it was fun while it lasted. [Variety]
Paramount Activity: Paramount has brought on writer Michael R. Perry and director Kevin Greutert to put together the sequel to Paranormal Activity, the DIY horror flick that made the studio a boatload of money last year. The studio also announced that it will release the movie on October 22, pitting it against the seventh installment of Saw. Sounds like the perfect weekend to stay in and wash your hair. [THR]
Clark Star: Clark Gregg, who played Agent Coulson in Iron Man, will revive the character for Marvel’s Thor. The crossover is part of Marvel’s master plan to unite Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor in The Avengers somewhere down the line. Face it: soon comic book superhero movies will be the only movies made. [Variety]