Abracadabra: Steve Carell is in negotiations to star in New Line’s comedy Burt Wonderstone, set in the “world of Las Vegas magicians.†The writing duo of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were the most recent to work on the script for the project, which has been in development since 2006. Carell will play a member of a two-man magician team, who must “find a way to rediscover his love for magic†when his partner dies in a stunt. Yes, this is supposed to be a comedy. [Variety]
Troll Story: Guillermo del Toro will write and direct Trollhunters, an animated project for DreamWorks. He will also serve as a consultant on several DreamWorks Animation projects already in development, including Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, and Megamind. Trollhunters is based on a young-adult book written by Del Toro himself, which he submitted to the publisher about two weeks ago. “I wanted very much to develop a story that could be written for kids but dealt with a genre that was scary,†he said. “It essentially combines fairy tales with modern times and is about how difficult it is to be kid.†[HR]
Introducing Mycroft: British actor-comedian Stephen Fry has joined Sherlock Holmes 2 in the role of Holmes’s brother, Mycroft Holmes. The original trio of director Guy Ritchie and stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are back onboard, with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Noomi Rapace on as the female lead. In the books, Mycroft is Sherlock’s “more intelligent older brother, who has a top but mysterious position in the British government, but who also happens to be lazier than Sherlock Holmes.†But in the screenplay, his character seems to have been given something of a “make-under,†as he’s simply described as an “agoraphobic oddball.†[Heat Vision/HR]
Dragon Tales: Mixed martial arts star Cung Le will star in Dragon Eyes, a crime drama from Joel Silver’s Dark Castle. Le will play a “mysterious man who comes from an impoverished part of New Orleans†in an attempt to unite “two warring gangs against the corrupt lawmen who’ve been using them.†Mixed martial arts movies: so hot right now. [Deadline]
Trio Added to Companion: Mark Duplass, Dianne Wiest, and Sam Shepard have joined the cast of Lawrence Kasdan’s latest project, Darling Companion, the story of a man losing his wife’s “beloved dog†after a Rockies wedding, and then tasking the remaining guests to go and search for it. Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Richard Jenkins, and Elisabeth Moss are already attached to the project. [Risky Business/HR]
Dragon Tales: Mixed martial arts star Cung Le will star in Dragon Eyes, a crime drama from Joel Silver’s Dark Castle. Le will play a “mysterious man who comes from an impoverished part of New Orleans†in an attempt to unite “two warring gangs against the corrupt lawmen who’ve been using them.†Mixed martial arts movies: so hot right now. [Deadline]