Nerd News

No use beating around the bush.

1. John Hamm (of John Hamm's Jon Ham) is reportedly being considered for the next Man of Steel -

The "Mad Men" star is currently one of Hollywood's most popular actors. His show just won the Emmy for Best Drama Series, he co-stars in the already well-reviewed THE TOWN (hitting theaters this Friday) and his recent stints on "SNL" and "30 Rock" have endeared him to the comedy community. The man is on quite a role, so being cast in the iconic role of Clark Kent wouldn't come as much of a shock. Hamm has the look for it along with the stature and versatile acting range one might need for the role. The only issue with him playing the role would be his age (he's nearly 40), but that might work with the new direction the superhero reboot is taking. Christopher Nolan, working with David Goyer have an idea for a Superman story told within the context of the modern world. What that might actually entail is a curiosity, but it likely means that they won't be rehashing the same old origin story, which makes room for an older Superman.

Casting the Man of Steel seems like a frightening task. It's something that must be hard to get right. George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh and even Tom Welling have played the character perfectly, but these actors are rarities (not so much in their acting ability overall, just in possessing all of the qualities one might need to play the part). Hamm is a good fit, so I hope they do indeed cast him. However, the way these things have gone of late, he's likely not the last hypothetical casting rumor for the next Superman and it's even less likely that he'll end up playing the part. One can hope though.

2. DRAGON TATTOO's Noomi Rapace gets her first Engligh-Speaking role in SHERLOCK HOLMES 2 -

There's been a lot of buzz surrounding this young actress since the DRAGON TATTOO films hit America last year and even more since production started on the American remakes. Some people have been clamoring for Rapace to get an Oscar nod for her performance as Lisbeth Salander, which is a bit much. Sure, she played that part well, but I don't think it was anything spectacular. Anyway, she's caught the eye of a few influential people in Hollywood and she's going to start crossing over into English-language films. Apparently, she aims to start this new phase in her career off with a bang. She's netted a role in Guy Ritchie's SHERLOCK HOLMES sequel, where she'll rub shoulders with the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and possibly (hopefully) Daniel Day Lewis as Dr. Moriarty. Few details have been released about the film other than Moriarty's increased involvement and that Rapace will be playing some sort of gypsy character. Good for her. I foresee her being a positive addition to this much-anticipated sequel.

3. Martin Freeman might play Bilbo Baggins in THE HOBBIT -

Freeman isn't a huge star by any means, but there's no way any huge star could play the role of Bilbo Baggins. There was once talk that James McAvoy might take on the part, which could be okay, but has since proved unlikely. Freeman has a much more modest appearance and persona, which is more fitting for the titular role. For those who don't know, Freeman appeared on BBC's "The Office" and essentially played the British precursor to John Krasinski's Jim, Tim. Freeman also starred in THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY and had (very) minor roles in both SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ. He had previously been linked to the role, but had to drop out of the running due to scheduling conflicts, but now that THE HOBBIT has had a few scheduling conflicts of its own, he's back in the running. I hope this works out.

Speaking of THE HOBBIT: Rumor has it that filming might get started on the movie as early as January. However, such news has to be taken with a grain of salt, considering the many many setbacks the picture has had. Peter Jackson is likely to return as director.

4. HBO has released new "Game of Thrones" promos -

For those of you unfamiliar with George R.R. Martin's "Fire and Ice" series (as I was until fairly recently), I would highly recommend it. The series consist of four (maybe soon to be five) long novels, the first of which is "A Game of Thrones". There's a certain stigma attached to non-mainstream fantasy series. If you're not "Lord of the Rings" or "Harry Potter" then you don't matter a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. My personal opinion, after only reading "A Game of Thrones", is that George R.R. Martin's works are the best fantasy written in the modern era. "A Game of Thrones" is hard, gritty stuff, definitely for adults and surprisingly low on magical elements. It's pairing with HBO is perfect and the previews indicate something truly special. Reportedly, the pilot episode of the series cost something between 5 and 10 million dollars. That's huge for television. The fact that HBO is so enthusiast about continuing with the series is a testament to their faith in the property. Reports have it that "A Game of Thrones" will debut in 2011 (likely spring). More news on this as it comes, but until then, here are a few previews:







5. Eastwood's HEREAFTER trailer debuts -

A few days ago, Clint Eastwood's HEREAFTER debuted its first trailer. The film seems like a departure for the director, as his films are usually more grounded, less fantastical. The film stars Matt Damon (there's already some Oscar buzz for him) and concerns several different people and their ideas of the afterlife.