You can't stop Hollywood from trying to make stars, even if the audience isn't biting. After the complete failure of "Warrior" and "The Thing," Joel Edgerton remains in demand, evevn if he can still walk the streets completely unrecognized. He was in the mix for a potential supporting role in the now-defunct "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and recently was sought to play Themosticles in the currently-gestating "300: Battle Of Artemisium." However, Variety has heard something new on the Aussie grapevine: they're reporting that Edgerton has turned the role down, leaving the Noam Murro actioner without a leading man.
By rejecting two straight Warner Bros. tentpoles, Edgerton's either ballsy, crazy, or already busy. He's long been linked to Kathryn Bigelow's "Kill Bin Laden," but his involvement seems like a question mark right now he's been curiously absent from the recent mix of names annouced for roles. However, having some free time, he could very well jump aboard the film, as it's currently taking shape for a December 2012 release date. As for the "300" sequel, it's currently slated for an undetermined 2013 release, but we wonder if Frank Miller's recent ill-advised anti-OWS rant has taken some of the wind out of the project's sails.
Meanwhile, "The Help" director Tate Taylor has been looking for a follow-up, and it looked like he had found one with the R-rated roadtrip comedy "Tammy." Re-teaming with Melissa McCarthy, who co-starred in his first film "Pretty Ugly People," "Tammy" was to tell the story of a woman with a nowhere life who travels the country with her irritating, foul-mouthed grandmother. Your basic four-quadrant premise, natch. However, the script, penned by McCarthy and Ben Falcone, is now without a helmer, with Taylor departing the project. It's a curious break-up, since McCarthy and Taylor are both earning Oscar heat, albeit for different movies, but New Line's expected to move on finding a new director for the project soon. Taylor, meanwhile, may jump onto another period drama with "Peace Like A River."
Edgerton is too good for a 300 sequel. Hopefully he gets cast in something good that will be widely seen instead.
This 300 sequel seems so LOW RENT. For some reason it gives me embarrassing BEASTMASTER B-movie vibes and I can't imagine why anyone would want to star in it. I can't even pinpoint why I feel this way. I loved 300. I love action movies. I love epics. I should love this, but instead it seem low energy, slapdash, and cheesy to me. I have become a mystery to myself!
"You can't stop Hollywood from trying to make stars, even if the audience isn't biting."
I agree, but at least this guy can act- unlike that other Aussie (the tall, blue one) hollywood keeps telling us is a superstar.
He probably dropped out of that comic book movie because it will be a piece of shit, btw.