Denzel Washington back onboard for Unstoppable

Last week it appeared that Denzel Washington had bowed out of Unstoppable due to budget concerns and a delayed scheduled. There was some speculation that Washington would reconsider, and now, according to Empire it looks like he's officially back and the movie is set to shoot in the fall.

The movie, loosely based on a true story, focuses on a train engineer (Washington) who is about to be fired and the new conductor who will replace him (Chris Pine). Both men must stop a freight train filled with flammable liquid and poison gas from destroying a city.

20th Century Fox had reportedly asked director Tony Scott to cut the movie's budget to $90 million, which would mean both Scott and Washington would get smaller paychecks. Washington decided to drop out but apparently he read a new draft of the screenplay and there was some sort of salary agreement. I can't even begin to guess what sort of deal was made, but it looks like this little casting drama is over.

Links for you: Christian Bale looking emaciated and Denzel Washington gets the hell off Unstoppable?

Emily Blunt will join Matt Damon in sci-fi love story The Adjustment Bureau. Damon will play a congressman while Blunt will play a ballet dancer. [THR]

An Education now has a poster. It's nothing special, but Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligan look flawless on it. [In Contention]

Get your first look at an incredibly thin Christian Bale on the set of The Fighter. He isn't as thin as he was for The Machinist, but he still looks downright frightening, and the thinned hair doesn't help either. It's probably good for his career, but I can't imagine this being good for his health. [Awards Daily]

Henry Cavill is the unluckiest bastard in Hollywood. He could have starred in Harry Potter, Batman Begins, Superman Returns, the post-Brosnan Bond films, and Twilight. [The Playlist]

Nathaniel gives us his 10 best films of the year so far. [Film Experience]

Yesterday, it looked like Denzel Washington left Unstoppable because of budget problems and a delayed scheduled. It looks like he might reconsider now that Fox has made a different offer. [Cinematical]

Ioan Gruffudd has been cast in Banking on Mr. Toad, as British writer Kenneth Grahame, who is best known for The Wind in the Willows. [Empire]

Kerry Washington has been doing some press for her transsexual role in Life is Hot in Cracktown. Check out some of her interviews. [TransGriot]

What the hell is Inception about anyway? [The Playlist]

Chris Pine to join Denzel Washington in 'Unstoppable'

Chris Pine is in talks to star alongside Denzel Washington in Tony Scott's Unstoppable. The film, loosely based on a true story, focuses on a train engineer (Washington) who is about to be fired and the new conductor who will replace him (Pine). Both men must stop a freight train filled with flammable liquid and poison gas from destroying a city.

It's pretty interesting that Pine has chosen this role right after Star Trek, considering he was reportedly getting offered everything from The A-Team to The Green Lantern.

It looks like Pine joining the cast is near definite at this point, especially after Denzel Washington discussed the film with MTV news:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Martin Luther King Jr biopic in the works

Steven Spielberg is set to produce the upcoming biopic for DreamWorks. It will be the first film authorized by King's estate, and producers will be able to incorporate King's speeches into the film.

"We are all honored that the King Estate is giving us the opportunity to tell the story of these defining, historic events," Spielberg said. "It is our hope that the creative power of film and the impact of Dr. King's life can combine to present a story of undeniable power that we can all be proud of."

"In trying to tackle such an ambitious project, the question we had to ask ourselves is, 'Why now?' " Snider said. "The answer lies in MLK's own words: 'All progress is precarious.' With every step forward, new obstacles emerge and we must never forget that his life and his teachings continue to challenge us every day to stand up to hatred and inequality." [Variety via Awards Daily]

As usual, I'm trying to cast this project in my head. Jeffrey Wright played MLK flawlessly in the HBO film Boycott, so I think it'll be hard for me to imagine anyone else in the role. Would Spielberg hire Wright to play him again sort of the way Michael Sheen gets hired to play Tony Blair? Who knows? There have been other suggestions going around with everyone from Don Cheadle to Terrence Howard (who also starred in Boycott with Wright) to Chiwetel Ejiofor. Ejiofor would be a pretty great choice I think, but I wonder how people would feel about a British actor playing an American hero.

The other typical names are getting thrown around as well (mostly because you can count the amount of famous black actors in Hollywood on your hand): Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, and Denzel Washington. I doubt that I could get excited by any of those three actors mostly because they've all done their share of biopics, and because none of them actually seems to fit the part. There hasn't been an official release date announced yet, so there will be a lot of time to speculate.