For those of you who haven’t committed the original Robocop to memory – first of all, what’s wrong with you? But also, the CEO of Omni Corp (the evil corporation of the movie) would appear to be an analogue to Ronny Cox’s character in the original movie. And if the remake goes in a similar direction, you can expect Laurie to be just one of many scoundrels who Robocop gets to blast into oblivion.

Assuming that Laurie and MGM reach an agreement, he’ll be joining a pretty impressive cast that includes Joel Kinnaman as Robocop, Abbie Cornish as Robocop’s wife, Samuel L. Jackson as some kind of media figure (media satire is a big part of the original movie), and Gary Oldman as the scientist who brings Robocop to life. (The AV Club)

Falling back onto Abbie Cornish, Blake Lively and Teresa Palmer should work out just fine as those are high-profile names for what’s becoming a very high-profile project. All three actresses are reportedly reading for the part of O, the girlfriend of two pot dealers who gets kidnapped and held for ransom on account of their shady behavior. Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch have been cast as the two boyfriends, with Benicio del Toro and possibly Selma Hayek signing on to play principals from the rival drug cartel.

No single frontrunner for the desired role of O has been stated. In fact, it’s likely that this trio of actresses is not even exhaustive, as Deadline is getting into the mix and saying that they hear Stone is inclined to handpick at unknown for the part.

In summation, the part of O definitely won’t be played by Jennifer Lawrence. It might be played by Abbie Cornish, Teresa Palmer, or Blake Lively. Or another well-known young actress. Or it could be played by someone we’ve never heard of.

While this sounds like a bit of a mess, it underlines the fact that The Savages has enough weight behind it that it can do what it damn well pleases at this point, so it will be interesting to see which direction the never-predictable Oliver Stone takes this project. Stay tuned, I guess.

Sucker Punch is a crazy movie, but it’s my kind of crazy. I think Zack Snyder just thought of the craziest things he wanted to see in a movie, so he did it. That’s what artists should do. Now it turns out to be some metaphorical fantasy and that’s cool too. It makes the film beautiful in addition to being awesome.

Baby Doll (Emily Browning) faces an evil stepfather in a haunting slo-mo, dialogue free opening. He commits her to the Lennox House institution after she fights him and accidentally kills her own sister. He’s also paid the Lennox House orderly off to have Baby lobotomized so she can’t tell her side of the story.

In the asylum’s “theater,” Dr. Gorsky (Carla Gugino) tries to socialize the girls. At one point, the theater becomes a dance studio, so is that the fantasy or is that Baby Doll waking up from the fantasy? In the dance class phase, Baby Doll meets other inmates Sweat Pea (Abbie Cornish), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), Rocket (Jena Malone) and Amber (Jamie Chung).

When it’s Baby Doll’s turn to dance, the blink of her eye takes us into another world. How many layers is Snyder building here? It turns out every time Baby Doll dances, we see the wild action fantasy. There’s a Shaolin temple battle agains armored warrior giants, World War II trenches with zeppelins blowing up, a monster castle and a train filled with robots.

Why would you not want to see these scenes on their own? In Sucker Punch, we get those awesome scenes and they’re also symbolic and open to interpretation. The action is 300-y with impossible teamwork and comic book logic. Baby Doll can hurl a tube mile up in the air and then catch it later. The temple battle looks a little like a video game boss in CGI but the moves and camerawork are still beautiful. The other battles don’t even have the CGI problem.

I don’t think you’re supposed to take any level of this literally. The asylum puts on a nightclub where the inmates dance for customers. That’s crazy! The women wear super thick makeup, not for beauty but to completely exaggerate their faces.

This is the kind of movie I want to interpret. It’s not asking us to make sense of some random minimalist montage. It’s putting on a multi-million dollar show with no restrictions.

Director: Zack Snyder

Cast: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jenna Malone, Carla Gugino, Jamie Chung, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn

Synopsis: A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.

Release Date: March 25th, 2011

These preview snaps from Zack Snyder‘s Sucker Punch contain all the elements of a fanboy handjob, minus the inclusion of a recognizable superhero. You’ve got a lot of hot girls (Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Jamie Chung, Abbie Cornish and Vanessa Hudgens) in sexy outfits wielding weapons in fantasy locations, and Don Draper for all the girlfriends out there. That hits all the quadrants I can think of.

Warner Bros. just released a million stills from Sucker Punch for our ogling before the March 25th release date, and not to worry – I tossed out all the lame ones where it just looks like people are talking. Blab, blab, blab – more cleavage shaking due to holding a machine gun, please. (Cinema Blend)

A word from Abbie: “Wheneve I am acting, it’s everything, you know. If I’m researching a role, I’m completely consumed in that and, between action and cut, I live in this suspended time. It’s a really amazing experience and the only other thing I get it from is music.”

Director: Neil Burger

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro

Synopsis: A copywriter discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him with super human abilities.

Release Date: March 18, 2011

Sucker Punch still opens on March 25th, and as long as they keep rolling out these images, I’ll keep reminding you of that fact. (Cinema Blend)

Hmmm… for a film about unlocking potential, you’d think this wouldn’t look so bland. And what’s with the Lawnmower Man brain graphics? You guys do realize this is playing in theaters, right? I don’t mean to bag on it too hard though. It is a really interesting concept, I’m just not certain it’s done justice by what we’ve seen in this trailer. It’s just that I feel like I’ve seen this movie before, and it starred Jim Carrey.

Warner Bros. has unleashed the trailer for Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch. No matter what you’re fond of in life, it’s probably somewhere in this film. Hot girls, dragons, robots, robot samurai, zepplins, it’s all there. The film stars Abbie Cornish, Jamie Chung, Jena Malone, Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgins, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn, and Carla Gugino. They all play humans, as far as I can tell, but I’m sure one of them could change into a robot samurai at any moment. I don’t even want to attempt putting this movie’s plot into words so here’s the official synopsis:

Sucker Punch is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality.  Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, but her incredible adventures blur the lines between what’s real and what is imaginary…with potentially tragic consequences.

Give your eyes an orgasm with the trailer below.

Sucker Punch — Trailer – Watch more Movie Trailers

(Apple)

^{There can be only one.}

As is the trend nowadays, Baz Luhrmann is using the casting process of his new film as an opportunity to meet Natalie Portman. The director is in search for an actress to portray Daisy Buchanan opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire in his adaptation of the classic novel, The Great Gatsby.

Luhrmann workshopped the script with DiCaprio, Maguire, and Rebecca Hall but wants to expand his efforts to find the right fit. Though Hall still remains in the running, the director is also planning to shoot tests with the usual suspects: Keira Knightley, Amanda Seyfried, Abbie Cornish, Michelle Williams, Scarlett Johansson, and the recently-single Blake Lively. I see what you’re doing there Baz, and I’m disappointed. I’d expect that kind of behavior from John Mayer. Not from you. (Deadline)

Last week we gave you a grainy look at the ass-kickers in Zack Snyder‘s Sucker Punch. At the time, we lamented that the picture didn’t capture their hotness befittingly. Thankfully, Warner Bros has stepped in to give us a proper look at Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Jena Malone, and Carla Gugino via character posters. These are much nicer than the corpse that Warners dragged through the townsquare yesterday.

This movie looks like a lot of fun. Not sure why Speilberg glossed over the fact that there were Nazi-zombies, mechanized armor, or dragons in World War II when he made Saving Private Ryan. Seems like exciting stuff to me. I guess he was just kind of asleep at the wheel.

MORE GIRLS, GUNS, AND GUGINO AFTER THE JUMP…

More news ripped from the pages of this week’s Entertainment Weekly. Here’s a first look at the girls of Zack Snyder‘s Sucker Punch. I’ll be frank for a minute and you be Shirley — I was expecting a sexier crew of ass-kicking females. The group consists of Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Emily Browning, Jena Malone, and Jamie Chung, all individually super hot actresses, yet when put together they look like they’re shuffling to a nearby cot for a nap. Scott Glenn even fits right in, which should never be the case.

Maybe it’s the grim landscape that’s bringing everyone down. I vote that the next batch of stills be set at the beach or a car wash. I realize that the movie takes place in a mental institution, but there’s gotta be a way to work a car wash in. Take a left past the schizo wing and tell the man at the desk what air freshener you’d like. (ComingSoon)

Director: Zack Snyder

Cast: Emilie de Ravin,Jim Sturgess, Geoffrey Rush, Abbie Cornish, Rachel Talylor

Synopsis: Soren, a young barn owl, is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie’s, ostensibly an orphanage, where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers. He and his new friends escape to the island of Ga’Hoole, to assist its noble, wise owls who fight the army being created by the wicked rulers of St. Aggie’s. The film is based on the first three books in the series.

Release Date: Septembe 24, 2010