Luke Evans, who is on the rise thanks to roles in Fast and Furious 6 and The Hobbit sequels, has officially been brought on to play the vengeful rock musician Eric Draven. And the words in the hallway are that the studio always considered Evans their first choice, and the nice dinners with Tom Hiddleston, Alexander Skarsgard, James McAvoy, Mark Wahlberg, and Bradley Cooper were only brief flirtations, a sewing of the wild oats. However wearing Evans’ promise ring comes with conditions. The film has been pushed back to accommodate the actor’s commitments to Dracula and The Desolation of Smaug. After those are fulfilled, he’d better learn to like leather pants. (Deadline)

Cast: Ray Stevenson, Matthew McFayden, Logan Lerman

Synopsis: The hot-headed young D’Artagnan along with three former legendary but now down on their luck Musketeers must unite and defeat a beautiful double agent and her villainous employer from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war.

Release Date: October 21, 2011

As previously reported, The Raven stars John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe in the final days of his life. Luke Evans plays a detective who teams with Poe when a vicious serial killer kidnaps the author’s really hot fiancee (Alice Eve) and begins modeling his killings after Poe’s work. Talk about commitment from a writer. I doubt you’d see Tucker Max on the scene with a magnifying glass if a killer were to start murdering women in the douchiest ways possible.

The Raven opens in theaters March 9th, 2012. (Bloody Disgusting)

Evans’ character plays a skilled archer (read: badass) that Deadline states is reminiscent of Viggo Mortensen‘s Aragon from Lord of the Rings. Bard will be in the first film, but will get more attention in the second installment, it is said.

Evans is wrapping up his role as Aramis in the upcoming Three Musketeers, so perhaps Hobbit producers knew he would be well suited to wearing ridiculous outfits. Whatever gives you an edge…

Those keeping track/who have OCD might remember that Tom Buchanan was going to be played by Ben Affleck, but apparently he had scheduling conflicts with another project – Argo, his next movie as director.

You might not recognize Edgerton or Evans’ names, but it’s possible you’ve seen their faces. Edgerton was in the last Star Wars movie, and Evans was in Clash of the Titans. So I guess it’s possible you saw them but don’t remember because of all the CGI. Good luck to both men – remember to touch gloves and keep it clean. Fight! (The Hollywood Reporter)

According to Evans, there are four actors in contention for Not Jason Bourne — Joel Edgerton, Dominic Cooper, Garrett Hedlund, and Evans.

“I’ve met the director, he’s fantastic. The script that I’ve been given, I’ve not been allowed to read the whole script, no one’s allowed to read the whole script, but the script that I’ve been given is great. It’s so well done. It just rolls off the tongue. It’s just nice to be in good company, there’s four of us left.”

So what does this mean for Renner? Did he take Gilroy’s offer, throw it to the ground and elbow drop on it while screaming no? It’s likely that exact scenario is exactly what happened. Or, it would be if I were an actor. Not enough projects are passed on via elbow drop. (via The Playlist)

The Three Musketeers in 3D swings into theaters October 14, 2011.

JULIANNE MOORE has joine Paul Dano and Robert De Niro in the homeless dad epic,  Another Bullshit Night In Suck City. No word yet on who Moore will play in the adaptation of the popular memoir but it will likely involve crying. You just know it will. (The Film Stage)

MIRA SORVINO and DERMOT MULRONEY have signed on to be super bummed out in Trade Of Innocents. They will play parents grieving the loss of their daughter who embark on a mission to free girls who have been sold into sex slavery. A rejected fourth act would have shown the two trying to enroll those they saved into a technical college. (THR)

LUKE EVANS and ROBERT CARLYLE are teaming up for the gritty cop drama Dogs Of Law. The London-based action thriller follows Evans as an undercover cop investigating his corrupt colleague Carlyle. I’m always quick to dismiss gritty cop thrillers like this but please keep in mind that police don’t carry guns in England. It will be a fun change of pace to see the bad guy killed with politeness. (Screen Daily)

Alice Eve and Luke Evans, but mainly Alice Eve, have joined the cast of The Raven. John Cusack is already on board to don the ascot of that waaaaaaaacky author Edgar Allan Poe. Evans will play a "detective who partners with Poe to search for a serial killer who has kidnapped the author’s fiance (Eve) and has gone on a murders spree that mimics the author’s work." Just like it happens in the classic novel!

James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) will begin shooting the film November 9, with Budapest and Serbia standing in for 1849 Baltimore. Things haven’t changed much there in the past 160 years. (THR)