"You do not sink Liam Neeson's Battleship."
Liam Neeson may have missed out at the chance to play Abraham Lincoln, but he will be DAMNED if he misses the opportunity to work with Rihanna. Zeus has signed on to play an Admiral in Peter Berg's cuckoo-bananas film adaptation of the Hasbro board game.
More specifically, Neeson will play Admiral Shane, the father to Brooklyn Decker's character and future father-in-law to Taylor Kitsch (if you care about the soap opera aspects of Battleship). No word yet if the film will feature any Krakken releasing. (Deadline)

"That dog musta been sick."
Here's the first look from Peter Berg's perplexing Battleship adaptation of Rihanna dressed like one of those guys that hang out at the mall trying to recruit poor people into combat. I still find it really odd that she joined the cast, which includes Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, and Alexander Skarsgard. Then again, I find it really odd this movie is being made. But what strikes me as most odd is this thing standing next to Rihanna. Didn't E.T. dress up as that once?

(via Movieline)

The news that there is a film in the works based upon the board game Battleship is a crazy enough notion. So, why am I still surprised by the casting news? We've already reported that Rihanna had joined the cast, because there was apparantly a Rihanna-like character intrinsic to the storyline. Now it has been announced that swimsuit model and Transformers 3 hopeful Brooklyn Decker will play Taylor Kitsch's love interest in the film. I mean, movie. I mean, commercial. I mean, Peter Berg's excuse to party with Rihanna and Brooklyn Decker. (Deadline)

It looks like an actor has willingly signed on to play the lead in Battleship, a Peter Berg joint. Taylor Kitsch, who you probably know from Friday Night Lights or X-Men Origins: Wolverine or John Carter of Mars (if you're behind on your RSS feed and just now reading this in 2012), is now attached to play Alex Hopper, the Commanding Officer of a destroyer who goes toe-to-toe with alien invaders on the high seas.Jeremy Renner was originally in talks for the role but had to drop out when he realized the movie was based on a board game. I'd like to stay optimistic about this until I see a trailer, but I will go on record and let it be known that I'll be very disappointed if a Slinky doesn't burst from a crewmember's chest during a galley scene. (THR)

Jeremy Renner is undoubtedly on many a casting wishlist thanks to his Oscar-nominated performance in The Hurt Locker. But that doesn't mean you have to take every role Jeremy.The actor has confirmed he will take a role in James McTiegue's The Raven, a movie that centers on the final days of Edgar Allan Poe as he hunts for a serial killer inspired by his stories. I don't remember that from high school English. Appears that Ms. Fitzgerald was asleep at the wheel.But the really distressing news is that he's considering the lead role in Peter Berg's Milton Bradley-adaptation Battleship. He's interested in the role but needs to decide if he would rather take a super-secret role for which he's had five meetings. Trust me, Jeremy. Whatever the other role is, you want to take it over board game sailors fighting aliens. Don't throw away your Oscar goodwill before you even win it. And make sure to use hand sanitizer after contact with Mickey Rourke. It's the only way to prevent the spread of career suicide. (NY Times)

Taken's Pierre Morel has been hired by Paramount to direct the upcoming adaptation of Dune. Morel, who also directed the upcoming John Travolta as Mr. Clean biopic From Paris, With Love, is looking to stay faithful to Frank Herbert's 1965 book and is in search for a writer that can help bring that to pass. This will be the third adaptation of Dune brought to the screen. And probably the first to involve parkour.Peter Berg was originally attached but left in order to adapt Milton Bradley's Battleship into a feature film about sailors fighting aliens. Uh-huh. Right. I guess Stephen Sommers was indisposed. (EW)

 Peter Berg invited a few reporters to spend the day on the USS Sterett so that he could discuss his upcoming board game adaptation, Battleship. Eyes have been rolling since the film was announced, but matters were made worse when it was reported that aliens would play the film's heavies. Berg defended this decision and elaborated on what to expect from the sea-faring visitors.The aliens are known as The Regents. They will be brought to the screen with a mixture of CG and live action.They aren't looking to take over Earth. They are looking to build a power source in the ocean so that they can return to their home world.The alien weaponry will not be futuristic lasers. It will be exploding ballistics-based, just like ours.Someone at some point in the film will exclaim, "You sank my Battleship!"So there you have it. No word on casting yet but Berg seems very clear about the movie he wants to make. It's a movie based on a board game. Looks like it's time to dust off my adaptation of Ants In The Pants. It's a mystery/thriller about these ants that get into some guy's pants. (Latino Review)