THR reports that Christian Bale has bailed on the movie, citing “conflicting feelings” and the ultimate realization that “he was not right for the part and decided to withdraw.” While the exact nature of Bale’s concerns aren’t yet known (maybe he felt bad doing the movie after David Fincher,who first courted him for the project, departed), the actor is due on the press circuit soon for “Exodus: Gods And Kings,” so he’ll surely be asked about this matter. It should be noted that the actor was never technically signed on.

Well, that’s kind of a bummer. While I have been sort of unsure about…

Christopher McQuarrie is currently at work directing Mission: Impossible 5, with Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg all returning to the cast. We know there will be some new additions to the cast, including Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, and Sean Harris as the bad guy. The director has given fans a first Mission: Impossible 5 cast photo, and it highlights just that returning crew, however.

McQuarrie tweeted the image:

The team is back. @Renner4Real @TomCruise @simonpegg #VingRhames #MI5Diary pic.twitter.com/ai3J6dYMaC

— ChristopherMcQuarrie (@chrismcquarrie)

Though Disney clearly has the lead in the race to adapt Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Bookinto a big-budget blockbuster, Warner Bros. is quietly moving along with its own take, now officially titled Jungle Book: Origins. Andy Serkis is making his directorial debut on the pic, after having served as Peter Jackson’s second unit director on the Hobbit trilogy. Now, the first voice lead for the film has been announced - Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch will be lending his voice to the fearsome tiger Shere Khan.

This casting choice is so perfect and so obvious I can’t believe I didn’t think…

How can Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD push back up to the ratings it enjoyed at the outset of the first season? New cast members might not hurt, especially when one is a queen in the world of fandom. And so Lucy Lawless, who rose to fame starring in six seasons of Xena: Warrior Princess and has also appeared in Spartacus, Battlestar Galactica, and Parks and Recreation, is joining Agents of SHIELD in an unknown role.

I don’t remember all that well, but I seem to remember that I thought she was good in Battlestar Galactica. So this is probably a find casting choice. I am certainly looking…

Despite the reboot premiering sometime next year according to plan, Kring was still pretty vague on details. “It takes place in a post-season 4 universe,” he said. “So it will tie into some of the ideas that were left dangling.”

And yet, it’ll also be treading new ground, through the introduction of an almost entirely new cast. Kring explained that they wanted to bring back a few of the core characters “really only to give a sense of continuity and a tether to the original world.” They’ve signed on Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman), the man with the horn-rimmed glasses, “because he was a character…

Everyone wants to see Iron Man (a.k.a. Robert Downey Jr.) suit up for another Marvel film. Personally, I would enjoy more super hero stuff with Downey, but I’m more interested in the rest of his career.

Mr. Downey and his wife co-produced their very own drama that hits theaters this October 10th. It’s The Judge, the story of a scrupleless lawyer (Robert), his judge father (Robert Duvall), and a tumultuous trial that charges not-so-dear-old-dad with murder. The Judge also stars Billy Bob Thorton, Leighton Meester, and Vera Farmiga.

Robert had some nice things to say about his film on…

Pixar’s Inside Out is scheduled for release June 19, 2015. This is the first time in more than a decade that Pixar has skipped a yearly release cycle.

The upcoming film is shrouded in mystery, as little is known besides a simple summary and the voice cast (no trailers available at this time).

It’s the story of eleven-year-old Riley, a girl in the Midwest that’s moving to San Francisco. It’s about her transition in a wave of new life experiences. It’s the new beginnings that Riley encounters that spur some inner growth, turmoil, and comedy. Pixar’s press release:

Like all of us, Riley is…

Daisy Ridley is a 5-foot-7 jazz singer, dancer and strong swimmer with dark hair, a native London accent, and a few minor television credits she gathered over the past year. She’s in her early 20s, and used to go by @daisyjazz on Twitter — before the account was disabled.

That’s about all we know about the lone “unknown” member of the Star Wars VII cast. Other than that she’s about to become very, very famous.

In the hours after Disney and Lucasfilm’s big casting announcement, Ridley’s acting reel was pulled down from Vimeo. She has no Wikipedia page; no photos on Getty Images (jeez, even 

Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o has met with, and may sign on for, a key role in J.J. Abrams‘ Star Wars Episode 7. The 12 Years A Slave star reportedly is “extremely close” to playing a role not related to the original trilogy. It may be a Sith or a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

When calling Nyong’os representatives for comment they said, “We’re not allowed to talk about that.” If there’s a “that,” that’s all we needed to know.

I’ll just leave this right here…