In their ongoing quest to market a promising film badly, Universal decided to release the new trailer for The Wolf Man exactly one hour after the Avatar trailer was scheduled to be released.  The trailer is below (HQ copy here), and a whole slew of new images are available at LatinoReview.

The Wolf Man stars Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, and Hugo Weaving, the triumvirate known in some circles (read: nowhere) as Scowly, Scary, and Forehead.  The first director (Mark Romanek) dropped out and was replaced by Joe Johnston (Hidalgo, Jumanji), known in most circles as “Who?”.

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The Boston Globe is reporting that the role of Larry in the Farrelly Brothers’ Three Stooges movie, originally set to star Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Jim Carrey, until Sean Penn pulled the kind of selfish dick move that is his trademark, will be filled by Paul Giamatti.

In town this week to see Paul McCartney play at Fenway, Peter Farrelly told us that Paul Giamatti has signed on to replace Sean Penn as Larry. Playing Moe will be Benicio Del Toro, one Hollywood’s biggest “Three Stooges” fans. Still to be cast is Curly. There had been reports that Jim Carrey would utter Curly’s signature “n’yuk, n’yuk, n’yuk,” but it’s not so.

Jim Carrey dropping out makes sense, but it’s strange that Paul Giamatti would jump in as Larry.  What basically happened was Penn dropped out, then a bunch of people said “Hey, what about Paul Giamatti?  He’s weird looking and bald.”  Then someone asked Giamatti about it and he said [via /Film]:

“They were always so dark and grim. And Moe was this ancient man with a little boy’s haircut. But Larry? I don’t get Larry. He’s strange. He’s sort of the blank guy in the middle.”

So maybe he had a change of heart.  Or maybe Peter Farrelly was just drunk.  Or maybe we’re all just figments of Tom Cruise’s coma fantasy, what am I, a wizard?  Anyway, I don’t see this movie happening.  I love the stooges, but the Farrellys haven’t made a good movie in a long time, and comedy doesn’t really age well (in fact, the latter may explain the former).  If they want to get this made, they’re gonna have to change the source to a graphic novel and Larry and Curly to two warring factions of vampires.

Sean Penn, after filing for divorce then changing his mind twice in the last two years, says he’s taking a break from acting. In the process, he’s sort of screwing over the two projects he’s attached to, the Farrelly Brothers Three Stooges movie and Cartel.

It is understood that the two-time Oscar-winning actor-writer-director is taking a leave from his Hollywood career for personal reasons. It’s unclear how long the absence could last, though sources have said up to a year.

Peter and Bobby Farrelly have spent the better part of a decade trying to get “Stooges” off the ground, and in March they pulled off a major casting coup: Penn as Larry, with Jim Carrey as Curly and Benicio del Toro as Moe.  Now MGM and the Farrellys, who wrote the script and are slated to direct, need to decide whether they will wait for Penn or seek to find a new actor.  Time and availability are the issues: “Stooges” was eyeing a late August start date, and MGM has slotted it for a 2010 release. If the studio waits, it could risk losing Carrey and del Toro. On the other hand, half of Hollywood would poke their eyes out for the part. [THR]

That’s a shame.  I know a lot of people were looking forward to the new, hellishly intense method-acting Larry who keeps slipping on banana peels on the way to identify the body of his murdered daughter.

Question marks in the headline can mean only one thing: it’s time to prognosticate! If you came here for answers, you’re in the wrong place, bub. Now, who wants to get stabbed in the dark?  Ouch, I’m bleeding! Yay!

MTV recently talked to American Psycho/Rules of Attraction/Less Than Zero author Bret Easton Ellis, whose 2005 book Lunar Park will soon become a movie.  The protagonist of the book is a fictionalized version of the lily-white Ellis, who says the lead candidate for the role is noted Puerto Rican Benicio Del Toro.  It’s a strange book – it starts with Ellis raising a family after gaining literary fame in the 80s, and eventually becomes a Stephen King-style supernatural thriller.

“Benicio would actually be playing Bret Easton Ellis,” the author said of his new, unlikely doppelganger. “It’s a strange bit of casting.”  According to Easton Ellis, it was their physical differences that attracted the “Traffic” star to the role. “I think he’s interested just because he’s rarely offered Anglo parts. I think that’s one of the reasons it was very exciting to him. I don’t even think he read the book; I just think he read the script and said ‘Oh, this is an Anglo writer and you’re not casting a white dude? You’ve come to me?’ And I think that rarely happens for him. I think he’s offered a lot of Spanish characters and ethnic types, and I think it’s very rare for him to get offered Anglo parts.” [MTV]

Of course he didn’t read the book – he’s Puerto Rican. I kid, I kid. But in all seriousness, if they ever make a movie about my life, I’m going on record that I want Danny Trejo for the lead.  Mira, puto – deed ju come here for some pinche movie news? (*fires shotgun at camera*)

I don’t break news myself that often, so when I do, I feel like I should make a big deal out of it.  So hey, remember when I said Sean Penn might play Larry in the Farrelly Bros Three Stooges remake?  Well… I was right!!!!  I was right I was right I was right– Ow, son of a bitch, I stubbed my toe on my Todja So trophy.

Anyway, Variety confirms that Penn will play Larry, Benicio del Toro is in talks to play Moe, and Jim Carrey planning to gain 40 pounds for Curly in the modern “update” of the classic comedy troupe from the directors whose next project is literally called Walter the Farting Dog and stars the Jonas Bros.  And now this cast. Here’s how I envision a Stooges movie starring these three going down:

PENN: (voice cracking) I dunno, man, I just… (unintelligible) …I just think, maybe I shouldn’ta killed her.  …God forgive me for da things I done.

DEL TORO: (long, thoughtful drag on cigarette) Listen, my frien’.  (points with cigarette) You.  You did whatchahadda do.  That’s it.  (flicks cigarette away, blows out smoke)

CARREY: (talking out of his ass) But gee, Larry!  Maybe you shouldn’t have tortured her so much first!  Maybe you could have just… ASSed her what the problem was. (does backflip)

*Moe shoots Curly in the face*