When is the news of an actor you really like joining the cast of a high-profile new movie bad news? When you wish that actor were doing other things with his time, that's when. In the case of Thomas McCarthy -- whom you may remember from his masterfully detestable performance as weaselly reporter Scott Templeton in the final season of The Wire -- I wish he were writing and directing another film as brilliant and deeply moving as The Visitor, which at this halfway point is my favorite movie of 2008. I'd even settle for something with the wry, quiet charm of his lovely 2003 debut The Station Agent.

Instead -- ::sigh:: -- he's gone and taken a supporting role in Roland Emmerich's disaster flick 2012, playing Amanda Peet's boyfriend. C'mon, Tom: anyone can do that. Only a handful of people have your behind-the-camera chops. Quit messing around.

I'm being mean, and in this Hollywood Reporter piece McCarthy makes a valiant effort at defending the choice in terms of how working with directors who make different kinds of films helps him with his own work. (The article also mentions that McCarthy moonlights as an uncredited studio script doctor, which I didn't know, and which makes perfect sense given the natural, effortless flow of the films he's written.) Okay fine. But direct something else please.

I was trying to think back to when Amanda Peet had her last high-profile starring role, and I realized: she doesn't do them very often. It's surprising, because she seems so ubiquitous, but it's true -- outside of tiny projects like Nigel Cole's A Lot Like Love, she's mostly done lots and lots of (often significant) supporting parts. She's making a somewhat dubious attempt to remedy that by taking the female lead role opposite John Cusack in Roland Emmerich's sci-fi epic 2012. Peet and Cusack will head a cast that includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover (as the President) and Oliver Platt.

2012, which was written by Emmerich with his 10,000 BC writing partner (and, uh, composer) Harald Kloser, posits that the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012 will herald the end of the world. Cusack's character must open a portal into a parallel universe and enlist his double in the struggle to prevent said apocalypse. The concept is right up my alley, but Emmerich's films -- especially his and Kloser's 10,000 BC -- are not. On the other hand, the two leads are immensely likable, and John Cusack rarely signs on for a genuine stinker, so we'll see.

The movie is scheduled for a July 10, 2009 release barring an actor's strike. Peet, of course, will also appear in a (surprise!) supporting role in this year's The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Since Fox has refused to reveal virtually any plot details about this summer's The X-Files: I Want to Believe, I've endeavored to translate the still-cryptic but slightly more informative Russian trailer that hit the interwebs yesterday. It would seem that the story will involve a priest named "Father Joe" (that's the Billy Connolly character) who has nightmarish visions of a woman in trouble that he claims come from God. (In other words, this unofficial summary seems to have been on the money.) We also learn that Mulder is roped into the investigation by Amanda Peet's character, Dakota Whitney.

I had fun translating the cheesy dubbing; you hear bits of this dialogue in the American trailer, but a lot of it is new. Check out the translation after the jump.

Word about Nicole Holofcener's still-untitled new film hit back in December, when Catherine Keener, regular Holofcener star, was circling the project. Now The Hollywood Reporter posts that the film has been picked up by Sony Picture Classics, and three players have been added to the roster -- Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, and Rebecca Hall.

Written by Holofcener, the film focuses on a New York couple (Keener and Platt) who own the next-door apartment, which is occupied by a "cantankerous, elderly woman." The pair want to reclaim the apartment, so they're anxiously waiting for the woman to die so they can grab it back. It's not the most charming plan, but certainly understandable in a morbid way. But then their impatience is complicated by the presence of the woman's two granddaughters, who the couple befriend (Peet and Hall) -- it's not so easy to itch for death when the whole scenario becomes more real.

The film is scheduled to begin production in mid-May, with plans to wrap before that looming, potential SAG strike. In the meantime, a number of roles still need to be cast -- namely the grandmother who won't die, and the couple's daughter.

I'll just come right out and say it: I think werewolves are dumb. They could be interesting, and I'm sure they once were, but for me they're typically a let down, whether they be the lame werewolves in Wes Craven's Cursed or the badly generated werewolf transformation in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban or even the blood-splattering werewolves of a well-written horror film like Dog Soldiers. Maybe it's because the first werewolves I was familiar with growing up were Michael Jackson in the "Thriller" video and Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf, but whatever the reason, the fact remains that I don't think they're scary and I don't think they're cool.

So, you can imagine how disappointed I was to see JoBlo's new spy shots from the set of "X-Files: Done One" (aka X-Files 2), which feature what looks to be a werewolf mask. I guess there's a chance that thing in the photos could simply be a wolf -- not of the 'were' variety -- and that would be OK. But seeing as this is the paranormal world of X-Files, I'm betting on my first thought being correct.

For other fans of the show, these photos are probably pretty exciting. They're certainly a lot more interesting than that first pic we saw last month, and more intriguing than these simple photos and video of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson from FlynetOnline or these more official shots from ComingSoon.net. Also, with all the secrecy surrounding the plot of the sequel, these photos allow us to speculate a great many things while we wait to hear about the actual plot synopsis. Perhaps one of those new cast members, say Xzibit or Billy Connolly or Amanda Peet turns into a werewolf. Wouldn't that be super neat? Yeah, well you already know I think it would be boring, but I'm trying to be excited for the rest of you.

OK, so this might be nit-picking, but would it have killed someone to make sure that the first set photo released from X-Files 2 was a picture of Agents Mulder and Scully? ComingSoon.net has received the first image from the set and let's just say if you were never that into the show, then this picture is not going to do much for you. But if like me, you were more than a little obsessed with the original TV series that ran for almost ten years, then it's time to let your inner fan-boy run wild. This first photo was taken on location in Vancouver, shows stars David Duchovny and Amanda Peet on set, but other than that, there isn't really much to say. Although, it's nice to see trench coats are making a comeback again.

Starring Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI agents Mulder and Scully, the story has been kept tightly under wraps, although there were some false alarms a little while back. It was only last week that casting had been finalized, so I guess that director/creator Chris Carter wasn't wasting any time and put Peet right to work. X-Files was possibly one of the most popular TV series of all time, but the first feature film back in 1998 never managed to spark a franchise. When news of the sequel became official, it wasn't that fans weren't happy to have everyone back; it's just that I think we all just wondered what took them so long. X-Files 2 is set for release on July 25th, 2008.

The Hollywood Reporter announced that Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, and Xzibit have all joined the cast of X-Files 2. Details are pretty sketchy as to who Scottish comedian Connolly will play, but THR did confirm that Xzibit (the 'Pimper of Rides') and Peet would be playing fellow FBI agents alongside our friends Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson). Peet has just signed to star in the drama, Real Men Cry with Mark Ruffalo, but it looks like X-Files might come first now that the production looks to be ready to go. Xzibit had also originally been signed to star in Oliver Stone's Pinkville, but when that film was stalled because of the writer's strike, I guess it freed up some time in the rapper/actor/TV host's schedule.

I'd be willing to guess that most fans of the show were pretty surprised when word of a sequel started making the rounds again. When official word finally hit, the fan in me was thrilled and a little curious as to how they were going to make a stand-alone story. Luckily, Chris Carter and series vet Frank Spotnitz wrote the screenplay. Filming is set to begin in Vancouver later this month, and the production is also currently casting in Canada. Although, there is still no confirmation on whether Lance Henriksen (Frank Black in Carter's other series; Millenium) will be making an appearance.

Just last week, Christopher brought us some script details that had been leaked. But, some of the details were later discounted by Carter, who said that he was using old character and plot to try and keep his casting process as secret as possible up until the last minute. I hope all the secrecy is worth it, because I can't see the addition of Xzibit and Billy Connolly as something worth this much security. X-Files 2 is set for release on July 25th, 2008.

Well, with a title like Real Men Cry, I guess it's a relief that this won't be a movie about men taking sensitivity training. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Mark Ruffalo, Amanda Peet and Ethan Hawke have signed for the leads in autobiographical crime drama called Real Men Cry. The film was written by actor-turned-director Brian Goodman, and is his autobiographical story about a local Boston boy who overcomes his criminal past. "Hawke and Ruffalo will play childhood friends Paulie and Brian, respectively, who are forced to survive on the tough streets of South Boston through a life of petty thievery. They join a local gang of criminals, but Brian finds it hard to reconcile his work and friendship with Paulie and his relationship with his wife (Peet) and son."

After years of petty criminal acts and drug and alcohol abuse, Goodman was finally incarcerated and began to turn his life around. Goodman told THR, "I came from a broken home and was living in survival mode. I have three bullets in me, one in the back of my head." Goodman began to score parts in small, local films in the late '90s, and also crossed paths with boy-band veteran Donnie Wahlberg at a high stakes card game in Boston. Wahlberg, another native of Boston's mean streets, even collaborated with Goodman on the script with fellow Boston actor Paul T. Murray. According to THR, the film has been put on the fast track; now that casting is already underway, I wouldn't be surprised if the film is aiming for a 2008 release.

Here is a list of actors who appear in Jesse Peretz's The Ex: Jason Bateman, Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, Charles Grodin, Mia Farrow, Amy Poehler, Fred Armisen, Amy Adams, Donal Logue, Josh Charles and Paul Rudd. Every single one of 'em is a very talented actor who can really deliver the laughs -- given the right material.

Here is a list of actors who appear in Jesse Peretz's The Ex without delivering one single laugh over the course of 81 resoundingly wretched minutes: Jason Bateman, Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, Charles Grodin, Mia Farrow, Amy Poehler, Fred Armisen, Amy Adams, Donal Logue, Josh Charles and Paul Rudd. It's almost like a world's record: How long can a movie stocked with really funny people go on without doling out, at minimum, one mild chuckle? Comedy experts may one day look at The Ex with a scientific eye. Aspiring filmmakers should check it out as a lesson plan from Bizarro World: Make a movie that's the exact opposite of The Ex and it could be the funniest film ever made.

Since humor and "what's funny" are entirely subjective things (meaning that you might find "cripple humor" the pinnacle of all things hilarious whereas I can't help but see such material as obvious, desperate and witless), I'll leave my "zero laughs" opinion at the door and just explain how terribly-made The Ex is. (Basically picture the lamest, longest sitcom pilot you can possibly imagine.) You may have heard of this movie under its original title (Fast Track) or knew a little something about its three or four previous release dates, but it's now limping into theaters with no fanfare whatsoever, desperately hoping to dupe a few fans of Scrubs and Arrested Development into buying a ticket.

Good news, Zach Braff fans: We're unveiling the poster for his new romantic comedy The Ex below. Those of you who possess the infinite wisdom and impeccable taste to be loyal devotees of Braff's TV show Scrubs will be glad to know that, if The Ex trailer is any indication, the film appears to have a very similar comedic sensibility to the wacky medical sitcom. Braff stars as a big-time underachiever who's forced to become the breadwinner for his family when his successful lawyer of a wife (Amanda Peet) gets pregnant. But when his new job pits him against his wife's wheelchair-bound ex-boyfriend (Jason Bateman), he realizes that "nothing burns like an old flame" ... and that it really sucks to get beat up by a guy in a wheelchair. Get an exclusive first look at the poster below (Click on the image for a larger version).

Get more about The Ex | Watch The Ex trailer | See Zach Braff photos