About a week ago, word spread that Robert De Niro had walked off the set of Martin Campbell's Edge of Darkness. A spokesman for De Niro explained it to us like idiots: "Sometimes things don't work out; it's called creative differences." De Niro would have co-starred with Mel Gibson as an agent tasked with cleaning up evidence of a murder Gibson's homicide detective is trying to investigate.

It seems that Campbell has found his replacement: the great Ray Winstone, who is currently in negotiations to step into the role. Winstone obviously doesn't have De Niro's profile, which is a loss for a film that's benefited from a considerable amount of hype before even starting principal photography (most of it having to do with Mel Gibson's return to acting after six years). But he certainly has the chops.

De Niro, meanwhile, faces a test of his drawing power this weekend with the release of Righteous Kill. The marketing campaign has concentrated exclusively on the presence of De Niro and Al Pacino, so the question will be how many people the two of them can get into the theaters. Not that De Niro has anything to prove, as evidenced by his walking off the set of a major film two days into shooting.

The water surrounding Edge of Darkness was already rather tepid -- I'm going by the comments here on Cinematical, and the dutiful, but unenthusiastic reporting it's attracted. Were it 1996, and Mel Gibson was still everyone's favorite action star, the buzz would be something else.

But now, the rumors might really start flying. Variety reports that Robert DeNiro has abruptly left the production, which has been shooting since August 18th, though this was his first week on set. The only word came from his spokesperson, and it was good and curt. "Sometimes things don't work out; it's called creative differences." The Boston Herald has a little gossipy tidbit about DeNiro shooting a golf scene, which hardly seems big enough to have led to such unworkable tension. Was it the delay caused by excavating the sand pit? (I'm being sarcastic, of course, because I hate not knowing the truth behind a dry label like "creative differences.") We can speculate all day as to why -- is it actually worse than Analyze That, or what?

Shooting will continue, obviously filming around scenes of DeNiro's character as they run around recasting. Frankly, this could work out for the best -- many last minute casting changes do. But this film hardly needs the hint of scandal, not when the beleaguered Gibson is involved.

Oh, that pesky Mel Gibson. I have to admit, while I used to be a fan, the last ten years have pulled me out of the Gibson fold. I wasn't planning to see Edge of Darkness, but with this latest casting notice, the pesky buggers have left me no choice.

The Hollywood Reporter posts that the wonderful, needs-to-be-in-more-films Danny Huston is signing on to the cast, along with Shawn Roberts (Diary of the Dead) and Bojana Novakovic (Seven Pounds). The Martin Campbell-helmed feature will focus on a veteran cop played by Gibson, "whose only grown-up child (Novakovic) is murdered on the steps of his home. The cop unearths his daughter's secret life and discovers a world of corporate cover-ups and government collusion." Huston is going to be a shady businessman, I presume somehow entangled in this mess, while Roberts will play the boyfriend of the daughter.

With a little Robert De Niro on board to clean up messes, this could be one interesting film.

If you're going to return to the big screen after a long break and a big scandal, it probably helps to have the biggest co-star you can grab. It looks like Mel Gibson has done exactly that with his upcoming Edge of Darkness, because according to Variety, Robert De Niro is in talks to join the cast.

Edge is a big-screen remake of the 1985 BBC miniseries, and it centers on Thomas Craven, a Boston detective, whose 24-year-old daughter is murdered on the front steps of their home. Assuming he was the target, Craven begins investigating the murder, only to discover a startling conspiracy that reaches into high levels of government. Robert De Niro will play an operative sent to clean up the evidence, which probably means he'll engage in fisticuffs with Gibson at some point. The movie is set to begin filming this month in Massachusetts, and has a SAG waiver to continue if a strike occurs.

As I've stated before, I'm really looking forward to seeing Gibson acting again, and I love the idea of him pairing up with De Niro. It's a casting combination that I'm surprised hasn't happened before. I just hope the film, and its performances, can be judged on its own merit and not condemned because of Gibson's past behavior. And with that, I ask you to try and remain civil in the comments!

When the writers' strike was looming, folks were rushing to get things done. This time around, with SAG, we've got some big-budget films trucking ahead, or scheduling re-shoots, without worry of the actors heading for the picket line. It almost feels like it's just some wild rumor. But it's not, and Variety reports that there is a pretty large "Waiverland" in case things go ahead.

SAG has set up 300 waiver deals with indie producers for post-June 30 production, should the strike go on. Now, Variety also points out that some of the big productions (like Terminator, which seemed surprisingly carefree about the possible strike), have scheduled in a hiatus just in case (hopefully long enough to cover it, should a strike begin), but others are going on the hope that there won't be one, like Angels and Demons and Prince of Persia. Risky business.

So, if you're wondering what some of the films are that got waivers, Variety shared the following: Edge of Darkness, W, My One and Only, Big Eyes, Labor Pains, Pandorum, Bad Lieutenant, Killing Pablo, and Brooklyn's Finest. Plus an earlier waiver list that included The Rebound, Law-Abiding Citizen, and Brothers in Arms.

We're in June now, so we'll know soon enough what will happen. Hopefully this can all be resolved without a big strike, but only time will tell.

24 is ridiculous, repetitive, and morally suspect -- and I love it with all my heart. I'm a card-carrying liberal, but I've offered to surrender my card if it means that I can jump up and down with glee as Jack Bauer yells "There's no time!" and shoots another terrorist in the kneecap. Close friend of Rush Limbaugh or not, then, co-creator Joel Surnow is one of my favorite people in Hollywood (he left the show earlier this year). And that means I'm excited about this announcement that Surnow and 24 co-producer Michael Loceff are collaborating to write and produce a new "contemporary spy thriller" for United Artists.

Surnow and UA have enlisted Casino Royale's Martin Campbell to direct the movie after he finishes the newly announced Mel Gibson thriller Edge of Darkness. The Hollywood Reporter speculates that this project might constitute an attempt by UA to find a viable franchise for part-owner Tom Cruise, though there's no official word that Cruise is going to star in the film.

The bad news, I guess, is that this probably means it'll be a while before we see that 24 movie that's been rumored for years now. (I still fantasize about it being called 2.) But maybe that's an opportunity for the show to get back into everyone's good graces after an unpopular sixth season and a writer's-strike-related delay of season 7. Meanwhile, as Jack Bauer would say, "tell me where the bomb is or I will kill your son." Wait, what? Never mind.

I am bracing myself for the negative comments on this one. Variety has announced that Mel Gibson is taking the lead role in Edge of Darkness, the big-screen adaptation of the 1985 BBC miniseries.

It will be Gibson's first acting role since Signs and We Were Soldiers in 2002. He will play a straitlaced police officer whose activist daughter is killed. He takes on investigation of the case, and discovers a trail of corruption that led to his daughter's death. Sounds just up Gibson's alley. He's been a fan of the miniseries for years.

It is being directed by Martin Campbell, who also directed the BBC miniseries, and penned by William Monahan, who was the Oscar-winner behind The Departed. Graham King (also an Oscar winner for The Departed) is producing, alongside Michael Wearing (who produced the BBC original). Filming is set to begin in August, on location in Boston. A solid team all around, and I don't think I've ever seen a bad BBC production.