Over the course of his 50 year career, Glenn Ford -- best known to modern audiences as Jonathan Kent in 1978's Superman -- appeared in nearly 100 films, most of them in the 1950s and 60s, during which he was almost ubiquitous in Hollywood. A big post-war box office draw, Ford was also deceptively talented, turning in equally solid, very different performances in films as wide-ranging as 3:10 to Yuma, Gilda, and Fritz Lang's The Big Heat. His work in Yuma, in particular, is a fitting legacy for Ford: He often appeared in westerns, but was rarely asked to display the terrifying charisma he employs in that film as Ben Wade, an outlaw who spends 90% of the film simply waiting for a train. It's a brilliant, nuanced performance from a man whose roles didn't always allow him so much room to work.

In addition to a Hollywood mainstay, Ford was also a military man, serving three years during World War II (his first film after the war was Gilda -- not bad for a guy who just returned from combat) and returning to the U.S. Naval Reserve during the Viet Nam War.

Ford was found dead in his home yesterday afternoon; he was 90 years old.

It's amazing how much attention a Hollywood remake of a little western can get from the trades -- but I guess that happens when names like Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe are associated with the film. As we've told you in our periodic updates on James Mangold's 3:10 to Yuma remake, the news that Cruise wasn't making the film broke at the same time that a)Crowe supplanted him as the movie's baddie, Ben Wade, and b)Sony dropped the movie, apparently due to major concerns about its ability to make a profit.

Even thought the film didn't actually have either a home or financing, however, casting evidently continued. Kim reported way back in February that the Incredible Hulk himself, Eric Bana, was interested in playing the good guy -- rancher Dan Evans -- to Cruise's/Crowe's Wade (played with frightening charm by Glenn Ford in the original). Just as with Cruise, though, the early reports proved wrong, and it was revealed today that Christian Bale is seconds from signing on to play Evans. Hmm. While I'm still pissed about the remake in general, and would much rather see Bale play Wade, at least he's a good actor. That's something, I guess.

In other Yuma news, the movie looks to have secured financing through Relativity Media, but is still in search of a distributor.

3:10 to Yuma is a fantastically tight little western about honor and duty, starring Van Heflin and a frighteningly charismatic Glenn Ford. It's a perfect example of the the great things that can be done in film when you've got about $6, 90 minutes, a solid story (written by Elmore Leonard), and a pair of great actors. But, because Hollywood a) is out of ideas, and b) can't leave well enough alone, James Mangold has decided to follow up Walk the Line by remaking a movie that's been pretty much perfect for almost 50 years. Oh, and he's going to kick it up a notch, don't you worry. Apparently, you see, "There are a lot of good-bad themes that were only touched on in the original...This is a total struggle culminating in a showdown, which has the potential to be one of the great movie gunfights." So, let me get this straight: a movie that's all about acting, honor, and subtly is going to be turned into a huge shootout? Fan-freaking-tastic.

Mangold and his wife Cathy Konrad will also produce the film, which is expected to begin shooting this summer.