Oh Ari Fleischer -- the David Cross of Press Secretaries. Wait a minute -- why didn't they get David Cross for this role? He'd be perfect. Anyway, MTV tells us that Rob Corddry (The Daily Show, Semi-Pro ... and a bunch of other random comedies) has signed on to play former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer in Oliver Stone's W. Corddry joins a cast that continues to get larger by the minute, and includes Josh Brolin (George W. Bush), Elizabeth Banks (Laura Bush), James Cromwell (George Bush Sr.), Ellen Burstyn (Barbara Bush), Thandie Newton (Condi Rice), Ioan Gruffudd (Tony Blair) and 50 Cent (as Colin Powell).

Yes, I'm kidding about that last one.

Earlier today, we clued you into a script review of W currently circulating the internets. According to some, the film seems to be taking the Bush is a moronic alcoholic fratboy route, which, if you watch, well, The Daily Show, is kinda old news. As Eugene put it, "Most people -- whether or not they accept it -- have already absorbed the meme that Bush is an arrogant, reckless, hard-drinking buffoon, and I'm not sure that this perception merits its own movie." I completely agree -- and I'd much rather have watched Stone return to Vietnam with Pinkville than sit down for a feature-length version of a joke that's way past its prime.

I'll say one thing for Oliver Stone's W: it makes for some fun casting updates. Watching this movie come together has had much more novelty value than I would have thought. I guess that's what happens when you set out to make a movie about the most controversial figures in the world right now, instead of decades ago.

Anyway, here's what we have so far:

• Josh Brolin is George W. Bush
• Elizabeth Banks is Laura Bush
• James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn are George H.W. and Barbara
• Rampant speculation about other roles

And you may now take Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair off your to-cast lists. Those roles have been filled with Thandie Newton and Ioan Gruffudd (respectively, though I think it would have been much more interesting in reverse order). Both actors are British, but this won't be the first time Newton has played an American. My worry about her isn't her accent so much as the fact that she seems too damn nice. I think they should have followed the lead of the ultraconservative 2006 TV miniseries and cast 24's Penny Johnson Jerald (a.k.a. the terrifying Sherry Palmer). That's about as on-the-nose as it gets.

OK, correct me if I am wrong here, but did anyone really enjoy the last two Fantastic Four movies so much that a third installment is really necessary? I guess when the last film raked in $131,921,738, Fox figured they might as well take another shot. IESB recently got the chance to speak with Ms. Invisible herself, Jessica Alba, about the possibility of a third film. For those of us out there who thought the first two were a waste of time and celluloid, don't worry, it looks like we might have the writer's strike to thank for a delay. Alba tells IESB, "I know the writers strike and the impending actors strike has kind of put a wrench in everything production wise. That film takes a lot of prep, a good six months of prep and about six months to shoot. With the strike, I think, maybe it's put on hold."

The first two films were directed by Tim Story, who is currently working on the feel-good sports movie, Patriots, with Forrest Whitaker. So, if a Fantastic sequel is delayed, there is still plenty of time to get Story back at the helm for a third film. News of a third Fantastic film first surfaced back in June; however, while most reports pointed towards a reunion with the Silver Surfer, Alba made no mention of it in her interview with IESB. As for the rest of the cast, Ioan Gruffudd (Mr. Fantastic), Michael Chiklis (The Thing), and Chris Evans (Human Torch), I can only assume they would all be on board for another film. As long as there is some "gold in these hills," it looks like Fox is going to milk the quartet for all they are worth.

A conversation arose in the screening room the other day about the sorry state of young, romantic performers in movies today and the overwhelming blandness slathered across our movie screens. Pretty, plastic, chiseled faces smile at one another and sometimes kiss, and their efforts leave everyone cold. Critics and audiences often use the word "chemistry" to describe these encounters; either the characters have it or they don't. Strangely, there's really no way to tell if it's even there until the movie is finished. You can put two actors in a room together, or screen test them, but none of it comes together until the audience becomes a factor.

One reason most movie couples have been so bland lately is the ever-increasing control that studios are demanding of their product. Every aspect of filmmaking must be regulated and stabilized, and so, to make the most of their romantic stories, these same studio people very simply cast the most beautiful actors they can find. Beautiful people sometimes explode on the movie screen with lots of personality and star power, but just as often, they don't, looking more like polished statues without so much as a heartbeat. James Dean was very handsome, but he had a surprising element, a kind of unpredictability, as well as world-heavy sadness. But James Franco, who played Dean in a TV biopic, has only the looks. As shown in his most recent film, Spider-Man 3 (151 screens), where there should be passion and danger and excitement, there's only grooming. At times I honestly can't tell the difference between him and Paul Walker.

Heading into Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, my expectations were pretty low. The original was slow, dull and gimmicky, with too much set-up and not enough punch. That said, I'm about to make a very bold statement -- not only is this film far superior to its predecessor, but it's also one of the best sequels this summer has to offer. Granted, that's not saying a whole lot, but when it comes to entertaining a mass audience -- delivering equal parts quirk and fast-paced action -- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer serves up fun on a, well, silver platter. Unlike other recent comic adaptations content on force-feeding you bland melodrama to a point where the entire theater begins to reek like cheese, Silver Surfer never takes itself seriously. It's PG-rated summer popcorn fluff at its best, and while the new additions might irritate the hardcore FF fanatics, those simply looking for a check-your-brain-at-the-door night out at the movies will certainly surf away satisfied.

It's hard enough focusing all the attention around one superhero, and four makes the task even tougher. Director Tim Story took a real chance with this sequel; although fans would've loved a darker, more sinister tone, he went in a completely different direction -- opting to instead tap into the old school, feel-good vibes of the original Superman films (parts 1 and 2), while utilizing a bigger budget to really make this thing sail. However, not all the effects hit their mark (specifically Mr. Fantastic's stretch technique, which looked completely silly and over-the-top in more than a few scenes), but the work done on the Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne) more than made up for the minor faults in our main characters. In fact, the worst part of FF2 was the actual "all-media" screening -- chock-full of of delinquents who wouldn't stop talking the entire time. Not at the screen, mind you, but at each other. And I sat next to a homeless guy. Seriously. So if I can walk away from that experience and still enjoy this film more than any sequel/adaptation/threequel/you name it this summer, that's saying a lot for what the FF gang offered up for this, their second time around the block.

Who is Ioan Gruffudd? That's the first thing I thought, but that's because I never bothered to see the Fantastic Four flick. Aside from being the guy who played Horatio Hornblower in a bunch of Hornblower television dramas, Gruffudd played Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four and the super-smart guy of the Marvel Universe. Now the Welsh actor, who is currently 33, is thinking about his future.

Although he admits that he needs to age a bit more, he wants to take over Daniel Craig's spot as James Bond in another 10 years or so. The actor says: "I would love to play Bond one day, but I think I am 10 years too young. Physically, I am not quite big enough. Of course, I could go to the gym or whatever!" He continues: "Maybe in seven years' time when Daniel is done and tired of it and can retire a very rich man then maybe I could step into his shoes. I think he's been absolutely brilliant as James Bond. I thought he was superb. He just nailed it."

It's funny that he would be so much into the Craig camp, yet still want to take over for him, since Gruffudd looks a lot more like the more polished Pierce Brosnan. Before the fresh look for 007, I might have nodded along with the Welsh actor's hopes, but now it seems more wishful, fanboy thinking than understandable reality. But really, the only thing I hope for in the Bond series is for it not to start with a kickass parkour guy again, because the beginning just left me wanting to see more crazy stunts instead of Bond magic. How about you? Would Gruffudd work if he worked out, or would it be defeating the changes made by Craig?

Samuel Goldwyn Pictures seems to see a huge American audience for foreign, Kirsten Dunst-free period drama that no one else has noticed. To that end, they've picked up the rights to Michael Apted's Amazing Grace, a movie that phantom audience is sure to devour: The film stars a trio of talented actors who are also non-draws in the US (Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney and Romola Garai), and is a biopic of William Wilberforce, an 18th-century British abolitionist. Yes, 90% of America just fell asleep.

Now to me, this sounds awesome (as does the distributor's insane-yet-admirable plan to collaborate with Walden Media on a "comprehensive marketing initiative" addressing modern slavery, and urging social action) -- but you know I'm a history nerd who enjoys reading books about things like maps and 15th-century monarchs. And moviegoers like me will earn this film what, $4,000 on its opening weekend next February? If you're not yet convinced that everyone at SGP has lost their minds (albeit in a wonderfully ambitious way), get this: The release date has been schedule to fall on the 200th anniversary of Parliament's vote to end slavery in all British-controlled territories. If anyone cares about this, I will be the happiest wrong person on earth, but really, the chances seems very, very slim.