I tried not to make that joke -- but hey, everyone else is using McLovin' ones!

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Gerard Butler joins America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel and Christopher Mintz-Plasse to voice How to Train Your Dragon. Get your minds out of the gutter -- this is a children's comedy about a scrawny Viking teenager who must capture and subdue a wild dragon. Based on the Cressida Cowell book, the story centers on the timid son of a Viking chief who must capture and train a dragon in order to be initiated into his tribe.

Baruchel will voice the boy, named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, who is saddled with an undersized and uncooperative dragon. Butler is the father and chief of the tribe, Stoick the Vast (how appropriate for a former Beowulf), while Ferrera voices Astrid, who partners with Hiccup for the initiation. Hill will play Snotlout, a bully who thinks he should be the next chief, and Mintz-Plasse portrays Fishlegs, a Viking big in size but small in brains.

So folks have been taking tons of jabs at Tom Cruise for wearing an eye patch in the new Bryan Singer flick Valkyrie. If you think that's bad, get a load of the guy in these new photos (courtesy of JustJared) in which he's dressed as a studio exec for a cameo role in Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder. And what's their idea of a studio exec? Why a fat, hairy-chested bald guy -- is there any other kind? Cruise's cameo had been rumored for quite some time now, while Stiller and Co. have been doing what they can to keep quiet when asked about the role. Unfortunately, the surprise casting is now out in the open, but in my opinion it's worth it to see these pics. And kudos to Cruise for putting himself out there ... though as a guy who has the potential to one day be fat and bald, I sort of take offense. Boo Tom Cruise. Shame on you.

In Tropic Thunder, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Justin Theroux and Jay Baruchel play a group of American actors attempting to shoot a war film who, through a series of freak accidents, become forced to become the soldiers they're portraying. Nick Nolte, Bill Hader and Steve Coogan also star. Honestly, with this cast, how can this film not be an absolute riot. I've been off the Stiller wagon for awhile now, as I'm sure a lot of you have, so hopefully he still has it in him to produce a gem. Tropic Thunder is due out on July 11. A petition to ban Tom Cruise from giving fat, bald men everywhere a bad name will be started (by myself) tomorrow.

[via Joblo]

It isn't uncommon for a guy to get a girl who's out of his league. It certainly happens in the movies and on television all the time. But it does happen sometimes in real life, and often the guy ends up feeling like he's never good enough. And then he sabotages the relationship somehow because of his insecurity. And then the idiot is back to dating women who aren't the woman of his dreams, always regretting screwing up that perfect thing he could have had. We've all seen it happen, right? Well, if you haven't, you can also see the scenario happen in the movies. Just recently I saw Run Fatboy Run, in which Simon Pegg plays a guy who leaves Thandie Newton (totally out of his league, right?) at the altar -- pregnant. And certainly this year's hit comedy Knocked Up was about a situation of a mis-matched couple. Oh, and the upcoming Margot at the Wedding has the same thing going on between Jack Black and Jennifer Jason Leigh. See, it happens all the time.

Now, according to Variety, there's another such movie coming (which we previously heard about and then saw on the pre-strike priority list). Titled literally She's Out of My League, this one is about a guy who finds himself dating an "extraordinarily beautiful woman" (why does it have to be about looks? certainly she could be out of his league in terms of brains or humor or other personality traits -- in Margot, Leigh is out of Black's league in multiple ways). Because he is insecure about her attraction to him, and because his friends and family are suspicious of beauty's motives, he comes close to sabotaging the relationship (unless he's about to leave her at the alter, with child, then this movie's got nothing on Fatboy). The movie will be directed by British sketch comedian Jim Field Smith and will star Jay Baruchel, best known from TV's Undeclared and, interestingly enough, Knocked Up. Originally scripted as a spec by Sean Anders and John Morris, the movie is currently in re-writes care of Tim Dowling (George Lucas in Love). It goes into production early next year, but if you can't wait to learn the secrets about how to score and keep a girl out of your league, I've got some tips: if it's good enough for Ric Ocasek, Rod Stewart and Billy Joel, it's good enough for you. And: girls love a funny guy, so if she's laughing, she probably doesn't care that you're not a hottie.

I need to come up with a new phrase for comedies like Just Buried. Something like "not exactly laugh-out-loud funny, but certainly amiable, clever and diverting enough to warrant some attention." (But something shorter than that wordy mouthful.) Chaz Thorne's Just Buried offers a novel concept, several winning performances, and a few amusing surprises -- but I certainly wouldn't call it a fall-down-on-the-floor laugh riot. And that's OK with me. Sometimes a big batch of small chuckles, a few strong performances and a quietly amusing concept are enough to keep a comedy afloat, and that certainly seems to be the case here.

Jay Baruchel (best known for his hilarious lead performance in the awesome Undeclared) plays a nervous little twitcher of a nerd who inherits his estranged father's funeral home. Our jittery sorta-hero is completely unprepared for the gig: He can't stand to be around corpses, his professional demeanor is lacking at best, and he has this strange habit of bleeding from the nose whenever he gets nervous. But hey, Ollie's still willing to give the old funeral home a shot. (The presence of a lovely mortician called Roberta (Rose Byrne) definitely factors into his decision-making process.)

What's a Ben Stiller movie without Owen Wilson? They've been working together together on and off -- though it seems more like continuously on -- since The Cable Guy. It is no surprise, then, that Wilson has just signed up for Stiller's Tropic Thunder. This is Stiller's fourth feature as director, and with the exception of his debut, Reality Bites, he has so far found a role for his friend in all of them (he also directed Wilson in the TV pilot for Heat Vision and Jack). It isn't clear what kind of role Wilson will have this time, but I'm guessing he will play an actor working on the movie-within-the-movie. So far, these actors, who end up on a war film shoot gone to hell, include Robert Downey Jr. as an Oscar-winning star, Jay Baruchel as an unknown, Jack Black as a drug addicted comic actor, and Stiller himself, who may be a pumped up action star (as per Erik's educated guess). Then, as a non-actor, Tom Cruise is rumored to be making a cameo as a studio tyrant.

Also joining the cast now is Nick Nolte. His part is also unspecified, but he clearly must be some actor playing a lieutenant colonel or something -- basically playing himself playing his part in The Thin Red Line. Nolte is thankfully getting a lot of work these days, despite his infamous personal problems, but this is a welcome chance for the 48 Hrs. actor to return to comedy. Sure, he's not the funniest man in the world, but I think he's a good cranky straight man (in addition to the two 48 Hrs. movies, he's the only good thing about Three Fugitives), and he can even occasionally be the comic, too (Down and Out in Beverly Hills). Unfortunately he really missed the funny boat by working with director Alan Rudolph in Breakfast of Champions and Trixie (he has done great dramatic work for the director), and so it seems easier to just cast him in dramas. Although Nolte probably won't have the opportunity to get a lot of laughs in Tropic Thunder, I at least applaud Stiller for adding him to the ensemble of funnymen.

In the midst of the festivities for Star Wars Celebration IV, there has been plenty of news for fans on all things Star Wars. IESB is now hosting our first look at the poster for the film Fanboys, which is probably best summed up as a love letter to Star Wars geeks everywhere. The film, directed by Kyle Newman, focuses on a group of friends who make a pact to honor the last wishes of their friend to see The Phantom Menace at Lucas' Skywalker Ranch -- the Mecca for fanboys everywhere. The film stars Sam Huntington, Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up), and Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars). But more importantly the film managed to get Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher, to play a small role in the film.

IESB also has a batch of photos and a hi-res version of the one-sheet on the site. And since this is a film that speaks to the geek in all of us, the poster wastes no time in mustering up some nostalgia for the "good ole' days" with a close up of hands gripping a light saber and a classic font -- very Return of The Jedi. Newman doesn't have a long resume as a director, but his films range in subject matter from re-incarnation to a straight-to video horror called The Hollow. IESB also reports that Newman screened some 50 minutes of the film to universal approval from the audience. Fanboys is set for release in January 2008 -- which as we know is either the worst or best thing that could have happened.

Since the script called for an "overweight gross-out comedian with a drug addiction," who better to cast than Jack Black? The actor has just signed up to play a character named Jeff "Fats" Portnoy in Tropic Thunder, to be directed by Ben Stiller. Written by Justin Theroux (who starred alongside Stiller in Zoolander and Duplex) and Etan Cohen, pic follows a group of actors who run into a whole mess of trouble while filming a big-budget war movie, forcing them to become the commandos they are playing. Think of it as Three Amigos! meets another wacky Ben Stiller comedy.

Along with Black, Robert Downey Jr. will play four-time Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus, known as the "greatest actor of his generation." Jay Baruchel will tackle an unknown actor named Kevin Sandusky and Stiller plays a dude named Speedman -- who, I assume, will be all amped up and ready to kick major ass (ie: typical Stiller shtick). Theroux also stars, though there's no word on who he is playing (maybe the washed-up actor looking for a second chance?). It's funny that Black should land this part, as his character's major obstacle is that he must give up a drug addiction in order to shoot in the jungle. Sound familiar? Back when Black was on a brief hiatus from filming King Kong, the guy took the opportunity to get absolutely sloshed, partying it up as if there were no tomorrow. I guess those jungles really get to a guy, huh? Tropic Thunder is currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 11, 2008.

It's hard to remember that Randy Quaid, the man who co-starred as Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon's, is also a man who has an Academy Award nomination under his belt for the 1973 film, The Last Detail. Every once in a while he throws a good drama or action in there to remind us that he's more than just a goofy, insane ex-army man. Even Hollywood seems to forget at times, like low-balling his pay for Brokeback Mountain. Now the Texan native will be heading to Canada for a starring role in Real Time.

Dennis' older brother will star with Jay Baruchel in the indie dramedy. You might remember Baruchel from his work in Million Dollar Baby, or as I do from Almost Famous -- he was the crazy Led Zeppelin fan. Time will center on a hit man played by Quaid, who is set to kill a compulsive gambler and an old acquaintance of his, Baruchel's character. (The "old acquaintance" thing seems a bit silly since the man is only 25, but maybe the hit man knew him as a kid or something.) Because of their past, he gives the young man an hour to live. The feature is the creation of Randall Cole, who wrote and will direct the screenplay. Cole previous penned and helmed his first feature, 19 Months, in 2002. Quaid isn't a bad grab for the new filmmaker, considering that his last cast was free of higher-profile names. The movie will be shot outside of Toronto, perhaps at one of the nearby casinos, but there is no word on a production date.

We thought she was going to be the new Bond girl, but don't worry about Rose Byrne; she's been pretty busy since not being picked off the massive list of potential Bond girls. Up until now, her film credits included Troy and Wicker Park -- neither much to brag about, but despite being passed over for Casino Royale, Byrne seems to be picking up projects right and left.

The Hollywood Reporter announced that the Australian-born actress has signed on for the black comedy, Pushing Up Daises, with Jay Baruchel (Million Dollar Baby). The film was written and directed by Chaz Thorne and revolves around a local funeral parlor that is having a severe customer shortage. Baruchel's character inherits a failing small town funeral home and hires a new embalmer (Rose Byrne) who has some unconventional ideas on how they can drum up some new business. So while this is a comedy, it's obviously a black comedy -- my guess is that the body count could get pretty high.

The film is currently shooting in Halifax, Canada, and there is no word of a release date. Byrne also has the upcoming Danny Boyle sci-fi flick, Sunshine, which is wrapped and set for a 2007 release. Keeping busy, she's also working on the sequel to Boyle's 28 Days Later, (28 Weeks Later) which is still in production.

[via Empire Online]