[Photo removed at request of 20th Century Fox]

This is too good not to share. It's no secret that I wasn't pleased with the last round of Amelia pics that hit the net. Hilary Swank just looked goofy, and the images did nothing to drum up excitement. In fact, it did just the opposite. But man, the picture above, part of a slew that went up on Oh No They Didn't, is definitely worth it.

Finally, we've got Swank in the flying ensemble! She's got on the obligatory leather jacket, cap, and goggles, although the wardrobe gurus seem to have decided against Earhart's oft-worn scarf, and selected a striped tie instead. But that's not all. We know that it's Richard Gere standing on the right, but do you recognize the woman on the left? I've loved her since Fire with Fire, but didn't notice at first that the lady in red is, indeed, Virginia Madsen. Okay, I'm a bit more excited now.

You?

For a while, I've been torn on this whole Amelia Earhart biopic. On the one hand, I have always wanted to learn more about her. On the other, we're finally getting a biopic and it's a frickin' romance -- something that seems really silly considering how much of a tough, femininity-defiant female icon she is. And then to top it all off, there are some ridiculous costumes in the mix. But then Elisabeth posted that there would be some Gene Vidal in the film (father to Gore, and played by Ewan McGregor), and now, the ever-wonderful Christopher Eccleston.

Variety reports that he has signed onto Amelia to play Earhart's flight navigator, Fred Noonan. This is the man who was with Amelia when she tried to fly around the world and her plane disappeared in the Pacific. After a teasingly short stint as the Doctor, and an even-shorter invisible trip to Heroes territory, it's nice to see Eccleston give us more roles. Heck, I'm planning to see G.I. Joe just so I can watch him play Destro. Fie to these films that sign on so many great actors to the cast that I can't not check it out.

When I first heard that Hilary Swank was going to take on Amelia Earhart for a new film, Amelia, I looked at pictures of both of them. While I'm not a big fan of Swank's period work, there's no denying that they hold a decent resemblance. Then there were the pics that popped up last month -- not too bad. But holy crap, I really don't like the new image of her as Earhart.

Cinema Blend threw up a picture of Swank that apparently popped up in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. It looks like Swank is wearing either a hideous knit cap made by grandma, or a weaved Halloween placemat on her head. Man, they should have stuck with the leather flier's cap. CB also pointed out that it's a fairly ... awkward ... picture of her as it is. All around, it looks like a total mess. I guess they're waiting awhile, but if they really wanted to make people excited, show her in the whole flying getup. Even if the film is all about the romance, give people the Amelia everyone remembers.

I keep going back and forth on this whole Amelia Earhart project. On the one hand, I'm thrilled that her story is hitting the big screen. Amelia was one of the quintessential kickass tough-women, and one of my favorites along with the likes of Annie Oakley. But then Hilary Swank signed on -- a woman who can be an incredibly powerful actress and looks much like Amelia, but also really disappointed me with her Black Dahlia performance. Disappointing films are bad enough, but if the disappointment shatters your previous excitement, that's worse. However, this latest casting news helps.

Variety reports that Virginia Madsen has signed on to play Dorothy Binney in the film. The biopic, titled Amelia, will focus on Earhart's relationship with publisher and promoter George Putnam (Richard Gere), who she married, and Binney was Putnam's first wife. The reason Binney is in this story -- Putnam left her to pursue his relationship with Earhart. (Although to be fair, she was looking elsewhere as well.)

I can't wait to see Madsen in this role, but I wonder just how much of the flying Earhart we're going to get when everything is focused on the relationship between her and Putnam. Well, at least if they boil it down to only romance, it should still be interesting -- her ideas on marriage weren't exactly traditional.

After tons of speculation and millions of votes counted, the results are in -- Richard Gere is still The Man. Seriously, how many people do you know who look 33 when they're actually 106? None. Gere. That's it. And Variety tells us he's signed on for not one, but two more films. The Pope turned 81and he's riding around in a little bulletproof car. Gere is 106 and he's doing two movies! Who do you think is more awesome? Hint: His name rhymes with Fear??

First up, he'll star opposite Hilary Swank in Amelia -- a biopic on the famed aviatrix, Amelia Earhart, which will be directed by Mira Nair off a screenplay by Ron Bass. Gere will play Earhart's husband, publisher George Putnam, and the film will document their rocky relationship. Additionally (and this is something we already reported), Gere will co-star in the cop flick Brooklyn's Finest, alongside folks like Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke. Antoine Fuqua will direct. (Currently, there's no word on which young actress Gere will be shaggin' in that film, but we'll let you know when more info is released ...)