Before I even start, I just want to say that at no point am I going to take any cheap shots at Michelle Rodriguez about her driving habits -- and believe me, it isn't easy. Instead, lets just focus on what she does best, playing bad a** chicks. Coming Soon.net reports (via Rodriguez's web site) that she will be returning for the latest installment of The Fast and The Furious franchise.

For those of you out there who don't know your cheesy car flicks, Rodriguez starred in the first film back in 2001as Letty, the girlfriend to street racer Vin Diesel. Like most of the original cast, she was nowhere to be seen in the later sequels. But this time around, it looks like director Justin Lin is going back to the beginning and reuniting Diesel, Paul Walker, and Rodriguez.

The story will focus on Brian (Walker) and Dominic (Diesel) teaming up to stop a drug kingpin known as Braga. So where do the cars come in, you might ask? I mean, this is a Fast and Furious movie after all. Well, our two heroes vie for a spot on the criminal's team, in a snazzy Nissan, with a plan to catch the man red-handed. (Just a couple of weeks ago, we got our first look at Diesel and Walker on set.) Rodriguez is also still doing some post-production work on James Cameron's Avatar, so I would guess that it won't take long to wrap up her part as Letty before she heads back to finish up the sci-fi blockbuster. The Fast and the Furious 4 is scheduled for release summer, 2009.

Not long ago, a friend of mine was auditioning for a role in Fast and the Furious 4. I never found out how that went, but we had fun running through the script pages he had; showing him how to get into character. (As if I know what I'm talking about -- heck, he probably lost the role based on what we told him to do.) Anyway, there's been lots of buzz surrounding part four, seeing as both Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are reprising their roles from the earlier films. Well, JFX Online (those folks who stake out film sets and snap photos) have posted a few photos and a video from the set of Fast and the Furious 4. We get our first look at Vin Diesel (above), as well as Paul Walker (after the jump) and a bunch of the vehicles being used in the flick (see video). Fast cars. Fast women. AND Vin Diesel. Is your mouth watering yet?

In addition to the Fast and the Furious photos, JFX Online was also stalking the set of Adam Sandler's new film Bedtime Stories, and managed to get the first pic of Sandler holding an umbrella for a scene that features ... gumballs falling from the sky? We've included that photo after the jump for you to check out; Bedtime Stories follows a dude (Sandler) who realizes that, after reading bedtime stories to his nephews, the characters suddenly come to life. It's due out this Christmas.

See, stuff like this just bugs me. According to Twitch (via the Babylon A.D. production blog), two different versions of Vin Diesel's Babylon A.D. will be hitting theaters far apart from one another. It's not that I care so much about seeing a longer version of the film in theaters (which, apparently, is what will take place in the UK), it's just that Fox has once again decided to release a film in the UK first and then wait six months before putting it in theaters here in the states. You'll remember something similar happened with Danny Boyle's Sunshine earlier this year. The film was released in several cities around the world in March, but Fox decided to hold it back until December. Luckily, we're still not waiting for the film because Fox ultimately chose to stuff Sunshine into an already-packed summer line-up.

Anyway, UK folks will supposedly get to see a two hour and forty minute version of Babylon A.D. early next year when it's released across the pond. However, Fox has decided they will in no way ask people to sit through a three-hour Vin Diesel film in America, so they're going to trim that sucker down to a reasonable time and release it on August 29. In my opinion, this is a stupid move because by the time it's released in the states, copies of that sucker will be all over the internet, etc. I remember a good month after Sunshine was released in the UK, that film was all over the place -- one of my friends actually had it, and asked if I wanted a copy. I did not take it. I wanted to see the film in theaters. And I did.

Babylon A.D., a pet project for Diesel, follows a Veteran-turned-mercenary who's placed in charge of escorting a woman from Russia to China. What he doesn't know is that this woman is to host an organism that a cult wants to harvest in order to produce a new Messiah. The film was originally supposed to be released in the states on February 28, the same day as the UK, and I imagine they're taking the extra time to trim. Here's my question: Would you even be interested in a two hour and forty minute Vin Diesel sci-fi flick? And does watching the man for that long make a person stupider?

[via Slashfilm]

We've heard rumors for quite some time now, but it seems there is truth behind them: Vin Diesel and Paul Walker have officially bottomed out. Well, their careers cars have, that is. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both actors are in negotiations to reunite on the big screen for a fourth installment in the popular Fast and the Furious franchise. But wait, it gets better -- check out HR's description of the premise: "The story line is being kept under wraps, but fast cars are involved." Gee, ya think? Justin Lin, who directed Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift will once again step behind the camera for part four, while Chris Morgan returns to write the script. Neil Moritz and Diesel will produce.

All we know at this time is that shooting will take place this spring in Los Angeles, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Folks should remember how Diesel showed up for a cameo at the end of Tokyo Drift, and since fans went apesh*t over his appearance, the actor was convinced he had at least one more race in him. Walker, on the other hand, showed up in 2 Fast 2 Furious, but did not return for part three. And since I barely even remember the first film, I'm not exactly sure where each character is at (story-wise) heading into this fourth flick. But I trust fans of the series will be pretty stoked to hear this news. Currently, there's no word on a release date or further additions to the cast.

So you're probably wondering -- what in the world did Tony Kaye do this time? Although the man seemed to be taking it all down a few levels in a recent interview, controversy once again swirls around one of his films. This time it's Black Water Transit -- Kaye's first feature narrative since American History X -- and a film that has had one helluva rotating cast. And although it heads into production this week, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson (the two leads attached for some time) are no longer involved. Instead, Variety tells us that Laurence Fishburne and Brittany Snow have hopped onboard the crime drama, which was written by Matthew Chapman, and revolves around a shipping company owner who attempts to get his junkie son freed from prison.

Now, this is an odd little story, because based on the way Variety makes it sound Willis has been off this project for awhile. In fact, when all that talk about Vin Diesel bailing on Transit surfaced, Willis was already gone. Furthermore, they make it seem as if Diesel and Jackson were brought on as possible replacements for Willis, and not additional co-stars -- even though Sam Jackson is listed as a totally different character from Willis on IMDb (who, by the way, still have Willis and Jackson down as cast members). Meanwhile, all I want to know is whether Kaye dropped a piano on someone's head? But regardless of the entire musical chairs conspiracy, all three of those guys are now off the project, and Kaye will have to find a way to get through it all without losing Fishburne, as well as his sanity. It's a shame this guy can't keep it together because I really enjoyed American History X, and would've loved to see more work from him in the narrative department. Kaye's abortion documentary, Lake of Fire, is currently making the festival rounds. And based on his track record, Black Water Transit will be released sometime within the next 10 years.