Lone Survivor might end up being a mini Savages reunion. I bet Peter Berg only hopes this one turns out to be a bigger hit.

Variety reports that Emile Hirsch is in early talks to join his recent co-star, Taylor Kitsch, who himself is reuniting with his Battleship director. (I bet Peter Berg only… you get the picture.) Mark Wahlberg and Ben Foster have already taken supporting roles in the film, a true-life story of four Navy SEALs who, on a covert mission, were ambushed by Taliban forces and only left with one survivor: Marcus Luttrell, author of the book upon which this new film is based.

Wahlberg will play him in Survivor, while Kitsch, Foster, and — unless something prevents the deal from going through — Hirsch are the three other members of his group. If you want some idea of how this quartet will be played up, look no further than Berg‘s two most-cited words on the film: “unapologetically patriotic.”

Shooting is expected to get underway before the end of 2012.

Next, Variety also tell us that James Marsden and Aml Ameen (Red Tails) have been snagged for The Butler; the former will be seen as John F. Kennedy, while the latter is a younger incarnation of the film’s lead, Eugene Allen, primarily played by Forest Whitaker. Being the story of a White House servant who had direct exchanges with eight leaders during his time of employment, Kennedy‘s involvement goes without saying. (Something involving Marilyn Monroe will, with any luck, enter the picture.) Marsden‘s still an unexpected, albeit strong, pick for such an iconic figure.

As a young man, however, we know that Allen meets a film-specific composite, Thomas Westphall (Alex Pettyfer), who “appears early in the life of [the main] character and has a pivotal influence on the rest of that character’s life.” Those scenes will be pivotal; it goes without saying that Ameen will need to bring something strong to the table for the rest to carry out. Lee Daniels‘ direction might be another story.

The Butler also stars Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, David Oyelowo, Alan Rickman, John Cusack, Nicole Kidman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Lenny Kravitz, Alex Pettyfer, and Robin Williams.

Does Hirsch make for a reasonable choice to star alongside Wahlberg, Kitsch, and Foster? Will Marsden do a good JFK?