Alfonso Cuaron‘s sci-fi project Gravity may have lost just that, despite having a movie star (Robert Downey Jr.) and an award-winning director in tow. Angelina “Salt” Jolie was approached to Cuaron a while back to star as the heroine in this film, which concerns a team of cosmonauts (the team leader being RDJ) who are nearly all wiped out by debris from a busted satellite.

Jolie’s character is left in a dire attempt to get back home to her son. Apparently, it’s a one-woman show or the most part, at least as the script (written by Cuaron and his son Jonas) reads now. There may need to be changes if Warner Bros. can’t find a bankable actress to take the reins.

The studio has allegedly met with all of the candidates, from Sandra Bullock to Natalie Portman to Sienna Miller to Blake Lively (who was once rumored to have taken over for Jolie), so they’re trying [Deadline].

Lets hope a solution is found, because Gravity sounds kind of incredible, especially with in its current $80 million 3D-shot state.

Are you excited for Gravity? Who should replace Jolie?

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Word on the street (remember that said word could, in fact, be unsubstantiated and untrue) is that director Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, the first two Harry Potter films, I Love You, Beth Cooper) has been offered the chance to direct The Man of Steel, the next Superman film, written by David S. Goyer and produced by Christopher Nolan. [Pajiba]

Why, you ask? Because Warner Bros. thinks he’s “the right fit” and is planning “the 3D Superman reboot for December 2012. “[Supermanhomepage] Apparently Goyer wanted to direct but the studio recalled that he directed The Invisible and The Unborn, and said no. In all fairness, Columbus would fair better than Goyer most likely.

That said, is Columbus really the right fit? Is there no better option? It’s not as though Columbus is some cheap newcomer (a la Spielberg with Jaws) or a reliable semi-retiree (like, I don’t know, Richard Donner!). There has to be someone in the man’s price range who’s a bit more creative. A filmmaker as bland as the superhero is the kiss of death.

Could Columbus make Superman fly again?

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Phil Lord and Chris Miller, fresh off Sony Animation’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, are prepping for a part live-action/part-animated Legoland for the silver screen. The pair sold their idea for a Lego movie to both Warner Bros and Lego execs on the same day. Both companies were clearly impressed. [THR]

Lord and Miller are currently in pre-production on a 21 Jump Street adaptation over at Columbia, a benefit that surely came off the success of Meatballs, Sony’s (which owns Columbia) flagship animated picture.

They’re still reaping the benefits, and all around town. A Lego movie certainly isn’t necessary, but what is in Hollywood anymore? These guys know how to make people, both kids and adults, laugh and if it’s going to take Legos for them to do so, so be it. Just as long as the comedy remains organic.

Do you want a Lego movie? What do you think of these guys? Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs?

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Not that it’s not really really intriguing and something that’d be really interesting to see play out on the silver screen, but let’s remember this is pure speculation: SuperHeroHype is suggesting that Guy Ritchie is hoping to woo Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis to play uber-villain Professor Moriarty for the Sherlock Holmes sequel, which is on the fast track over at Warner Bros.

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Blame it on Paul W.S. Anderson and his fast-moving Three Musketeers film, apparently starring everybody and their mother.

Director Doug Liman is considering (or being considered?) to direct All You Need Is Kill, a Dante Harper adaptation of the Hiroshi Sakurazaka novel of the same name, the rights owned by Warner Bros. [Deadline Hollywood]

The book tells of an alien attack and Keiji Kiriya, one of the many soldiers sent to die fighting the invaders off. He does, in fact, die. But then he comes back to life. And dies again. And the next day. And the next. It’s Groundhog Day with war, based on the Amazon synopsis.

Is it any less original than a The Three Musketeers “reimagining?” Certainly not, but the idea of chivalry and teamwork and swordplay in films has become so outlandish in this cynical, one-man-on-a-mission world, even fun romps like The A-Team can’t make a buck.

I’d rather see the Musketeers fight one for all Liman-style than some soldier die, and die again, until lambs become lions.

What do you think of Liman? Anderson? The Mustekeers? A Groundhog Day killing movie?

Maybe, to save time, they’ll just hire Ryan Reynolds to play Flash as well. Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim have been hired to pen the sequel to Warner Brothers’ Green Lantern, which will open in about 12 months (June 17, 2011). The team has also been hired to write The Flash, superhero property that has been long-gestating within the studio system. [Heat Vision via Coming Soon]

Under the current contract, the team will write one of the other, depending. The decision has yet to be made, of course.

Reports are quick to suggest that talk of a Lantern sequel exudes studio confidence in the project, currently shooting in New Orleans with Ryan Reynolds starring and Martin “Edge of Darkness” Campbell directing, but it’s smart to be careful.

Just as studio delays don’t always mean on-set turmoil, sequel talk doesn’t always mean quality. Recall the Sex and the City films.

Would you rather see a Lantern sequel or a Flash adaptation? Is this a stupid question to be asking so early?

Here, courtesy of the MTV Movie Awards and Warner Bros., is the first little nibble at the seventh installment in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Watch the teaser below:

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Todd Phillips and Joel Silver are teaming up with Warner Bros to produce an uncharacteristically low-budget raunch-comedy with British commercial director Nima Nourizadeh making his feature directing debut. While Joel Silver will be the checkbook toting executive producer, Todd Phillips (Due Date, The Hangover, Old School) will be producing as well but will be a constant set presence and the creative driving force of the project.

Any specifics about Project X, as is the current working title of the project, are being kept under very determined lock and key with no hints as to the story or cast other than it will be a high concept comedy with a hard R-rating and will use absolute unknowns to supply the cast. Furthermore, pledging to use unknowns for the project would be an understatement of the intent of Phillips and Silver. The project will be conducting a large scale nation-wide talent search and they are committed to every actor cast in the film to have never been cast in a film before. Not only industry unknowns, but first time screen presence for every single role. This factor is probably what enables this large studio film to be produced for as low a budget as $12 Million.

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Project X will begin production June 14th in Los Angeles after Phillips wraps post-production on Due Date, his upcoming comedy staring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, and before he begins pre-production on the Hangover 2.

A release date for Project X has not been decided yet.

Source: Deadline Hollywood

Green Lantern has, and continues to remain, my number one comic book hero. Considering his source and what the comics really are, the prospect of a film adaptation worried me to no end. Then all of a sudden Martin Campbell was elected to direct the picture and hope was born in the project. That nugget of goodness was followed with the casting of Ryan Reynolds in the lead role. It’s as if Campbell knew he needed a villain just as charismatic as Reynolds and sought out the only man he knew could go toe-to-toe with him: Mark Strong. The man is gold in anything he does, and I have no doubt he’ll capture everything that Sinestro is. His recent quotes with USA Today also should give any Lantern fan hope: Read the full story

The new, retro shoot-out poster for the action-comedy The Losers has been put up online, courtesy of Coming Soon via Warner Bros. And while it’s clear what the PR department is going for (echoing the playful tone of this pseudo exploitation homage) with the grainy, colorful, violent design, does it work?

Have a look for yourself below:

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