Precisely: Cillian Murphy is in final negotiations to star with Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake in I’m.mortal, Andrew Niccol’s sci-fi drama. The story is set in a “not-too-distant future” in which the aging gene is no longer in effect. The story kicks off when a poor man (Timberlake, still in negotiations) is handed a fortune, and becomes the target of a murder investigation; he kidnaps an heiress (Seyfried) while on the run. Murphy will play an officer from an organization named the Timekeepers who is “as precise as the time he keeps.” Well, even if the plot is completely indecipherable, at least there will be at least three pretty people running around to watch! [Heat Vision/HR]
Mechanical: CBS Films has made its first acquisition of a completed film, purchasing the U.S. distribution rights to The Mechanic, a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film. The picture stars Jason Staham as a “hitman who trains an apprentice who has a connection to one of his mentor’s victims.” Simon West directed and Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland also star. [Deadline]
One And Only: Debbie Reynolds will play Katherine Heigl’s grandmother in One For The Money, the adaptation of Janet Evanovich’s detective novel. Heigl is playing bounty hunter Stephanie Plum; Reynolds will portray Grandma Mazur, the “outspoken and outrageous advisor and maternal grandmother to Heigl’s character.” “We needed somebody for the part who would speak her mind and even be a little edgy,” Heigl said, “She’s so perfect for the part.” Or, translated: “Betty White was not available.” [Deadline]
Hawke Is Late: Ethan Hawke is joining the indie drama A Late Quartet, signing on as a member of a string quartet who have played together for 25 years and have to adjust to one of them retiring due to Parkinson’s disease. Hawke will play the second violinist whose “desire for more solos leads him to have an affair with his jogging partner, leaving him remorseful and saddened by the state of his marriage.” Hm, not sure how well “I just wanted more solos, babe!” is going to go over as an excuse to your wife. [Variety]
McGinley’s The Man: Sean McGinly (The Great Buck Howard) has signed on to adapt and direct the indie crime drama The Old Man and the Gun. The movie is based on an article by David Grann about a bank robber and prison escape artist who evaded law enforcement nationwide for two decades. [Variety]
L.A. Bound: Megan Boone has joined the cast of NBC’s Law & Order: Los Angeles as a regular. She’ll play new DDA Lauren Gardner. [Deadline]
