A bird, a plane, a reboot: Unsatisfied, to say the least, with "Superman Returns," Warner Bros. has asked "The Dark Knight" writer/director Christopher Nolan to serve as a "mentor" for a reimagining of the Superman saga. The studio is looking to re-create the story into something "more appealing and character-driven." One studio insider said helpfully, "We know what we don't want to do. But we don't know what we want to do."
The final reel: James Franco will play Aron Ralston, the climber who cut off his own arm, in Danny Boyle's "127 Hours." ... Terence Malick is directing a romantic rectangle starring Javier Bardem, Christian Bale, Rachel McAdams and Olga Kurylenko ("Quantum of Solace"). ... Disney has wooed Anne Fletcher ("The Proposal") to direct a sequel to "Enchanted." ... "Fast Five," the fourth sequel to "The Fast and the Furious," is speeding our way. ... Director Joe Wright is re-teaming with his "Atonement" star Saoirse Ronan in "Hanna," the story of a teenage assassin. Wright has cast Eric Bana as her father and Cate Blanchett in an unspecified role. ... A fourth (fourth!) incarnation of "A Star Is Born" is reportedly in the works, starring Beyoncé Knowles and Russell Crowe. ... Paramount and Tom Cruise will put aside their squabbles long enough for "Mission: Impossible 4." ... Steven Soderbergh has gathered an all-star cast -- Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Marion Cotillard -- for the action thriller "Contagion," billed as a "terrifying cross" between the "Bourne" movies and Soderbergh's "Traffic.
