"Man of Steel" ain't gonna be your daddy's "Superman," k?

A new TV spot for the super-serious Zack Snyder rendition of The Big Blue Boy Scout reinforces the December trailer's message that Henry Cavill will be presenting one heavy-hearted, stern-faced son of a gun in this movie, as he searches for his place in a world which he maybe doesn't belong to. Or does?

His Clark Kent is on the hunt for many answers, not the least of which is the origin of his massive strength and invincibility, but his earthly parents - an aged Diane Lane and Kevin Costner - aren't too terribly helpful. In fact, daddy dearest serves him extra helping of ambiguity in the instruction: "You just have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be, Clark. Whoever that man is, it's going to change the world."

This new clip features just a fraction of the content from previous glimpses at the film - which included quick-pans of all prominent supporting stars, including Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Michael Shannon (General Zod) and Russell Crowe (Jor-El) — but it also wisely narrows to narrative directive of note.

"My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, he would reject me. He was convinced that the world wasn't ready. What do you think?" Kal-El ponders. If no one else, the comic book-loving community totally is!

"Man of Steel" flies into theaters on June 14.

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Similar to their own beach read-based "Jack Reacher," Paramount has taken author Tom Clancy's most famous hero, CIA analyst Jack Ryan, and given him a new lease on cinematic life with next year's creatively-titled  blockbuster "Jack Ryan."

Kind of a "Jack Ryan Begins," if you will, the new movie stars Chris Pine as Ryan, a character who first hit the screen more than 20 years ago in "The Hunt for Red October." With the Cold War long behind us, is the character still relevant all these years after his inception?

Release Date

December 25, 2013

Agent Dossier

Because piggybacking off the iconic value of one film series wasn't enough, "Star Trek" star Chris Pine is doubling down by taking over the Tom Clancy franchise as a young buck version of the titular hero, previously played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck. Skinny pirate Keira Knightley beat out the likes of Felicity Jones, Evangeline Lilly, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel to play the hero's eternally-distressed wife Dr. Cathy Ryan, seen prior onscreen in the form of Anne Archer, Bridget Moynahan and Gates McFadden (of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"). Of course, it wouldn't be a Kenneth Branagh movie without the versatile thesp leaving the director's chair to give moviegoers the gift of his talented Shakespearean visage on-screen, which is why he'll be co-headlining as the Russian villain.

The Hunt For a Grizzled Veteran

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At this time no one outside the principal cast has been announced, but we know at least one famous face from the past that could be getting a lot more exposure: Kevin Costner. The "Dances With Wolves" Oscar-winner has been laying pretty low this past decade but recently got tired of hearing crickets chirping at the box office and decided to go big again; hence his taking the role of William Harper, a legendary CIA Field Agent who trains Ryan. He may also play mentor to lead character John Clark (to possibly be played by Tom Hardy) in Paramount's upcoming version of Clancy's "Without Remorse." Harper is planned to be the lynchpin character that ties these separate movies together, essentially making Costner the Nick Fury of the Clancy-verse, or like Michael Keaton's Ray Nicolette in "Jackie Brown" and "Out of Sight."

Executive Orders

Coming hot off of Marvel's "Thor," the first truly massive mainstream hit in his directorial career, Kenneth Branagh is now officially much ado about blockbusters. The director/star of such classical William Shakespeare adaptations as "Hamlet" proved he could make a contemporary crowd-pleaser and now turns his colorful, kinetic eye towards the Clancy's world of espionage and governmental power plays. This will be fairly new territory for the talented Brit, who should bring to the film his excellent ear for dialogue and character … as well as his sometimes annoying fondness for tilted Dutch angles.

Movie Math

Tom Clancy + "Top Gun" ÷ "Goldfinger" = "Jack Ryan"

Backstory

Paramount

Paramount tried to reboot their Clancy-verse a decade ago with the Ben Affleck-led "The Sum of All Fears," but, despite healthy box office returns, the honeymoon was over for America's love affair with Affleck. After that film's lukewarm audience reception the franchise lay dormant until Paramount found a new golden boy to play Jacky Ryan in the form of their youthful Captain Kirk, Chris Pine. They hired lauded TV director Jack Bender ("Lost") to make his feature debut, but due to his television duties, scheduling difficulties with Pine or possibly the many drastic rewrites the project went through, he backed out. Once Branagh was in place the film got off the ground quickly and has begun shooting in Montreal, the UK and on New York's Wall Street. Huffington Post featured early photos from the NYC set featuring Pine channeling Tom Cruise to the best of his ability riding a sleek motorcycle and standing next to a helicopter opposite Costner. The character has certainly evolved a long way from the slightly meek, nervous bureaucrat with a hidden heroic streak as Alec Baldwin portrayed him in "The Hunt For Red October."

Clear and Present Plot Breakdown

Per Variety, this reboot finds Pine's Jack Ryan as a young ex-Marine working as a successful financial analyst in Moscow when he uncovers a plot by his employers and a local Russian government to finance a terrorist attack that will collapse the U.S. economy and make the dollar worthless … more so than it's been for the past five years or so. In true Jack Ryan fashion, he will have to complain to somebody that he's "just an analyst" before finally mustering up some courage to save his wife, America, small children, cherished pets, the microwave, etc.

"[It's] an original story that allows us to understand how Jack Ryan develops into a CIA analyst, before joining, and perhaps even joining, the CIA," said Branagh. "It's a very contemporary action thriller set in the here and now."

The Sum of All Buzz

Paramount

While we wish we could report that this operation will go smooth and by the numbers, industry insiders have pegged this troubled production as a "Bay of Pigs"-style quagmire. Collider reported in July that the many cooks in the kitchen all had something different in mind. "Pine apparently wanted to make the film a character-driven espionage movie, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura wanted an action pic, and Paramount executives were in favor of turning the untitled reboot into a thriller. The key was finding a screenwriter who could come up with a fair compromise of all three, and David Koepp was the most recent scripter brought on to do rewrites." Indeed, "Jack Ryan" currently boasts three other name screenwriters in addition to Koepp: Adam Cozad, Anthony Peckham and Steven Zaillian.

Looking Forward to 'Jack Ryan' Without Remorse

Originally to be titled "Moscow" and to center on a disastrous helicopter crash during a Marine mission when Ryan was 23, the shift to a financial-centered plot does have the whiff of a studio-mandated trending topic with little-to-nothing to do with anything from Clancy's eight books featuring the character. Of course, deviating from the source material worked spectacularly for the "Bourne" franchise, and we like the idea of Pine giving the character a more meat-and-potatoes heroic edge. The addition of Costner and Branagh in supporting parts intrigues us to no end and we look forward to Paramount establishing the kind of spy spinoff franchise that "The Bourne Legacy" didn't live up to.

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After a decade of delays, false starts and missed opportunities, Paramount's long awaited revival of Tom Clancy's "Jack Ryan" series is finally getting off the ground, as Deadline is reporting that not only have they finally set a release date for the film, they're also going to go ahead and turn it into a full-fledged trilogy.

All in a day's work for America's top intelligence agent.

Dormant since Ben Affleck's ill-fated 2002 effort "The Sum of All Fears," Clancy's "Jack Ryan" series has seen a lot of changes over the years, with the titular hero being played by Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford as well. Now, though, it's Chris Pine taking over in a pre-boot that will explain just how the young Ryan became a CIA analyst to begin with. And that offers up plenty of juicy possibilities for director Kenneth Branagh.

"[It's] an original story that allows us to understand how Jack Ryan develops into a CIA analyst, before joining, and perhaps even joining, the CIA," Branagh, who will also appear in the film as a Russian bad guy. "It’s a very contemporary action thriller set in the here and now."

And after a decade of dragging their feet, Paramount is done screwing around, which is why they've recently announced that the film will a) be in theaters by the end of 2013 and b) will co-star Keira Knightley as Ryan's wife, Cathy.

Add in the fact that the film will now become a full-fledged trilogy, with Kevin Costner on board and Tom Hardy in talks to play fellow CIA operatives who may get their own spinoff movies, and it's clear that Paramount is hoping to turn "Jack Ryan" into their own shared-world "Avengers" style universe, only without all the costumes.

"Jack Ryan" fans assemble!

View Gallery »

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Big studio projects and small indie films alike rounded out their casts this week as show business continues to be booming in Hollywood.

Reese Witherspoon returns to — surprise, surprise — romantic comedy territory as she signs on to headline "The Beard," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The "beard" of the title is a slang reference to a someone who goes out in public with a gay person to give the illusion that he or she is, well, not gay. Secrets, lies and shenanigans will no doubt ensue — and all of them cute, due to the fact that the movie stars Reese Witherspoon.

"Footloose" star Julianne Hough is also getting romantic as Variety reports that she's joining the Diablo Cody-scripted dramedy, "Time and a Half." Hough will play a recent college grad who takes a temp job at a trophy store where she runs into her sister's high school boyfriend with whom she had a one-night stand. Hough recently wrapped the lead role in Cody's still-untitled directorial debut.

Hough's "Rock of Ages" co-star Malin Akerman's got no time for romance as she joins Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sam Worthington in "Breacher," director David Ayer's riff on "Ten Little Indians" in which the members of an elite DEA task force start getting picked off one by one after they steal from a powerful drug cartel. Akerman has been more or less absent from the action genre since her awesome turn as Silk Spectre in "Watchmen" — it will most certainly be nice to have her back fighting the good (or bad) fight.

Speaking of being absent, Heather Graham was definitely missed in "The Hangover Part II." Director Todd Phillips must feel the same way, as he's brought her back to reprise her role as Jade in "The Hangover Part III." The plot of the threequel is still being kept under wraps, but apparently we're in for the Las Vegas stripper somehow once again being involved in the night-before and morning-after mayhem.

It wasn't all about the ladies this week. Ryan Reynolds is following up his intense turn in this year's "Safe House" with another thriller as he joins the cast of "Queen of the Night," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Set to be directed by Atom Egoyan, who's currently shooting "Devil's Knot," "Queen" will star Reynolds as the father of a kidnapped child. Production is set to commence in February.

"Kick-Ass" fans will be happy to hear that the sequel has found its Doctor Gravity. Deadline reports that Donald Faison will be joining Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse in "Kick-Ass 2" as a masked vigilante who fights alongside Kick-Ass. Mickey Rourke keeps the comic book movie vibe going as he officially signs on to reprise the role of Marv in "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For."

Meanwhile, Hollywood's favorite practical jokester, Sacha Baron Cohen, has his satirical sights on the spy genre with a project being set up at Paramount, and Kevin Costner seems truly poised for a comeback as the "Hatfields & McCoys" star circles both Kenneth Branagh's upcoming "Jack Ryan" reboot and the "Taken"-esque thriller, "Three Days to Kill."

So many movies, so many parts — and so much catering that's gonna have to be ordered! Join us next week as we look at the latest casting all in one fell swoop.

Sony

Dads are good guys. They put together our complicated toys, they taught us to drive, and they took us camping. But we've always considered him to be a total dork, or the big bad guy who Mom would call on to deliver the harshest punishments.

We wanted a father who was more like ones in movies. Why didn't we have a dad who built a magical baseball field, was fabulously wealthy, and who greeted crises with jokes, hugs, or lethal force instead of groundings?

We know our dads were cool, always there for us, and making us better people. We love them dearly. But in honor of Father's Day, here are 13 movie dads we still find ourselves admiring for their humor, cuddliness, special talents, and in some cases, bank vaults full of money.

13. Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks), 'Sleepless in Seattle' (1993)

Sony

Tom Hanks is the very definition of calm, cool, and lovable. He can always be counted on to play a great dad, but his sad widower in "Sleepless in Seattle" tops the list for us. Instead of remaining distant from his son, Jonah, he clings to him so hard that Jonah decides he needs to start dating. When he calls a radio talk show on his dad's behalf, it kicks off a frenzy. Sam handles it all with surprising calm, good humor, and honesty. When Jonah flies all the way across the country to meet Annie, Sam freaks, but not so badly that he doesn't give Jonah the biggest and most tearful hug instead of a lecture. That's when we decided we wanted him to adopt us.

12. Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy), 'American Pie' (1999)

NBC

There comes a time in every kid's life that they start locking the bedroom or bathroom door behind them. We don't want our parents to know what's going on there. We don't want to have that discussion. Jim (Jason Biggs) not only has that discussion, he has his dad walk in on him as he's getting intimate with a pie. Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy) -- that's all we know him by throughout the series -- actually helps him dispose of the incriminating pastry, buys him some dirty magazines, and tries to offer a little, er, technical advice. Once the humiliation passes, it's a relief to know you've got a dad who recognizes you're all grown up, and even in need of sexual relief.

11. Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), 'Field of Dreams' (1989)

Universal

There are practical dads, and there are dads who throw caution to the wind and embrace the supernatural. Ray (Costner) receives an insistent whisper to "build it" so "he will come," and happily plows over his cornfield and builds a baseball field. When the ghosts of baseball greats turn up, Ray isn't in the least bit surprised. He fights to keep his mystical field despite a shrinking bank account and threats from his brother-in-law. We'd love a dad who could tap into the astral plane of baseball, and who never wavered in his belief that having Shoeless Joe Jackson over to play was worth a few acres of corn. If he believed they would come, so would we.

10. Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli), 'The Twilight Saga' (2008-2012)

Summit

We wouldn't want Dracula as a dad, but Carlisle Cullen? Yes, please. His enhanced ability is compassion, for heaven's sake, and he has a penchant for adopting lost and lonely souls. Anyone you love, he'll love. (He may even offer to transform them.) His capacity for kindness means he won't spend the centuries lecturing you, reminding you of that one time you scratched his car. He'll probably just give you a big hug, and remind you that time washes everything away, and the material is immaterial. Oh, and he's loaded (Forbes estimates his fortune to be $34.5 billion). If you have to pick a dad to spend centuries with, Carlisle is the one to choose.

9. Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams), 'Mrs. Doubtfire' (1993)

Fox

We'd love a dad who, despite his unemployment, hires the zoo to throw us a birthday party. But Daniel (Williams) really goes the distance. Guilty over the breakup of his marriage and desperate to spend time with his kids, he willingly dresses up as a plump English nanny. We won't lie and say the big reveal wouldn't be a little traumatizing, but the sheer audacity of the scheme is just too adorable and sweet to be too upsetting. Besides, he cooks, cleans and sews even better than Mom!

8. Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), 'Taken' (2008)

Fox

Any dad would happily risk his life for his child. But if we're in trouble – serious trouble, spanning numerous borders, languages, and laws – we want a dad with a very particular set of skills. We want Bryan Mills, who can build torture devices out of common items, rig telephones with walkie-talkies, and find us no matter how far off the grid we've strayed. He's a distant dad, but great in a pinch, and at least conscientious enough to encourage your singing career, and introduce you to his famous clients.

7. Daddy Warbucks, 'Annie'

Sony

It's a hard knock life and a really bad economy, so we could really use a father like Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, whose fortune is estimated to be "ten zillion dollars," making him the richest fictional character ever. But money doesn't make the man! Daddy Warbucks is also charitable (he comes from a poor background which keeps him grounded), loves kids and dogs, enjoys globetrotting and adventure, and is a sharp dresser. He's a bit of a curmudgeon, but so is every parent, and you always have the household staff to mingle with if he's in a bad mood. And we did mention the"ten zillion dollars" in the vault, right?

6. Dill Penderghast (Stanley Tucci), 'Easy A' (2010)

Sony

We love the Penderghast family so much that we couldn't just wish for Mommy Penderghast ... we had to wish for Dad, too. Dill may have cheesy taste in Netflix rentals (We didn't have "The Bucket List" on our bucket list!), but he has a great sense of humor and an open mind about teenage sex. Neither Mom or Dad Penderghast would lecture us about what they saw on our Facebook or video blog, and even if Daddy Dill disapproves of your wardrobe, he'll temper it by saying you look like a high-end stripper. We feel our self-esteem soaring already!

5. Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase), The ‘Vacation’ Series (1983-2010)

Warner Brothers

Clark Griswold may be the most disaster-prone man on the planet, but you have to admire his guts and determination. This is a dad who will get you to Disney – er, Walley World at any cost, even if it means holding up a security guard with a BB gun. He will put on a pig suit to win a trip to Europe, and bravely drive on the right side of the road, even if that means taking you around Big Ben and Parliament all day. Finally, he'll plan a fun, old-fashioned family Christmas (which includes the ultimate gift of a backyard pool) and pursue it with manic ferocity, no matter how high the cost.

4. Mac MacGuff (J.K. Simmons), 'Juno' (2007)

Fox

Yes, Mac's other half made our Mom List too, but you just can't have one MacGuff parent without the other. A pregnant teenage daughter would probably make most dads get out a shotgun, and go on the hunt for the offending male. Mac merely expresses bewilderment, then dismay and criticism (he was hoping for hard drugs or a DWI) before switching to full sympathy and support. He can even manage to crack a few jokes about the situation. It's exactly how you hope your dad would react to unplanned grandparency.

3. Steve Martin in ANYTHING

Fox

Steve Martin is legendary for his snarky and sarcastic comedy. So why does he have a resume that's full of superdad roles? We don't know. We don't care. We just want him to be our dad. We'll take him in "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles," "Parenthood," "Father of the Bride" (I & II!), or "Cheaper by the Dozen." Sure, he can be uptight and anxious (he's an absolute wreck in "Parenthood"), but he's always a man willing to do whatever it takes to make his family safe, secure, and happy. Oh, and he tells really good jokes, even if he's covered in vomit. If dad has to be a comedian, he should at least be one like Steve Martin.

2. Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (1962)

Universal

Atticus Finch is one hell of a father figure. He's stern and serious, but he's also gentle, compassionate, and determined. No, he doesn't crack jokes. He doesn't engage in slick hand-to-hand combat. He doesn't have ten zillion dollars, and he's not big on playing games or hatching up zany parties. But Atticus is a hero, trying to single-handedly reverse the hideous racism of his town, and save an innocent man's life. Forget Superman; Finch is the real defender of truth, justice, and the American way. Other dads may be more fun, but Finch is the one you'd be proud to introduce to your friends or significant others.

1. Chris Gardner (Will Smith), 'The Pursuit of Happyness' (2006)

Universal

How does one dad emerge ahead of a pack of really awesome dads? By being Chris Gardner, who suffered setbacks that would have broken just about everyone (except maybe Liam Neeson or Atticus Finch) on the list. Gardner lost his savings and his wife thanks to a poor investment, hit rock bottom, and was forced to climb back out to provide for his son. The two wind up on the streets and in a homeless shelter before Gardner's hard work pays off, landing him a posh job as a stockbroker. The best part of the story? It's true. Gardner and his son went from being homeless to being multi-millionaires, and to a movie deal with Will Smith. And you thought awesome dads existed only in the movies.

Originally published June 17, 2011.

Universal

When it comes to the movies, there are some certainties in life: The guy in front of you is going to be texting through the whole film, popcorn tastes better with butter and Denzel Washington is a hero. But when "Safe House" opens this Friday, all bets are off, as Washington turns heel to play one of the most sinister villains of the year, rogue CIA agent Tobin Frost.

Of course, this isn't the first time Washington has put on the black hat, but it got us thinking: What other Hollywood good guys have taken a ride on the wild side and smashed expectations by dirtying up their heroic reputations? For the answer, take a look at our ultimate countdown of Good Guys Gone Bad.

But watch your back. Because Denzel Washington is out there somewhere -- and there's no telling which side he's on this week.

Tom Cruise in 'Collateral'

DreamWorks

Tom Cruise has made a point out of playing almost entirely wholesome, heroic and upstanding characters; think Ethan Hunt in the "Mission: Impossible" films or real life anti-war activist Ron Kovic in "Born on the Fourth of July." Which is why it was so shocking to see him in "Collateral" as a cold-blooded, ruthless assassin-for-hire. Jumping on couches? Sure. Shooting people for money? Now that's a whole different -- and unexpected -- level of crazy.

Nicole Kidman in 'To Die For'

Columbia Pictures

Speaking of Cruise, perhaps he should watch his back, because while ex-wife Nicole Kidman is usually on the side of angels, she has stepped out a couple of times, most notoriously in "To Die For" where she played a woman who schemes to have her husband murdered. And her behavior in "The Golden Compass" wasn't much better -- she was kidnapping kids in order to capture their souls for diabolical purposes. Yikes.

Denzel Washington in 'Training Day'

Warner Bros.

They say that crime doesn't pay, but don't tell that to Denzel Washington. After years of acclaimed roles playing good guys, Washington finally won his first Best Actor Oscar for his depiction of a down and dirty cop in "Training Day." Considering he also earned a Golden Globe nomination for playing real-life "American Gangster" Frank Lucas, well, it's clear that for once, people love corruption in Washington.

Harrison Ford in 'What Lies Beneath'

DreamWorks

It's pretty hard for us to think of Harrison Ford as being a bad guy. You know, this is Han Solo, after all. And Indiana Jones. And Jack Ryan, for eff's sake. But in "What Lies Beneath," we found out exactly what lies beneath both Ford's heroic exterior and the surface of a nearby lake: evil, and the dead body of the coed he murdered after their affair. Now, does that sound like something Dr. Richard Kimble would do?

Arnold Schwarzenegger in 'The Terminator'

Orion

This is a little bit of a tricky one, because while Arnold Schwarzenegger had gained some fame for his role in "Conan," most of the world was first introduced to him as the relentless man-killing cyborg from the future in "The Terminator." That film turned out to be the exception to the rule, though; Schwarzenegger soon became so darn heroic on screen that he insisted his killer robot become a good guy in future "Terminator" sequels.

Bruce Willis in 'The Jackal'

Universal

Just how villainous is Bruce Willis as a super-secret assassin trying to off the First Lady? At one point during the film he actually murders Jack Black in cold blood. Jack Black! Why would anybody do that?! If that's what happens when Willis embraces the dark side, let us just go on record as saying we hope he stays a good guy for the rest of his career.

Angelina Jolie in 'Beowulf'

Paramount

Jolie has been known to play bad guys from time to time, but they're really more bad girls -- deadly, but you still pull for them anyway (see: "Wanted"). Not so much with "Beowulf," though. There, she plays the mother of both Grendel and the dragon, and she herself is about as monstrous as they come -- though you may not have noticed, what with her being butt naked at the time. So ... okay, maybe not totally evil, amirite, guys?

Jennifer Aniston in 'Horrible Bosses'

Warner Bros.

Brad Pitt's other significant other has been known for nearly 20 years as America's Sweetheart. Really, she's just a sweet-natured cutie pie, right? At least, that was the consensus right up until "Horrible Bosses" came out last year and completely nuked her wholesome image, thanks to her role as a sexually deviant freakazoid who, by the way, harasses her employees in an extremely un-wholesome manner. Is this the start of a new era of Aniston bad-girl antics? We ... kind of hope so.

Matt Damon in 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'

Paramount

These days you can't really think about Matt Damon without also calling to mind his heroic Jason Bourne persona or his equally heroic off-screen charitable and political efforts. But in "The Talented Mr. Ripley," he cleverly played off his Boy Scout looks and reputation to play a murderous sociopath who climbed the economic ladder by casually massacring anyone who got in his way. It still gives us chills.

Ben Stiller in 'Dodgeball'

20th Century Fox

Ben Stiller isn't just a hilarious everyman, he's a bona fide hero; this is the guy that played Dirk Phoenix in "Mystery Men," after all. But he also has a twisted dark side that would make even Satan cower in fear -- and he unleashed that dark side on an unwitting public in "Dodgeball," where he played a sinister gym owner looking to cheat his way to the top of the heap. Instead (just as in his other villainous turn, in "Happy Gilmore"), he ended up a broken and bitter loser. Hey, that's the way the ball bounces.

Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight'

Warner Bros.

Heath Ledger played a number of complex and nuanced characters over the course of his all-too-short career, but it's his final -- and most villainous -- role that he's likely to be best remembered for : The Joker in "The Dark Knight." An Oscar and a billion-dollar worldwide box office take are just two testaments to the power of Ledger's performance. He is missed.

Glenn Close in 'Fatal Attraction'

Paramount

It might be hard to recall now, but for a long time Glenn Close was viewed as a wholesome, all-American gal thanks to films like "The Big Chill" and "The Natural." Really, she was the sweet girl next door. Then came a little flick called "Fatal Attraction," where she did such non-girl-next-door things like boiling the family pet. We gotta say, that will change how people look at you; later villainous roles in films like "Dangerous Liaisons" and "101 Dalmatians" were pretty much child's play after that.

Robin Williams in 'One Hour Photo'

Fox Searchlight

America's Crazy Uncle usually handles either Oscar-winning dramatic roles (see: "Good Will Hunting") or wacky comedic parts (see: "Death to Smoochy." Or better yet, don't). But in "One Hour Photo" he turns that manic energy in another direction: your direction. That's because he plays a creepy photo-booth attendant who begins to stalk a family whose lives he becomes obsessed with through their pictures. It's bad, though not quite so bad maybe as in "Insomnia" where he outright murders someone (um, spoilers). Is there nothing pure in this world any more?

Kevin Costner in 'Mr. Brooks'

Relativity Media

If there's anyone who represents the values of middle America better than Kevin Costner, well by gosh, we have yet to meet the fellow. In "Mr. Brooks," however, Costner manipulates expectations by playing another upstanding gent, only one with a tiny little secret: He's actually a horrible serial killer. Hey, nobody's perfect, not even someone as seemingly perfect as Mr. "Field of Dreams" himself. If you kill them, he will come.

Charlize Theron in 'Monster'

Newmarket Films

Charlize Theron is one of the most beautiful women in the world and, of course, she's probably best known as the sci-fi superhero "Aeon Flux." Okay, just kidding: Despite her many roles as good guys and sexy ladies, Theron is probably best known for getting fat and ugly for the role of "Monster," where she played a prostitute-turned-serial-killer. You felt bad for her, but ... not that bad. Yikes.

Albert Brooks in 'Drive'

FilmDistrict

Albert Brooks has turned being a neurotic, hopelessly romantic mensch into a whole cottage industry. Heck, this is the guy who provided the voice of the dad in "Finding Nemo." Kids love him! Moms love him! But you know who doesn't love him? People who have seen his chilling performance in "Drive," in which he plays a murderous mobster who wields a mean straight razor. Fear him? Yes. Respect him? Absolutely. Love him? That's going to be hard to do again until the nightmares stop.

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UPDATE: Kevin Costner will no longer be playing the role of Ace Woody, the slave driver and trainer of villainous rancher Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," according to a tweet from Variety.

Costner's departure is due to "scheduling conflicts" with what we're assuming is The History Channel's mini-series, "The Hatfields & the McCoys," which reunites Costner with his "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" director, Kevin Reynolds.

You know, this would be a great role for Tarantino's old pal, Tim Roth. Just saying. Anyway, stay tuned for recasting news!

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Kevin Costner hardly ever gets to be the bad guy.

But now he does, as the "Field of Dreams" star has signed on for a rather juicy villain role in Quentin Tarantino's western, "Django Unchained," according to Deadline.

Costner will play Ace Woody, the sadistic trainer of the slaves who are forced to fight each other in death matches at Candyland, the brutal club/ranch run by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). And Woody has no qualms about killing the "mandingo" fighters who don't measure up to his standards.

Costner joins a cast that includes Jamie Foxx, who plays Django, a freed slave on a quest to be reunited with his wife; Christoph Waltz, who plays a German bounty hunter who ends up being Django's traveling companion; and trusty Tarantino alum Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Candie's crafty majordomo.

"Django Unchained" is a great gig for Costner, who could be set for a Travolta-esque career comeback now that he's in Tarantino's camp. And even though he rarely gets villain roles, we know he can certainly pull them off, if his impressive psycho turn in the otherwise wretched "3000 Miles to Graceland" is any indication.

This is the second high-profile studio project that Costner has joined recently, following him being cast as Kal-El's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel."

It turns out that December 2012 will be a big month for Kevin Costner, as "Man of Steel" will open then on a day still to be determined and "Django" will be unchained on Christmas Day.

Originally published on Monday, July 18, 2011 at 7:36 p.m. ET.  

Focus Features

Actors and actresses from all walks of life populate Hollywood, just waiting to display a range of accents that perfectly represent whatever nationality they're portraying onscreen. Unfortunately, only about two dozen actors at any given time can actually open a movie at the box office.

In celebration of Anne Hathaway's rapidly fluctuating English accent in the new romantic dramedy "One Day," LIFE Magazine is paying tribute to some of the worst vocal offenders in movie history.

There's no shortage of studios trying to fit a square peg into the round hole of foreign accents, which leads to such atrocities as Kevin Costner and his Southern California Robin Hood, or Harrison Ford's Russian submarine captain straight out of "Boris & Natasha."

From Keanu Reeves putting a stake through the heart of every line in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" to Leonardo DiCaprio butchering his "South Effrican eccent" in "Blood Diamond," check out this hall of shame featuring performances so misguided they nearly caused an international incident.

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Apparently Lindsay Lohan doesn't mind being typecast. The scandal-plagued "Mean Girls" star and alleged jewel thief is looking to play a villainess in Zack Snyder's upcoming "Superman" reboot.

RadarOnline reports that the tough-as-kryptonite actress is heading to New York this week and plans to audition opposite a male actor who is being considered for the role of Lex Luthor, the Man of Steel's archenemy.

"Lindsay said she would be ecstatic to be part of the Superman movie," her pal Nathan Folks told RadarOnline. "It's a dream of hers."

Actually, playing leading lady Lois Lane was a dream of hers, according to the site, but that part went to Amy Adams so Lohan settled for the lesser, evil role. She'll reportedly read with Luthor wannabe Adam Harris, and it's believed they'll be teamed up on screen to deliver a Superman smackdown.

But Lohan—who is also said to be in talks to play slain starlet Sharon Tate in the upcoming Charles Manson biopic "Eyes of a Dreamer"—might have bigger battles ahead of her first. The superhero flick is set to begin filming in Vancouver in August—around the same time the star could find herself serving time in the pokey if she is found guilty of grand theft (she has been accused of stealing a $2,500 necklace from a Venice, Calif., jewelry store).

"Superman: Man of Steel," which stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as his anti-Michael and Dina Lohan parents, is set to soar into theaters in December 2012.

Will Lohan be along for the ride? Stay tuned!

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UPDATE: Kevin Costner has officially joined the cast of Zack Snyder's "Superman" reboot as Jonathan Kent, foster dad to the Last Son of Krypton, according to Heat Vision.

It's been nearly 20 years since Kevin Costner was one of the biggest movie stars in the entire world, but it looks like he's having himself a bit of a revival.

First he became a real-world hero with the oil-cleaning centrifuge device he created to help BP with their oil spill last year (we are not making this up) and then he had a major role in one of the most acclaimed films of the year, "The Company Men."

And now? Well, it seems like he's going to appear in a little something by the name of "Superman: Man of Steel."

Costner, we missed you.

Here's the deal: Deadline reported yesterday that producer Christopher Nolan and director Zack Snyder are in discussions with Costner for what was described as "a key role." This led to widespread speculation that Costner would be tapped to play the minor but important part of Superman's adopted Earth dad, Jonathan "Pa" Kent.

Of course, there are plenty of other roles Costner could theoretically fill -- Perry White is one name brought up by fans after the news broke, while villains such as Lex Luthor, General Zod and Brainiac were also favorites for speculation (personally, we think Costner would be a better fit for evil space cowboy Terra Man) -- but at least one source, Latino Review, is reporting that Pa Kent is indeed the role Costner is up for.

Either way, nothing is yet set in stone as Costner hasn't officially signed on to the film yet. But there's still plenty of time; "Superman: Man of Steel," which stars British hunk Henry Cavill in the title role, isn't set to hit theaters until Christmas of 2012.