Ben Kingsley Plays 'Ender's Game,' Sacha Baron Cohen Feels 'Les Miserables'

[NelsonG]

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Ben Kingsley can't get enough of his "Hugo" costar Asa Butterfield, apparently. Their powerful dynamic in the Martin Scorsese 3-D period piece was easily one of the highlights of that movie, and viewers are about to be treated to another collaboration between the pair of actors.

[url="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ben-kingsley-enders-game-271571"]THR[/url] reports that Kingsley is in talks to join "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/489191/moviemain.jhtml"]Ender's Game[/url]," [url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/29302/personmain.jhtml"]Gavin Hood's[/url] adaptation of the science fiction classic from novelist Orson Scott Card. [url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/11/22/asa-butterfield-enders-game/"]Butterfield was previously cast in the title role[/url] with [url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/12/02/enders-game-eyes-hailee-steinfeld-for-petra/"]"True Grit" actress Hailee Steinfeld[/url] flirting with the project as well. For his part, Kingsley would play a legendary war hero long presumed dead.

Get more casting news after the jump!

[b]»[/b] We've always known that Sacha Baron Cohen is the master of the house, but now it's more or less official. The "Borat" and "Bruno" star—who also has the "Hugo" connection to the aforementioned Kingsley and Butterfield, mind you—is in talks to play Thénardier in Tom Hooper's musical adaptation of "Les Miserables," according to [url="http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/12/08/sacha-baron-cohen-in-talks-for-les-miserables/"]Entertainment Weekly[/url]. Thénardier, you may recall, is the twisted innkeeper who abuses poor Cosette; if cast, he'd play opposite Helena Bonham Carter as his equally wretched wife.

[b]»[/b] He ducked out on the Oscars, but you're not getting rid of Eddie Murphy that easily. The "Tower Heist" comedian is hitting the small screen by way of HBO's untitled biopic about former Washington D.C. mayor Marion Barry, reports [url="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/eddie-murphy-marion-barry-spike-lee-hbo-271612?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Compose+-+breaking_news_120811+%281%29&utm_content"]THR[/url]. Spike Lee is attached to direct.

[b]»[/b] Speaking of Spike Lee, if you were hoping for Colin Firth to terrorize Josh Brolin in the director's upcoming "Oldboy" remake, we've got some disappointing news. [url="twitchfilm.com/news/2011/12/colin-firth-turns-down-spike-lees-oldboy.php"]Twitch[/url] reports that the Oscar winner has decided to pass on the American version of the Chan-wook Park revenge thriller, leaving the door wide open for another actor to take the coveted bad guy role. Who would you suggest to replace Firth?

[url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/12/09/ben-kingsley-enders-game-sacha-baron-cohen-les-miserables/"][img]http://mtv.mtvnimages.com/uri/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:713200?height=288&width=512[/img][/url]

[url="http://www.mtv.com/videos/movies/713200/colin-firth-doing-an-old-boy-remake.jhtml"]Colin Firth talks "Oldboy" possibilities![/url]

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