GRADING THE TRADES
Hollywood Report Card: Nicolas Cage to Apprehend John Cusack
Nicolas Cage hasn't quite paid off that tax bill yet! Following last week's encouraging news that he may appear in Charlie Kaufman's presumably good next movie comes word that he's also in talks to costar with John Cusack in The Frozen Ground, about a serial killer (Cusack) being pursued by an Alaskan state trooper (Cage). Among Ground's producers is Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, who has some experience helping actors settle with the IRS. Grade: C- [Deadline]
In keeping with Hollywood's plan to cast her in pretty much everything (of which we completely approve!), Emma Stone is negotiating to join Ruben Fleischer's Tales From the Gangster Squad as a "a sharp-tongued siren" in a love triangle" with police officer Ryan Gosling and mobster Sean Penn, who is 50. Grade: B- [Variety]
