Welcome to the Shrine to Actors

State of Play has one heck of a cast list. We’ve got:

Russell Crowe (American Gangster, 3:10 to Yuma)

Ben Affleck (He’s Just Not That Into You, Hollywoodland)

Rachel McAdams (The Family Stone and upcoming Sherlock Holmes)

Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect, The Queen)

Viola Davis (Madea Goes to Jail, and fresh off her Oscar nom for Doubt)

Robin Wright Penn (New York, I Love You and Beowulf)

Jeff Daniels (Traitor and Good Night, and Good Luck)

Harry Lennix (Across the Universe, and one of the few bright spots in TVs Dollhouse)

Jason Bateman (Juno, Arrested Development)

The director, Kevin Macdonald, also directed the Oscar-lauded Last King of Scotland.

Clearly, there’s a lot of talent here. While not a guarantee of success, it certainly offers a high probability of some fine acting, no matter the plot. It’s interesting to note that Brad Pitt was originally slated for the role Russell Crowe took over, but Pitt dropped out due to personal concerns with the script. I don’t know if it’s sour grapes, but director Macdonald says Crowe is more suited to the part of the scruffy underdog journalist who supplies a contrast to Affleck’s super slick politician. I’ve seen Pitt do scruffy, but Crowe does tend to have more of a careworn look about him. Perhaps Pitt felt he wasn’t suited to the role, either.

We’ll see what early reviews of State of Play bring–good actors and a good film, or good actors wasted in a bad film? Did Pitt miss his chance, or make a smart move?

State of Play hits US and Canadian theaters on April 17, 2009. (The UK gets it April 24.)

I admire Robert Downey Jr. and positively love Jude Law, but I’m not entirely sure about this new update to Sherlock Holmes. I’m not sure if Robert Downey Jr. is right for the role (but hey, his wife is the producer), and I’m not sure if Sherlock Holmes should be more “action-oriented”, or reinvented for modern audiences’ sensibilities. I’m also annoyed that once again the leading lady/love interest is 13 years younger than her male counterpart. (I suppose I should be grateful she’s actually 30, rather than 21.) Here’s a clip from Entertainment Tonight featuring the movie’s three stars:

(If you can’t see the vid, go here .)

Downey can certainly be charming, intelligent, and quick-witted, so he may well turn out to be a wonderful Sherlock. I can actually see him having a delightful chemistry with Law, who is more than capable of bringing either serious drama or quirky humor to the role. I’m intrigued by Downey’s assertion that they’re bringing out Doyle’s actual intentions for the character, rather than reinventing him out of thin air. Certainly our visions of Holmes have been colored over the years by film and TV incarnations that may have skewed our perception of the author’s original vision.Considering the level of talent, I’m willing to gamble on the new Sherlock Holmes, and hope that it will be worthy of the hype. We’re still a long way off from enlightening trailers and reviews, as the film won’t open until Christmas of this year.