Daily news dose: James Franco books 'Shadows;' Cohen won't direct third 'XXX'

Here is your dose of film news for June 10, 2009:

• James Franco has signed on to star in Jay Anania's indie drama "In Praise of Shadows," in which the actor will play William Vincent, who journeys back to New York after spending some years in exile to keep the woman of his dreams out of the world of organized crime. (Variety)

• It's official: Rob Cohen will not reteam with Vin Diesel for the upcoming action sequel "XXX: The Return of Xander Cage." According to Variety, the director will helm New Regency's "Medieval" instead. No details about the script are released at this stage, but the trade says it's an action flick about "warriors from disparate cultures."

• Jonathan Goldstein ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") and John Francis Daley will write "Cal of the Wild" for DreamWorks. The comedy will make fun of the reality TV genre, including shows such as "Survivor." Vartiety says the project focuses on a cable TV star who is forced to battle for survival with his assistant when he's put in an unexpected, dangerous situation.

• Busy producer Frank Marshall ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") will enter the world of directing, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Marshall will helm "Right to Play," an ESPN Films documentary about Johann Olav Koss, a Norwegian speed-skating champ who launched the Right to Play organization, which tries to bring sports to kids in poor environments.

Movie briefs: 'Fast & Furious 5' already being assembled?

• With "Fast & Furious" collecting the big bucks at the box office ($116 million to date), a fifth film is already in early stages of development, according to Paul Walker. The actor recently talked to 104.3 MYfm, revealing another sequel will definitely happen. “But without question, with the way things opened up, Vin and I will be coming back, we’re making a fifth one, and we’re going to Brazil, that’s it,” he said. (via LA Times)

• It's no news Universal will make a fourth "Bourne" flick, but the real question is: where is the project at right now? According to Frank Marshall's twittering, the film should be ready for summer 2011, with a draft expected to be completed by June this year. Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon will return, and the film will be the first not based on a novel by Robert Ludlum.

• MTV recently talked to Michael Bay, who said his upcoming sequel "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" will be four minutes longer than the previous flick. That means the movie will run for 147 minutes! I really don't care about length, as long as it is as entertaining as its predecessor. "Fallen" opens June 24, 2009.

• William Hurt is the latest to join Ridley Scott's upcoming "Robin Hood." The Hollywood Reporter says Hurt plays William Marshall, the Earl of Pembroke. Russell Crowe is the leading man, while Cate Blanchett plays Maid Marian. The film is already shooting.

No 'Jurassic Park 4' after all?

Die-hard "Jurassic Park" fans may not be too pleased about this, but it looks like we're never going to see "Jurassic Park 4."

According to ComingSoon, producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy recently said that plans for another installment in the popular dinosaur adventure series have collapsed.

"No... I don't know. You know, when Crichton passed away, I sorta felt maybe that's it. Maybe that's a sign that we don't mess with it," Kennedy said during a press junket for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

To be honest, although I believed in the possibility of another sequel, this is not surprising to me at all. Universal has apparently been developing this project for years, but it still hasn't gotten anywhere yet.

Kennedy produced all three "Jurassic Park flicks. The last installment, "Jurassic Park III," opened in 2001 and made $181.1 million domestically.

Looks like that's it for those velociraptors and co.