'Dinner for Schmucks' trailer is not tasty

Someone out there thought it would be a great idea to remake France's comedy hit "Le diner de cons," and if I had the chance to, I would love to punch that someone. The first trailer for the Jay Roach-directed flick has landed online, and to tell you the truth, it looks like a solid dose of big-screen crap. At this stage, that's unfortunate, because the film boasts a cast I generally enjoy watching. The film opens July 23, 2010.

Of course, a lot of trailers are deceiving, and "Dinner for Schmucks" could end up being funny. That said, what I saw in this preview didn't even make me smile, and that's not exactly a good start. In the film, a bunch of friends organize a weekly dinner to which they invite the dumbest people they can find. Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis star. I wish I could say this looked tasty, but to me, it doesn't.

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Big casting update: Katherine Heigl, Rachel Weisz, Sam Worthington, Marion Cotillard, Lucy Punch

Lots of casting news to cover this week, and here is a list of some of the more important ones from across the Web:

- Katherine Heigl is in talks to star in "One for the Money," in which she will play Stephanie Plum, an unemployed lingerie buyer who becomes a bounty hunter. The film is based on the novel by Janet Evanovich. Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith wrote the script (Variety).

- Rachel Weisz will join Daniel Craig in "Dream House," Jim Sheridan's upcoming thriller for Morgan Creek. The story follows a man and his family as they move to a peaceful town and discover their new home is haunted by its former inhabitants (Variety).

- Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy in the "Harry Potter" flicks, will star in "The Apparition," which also features "Twilight" actress Ashley Greene. The flick follows a young couple haunted by some kind of supernatural presence generated during a college experiment (Variety).

- Sam Worthington, star of "Avatar" and upcoming "Clash of the Titans," will star in Ami Canaan Mann's "The Fields," in which he plays a homicide detective investigating murders in the Texas bayous. Michael Mann, father of the director, will produce. Don Ferrarone wrote the script (via THR).

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Lucy Punch invited to 'Dinner for Schmucks'

Actress Lucy Punch is pretty much set to star in Jay Roach's upcoming "Dinner for Schmucks," a remake of Francis Veber's popular 1998 comedy "Le diner de cons" (The Dinner Game).

Steve Carell and Paul Rudd are also on board to star in the project, in which a bunch of friends organize a weekly dinner to which they invite the dumbest people they can find.

"Schmucks" is set to start production this fall, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film marks Roach's first big-screen project since 2004's "Meet the Fockers."

As for Punch, her credits include "The Class" and "Hot Fuzz." She also recently joined Woody Allen's upcoming untitled film, which stars Freida Pinto, Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas and Josh Brolin.

Daily news dose: Lucy Punch joins Woody Allen flick; 'Twilight' wins big at MTV Movie Awards

Here's your dose of film news for June 1, 2009:

• Lucy Punch, whose credits include "The Class" and "Hot Fuzz," will replace Nicole Kidman in Woody Allen's upcoming film. Plot details are still kept under wraps, but the cast also includes Freida Pinto, Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas and Josh Brolin. (Variety)

• Halle Berry is in negotiations to star in Paul Verhoeven's "The Surrogate," a thriller based on the book by Kathryn Mackel. The story follows a couple who discovers the surrogate they hired to carry their baby is completely nuts. Berry last starred in "Things We Lost in the Fire." (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road") is almost set to star in "The Runaways," the biopic of the popular girl rock band. He's joining Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart. The plot will focus on the formation of The Runaways all the way to the end of their career as a group. (THR)

• Because I don't think the MTV Movie Awards deserve a separate entry, here are some winners: "Twilight" wins best movie; Kristen Stewart wins best actress; Zac Efron wins best actor; Heath Ledger wins best villain (only decent outcome); and Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson win the award for best kiss. Yeah, the MTV Movie Awards suck indeed.