Thomas Haden Church is now confirmed for and James Purefoy and Mark Strong have officially joined Walt Disney's upcoming "John Carter of Mars," the big-screen adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' series of books.

The film focuses on a Civil War veteran (Taylor Kitsch) who is mysteriously transported to Mars, where he encounters a whole bunch of mysterious creatures. Andrew Stanton is directing the adventure.

The solid cast also includes Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Dominic West and Polly Walker. Heat Vision says Church plays Tal Hajus, a vicious Thark warrior planning to become a ruler.

Click to read more ...

Here's your dose of casting updates for June 4, 2009:

• Lisa Kudrow, Alyson Machalka, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Penn Badgley, Cam Gigandet, Malcolm McDowell and Daniel Byrd will join Emma Stone and Amanda Bynes in Will Gluck's comedy "Easy A," a modern reimagining of "The Scarlet Letter." Written by playwright Bert V. Royal, the film centers on a high school student who seeks financial and personal gain by pretending to be the school slut. (Variety)

• Chris Pine, who's currently onscreen in "Star Trek," is in talks to join Denzel Washington in Tony Scott for Fox's upcoming thriller "Unstoppable." The plot follows an engineer who boards a locomotive with a young conductor (Pine) and attempts to chase a runaway train loaded with a bunch of toxic chemicals. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Thomas Haden Church is currently filming Jake Goldberger's upcoming indie drama "Don McKay" for Animus Films, according to Variety. Elisabeth Sue, Melissa Leo, Keith David and M. Emmet Walsh are also on board.

Written by Goldberger, the film centers on a man who left his hometown after suffering from a tragedy. When he returns home 25 years later, he finds his long-lost love on the verge of death and is consequently thrust into a bunch of troubles.

"McKay" is produced on a modest budget and is currently shooting in the Boston area.

Church's acting credits include "Sideways" and "Spider-Man 3." He most recently starred alongside Dennis Quaid and Ellen Page in "Smart People." Future projects of his include "Big Eyes," a drama in which he co-stars with Kate Hudson.

Goldberger recently penned the teen horror flick "Homecoming," which stars Mischa Barton and Jessica Stroup.