Rumor Mill - 9/19/10

Sherlock Holmes 2 gets a Girl with a Dragon Tattoo – Noomi Rapace, star of the Swedish adaptation of New York Times bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, joins the cast of the Sherlock Holmes sequel. Rapace is rumored to play a French gypsy alongside leads Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.

Lead Actress Cast for American Dragon Tattoo film – In other Dragon Tattoo news, newcomer Rooney Mara will take on the mysterious titular lead role of Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher’s Hollywood production of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo alongside Daniel Craig, Stellan Skarsgard, and Robin Wright.

oger Ebert brings At the Movies back to viewers – Though Ebert won’t host the show, due to the toll cancer has taken on his voice, he will still provide new hosts Christy Lemire and Elvis Mitchell with insights using a computer generated voice and his trademarked Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down rating system.

Biopic on President Reagan set for 2011 – After the controversial mini-series “The Reagans” flopped back in 2003, a feature film simply titled “Reagan” will trace the President’s life, from childhood to Hollywood stardom to the White House. Filming is set to begin late next year and there are currently no actors tied to the picture.

Stephen King’s Dark Tower to be adapted through movies and series – Acclaimed director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman are in the process of creating an ambitious adaptation to Steven King’s fantasy cowboy epic Dark Tower series. Though Lost producers J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof originally planned to take on the project, the reigns have been turned over to Howard and Goldsman, who are planning not only movies, but an accompanying television series to bridge the films, using the same cast and crew.

Leading lady in Cuaron’s epic sci-fi flick, “Gravity,” still at large – Academy Award-nominated director Alfonso Cuarón’s epic space survival tale Gravity is still in need of a leading lady. After Angelina Jolie passed on the role multiple times, Natalie Portman has been offered the lead, based on her striking performance in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. However, Warner Bros. top choice is Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock, who will be offered the part if Portman declines.