A lot of casting announcements or near-announcements made today concern higher profile actors in higher profile projects.

Let’s start off with Ms. Carla Gugino, who you may recognize as the hot naked one from Sin City or the original Silk Spectre from Watchmen. After those two comic book films and a semi-recurring role on “Entourage,” Gugino is once again teaming up with her Watchmen director, Zack Snyder, for the female-empowered Sucker Punch. According to “The Hollywood Reporter,” the film is set in a 1950′s mental institution when a character played by Emily Browning is scheduled by her evil stepfather to be lobotomized (think the ending of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) in five days. She forms an escape plan with other female inmates. Gugino will play Mrs. Schultz, an adult figure in the institution.

Sam Worthington, he of Terminator Salvation, the upcoming Avatar and the the even further upcoming Clash of the Titans is in talks to join Charlize Theron in The Tourist, according to “Variety.” The film is based on the 2005 French thriller, Anthony Zimmer, about a female Interpol agent who uses an American tourist to expose a criminal who was once her lover. I’m assuming Theron would play the female agent and Worthington the used American.

Finally, after receiving non-critical praise for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hugh Jackman has found his next project. He’ll play the title role in The Greatest Showman on Earth, based on the life of circus ringleader P.T. Barnum. The twist differentiating this from the typical biopic-based-on-circus-showman is it will be a musical. For those that don’t know, Jackman has been a longtime Broadway musical star, having hosted the Tony Awards multiple times before given the reigns to this past year’s Oscars. On an even more intriguing note, the script being written by Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City) has a co-starring role written for one Anne Hathaway, who happened to be Jackman’s opening number partner at the Oscars, as well (relive that performance with the video, here).

I’m probably most interested in Snyder’s Sucker Punch as he’s proven to deliver an astounding visual. The concept of biopic-as-musical intrigues, especially with the possibility of Anne Hathaway co-starring. But, to dismiss a Theron project when she easily holds her own if not dominates the “beautiful” category against the aforementioned female names, would be disrespectful. So, hell, at the moment I’m down for all of it. Which of the three projects piques your interest the most? And since I mentioned it, which of the three women?

By special “The Film Nest” guest contributor: Joseph Amaral (aka “JoeCoconut” in Comments section)

Race to Witch Mountain is yet another Hollywood remake or re-imagining (whatever you call these now), this time from Disney. I can go on and on about how I don’t like remakes, but this one doesn’t look half bad.

Grayed is good

Dwayne Johnson, who seems like he’s dropping “The Rock” from his name, stars as a Las Vegas cabby driver, Jack Bruno. While doing his daily rounds, he picks up two kids named Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb). Jack learns the kids are extraterrestrials and are being pursued by an association, which plans to exploit them for evil means. Carla Gugino, who plays Dr. Alex Friedman, is a washed up astrophysicist who is reduced to giving lectures on UFOs. Jack seeks Alex’s help to get the kids to Witch Mountain so they can return back to their spaceship.

I’ve always enjoyed the actor formally known as The Rock, because he has a certain good guy charisma, despite looking like he could knock you out with one punch. There’s really nothing to find negative about Johnson and I’m glad to see he’s branching into the family/comedy genre like Witch Mountain, Gridiron Gang, Get Smart and The Game Plan. After his first initial fame with action/adventure movies (Scorpion King, The Rundown, Walking Tall etc.), he could have easily taken the bait and gone down the path of your typical action star (Statham, Stallone, Schwarzenegger).  I think he fits quite comfortably with family movies and it doesn’t take away from his “tough guy” persona. AnnaSophia Robb, who plays Sara, was very good in Bridge to Tarabithia and I could see her having a promising career. Ciaran Hinds plays Burke, the head of the organization that’s after the kids. He was very solid playing the part of the Mossad agent in Spielberg’s Munich.  Andy Fickman, who also worked with Johnson in The Game Plan, directs this.

Shades of "Close Encounters" emerge

Race to Witch Mountain actually can trace is origins back to 1968. Alexander Key originally wrote it as a science fiction novel and Disney made it into a movie in 1975 called Escape to Witch Mountain. Two sequels followed, Return to Witch Mountain in 1978 and Beyond Witch Mountain in 1982. Race to Witch Mountain isn’t the first remake either. It was first remade as a TV movie in 1995 called Escape to Witch Mountain. Producers of the new version tried to change the formula of their remake by tweaking with the title. Ike Eisenmann, who played the male child alien in the original and its sequel, will actually be in this one, as a sheriff.  Kim Richards, who played the female child alien, will also be back, this time as a waitress.

This movie should be a hit with families, because it looks entertaining and has enough special effects to mesmerize any kid under 12. The movie will be released March 13th.