HOLLYWOOD - James Franco is climbing up in the world.
The "Whatever It Takes" actor is in final talks to join Tobey Maguire in the much-hyped "Spider-Man" feature, Columbia Pictures says today.
In the Sam Raimi big-screen adaptation, Franco would play Harry Osborn, the high school pal and college roommate of Peter Parker, aka Spidey.
Franco is currently shooting the thriller "City By the Sea" with Robert De Niro and has just wrapped the TNT tube-pic "James Dean," wherein he plays the titular rebel.
GOING MOO: The Hollywood Reporter says that Cuba Gooding Jr. and Judi Dench will lend their voices to the Disney animated feature "Sweating Bullets" about a group of cows fighting to save their farm. Sarah Jessica Parker and Ja'Net DuBois have already signed on to do their cow duties, with actor Randy Quaid possibly joining them.
GUILTY AS CHARGED: "The Thin Red Line" and "Frequency" honey James Caviezel will play opposite Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman in the thriller "High Crimes," the Reporter says. The story is about a lawyer (Judd) in charge of defending her hubby (Caviezel) accused of war crimes.
'NATIONAL' TREASURE: Is it a zany comedy in the making or what? Daily Variety says that "Big Daddy" helmer Dennis Dugan and "Happy, Texas" whacky guy Steve Zahn are both in talks to join Martin Lawrence in the comedy "National Security." The film is said to be a mismatched buddy film wherein a white cop is wrongly charged with beating a black man. We're sure it'll be a lot funnier on film.
'VIEW' FINDER: The Reporter says that Kelly Preston will join Gwyneth Paltrow in the comedy "A View From the Top." Preston will play a fellow flight attendant in a story about the rise to fame of an international flight attendant (Paltrow).
'WORD' UP: If TV doesn't work out, there's always the movies. Oliver Platt, whose tube series "Deadline" was just recently pulled by NBC, is closed to signing on to the thriller "Don't Say a Word," Variety says. Platt would co-star with Michael Douglas in the story about a New York shrink (Douglas) whose daughter is kidnapped.
'MIND' AND BODY: "Requiem for a Dream" breakthrough Jennifer Connelly is in talks to star in "Beautiful Mind" with Russell Crowe. According to the Reporter, the story follows the true life of John Forbes Nash Jr., a Nobel Prize winner who suffers from schizophrenia. If all goes well, Connelly would play his wife.
'OCEAN' IN MOTION: Two more down for the count. The Reporter says that Casey Affleck and Scott Caan will join the ensemble cast of the Rat Pack remake "Ocean's Eleven" as Mormon brothers enlisted to pull off a mega Vegas heist. Already on board are George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Alan Arkin.