Our Top Story Tonight: Scorsese Finds a New Lead, Affleck Finds His Next Film & 2 Big Trailers Debut

We'll start off tonight's movie news summary with a just released trailer for one of this year's big Oscar films. The Butler, which is directed by Lee Daniels (Precious), boasts a huge cast and seems tailor made for some serious awards this fall. The film tells the true story of Eugene Allen, a butler who served eight president's between 1952 and 1986. Forrest Whitaker is playing Allen, which is bound to get him some attention this awards season, but the most interesting member of this cast is Oprah Winfrey, in her first major theatrical role since 1998's Beloved. Based on the footage, it looks like she's giving a performance the Weinsteins will really be emphasizing to voters, and she could really be a contender in the Supporting Actress category. As for the film itself, it looks decent and is worth seeing for the cast alone, but I am not a fan of Daniels and his strange directorial style. His films tend to feel cheap and seedy to me, which clashes with the material at the center of movies like Precious. But, he did direct three fantastic performances in that film, so maybe The Butler will deliver. Check out the trailer above and decide for yourself. The film will arrive in theaters on October 18.

Up next we have a major announcement involving Martin Scorsese's long awaited Silence, a film that has been in production for almost twenty years and has had numerous actors attached to it at some point. This time, Andrew Garfield is set to play the leading role of Father Rodrigues, a Jesuit priest who travels to Japan amidst rumors that his mentor has abandoned his faith. Also along for the ride is Ken Watanabe, who will play the priest's translator. The film has had a tough time getting distribution due to its violence, tough subject matter and the fact that it is largely in Japanese. But, it seems like the project is finally happening and will begin filming next summer, right after Scorsese is finished running the awards circuit for his next film, The Wolf of Wall Street. The film sounds fascinating, and I'm happy to see Andrew Garfield taking on more serious subject matter outside of the Spider-Man franchise.

Also in the news: Ben Affleck has found his next project. Not surprisingly, the film is set in Boston. It is an adaptation of Dennis Lehane's Live By Night, a Prohibition set gangster story about a man who becomes a career criminal despite his father being a cop. The film was long rumored to be Affleck's next project, and it can already be deemed a frontrunner for Best Picture during its year of release. Like it or not, Affleck is a hot commodity, especially with Argo winning Best Picture and becoming a box office hit. On the plus side, Affleck's status as a major director means he'll likely court some big names to this project- anyone care to speculate on who will star? And while I wasn't a major fan of Argo or The Town, I do think Affleck has shown talent as a director and this project sounds interesting.

And coming full circle tonight there is the trailer for Ender's Game, a highly anticipated sci-fi adaptation about a futuristic military that is training children to fight against some sort of alien speices. The children in question include Asa Butterfield (Hugo), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) and Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin, while the adults in the film include Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley and Viola Davis. Truth be told, I have no interest in this series and the trailer did not impress me in the slightest. The CGI looks cheap and it all seems quite cheesy. But maybe those who are fans of the franchise will be impressed. The film, which is directed by Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) will be released November 1. You can see the trailer below.
Finally, I feel like I can't end the night without giving a respectful Rest in Peace to Ray Harryhausen, who passed away at the age of 93. He will be missed, and his impact on special effects and the film community will not be forgotten.