When he’s done chasing down Nazi art thieves in this year’s The Monuments Men, George Clooney will next tackle alien life. The star has officially signed on for Disney’s 1952, directed by Brad Bird (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) and written by Prometheus scribe Damon Lindelof. Details are being kept close to the vest, but the plot is rumored to center on Clooney’s character having a Close Encounters-like experience. The 3D release hits theaters on December 19, 2014. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Meanwhile, Anne Hathaway, fresh from her Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, has settled on her follow-up to Les Miserables.

Hathaway will headline a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The film, written by The Iron Lady scribe Abi Morgan, is set in mid-20th Century Italy. A director is expected to sign on soon. [TheWrap]

Disney has also set release dates for several of their tentpole features, so Sharpie them in on your calendars. Johnny Depp will return for Pirates of the Caribbean 5, scheduled for release on July 10, 2015. The Muppets 2, starring Tina Fey and Ricky Gervais, is set for March 21, 2014. Angelina Jolie‘s Maleficent, which tells the story of Sleeping Beauty‘s infamous villain, has moved from March 2014 to July 2, 2014. And finally, Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier is due on April 4, 2014, while Guardians of the Galaxy is set for August 1, 2014. Both comic book films will be released in 3D. [The Hollywood Reporter]

On Monday, Vin Diesel gave his Facebook fans two big updates on the next Fast & The Furious movie. The star released a new image from Fast Six, as well as announcing that the film’s first trailer will air during the Super Bowl. That means we’ll be getting our first look of the film a scant three months before its May 24th release. [Facebook]

Just in time for its 20th anniversary, Steven Spielberg‘s Oscar-winning Holocaust drama, Schindler’s List, is finally coming to Blu-ray. The film arrives in HD on March 5, 2013, with a newly-remastered transfer. The disc will include extra features such as the “Voices from the List” documentary and “The USC Shoah Foundation Story with Steven Spielberg” featurette. [The Digital Bits]

MGM has decided to spend some of their Skyfall and Hobbit money on a new remake of Ben-Hur. The new film, written by Keith Burke, will differ largely from the 1952 classic starring Charlton Heston, as its story tells Ben-Hur’s story parallel to the story of Jesus Christ. The film is currently out to directors. [Deadline]

Which news story are you most excited about? Watch Celebuzz’ interview with Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables, and tell us what you think of the latest developments in Hollywood in the comments below.

The Muppets 2 just took it to 11 with the help of Tina Fey. The 30 Rock star and host of this year’s Golden Globes is in “late stage negotiations” to star opposite former Globes host, Ricky Gervais, in the Disney sequel. Fey is circling the leading female role in the film, to be directed by the original Muppet’s helmer James Bobin. If Fey can somehow convince Amy Poehler to cameo, we’ll do anything to see it. “Illegal in 7 states”-type of anything. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Less than 24 hours after Joseph Gordon-Levitt signed on for a role in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For comes word of another big casting announcement.Who joined the ensemble?

Academy Award-nominated actor Josh Brolin has locked down role of “Dwight” in the prequel, a part which was previously played by Clive Owen in the original film. Brolin joins returning Sin City stars Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson for Dame, which will unleash all sorts of bloody violence when it hits theaters on October 4, 2013. [Deadline]

Clutch the pearls – even more casting news! Magic Mike’s Alex Pettyfer is one of the names vying for the lead role in the YA-adaptation Divergent, starring The Descendents’ Shailene Woodley. Newcomers Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class) and War Horse’s Jeremy Irvine are also circling the role in the film, which could kick off a Twilight-sized franchise for distributor Lionsgate. [Variety]

Michael Bay bypassed the whole press release thing and took to the internets to announce the latest actor to join the director’s Transformers 4. Newcomer Jack Reynor has joined the first film in a planned trilogy, which takes place 4 years after the events of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Reynor stars opposite Mark Wahlberg in the Paramount tentpole, which promises to be just as loud and explode-y as the previous films when it’s released on June 27, 2014. Click here to read more about the casting on Michael Bay’s blog. [MichaelBay.com]

One writer has kicked off the new year by securing a high-profile assignment. Relative unknown Kealan O’Rourke will adapt The Houdini Box for Chernin Entertainment. Based on the book by Hugo Cabret author Brian Selznick, the story centers on a young boy who idolizes the famous magician. Upon receiving an invitation to Houdini’s house, the boy discovers that the magician has died and left the child a mysterious box. [Variety]

Seth Lochhead, the co-writer of the action thriller Hanna, has signed on to pen the movie adaptation of the popular video game, Shadow of the Colossus. Chronicle’s Josh Trank is attached to direct the fantasy epic for Sony, soon after he completes work on Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot. [The Hollywood Reporter]

How excited are you for Tina Fey in The Muppets 2? Or Brolin in Sin City? Talk amongst yourselves in the comments below. And speaking of Josh Brolin, watch Celebuzz‘s trailer for Gangster Squad, which opens Friday, Jan. 11.

Tom Cruise pulls a live-action Wall-E in the trailer for his new sci-fi action thriller, Oblivion. In the film, directed by TRON: Legacy‘s Joseph Kosinski, Cruise plays Jack Harper, one of the few survivors of a post-apocalyptic Earth charged with salvaging what’s left of the planet’s resources. Of course, that mission goes all sorts of haywire and lots of flying bubble ships and weapons fire ensue. The film also stars Morgan Freeman and The Fighter‘s Melissa Leo. Watch the trailer below from Apple. [Apple Trailers]

Watch the trailer below:

Because 2010′s live-action Alice in Wonderland grossed over a billion at the worldwide box office, it’s no surprise that Disney is developing a sequel. Linda Woolverton is reportedly at work penning the sequel to the film, which was directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. Woolverton also wrote the original film, as well as Disney’s Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie as the live-action version of Sleeping Beauty‘s evil queen. No word yet on the sequel’s plot, but Celebuzz will keep you posted. [Variety]

There’s a bit of a casting shake-up on The Muppets 2: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) is out and Ty Burrell is in. The Modern Family star will take over for Waltz as an Interpol agent in the Europe-set sequel, which will be directed by The Muppets’ original helmer, James Bobin. The Muppets 2 is scheduled for release December 20, 2013. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Fox’s reboot of Marvel’s The Fantastic Four has set a release date: March 6, 2015. Directed by Chronicle’s Josh Trank, the much-anticipated reboot joins a crowded 2015 release schedule, as The Avengers 2, Justice League and Star Wars: Episode VII are expected to open that year.  [Exhibitor Relations]

Will Ferrell is going to Get Hard for Warner Bros. Yep, that happened. The Anchorman star is in talks to join Kevin Hart (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) in the comedy from writers Ian Roberts and Jay Martel (Key & Peele). Ferrell will play a rich investment banker who is wrongfully convicted of a crime and is sentence to a maximum security prison. He then hires Hart’s street-smart character to prepare him for doing hard time in jail. [Deadline]

Which piece of news has you the most excited? Discuss below.