FILM NEWS: Burton & Bekmambetov direct Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Gordon-Levitt & Rogen's Cancer Comedy, and more

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt (left) is replacing James McAvoy in Seth Rogen's untitled cancer comedy, because of a family emergency. While I hope all is well with the dashing young McAvoy, I'm glad with their choice of replacement. Gordon-Levitt managed to amuse us despite the somber topic of 500 Days of Summer, so I think he can do what Rogen failed to in Funny People.

• This is one of those news stories that evokes the question: Why, in God's name...?: Directors Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) are teaming up to adapt Seth Grahame-Smith's novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. This is a product of the mutation adaptations that are beginning to become popular ever since Grahame-Smith incorporated zombies into Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and dubbed it Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. His latest novel bastardizes the biography of President Lincoln, claiming that his mother was killed by a vampire, and his vendetta-feuled slayer training led him to the White House. Riiiight. I wonder what buffoon they'll get to play him. Hmm, maybe Sacha Baron Cohen. He's already got the butchering down from his work on Sweeney Todd. lol Fingers crossed it's not Johnny Depp.

• Looks like Steven Lang's villainous performance in Avatar has boosted his career. Instead of being the forgettable face in the background of countless films, he's been upgraded to "menacing bad guy." His next antagonist role will be in the upcoming reboot of Conan as Khalar Singh, a warlord who slaughtered Conan's village and has been building an empire to find a being whose blood he can use to control a demon army and protect his weak son from a master sorcerer. It's up to Conan to bring him down. Now that's a fight I want to see.

• While we're on the topic of baddies, Mickey Rourke will go from playing the villain in the upcoming Iron Man sequel to the villain King Hyperion in the upcoming Greek epic War of the Gods.