FILM NEWS: Reynolds & Cooper, Diaz & Del Toro, Mulligan & Ronan, & and more pairs

• As far as I'm concerned, an actor is officially in the big leagues when he co-stars with a heavyweight (i.e. Shia Labeouf & Michael Douglas/Josh Brolin in Wall Street 2)—of course it all depends on how good the content is, something Josh Hartnett & Harrison Ford learned with Hollywood Homocide. Ryan Reynolds has been racking up the comic book roles, building his brand on commercial franchises. Now, he'll get to team up with Denzel Washington in the thriller Safe House, where he'll play a CIA agent who has to transport a dangerous criminal (Washington) after their location is compromised. Can you imagine how much witty repartee will come from their pairing? I hope it's as awesome as Bruce Willis & Samuel L. Jackson in Die Hard: With a Vengeance.

• Reynolds has also signed on for a buddy cop action comedy with Bradley Cooper that is said to be along the lines of Lethal Weapon. They'll play two second generation San Francisco cops, whose dads are forced out of retirement to help them on a big case. Hmmm, who could play their dads? I'm going to skip the obvious De Niro/Pacino/Michael Douglas options and say Tom Hanks and James Caan. lol Or let's make it a Twins reunion and cast Arnold Schwarzenneger (for Ryan of course lol) and Danny DeVito...if Cooper were adopted. Ok, last one, last one. Ben Kingsley and Steve Buscemi? lol I'm just saying, something needs to counter-act the ultra hotness that is the pairing of Reynolds and Cooper.

• Of all the romantic comedy pairings, I'd never picture these two: In the adaptation of Jane Heller's novel An Ex to Grind, Cameron Diaz plays a financial planner who wants to divorce her couch-potato professional football playing husband, played by Benicio del Toro. She tries to get out of paying alimony by making him violate the cohabitation clause and hiring a woman to live with him. However, the plan backfires when he falls for the woman and becomes the man she's always wanted, inspiring her to try to win him back. They'll have to pick someone to top off the trio, who is slightly less famous than Diaz and smoking hot, but not really a threat, like...ummmm.

• This is the complete opposite of typecasting: Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) are seemingly being pursued to star in the project described as Thelma and Louise meets Superbad and Pulp Fiction.

• Speaking of tanking careers, Wesley Snipes is teaming up with Joey Lawrence ("Mel & Joey") of woa!-"Blossom" fame for the action film Havana Heat. It'll be about the investigation of the murder of an undercover Homeland Security agent. And apparently the addition of several mixed martial arts actors means there'll be karate. Does any or all of this sound like an acid trip to you?