Tim Robbins Adds Comedy 'Thanks for Sharing' to His Comeback Schedule

If you haven't seen Tim Robbins (pictured below) on the big screen in what seems like an eternity, just remember you're not alone.  Fortunately, we can expect to see a reemergence of Mr. Robbins real soon. 

The actor/political activist that wowed moviegoers, including myself in the past with unforgettable performances in The Shawshank Redemption, The Player and Mystic River has returned from his almost three hiatus from the film industry with a flurry of new projects on the horizon.  In addition, to his upcoming roles in Green Latern and Odd Thomas, THR reports Robbins has also agreed to join Mark Ruffalo in the cast of the comedy Thanks for Sharing. 

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Tim Robbins Sires Peter Sarsgaard in 'Green Lantern'

He was rumored to be in Iron Man 2, but now Tim Robbins is more or less confirmed to co-star in another superhero flick, DC's Green Lantern. He's the latest name to join Ryan Reynolds in the cast, and shooting commences next month in New Orleans, which should almost be done celebrating the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras around then.

Heat Vision Blog indicates Robbins will play Sen. Hammond, father of Peter Sarsgaard's villainous Hector Hammond. And, for no reason at all, there is also a mention of Robbins' work in Howard th Duck, which is really a cheap shot. In addition to Robbins and Sarsgaard, director Martin Campbell has expressed interest in uber-bad guy Mark Strong for the role of Sinestro and Blake Lively will go all van der Woodsen on the role of Carol Ferris, Lantern's main squeeze. Apropos of nothing, that's a tall cast. Reynolds and Strong are 6' 2", Sarsgaard - perhaps a tad generously - is billed at six feet even, and Lively is 5' 10". Add the 6' 5" Robbins to the mix and I think you can safely say there won't be a Tom Cruise cameo.

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Tim Robbins Rumored for 'Iron Man 2'

Jon Favreau directed a movie called Zathura a few years ago. It was pretty good, actually. Tanked, but it was OK. Perhaps he developed a good rapport with Tim Robbins, who played the father in that film, and perhaps, Favreau's heart went out to Robbins for the failure of City of Ember, among the year's biggest flops. Coincidentally, Tim Robbins played the father in that one, too.

He was also a dad in Mystic River, and well, that could've ended more happily.There are reports swirling that Robbins might join Iron Man 2 as Howard Stark, the father of Tony Stark. Latino Review broke the news, pointing out that even though the character was in the first movie (played by Gerard Sanders), he has a much more important role in round two. There will apparently be a big-time flashback with the elder Stark that helps further set up The Avengers and Captain America. Gee, I wonder what that Captain America flashback could be all about...As opposed to the moronic rumors about Batman villains, this makes tons of sense. Robbins is a great actor and one who needs a little more box office potency, just like Robert Downey Jr. a couple of years ago. And if he pops up in Iron Man 2 for the purpose suggested, then I fully expect to see him in Captain America, though probably not The Avengers.

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Movie Review - 'City of Ember'

City of Ember Starring Harry Treadaway, Saoirse Ronan, Bill Murray, and Tim Robbins Directed by Gil Kenan Rated PG

It's a tremendous concept, but I have a gut feeling they've started telling us the story in the wrong place. City of Ember is based on a children's book by Jeanne DuPrau about an underground civilization that is running out of time and options.Ember was created by "The Builders," and though the characters in the story don't know how they got there exactly, we do; Earth was facing an apocalypse, so scientists created a city miles below the surface that was to survive for 200 years, after which time, its citizens could resurface and repopulate the planet.To me, the front end of this story is the most fascinating part:  What was the apocalypse, how was Ember built, how did the people eke out existences in their first years underground? We only get it as prologue, which is a crying shame. There are two books DuPrau wrote about this period, The Prophet of Yonwood and The Diamond of Darkhold, so perhaps we'll get to see it someday.On its own merits, City of Ember does give us something new. Its visuals are clearly inspired by the steampunk movement of the late 1980s and 90s, typified by contraptions and gadgets that are far too advanced for a Victorian era, but are nonetheless steam-powered. Think Victor Hugo or H.G. Wells with a laptop. The city works because it has to. Every year, its teenagers await Assignment Day, where they blindly pick the career they'll stick with for the rest of their lives. Doon (Harry Treadaway) wants to work in the generator, and for good reason. He suspects Ember's recent trend of blackouts could spell disaster for the city and he wants to solve the problem. Unfortunately, he gets stuck with messenger duty. He quickly trades jobs with Lina (Saoirse Ronan from Atonement), who had drawn pipe worker. At the very least, he'll be working close to the generator.The Mayor of Ember (Bill Murray) seems totally unaffected by the blackouts or anything else. Since he presides over a city with no trade, no budget, and has no one else to answer to, the Mayor just eats all year and waits for Assignment Day, his only responsibility. Doon's father (Tim Robbins) is the exact opposite; he realizes something is wrong with Ember, but seems somehow afraid to address the problem. What lies underneath that fear?I was a huge admirer of Gil Kenan's Monster House, which is one of the best animated movies of the past half-decade. The director has a bigger box of crayons here, but the result is a little more detached than it should be. I think part of the issue is that Doon and Lina, who we know all along will be our heroes, don't spend much time together in the beginning of the film. Theirs is a friendship of convenience for the story, but it should be more. However, there's no faulting the ingenuity of the story nor Kenan's overall vision for the film. Here's an odd note: The City was built in the same site where the Titanic was constructed about 100 years ago. For the purposes of re-shoots earlier this year, Kenan and his crew reportedly used the same enormous water tank used by the film Titanic in 1997. His movie is somewhere in between the results of those events.

Bill Murray Wants Your Vote in 'City of Ember'

The adaptation of City of Ember will be in theaters in just two weeks, and I'm really looking forward to it. I think the story - a civilization that has thrived underground for generations is about to lose their light source thanks to a failing generator - could lead to some really cool visuals. I also like that Gil Kenan (Monster House) is directing, and the cast is excellent, featuring Tim Robbins, Saoirse Ronan from Atonement, Toby Jones, and Bill Murray, who plays the mayor of the City of Ember. But in this time of change, Ember needs a leader who can earn the trust of the people, and who can guide them through these tumultuous events. That leader is Mayor Cole (Murray). Here's his latest campaign ad. City of Ember opens on October 10th.