Fans of the Fox show Prison Break will be happy to know that Amaury Nolasco (who played Michael's cell mate Fernando Sucre) is beginning to line up some decent big-screen gigs. Apart from playing a role in Transformers, Nolasco has just signed on to the Keanu Reeves flick Night Watch, so says Variety. No word yet on who he's playing, but he may have snatched up the role that was originally rumored to be in Kevin Federline's hands. Not long ago, we reported that K-Fed had also been tapped to play a "small, but notable" role in the cop thriller, but folks from Fox Searchlight later denied those rumors, suggesting that K-Fed was considered but, ultimately, his schedule wouldn't allow him to take part in the action. His schedule? What the heck does this guy have to do -- shoot a shoe commercial?

Anyway, Night Watch was written and will be directed by David Ayer (Harsh Times), and the film will center on a veteran LAPD cop (Reeves) who is framed by his former mentor (Forest Whitaker) in the murder of a fellow officer. James Ellroy chipped in with a story credit, while the pic also stars Chris Evans, Naomie Harris, Hugh Laurie, Common and Jay Mohr. I'm a big fan of Prison Break (as cheesy and cliched as it is) and dig Nolasco as an actor. Since I lost the final six episodes of last season when I switched to an HD DVR, I'm not sure whether Sucre lived or not. When I left off, he was running through a desert (I think), trying to find the girl that got away. (Man, what some people will do for love.) Not that I want you to tell me what happened; I just felt you should know. Why? Because it gives me more to write. Night Watch is due out in 2008 -- here's hoping Ayer (who I interviewed this past fall) finds success with his sophomore directorial effort after Harsh Times failed to find much of an audience, despite a fantabulous performance from Christian Bale.

• The upcoming Natasha Lyonne movie, Goyband, has a new co-star in Erik Liberman. This will be his first starring role in a feature film, although he previously popped up on television shows like Saved by the Bell: The New Class, and as "Palace Clipboard Man" in La Lohan's Just My Luck -- not to mention some swingin' times as a Pussycat Swingers Club Dancer in Austin Powers. He's playing Marvin in Goyband, which is currently being described as, and I couldn't make this up if I tried -- Dirty Dancing crossed with My Big Fat Greek Wedding, some hip hop and Fiddler on the Roof.
• South African-born Australian actress Tammin Sursok, who previously played Dani Sutherland on the Australian show Home and Away, and was Marjorie in last year's kid comedy, Aquamarine, has just gotten a lead role in a new indie thriller called Albino Farm. It's based on real Missouri legends of a farm that has a myriad of creepy stories surrounding it -- man-eating albinos for one. The flick already has Richard Christy and Chris Jericho attached, and it will follow a group of college students "who, while exploring the Ozark Mountains for a midterm assignment on rural America, come face to face with a community of cave-dwelling redneck genetic mutations. Redneck albinos? Isn't that colorfully antithetical?
• Finally, we've got more cast for Fox Searchlight's Night Watch, which Jessica Barnes mentioned here and Erik Davis, here. The crime thriller already has Forest Whitaker, Keanu Reeves and Jay Mohr, but now it is also getting some Kirstin Pierce as Mohr's wife. You know her, right? Bambi, from Vampires of Sorority Row? Or perhaps Forbidden Sins or Mistress of Seduction? To be fair, more recent credits include television stints on Studio 60 and The O.C. If you haven't been following word of the film, it's a Los Angeles story about an alcoholic cop who is framed for his mentor's murder.

If you're unfamiliar with the Byzantine history of the Night Watch fantasy film series -- the actual films, their amazingly sophisticated special effects done on non-existent budgets, their massive popularity in Russia where they've outperformed Lord of the Rings, the who's-who of Russian pop culture that do cameos throughout the films reflecting the nearly iconic status of the series at home -- then there's no room in this review to get into all that. I'm only here to talk about Day Watch, the middle entry in the planned trilogy, which was preceded by Night Watch in 2004 and will conclude soon with Dusk Watch. Day Watch continues the story of the Light Others and Dark Others, two opposing groups comprised of random supernatural beings -- vampires, witches, shape-shifters, sorcerers, etc. -- who live amongst normal folks in modern day Russia and adhere to a peace treaty, in effect since medieval times, that aims to keep everyone's powder dry. The Night Watch is the KGB of the good guys -- they keep tabs on the Dark Others. The Day Watch does the opposite.

Various things can upset the peace, but chief among them is -- hold for laughter -- a mystical piece of chalk. Yeah, like blackboard chalk. The Chalk of Fate, as its called, has its own backstory prologue in Day Watch, which I find to be off-putting and superfluous -- the bottom line is that with the chalk, you can write your own fate and it will come true. You'll have to take my word that it's not nearly as lame on-screen as it sounds. The chalk is sort of a MacGuffin, because if any rogue Light Other or Dark Other gets their hands on it, they can upset the balance of power that keeps the peace and everyone has their own reason for wanting to do that, of course. Whereas Night Watch dropped us into all of this in media res, and was massively confusing, Day Watch has internalized that criticism and taken strides towards making a movie that's understandable, if still Tolstoy-like in its character roster and just very Russian in general with its story-underpinnings of bureaucracy and rule-making.

While his ex-wife Britney Spears continously attempts to dig herself out from under a pile of nonsense, Kevin Federline is slowly piecing together the type of career his old lady could never achieve. According to Hollywood.com (via In Touch Weekly), Federline has booked a gig in the new Keanu Reeves flick Night Watch. Although, technically, this isn't his first big-screen role (he played a dancer in You Got Served), this will be his first film that people might actually like. Go Kev! No word yet on who he's playing, but so far it's being described as a "small, but notable" role. Based on the film's description, I can take a few guesses as to who this dancer-turned-golddigger-turned-actor might be playing.

Plot revolves around a veteran LAPD cop (Reeves) who becomes an alcoholic following the death of his wife. When his former mentor (Forest Whitaker) frames him for the murder of a fellow officer (K-Fed???), our cop must find a way out of the jam that's been created for him. If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say K-Fed will either play that cop that's killed (while undercover as the worst white rapper in history??) or some meaningless street thug who knows more than he's letting on. Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Naomie Harris and Common also star, and since we're looking at another gritty LAPD-related thriller, there's only one man capable of delivering the goods -- writer-director David Ayer. Based on a story by James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential), who also helped co-write the screenplay, Night Watch (previously known as The Night Watchman) is set to hit theaters sometime next year.

I'm a big fan of somewhat obscure horror films -- especially ones as interesting and well done as Timur Bekmambetov's supernatural vampire thriller Night Watch. The film, produced in the former Soviet Union and scripted by Laeta Kalogridis and the director, was the first part of a planned trilogy. When it was initially released in its own country, it became one of the highest grossing films in history there. Then, when it came to our shores in 2006, it wasn't as successful as it had been at home but still managed to generate enough interest that Fox Searchlight picked up the rights to the film and its eventual sequels.

The second part of the trilogy, Day Watch, is now scheduled to be released by Fox Searchlight on June 1st. Even though that's almost three months away, we don't have to wait that long to get a glimpse of Day Watch -- thanks to the folks over at Fox Searchlight who recently posted the newly-released trailer for the film. Even if I can't quite figure out exactly what's going on in some parts of the trailer -- apparently chalk is really important -- I have to say it still looks pretty cool to me.

Granted, the first film wasn't without its share of issues and this new one probably won't be either. That said, Night Watch did have a certain style and quality to it that made it worth seeing. Judging by the trailer, Day Watch looks to carry on with the elements established in the first film and also manages to kick things up a notch or two in the spectacle and action departments. I especially like the bit where the car drives along the side of a building and then crashes inside the building through a window. It looks really cool. But kids, please don't try that at home.

Timur Bekmambetov, the man behind the Russian vampire fantasy flick Night Watch, is already prepared to keep the ball rolling. Night Watch - which calls itself the first fantasy-horror film to be filmed completely in Russia, broke nearly every box office record - including those set by Hollywood imports. Unable to access huge special effects giants while staying in-country, Bekmambetov instead put together an impressive combination of small effects houses and graphics teams to cobble together a downright impressive film. Shot back to back with a sequel- Day Watch - Night Watch is intended to ultimately be a trilogy, and Bekmambetov has recently suggested that the third chapter in his franchise will most likely be shot here in the States with a different cast of actors. Bekmambetov acknowledges that it will be a challenge, saying  "I am not sure how I will direct in English," Bekmambetov said. "I feel like I am an Other when I am here."

I hear nothing but good things about this director and his franchise-although I have yet to experience Night Watch for myself. I'm certainly excited for him to have the opportunity to shoot in America attached to a major film company- but I'm sure his country is sad for the loss. At least they can take pride, however, in the (hopeful) future success of their son.