The Random: Kurt Russell is Santa, Jake Busey talks The Predator, Yondu is Mary Poppins, Sebastian Stan auditions for Luke Skywalker, Jurassic World, and more

– Kurt Russell is teaming with Judah Lewis (The Babysitter) and Darby Camp (Big Little Lies), to star in an untitled Christmas movie for the streaming giant. Chris Columbus (Home Alone)— is producing the live-action pic that will also mix CG elements. The story centers on two siblings (Lewis and Camp) who try to prove that Santa is real by catching him on camera. When they accidentally cause his sleigh to crash in Chicago, they have to help get Christmas back on track before it’s ruined. Russell is playing Father Christmas – THR

– Sverrir Gudnason (Borg/McEnroe) will play Mikael Blomquist in The Girl in the Spider’s Web, Sony’s sequel to “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Blomquist was most recently played by Daniel Craig in the 2011 English-language reboot. He joins Claire Foy as Lisbeth Salander, “Blade Runner 2049’s” Sylvia Hoeks as Salander’s twin sister, and “The Square” star Claes Bang as the villain – Variety

– Jake Busey has been talking about The Predator movie – “This one definitely falls in line with the original franchise in that it does focus on the technology that the Predators have. It focuses on what the goal of the Predators is, and what their modus operandi, and why they come to the planet, and that type of thing. It’s definitely in line with the original franchise.” – PopCulture

– Fox has optioned John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down for a film adaptation. The book follows on a 16-year-old high school girl with obsessive compulsive disorder who tries to solve the mystery revolving around a fugitive billionaire. Along with her friend Daisy, she sets out to try to claim a $100,000 reward.

– Watch the original version of Mary Poppins that starred Yondu Udonta!

– Courtney B. Vance (The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story) has joined Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges, and Kathryn Newton in the film Ben is Back, which was written and will be directed by Academy Award nominee Peter Hedges. The film is a drama that follows the charming, yet troubled, Ben Burns (Hedges) who returns home to his unsuspecting family one fateful Christmas Eve. Ben’s wary mother, Holly Burns (Roberts) welcomes her beloved son’s return but soon learns that he is still very much in harm’s way. During the 24-hours that may change their lives forever, Holly must do everything in her power to avoid the family’s downfall – Variety

– Sebastian Stan looks a lot like a young Mark Hamill so MTV asked him to audition for the role of a young Luke Skywalker. He took his cues from some of the old original audition tapes!

An exclusive look at Sebastian Stan's audition tape for #StarWars' young Luke Skywalker. pic.twitter.com/wQXkFJn5ke

— MTV (@MTV) December 5, 2017

– Walt Disney Company possibly buying 21st Century Fox took another step closer meaning the Fantastic Four and X-Men could star alongside The Avengers at some point. Chris Evans who has played bother the Human Torch and Captain America had this to say:

So who do I talk to about a Cap/Human Torch buddy comedy spin-off? I’m thinking Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Parent Trap. https://t.co/3KRPZOVzq2

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) December 6, 2017

– Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Fargo, 10 Cloverfield Lane) has joined the cast of Christopher Cantwell’s The Parts You Lose, starring Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Eye in the Sky) and newcomer Danny Murphy. The film follows the unlikely friendship that unfolds between a young deaf boy, Wesley, and a fugitive criminal who takes refuge in an abandoned barn on the family’s rural North Dakota farm. After forming a deep bond with the man, Wesley must decide where to place his allegiances when the authorities begin to close in on the fugitive. Winstead will play Wesley’s mother Gail.

– Rian Johnson has said his new Star Wars trilogy will not be set in the Old Republic – “Oh, they love Knights of the Old Republic. I played that game when it first came out and it was like, god, I loved it. Yeah, that’s a fantastic game. And I understand it, the instinct to automatically go to something that you know and love, that you’ve already seen… To me, what’s really fun is the notion of what new stuff are we gonna see, what new stories can we tell?” – Mashable

– Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water led the Broadcast Film Critics Assn.’s Critics’ Choice Movie Award nominations with 14 mentions, including best picture, best director, best actress (Sally Hawkins) and best sci-fi/horror film – Variety

– Go behind the scenes in this new featurette for Jurassic World.

– Check out The Atom’s movies in a new trailer for Injustice 2 – Armed with his quantum bio-belt and a prodigal knowledge of physics, players can utilize all of scientist Ryan Choi’s subatomic powers to deliver justice against Superman’s regime.