It appears there are no decent Native American actors in the whole of the US (or far more likely, none whose name is well known enough to sell a movie, and none anyone fancies giving a big break to), as Mexican actor Benicio Del Toro has signed on to play a Plains Indian in Jimmy Picard, according to Deadline.

The movie is based on Georges Devereux’s non-fiction book, Psychotherapy Of A Plains Indian. The book is about a Plains Indian member who uses the alias Jimmy Picard. He returns from his tour in World War II and starts suffering from various mysterious medical symptoms that cannot be explained physiologically. The soldier travels to the famous Winter Hospital in Topeka, Kansas to consult with French psychoanalyst Georges Devereux (Mathieu Amalric), who is known for his understanding of Native Americans. They end up becoming friends through their many therapy sessions.

Arnaud Desplechin is directing, with production slated to begin in Michigan within the next few days.

It’s taken Neill Blomkamp quite a while to get his follow-up to District 9 sorted out, but he’s now filmed Elysium, with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster starring. However the movie has been shrouded in mystery, with the main info we’ve had being that it’s a sci-fi tale laced with socio-political concerns.

However now a much better synopsis has been released via Collider, which says: ‘In the year 2159 two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes (Jodie Foster), a hard line government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max (Matt Damon) is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that if successful will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.’

The first test screenings are about to take place, with a release planned for March 2013. It’s a potentially interesting plot, but will very much depend on the execution, something Blomkamp can hopefully pull off.

Summit Entertainment has unveiled the first trailer for Scott Derrickson’s upcoming supernatural thriller Sinister. From the producer of the Paranormal Activity films and the writer/director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Ethan Hawke plays a true crime novelist who discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror. It all looks a bit Insidious meets The Ring. The film should be out just before Halloween.