Movie Xtra

A behind-the-scenes look at what's happening in movieland:

Susan Sarandon and John Goodman are set to star opposite Al Pacino in "You Don't Know Jack," HBO Films' biopic of Jack Kevorkian.

Barry Levinson is directing.

Loosely based on Neal Nicol and Harry Wylie's book "Between the Dying and the Dead: Dr. Jack Kevorkian's Life and the Battle to Legalize Euthanasia," the HBO film follows the rise of Kevorkian (Pacino) as he builds his infamous Mercy Machine and sets out to perform assisted suicides while waging epic legal battles defending a patient's right to die.

Goodman will play Kevorkian's friend Nicol. Sarandon will play Hemlock Society activist Janet Good, who avails herself of Kevorkian's services after she is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Danny Huston is joining the cast of Universal and Imagine's untitled Robin Hood movie, which Ridley Scott is now directing in England.

Russell Crowe plays the legendary folk hero in the latest retelling of his legend. Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris and Brian Helgeland wrote the screenplay.

Huston will play King Richard, who became known as Richard the Lionheart.

Warner Bros. and producer Kevin Misher are teaming for "Vegas Avengers," an action picture written by Soo Hugh.

"Avengers" tells the story of a hotshot pilot who, after taking too many risks, is forced to enter a top-secret program that flies experimental, unmanned planes. Much of the action takes place at Nellis Air Force base just outside Las Vegas.

Hope Davis will replace Julianne Moore as Hillary Clinton in the HBO/BBC movie "The Special Relationship."

Dennis Quaid is on board to play President Clinton, Michael Sheen, of course, is Prime Minister Tony Blair and Helen McCrory is Cherie Blair.

Moore backed out due to a scheduling conflict.

"MacGruber," the recurring "Saturday Night Live" skit that parodies "MacGyver," is one step closer to going before cameras as a big-screen movie.

Ryan Phillippe is in negotiations to star in the feature, with Val Kilmer in negotiations to join the Relativity Media production. Will Forte and Kristen Wiig are reprising their roles from the skits.

Jorma Taccone, who created the character and directed most of the skits, is directing.

Randall Wallace ("Braveheart") has been brought aboard to rewrite "Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," Disney's take on the classic Jules Verne story. McG is directing.

"Nemo" aims to tell the origin of Captain Nemo and his submarine warship, the Nautilus. Nemo is a mysterious but noble antagonist in the book, a scientific genius with a thirst for knowledge and a desire for revenge against the forces of imperialism.

Wallace is squeezing in the "Nemo" writing gig before he directs "Secretariat," starring Diane Lane, for Disney. The racehorse drama is set to begin shooting in late September.

- Hollywood Reporter