Here are a few recent casting news and notes from across Hollywood…

• Canadian actress Laura Vandervoort has scored a lead role in Into the Blue 2, a film headed straight to DVD that would receive no publicity whatsoever, except for this fact: Audrina Patridge, from MTV’s The Hills, will also appear in the film.

• The Scott Caan-written story Mercy has itself a leading lady. Wendy Glenn, who recently played Isabella in The L Word will take on the title role. The movie is about a cynical writer who writes about love, but doesn’t believe it until he meets Glenn’s character.

• Kerry Washington - who played Della Bea Robinson in Ray and Jasmine in Mr. & Mrs. Smith - will portray play Eddie Murphy’s wife in the comedy A Thousand Words.

Considering the blockbuster status of the first movie listed below, only one other big film dared to open this week. And, as its title suggests, it welcomes a war at the box office.

Here’s a closer look at each new movie…

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystall Skull
Stars: Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchet
Quick synopsis: It’s the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise. What else do you need to know?
Prediction: Number-one at the box office. And not by a small margin.

War, Inc.
Stars: John Cusack
Quick synopsis: A political satire set in Turaqistan, a country occupied by an American private corporation. Your basic, humorous look at war.
Prediction: May be taking a more satirical slant, but have you seen the results of past war-based films?

Ray Liotta and Steve Buscemi will join Michael Cera Youth in Revolt, a comedy based on C.D. Payne’s popular book series.

The story focuses on Nick Twisp (Cera), a sexually-obsessed teen who meets the girl of his dreams on a family vacation - and proceeds to destroy the trip in an attempt to be with her. Buscemi will portray Cera’s father, while Liotta is a cop having an affair with the teen’s mom.

As Variety reports, when the tryst comes to a messy end, the cop takes out his revenge by trying to nail Twisp for arson. It’ll be funnier than it sounds, trust us.

Jon Turteltaub recently spoke with IGN about the future of his National Treasure franchise. Here are highlights of the interview:

IGN: Given the relative youth of the country, you’ve been able to find stories which plug into a specifically American mythology. Do you feel, moving forward, that this will become more and more of a challenge?

Jon Turteltaub: Oh, yeah. It gets a bit harder each time, because with each film we desperately scrounge around to find every little thing we can use. So there are fewer and fewer ideas left with each movie. If we have to make things a bit more international, that’s probably where we’ll have to go next.

IGN: Will there be a third film?
Turteltaub: There will certainly be a third film that we desire and endeavor to make. But whether it gets made is all about the kind of things you just asked. Can we come up with an awesome story and great character development worthy of another movie? If not, we won’t make it.

Unlike the idea of a Jurassic Park 4, we welcome a third National Treasure film. It’s not hard to see many different directions this premise could go in.

Only one major movie is opening this weekend, but it might actually give Iron Man a run for its (major) money. Here’s a closer look at it…

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Stars: Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley
Quick synopsis: The Pevensie siblings return to Narnia, where they are enlisted to once again help fight off an evil king and restore the rightful heir to the land’s throne, Prince Caspian.
Prediction: A surefire hit. With Iron Men entering its third weekend in theaters, we’ll even go out on a limb and say Prince Caspion will sit atop the box office throne.

With confirmation that a third installment of The Butterfly Effect is on the way, it forces us to wonder:

There was a The Butterfly Effect 2?!?

After Dark Films will distribute the movie theatrically in the U.S., as part of its After Dark Horrorfest “8 Films to Die For” series. Here’s a brief teaser for it:

Reportedly, The Butterfly Effect 3 centers on a young man with the power to time travel who attempts to solve the mystery of his high school girlfriend’s death.

The original version of the movie starred Ashton Kutcher.

Talk of sequels are everywhere in Hollywood these days.

Iron Man 2 has been confirmed, while there are heavy rumors circulating about Cloverfield 2 and even a follow-up to Donnie Darko.

Now, seventeen years after Point Break washed up in movie theaters, a sequel has pretty much been confirmed. It will be called Point Break: Indo, and Jan de Bont aboard to direct.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, RGM Entertainment and Essential Entertainment will produce this Asia-based follow-up to director Kathryn Bigelow’s original, which starred de Bont’s “Speed” lead Keanu Reeves, of course.

The new movie will take place 20 years after the disappearance of one of the criminal surfers, portrayed in the original by Patrick Swayze.

All of a sudden, Sex and the City: The Movie isn’t the most exciting upcoming film based on television series. At least not to us.

It’s been confirmed that the Weinstein Company will turn the Jim Henson series Fraggle Rock into a live-action musical feature, reports Variety.

Just like the series, the movie will be populated by a mix of human characters and Fraggle Rock puppets. The film will take the core characters Gogo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red outside of their home in Fraggle Rock, where they interact with humans, which they think are aliens. Obviously.

The show premiered on HBO in 1983, ran five seasons and was broadcast in more than 80 countries. It ruled!

Audrina Patridge - one of the beautiful, talentless stars of MTV’s The Hills - has landed her first movie role.

She has signed on for Into the Blue 2, a sequel to the 2005 Jessica Alba/Paul Walker film that no one saw.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the flick focuses on Sebastion (Chris Carmack, The OC) and Dani (Laura Vandervoort, Smallville), a married couple hired as professional divers to search for Columbus’ hidden treasure. To their horror, they learn that their wealthy employers have a much more terrifying agenda.

Patridge will play a no-nonsense, beautiful beach babe (who likely has one line and wears little clothing) whose boyfriend caters to her every command.

To paraphrase Carmack’s character from The OC: Welcome to the world of movies, bitch.

Only two major movies are opening this weekend; one offers high-tech fun for kids, the other focuses on romance and comedy for adults.

Here’s a closer look at them…

Speed Racer
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, Christina Ricci
Quick synopsis: Based on the classic 1960’s Japanese animated series, follows the aspirations of a young race car driver as he attempts to obtain glory, with the help of his family.
Prediction: Not great timing here, as Iron Man will still dominate the box office, especially when it comes those seeking special effects.

What Happens in Vegas
Stars: Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz
Quick synopsis: Two hot singles meet, get married, win money… and then try to get divorced.
Prediction: Looks like a fun romantic comedy, but expect a distant third place finish after Iron Man and Speed Racer.