John Cusack in Roland Emmerich's kind of, sort of sequel to STARGATE

By Matt Holmes / June 25, 2011

There's something very familiar about the plot details for 2012 - the next big summer epic from the director of the entertaining summer fluff's that were Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow and Stargate. And it's the last movie on that list 2012 shares the most similarities with. Finally after three months of guessing (we all knew it had to be the Mayans with that title), Variety have the scoop on what is threatening the Earth this time...

Story centers on an academic researcher who opens a portal into a parallel universe and makes contact with his double in order to prevent an apocalypse predicted by the ancient Mayans.

John Cusack - whose career has been floundering for years now with HORRIBLE career choices, has agreed to lead the Columbia Pictures film. It will be a rare summer blockbuster movie for Cusack, an extremely likeable actor who has surprisingly and maybe because he plays neurotic characters so well, has never been given the chance on the tentpole stage before. The awesome Chiwetel Ejiofor is also in final talks for the picture. Barring a writer's strike, both will be turning up to work in L.A. in July to begin shooting. Emmerich has wrote the picture alongside his frequent composer Harold Kloser, who took a dabble in writing on Emmerich's last movie 10,000 B.C. I'm liking the casting choices, I'm liking the plot - it's hardly anything to blow our socks off at first glance but Emmerich is the master of the summer popcorn movie. When I sit down to watch an Emmerich film, I know I'm going to be entertained. And if his two leads can bring the same chemistry as Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith in ID4, then they will be onto a winner here. 2012 is set to be released on July 10th 2009 and is from a director who has not made a film for 16 years that has finished on under $70 million domestic. Thoughts?