Today we continue getting you up to speed on the big screen, big budget happenings with some of your favorite SFF alums—including this guy, who's about to be seen as Caesar Flickerman in "Hunger Games". Sounds like a fairy tale come true, don't ya think?

Speaking of fairy tales, when you think of Hansel and Gretel, should you think A) 'trail of bread crumbs', B) 'uh, let's pass on desert, evil witch', or C) 'Sarasota Film Festival'? The answer is C, of course! But wait, how do we leap from SFF to a big screen version of a classic fairy tale? Sound like an impossible mission (hint, hint)? The answers await you in this installment of Six Degrees of SFF!

Ever since a little film called "Alice in Wonderland 3D" by Tim Burton made one beeeelion dollars (no lie, that was it's worldwide gross) movie studios have been scrambling to develop big-budgeted lavishly-produced high-concept renderings or re-imaginings of classic fairy tales. And many of them star or feature SFF alums. Starting with...

 "Jack the Giant Killer". Yup, that's right, beanstalk and all, I kid you not. And featured in the film is SFF alum (and Oscar nominee) Stanley Tucci as Lord Roderick. Playing Jack is Nicholas Hoult from BBC's "Skins," Tom Ford's "A Single Man," and "X-Men: First Class" where he got blue and furry as Beast... another fairy tale reference! Ewan McGregor (from SFF's "Beginners"), Bill Nighy and Ian McShane help round out the cast under the direction of Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects", "X-Men") with a script worked on by Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie. For me, this is going to have to be X-trordinary to beat SFF's "Trollhunter" but, fingers crossed. Take a peak!

 But wait, there's more! Also on the horizon is "Snow White and the Huntsman" with SFF alum Charlize Theron as the evil Queen Ravenna. Now, this one really has my attention. Stunning visuals, "Thor" and James T. Kirk's daddy his own self Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman and Kristen Stewart of "Twilight" fame (really, see her in "Adventureland", great flick) and some truly stunning visuals. Check it out, yo!

Finally we come to "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" starring, wait for it, SFF alum Jeremy Renner as Hansel and no, not the Hansel from Zoolander, that was Owen Wilson (sure love to see him at SFF one day!). Nope, this is, more or less, a sequel to the classic tale set 15 years after the infamous "gingerbread incident" ("I told you... we don't talk about cookies 'round these parts!") Now the siblings are bounty hunters tracking and slaying witches around the globe, Van Helsing-style.

No trailer yet for that film, but one big congrats, dude, to Mr. Renner, one of the nicest humans on the face of the earth and one of the best actors out there today. (He netted an Oscar nod not too long ago!) He co-starred in Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol" (toldya that was a hint) and will be taking over the Bourne franchise. He's also featured as "Hawkeye" in the "Avengers" movie alongside Robert Downey Jr. returning as Iron Man, Chris Memsworth's Thor, Chris Evan's Captain America and indie fave Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/Hulk. Here's a quick Insider spoiler for you on that one: if you're a fan of the original Hulk TV series then listen closely when Hulk speaks in the movie, he's rumored to be voiced by Lou Ferrigno (another super-nice guy)!

Since superhero movies are considered by many to be today's mythology/fairy tales, here's a peak at "Avengers" to round things out. (Oh, you want more Six Degree-age? Try this: Renner worked with Tom Cruise on MI:GP. Tom's producing partner is Paula Wagner, an SFF alum whose sister lives here on Longboat Key and her niece, Sarah, used to manage our box office. Hah! Now go watch stuff blow up real good.)

—The Insider

Wanted by motion picture executives for revealing industry secrets to a public with the Right to Know, "The Insider" has spent over 15 years working behind the scenes in almost every aspect of "The Biz" developing a secret network of contacts, spies, moles, and highly trained counter-intelligence operatives and movie ninjas whose only goal is to inform and entertain you-and help you make this the best year of the Sarasota Film Festival ever!