•• Virginia Madsen has joined Joy, David O. Russell’s take on Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano. David O. Russell is reteaming with his American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook stars Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro for the Fox 2000 film, which is slated for release on Dec. 25. Edgar Ramirez is also starring.

Jennifer Lawrence will play the entrepreneur and inventor Mangano, whose many inventions include the Miracle Mop and Huggable Hangers. She began inventing at a young age, and made the prototype for the Mop in 1990. She has more than 100 patents, but the Mop was her first invention and the one that brougt her the most fame and fortune. While building her invention empire, she was also a single mom to three children.

Russell wrote the screenplay Annie Mumolo. John Davis and John Fox are producing with Ken Mok. The project is currently filming in Boston. Virginia Madsen, known for her Oscar-nominated role in Alexander Payne’s Sideways, recently wrapped filming on Walter with Milo Ventimiglia and William H. Macy.  Her other credits include The Magic of Belle Isle with Morgan Freeman, The Astronaut Farmer and The Number 23 with Jim Carrey. She’s repped by UTA and Untitled Entertainment.

•• Less than one month after the first trailer debuted for the upcoming digital feature Dead Rising: Watchtower, Crackle has now unveiled the poster, featuring star Jesse Metcalfe wielding what is described as a “sledge saw,” a combination of a sledge hammer and a chainsaw. Once Upon a Time star Meghan Ory is also seen in the poster, brandishing another dual weapon, which is both a samurai sword and a shovel.

Dead Rising: Watchtower takes place during a large-scale zombie outbreak. When a mandatory government vaccine fails to stop the infection from spreading, the four leads must evade infection while also pursuing the root of the epidemic, with all signs pointing to a government conspiracy. Politics, public paranoia, and media coverage play an important role in the story’s narrative. The cast also includes Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Dennis Haysbert (Men, Women & Children), and Rob Riggle (Let’s Be Cops, 21 Jump Street).

The Dead Rising game franchise has sold over 7.6 million copies worldwide. Legendary Entertainment’s Television and Digital Media division will produce Dead Rising: Watchtower. Zach Lipovsky (Leprechaun: Origins) directs the digital feature is written by Tim Carter (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), who will also produce with Tomas Harlan under their Contradiction Films banner. Take a look at the first poster, and stay tuned for more images and footage as we get closer to Dead Rising: Watchtower’s March 27 debut on Crackle.

Dead Rising: Watchtower will be released March 27th, 2015 and stars Rob Riggle, Virginia Madsen, Keegan Connor Tracy, Harley Morenstein, Aleks Paunovic, Jesse Metcalfe, Dennis Haysbert, Meghan Ory. The film is directed by Zach Lipovsky.

•• Sony Pictures Television’ streaming Crackle service has announced the air date for its movie based on Capcom’s Dead Rising series. Dead Rising: Watchtower will premiere on March 27th.

The film stars Rob Riggle (The Daily Show) as Frank West, alongside Jesse Metcalfe (John Tucker Must Die, Dallas), Meghan Ory (Once Upon a Time, Vampire High), Virginia Madsen (Sideways, The Number 23), and Dennis Haysbert (24, Wreck It Ralph). The film is written by Tim Carter (Sleeping Dogs).

While the movie will premiere first on Crackle, it will eventually arrive in physical format and via other digital services. Some of the video on demand distribution channels will be delivering Dead Rising: Watchtower as an episodic series instead of a feature-length film. An official plot summary for the film was also released:

“Dead Rising: Watchtower” takes place during a large-scale zombie outbreak. When a mandatory government vaccine fails to stop the infection from spreading, the four leads must evade infection while also pursuing the root of the epidemic, with all signs pointing to a government conspiracy. Politics, public paranoia, and media coverage play an important role in the story’s narrative.”