Search the internet for news regarding movies and you’ll likely find more news about directors and actors being offered jobs or being in various stages of the negotiation process instead of the real news of them being officially signed on to a shiny new film project.

Most of these filler stories aren’t worth a second thought, but as we’ve said before, sometimes one comes along that’s just too good to pass up. Today, we have three of these!

First up is news that David Yates has possibly been offered the chance to step in and replace the dearly departed Guillermo del Toro on The Hobbit. Yates came on to the Harry Potter franchise with 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and stayed for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and both parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Yates could be a decent choice, but as many have said since before he was even hired, the only name I felt could take that gig on was del Toro. Now that he’s gone, the only name that can really be trusted in my eyes is Lord of the Rings director and Hobbit producer Peter Jackson, who has said he would leave that door open, but previous commitments would make it nearly impossible.

Then comes the word that Robert Rodriguez might just be up for the job of directing Ryan Reynolds in the eventual Deadpool movie we’ve been waiting so long to see. In the latest issue of Production Weekly — the far-too-expensive for people like me to afford publication that’s usually in the know when it comes to movie productions — it’s noted that Rodriguez has in-fact been offered the job, if he so chooses to accept it.

The Playlist decided to dig around a little bit more and was told by an inside source that Rodriguez has been offered the job, but isn’t sure what he wants to do yet. As they point out, the director and his Troublemaker Studios have been working with 20th Century Fox on Predators and Machete, and that’s likely why the Deadpool job was made. It’s also expected that this isn’t a great match and he’ll probably turn it down, which is exactly why these “offers” are usually worthless.

In other areas of Hollywood, it appears that Spider-Man director Sam Raimi is in some form of negotiations to direct Oz: The Great and Powerful. This is Disney’s adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, which spawned the classic 1939 film of the same name. Multiple Oz projects are currently in the works, which means all are competing to get the best talent, make the best movie, and rue their respective box office days. That can only be good news for us; competition always stimulates a greater need for quality.

Instead of following Dorothy, this story follows a snake oil salesman in Kansas who flees in his hot air balloon and ends up in Oz, where he become the tremendous wizard of the Emerald City. Supposedly Robert Downey Jr. is lined up to play the lead in the movie, but this looks to be a loose attachment until the production is ready to get moving. We first hear Downey’s name attached when it looked like Sam Mendes might be directing.

So what do you think? Would you like to see any of these happen, and if not, who would you rather see getting the call?

[Sources: /Film, Heat Vision]