Recently we found out that Zero Dark Thirty star Jason Clarke was in talks to take on the role of John Connor in the upcoming Terminator reboot said to be titled Terminator: Genesis. At the time, the search to find the new Sarah Connor had come down to two actresses: Emilia Clarke (no relation), and Brie Larson.

Now the choice has been made. It’s being reported that Emilia has officially been chosen to take on the iconic Sarah Connor role, despite being almost a couple of decades younger than the actor playing the part of her son. Little is known about the movie, but obviously you can deduce that some time jumping will be going on.

A Gang Story
Netflix
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Olivier Marchal
Starring Gérard Lanvin, Tchéky Karyo, Daniel Duval, Laurent Fernandez, Lionnel Astier, Dimitri Storoge, Patrick Catalifo, François Levantal
The Weinstein Company
Originally Released: November 10, 2011

One part Godfather, one part Mesrine, A Gang Story is honestly one of the most magnetizing films I’ve been engrossed with. The plot is detailed, but solid – cleverly paced, and strategically told in a manner that will keep you guessing and deliver surprises throughout.

The Lyons Gang, historically a real group of organized criminals in France, is attributed with a number of famous robberies – though the core membership never acknowledged guilt, following a mafia-like code of silence when facing law enforcement authorities. A Gang Story, while it takes some substantial artistic license with the history, is the long-term history of the fellows of the Lyons Gang – a compelling movie that is told across two major plots.

Despite having my love for all things Star Wars reduced dramatically to the status of a favorite childhood toy I needed sorrily to let go, I am holding out a little hope for Star Wars: Episode VII. J.J. Abrams is a solid director of expansive widescreen excitement and his movies tend to be pretty damn great when the crucial elements are in place. The project’s first writer Michael Arndt was eventually usurped by Lawrence Kasdan, but as Kasdan was widely credited with making the script for The Empire Strikes Back a winner (original scribe Leigh Brackett had a hand in its success too), this news was greeted by the franchise’s die hard fans with jubilation.

In addition to excessive CGI and lifeless performances from an otherwise talented cast, the much-loathed – yet still hugely profitable – prequel trilogy suffered from George Lucas’ deplorable writing. If Abrams’ continued exploration of a galaxy far, far away on the big screen is to be a success at least creatively it’s vital for the screenplay to be in place prior to the start of filming.

Sony Pictures’ long-term plans for its blockbuster Spider-Man franchise have been getting bigger with each week that brings us a new image, trailer, or poster for their upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Last week alone we were treated to a new banner poster and first trailer that revealed Marvel Comics’ classic arachnid-powered superhero (Andrew Garfield) would be taking on at least three new villains in Electro (Jamie Foxx), the Rhino (Paul Giamatti), and most unexpectedly Spidey’s old friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) suiting up as either the Green Goblin or a Goblin-like baddie of some variation. Early reports indicated that the events of Amazing Spider-Man 2 would be setting up the first appearance of the super-villain collective the Sinister Six in a future sequel.

This week, The Drill Down crew looks back at the year in tech and the web for the year 2013. We’ll discuss our favorite tech events of the past year, and what we can expect in 2014.

Before that, however, we discuss a recent discovery that the NSA sought to spy on gamers, eight top tech companies ban together to reform surveillance laws, and is Apple‘s iBeacon just a marketing gimmick or are there bigger plans in store?