1. George Clooney is in talks to take the lead role in Brad Bird’s “1952.” The project, a mysterious collaboration with Damon Lindelof that is, reportedly, reminiscent of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” has its origins in the discovery of a box of rare documents Lindelof stumbled upon after a meeting with Disney. [Variety]

2. Holly Hunter will star in “The Vandal,” a play by the actor Hamish Linklater, which will open at New York’s Flea Theater on January 31. The play concerns “death and vandalism in Kingston, N.Y.,” and will co-star Zach Grenier and Noah Robbins. [Artsbeat]

3. Rosemarie DeWitt and Patton Oswalt are joining the cast of Aaron Sorkin’s HBO drama “The Newsroom.” Oswalt will play “Jonas Pfeiffer, the new V.P. of human resources at ACN, while Dewitt will play a litigator who is tasked with defending the network in a wrongful termination suit.” [Deadline]

4. James McAvoy will replace Joel Kinnaman in the upcoming WikiLeaks movie. McAvoy will play Daniel Domscheit-Berg, the once side-man to Julian Assange. The film, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Assange, will be directed by Bill Condon. [Vulture]

5. Watch Azealia Banks ride dolphins and get psychedelic in the low-budget, retro CGI-video for “Atlantis.” [Stereogum]

Previously: Frank Ocean, “Golden Boy,” Hurricane Sandy, “The Killing,” Scott Walker

Image: George Clooney/Joe Klamar/Getty Images

Tags: Aaron Sorkin, Azealia Banks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bill Condon, Brad Bird, Damon Lindelof, George Clooney, Hamish Linklater, Holly Hunter, James McAvoy, Joel Kinnaman, Patton Oswalt, Rosmarie DeWitt, The Newsroom, WikiLinks