A couple of weeks ago I picked up on the entertaining news, via Jim Martin at “In All Things,” that Brad Pitt would be playing Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit scientist, in the film version of Mary Doria Russell’s “The Sparrow.” (Father Martin is a Jesuit, hence his understandable excitment–makes pitching vocations a lot easier…) Now it turns out it isn’t happening. Alas. Some plugged-in commenters over at dotCommonweal who know Mary Russell say it was always more rumor than fact (and many say Pitt wouldn’t be right for the role). According to Martin Connell:

“I just heard from Mary about this, and this is her reply. Jim Martin gets a ten for historical accuracy, a minus 3 for reportage. It’s old news-and now wrong news. The option is open until spring 09, but there no director for the screen play. Although Mr. Pitt was a fan of the books, the project seems to have fallen off the table.”

So how about Philip Seymour Hoffman?! Father Jim reports on the new trailer for the film “Doubt,” based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which is about a Catholic priest (Hoffman) suspected of sexual improprieties by a sister (Streep) in 1964. She wonders whether she is right, however, and as much as any treatment of the clergy abuse scandal, this play gets to the heart of the matter. Jim Martin was a “technical adviser” on the film, which will be out on December 12. I think that means he taught Sister Meryl to make the Sign of the Cross…Anyway, see the trailer: