First up, taylor-kitsch.com would like to wish Taylor a very happy birthday! He turns 29 today!

Taylor Kitsch Will Sink Your Battleship

Taylor Kitsch (upcoming John Carter of Mars, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, “Friday Night Lights”) will star in Universal’s adaptation of the Hasbro game Battleship.

Peter Berg is directing the action adventure, which will unfold as a massive Naval adventure across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force.

The script, by Jon and Erich Hoeber, sees an international fleet come together to battle a water-bound armada of otherworldly origin.

Heat Vision says Kitsch is playing a Naval commander named Alex Hopper, described as “wildly spirited” and “a great seaman but a lousy politician.” Other key roles in the film include the female lead as well as a Japanese commander.

The Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner was previously in the running for the role but opted to do Paul Thomas Anderson’s new drama instead. (source)

Kitsch Set, Collins Confirmed for John Carter of Mars!

Walt Disney Pictures has announced that “Wolverine” stars Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins (confirming our earlier scoop) will reteam for John Carter of Mars, the live-action debut of WALL•E and Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton.

Kitsch will play the title character, a damaged Civil War veteran who finds himself mysteriously transported to Mars where his involvements with warring raced of the dying planet force him to rediscover his humanity.

Collins will play Dejah Thoris, the heir to the throne of Mars’ Helium kingdom.

The screenplay for the sci-fi action-adventure, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs classic series of fantasy/sci-fi novels, was written by Stanton and Mark Andrews with a polish by Michael Chabon.

Jim Morris (WALL•E) and Colin Wilson (upcoming Avatar, Munich, War of the Worlds) are producing the film, which will start production early next year. (source)

I’ve uploaded a bunch of outtakes of Taylor’s recent shoot for Cosmopolitan. Remember to register in the gallery to view those pictures.

Gallery Link
// Cosmopolitan Photoshoot

Taylor is set to attend the premiere of X-Men Origins: Wolverine tomorrow!

Stars due Monday for film’s Tempe premiere

Hugh Jackman and other celebrities will sink their claws into Tempe Monday.

Tempe’s Harkins Tempe Marketplace, 2000 E. Rio Salado Parkway, will host the premiere of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” thanks to a first-of-its kind contest in which fans from various locales got to compete for hosting privileges by voting for their zip codes online. Tempe’s 85281 beat out every other locale in the country.

The evening will start with a 5 p.m. red-carpet affair. Jackman and co-stars Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Will i Am and director Gavin Hood will attend.

The main theater, dubbed the Cine Capri, will host the 7 p.m. screening with all the celebs, but all 16 theaters in the building will show the film at the same time.

There’s no charge to go to the Marketplace for the red carpet. Lines will begin forming at 5 a.m. Monday. (source)

Wolverine Cast Talks Piracy, On-Set Stabbings

(…) Hood gathered with Wolverine star/producer Hugh Jackman and cast members Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Will.I.Am, Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins on The Simpsons soundstage to discuss the latest addition to the X-Men franchise.

Jackman took center stage, sharing a behind-the-scenes story of an adamantium malfunction that stopped filming for a while and left another cast member bleeding.

The mishap occurred while filming a dust-up between Jackman’s Wolverine and Kitsch’s Gambit.

“We were in a fight scene,” Jackman said, “and Taylor reeled back quickly and someone called, ‘Cut!’ I looked down at my claws and there were only two left. I looked over at Taylor and it was sticking out of his thumb. He was just looking at it.”

“Those were some good memories,” Taylor joked. “He stabbed me and I bled — a lot.” (…) (source)

Taylor is featured in the May issue of Nylon. Pictures have been added to the gallery. You can view the entire issue online at here. His feature appears on page 97.
Also, in case you hadn’t seen them, I’ve added screencaps from the season finale of Friday Night Lights a couple of days ago.

Gallery Link
// Nylon – May 2009
// Friday Night Lights – 3.13 – Tomorrow Blues Screencaps

Here’s a transcript of the Nylon article. Looks like Taylor got his first tattoo.

Any Given Friday
TAYLOR KITSCH IS not feeling like himself these days. The 28-year-old actor can be seen this month as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and he’s best known for his role as dreamy but tortured football player Tim Riggins on NBC’s hit drama Friday Night Lights. It’s a part that calls for a very specific physicality (ripped), hairdo (long, in his eyes), and mood (brooding). And yet on a bright spring morning in Austin, Texas, Kitsch shows up at an outdoor coffee spot looking like an emaciated tourist in a long-sleeved black T-shirt and skullcap, a camera slung around his neck. In the past six weeks, Kitsch has dropped a staggering 30 pounds in preparation for his role as tortured photojournalist Kevin Carter in the upcoming film The Bang Bang Club. “This morning I had slices of pineapple and a couple things of melon and coffee,” he says. “Later I’ll run like 13 miles and then more coffee. I make this vegetable soup that’s really good…but I’m over it.” Continue Reading

Just added 35 HD caps of the Gambit Profile from the previous post. Enjoy!

Gallery Link
// X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Gambit Profile

MTV has debuted a bunch of profile videos of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine characters, including one of Taylor’s Gambit. You can watch it below.