The daily gossip: Eminem almost played Mad Max, Bob Odenkirk details his on-set heart attack, and more

1. 'Mad Max: Fury Road' director almost cast Eminem as Max

Oh what a lovely day for mom's spaghetti! Vulture published an excerpt from reporter Kyle Buchanan's upcoming book about the making of Mad Max: Fury Road, and it's filled with some fascinating casting what-ifs. For one, Rihanna was considered to play one of the wives who Furiosa (Charlize Theron) escapes with and actually had a meeting with director George Miller about it. But the book also suggests somewhere out there in the multiverse, the role of Max went not to Tom Hardy, but to … Eminem? "I have a very, very, very strong memory of George talking about Eminem for Max," storyboard artist Mark Sexton revealed, noting the idea was taken so seriously, he was asked to redraw storyboards to "put blond hair on Max." The idea ended up hitting one relatable snag: "We were going to shoot it in Australia," Miller said, "and [Eminem] simply didn't want to leave home." Miller is set to make a Furiosa film, though, so perhaps he's still got one more shot, one more opportunity for a role.

Vulture IndieWire

2. Bob Odenkirk details his heart attack on the 'Better Call Saul' set

Now that s'all good, man, Bob Odenkirk is looking back on his near-death experience on the set of Better Call Saul. In a New York Times profile, the actor reflected on suffering a heart attack while working on the show's final season last summer. "I went to play the Cubs game and ride my workout bike, and I just went down," Odenkirk recalled. "Rhea [Seehorn] said I started turning bluish-gray right away." The Times described Odenkirk laying "without a pulse" until his co-stars screamed for a medic and the show's health safety supervisor and an assistant director hooked him up to an automated defibrillator. Odenkirk was rushed to the hospital, though he has zero memory of it. "That's its own weirdness," Seehorn said. "You didn't have a near-death experience — you're told you had one." Thankfully for the company, after two recent fictional incidents, Odenkirk did not specify whether the bike he mentioned was a Peloton.

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The New York Times Variety

3. America Ferrera to star in the Barbie movie

America Ferrera is joining Margot Robbie's Barbie world. The Superstore star has been cast opposite Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the upcoming live-action Barbie film, according to Deadline and Variety. Robbie is set to star as Barbie and Gosling will play Ken. Believe it or not, directing and co-writing the film will be Greta Gerwig — that's right, Oscar-nominated director Greta Gerwig, who's set to follow up her acclaimed Little Women adaptation with a film based on a toy doll. "People generally hear 'Barbie' and think, 'I know what that movie is going to be,' and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they're like, 'Oh, well, maybe I don't," Robbie teased. In fact, Marriage Story director and Gerwig's partner Noah Baumbach is writing the film with her. No information about Ferrera's role has been revealed, though, God forbid any plot spoilers about the Barbie movie leak out.

Deadline Variety

4. Anthony Ramos and Russell Crowe land Marvel roles

The list of actors who have never been in a Marvel movie continues to shrink. In the Heights and Hamilton star Anthony Ramos is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he's been cast in a "key role" in the Disney+ series Ironheart, Deadline says. The show will revolve around a young inventor named Riri Williams, and it sounds like a big get for Ramos. Details about who he's playing aren't clear, but Deadline says "he is expected to not only have a big role in this series but in future Marvel projects as well." In other Marvel casting news, Russell Crowe has been cast in Kraven the Hunter, which stars ​​Aaron Taylor-Johnson and is a part of Sony's non-MCU Spider-Man universe. Crowe is apparently on a quest to star in every conceivable superhero universe, previously showing up in the DC universe in Man of Steel, not to mention his appearance as Zeus in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. Plus, who could forget his role in the most important film series of all: the Dark Universe?

Deadline The Hollywood Reporter

5. Spoiler alert: The dog doesn't die in 'Dog,' says Channing Tatum

There's no need to consult DoesTheDogDie.com before checking out Channing Tatum's latest film — he'll tell you himself. Tatum appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote the new film he co-directed, Dog, and he had no problem spoiling the ending. The film involves Tatum's character going on a road trip with a dog. But the problem with dog movies, he said, is that "I think Marley & Me scarred everyone" to the point that "every single person that I've told I've made a dog movie, they're like, 'I'm not going to see it unless you tell me if the dog lives.' And I'm just like, 'But don't you want to not know the ending of the movie?' And they're like 'Nope.'" Tatum not-so-subtly provided the answer, promising, "It's a good ending, so everyone knows." Kimmel observed that Tatum "might be the first guest who's ever come out and told the ending of his movie." Well, maybe intentionally — looking at you, Mark Ruffalo.

The AV Club ET