Today in Wacky Casting News: Will the Star Trek–reboot news never stop? The latest is that none other than Winona Ryder will play … Spock’s mother? Winona Ryder is playing Spock’s mother? Are we that old? [Variety]

Wahlberg: To the Max!: Mark Wahlberg will star in 20th Century Fox’s adaptation of the video game Max Payne, about a cop investigating a series of strange murders who is haunted by the loss of his family. Someday, someone’s gonna make a movie about a happily married cop with six kids who mostly gives out parking tickets and shock the world! [Variety]

Chapa to Chronicle Polanski: Straight-to-DVD star turned director Damian Chapa will write, produce, and direct a biopic of filmmaker Roman Polanski, who barely escaped the Nazis as a child, lost his wife at the hands of the Manson family, and fled the United States after being convicted of statutory rape, while managing to direct a few films along the way. This movie might have to be six hours long. [HR]

Rimes to Warm Up for Chesney: LeeAnn Rimes will appear as the support act on Kenny Chesney’s 2008 Poets and Pirates tour. Chesney is reportedly delighted to have secured his second choice after 50 Cent declined. [Billboard]

Wildhorn to Count on Broadway: Here comes another big-ass Frank Wildhorn musical! Wildhorn, the composer behind Jekyll and Hyde, Scarlet Pimpernel, and Dracula is back on Broadway with a new musical of The Count of Monte Cristo, co-written with his frequent collaborator Jack Murphy. Monte Cristo will open in March 2009, and by the time June rolls around, it will star Sebastian Bach. [Playbill]

Mac Back: Bernie Mac is back on television with a new Fox sitcom tentatively titled Starting Under. He reportedly plays “a larger-than-life and opinionated man,” which at this point is so easy for Mac that he could probably play the role while the writers strike is still going on. [HR]