The Daily Dish: May 8

o Sutherland in hot water after altercation with designer. Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland finds himself in hot water once again, only this time he’s been charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly head-butting a Manhattan fashion designer. The TV and film star, currently headlining Fox's "24" as iconic counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer, has been ordered to appear in court on June 22. The incident in question occurred in the early hours of May 7 at trendy New York nightspot SubMercer, where Sutherland is alleged to have attacked Proenza Schouler designer Jack McCollough after they got into a heated argument. Police interviewed several witnesses including Brooke Shields before issuing the ticket to the actor. Although the charge itself is minor, on par with a speeding ticket, the case could prove problematic for the 42-year old because of his previous convictions for drunk driving. His last brush with the law lead to Sutherland serving 48 days in jail in 2008 (a 30-day sentence plus 18 additional days for violating a previous probation) and he is currently on probation for that same conviction. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to think that Kiefer might’ve blurred the line between himself and CTU Agent Bauer just a little too much.

o Singleton teams with Diesel for high-octane adventure. Fresh off his Fast & Furious success, Vin Diesel is set to push the speed limits again in an adaptation of the new video game Wheelman. According to Variety, Paramount has tapped John Singleton, who directed 2 Fast 2 Furious, to direct the big-screen take on the game, and has lined up Lorenzo Di Bonaventura (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra) to produce. The film will focus on an expert driver (Diesel) who comes out of his self-imposed retirement to protect a woman from his past. No release date has been set but the studio is fast-tracking the project so it seems it might hit theatres next year.

o Captain Jackson? If Samuel L. Jackson has anything to say about it, Johnny Depp will have to relinquish his corner of the pirate movie market. Jackson’s production company, Uppity Films, and H20 Motion Pictures have secured the story rights of Andrew Mwangura, the man responsible for negotiating with modern-day pirates and owners of hijacked vessels off the African coast. Mwangura frequently brokers life-saving and expensive deals in exchange for the freedom of both crew and cargo, including a recent deal on behalf of the Ukranian ship V.S. Faina that was worth a reported $3.4 million. Jackson plans to star as the Mombassa-based freelance journalist and ex-marine engineer who offers humanitarian aid through his Seafarers’ Assistance Programme. The film may not contain any 18th-century pirate panache, but it does have Samuel L. Jackson and you just know if anyone can pull off a modern-day, life-or-death pirate story, it’s him.