With little Ellen Page being the hottest commodity on the young Hollywood market today, it was a little surprising when news leaked that Sam Raimi had nabbed her for his newest film. Sure, Raimi has a certain amount of pull, but he’s essentially a cult figure, and the entire world was utterly disgusted with Spider-Man 3. With Page in the position to take any part she wanted, why this? Why now?

Raimi’s return to horror, Drag Me to Hell, was listed as one of Page’s upcoming projects, along with the Drew Barrymore-directed Whip It. Quite the mismatched pair, to be sure, and many speculated on precisely what kind of Hell we were in for.

But a few days ago, some sad, sad news broke on the film scene. Due to supposed scheduling conflicts, Ellen will not be appearing in Drag Me to Hell. All our useless speculations are now moot – and Raimi has had to find a slightly less bankable star in Alison Lohman, star of Matchstick Men.

Personally, I would have been fascinated to see how Juno pulled off a horror film – but who knows what’s in her future? We may see her screaming yet (in something other than the throes of childbirth). Here’s hoping she does let her career go stale with the same old, same old.

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